red-5-studios
Latest
Firefall preview: Something for everyone
There's a good chance that Firefall is going to be your absolute, undeniable jam. It's just one of those combinations of features and ideas that should apply to at least (but probably more than) one of your sensibilities: It has class-based shooting, customizable loadouts, loot, strategy, a persistent world, character creation and a focus on cooperative, Player vs. Environment gameplay. Any of those tickle your fancy? They tickle mine. They tickle all of my fancies simultaneously.
Massively's guide to PAX 2011
What can be said about PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington that hasn't been said already? Everyone knows that it is the largest public gaming event in North America. Attendance totaled 67,600 last year, not including press and exhibitors. And this year, even more gamers will descend on the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. The latest and greatest games -- released and unreleased -- will be available for public consumption. Developers will mill around the showroom floor, answering your questions. Not to mention that no one will look at you funny because you play video games! This year, MMORPGs really stand out in the crowd. Seattle native NCsoft has a huge presence at the convention, borrowing a theater just to showcase its games. BioWare comes armed with its heavy-hitter, Star Wars: The Old Republic. And free-to-play titles like Firefall, Lord of the Rings Online, and Wakfu promise to strut their stuff at this year's PAX. Punch past the break as Massively outlines the must-see booths for MMO fans. And don't forget the panels, including a couple of MMO spotlights for PAX Dev, the gathering of fans and developers at Sheraton Seattle Hotel on the 24th and 25th.
Massively's guide to Gamescom 2011
If you've never been to Gamescom before, let's simply put it this way: It's big. Really, really big. Forget most any convention you've attended; this is likely to be even bigger. Billing itself as the world's largest games event, Gamescom sees well over a quarter-million fans, journalists and exhibitors crowd into the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany to check out hundreds of games and companies. Due to its size and worldwide prominence, Gamescom is a significant event for anyone following the MMO genre (and video games in general). There are plenty of MMO studios gearing up to share first looks, exclusive reveals, detailed Q&A sessions, and exciting hands-on demos for attendees. Naturally, Massively will be paying close attention to all of the news coming out of Gamescom this week. For those attending the convention or merely looking to keep abreast of all of the games, studios, and information forthcoming, we've compiled a guide to the hottest tickets at Gamescom as well as a comprehensive exhibitor list of MMO studios after the break.
New Firefall hands-on coming to Gamescom and PAX
Those heading to Gamescom and PAX Prime later this month have a treat on waiting for them: a hot new demo of Firefall, the free-to-play persistent world shooter. Red 5 Studios is gracing both conventions with a hands-on experience to let players see if it lives up to the growing hype. The Gamescom crowd can expect to enjoy the full demo and some intense coop events, while PAXers will get to see additional multiplayer maps as Firefall debuts its open-world experience. Not heading to either convention? Red 5 hopes you don't give up hope, and invites you to sign up for the Firefall beta program, which is currently in the friends and family stage but is set to expand significantly after PAX. Firefall is slated to launch this December, which is not a minute too soon to those anticipating this title. Enough talk -- it's time for action! Hit the jump to check out the awesome new trailer showcasing Firefall's gorgeous cel-shaded look, crazy action scenarios, and glowy glider wings.
Firefall announces beta, details launch
Mark Kern, CEO of Red 5 Studios, dropped by the Firefall forums today to write an open letter to The Escapist regarding Firefall's beta testing and launch. In the post, Mr. Kern states that the game is currently in friends and family beta testing. But there's good news for those of you who aren't friends or family of the folks at Red 5: The expanded beta program will begin later this month after PAX Prime. As far as the game's launch is concerned, Mr. Kern goes on to explain that the team already considers the game to be launched, as Red 5 seems to feel that the traditional closed beta to open beta to launch process is outdated "in a modern, online, service oriented business, especially a free2playgame." Instead, they will be modeling the game's launch after Gmail's invite system, wherein certain players will be invited by the team, and those players will receive invitations that they can pass on to friends, thereby allowing the game to gradually grow as layers of invitations are passed around. Stick around for more, because you can bet we'll have the first news on the beta this month after PAX.
Firefall is ready to ignite this December [update: beta this month]
Red 5 Studio's upcoming free-to-play shooter, FireFall, will launch this December. The news comes via Red 5's Mark Kern in an interview during the ChinaJoy gaming expo. For those who like a little extra sauce on their launch date news, Kern reconfirmed the date in the FireFall forums. FireFall, lest you've forgotten, is a massively multiplayer online shooter headed up by lead designer Scott Youngblood. Yeah, the same Scott Youngblood that designed Tribes. And did we mention it's going to be free? Curious gamers should keep their eyes peeled, as a beta test is slated to roll out sometime before launch. Update: The Escapist reports that beta will begin accepting more players later this month. Interested players can sign up at the FireFall website.
