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Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning's PAX East panel released on video
The recently released developer walkthrough for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning gave us a small slice of the game's PAX East debut presentation. Today, the full, hour-long demo is available for your perusal. Check the whole thing out in the five videos posted after the jump!
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning walkthrough gets combative
We painted a picture with our words of the PAX East demo for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, but we understand that some people prefer pictures painted with pictures. Check out a some developer highlights from the demo -- including a thorough look at the game's chaotic combat -- after the break.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning looks to back up big names with bright trailer
Never mind the dream team behind Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Forget the Elder Scrolls designer, the bestselling author, and the, uh, Spawn creator. All you need to know about are the lush environments and the profuse amount of magical stabbing. Like, there's a lot of it.
Preview the world of Copernicus with 38 Studio's Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning trailer
38 Studios has been in the news quite a bit over the last year despite not having a released game under its belt. While the upstart company still lacks a finished product, it's one step closer with today's release of the first gameplay trailer for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. The footage from the upcoming single-player RPG gives fans a first look at the world of Amalur, which 38 Studios will revisit in the Copernicus MMO to follow. In addition to featuring company president (and former World Series MVP) Curt Schilling, Reckoning boasts an impressive array of talent from both 38 Studios and Big Huge Games including lore-master R.A. Salvatore, former Morrowind and Oblivion lead designer Ken Rolston, and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane. The video clip showcases a good look at Amalur's fantasy trappings, glimpses of combat with several creatures (including a big bad), and a 2012 release date. Check out all the details after the cut.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning preview: The path of promises
Curt Schilling and company made a lot of promises last year about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, the first title from 38 Studios' long-awaited IP. He said that we'd see "combat that keeps you doing combat" along with a "deep quest narrative" and old-school RPG tropes brought around to match up with action gamer tendencies. "I don't know a way to tell you," Schilling said at the time, that "'Hey, we're taking God of War and marrying it with Oblivion.'" That's a tall order, made even taller by 38 Studios' origins -- while there are a lot of veterans working on this game, this is the first time they've all worked together, and certainly there's enough pressure and hype on the project that it seems like it could very well fall apart in disasterous fashion. And then we saw the game running in full motion for the first time this week here at GDC 2011. Sure, it's only an hour of directed gameplay, and sure, there's lots of work yet to do on the title. But there's this: All of Schilling's promises were up there on the screen, and it seems more likely than ever that 38 Studios might just pull this off. %Gallery-118445%
Curt Schilling on 38 Studios' MMO and the move to Rhode Island
It's been nearly half a year since the deal was signed, but 38 Studios head Curt Schilling tells us that his company's "150 - 160" employees are already in the process of moving to Rhode Island. That includes full relocation for everyone involved (read: selling that dream Boston house for a cottage in Quahog), though the company's own website still reflects 38's original address. Surprisingly, he says morale hasn't been affected negatively. "The team is incredibly excited. It's our building! We have all six floors -- it's our studio and we're alone. It's our space," Schilling explained to us this afternoon at a San Francisco club-turned-EA event. "Gavin -- the studio GM -- and I, we really took a Disney approach," he said. "There's no detail too small for us in the new studio to make it a place where people walk in and say, 'I wanna work there.'" At the time, he wouldn't say much about what exactly the happy folks inside his company's new digs are making.
