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The Game Archaeologist: The return of Habitat
After over four years of writing for Massively, I've ceased to be surprised by how bizarre and unexpected this industry can be. However, if you had told me a few weeks ago that, of all things, Habitat would be coming back online, I would have laughed mightily in your face. And yet, that's exactly what's happening. The Museum of Arts and Digital Entertainment has taken up the challenge to restore LucasFilm's Habitat to working condition and then, for the first time ever, open this original virtual world up to the internet to play. Museum staff, former Habitat devs, and volunteers have been wrestling with the old code and hardware to make this happen, and I can think of no better topic for this week's column than to look at how this 28-year-old game for the Commodore 64 will emerge blinking in the light of the modern era. I reached out to MADE's director, Alex Handy, to chat about the project and get clarification concerning what steps will need to be taken between now and the moment the switch is thrown to power up Habitat.
Museum hopes to resurrect Habitat, 'world's first MMO'
So here's a bizarre little piece of MMO news for your Friday morning: This weekend, with the help of Kixeye and Fujitsu, a volunteer-driven, public museum in Oakland, California, hopes to relaunch an antique Lucasfilm game called Habitat, which it's calling the world's first massively multiplayer online game (that part is probably debatable, but let's hear them out). "The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment (The MADE) will be spending Sunday, September 28th, attempting to resurrect the world's first massively multiplayer online game, Habitat. The project seeks to relaunch the Habitat server on original Stratus Technologies hardware from 1989, and to allow users on the Internet to connect to the game server for free using a Commodore 64 emulator. The MADE is the first videogame museum to attempt such a relaunch. In fact, there has never been an attempt to relaunch a 28 year old, dead MMO before, primarily because MMO's are mostly a phenomenon that has existed only over the last 15 years." According to Wikipedia's curators, Habitat was created in 1985 as the "first attempt at a large-scale commercial virtual community that was graphically based" and is "considered a forerunner of the modern MMORPGs." MADE even claims the game invented the term "Avatar" for use in online games. The 1989-era server hardware it'll run on can today support 10,000 users, says the museum. Massively's very own Game Archaeologist, Justin Olivetti, investigated Habitat's history in a two-part series in 2012. The Game Archaeologist moves into Lucasfilm's Habitat: Part 1 The Game Archaeologist moves into Lucasfilm's Habitat: Part 2
Just breathe, Star Wars: A New Hope in Minecraft is coming
An enterprising Star Wars fan is giving other devotees of Lucas' universe a new hope; a new, low-resolution, super-blocky hope. "Paradise Decay" is recreating Star Wars: Episode IV inside of Minecraft, using only custom textures and art - no special mods. The project, which has been in development for more than three years, is nearing completion. The new "Breath" trailer, seen above, will "probably" be the last preview we get before Paradise Decay releases the full movie in 2015, according to the YouTube description. Even though the fan film will be free to view when it's *Emperor Palpatine voice* complete ... you'll still need a DVD version of the original movie for sound. Then, young Padawan, you will be ready. [Image: Mojang/Paradise Decay]
Star Wars Expanded Universe (including games) no longer canon
Many bothans died to bring us this information: The Star Wars Expanded Universe - or EU for short - is getting cut from Star Wars canon like hands get cut from the Skywalker family. In a news post on the official Star Wars site, Lucasfilm announced that only the six Star Wars films and the Clone Wars television show will be considered canon. In other words, as far as Luke, Leia, Han and the gang are concerned, there were no knights of the Old Republic, nor was the Force ever unleashed. The Star Wars universe was previously structured under a multi-tier hierarchy system, where some events were considered more canon than others. For example, The Clone Wars' explanation for the origins of the Rebel Alliance were more true than The Force Unleashed's. How does that make sense you ask? We dunno. Cosmic bacteria or something, probably. In any case, according to Lucasfilm, "all aspects of Star Wars storytelling moving forward will be connected." So from here on out, what you see is what the Star Wars universe gets. While that might be distressing for fans of things like Knights of the Old Republic or the Jedi Knight games, Lucasfilm is still keeping the EU around - in a sense. Stories from the EU will be printed under the Legends banner, and the teams creating new content are still drawing inspiration from the EU. Elements first created for Star Wars tabletop roleplaying games will be seen in the upcoming Star Wars Rebels TV show, for example. So who knows, maybe Kyle Katarn - a character who made his debut appearance in a Star Wars video game - might still show up, albeit in a way that fits with Lucasfilm's new creative direction. [Image: Disney/Lucasfilm]
Silicon Valley giants settle class action suit over anti-poaching pacts (updated)
Silicon Valley's tech giants aren't going to face that class action lawsuit over no-hiring deals, after all. Adobe, Apple, Google and Intel have all reached a settlement in the case, which would have otherwise headed to trial in late May. The terms of the deal haven't been revealed, but we wouldn't be shocked if a significant amount of cash traded hands. About 64,000 employees had wanted $3 billion in damages after their bosses reached under-the-table deals to avoid poaching each other's staff; while Intuit, Lucasfilm and Pixar settled last year for just $20 million in total, they're small by comparison.
