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Leaderboard: Would you have played Copernicus?
We just love tantalizing ourselves with "what ifs?" in the MMO sphere, don't we? There are so many alternate possibilities for the development and growth of these games, not to mention all of the ones that didn't even make it to launch day. The most recent of these, of course, is "What if Project Copernicus had actually launched? What if it were as close to completion and as good as they said?" For some, that's just a mild shrug; for others, it's a maddening proposition. Since the collapse of 38 Studios, we've seen several pieces of concept art and videos that will most likely be the closest we'll ever get to Copernicus. So today's Leaderboard is simple: Given everything you've seen and heard of the game, would you have played it? Did Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning convince you that this world would've made for a great MMO? Did Copernicus look like it had merit, or was it yet another fantasy game that probably couldn't compete for your affections? Vote after the jump!
Former 38 Studios dev releases Copernicus video, details player-driven systems
Stop us if you've heard this one before. Former 38 Studios developer shows us how awesome Copernicus the Kingdoms of Amalur massively multiplayer title would have been, and quality-starved MMO players cry into their beer. In any event, here's another posthumous reveal, this time courtesy of Steve "Moorgard" Danuser's personal blog. Danuser has posted a fly-through video that was originally intended as an in-engine milestone for internal eyes only. Now it's a bit more salt in the wound unless the shuttered MMO's assets ever find their way into the hands of another studio. Danuser doesn't stop with the video, though. He goes into some detail about aspects of the game's design that would have differentiated it from much of the current MMO landscape. There's a lot more I'd like to tell you about the game, such as how our fully planned four-year story arc was driven by player participation. How the theme of choice and consequence permeated our systems, content, and world design. How the choices players made during our chapter-based story arc would cause permanent and lasting changes to each server -- changes that could be different from other servers. How expansions to the game world had already been mapped out and were tied into that chapter storyline, so the world would grow in a very organic and logical way rather than feeling like expansions were tacked onto the core game by a new team that was bored with the work that had been done before. How our storyline had a real conclusion–because you can't tell a great story without an ending. Head past the break for the full video. [Thanks to Syeric for the tip!]
Kingdoms of Amalur MMO 'wasn't fun,' Take-Two was mystery Reckoning 2 publisher
Despite being "in love" with the Kingdoms of Amalur MMO before its developer filed for bankruptcy, 38 Studios head Curt Schilling worried "the game wasn't fun." Schilling opens up on a variety of subjects in a recent Boston Magazine feature story, saying, "It was my biggest gripe for probably the past eight to 12 months." Even 38's own employees weren't playing it in their free time, apparently.Additionally, Take-Two Interactive – publisher of everything from BioShock to Grand Theft Auto – is fingered as the mysterious publisher vying for rights to a Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning sequel. For its part, Take-Two calls Schilling's claim "rumor and speculation." Schilling contends the sequel deal was close to "final sign-off" when Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee's mid-May public statements gave Take-Two cold feet.Finally, in a last minute effort to save his company, Schilling and other executives spoke with an unnamed Chinese investor about potentially working together, as well as South Korean MMO company Nexon. Neither deal panned out, and the company declared bankruptcy this past June.The Boston Magazine piece is quite a thorough examination of the history of 38 Studios, and contextualizes much of the sordid tale we've seen play out over the past eight months. Get a delicious beverage and a comfy seat – it's gonna be a while.
Project Copernicus announcement trailer released [Updated]
For those interested in twisting the 38 Studios knife just a little bit more, Kotaku has posted what would have been Project Copernicus' official announcement trailer had Curt Schilling's development house not imploded dramatically earlier this year. The clip runs just over two minutes and features a series of stylized vignettes that morph into brief snippets of gameplay footage. All of this is set to a cryptic voiceover repeating something about a circle still turning. It's an interesting if slightly depressing look at what might have been. Head over to Kotaku for all the drama. [Update: Steve Danuser, formerly of 38 Studios fame, has published a context-driven explanation of what's shown in the video.]
