Jeff Strain
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Indie game studio Possibility Space shuts down, CEO blames leaks to reporter
Possibility Space, an independent game studio with employees distributed across the globe, was abruptly shut down today.
PAX East 2014: State of Decay eyes multiplayer, stays offline
The ground is fairly littered with zombie games of some sort these days. That isn't meant as a mark against Undead Labs' State of Decay, but it does raise questions of focus. How do you make a zombie game more unique? According to the studio's Jeff Strain at this year's PAX East, you focus upon building at the community level rather than individual survival. While games like DayZ focus on the personal, State of Decay is much more focused on the idea of putting society as a whole back together and trying to accumulate resources and structures for survivors as a whole. Of course, most of our readers are more interested in what comes next, specifically Class4. That's the proposed sequel to State of Decay, previously codenamed Class3; it's meant to be a full MMO according to previous statements, a game in which you can worry about rebuilding not just a local community but the world as a whole. And Undead Labs certainly isn't hurting for talent that's familiar with online games, especially with the acquisition of ArenaNet co-founder Patrick Wyatt in January. So what's happening?
ArenaNet co-founder heads to Undead Labs
Undead Labs announced today that it has hired Patrick Wyatt, co-founder of ArenaNet and co-creator of the original Guild Wars. Wyatt, who left ArenaNet in 2008, joins fellow Guild Wars co-creator Jeff Strain at the State of Decay studio, which has not been shy about its intention to build a zombie-themed MMO. State of Decay, codenamed Class3, launched in 2013 and was confirmed by the studio as a test run for an eventual MMO release, codenamed Class4. Here's Strain on the announcement: Today, I'm very happy to announce that Patrick has joined Undead Labs, and will be working shoulder-to-shoulder with Team Zed as we dive into the development of...well, what's next, and beyond. Undead Labs recently struck a multi-game agreement with Microsoft, paving the way for the studio to continue work on the Class4 project.
MMO Burnout: State of Decay
With an all-star dev team steering the ship, Undead Labs' State of Decay is topping sales charts and impressing fans, but it's certainly not done yet. The single-player zombie survival game for the Xbox 360 was created by several ArenaNet alumni (including ANet co-founder Jeff Strain) and aims to one day release an MMO version titled Class4. But in the meantime, it's breaking XBL sales records and showing us all how a decaying game premise like zombie survival can gain new life. I grabbed the game at launch to give me an idea of what to eventually expect from Class4, but I was quite surprised at what I found. A console game with a living world? A single-player action RPG with purpose and incentive? That's just what you get when you interrupt traditional console game development with a few designers from this crazy new genre known as MMORPG.
State of Decay sells over half a million copies, update being re-patched
State of Decay has sold over half a million copies since launching on Xbox Live Arcade on June 5. This makes the Undead Labs developed game the fastest selling original title ever on Xbox Live Arcade, according to Microsoft. But everything isn't headshots and restful nights with State of Decay, as the game's first title update did experience some hiccups. XBLA Fans reports the patch on Friday night didn't do everything as intended. Undead Labs' founder Jeff Strain went to the company forums and said, "Reports started coming in that other bugs we had verified internally as fixed were apparently not fixed on the live version of the game." No word yet when that patch will be patched. The game is currently in development for a PC release on Steam. Strain says Undead Labs "just need to integrate with the Steam platform and add native support for keyboard and mouse control."
State of Decay gets June 5th release date
While the news of State of Decay's release date was leaked out recently, today we have official confirmation. Undead Labs' maiden game will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade on Wednesday, June 5th. Founder Jeff Strain took to the official blog a couple of days ago to talk about the process of deciding upon and cementing a release date. "After that, our job is not done," he wrote. "We have a PC build of the game to finish and deliver. We will certainly want to fix a few bugs that slipped through (we saw a few in the video streams today that we jumped on immediately). And we have super secret plans for a few other treats to roll out in the future that Sanya would shoot me for even mentioning." So while it's not the MMO that will hopefully be forthcoming, it is set in the same world and it made a great showing at last year's PAX Prime.
