Rumors concerning BioWare's MMORPG

[Widell]

A friend showed me an article from Primotech, although their site isn't really working right now due to traffic from Digg.
Anyhow, these rumors might very well be valid and if so we're looking at a Star Wars based game from a studio who knows how to develop such games.


"A source close to BioWare confirmed to us today that the studio?s upcoming untitled massively-multiplayer online RPG will be centered around the Star Wars universe, specifically that of Knights of the Old Republic, which the developer released in 2003. The game garnered critical acclaim and spawned a less-popular sequel, released by Obsidian two years later.

The game is being developed by the company?s Austin studio, formed in 2006 and headed by BioWare Creative Director James Ohlen, whose past credits include the first KOTOR, Neverwinter Nights, and Baldur Gate?s I and II.

This is not the first Star Wars-related MMORPG: Star Wars Galaxies debuted in the summer of 2003, followed by several expansions. It was generally well-received by fans and critics, but subscriber numbers plunged and never recovered after a controversial gameplay update in 2005. It?s estimated that the game now has fewer than 100,000 subscribers and less than 20,000 active players.

It?s currently unknown whether or not EA, which acquired BioWare last week, will act as publisher for this title, or if the studio had a previous arrangement with another publisher.

Expect the game sometime in 2009.

Editor?s Note- As no media from the game has yet been made available, the screenshot above is from the first KOTOR title.

Editor?s Note 2- We?ve gotten several emails asking about the validity of this news. The only rumors we post here at Primotech will explicitly be stated as such.

Editor?s Note 3- We?re experiencing heavy traffic from Digg at the present. You're now viewing a static version of this page and the rest of the site may be unresponsive temporarily. We appreciate your patience as we work this out."

 

[Hengst2404]

I think this may be one of the most disappointing rumors I have heard in a while. What made KOTOR great, was the game itself, the characters and the story. Why they think people would rather play an MMO than see a third game in the KOTOR series is beyond me. I cannot see myself paying for another Star Wars based MMO, especially given how disappointing I found the first Star Wars MMO.

 

[Arbre]

Milk.
Same as Heng's. It was a great solo adventure. A scenario. Forget about that in the MMORPG.
Galaxies or WoW, with new skins.
Same senseless bot bashing and boring PvP.

Yeepee!

 

[Oddlogic]

I think the fact that EA has aquired bioware puts the nail in the coffin. EA has an awful history with MMOs. They don't give artistic freedom to their development teams.

 

[Lex Darko]

Milk.
Same as Heng's. It was a great solo adventure. A scenario. Forget about that in the MMORPG.
Galaxies or WoW, with new skins.
Same senseless bot bashing and boring PvP.

Yeepee!

Huh?

The KotOR universe is perfect for a Star Wars MMO. It's a universe that has at least 3 different notable wars in it for a back drop. Two different Jedi Civil wars and the Mandalorian War and if you really want to go back the hyperspace war. Not to mention the space beyond the outer rim or a whole chunk of time unaccounted for between the time of the Rakata and the start of the Republic.

If a good story for a MMO could be written anywhere, it could be written for a MMO in the Kotor universe.

I'm just hoping for a good combat, if as good as or better than the system in Jade Empire then I there 5000 dollar pc upgrade and all.

 

[Hengst2404]

I am not sure its a simple matter of establishing that the KOTOR universe is ripe for an MMO or not, the point was that for many gamers, myself among them, I want a KOTOR game to finish off the storyline for the KOTOR RPG games. I played the first Star Wars MMO and I did not enjoy it at all. In fact, I think we have seen enough MMO games in the past few years to last us all a lifetime.

I understand that many gamers, millions in fact, play MMO games, shoot I used to play as well, everything from everquest to Starwars, Everquest 2, Dark Age of Camelot, Anarchy Online and World of Warcraft. Having said that, i think that EA being involved in an MMO and Bioware moving away from their masterful story crafting is just a horrible use of the license.

 

[Arbre]

Milk.
Same as Heng's. It was a great solo adventure. A scenario. Forget about that in the MMORPG.
Galaxies or WoW, with new skins.
Same senseless bot bashing and boring PvP.

Yeepee!

Huh?

The KotOR universe is perfect for a Star Wars MMO. It's a universe that has at least 3 different notable wars in it for a back drop. Two different Jedi Civil wars and the Mandalorian War and if you really want to go back the hyperspace war. Not to mention the space beyond the outer rim or a whole chunk of time unaccounted for between the time of the Rakata and the start of the Republic.

If a good story for a MMO could be written anywhere, it could be written for a MMO in the Kotor universe.

I'm just hoping for a good combat, if as good as or better than the system in Jade Empire then I there 5000 dollar pc upgrade and all.

The problem is not that it's good enough background material or not. It's that what made KOTOR succesful has nothing to do with a multiplayer experience.

Galaxies is based in an era which had even more background material to offer, but it sucked.

