Introversion
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Working As Intended: There's nothing wrong with soloing in MMORPGs
A Massively community member recently wrote into the podcast to tell us that he prefers to solo, to craft for himself, to avoid group quests, and to skip guilds. Still, he told us, he loves MMOs and doesn't want to leave them to play single-player RPGs. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he asked. Nothing. Nothing at all. There's nothing wrong with soloing in MMORPGs.
New Humble Indie bundle packs Darwinia, more Introversion stuff
Introversion is in the spotlight for the latest Humble Indie Bundle, which offers up four of the studio's titles: Darwinia, Multiwinia, UpLink and Defcon. As usual, paying above the average will net you some extras, namely Aquaria and Crayon Physics Deluxe in this specific bundle. And if you're wondering what other fun stuff will be added to the bundle down the line, perhaps toying with a "wait and see" approach, don't sweat it. No matter when you buy this bundle, you'll get access to everything added to it -- that is, if you choose to buy the bundle. If you don't, then clearly you don't like fun games, which isn't so much a character flaw as it is just a flaw flaw.
Darwinia devs working on new project, 'Prison Architect'
It seems Darwinia developer Introversion has put its procedurally generated heist game Subversion on the shelf while it focuses its efforts on a new, not entirely unrelated project. See, what happens when a heist goes bad? The Heistees go to prison. But who designs those prisons? You do, in Introversion's new game, which is called Prison Architect. It's the circle of crime! Few details about this project are known outside of the name, but we'll keep you posted. Until then, start thinking about what kind of prison you'd want to build. We're thinking of using a lot of lilac and lavender hues -- something to soothe the nerves of our incarcerated guests, you know?
15 Minutes of Fame: McGonigal on why you're as awesome in real life as in WoW
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. Last week, we gave you the lengthy part 1 of our interview with game designer and fellow WoW player Jane McGonigal. This week, by way of a re-introduction, we give you her most recent biographical note: Jane McGonigal is the director of game research and development at the Institute for the Future. Her work has been featured in The Economist, Wired, and The New York Times, and on MTV, CNN, and NPR. In 2009, BusinessWeek called her one of the 10 most important innovators to watch, and Fast Company named her one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business. In 2010, Oprah Magazine chose her as one of the 20 most inspiring women in the world. She has given keynote addresses at TED, South by Southwest Interactive, and the Game Developers Conference and was a featured speaker at The New Yorker Conference. She has a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in performance studies and games research. Okay, then – the lady knows her stuff. Pull up a chair and let's wrap up a visit with McGonigal by talking more about her own WoW experience and her take on how other WoW players should view their gaming hobby.
Indie gaming mavens plan a heist in Subversion demonstration
What if two independent game development superstars (VVVVVV's Terry Cavanagh and Love's Eskil Steenberg) and one video game journalist (Kieron Gillen) coordinated a bank heist? No, that's not the setup for a poorly constructed joke -- it's the premise of the video demonstration posted after the jump of an upcoming game from indie developer Introversion titled Subversion. The game (which was announced back in 2006, but is still in the early, pre-beta stages of development), tasks players with executing Mission Impossible-esque espionage missions using a real-time strategy interface. Check out the half-hour guided demo after the jump to see how these missions unfold -- and to get a look at the game's unique, procedurally generated world in motion.
UK's Channel 4 kills digital innovation fund [Update: Lots of gaming still 'on the slate for 2011' at Channel 4]
The UK's Channel 4 is ceasing 4iP, its £20m digital innovation fund. The division was responsible for digital innovations like AudioBoo and Privates. Any projects currently in development will finish and the remaining 40 percent of the fund will be redistributed. We remembered that Channel 4 was funding Introversion's Chronometer, but studio co-founder Mark Morris tells us it "never got taken forward beyond the concept stage." Morris elaborated, "Sad news about C4 though, they were doing some good in the business." [Update 10/8 3pm ET: Channel 4's Alice Taylor – you may recognize her blog, Wonderland! – took to the comments to clarify how this affects some projects: "Naw. Mixup. 4iP is going, but it wasn't responsible for Privates. 4iP's closure doesn't affect The Curfew, or Privates DLC, or 1066, or Smokescreen, or Cover Girl, or Trafalgar Origins, or 303 Squadron, or Ada, or Bow Street Runner, or the 8 or so new game commissions we've got on the slate for 2011. 4iP's games: Papa Sangre and friends, they'll still turn up too. Hope that helps! It sure does. Thanks, Alice!]
