Hack and Slash Games has revived the Fleer/Skybox International CCG Ophidian 2350 and plans to release a new stand-alone expansion, Ophidian 2360: Survival of the Fittest,  later this year. The project is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter.

The far-future gladiatorial card game Ophidian 2350, designed by Shaun Mahar, Gregg Schwartz, Jason Robinette, and Raffi Tasci, was originally released by Fleer/Skybox in 2003 (see “Fleer Plans CCG Launch”). Despite positive reviews and promising sales, Fleer pulled the product from the market after only three months citing market conditions (see “Fleer Kills Ophidian 2350 Expansion”), and the company soon folded (see “Upper Deck Acquires Fleer”). Hack & Slash Games purchased the existing Ophidian 2350 inventory in 2013, and has begun selling it though Alliance distribution.

Ophidian 2360: Survival of the Fittest is a stand-alone, expandable card game which is compatible with Ophidian 2350. In the game, players take the roles of teams of human and alien gladiators, fighting in an arena to establish a winner. Players win by defeating their opponents, or by winning the crowd’s favor.  It uses the same gameplay as Ophidian 2350, but adds new Gladiators, Minions and Pumps.

“The core mechanic of the game is unchanged, how the cards are laid out and designed is different.  New icons, replacement symbols, and the overall mechanical design of the cards has changed as well, but the old cards are 100% compatible with the new game,” a Hack and Slash representative told ICv2. “While we have no plans to ever go back to a collectible format, we'll support the older product for at least the next 2-3 years before we decide to cycle it out." 

The Pre-constructed Decks will have an MSRP of $14.99 (4 varieties). A One-player Kit will include a Pre-constructed deck, a high-quality playmat, dice, tokens, and rules reference, with an MSRP of $24.99. The playmet itself will have an MSRP of $14.99.

The game is for 2 – 4 players, ages 10 and up, and plays in 20-30 minutes. 

The game is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, where it has raised $8,148 of its $18,500 goal as of this writing, with 17 days to go. The campaign includes two retailer levels with packages that include immediate bonus product from the existing Ophidian 2350 game.