38 Studios set to expand the world of Amalur into merchandising and a newsletter
Kingdoms of Amalur is a familiar name to gamers who are looking forward to Project Copernicus, the mysteriously code-named MMO under development by 38 Studios. If you're finding it hard to wait for more news on this project, 38 Studios has just the thing to distract you. The world of Amalur, created by R.A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane, is going to begin showing up in the real world soon in the form of comics, toys, novels, and even a few more games. Not a surprise there, amirite? Speaking of other games set in Amalur, you'll see more from Reckoning soon. The single-player game is set to launch fall of 2011, and the game's online newsletter will launch in October. Will all of this activity surrounding Amalur include new information on Copernicus? It seems likely and it's fun to speculate, so here's hoping! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
GenCon 2010: Fantasy fencing with 38 Studios
One thing is for certain: When you are sitting in the crosshairs of Curt Schilling and R.A. Salvatore during an interview, it's easy to become bowled over by their collective intensity and passion, especially when it comes to their interest in games and fantasy worlds. While GenCon Indy lacked its usual MMORPG presence this year, Massively was able to grab a few minutes of face time with 38 Studios' founder and lead writer as they passed through the convention. It was a bit of an odd interview, however, as two of the biggest topics -- 38 Studios' move to Rhode Island and any solid details about their top-secret MMO -- were off the table for discussion. Do not fret, as that certainly didn't stop us from trying to pry for a few hints along the way. Schilling and Salvatore were obviously eager to spill the beans about Copernicus, but they are still biding their time until the right moment. Happily, the duo didn't mind us fencing with them for facts, and were quite open about their single-player RPG lead-up to Copernicus, their general philosophy of designing the MMO, and why they've waited so long to unveil it to the public. Read on, gentle gamers, for a few ripostes, parries and lunges with two of the biggest figures in the industry right now.
38 Studios moves next door to Rhode Island for 75 million smackers
Two weeks ago we reported that Rhode Island was attempting to woo 38 Studios away from Massachusetts with a tempting $75 million loan guarantee. Today we've gotten word that Curt Schilling's company has indeed taken the bait, and will be relocating to The Ocean State due to this sweet incentive. While there's no definite timetable on the move, Mass High Tech reports that this loan guarantee comes with a few strings attached: 38 Studios will receive partial loan payments only upon meeting certain milestones, and the company has to put all of its assets up for collateral. The loan comes from a special $125 million program to create high-tech jobs in Rhode Island, and the state hopes that 38 Studios will account for up to 450 new jobs once it arrives. Curt Schilling promised to "protect the loan guarantee that's been given by the state with the same passion and interest that I'm protecting my own investment in this company." 38 Studios recently announced that its single-player RPG, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, will be published by EA next year, with its MMO -- code-named "Copernicus" -- to follow.
Schilling's 38 Studios leaving Massachusetts for Rhode Island
38 Studios is OUT ... of Massachusetts. Curt Schilling's studio, which just announced its first project, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, at Comic-Con last week, is moving from Maynard, Massachusetts to Rhode Island. The state will be giving the development house $75 million in loan guarantees. According to The Boston Globe, the studio is obligated to bring 450 direct jobs to Rhode Island by the end of 2012 or face penalties. Massachusetts is home to several high-profile game developers now, including Harmonix, Turbine and Irrational. Demiurge Studios, which will become the state's largest independent studio once 38 leaves, had the most immediate reaction to the news, sending out an open letter to Curt Schilling. Studio CEO William D. Reed, who was the former director of the greater Boston region for the Massachusetts Office of Business Development wrote, "I can assure you more industry professionals than ever call this great state home. A large number of game-focused graduates and brilliant thinkers come from our local colleges and universities, supplying the talent to meet our industry's growing demand. Our businesses are truly fortunate to grow in such a thriving community." The letter concludes that if "anyone on the talented 38 Studios team" wants to stay in Mass., they're welcome to join Demiurge. Keith Stokes, the executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp., informed the Globe that the state will provide 38 Studios the $75 million in bonds while it adds jobs and meets predetermined milestones. If 38 Studios goes under, RI taxpayers will be left holding the bag.
