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Schilling, 38 Studios choose BigWorld for Copernicus
We continue to look to left field for any news involving Curt Schilling and 38 Studios' mysterious new MMO project codenamed Copernicus, and while the inking of a new license to use BigWorld's suite of MMO development tools isn't the most exiting development under the sun, the news does enough to keep the project on our radar, if only just. Interestingly, BigWorld's software has become a touchstone for a number of companies looking to jump into the world of MMO development, including unannounced projects from John Romero's Slipgate Ironworks and Sierra Online, as well as Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's Stargate Worlds. Little is known about what Schilling and his band of developers have planned for Copernicus, other than it is still being prototyped for its planned release sometime in the distant future known as late 2010, by which time we'll likely to have moved on from MMOs altogether to another pastime...like baseball.
Curt Schilling leaving baseball for game development
Curt Schilling's love affair with games, particularly of the MMO persuasion, is no secret. In late 2006, he took this commitment to the next level, founding Green Monster Games (now 38 Studios) and pledging to support his staff with competitive benefits. Now he's putting game development right up there with family, telling GameTap, "After baseball, I will do nothing except be a father, husband and run this company."Codenamed Copernicus, Schilling's MMO is still in "concept phase" – tentatively dated for late 2010 – but it's one part of a mega-IP aimed at saturating multiple entertainment markets, including film, TV, books, comics, and action figures. With fantasy novelist R.A. Salvatore and Todd MacFarlane on board as creative partners, Schilling's ambitious project is more than just a pipe dream. As for baseball, the fabled pitcher doesn't plan to leave the sport behind entirely after his final season. "[I will be] intimately involved in making a baseball game ... I will be a part of a company doing a sports game [some day]."
38 Studios reveals: Copernicus
w00t Studios is reporting that Curt Schilling of 38 Studios has released the title for their upcoming MMO. In an interview with Gametap at the Consumer Electronics Show going on in Vegas, Schilling said that Copernicus is a "working title" but revealed no other information regarding the game.Given what very little we've seen from a previous news clip - possibly a knight atop a running horse - shown late last year, we can surmise that the game is going to be set in some ancient medieval era. 38 Studios' game Copernicus may or may not be associated with the Nicolaus Copernicus who lived from 1473 to 1543. Copernicus was the first astronomer to postulate that the sun was the center of the solar system and not the Earth, which had been the belief for centuries. His book, On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres, is regarded as the work that started modern astronomy and was pivotal to the beginning of the Scientific Revolution.Or it might have absolutely nothing to do with the famous scientist at all. It's common knowledge that Schilling is a huge Everquest and WoW player, and during the Gametap interview the famed Red Sox pitcher admitted that he's been playing a lot of my current favorite, Tabula Rasa. So... what do you all think?
38 Studios hires another industry vet
The Warcry Network reported this morning that 38 Studios has brought aboard yet another video game veteran in the form of Michael Kosenski, who will be assuming the role of Vice President of Product Development. Kosenski was the former Senior Development Director at Electronic Arts, Los Angeles, where he worked on the Medal of Honor franchise, Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (for the Xbox 360), and Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2.38 Studios just keeps on making news and adding to their stable of gaming industry vets as Kosenski is just the latest to join the team. As reported just a few short weeks ago, Jon Laff (former lead engineer at Electronic Arts) was recently hired as the company's CTO. Obviously the triumvirate of Schilling, Mcfarlane and Salvatore know where their talents are and where they aren't. Those three are truly talented, but probably don't know the ins and outs of the gaming industry. Thus, they are surrounding themselves with people who do. What does that mean? They're dead serious about delivering the gaming goods.
A glimpse of things to come from 38 Studios
The keen eyes of Cyndre from the Kill Ten Rats blog has spotted rare images from 38 Studios top secret, as-yet-to-be-named MMO. On Friday, December 14, the Boston news channel NECN did a video interview (see above clip) with Curt Schilling (he, along with R.A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane comprise the new gaming company 38 Studios) regarding the announcement of their 1st Annual Game Design Challenge. Which is a very cool endeavor in and of itself. According to Cyndre, right around the 1:16 mark of the three minute video interview you'll see images from their game. This has possibly been corroborated on the blog since someone purporting to be Curt Schilling left a comment saying that the animation shown was from pre-production, the phase they are in now. Curt Schilling (famous professional baseball player) is an avid MMO player. Combined with supremely talented R.A. Salvatore (famous fantasy author) and Todd McFarlane (famous comic book artist and writer), the expectations for a spectacular gaming experience is very high indeed. Catching even a quick glimpse of what these guys have in store for gamers is news worthy.