PAX Prime 2012: Undead Labs' State of Decay
Everyone loves zombies, right? Apparently so because they're absolutely everywhere (like Miami, for instance), but we keep on lapping it up. Secretly, though, I think a lot of us are tired of the same old zombie games. After all, if you're one of the truly hardcore that has a zombie apocalypse plan that includes where you'll hole up, how you'll find weapons, what you'll eat, and so forth, it's a little disappointing that most games tend to focus solely on the zombie-shooting part of the zombie apocalypse (not that there's anything wrong with zombie-shooting). Undead Labs' upcoming MMO State of Decay might change all that. The game will take place in a persistent world where players are responsible for rounding up survivors, finding the necessary resources to build defenses and stay alive, and of course, fighting off the zombie hordes. Finally, those of you who have long debated the merits of going to the gun store vs. not going to the gun store in the event of an apocalypse can see whose plan works better. And what's more, at PAX Prime 2012, I got to sit down and play around with it myself, though not for nearly as long as I would have liked. Regardless, if State of Decay is on your radar -- and it should be -- then I'd be glad to tell you all about my 20-odd minutes with the title.
Undead Labs hires community director, Class3 info forthcoming
With the rash of MMO-related job losses in recent weeks, it's nice to see the occasional blurb about a dev finding a new home. Former Dominus and Dark Age of Camelot community guru Sanya Weathers has landed at Undead Labs, where she'll be heading up -- you guessed it -- the community relations department. This is good news for fans of the firm's tentatively titled Class3 zombie MMO as well. As Undead Labs' Jeff Strain writes, "you don't hire a kick-ass community director if you have nothing to say."
Undead Labs' Jeff Strain takes players behind-the-scenes of Class3
If you're as big of a zombie fan as we are, we're sure you're anxiously awaiting Undead Labs' Class3 project as well as its massively multiplayer counterpart, Class4. The studio's founder, Jeff Strain, stopped by the official Undead Labs site today to post the first dev blog entry of 2012, and in celebration of the new year, he's offering fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse at Class3 in action. Strain notes that the team is "not quite ready to post official trailers" of Class3 at this juncture, but that didn't stop him from prowling the offices with his iPhone in order to catch some footage of the in-development title. The spy-cam footage gives players a look at various facets of the game's development, including. but not necessarily limited to, zombies (duh), a guy running alongside a giant rolling buzzsaw blade, concept art, the studio's wall-o'-fan-love, and two players defending their encampment from a zombie siege. Strain closes on a high note, stating that "Class3 is on-schedule and looking great. We're excited to show it to you and the rest of the world officially." For the full, zed-tastic video, just click on past the cut.
The Perfect Ten: The upcoming long-shots
In coming up with a follow-up list to my previous Upcoming MMO Contenders list, I found myself almost paralyzed by more choices than I could shake a wireless mouse at. Pointing at the sure bets is one thing, but narrowing down a field of dozens and dozens of interesting -- yet more far-flung -- prospects is far more difficult. It's one thing to have a good idea; it's another to say whether or not this game will actually make it to launch, and if it does, that it'll pull the idea off well. That said, I've lost some hair and two pounds sweating out this list, and I feel sleeker for it. Today's Perfect Ten is all about the long-shots, the titles that may not have the huge budget, big name studios, or anything solid to show for it, but could still become contenders in their own right if everything is played just right. Deep breath -- let's give it a go!
Undead Labs moving right along with Class3
The end of September marked a graduation of sorts for members of the Undead Labs development team. The company's untitled maiden voyage has officially crossed the threshold from pre-production to in production, and a blog post on the firm's web site celebrates the milestone with something of a rah-rah speech from founder Jeff Strain. "I'm blown away by how far we've come in such a short amount of time. Our task now as we move headlong into the production phase is to take this fun little gem and turn it into something we're proud to show the world," Strain wrote. The gem he's referring to is currently known only by its Class3 codename. We do know that it's about zombies and that it's only for consoles. Aside from that, the title is shrouded in a fair bit of mystery. Strain's post also features a time-lapse video that shows off the game's CryEngine 3-powered time-of-day effects, and you can check that out after the cut.
