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Fable 2, Crackdown, MotoGP devs form Ruffian
Writing about the announcement of a new studio is always tough, because there's just not a lot of information to go on. Take, for instance, newly founded Ruffian Games. It's located in Scotland, which seems like a good a place as any. Its mission? "To bring the best in action gaming to current generation consoles." Which, yeah, we guess we're on board with that. The team members have worked on games like Fable 2, Crackdown, MotoGP and Grand Theft Auto, which all seem pretty ... disparate? What are we supposed to derive from this? Maybe we'd be better off just wishing Ruffian the best of luck and sitting on our hands until we see an actual game.
Realtime Worlds in 'discussions' with Microsoft about Crackdown 2
Realtime Worlds honcho Colin MacDonald confirmed the studio is in "ongoing discussions" with Microsoft about the possibility of Crackdown 2. In a statement sent to VG247, MacDonald responded to rumors that a sequel is currently in development by Ruffian games, a new studio that allegedly employs several former Realtime Worlds staffers from the Crackdown development team.The statement from MacDonald relays that about "five or six" ex-Realtime Worlds staff are employed by Ruffian, noting that he doubts whether Microsoft would harm its "otherwise fruitful existing development relationship" by funding a Crackdown sequel with a start-up on RTW's doorstep. We'll have to wait and see what happens, but if Ruffian does develop a potential Crackdown 2, it sounds like Realtime Worlds wouldn't be too happy.[Thanks John. P]
Realtime Worlds: We'd be 'gutted' if MS gave Crackdown 2 to another developer
Talking to videogaming247, Realtime Worlds studio head Colin MacDonald addressed the recent Crackdown 2 rumors, specifically the fact that Ruffian Games was developing the sequel. "Although to date we haven't had an offer from Microsoft for the Crackdown sequel rumoured, we continue to have ongoing discussions with them" admitted MacDonald adding that if Microsoft were to chose another studio to make the sequel, they'd want it done by "by an established, renowned developer that had the track record of delivering the quality gaming experience Crackdown players would demand." MacDonald confirmed that a handful of ex-Realtime employees have gone to Ruffian, but that the majority of the team remains and also made it clear that they doubt MS would chose a "startup on RTW's doorstep" (Ruffian) to develop Crackdown 2. Stil no Crackdown 2 rumor busting or confirmation, but this is turning into a developer soap opera. How entertaining. [Via Game Stooge]
Rumor: New studio working on Crackdown sequel
Juicy rumor news coming from Edge Online is that a sequel to Realtime Worlds' superhuman destructo'fest Crackdown is in development, but not by Realtime. They're busy with All Points Bulletin. As rumor goes, Crackdown 2 is supposedly in development by the newly formed (and unofficially announced) Ruffian Games, a team comprised of a few "key" ex-Realtime Worlds employees. As is the norm, Microsoft isn't saying a darn thing. Though, if true, we hope Crackdown 2's release gets us access to the Halo 4 beta. [Via Joystiq, Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Rumor: Whispers of Crackdown 2 surround new studio
We're not exactly sure how "A leads to B" in this case, but Edge claims a new Crackdown could be in development following the creation of Ruffian Games. The new studio, which has not been officially announced, is allegedly comprised of several members of the Crackdown development team, including "key members" and the game's lead designer. Realtime Worlds, the original developer of Crackdown, is currently working on APB. Of course, all this sequel talk falls snugly in the realm of rumor and speculation. We've contacted Microsoft, which owns the rights to Crackdown, to ask if Crackdown 2 is currently in development. It's a Friday, might as well take one good shot in the dark before the weekend starts. Update: "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation."
Realtime says Crackdown 2 is still a possibility
Chatting with videogaming247, Realtime Worlds' main man Colin Macdonald admitted that "it was a horrible, horrible decision" to not jump right into development of a sequel to their super human sandbox game Crackdown, also confirming that the possibility for sequel love is still there. "I don't think the door's closed," said Macdonald, "obviously, right now we're tied up with APB and everything else, but hopefully in the future we'll have the resource and something can be worked out with Microsoft. We would have loved to have seen it. We poured five years of our lives into that game. You know, we've got guys on the development team that have Crackdown tattoos, permanent tattoos on their arms. We're extremely passionate about it." Wow, permanent Crackdown tattoos, eh? Someone at Realtime or Microsoft needs to green-light a Crackdown sequel just to pay respect to the dev team's tattooing. You can't let someone tattoo Crackdown on their arm and not make a sequel ... that's just blasphemy!