More new, veteran blood at 38 Studios
There's a strange sort of parallel between the hiring practices of Curt Schilling's 38 Studios and the team with which he has won two of his three World Series Championships, the Boston Red Sox. While sports fans like myself watch on with some interest as the Red Sox seek out high-priced talent from other teams within the American League, 38 Studios has announced the hiring of their own big gun in the shape of Jon Laff, a former leader engineer over at Electronic Arts.Laff is the latest in a series of high-profile partners at 38 Studios, where ace pitcher Curt Schilling has assembled a team that includes writer R.A. Salvatore and famous comic book artist Todd McFarlane. Laff, who has worked with EA for several projects, including Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, Medal of Honor: European Assault, and the as-yet-unreleased Army of Two, will act as Chief Technology Officer for the budding company. Says Laff of his hiring, "With the company's visionaries and industry leaders such as Schilling, McFarlane, Salvatore, and Close at the helm, 38 Studios is laying the groundwork to become the industry's next major innovator. I'm looking forward to being an integral part of 38 Studios and to developing the next generation of online entertainment."Whoever is doing the PR for 38 Studios is sure doing a good job of dribbling out information every couple weeks to keep us interested, without ever really showing any details about their IP. Color me frustrated.
Industry panel says MMOs are just getting started
At a recent panel discussion at the prestigious Harvard Business School, six influential members of the MMO developer community came together to debate the future of the burgeoning business of massively multiplayer online games. The panel included such dignitaries as former Blizzard team lead Mark Kern, Second Life creator Philip Rosedale, Red Sox ace and 38 Studios funder Curt Schilling.And what, I hear you ask, did this illustrious group have to say about the the MMO industry? The focus, as you might assume given the venue, was on the financial viability and growth potential within the MMO sphere. The panel seemed to agree that with only 15 percent of self-identified "gamers" currently playing MMOs (saying nothing of the casual market) the industry has a lot of growth potential if they can manage to deliver products that are attractive to people beyond first and second generation adopters. They also talked at some length about how MMOs could be more ably integrated into a browser experience, as the visual experience of a game like Second Life grows organically into a sort of graphical Web 3.0.It's an interesting discussion to listen to, especially with the credentials that the panelists brought to the table. I'm still not completely sold on the concept of MMOs transcending the "game" label and becoming the focus of the next generation of web development, but I've been wrong about this sort of thing before. I guess we'll just have to see then, won't we?
Todd McFarlane talks 38 Studios, his role
In an interview recently published with Gamasutra, famous toy-maker and artist Todd McFarlane elaborated on the formation and development of 38 Studios, the new MMO venture started up by Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, and of which McFarlane is a part. He explains how 38 Studios and the game they're developing is Schilling's baby, and that he and author R.A. Salvatore were really only brought in after things had gotten underway to help flesh out the areas of development related to their respective disciplines. He describes his own role as more of a director -- he's done almost none of the artwork himself -- but he's been responsible for keeping the game's artists in line with the overall design philosophy. Based on the interview, he seems confident that the new project is going to be a success, even within the already heavily-populated fantasy MMO sphere.Hearing all this noise about 38 Studios is a little frustrating, because everything we've heard from the people involved has been overwhelmingly optimistic and enthusiastic. We have to make sure to check our expectations at the door though, because we don't know a damn thing about the game. Good games, and MMOs especially, don't succeed on the pedigree of their management alone. Still, they've got a pretty captive audience at this point, it's only a matter of having something to show off.
Allakhazam grills Curt Schilling on game habits, new MMO studio
A lot of the time, when you read about celebrities playing games or see them with a controller at some glitzy press event hosted by EA or Microsoft, it's hard to take them seriously. Most look completely out of place playing or talking about games, and more often then not, they have a look of barely restrained condescension on their faces. That's why it's always refreshing to see an interview like the one Allakhazam posted recently with Curt Schilling, the veteran ace pitcher from the World Series champion Boston Red Sox.The interview is light-hearted and jovial, but it fairly well establishes Schilling's gamer cred. This is no fair-weather fan here, Schilling talks in some depth about days long past in EQ doing late night corpse runs with guildmates, why he took so strongly to EQ2, and his approach to balancing games and real life. Perhaps most exciting of all is when he talks about 38 Studios, the MMO development house that he started up with Todd McFarlane and R.A. Salvatore. He doesn't slip us any specifics about the game they have in the works, but he does go into detail about their development philosophy (it's done when it's done), and the advantages of being independently owned. Even if you're not a baseball fan (or if you are and hate the Red Sox), you'll probably find something to like in the interview. Definitely check it out.
