Company regarded as one of the most innovative startups extends range of robotic autonomous toy vehicles
Anki Overdrive, a robotics and artificial intelligence company, has launched a new range of toy autonomous vehicles which the company says takes its hit battle-racing game “to the next level”.
The company already had an array of toy autonomous cars in its line-up, but now it has added what it calls “robotic Supertrucks” to the mix.
The new “battle rigs”, as the company calls them, Freewheel and X52, supersize the racing experience with an “intimidating frame that’s nearly triple the size of other Anki Overdrive Supercars, commanding a big presence on the battlefield”.
Beyond their size, Supertrucks will also introduce “powerful” new weapons and exciting game modes that will put players’ skills to the test, says Anki.
Freewheel and X52 will be available in the US for $59.99 starting October 3, 2016. Fans can pre-order the two Supertrucks on anki.com.
The Supertrucks were created by Hollywood car designer Harald Belker, whose graphically bold vision and style for futuristic vehicle design has been seen in films such as Minority Report, Tron: Legacy, and Total Recall.
The Supertrucks are bigger, rougher, and more dominating on the track than the current Anki Overdrive Supercars – but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will rule the road.
Each Supertruck comes with new weapon options including X52’s exclusive “Pulse Ram”, which will blast opponents off the track, and Freewheel’s “Gravity Trap” that will disable opponents’ Supercars, causing them to lose all control.
These vehicles are designed to make gameplay more robust and set the stage for the ultimate true test of skill, pitting size and strength against speed and agility. Aside from commanding Supertrucks in any of Anki Overdrive’s open-play game modes, these vehicles come armed with their own exclusive game called, Takeover. Players start each match in their chosen Supercars.
Anyone that can break through a Supertruck’s defenses will take control of the vehicle to wreak havoc on their opponents until another player disables them and takes command of the big rig.
Boris Sofman, co-founder and CEO, Anki, says: “The new robotic Supertrucks deliver a whole new level of play to the Anki Overdrive universe that will give players more content and allow them to rethink their gameplay style.
“Our fans have proven to be incredibly creative and strategic in how they build out their tracks and how they play; we can’t wait to see what they do with these Supertrucks.
“The introduction of the new vehicles is part of our on-going mission to support, update and rollout features, both on the software and hardware side, that build off the core robotic battle-racing experience.”
Anki Overdrive converges toys, videogames and robotics into a one-of-a kind entertainment experience. Since the product is software driven, Anki is also able to continually introduce new features at no extra cost to players. Anki released a free modifier app update a few months ago to better customize their battle-racing experience.
To date, players have logged in 3.2 million hours of gameplay, driven more than 2 million miles in the game, and built nearly 55,000 different track configurations. Anki Overdrive Starter Kits ($149.99 in the US and Canada) and expansion cars ($49.99 in the US and Canada) are currently now on sale by visiting anki.com.
