brandon-reinhart
Latest
Blackstar and the importance of narrative design
This year's ION Game Conference hosted a great cross-section of the finest minds in gaming, both industry veterans and up-and-coming developers. Among the latter was Spacetime Studios' Brandon Reinhart, Lead Designer for Blackstar, an MMO that's currently on our Droolworthy List.In Brandon's talk, entitled "Narrative Design for MMOs: Using Storytelling to Craft and Convey Vision", he applied the old maxim "Show, don't tell" to his own lecture and explained not only how to craft engaging narratives in a game, but also why doing so is important. Using his two laws of visionary design, three tools for promoting narrative design, and the Great Law of Conveying Vision, the designer didn't just make his thoughts plain, but also made us even more eager to see what Blackstar will eventually turn out to be.
NCsoft drops Spacetime Studios: Not all is lost as development on Blackstar (space MMOG) continues
Earlier this week Spacetime Studios announced NCsoft has cancelled their contract with Blackstar, title revealed today, a space MMOG that has been in development for the past two years. As a result, this currently leaves the game with no publisher, stifling full production for the foreseeable future. In order for development to continue 12 employees were served with walking papers, an unfortunate but understandable circumstance.In the announcement Spacetime Studios reassures that Blackstar is their current project and they will continue to develop the IP. The infrastructure and all the tools are in place, and the remaining crew is fully committed. According to Brandon Reinhart's blog, STS Lead Designer, NCsoft is continuing to work closely with Spacetime Studios to resolve their separation amicably and make sure that the legalities regarding property rights are not entangled. More information regarding the game itself will be revealed in the days ahead. Do you want to know more about Blackstar? Check out thee Spacetime Studios website.
