Looks like R.A. Salvatore is expanding his influence in the gaming word by writing a new Neverwinter trilogy that will be the backdrop of Cryptic’s New Dungeons and Dragons Game, Neverwinter. It’s rather fitting that such a prolific fantasy writer is influencing multiple fantasy RPG video games including 38 Studios own Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and their un-named MMORPG code named “Copernicus.”
Another video interview by Gamer Live TV interviewing R.A. Salvatore that I had not seen before. Definately worth checking out!
Nice write up from Escapist magazine that gives a good summary of everything. Definately a good read!
The plan is an ambitious one. An all-star baseball player and videogame geek assembles a crack team to create a blockbuster MMOG that plans to rival anything that Blizzard, SOE or Cryptic has to offer. Schilling’s 38 Studios purchased veteran design house, Big Huge Games, to make a single-player RPG as a prelude to the big MMOG project. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is slated for a Fall 2011 release, and EA has signed on to publish it and help with marketing. That machine began down in San Diego Comic Con and continued at Gen Con this past weekend in Indianapolis. Through it all, the one constant has been the desire to create a living, breathing world that aims to have story consequences for one of the most glaringly unrealistic mechanics in most games; the fact that you can die and come back to life is explained in Amalur by something called the “Well of Souls”. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
I’m not easily star-struck. But when I met with Curt Schilling, R. A. Salvatore and Mark Nelson from Big Huge Games at Comic Con, I realized that this was group of guys that I admire for very different reasons. R. A. Salvatore is arguably the most successful fantasist of our generation, with a slew of New York Times bestsellers starring the iconic Drizzt Do’Urden. Curt Schilling was the hero of my favorite baseball team as they slew the Yankee dragon in 2004, all while being a huge Everquest gamer. And Mark Nelson, even though his name isn’t instantly recognizable, is responsible for one of the greatest CRPGs of this decade, Oblivion. All three of these gentlemen are at the top of their game. How the hell does this collaboration work?
In case you were wondering about what the t-shirts looked like that Curt Schilling and R.A. Salvatore were signing and giving out at GenCon, I found a photo from Jack of all games. He called them ugly, what do you think?
The guys from Massively.com were at GenCon on the weekend and got a chance to chat with Curt Schilling and R.A. Salvatore. Definately worth checking out!
One thing is for certain: When you are sitting in the crosshairs of Curt Schilling and R.A. Salvatore during an interview, it’s easy to become bowled over by their collective intensity and passion, especially when it comes to their interest in games and fantasy worlds.
While GenCon Indy lacked its usual MMORPG presence this year, Massively was able to grab a few minutes of face time with 38 Studios’ founder and lead writer as they passed through the convention. It was a bit of an odd interview, however, as two of the biggest topics — 38 Studios’ move to Rhode Island and any solid details about their top-secret MMO — were off the table for discussion. Do not fret, as that certainly didn’t stop us from trying to pry for a few hints along the way. Schilling and Salvatore were obviously eager to spill the beans about Copernicus, but they are still biding their time until the right moment.
Happily, the duo didn’t mind us fencing with them for facts, and were quite open about their single-player RPG lead-up to Copernicus, their general philosophy of designing the MMO, and why they’ve waited so long to unveil it to the public. Read on, gentle gamers, for a few ripostes, parries and lunges with two of the biggest figures in the industry right now.
Dave Oshry from ripten attended the San Diego Comic Com and posted this great report!
When we arrived at the panel for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning during the first day of Comic Con 2010, we had no idea what to expect. Up until only a few days prior, the game was still shrouded in secrecy and referred to only as, “Project Mercury.” But we knew some very important things. 1. It was going to be an epic RPG and 2. There were some seriously talented individuals behind it.