Realtime Worlds speaks up on Crackdown sequel
Many 360 owners would really love a sequel to the superpower-infused crime fighting favorite, Crackdown. From the sound of things, developer Realtime Worlds would really love to return to the game's open-world universe – and is actually mighty upset that it didn't immediately upon finishing the original. VG247 spoke to Realtime Worlds studio head Colin Macdonald at the recent UK Develop event, where he said that not starting work on Crackdown 2 straight away "Was a horrible, horrible decision that we still dwell on." Why not just do it, then? Macdonald explained that it was all about sales. "The numbers just didn't add up," he admitted. "We're not in the business of doing things because we'd like to, if we can't guarantee that it makes sense for the company." Instead it moved on to something new, and RTW has been happily cranking away on its crime-themed MMO, GTA Online APB, since. Still, Macdonald related that the dev could revisit Crackdown once APB wraps. "I don't think the door's closed," he revealed, adding, "Hopefully in the future we'll have the resource and something can be worked out with Microsoft." The house Bill Gates built might have already worked something out, though – with another developer.
Points>Life: Recap Edition
Each week, X3F tips gamers to the tricks of the trade of Achievement hoarding in Points>Life. Every week a new achievement is unlocked to help you continue your unhealthy obsession with the Xbox 360 meta-game. This week on Points>Life we're giving you nothing! Well, actually what we're doing is going back and recapping the tips we've given you and added a little postmortem comment. After releasing each feature the X3F Army shared best practices on other methods to obtain similar achievements. This week we go back to the last eight weeks of tips and tricks, so if you're new to Points>Life ... today is your day!
Brilliant flora to permeate Earthrise
Masthead Studios has licensed SpeedTree modeling software to add a higher degree of realism to their upcoming MMO Earthrise. The software suite is now used extensively in the game industry for foliage modeling. What, you've never heard of SpeedTree? Well you've almost certainly seen it before. You're not likely to stop and notice the trees and shrubs as the FBI and military are trying to cut you down with automatic weapons in GTA IV. You probably won't admire the indigenous plantlife while you're trying to frag your opponents in Unreal Tournament III either. But the unnoticed backdrop for your carnage in these games was built with SpeedTree. While we may not pay attention to them directly, these details that permeate our virtual environments can have a big impact on our immersion in those settings. Neverwinter Nights 2, Crackdown and Viking: Battle for Asgard are other prominent titles enhanced by SpeedTree. Earthrise is in good company on the MMO front with Masthead's decision to use SpeedTree, joining the ranks of Stargate Worlds, Fury, and Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. If the actual game environments can live up to the screenshots Masthead Studios has released, Earthrise stands to be one gorgeous MMO.
Blizzard cracks down on arena win trading
We already know that Blizzard is tweaking arena rules to make it much tougher to artificially inflate your rating by win trading or buying high ranked teams in Season 4, but it looks like they're starting to take it one step further, by cracking down on people who indulge in it. Reports are coming in from the official forums and from other spots around the web of people getting bans or suspensions (generally 72 hours in length) and having their Season 3 arena gear stripped. The bans are even permanent in some cases, such as that of Sinther of Stormscale, whose account was permanently banned when his friend used it to do some win-trading, with the win trading given as the specific reason for his banning. You can read many of these stories and reports in this forum thread.
X3F TV -- Points>Life: You So Flippin' Crazy
Each week, X3F tips gamers to the tricks of the trade of Achievement hoarding in Points>Life. Every week a new achievement is unlocked to help you continue your unhealthy obsession with the Xbox 360 meta-game. We heard the requests and have delivered! This week we bring you a tip for the Xbox 360 exclusive sand-box adventure, Crackdown. In Episode 3 of Points>Life we bring you tips on obtaining the Flippin' Crazy achievement in the best-selling action title. By driving your vehicle off a high rise tower you can grab an easy 30GP and if you're lucky you may be able to obtain a bonus achievement along the way! Music: "Chain Reaction" by 31Knots [iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon). [RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [MP4] Download the MP4 directly.
Realtime Worlds nabs $50 million investment
While other developers are having trouble staying afloat, the Scottish crew over at Realtime Worlds seem to be doing something right, because today they announced that they've secured an additional $50 million. The $50 million was put up by various investment firms and will be used towards growth and expansion of the company as they continue to to turn the development gears on their latest project, All Points Bulletin. Congrats to Realtime Worlds and to a super successful money raising effort. So ... umm, can we haz Crackdown 2 now?
Realtime Worlds grabs $50 million
Techcrunch is reporting that developers Realtime Worlds (makers of last year's Crackdown, which could be an MMO, and the upcoming All Points Bulletin, which we heard lots about at GDC) have picked up a whopping $50 million in funding from a round of investment capital, including lots of it from Maverick Capital.So good news for APB fans -- of course, it's just a fraction of that billion dollars that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick claims anyone will need to take on World of Warcraft, but $50 million buys a lot of artists, programmers, and servers, all things that a great MMO needs for a strong launch. APB is still in the development stages of course -- we've heard that it'll drop this year, though at this point (and with the extra cash going into a little extra development), we're probably looking at a spring 2009 release.