It's like if we'd get Final Fantasy XVII MMO. Yes, lots of potential money to do there, but again, that would be missing what made the solo adventure so great.

 

[Joe]

I think there's room for both an MMOG and a single-player campaign. The Star Wars universe is way too huge for an MMOG not to work. The problem with SWG is Sony decided to make moisture vaporator farming the focus, rather than killing a bunch of space fascists.

Really, what would be cool is if BioWare went the Age of Conan route and made the first part of the game single-player (ideally finishing KOTOR 2) and then spat your character out into the MMOG.

 

[Hengst2404]

I would be down with that solution, as that is likely the only way I would be another game with an MMO component. I don't get a chance to game consistently enough to focus on a game with a monthly charge. I really loved Lord of the Rings Online, but at 15 bucks a month I had to let it go after a few months.

The only way I would want a Kotor MMORPG, is if they found some way to make an MMO that didn't play like everquest or a mix of everquest and WoW. I swear all games just skin the characters on other MMO styled engines, themes, play mechanics and release the game.

I dont want to see one more derivative MMO game and I fear we will see many more in the future.

 

[Arbre]

I think there's room for both an MMOG and a single-player campaign. The Star Wars universe is way too huge for an MMOG not to work. The problem with SWG is Sony decided to make moisture vaporator farming the focus, rather than killing a bunch of space fascists.

Really, what would be cool is if BioWare went the Age of Conan route and made the first part of the game single-player (ideally finishing KOTOR 2) and then spat your character out into the MMOG.

That sounds extremely depressive. You'd actually make your teeth on a possibly bland solo quest, before being thrown out in the void of repetitive hack n' slash.

I'd actually rather have a system that does the contrary, lets you wander, before progressively guiding you into the evolution of the server's world, to finally integrate you into a detailed and rich quest. But not by putting you into a solo adventure, but a small group MP adventure, a co-op.

But lo, this is just opening a can of worms.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

A friend showed me an article from Primotech, although their site isn't really working right now due to traffic from Digg.
Anyhow, these rumors might very well be valid and if so we're looking at a Star Wars based game from a studio who knows how to develop such games.


"A source close to BioWare confirmed to us today that the studio?s upcoming untitled massively-multiplayer online RPG will be centered around the Star Wars universe, specifically that of Knights of the Old Republic, which the developer released in 2003. The game garnered critical acclaim and spawned a less-popular sequel, released by Obsidian two years later.

The game is being developed by the company?s Austin studio, formed in 2006 and headed by BioWare Creative Director James Ohlen, whose past credits include the first KOTOR, Neverwinter Nights, and Baldur Gate?s I and II.

This is not the first Star Wars-related MMORPG: Star Wars Galaxies debuted in the summer of 2003, followed by several expansions. It was generally well-received by fans and critics, but subscriber numbers plunged and never recovered after a controversial gameplay update in 2005. It?s estimated that the game now has fewer than 100,000 subscribers and less than 20,000 active players.

It?s currently unknown whether or not EA, which acquired BioWare last week, will act as publisher for this title, or if the studio had a previous arrangement with another publisher.

Expect the game sometime in 2009.

Editor?s Note- As no media from the game has yet been made available, the screenshot above is from the first KOTOR title.

Editor?s Note 2- We?ve gotten several emails asking about the validity of this news. The only rumors we post here at Primotech will explicitly be stated as such.

Editor?s Note 3- We?re experiencing heavy traffic from Digg at the present. You're now viewing a static version of this page and the rest of the site may be unresponsive temporarily. We appreciate your patience as we work this out."

after the watering down and nerfing the SW MMO was full of nothign but fail.

frankly unless the MMO can give me the option of non griding for a extra 10 a month or the option to buy fun,unquie and useful equipment with real moeny at a buck a pop or elss I will avoid it, the MMO grind gimmick ship has passed for me,I want a fun RPG/Action/game experience not "yo grinding rewards with more grinding bro"......

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

I think there's room for both an MMOG and a single-player campaign. The Star Wars universe is way too huge for an MMOG not to work. The problem with SWG is Sony decided to make moisture vaporator farming the focus, rather than killing a bunch of space fascists.

Really, what would be cool is if BioWare went the Age of Conan route and made the first part of the game single-player (ideally finishing KOTOR 2) and then spat your character out into the MMOG.

That sounds extremely depressive. You'd actually make your teeth on a possibly bland solo quest, before being thrown out in the void of repetitive hack n' slash.

I'd actually rather have a system that does the contrary, lets you wander, before progressively guiding you into the evolution of the server's world, to finally integrate you into a detailed and rich quest. But not by putting you into a solo adventure, but a small group MP adventure, a co-op.

But lo, this is just opening a can of worms.

SP before MP I say you cant make a game fun by making it a SP grind fest,lets make it a fun SP game and then pile stuff for the MP aspect of it to make it more rewarding, as I see it the grind gimmick wont go away anytime soon.