The Soapbox: Subs and cash shops - Two great tastes that taste awful together
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. Hoo boy, The Secret World. On the one hand, I was really looking forward to it. On the other hand, it's now joined the likes of EVE Online, pretty much every Sony Online Entertainment title ever made, Star Trek Online, Champions Online, and Funcom's own Age of Conan in my personal double-dipping doghouse. Yeah, The Secret World is going to have a subscription model (hooray) and a cash shop (boo, hiss, and zomgwtf). This should surprise no one, really, since game industry devs have been going all Gordon Gekko on us for a while now, but it was nonetheless a disappointing reveal on several levels. Equally disappointing are the folks who defend the subscription-plus-cash-shop model and erroneously refer to it as an example of consumer-friendly choice.
Undead Labs brings Class3 to (un)life with CryENGINE 3
Following last week's dev diary featuring Undead Labs' art director Doug Williams and his talk on the "heart of horror," the most recent dev diary from the studio shifts in a more technical direction. In particular, executive producer Jeff Strain focuses on the game's engine. Even more particularly, he announces that the tentatively named Class3 will be running on the powerful CryENGINE 3. Of course, the devs over at Undead Labs are quite familiar with the traditions of the internet and anticipate shouts of "pics or it didn't happen" with a lovely screenshot from an early version of the game. But wait, there's more! Call now and you'll receive not just a single screenshot, but an entire video! Just click past the break and check out an early version of Undead Labs' Class3 in action, then skip on over to the dev blog to read the full entry.
New interview with Undead Labs' Jeff Strain covers technology and fun
Console MMO fans, rejoice. We have a new interview with Undead Labs' Jeff Strain on the studio's upcoming Xbox 360 titles. The two titles, code-named Class3 and Class4, are an Xbox Live Arcade title (which will allow the studio to test their technology and give players a taste of what's to come) and an open-world MMORPG, respectively. Throughout the interview, Strain touches on a few important subjects, such as Class3 and how it is helping the team develop and prepare for Class4. He also mentions that the team's concern with Class4 is not with the fact that it's a server-hosted online world, but ensuring that said server-hosted online world is fun to play. Although it's a somewhat short interview, it's certainly worth the read for any zombie fan anticipating Undead Labs' upcoming titles.
It's Friday I'm in lab: Undead Labs opens its doors to you
"Monday the world can fall apart / Tuesday, Wednesday they eat my heart / Oh, Thursday my chainsaw doesn't start / It's Friday I'm in lab." We're reminded of the immortal words of The Cure as we watch this neat behind-the-scenes glimpse into the inner workings of Undead Labs. Ever wonder what it might be like to actually go to work and spend your whole day creating a post-apocalyptic zombie world? And get paid for it? Watch these devs and feel the bitter sting of envy at the back of your neck. While the video doesn't go into depth about Undead Labs' as-yet unnamed MMO or the XBLA game the studio is developing, it does offer tantalizing sights such as sheets of concept art, in-game building models, and even a brief bit of man-vs-zombie mayhem. And there are few things more surreal than witnessing a room full of businessmen and women seriously discussing zombie behaviors. You can watch the full video after the jump!
Lock and load: Undead Labs talks guns
If you're going to include zombies in your game, they're there to be shot. That's a simple fact of life, a fact that Undead Labs seems to be fully cognizant about. The company's most recent developer blog talked about firearms for its upcoming zombie outbreak games, and the topic proved so irresistible to potential players that a second question-and-answer session has been posted talking more about guns. Whether it's in the console version or the full-scale MMO, who doesn't want to be sure of the highest-caliber destruction one can wreak upon the undead? The original developer blog talks in depth about trying to balance a realistic feeling with what players will expect from guns, but the follow-up goes into more detail. Gunfire and sounds will indeed attract zombies to players, but the team doesn't seem interested in burying players under mountains of different ammunition types. The guns in question will most likely not be licensed brands, although some licenses are being sought for some more iconic weapons. There also won't be a full spread of exotic firearms in the console game, Class 3, although the MMO version will likely have a wider variety. Take a look at the full set of answers for more details on the best part of zombie invasions -- sweet, sweet hails of bullets.
GDC 2011: Jeff Strain lets us eat... err... pick his brains on Undead Labs' upcoming zombie MMO
The team at Undead Labs has big plans for the studio's first two projects currently under development: Class 3 and Class 4. So far, we know that Class 3 will be a non-MMO console zombie shoot-em-up game developed for Xbox Live, and Class 4 is intended to be the game that crosses into a massively online world. That's why we were glad to sit down with Jeff Strain, founder of Undead Labs, to hear more details on the studio's gory game goodness, which is surely lurking and primed to pounce on us and eat our brains -- or at least some of our gaming time. Are you hungry for all the meaty details of this ambitious console horror game? Join us behind the break for more!
