All Articles: Crimson: Steam Pirates

When some people start talking about strategic turn-based action on the iPad, most other people start snoozing. But when Bungie, of Halo fame, said they were making a game for the iPad about steampunk pirates, my ears perked up a little. Crimson: Steam Pirates will be out on the iPad on September 1 for free. I will repeat that… FREE!

Developed by Harebrained Schemes and published by Bungie’s mobile publishing arm, Bungie Aerospace, you’ll play as the pirate Thomas Blood, who commands a fleet of swashbucklers. The first eight missions in Crimson: Steam Pirates will be free to play, but and additional eight missions can be found in Chapter Two, “Tales of Captain Blood,” which will cost you an extra $1.99. So its not completely free to play.

With a little bit of luck, and an Internet connection, on September 1, I will be screaming, “Yarr me skallywags! Swab the poop deck and fire upon the adjacent poop deck over yonder! Don’t let their steam escape! Steal their steam then we will sell it back to them at a higher price! Show them our poop deck is better than their poop deck!… POOP!”

It sounded much more eloquent in my head.

It’s the question everybody is asking, just what is Bungie up to? The answer got more complicated today when Bungie offshoot Bungie Aerospace filed a trademark for something called “Crimson.”

According to the filing, Crimson is “Computer game software downloadable from a global computer network; Computer game software for use on mobile and cellular phones; Downloadable computer game software via a global computer network and wireless devices.”

So basically, Bungie is getting into the app business. Is “Crimson” a part of Bungie’s New Universe, the mega franchise they’re developing for Activision over the next ten years? Or is it something new entirely? The founding of Bungie Aerospace, a brand new company unconnected to the Activision/Bungie deal, would suggest the latter.

Whatever it is, it looks like we’ll be waiting a good, long while to find out. Bungie has no plans to attend the 2011 E3 Expo.