Tech – MMO Fallout

Bill Roper has returned to the world of MMORPGs. Following his tenure at Flagship Studios and Cryptic Studios (during Champions Online’s launch), Bill Roper left the genre to head up the gaming division at Disney with its Infinity line of products. Now he is back, joining SpatialOS creator Improbable to create new worlds.

Those of you who have been keeping track will recall that Improbable is putting together technology to create more permanent, persistent worlds. The company is picking up some big names, including Jagex, who are interested in incorporating their technology.

“The possibilities for not just massive worlds, but highly detailed and truly persistent worlds built on SpatialOS are exciting. I believe the games that will define AR and VR are yet to be realized, and the type of simulation that can be achieved with our platform can be an integral part of these new experiences,” says Roper.

SpatialOS is making its way into a bunch of games, from Chronicles of Elyria to Worlds Adrift, and more to be announced.

(Source: Gamasutra)

Back when Jagex announced that Transformers Universe was taking a full 180 degree spin and transforming itself from a traditional MMO into a League of Legends style MOBA, I removed it from our listings. After all, we don’t cover MOBA titles here and a recent poll showed that the majority of you have no interest in us changing that policy. I’ve talked a lot in the past about how Jagex has massive problems with their non-RuneScape titles, with literally every in-house project either dead in the water (Funorb) or never seeing release (8Realms, MechScape, Stellar Dawn), with the exception of a Facebook racing game called Carnage Racer released last year.

Enter Transformers Online, an MMO announced in 2011 for a 2012 release date, delayed for over a year, and the subject of a 100% makeover from MMO to MOBA because Transformers do not fish or bake bread. Eurogamer is reporting today that Jagex has confirmed that the Transformers Universe team has been scaled back, noting that most of those affected were moved over to RuneScape with thirteen being let go from the company entirely. The game will not be “adversely affected” from these changes, and the move comes from a recent decision to stray away from in-house technology in favor of an established engine. The article notes concerns from employees within the company as to the sudden change over to unfamiliar technology, and pressure from Hasbro to get the game out by the end of the year.

So where do we stand now? With the change in direction, and now a sudden tech swap barely six months before the intended release, what could possibly go wrong? My earlier predictions still stand: Either Transformers Universe will launch in a rushed and unfinished state, or Jagex will attempt to delay it further and risk incurring the wrath of Hasbro.

(Source: Eurogamer)