Jeff Strain shares his vision for Class3, a different kind of zombie game
Judging by the comments section of most articles we write about new games and DLC that feature zombies, we'd say that Jeff Strain and his band of merry reanimated corpse enthusiasts (collectively and appropriately called Undead Labs) are at an immediate disadvantage with the announcement of their zombified XBLA title, Class3. We can't help but sympathize with their worries -- in the past three years, we've crushed, shot, sliced, exploded and generally obliterated more virtual zombies than we could ever possibly hope to count throughout the fullness of time. That's exactly where Class3 -- a temporary codename, mind you, and a direct reference to Max Brooks' seminal Zombie Survival Guide -- sets itself apart. We recently spoke with Strain about how the team's first onus (which recently found a publishing partner in Microsoft Game Studios) stands out among a veritable field of undead offerings, and he explained succinctly, "In a real zombie apocalypse, you wouldn't just gather up the guns and go hunting zombies. You'd be trying to avoid them. You'd be trying to survive." All zombie-centric games run a balance between providing the player with impetus to destroy zombies, and tasking the player with not being destroyed by zombies. Based on Strain's vision for the title, Class3 sounds like it leans decidedly towards the latter. %Gallery-115645%
Undead Labs' Class3 to serve as precursor for MMO-focused 'Class4'
While going down the fact sheet for Undead Labs' Microsoft-published XBLA title (codenamed) Class3, a certain something seems to be missing: Any mention of the "MMO" classification. Considering the gaming lineage of studio founder Jeff Strain, ArenaNet co-founder and former World of Warcraft lead programmer -- not to mention Undead Labs' late 2009 mission statement to create an "MMOZ" -- an absence of the genre's mention seems a bit odd. Strain recently explained to us the avoidance of the subject: Class3 will not play host to the "online world" features envisioned by the developer -- but Class4 will. "What we've decided to do is take that first step," Strain explained. "We're going place a marker along the path, and release this game we're calling Class3, that has all of the fundamental points in terms of the way you interact with the world, the way your character progresses, the way you establish outposts, the way define your goals in the game, the way you fight zombies and the way they fight you -- the minute by minute core of the game will all be there in Class3. The only thing it won't have is the massive player participation the sequel will have."
Undead Labs reveals first release title, and it's not the zombie MMO [Updated]
Back in November 2009, ArenaNet co-founder Jeff Strain left the company to create a new development studio named Undead Labs. His plans included the development of a zombie-survival console MMO, an idea that has had fans of zombie apocalypse games excited ever since. In August 2010, Undead Labs graced the news once again when four more of ArenaNet's developers left to join the new studio and work on the upcoming zombie MMO. It wasn't long until we began to see the first details released of the impending zombie apocalypse, with a huge section in EGM Magazine. Most notable was the revelation that the game would be a console-only open-world sandbox. Undead Labs unveiled its first officially planned release title today, and fans of the upcoming zombie MMO won't be disappointed. While the company's first release won't be the zombie MMO we all want so badly, the studio plans to first release a smaller-scale online zombie survival game on XBox Live Arcade. This game, code-named "Class 3" for now, will showcase the gameplay, setting and technology that will be used to develop the as-yet untitled zombie MMO. The team at Undead Labs plans to then use the game as a kind of training ground to help develop better gameplay experiences for the MMO that will follow. Although that means we'll have to wait a while to get our hands on that zombie-survival sandbox world we've all been dreaming of, the result should be a game that appeals more to players. Jeff Strain, founder of Undead Labs, released the following statement: "Our mission is to create original online games that truly feel at home on the console platform, and Xbox 360 is a fantastic platform for online console gaming. We plan to create an ambitious open world XBLA game and use its gameplay, setting, and technology as the foundation for a full online world game." [Update: Jeff Strain's also released a tongue-in-cheek "Rude Q&A" on Undead Labs' blog. It discusses the team's plans and goals for the new game as well as aims to stave off any misconceptions about both upcoming titles.]
