Two years ago today, SkyVu Pictures unleashed the original Battle Bears into the App Store, which after a series of content updates is now known as Battle Bears: Zombies! [99¢/Lite] The game was your standard fixed turret shooting gallery type of game, but what really set it apart from anything else available was its more than over-the-top wackiness. Just the opening cutscene alone let you know that you were in for a wild ride that could only have been created from the most twisted of minds. In case you’re unaware, you can watch all the cutscenes from Battle Bears: Zombies! in one handy dandy YouTube video, and it’s more than worth spending 9 minutes of your life doing.

With the success of Battle Bears: Zombies!, SkyVu went on to create a new prequel in the series called Battle Bears -1 [99¢/Lite], a fun third-person shooter which fleshed out the Battle Bears lore and offered the same style of crazy that we’ve come to know and love. Following this came an iPad-only top-down dual-stick shooter inspired by the classic Smash TV called Battle Bears Go [Free], which actually stemmed from the original prototypes of what eventually became Battle Bears -1. Finally, in mid-July, the studio released Battle Bears Blast [Free], another fixed shooter with a focus on one-handed gameplay and some fun character customization options.

What this Battle Bears history lesson is leading up to is that SkyVu have announced that their combined downloads for free and paid games across iOS and Android, as well as their suite of Battle Bears themed entertainment apps, has pushed them over the 12 million mark. No matter how you slice it, 12 million downloads is a remarkable feat. In celebration of this milestone as well as the 2 year anniversary of the original Battle Bears release, you can now grab Battle Bears Blast for free until the end of the Labor Day weekend. Battle Bears Blast is definitely a must-download while free, and I absolutely love the focus on one-handed gameplay. Make sure you grab it before the US holiday is over.

While download milestones and free games are all well and good, that’s not even the most awesome bit of Battle Bears related news I’ve got for you. Back in March, right in the midst of GDC, SkyVu announced Battle Bears Royale, a squad-based third-person shooter with online multiplayer. Battle Bears Royale will feature 6 different classes to play as, similar to games like Team Fortress 2. There is tons of additional information, screens, concept art, and more in the Battle Bears Royale forum thread, but check out this first trailer of the game in action because it is looking quite awesome:

Also, you can take a look at this super secret forbidden video that shows another few minutes of pure gameplay for Battle Bears Royale. Really impressive stuff. This easily is SkyVu’s most ambitious title yet, and I seriously can’t wait to get my hands on it. The release window is slated for this Fall, and the plan is for Battle Bears Royale to launch for free with a ton of different kinds of weapons and equipment available as in-app downloads, both free and paid. SkyVu has teamed up with Recharge Studios to co-develop Battle Bears Royale and make sure there are enough resources to fully realize such an ambitious title.

If that isn’t enough Battle Bears news to make your face melt, then I regret to tell you that I haven’t even mentioned yet another new game in the works, Wil’s Finest Hour, which will be the next entry in the single player Battle Bears storyline. Details are extremely scarce as it’s early in development, but there is a discussion thread in our forums where you can keep tabs on any new information. We’ll also be keeping our eyes out for more on Battle Bears Royale as it nears completion, and be sure to pick up Battle Bears Blast while it’s free through Monday.