Introversion credits Steam for company's salvation
In a candid post on Introversion Software's DEFCON forums, company co-founder Mark Morris admits that the Darwinia+ developer was close to closing up shop following disappointing sales of the game's XBLA port. "Internally we knew within about an hour of Darwinia+'s launch that it hadn't done well enough," Morris wrote. "It took us about two weeks to really accept that and the awful realisation that we didn't have enough to continue with the office or the staff. We had a bunch of creditors knocking at the door, but worse than all of that we were absolutely shattered." Having let its staff go, closed it office and retreated to the bedrooms of its three remaining employees, the company made a last-ditch move to generate some income. "We put together a rescue plan involving creating Steam achievements for DEFCON so we could convince Valve to run a promotion with it," explained Morris. Turns out, a seemingly small tweak and some promotion delivered major results, Morris revealed: "The promo exceeded all of our expectations and when combined with our low burn rate (no office or staff now) we had gone from being fearful about paying our mortgages to having a year's operating capital in the bank." Introversion is still running lean, but is back on track to release its "most ambitious project so far," Subversion, in 2011.
Introversion releases first screens of Subversion
It's hard to believe that, after being announced in 2006, we're just now getting our first look at Subversion, the tactical action game from developer Introversion, which just released Darwinia+ on XBLA last week. The screens, recently unveiled on the Introversion forums (with some of the first gameplay details) look ... well, they don't look like a game. Introversion says that Subversion's look (which is still unfinished) is based on 3D blueprints, and it looks quite compelling. We can't seem to get enough of games that don't look like games -- especially Excel. We've been into Excel LAN parties since way before it was cool. [Via Big Download]
Here are your Darwinia+ Achievements
Now that Darwinia+ has passed Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade certification process, you likely have your passport ready for the upcoming trip to Darwinia's action RTS battlefields. According to Xbox 360 Achievements, lending a helping hand to your stick brethren in need won't just net you the warm fuzzies, but will also reward you with some Gamerscore. There's 200 to be had in total, rewarding players for things like saving Darwinians, crushing invading ant hordes and winning matches on every map in the game. It's a nice, varied list that doesn't look like it encourages too much grinding -- well, except for the Stick Man Slaughter Achievement, which requires you to kill 65,536 enemies.
Introversion: Darwinia+ on XBLA after Christmas
Darwinia creator Introversion announced during this week's Eurogamer Expo that its upcoming Darwinia+ should arrive on Xbox Live Arcade by "the next side of Christmas." The game should be submitted to Microsoft certification in the coming weeks, hopefully ensuring a release early next year. Darwinia devotees will remember that the game began its journey to XBLA all the way back in 2006, and, according to Eurogamer, Introversion isn't exactly happy about it. The company's Chris Delay noted that Microsoft required several changes to the game, most notably the inclusion of multiplayer. Said Delay, "We were trying to satisfy Microsoft. That's the most awful motivation in the world for making a videogame." Here's hoping the developer's devotion to bringing the game to XBLA has paid off.
DEFCON still headed to DS (if someone publishes it)
Remember Introversion's plans to port DEFCON to handhelds? Yeah, we didn't either, because that was like two years ago. It turns out that that a DS version of the stylized strategy game was actually completed in conjunction with Pinnacle Software, who ran into some ... trouble, of the all-too-familiar financial variety.Introversion has reacquired the rights to the DS game and now hopes to find a publishing partner, in order to get it out worldwide in the third quarter of this year. "With the DSi flying off the shelves recently," Introversion's Mark Morris said, "we believe that there will be particular interest in a finished DS product with such a great track record, especially as the RTS/Strategy sector is so poorly served on the platform."
Introversion details Microsoft approval process for Darwinia+
The XBLA approval process has always been a process shrouded in mystery ... until now. Developer Introversion, the folks behind upcoming XBLA game Darwinia+, are laying all the cards on the table -- design documents, internal emails, weekly reports, code from the game and even the project plan -- thus providing transparency of the XBLA approval process. Available on Introversion's website, the company has made it clear that it'll show "the good, the bad, and the very very very bad" that takes place during game development. "If we can show it to you -- we will."Teaming up with GamesIndustry.biz, the company will also be regularly updating an ongoing series "critiquing the ongoing development process," and presumably helping those outside of Introversion to understand more intricately what has gone into creating Darwinia+. The game is set to release internally on September 24, so with any luck we'll see it not too long afterward.[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Introversion working on Chronometer with Channel 4
Introversion, whose previous efforts include the excellent Darwinia and DEFCON, are currently developing Chronometer. The project, funded by broadcaster Channel 4, is nearing completion of the pre-production phase. Other than an anecdote about how it totally blew co-founder Mark Morris' mind, there are no details about the game."Ultimately we don't know for certain if Chronometer will be going into full production," writes Chris Delay, "the conditions would have to be right for Introversion and for Channel 4, although they've been fantastic to work with during pre-production." The studio is currently "all-hands-on-deck" finishing up Multiwinia, with Darwinia+ for Xbox Live and Subversion to follow after that.[Thanks, Sam]
Darwinia+ confirmed for XBLA, lands this Fall
So, should we expect all PC-to-XBLA ports to add a plus sign to their titles and call it a day now? Nominal concerns aside, Introversion Software has acknowledged the ESRB rating of Darwinia for the Xbox 360 and confirmed the existence of the title. The game will be titled Darwinia+ and will include both the original Darwinia and the upcoming multiplayer expansion, Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest. Details are sparse, apart from the fact that Darwinia+ should hit XBLA in Fall 2008For those who don't have the patience to wait that long, we suggest you snag the demo from Introversion, which is available for Mac, PC, and Linux.
