Dublin, Ireland. March 14, 2012. Brutally difficult indie survival strategy zombie game World of the Living Dead has broken down the barricades and officially burst into open beta. A freshly reanimated Los Angeles County server is only the start of a worldwide zombocalypse simulation which takes a different approach to the zombie game. Focusing on survival rather than headshots, WotLD is for the hardcore gamer who likes to think ten steps ahead.

WotLD makes innovative use of Google Maps and US Census data to create a massive game universe based on real-world locations. Zombie numbers in each city block react to player activity as they scavenge for supplies, kill zeds or raid other survivors. Realistic starvation and dehydration combine with the effects of fear and fatigue to make it tough to survive in a game where every city block is teeming with faceless hordes of the living dead.

"World of the Living Dead is dark and unforgiving. It's designed for gamers who want a real challenge," said developer Dave Barton. "The zombie genre is about difficult moral decisions, about vicious competition for limited supplies after civilization has collapsed. Do you feed everyone? Do you sacrifice a bitten survivor? Do you attack a squad of weaker survivors? WotLD forces players to make these choices every day."

With a unique background story involving a desperate "survival of the fittest" plan by the shadowy National Emergency Control & Relief Agency, bonus collectibles, drag and drop inventory management and a flexible approach to developing skills and managing multiple characters, WotLD is unlike any other massively-multiplayer zombie game on the Internet.

World of the Living Dead feature list

• Survival strategy zombie MMO browser game
• Huge game universe, starting with all of Los Angeles County
• Background story based on a drastic plan to save humanity
• Competition for limited resources - locations do not replenish
• Realistic character needs based on fear, fatigue, hunger and thirst
• Hardcore PvP with character permadeath and item looting from corpses
• Establish upgradeable safehouses and claim territory
• Control multiple characters with unique skill development paths
• Real-world weapons and items
• 150+ in-game collectible bonus cards
• Dozens of achievements for surviving, fighting and exploring
• Over 9 million zombies!

About Ballardia

World of the Living Dead is the first game from Irish independent studio Ballardia. Founded by former Jolt Online Chief Game Designer, Dave Barton (Legends of Zork) and former Jolt Online CTO, Kulpreet Singh, they are focusing on developing entertaining, challenging and deep browser games. For more information, see www.ballardia.com.