Netflix's first taste of 'Star Wars' coming with exclusive 'Clone Wars' series in March
Sure, Netflix has a multi-billion dollar deal with Disney, but Star Wars content has been noticeably missing from its sizeable catalog. That's about to change, however, after the streaming giant announced it has signed an exclusive agreement to bring the final series of The Clone Wars, dubbed "The Lost Missions," to all 44 million of its subscribers on March 7th. Netflix says the 13-episode season will be accompanied by director's cuts of the previous five Clone Wars seasons and the feature film, making it the only subscription service to offer such content. Netflix has slowly added more Disney content in recent months, but it'll ramp up significantly when first-run live-action and animated films come to the service in 2016. There's no word on whether we'll see the Star Wars feature films later down the line -- we'll make sure to enjoy the multiple new Marvel mini-series in the meantime.
Disney abandons 'Star Wars 1313' trademark
Family-friendly megacorporation Disney has allowed its trademark on Star Wars 1313 to lapse, likely driving the final nail into the coffin of the promising action game once described by developers as "Star Wars hell." Initially revealed just prior to E3 2012, Star Wars 1313 was to be a darker take on George Lucas' beloved space epic. Instead of cutesy ewoks and characters who clearly fit into either "good" or "evil" roles, Star Wars 1313 would have cast players as a bounty hunter stalking the crime-ridden alleyways of Coruscant. Little was revealed of the game before its development was suspended following Disney's purchase of LucasArts, but Star Wars 1313 was repeatedly described as "dark and mature" by its developers at LucasArts. Now, a visit to the United States Patent And Trademark Office website reveals that Disney's trademark has lapsed. "Abandoned because no Statement of Use or Extension Request timely filed after Notice of Allowance was issued," reads the trademark status section, indicating that Disney made no effort to maintain its ownership of the title. While it is possible that some of the concepts seen in those early glimpses might make their way into future Star Wars games, it seems unlikely that we'll ever see Star Wars 1313 on store shelves.
Star Wars: Episode VII launch date confirmed for December 18th 2015
Episode VII may still be in the throes of pre-production, but Lucasfilm has confirmed that the Star Wars saga will continue on December 18th, 2015, with shooting officially set to start in spring 2014 and leaving just 771 days left to speculate.
'Star Wars: Tiny Death Star' puts you to work for the Empire in glorious 8-bit
There's no shortage of official Star Wars-themed apps on iOS, Android and Windows Phone, but Star Wars: Tiny Death Star might be the most retro of them all. A spin-off of NimbleBit's popular iOS classic Tiny Tower, Tiny Death Star puts you to work for the Empire as you buy, build and oversee the development of its moon-sized space station. It's the result of a partnership between Disney, LucasArts and NimbleBit, bringing together all of your favorite Star Wars characters in the familiar Tiny 8-bit style. You'll also employ 30 unique galactic "bitizens," including Wookiees and Ewoks, as you build as many as 80 residential and commercial Death Star floors. Like other freemium titles, Star Wars: Tiny Death Star uses its own in-game currency, called "Imperial Bux," which boost construction and lift time restrictions, meaning you probably won't go it Solo in your fight against the Rebels.
