Animus Interactive came to life in the winter of 2012, created by its founder and current CEO Frank Cefalu. Frank wanted to create a new home for medieval strategy development as he was unhappy with the downward spiral that the RTS Industry was taking. In particular, he was not happy with what was currently represented as massive multiplayer real time strategy games. He believed they had become more predatory in nature and were no longer sticking to the true origins of a RTS game.

Frank decided to try his hand at the monumental task of developing a game.The game he had in mind would require a large breadth of fantasy lore, as well as requiring great technical prowess. Knowing it would be no walk-in-the-park, he understood that choosing an appropriate name would require serious thought. He thought well about this and settled on the word “animus” which is derived from latin. After considerable deliberation,and countless baskets of kittens….and perhaps several glasses of cheap bourbon… he decided that the Latin derived term “Animus” most suited the philosophy of the company.

The word Animus in Latin meant Soul, spirit, mind, pride and courage. Frank couldn’t think of a better name to represent all the qualities his company would need in order to succeed. Spirit and Soul were what the company would need to resonate with a player base not yet discovered. Mind, to always make sure he leads the company on a path that is fruitful and of well strategized means.To take pride in everything we do and to not be afraid to honor our accomplishments as they deserve.And finally courage, perhaps the most important trait in the cutthroat RTS gaming world, the courage to drown a few kittens for the betterment of the rest

To this day, alongside a small team of less than 12 talented people, we push on. With the core principles of our company always in the front of our minds, we continue to strive for perfection in our first title release Avalon Lords.