Hmm, BH Games worked on Rise of Nations and its expansion.. Mr. Rolston is a lead designer for two of the greatest RPG's.. Hmm, Strategy + RPG.. Rage of Mages III? :P
38 Studios Acquires Big Huge Games
[May 27, 2009, 10:21 am ET] - 8 Comments
38 Studios announces they have acquired Big Huge Games, the RTS/RPG developer that THQ put on the sales block earlier this year. Terms of the acquisition by 38 Studios, the MMO developer started by now-retired pro baseball player Curt Schilling, are not disclosed, but they say this fits their "strategy to deliver a broad range of entertainment products centered on its original fantasy IP, codenamed Copernicus." Word is:
Maynard, MA, May 27, 2009 – 38 Studios (www.38studios.com), an entertainment and original IP creation company, today announced the acquisition of Big Huge Games (BHG) from publisher THQ Inc. The acquisition is a critical step in 38 Studios’ strategy to deliver a broad range of entertainment products centered on its original fantasy IP, codenamed Copernicus. The purchase of Big Huge Games includes all of the company’s proprietary IP, tools, technology, assets, and works-in-progress. Specific financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Big Huge Games was founded in 2000 by veteran game developers Brian Reynolds, Jason Coleman, Dave Inscore, and Tim Train. Award-winning lead designer Ken Rolston, a 25-year role-playing game designer and co-creator of Oblivion and Morrowind, is another vital and dynamic component in BHG’s success. Big Huge Games has developed top-selling games including Rise of Nationsâ, and was built with the same talent that created Alpha Centauri, and Civilization II. Big Huge Games is currently developing an unnamed RPG title for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC.
“The acquisition of Big Huge Games will be tremendously beneficial to the growth, market position, financial stability, and long-term success of 38 Studios,” said Brett Close, CEO and President, 38 Studios. “BHG’s cross-platform RTS/RPG engine will accelerate the realization of our Online Entertainment ExperienceÔ for the Copernicus IP. The acquisition enables us to develop and deliver top-quality games in multiple genres that are based in a shared world, ultimately maximizing the value of our Copernicus MMOG and the intellectual property as a whole.”
“Big Huge Games and 38 Studios share a common vision – to deliver the most engaging, compelling, original experiences possible,” said Tim Train, CEO of Big Huge Games. “Joining the 38 Studios family allows us to continue translating our passions into great games.”
“It’s always about team,” said 38 Studios Founder and Chairman Curt Schilling. “The highly regarded developers at BHG, including leading role-playing and real-time strategy design teams led by Ken Rolston, are a perfect complement to 38 Studios’ staggering array of talent. Big Huge Games is a phenomenal team and, culturally, a natural fit.”
The Big Huge Games team will be integrated into 38 Studios but will remain based in Timonium, Maryland.
I'd heard of this game quite a few times but never payed much attention. After playing Skyrim though, I'm interested in playing more RPGs, especially if it's similar in any way to Skyrim. So I'm sort of interested in seeing how this one turns out.
Changing The Wider Fate of the World
Sean Bean: We've got six different factions in the world, and as you… play through the factions, and they recognise the ability that you have to change what was once their fate, then you can by the choices that you make, steer an entire group of people and a portion of the world that they belong in, one way or the other, based on how you decide to make those choices.
On a smaller scale, at the very beginning, you'll find an injured girl on the ground and you have the different ways to solve that quest – you can go and buy her the medicine that she needs, create the medicine that she needs through alchemy, or steal the medicine. So, the different ways that you solve those kinds of problems will elicit different reactions from NPCs in that part of the world.
From all the stuff I've seen so far, it looks sort of like an Elder Scrolls game, but with a heavy action based 3rd person combat system. Sort of like God of War's combat.
When I checked out the videos I realized it's very different. It's an action RPG! Right up my alley ;)These are BOTH the impressions I've gotten when reading info on the game and from some vids I've seen.
Official Reckoning System Requirements
Below are the minimum and recommended system requirements for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning on the PC.
MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
OS:
Windows XP with Service Pack 3
Windows Vista with Service Pack 2
Windows 7 with Service Pack 1
CPU:
Intel Core2 Duo (or equivalent) running at 2.2GHz or greater
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (or equivalent) running at 2.6GHz or greater
RAM:
At least 1 GB for Windows XP
At least 2 GB for Windows Vista and Windows 7
Disc Drive:
CD/DVD ROM drive (required for installation only), 8x or faster CD/DVD drive
Hard Drive:
At least 10.5 GB of free space
Video Adapter:
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB or better
ATI Radeon HD3650 512MB or better
Supporting Pixel Shader 3.0
Minimum Resolution Supported is 1280x720
DirectX:
9.0c Compatible
RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
OS:
Windows XP with Service Pack 3
Windows Vista with Service Pack 2
Windows 7 with Service Pack 1
CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad (or equivalent) running at 2.4GHz or greater
AMD Phenom X4 (or equivalent) running at 2.6GHz or greater
RAM:
At least 3 GB for Windows XP
At least 4 GB for Windows Vista and Windows 7
Disc Drive:
CD/DVD ROM drive (required for installation only), 8x or faster CD/DVD drive
Hard Drive:
At least 10.5 GB of free space
Video Adapter:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX260 1GB RAM or better
ATI Radeon HD4850 1GB RAM or better
Supporting Pixel Shader 3.0
DirectX:
9.0c Compatible
You will also need an internet connection for product activation/registration.
Demo now available on Steam! Downloading it as I type ;)
Reckoning has an in-game achievement system that is the same regardless of what version you are playing.
Where the difference comes in is where you can view the list of achievements.
For the PC version, you can view it in-game (and on Steam).