All three Indiana Jones movies are finally coming to Blu-ray individually
Last year Paramount and Lucasfilm delivered The Complete Adventures of Indiana Jones (minus the TV series) on Blu-ray, bringing Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and Last Crusade home in HD for the first time. Of course, obtaining any of those movies meant buying the pack (including a fourth movie), but this year Indy fans can finally pick and choose, as the three movies will hit shelves individually on December 17th. If you can live without a physical copy, Digital HD versions from the usual assortment of internet movie stores go on sale even earlier on November 19th. Each copy is up for pre-order on Amazon already for about $19, so if you want more than one and/or the extra disc with all the behind the scenes featurettes, the $45 complete set might be the way to go -- even if it means owning that other movie too. Choose wisely, and check after the break to have Raiders of the Lost Ark ruined for you forever.
Disney registers some Star Wars Attack Squadron domains
Disney's LucasFilm recently registered two dozen domains related to an as-yet-unannounced project called Star Wars Attack Squadron. Among the domains registered are StarWarsAttackSquadrons.com, AttackSquadrons.com and the ever-elusive StarWarsSquad.us. It's unknown if Star Wars Attack Squadron will wind up being a game, film or both, but Fusible points out that Electronic Arts also registered AttackSquadron.com and AttackSquadron.net domains recently. Unless EA is squatting on these domains and plans to sell them to Disney, it's hard to imagine it's not involved in the project, given that EA obtained an exclusive license to make Star Wars games in May.
LucasFilm registers domains for 'Star Wars Rebels,' 'Wookie Hunters' and others
LucasFilm has registered a gaggle of domains for heretofore unannounced Star Wars projects, and while there are indications that at least some of them may be video games of some sort, whether that's a good thing depends on how you feel about Gungans. The domains, which include StarWarsRebels.com, StarWarsWolfPack.com, WookieHunters.com and WolfPackAdventures.net (among others) were all registered by LucasFilm on May 6, the same day EA announced its exclusive agreement with Disney for all things Star Wars. That proximity, coupled with the fact that three of the domains appear to represent a series of Gungan Frontier sequels, indicate that all of these projects may be interactive in nature. Hit up the source link for a full list of the registered addresses.
EA obtains exclusive rights to Star Wars
Electronic Arts and the Walt Disney Company, which obtained the Star Wars franchise as part of its $4.05 billion acquisition of LucasFilm last year, have signed a multi-year exclusive licensing agreement to develop and publish Star Wars games. "While we don't have any details to share today on specific titles, our development teams are already brimming with design ideas," said EA Labels President Frank Gibeau. "The EA Studios that will develop these games are some of the most innovative and popular creative teams in the world, and include DICE and Visceral, in addition to the BioWare team, which is already developing for the Star Wars franchise." The financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. EA will develop and publish new Star Wars games for the "core gaming audience" across all interactive platforms and "most popular game genres." Disney will retain certain rights to mobile, social, tablet and online games.
Star Wars 1313 'halted,' says LucasFilm
A LucasFilm representative confirmed that production on Star Wars 1313 and what's rumored to be Star Wars: First Assault has ceased following yesterday's closure of LucasArts by Disney. Speaking to the BBC, LucasFilm spokesperson Miles Perkins said, "Both current Star Wars games projects have been halted."A LucasArts representative previously indicated to Game Informer that Star Wars 1313 could be released via external licensing. However, a Kotaku source told that site the chances of that happening are "effectively zero.""It is worth noting that we are looking for proven external partners who can help us provide video games to our fans," the LucasArts rep told Game Informer. "We still believe in the video game industry, we still will provide Star Wars games, we're just looking at different models rather than internal production... They're evaluating everything. There's always a possibility that it [Star Wars 1313] can still come out via licensing."The last we'd seen of Star Wars 1313 was an "inaccurate" PlayStation Germany posting, which said the game would be available on PS3 this year. Leaked materials indicated Star Wars: First Assault as a multiplayer shooter coming to XBLA, although LucasArts had yet to officially confirm the game or any details surrounding it.
Rumored 'Star Wars: First Assault' footage storms the web
LucasArts never officially announced Star Wars: First Assault, but it was scheduled to launch this spring as a multiplayer shooter, according to Kotaku. First Assault is still in production, but it's caught up in a company-wide freeze following Disney's purchase of LucasFilm in September, according to reports.And it looks something like this, Kotaku says. The website has two pieces of footage that it says are from First Assault, both cut from a trailer used internally late last year; the gameplay video shows action mostly in first-person, though there are a few scenes of third-person fighting. It's all in-game footage, including a few bugs and incomplete art, and it is an "older" version of the game, Kotaku says.