Darwinia+ confirmed for Xbox Live this Fall
Acknowledging the game's "leak" by the ESRB, Introversion has confirmed that Darwinia+, a combination of Darwinia and the multiplayer variant Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest, is coming to Xbox Live this Fall. Introversion also provided reassureance that Multiwinia is coming to the PC.No other details are given; if you have never played Darwinia, then we strongly suggest you to download the demo (available for Windows, Mac and Linux) and try it out. Here's hoping this starts a precedent and we can one day enjoy DEFCON and the upcoming Subversion on our platform of choice.
Darwinia 360 finally rated by ESRB
Well that took a while. After being rumored for Xbox Live Arcade nearly two years ago, Darwinia from Introversion has been rated by the ESRB for Xbox 360. While we don't have any more solid details regarding the 360 version of the game -- believed to be an XBLA title -- the ESRB rating gives us hope that it won't be too long before we start to hear more about the title (or better yet, get a chance to actually play it).For those that haven't played it, the gameplay is regarded as somewhat hard to classify, so we've embedded a trailer in the hopes that it might clarify things a bit (hint: it doesn't, but the game sure looks fun).[Via XBLArcade]
DEFCON in your pocket
According to CVG, indie studio Introversion (Uplink, Darwinia) is looking for developers to help create a portable version of its "everybody dies" disaster game, DEFCON. With simple visuals, an emphasis on multiplayer carnage, and highly addictive gameplay, DEFCON is an ideal candidate for cell phones, the PSP, or DS. The project is still in very early stages, so no details or platforms have been announced.Earlier we reported that Introversion co-founder Mark Morris was looking to bring a few games to the home console market via digital distribution. DEFCON on your computer, on your TV, and in your pocket? Time to take the "everybody dies" slogan a bit more literally.[Via PSP Fanboy]
DEFCON goes mobile; PSP intended target?
Introversion recently started looking for new developers for a mobile version of DEFCON, according to CVG. The original DEFON was a cult success, heralded by many for its unique apocalyptic premise: players are engaged in a deadly endgame, where the world's superpowers are launching their nuclear weapons. Players must kill as many people as possible through strategic use of their country's nuclear cache.The game's simplistic graphics would make it an ideal candidate for all handhelds, including cell phones, PSP and DS. Although the awkwardly-worded job ad mentions no specific platform, CVG speculates that it will most likely head to PSP. We're not exactly sure why they'd assume that, but we really hope they're right.
Multiwinia: Darwinia goes multiplayer in 2008
Introversion has announced that award-winning game Darwinia is going multiplayer. Set for release as a standalone product, Multiwinia will let you play cooperatively or competitively with someone else. The number of people who can play together simultaneously is currently unknown, but we're hoping for for some pretty frantic action across many, many armies.The game will be spearheaded by John Knottenbelt while Introversion co-founder Chris Delay "[begins] work on other new projects" (console titles? Subversion?). Knottenbelt mentions there will be graphical improvements from the game, though it's unclear if he's talking about the recent Vista upgrades or something beyond that, and a new formation mode, "which will let you organise your Darwinians into ranks to create massive armies."Details are sparse currently, though Introversion is expected to make a few announcements at next week's Game Developers Conference. Multiwinia is being planned for a 2008 release.[Thanks, Sam!]
Darwinia, Defcon dev hints at console releases
Introvervision co-founder Mark Morris has told Next Generation that the company is looking into bringing a few of their titles to the home console front by way of digital distribution.Morris explained that their relationship so far with the console makers has allowed them to retain intellectual freedom in their design. Unlike publishers who try to give them money at the cost of some control of the game, the console makers are "just offering massive distribution of the games and to give [us] a return back on that. That works for us," he said.For what system and which titles is unknown -- all three of the current systems (PS3, Wii and Xbox 360) are capable of digital distribution. Morris said the game(s) would be available within the next twelve months. An earlier rumor from eight months ago suggest a partnership with Xbox Live, which makes since considering the recent Vista upgrade of Darwinia and the similarities in architecture from Windows to Xbox 360 development.Introversion is responsible for Darwinia, DEFCON, and Uplink. They are currently working on a project codenamed Subversion.[Thanks, Sam!]