The Horde win the pennant! The Horde win the pennant!
Yet another celebrity has confessed to being a WoW player. Curt Schilling, the pitcher whose famous game 6 stand against the Yankees in 2004 helped lead the Red Sox to their first World Series championship in eons, plays Hordeside on Malfurion. In an interview with Allakhazam, Schilling outed Wyndwraith, his 70 orc hunter, and Ngruk, his tauren shaman. He describes himself as a hardcore raider who loves questing. He plays WoW from hotel rooms when he's on the road, and he has recently struggled with the hardcore vs. casual conundrum. Schilling also talks about his own gaming companies, Everquest memories, and the (non) stigma of video games in today's world. It's always nice to see a well-known, successful person that plays WoW admit it to the public. It helps break down the stereotype that gamers are all basement-dwelling virgins. One question for Mr. Schilling -- do you still have your epic [Bloody Sock]? [Thanks for the tip, Calaf!]
Schilling talks Green Monster Games
Curt Schilling, Boston Red Sox ace pitcher and warrior-nerd (term applied to us nerds who happen to be physically fit), is a well-known MMO fan. In fact, he is such a fan he decided to start his own company -- Green Monster Games -- just to make one of his own. Now, he is giving us a little more details. In an interview with the Escapist, Schilling explained the inner workings of his company and a little bit of his vision. In an indirect crack at EA, Schilling explained he is building his company with the employee in mind; he is offering 100% insurance and matching 401k, a pair of oddities in many businesses. He states that even with Todd McFarlane and R.A. Salvatore on the team, he won't simply bank on their names and wants to make a game that appeals to everyone. Schilling is certainly on the right track. A major key to making a great game is making sure your employees are happy. Building a Mordor-style slave camp doesn't help the quality of games, or the bottom line. Hopefully Schilling's employment strategies pay off with a good game; we'd be more than willing to support it.
Schilling just a rookie in games industry
Curt Schilling has turned his addiction into a business, founding his own game company, aptly dubbed Green Monster Games. Schill recently spoke about his aspirations at an MIT game forum, boasting that his studio's MMO is going to "blow the industry away."Schilling backs big words with an employee-friendly business model that has already attracted the likes of Spawn-creator Todd McFarlane and science fiction author R.A. Salvatore. But to shake up the industry, Schill will have to do better than a comic book dude and novel scribe, meaning -- if he can't secure the right investors -- Schilling's gonna end up dipping into his, presumably, healthy savings account.As other panelists at the MIT forum where quick to point out, MMOs are the most costly games to develop, market for, and maintain, with the industry average falling around the $20 million mark. Sounds like Schill's gonna have to toss the ole' baseball around a few more years to support this habit.[Thanks, Sam]
Curt Schilling to become EQII villain
Boston Red Sox ace Curt Schilling is about to go on a murderous rampage! From June 5-7, the 2004 World Series champ will stalk the online world of Norrath to benefit the fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. The virtual Schilling will challenge fellow EverQuest II players (careful, the guy takes notes!), and for every opponent who manages to defeat him, Sony will donate $5 to the ALS Association.Schilling has also been raising funds through his charity, Curt's Pitch for ALS, but sees online gaming as an excellent way to spread awareness of the disease, so log in and join the cause!The Sox just happen to be playing in New York on those same three days. Slay a few more Yankees for us, will ya Curt?See also: Curt Schilling loses the mitt for the ole' mouse & keyboard
Curt Schilling loses the mitt for the ole' mouse & keyboard
Curt Schilling is out of the closet. The one-time World Series MVP recently came clean about his long-time EverQuest addiction. Today, Schilling needs to play multiple EverQuest II characters simultaneously to keep up with his body's craving (see his 4-monitor setup, pictured right). "EverQuest II provides me an opportunity to remain in touch with my family... My son Gehrig and I play together when I'm not working and he's not in school." C'mon Schill, do you really expect us to buy that excuse?The pitching great recently took this other passion to the next level, signing an endorsement deal with SOE. Look for Schilling to lead his guild on daring quests and calculated raids in the recently released Kingdom of Sky expansion.[Thanks, mordecai]