As you may already know, the creative forces that have come together to bring us Reckoning are indeed some serious members of their respective fields. There’s Ken Rolston, who was the lead designer of Morrowind and Oblivion; R.A Salvatore, NY Times Best Selling author and creator of some of the most legendary works of Dungeons and Dragons fiction; Todd McFarlane, legendary artist made famous for his work on Spider-Man and for creating Spawn via Image comics, and last but not least; CEO Curt Schilling, world series winning and future hall of fame pitcher for teams such as the Boston Red Sox and Philidelphia Phillies.
If your heading to Gen Con this weekend be sure to stop by and meet Curt and R.A. and get exclusive Reckoning shirts on Friday at Booth #838 from 1:30 – 3:30pm. Then on Saturday R.A. Salvatore will be giving a seminar about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning at 2pm in Ballroom G.
Video coverage of the actual panel at Comic-Com. Great stuff! Not sure how any gamer could watch this and not be super pumped about what these guys are trying to accomplish.
Ran across this great interview by Evan Narcisse at Techland with a lot of great info, especially the below quote.
Do you see it competitive? Do you see it as additive?
Curt Schilling: Yes, we compete against everyone. I want to be the best in the world. I want us to be the best in the world. However, BioWare is 110% an asset. We have been able to have Greg and Ray and the guys at BioWare in to talk and confer and give advice. I would tell you, they are the best in the world at that genre right now. Hands down! And that’s not to slight anybody else, they are just great at what they do. That’s absolutely a value-add for us. Through the EAP partnership, we have them for whatever and they have us as well. To get their sign off, to have them come in and say, you know what, this is pretty bad-ass. That’s another one of those rubber stamps that tells us that we aren’t lying to ourselves.
Mark Nelson: These are complementary games. I mean, even though they are in the same genre, like ‘Dragon Age’. Ray and Greg are our friends. They have come in and they have looked at our stuff and they have provided valuable advice. They are geniuses at what they do, but obviously it’s a very different focus for the games.
When Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling decided to start up his own video game company in 2006, many in the industry probably had a good chuckle. However with the recent announcement of his company’s first video game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, a single player RPG slated for release in the fall of 2011 on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, it appears he is having the last laugh and proving his company is a force to be reckoned with.
Curt Schilling has assembled an impressive team with the likes of New York Times best-selling fantasy author R. A. Salvatore, world-renowned comic book and toy creator Todd McFarlane and Ken Rolston, lead designer of the critically acclaimed RPGs Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion to help create the game. There is also a very talented team behind the scenes at 38 Studios and Big Huge Games who are pouring their heart and soul into making Reckoning as well as a MMORPG code named Copernicus the best they can be. Both games are set in the universe of Kingdoms of Amalur created by R.A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane.
One thing that has always impressed me about Curt Schilling is his passion for gaming and his understanding that your only as good as your team. Coming from the sports world he understands the importance of putting together the best players and working as a team to achieve greatness.
“Reckoning is a great representation of how a team of incredibly talented and creative people with expertise in different areas can come together and complement each other so well,” said Jen MacLean, CEO of 38 Studios.
It’s that attitude and passion that Curt Schilling is bringing to the gaming world. Curt does not just want to be in the gaming industry he wants 38 Studios to be a force within it and that’s been reflected since day one with the slogan, “World Domination Through Gaming”
You can see this reflected in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. They could have just copied previously successful RPG games like Oblivion but that’s not their style. Instead they have choosen to move the genre forward by creating the first RPG with amazing action.
“In Reckoning, we started with Bob and Todd’s exceptional Kingdoms of Amalur game setting and imagery,” said Ken Rolston, Lead Designer at Big Huge Games, a subsidiary of 38 Studios. “On that foundation we built the open-world exploration, vast narrative and character customization fans expect from the best RPGs. And we’ve added something new that we’ve always wanted from the genre — a fast-paced, graphically stimulating action combat experience with fluid control and immersive, discoverable gameplay fans haven’t seen before in other fantasy RPGs.”
38 Studios is choosing to be a leader not a follower and it’s that philosophy along with the amazing talent it’s attracted that makes 38 Studios a force to be reckoned with. Gamers will get a chance to be a part of the Reckoning come fall 2011!
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