For the XBox 360 and PS3 versions, you'll be able to view your full achievements list on your PlayStation Network and/or XBox Live profiles.
Q: What's next?
The massively multiplayer online game is in the works, (and) we are working on Reckoning 2, doing a lot of groundwork. We believe the game and intellectual property will be incredibly successful.
Game was released last week.
ANNOUNCE SEQUEL
I dont know which meme image to use.
It's to be released today in North America! Enjoy dudes, I'll have to wait till 10 FEB.
The game seems to be pretty good, but the art direction and visuals are just so awful. That is like generic game 101.I got almost 4 hours, so far yesterday.
The game seems to be pretty good, but the art direction and visuals are just so awful. That is like generic game 101.Totally! haha It kinda looks like those generic game clones on iOS (quite a few by Gameloft).
Is there a place where I can actually STORE items & equipment in this game? :oI will explain..
IS there any way we EXPAND our Inventory size?
I will explain..(click to show/hide)
No idea about the overall inventory size though. Mine is just 70, always.
Honestly, it is a very polished, well-thought-out game. It just feels like there are bits and pieces that could be improved perhaps in a sequel. Overall it's a great starting point for 38 Studios.Agreed 100%.
I just read the ArsTechnica review (http://arstechnica.com/gaming/reviews/2012/02/kingdoms-of-amalur-a-great-action-game-in-an-empty-forgettable-world.ars) and it's a pretty good look at the highs and lows of KoA Reckoning.
Summary:
Story and characters: Meh, bland.
Action and combat: Awesome!
Thanks for posting that review link. It makes me want the game even more.Hehe any time, Cobra ;D
You know what's annoying?
Upon arriving, you'll quickly discover that the island isn't uninhabited. A group of shipwreck survivors have banded together to form a small community. Protected from Dead Kel's influence by a god they call Akara, they're a pious lot and, as usual with religious people in videogames, things are not quite what they seem. Though the story never strays from its central goal of killing Dead Kel and leaving the island, there are enough twists to keep things interesting for the 10-odd hours it should take to finish the DLC.
...
Despite my list of quibbles, "The Legend of Dead Kel" is definitely one of the better DLCs I've played in some time. It's got a great theme and look, the story is engaging enough, and I think it executes better on Reckoning's core gameplay than the original game does. While it isn't quite as cerebral as, say, Fallout: New Vegas' add-ons, and I have trouble imagining anyone who needs even more content out of Reckoning, for those interested, Dead Kel's legend is definitely worth hearing.
During a Rhode Island press conference this afternoon, Governor Lincoln Chafee said that 38 Studios ran into such dire financial trouble in part because Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning failed to live up to expectations.
"The game failed," Chafee said, claiming that in order to break even, the game needed to sell more than 3 million copies, and it unfortunately did not come close to hitting that lofty goal.
It's unclear where the Governor received this fiscal information from - Curt Schilling recently claimed on Twitter that "Reckoning, 38 Studios first game, has outperformed EA's projections by selling 1.2mm copies in its first 90 days."
There's some pretty crazy management assumption in there. They need to sell sell 3 million copies to be a success. 3 million. That's blockbuster territory with huge established franchises. I think I remember hearing that Mass Effect 2 didn't even break the 3 million mark.
Instead, they sold only 1.2 million. For a first game, I think that's pretty respectable but when you budget with such lofty expectation you're going to get nailed hard. It shows such a lack of understanding of the game world that you have to wonder what other stupid crazy was going on (or maybe you don't. With all this info coming out it's probably well documented). It's like all those MMO developers who saw Warcraft and assumed they could just get into the market with anything... wait, it is one of those situations since this was all supposed to become another MMO.
Speaking to former Big Huge Games employees, we asked what they felt was the most inaccurate portrayal of the 38 Studios implosion by the media. They expressed that Reckoning's development being tied to 38 Studios Rhode Island has been the biggest gaffe.
Former BHG employees repeatedly tell Joystiq that 38 Rhode Island did give info and guidance about the Amalur IP, but it didn't produce any assets for Reckoning. In terms of the day-to-day work, the Rhode Island team "didn't work on it at all."
"Reckoning was developed with EA publishing money, NOT Rhode Island tax dollars," a former BHG employee told us. "It had nothing to do with the $50 million dollars from RI. That money went directly to the MMO project."
Elements tested for the sequel were higher graphics quality across the board, no loading screens between zones, expanded and improved combat animations, fewer branching quests and greater effect on the world by players.
"We had a good base to work from, and it was going to be all about improving everything," said a source who asked to remain anonymous, given that there's still the slightest chance the project could be salvaged. "We listened carefully to fans and critics and were going to implement everything we possibly could."
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which -- despite what RI Gov. Lincoln Chafee was advised as being a "failure" -- did have a successful launch for a new IP, with 1.2 million units sold over 90 days. We understand that Electronic Arts, the publisher of Reckoning, did pass on the sequel due to executive politics and 38 Studios was shopping around the title.
At this point, given signifiant uncertainty about the production tech and Amalur IP, the best a reformed Big Huge Games team could manage is making an RPG with a similar feel but using a different intellectual property (think Demon's Souls to Dark Souls). The team has done it before: when purchased by 38 Studios from THQ, it converted its "Ascendent" RPG to fit the Amalur world.
"Creating Reckoning wasn't a matter of simply replacing some textures and doing a search/replace on names and such," said a former BHG employee, explaining the conversion required new environments, animations, characters and voice acting. There was a foundation to work with from "Ascendent." It appears the company will have another foundation to work from with Reckoning if the team can reassemble.
Suit says Kingdoms of Amalur developer knew it was "destined to fail."