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Firefly Universe Online reactivates with Fox's 'well wishes' [Updated]
Is the dream of a Firefly MMO still flying? The folks at DarkCryo Entertainment think so. The unlikely project seemed doomed due to an unauthorized use of the IP, but that may have changed. DarkCryo posted a notice on the project's Facebook page indicating that Fox has given something of a go-ahead: "With the well wishes of Fox Entertainment Group, we have reactivated the FUO MMORPG Facebook page in preparation for our upcoming Kickstarter campaign. A popular alpha launch may re-awaken licensing consideration, in which case we may then include an expansion pack containing derivative content." According to the counter on the front page, the crowdsourcing attempt to fund further development will begin in 16 days. Firefly Universe Online was officially (or unofficially, as the case may be) announced back in June of 2011. [Thanks to Tarka for the tip!] [Update: This "announcement" has since been alleged to be a hoax.]
The MMO Report: Baby names edition
This week on The MMO Report, Casey discusses the un-disbanding of the Multiverse project and associated Firefly/Buffy IPs, Wakfu's bright and bizarre character classes, DC Universe Online's timely crafting update, and Razer's new Fiona gaming tablet. He also notes that Bethesda came away the clear victor in the Fallout Online settlement. Now, where's our Fallout MMO? Finally, Casey dips into the mailbag to dispense advice to aspiring game designers and gratitude to a pair of gamers who are planning to name their first child after Casey himself. Says the Beard: "I am equally honored and aghast... I'm just a loudmouth with a camera who reads hit-or-miss jokes about nerd stuff off a teleprompter so that someone can put it on the internet." Watch Casey blush at the prospect of little baby beardlings in the full MMO Report video tucked behind the break.
The MMO Report: Cool balloon bro edition
This week on The MMO Report -- where everyone prefers "a blaster over hokey religions and ancient weapons" -- Casey tries to make the most of a slow MMO news week. He reports that the fallout over Fallout Online has settled, Multiverse (the Buffy/Firefly MMO platform) is dead in the water, CCP is launching EVE Online character avatars into orbit via balloon, and Star Wars: The Old Republic is boasting 350,000 concurrent users. There's no mailbag this week, he relates, because everyone's too busy playing lightsabers with their friends, which is probably true. He also thanks BioWare for teaching him how to /getdown... and I think you should tune in at the five-minute mark to see his moves for yourself. The video's tucked behind the break for your amusement!
Firefly MMO gets a possible second shot at the stars
While Multiverse, the development platform that was supposed to be the driving force for possible Buffy and Firefly MMOs, suffered a studio shutdown, the source code lives -- and has been snatched up by the newly formed Multiverse Foundation. Fortunately for those who were holding out hope for an online version of Joss Whedon's scifi western, it looks as though this new company wants to pick up where the previous team left off. Massively was contacted by Tristan Bacon, head of communications for Multiverse Foundation. He says that the company has acquired the source code and is "starting work full-time on the actual MMO creation platform." Bacon says that if there is still interest from fans, the team intends to use the platform to make a Firefly MMO. Don't get overexcited at the prospect of saddling up for the 'verse in your own ship, however, as this might be as long a shot as it ever was. There are substantial obstacles to overcome, including permission to use the IP. Bacon also says that the current team is just a small group of volunteers working on it in their spare time, and would appreciate more developers to sign on to the project.
Multiverse shuts down: Firefly, Buffy MMOs officially dead
It may be 2012, but 2011 isn't finished claiming its victims just yet. As discovered by Ten Ton Hammer, the team behind the Multiverse development platform has officially pulled the plug due to lack of funding. If that name doesn't ring a bell, we're sure you've heard of the two IPs most closely associated with it. Multiverse was slated to be the engine powering both the Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer MMOs, but as of December 7, 2011, fans will have to look elsewhere for their Whedonverse fix. There is always Firefly Universe Online, but due to the unauthorized nature of the project and the lack of updates, we're not holding our breath.
The Soapbox: Respecting the IP and why developers shouldn't
Here's how it is: 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. If you've never heard of Firefly, you're either afraid of things that are awesome or you've had an unfortunate gap in your viewing history for the past nine years or so. If you have heard of it, however, you're more than aware that simply referencing the show is enough to send most gamers and fanboys into paroxysms of quotations and general gushing. To say that the universe remains well-loved is an understatement. And if you play MMOs, Firefly seems like a setting that's too perfect to be true. Who knows how many moons are out there in the black, how many crews are left to explore the 'verse and make a fortune? The game never went beyond an announcement, and it still topped our list of games that have gone MIA, after all. And the best part is all of that open nature plays right into the structure of an MMO, with no need to change the wonderful IP set forth in the slightest.
Wising up to the Firefly MMO's unique challenges
It's been about a year and a half since Wired reported that the Firefly license would be MMO-ized by Multiverse. Since then, there's been a vacuum of news -- nada. The game is looking vaporware-esque at this point, but MMORPG nevertheless ran a feature article speculating as to what sorts of challenges the developers of the Firefly MMO will face.The author goes through all sorts of possible approaches, from a Star Wars Galaxies-inspired ground game to an EVE Online-inspired space game -- even a mostly-social, barely-RPG, casual-type experience. We suspect the last of those is the most likely, if the game gets made at all. As the article notes, the project is not likely to have much funding, and while the audience is passionate, it's also small. That was FOX's problem, too. As we know, the challenges don't end there.One concern MMORPG didn't bring up at all; Firefly was a character-driven series. Its setting was kind of interesting, but the characters were what made it all worthwhile. If Mal, Jayne, Inara, and Kaylee aren't a part of it, will anyone want to tune in? Turning this franchise into a successful MMO seems almost impossible. Regardless, Captain Mal Reynolds said "we have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty." If the folks at Multiverse pull off a Firefly MMO, that quote could be their mantra.
Google almost certainly creating multi-user virtual world
World of Googlecraft? GoogleQuest? Pirates of the Google Sea? No, really. It could happen. Sort of.Apparently Google isn't satisfied with how massive it is already; the tech juggernaut might be developing a virtual online world. Okay, so it probably won't really be an MMORPG per say, but it could be something similar to Second Life. Rumors of the project have been gaining momentum for a while now, and we here at Massively are laying out all the evidence right here for you to see.