38 Studios on Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Curt Schilling's 38 Studios has finally announced the title of its first game at Comic-Con, and while details on Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning are still sparse, you can't argue that the game's already got potential. Fantasy author R.A. Salvatore has been working on the game's world and story, comic artist Todd McFarlane is designing the art, and Big Huge Games has teamed up with Elder Scrolls veteran Ken Rolston to put the title together. That's Schilling's gamble -- as an experienced gamer himself ("I've got five 70-plus" characters in World of Warcraft, he says), he's trying to make something that thrills him. On Thursday, the team held a Comic-Con panel and teased a mix of "deep quest narrative" and "combat that keeps you doing combat." Todd McFarlane jumped up on his chair to show off how big his characters' motions were and promised that "we will kill some people better in this game than anybody kills anybody." But can this talented lineup pull it off? I sat down to chat with Schilling, Salvatore, and Big Huge Games' lead designer, Mark Nelson, to see if they could share anything beyond what the short trailer and the screenshots revealed. %Gallery-98022%
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is 38 Studios' first game, due fall 2011
EA just took the wraps off of its 38 Studios-helmed, single-player "open-world" RPG, previously codenamed "Project Mercury." The real title: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. (Yeah, we also preferred Project Mercury.) The platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. While Reckoning isn't 38 Studios' long-in-development MMO, codenamed Copernicus, it takes place in the same "mysterious and magical new fantasy world created by New York Times best-selling author R. A. Salvatore." Developed by Big Huge Games, which 38 acquired from THQ last year, Reckoning is "being developed under the leadership of" Ken Rolston, who you may recognize as lead designer of Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. With a fall 2011 release window, you can imagine details are scant, but Rolston did have something to say about his game. After detailing the contributions from novelist Salvatore and artist Todd McFarlane, Rolston said, "And we've added something new that we've always wanted from the genre -- a fast-paced, graphically stimulating action combat experience with fluid control and immersive, discoverable gameplay fans haven't seen before in other fantasy RPGs." We're sure to learn more on Thursday when McFarlane, Rolston, Salvatore, and 38 Studios bossman Curt Schilling take the stage at Comic-Con for a panel discussion on the game.
38 Studios' Project Mercury to debut at San Diego Comic-Con
It seems that 38 Studios' plan to detail its upcoming MMO in 2010 isn't happening just yet, but 38 Studios-owned Big Huge Games will apparently show off its EA Partners-published RPG – codenamed "Project Mercury" – at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. A listing among the legions of other presenters at Comic-Con was recently spotted by Big Download with the description, "World premiere of the first game from 38 Studios!" The listing goes on to say that folks in attendance will "be among the first in the world to see the video game debut from Curt Schilling's 38 Studios," more specifically adding that Todd McFarlane, executive creator of worlds R. A. Salvatore, lead designer Ken Rolston, and founder and chairman Curt Schilling will be debuting the game for folks. Further, Comic-Con's site claims the panel will unveil more than just the first trailer, but also the project's actual name. And hey, if that's not enough, apparently you'll get a "limited-edition poster" just for showing up. Huzzah! The panel takes place at 1:15PM on Thursday, July 22, but we wouldn't suggest you start lining up just yet.
Big, huge interview: Big Huge Games head Tim Train
When 38 Studios isn't busy hiring former Nintendo execs, Curt Schilling's Massachusetts-based MMO developer is buying up close-to-death development studios -- take, for instance, Big Huge Games. Tim Train, the studio's president, illuminated the near-death experience that Big Huge had in a talk at PAX East earlier this year (slides from said speech can be found below). He explained how, with just a handful of days left and termination letters ready to send out, 38 Studios swept in and saved Big Huge and the vast majority of its staff. We found his story so interesting, we thought we'd follow up with Train and have him explain it once more, as well as speak about other topics. Will Big Huge ever produce another digital board game? Unfortunately, it looks like you could be waiting on that for quite some time. Hit the break for the whole thing. %Gallery-92043%
EA to publish 38 Studios' first project, developed by Big Huge Games
Electronic Arts will publish 38 Studios' first game -- which will not be the studio's interminably tardy MMO Copernicus -- the company announced today. The game has been codenamed "Project Mercury" and is being developed by Big Huge Games, acquired by 38 last year. The mysterious, "epic single-player" RPG is under the stewardship of Ken Rolston, former lead of the last two Elder Scrolls titles. "Project Mercury" is set in the Copernicus universe, created by fantasy author R.A. Salvatore, with artistic direction by Spawn creator Todd McFarlane. Salvatore is expected to speak later this week at GDC. The game is scheduled for release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC when it's done.