Realtime Worlds receives $50 million in real world investment
Realtime Worlds, the developer best known for Crackdown, raised $50 million in its third round of financing. The company is currently at work on the MMO All Points Bulletin in conjunction with Korean company Webzen. Realtime Worlds CEO David Jones was a creator on the original Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings back in the day. Although Crackdown was a great game, nobody is going to deny that the title did better because of its tie-in with the Halo 3 beta. APB should let us see how a Realtime Worlds title does without the assistance of Master Chief and the Halo army. [Via GameDaily]
GDC08 Highlights: Age of Conan, Requiem: Bloodymare and All Points Bulletin
Age of Conan Conan gets mountedOne of the hottest tickets for MMO enthusiasts at GDC08 was the Funcom session showing off new features in their upcoming Age of Conan. Mounted combat was the eye candy of the day. Game Director Gaute Godager walked our team through the basics of head to head battles astride War Horses, War Mammoths and War Rhinos. For the reading-averse, you can also listen to an audio recording of the presentation. %Gallery-16341%
EU, U.S. seize $1.3 billion in counterfeit computer parts, plan crackdown
Officials from the U.S. and European Union gave themselves a big pat on the back today, announcing that a joint operation of theirs recently netted over 360,000 fake computer components over a two week period, a haul that they say rang up to some $1.3 billion. That apparently included both counterfeit integrated circuits and various computer parts, which were branded with over forty different trademarks including Intel, Cisco and Philips, to name a few. Needless to say, the officials are now apparently feeling a little buoyed by their success, with them vowing to crack down on computer counterfeiters the world over, and " take up the matter" with China, which is where most of the seized products apparently came from.
GDC08: All Points Bulletin info and eye candy
What word is perhaps most synonymous with the current MMO playing field? Grind. Realtime Worlds' Dave Jones (no relation?) is setting out to change that with the studio's first massively multiplayer title All Points Bulletin we've been following eagerly. He's hoping the formula Crackdown + MMO = crack will be proven true with variables like infinite, professional-looking character and vehicle customization, contemporary setting, integration with last.fm and dynamic, variable team-sized missions hidden in the equation. Hit up our symbiotic other selves at Joystiq for the complete overview of APB.%Gallery-16668%
DICE 08: Microsoft owns Crackdown IP, sequel an 'option'
Despite the dynamic pairing of good sales and majority acclaim for Crackdown, Shane Kim grew cagey when questioned about the status of a sequel at DICE, during an interview with Game|Life. "I don't really want to talk about that discussion," said Kim when asked to comment on reports that Realtime Worlds would not develop a sequel to last year's successful super-cop sandbox shooter. What Kim did clarify is that Microsoft owns the Crackdown IP and is free to pursue development of a sequel with a new studio. "I think that customers would like to see more in that space," Kim vaguely noted, "So that's an option for us."
Microsoft: Crackdown 2 still a possibility
Speaking to Wired, Microsoft Game Studios VP Shane Kim mentioned the possibility of a sequel to Crackdown. While Real Time Worlds -- creators of Crackdown -- stated last year that a sequel wasn't in the works (they're focusing on other projects), it seems Kim is still open to the idea. It seems that the folks at the Microsoft gang still "love" Crackdown, as Kim says, "We consider that a pretty successful title for us, high-quality, I think that customers would like to see more in that space. So that's an option for us." What remains unknown is whether Microsoft intends to ask Real Time Worlds to create the sequel or if the project will be given to a different developer. While the prospect of Crackdown 2 is definitely music to our ears, we can only hope the reins wind up in the right hands. The remainder of Kim's Wired interview comes out soon. Here's hoping we can learn more.
A Brazilian court bans EverQuest
In a classic moment of governmental insanity, word has gone out that a court in the Brazilian state of Goias has put a ban out on Sony Online Entertainment's EverQuest. The consumer protection agency for the country has apparently picked up on the ban, and is noting it on its official website.Kotaku readers have been writing in to that site, expanding on this decision and a similar one that has been handed down on the tactical shooter Counter-Strike. This ban technically applies to the whole country, as decisions made in one court system are technically the law of the land throughout Brazil. A reader noted that at the moment only the state of Goias is applying the ban, as other court leaders seem to think the decision may be flawed.Fascinatingly, EverQuest isn't even commercially released in the country of Brazil. Even more interesting, reader comments seem to indicate this is a forced ban: copies of the game reported being 'taken' by the police. The ban (on EQ, anyway) seems to stem from the moral ambiguity of many of the quests:As for EverQuest, Procon states that it "takes the gamer to complete moral conflict and 'heavy' psychological conflicts; for the tasks that are given to them could be bad or good. (...) Violent videogames that use violence are capable of forming agressive individuals, making it evident that is strong its influence on psyquism, reinforcing aggressive attitude against certain individuals and social groups".Further commentary is available at Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
