I managed to steal some time from Boian Spasov and Boyan Ivanov two game designers at Haemimont Games. Sofia, Bulgaria-based Haemimont games, the oldest game developers in the country, are hard at work finishing up Imperium Romanum 2 for its March 2009 release.

If you’re looking for Sofia on a map, Bulgaria is just north of Greece and borders the Black Sea and Turkey on east and south and Romania on the north, Serbia and Macedonia on the west side. (End of geography for the day)

Here’s what they had to say in regards to Imperium Romanum 2, why they make so many games about Rome and the future.

[GDN] There are huge differences between Imperium Romanum and IR2, how do you think the ’purist’ fans of the game will react to the major changes?

[HM] Indeed, unlike many sequels we see these days, IR2 is very different from its predecessor. We kept the historic Roman setting, but we revamped practically the whole game - both visually and gameplay-wise. The art for all buildings, units and landscapes was made from scratch; the economy and the military conquest are working differently. Even if you spent weeks playing the old game, IR2 will feel like a fresh new title.

We are confident that despite those ambitious changes, the new game won’t be a disappointment for our hardcore fans. Like us, they love city-builders and all our efforts here at Haemimont Games are ultimately focused at providing them with a better, richer city-building experience.