Cross of the Dutchman

The story of CotD will be centered around the figure of Pier Gerlofs Donia, who went by the nickname of Grutte Pier(Big Peter, in the old-Frisian language). Pier loses everything he has to a band of Dutch and German mercenaries and invaders who have been invading and plundering his lands for many years before. In a land torn apart by civil war and horrendous crimes, bloody rebels and pirates, the stories hero vows revenge against those responsible for his personal tragedy. Pier becomes a pirate, a rebel, a freedom fighter, a hero to the people and earns his place in history as the Cross of the Dutchman. But at what cost? Follow in the footsteps of a legendary warrior who will become known as the Cross of the Dutchman for his naval exploits and the many brutal battles he fights and wins. On his quest, Pier encounters many challenges of which the outcome should determine how the people could have seen Pier. Will the player cause chaos and destruction on his path, or will he spare the villagers and take out the enemy when the innocent are out of harms' way? The way in which the player plays the game will allow him to see how a person can turn into a legend, or strike fear in the hearts of anyone who would stand against him.

Development
Extensive historical research was done in order to accurately recreate sixteenth century Western-Europe in the game. Development began in early 2009 and, at first, was mainly focused at creating a historically correct storyline and researching the weaponry, clothing, language, ships and culture of that time. The game was officially announced in November 2009. With a lot of time and effort, Triangle Studios wrote their version of the historical story, created the game world, and built prototypes to prove the game play. All this was done while at the same time, the studio were still working on other games like WINtA, Muddy Monsters, Graffiti Wars, SalePlay and others.

It has been stated by Remco de Rooij, the director of Triangle Studios, that because of the twelve to sixteen age range for the game, it is not intended to be overly violent and is also meant to appear to a international audience. The total budget created for the game is 275,000 euros (369,160 dollars), 80,000 of which was donated by Noardwest Fryslân because of the historical nature of the game. Because of the international aspirations of the game, it is meant to feature subtitles in numerous languages, including Frisian, Dutch and English.