Rumor: Star Wars: First Assault is a multiplayer shooter
Star Wars: First Assault, an unannounced game from LucasArts, was a multiplayer shooter designed to test interest in Battlefront 3, Kotaku reports. First Assault was going to host a closed beta in September, with a launch scheduled for this spring, but when Disney bought LucasFilm in September the project was put on hold, the website says.The September beta timeline agrees with a leaked image promoting First Assault on XBLA, uncovered in early October.Kotaku cites someone "no longer familiar with the goings-on" at LucasArts, but with knowledge of the project for the following information: First Assault was a downloadable, multiplayer shooter supporting up to 16 players in various Star Wars worlds, and was supposed to gauge interest in a rebuilt Battlefront game. After years of being passed around studios, having been nearly completed and canceled, starting Battlefront 3 from scratch would probably be a good call.We've reached out to LucasArts for more information.
Lucasfilm postpones Star Wars Episode II and III 3D, focusing on Abrams-directed Episode VII
While Lucasfilm originally planned to bring Star Wars Episode II and III back to theaters in 3D this fall, it's just announced that will not happen. In a statement posted on the official site, it says "we will now focus 100 percent of our efforts on Star Wars: Episode VII." Lucasfilm is now owned by Disney, which just announced last week that J.J. Abrams (director of Star Trek and creator of TV series including Lost and Fringe) would direct the seventh installment, which is scheduled to hit theaters in 2015. The original trilogy was also reportedly on deck for 3D rerelease, but there's no word yet whether we'll see those again before Episode VII, just a promise to post "further information" at a later date.
Tim Cook ordered to undergo questioning in anti-poaching case
Even though he wasn't CEO at the time, Apple's Tim Cook will be questioned about the company's hiring practices as part of a anti-poaching lawsuit, says a Reuters report. Apple, along with several other tech heavyweights, is embroiled in a civil lawsuit that accuses the company of illegally instituting anti-poaching hiring policies. According to the suit, executives at major companies like Apple, Google, Pixar and others agreed to not poach each other's employees. As part of the agreement, employees would be hired collectively and individual negotiations would not be allowed. Though Cook was not CEO at the time, Judge Lucy Koh said Cook should still be questioned. "I find it hard to believe a COO would have no say over salary and compensation for all employees," Koh said. Google's Eric Schmidt will also be questioned and other executives are slated to participate in upcoming depositions. The civil suit was filed by several ex-employees and follows a DOJ investigation into these hiring practices. Apple, Google and others eventually settled with the DOJ and agreed to stop instituting no solicitation policies. [Image via Flickr member walknboston]
Disney's mobile, social push improves its bottom line
Disney Interactive, the arm of Walt's empire that handles video games, saw an operating loss of $216 million for the fiscal year 2012, which ended on September 29. Loss for the quarter came to $76 million, an improvement of $18 million from Q4 2011.Revenue for the year decreased 14 percent from 2011's $982 million, bringing 2012 to $845 million – the $216 million loss, however, improved from 2011's $308 million. Disney attributed the loss improvement to a focus on social games and decreased production of console games:"Improved segment operating results for the year reflected an increase at our social games business.... The reduction in console games product development reflected an ongoing shift from console game releases to mobile and social game releases."In 2011, Disney Interactive shut down all core studios except for Junction Point, the house responsible for the Epic Mickey series. Disney acquired Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion on October 30, and the deal included LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, the Star Wars games and effects studios. During the acquisition, Disney said it was likely to develop social and mobile games in the Star Wars universe, leaving console games to licensed third parties.
PSA: Angry Birds Star Wars is no longer far, far away, out now
Rovio catapulted Angry Birds Star Wars into hyper-availability today, the game now live on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone 8, Windows 8 tablets, Kindle Fire, PC, and Mac. The developer promises over 80 levels of crossover larks, in which you guide the Rebel Birds through the trials and tribulations of deep-space physics as they flap their way towards, yup, the Pig Star.Rovio also unveiled the above "cinematic" trailer, which offers an Angry Birds take on the iconic Mos Eisley Cantina scene from A New Hope. It's probably truer to the original than the digitally remastered re-release.
