Vivendi Universal Games has today announced that is has secured the exclusive worldwide publishing rights to UK-based Swordfish Studios' Cold Winter. The first-person shooter, which is currently in development for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, is set in a dark world of global espionage and will see players assuming the role of a disavowed secret agent.

　　"As a global leader in multimedia interactive entertainment, our involvement with Swordfish Studios reinforces our continued commitment to quality partnerships and quality content," said Philip O'Neil, vice president of sales and marketing, VU Games. "Cold Winter combines the grim and gritty gameplay hard-core gamers have come to expect with a storyline reminiscent of contemporary spy thrillers."

　　Cold Winter will consist of 13 single-player missions set in eight distinct environments, including a Chinese prison and the cities of Cairo and Hong Kong. The game will feature more than 30 real-world weapons and utilize a combined-items system that will allow players to create their own weapons, traps, and tools by collecting and combining objects in the environment.

　　"With Cold Winter, our goal is to deliver the most complete and immersive experience possible in an FPS game by creating the ideal balance between technology, storyline, and gameplay," said Julian Widdows, development director for Swordfish Studios.

　　Both the PS2 and Xbox versions of Cold Winter will feature multiplayer support, although specific details have not been released at this time. We hope to bring you more information on the game, which is scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2004, when we report live from E3 on May 14-16.