Rugby World Cup 2011 is the official game of the Rugby World Cup 2011 tournament being held in New Zealand. Developer HB studios and publisher 505 Games have been granted by Rugby World Cup Limited the rights to create the tournament’s official game.

HB Studios has plenty of experience developing sports games, having produced 30 titles since 2001; this includes titles in the EA Sports Cricket, Rugby, NHL, NBA, Madden, FIFA, and Tiger Woods franchises.

“From a developer perspective, working with an official license always opens doors on the way to creating a more immersive gaming experience,” commented Alastair Jarvis, General Manager at HB studios. “At HB, we feel uniquely placed when it comes to rugby game development, and tying up a deal such as this only makes our dream of creating the definitive, authentic rugby title achievable.”

Rugby World Cup 2011 will challenge players to pick from the 20 Rugby World Cup 2011 participating teams and attempt to lead their team through the pool phase, and progress to the final with the opportunity to lift the prestigious Webb Ellis Cup.

Players can game with up to three others in local multiplayer matches. Online, using Xbox LIVE  and PlayStation Network, players can challenge others to one-on-one matches.

505 Games and HB studios have secured a partnership with the South African Rugby Union (SARU) granting use of the Rugby World Cup 2011 South African team strip, emblem, and many players’ likenesses within the game.

Rugby World Cup 2011 will be available in South Africa for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on 26 August 2011 with a recommended price tag of R599.

The first gameplay teaser video has emerged, showing off some good player animations including tackling, dodging, and high-flying tries.

Rugby World Cup 2011 gameplay footage << Comments and views