Firefall launching in December
The end of the year release schedule just got a bit more crowded, and while debate as to whether Firefall is or is not an MMO is sure to continue, one thing's for certain. The game is launching in December. Red 5 Studios' Mark "Grummz" Kern confirmed as much in a thread on the official Firefall boards over the weekend, and also issued a clarification as to the title's beta timeframe. "They asked me when the game was launching and I said December," he wrote. "For some reason, they interpreted that as beta." The "they" in this case refers to some interviewers at the recent ChinaJoy gaming expo, and Grummz apologizes for the confusion in the thread as well. So, if you're keeping score at home, Firefall is officially blasting onto your PC this December. The beta will be... sometime prior to that. Stay tuned to Massively for more as it happens.
Firefall blows up bugs in the new gameplay trailer
Gamers have asked for an FPS that they can play with friends in a persistent world, and Red 5 Studios is delivering. Firefall, the free-to-play brainchild of Mark Kern, showcases a world with hundreds of players contesting for resources in the virtual space of Fortaleza, Brazil 222 years in the future. IGN granted us a glimpse into this world of kill-or-be-killed with the Firefall gameplay trailer. The two minutes of pure action starts with dynamic squad missions, continues past player gear and abilities, and then launches you into epic world events. Blast past the break to experience the trailer for yourself, and don't forget to sign up for the beta on the official FireFall website. [Thanks, Dylan, for the tip]
Webzen now suing Red 5 Korea in wake of FireFall arbitration
It looks like Webzen won't be taking Red 5 Studios' recent filing for arbitration lying down. In the wake of Red 5 Studios seeking to end its Asian publishing agreement with Webzen, the Korean publisher has filed suit against Red 5 Korea. According to Korean website This Is Game, Webzen accuses Red 5 Korea of breaching its publishing agreement on several occasions. Among the claims, Webzen alleges that Red 5 Korea delayed an offline test of FireFall. Red 5 Korea subsequently announced the test, using Webzen's logo, without the publisher's permission. Red 5's Korean branch is also alleged to have sent a press release about Orson Scott Card's involvement with the game, again without Webzen's permission. The proverbial final straw centers around G-Star 2011, a Korean gaming convention. It seems Webzen was preparing to show FireFall at the convention but, after hearing that Red 5 Korea was planning to display FireFall independently, the publisher decided to file suit. Just where all of this leaves the Asian release of FireFall remains to be seen. The game will be self-published by Red 5 in both North America and Europe.
Firefall's Mark Kern changes the perception of free-to-play
The third-person shooter Firefall has questioned nearly everything about what it means to be an MMO. In fact, CEO Mark Kern has mentioned to us at PAX East 2011 that the term MMO is not in the development vocabulary of his game: "If people want to call us an MMO, that's great. We aren't going to call ourselves an MMO, because we want you to think fresh thoughts along with us." These "fresh thoughts" extend not only to the game design, but they also extend to the game's subscription model. As a former team lead from Blizzard, one would think that Kern would totally support the monthly subscription model shared by Blizzard's flagship MMO, World of Warcraft. In the beginning, Kern admits that he was. He tells to the Escapist, "We felt that with a AAA quality game, a subscription was still the way to go. I was pretty skeptical of free-to-play five years ago." However, with the change in US economy and watching the success of F2P MMOs in other countries like China, the CEO changed his tune. "What I found surprised me; free-to-play wasn't just a successful model, it was an incredibly profitable one," Kern explains in the Escapist article. As the perception of F2P is changing in western culture, perhaps we will see more and more triple-A games beginning their life as free-to-play. The full interview with Firefall's Mark Kern can be found on the Escapist website. Let us know what you think of F2P for triple-A games in the comments below.
Firefall dev diary features Orson Scott Card, reveals planned free manga comic
Here's the latest developer diary for Red 5 Studios' Firefall, which outlines the general backstory for the upcoming free-to-play co-op multiplayer shooter. Red 5's CEO Mark Kern, who served as team lead on a little indie title you may have heard of called World of Warcraft, walks us through the tale of Crystite and a dying future Earth, beset by an alien race called the Chosen. He also introduces writer Orson Scott Card, who talks about how he put the story together for what's "essentially ... a post-double apocalyptic world." Card's also working on a manga with his daughter Emily Card, to be published free on Red 5's website in conjunction with Udon Comics. The manga is supposed to be available sometime before the game is due out later this year.
New Firefall dev blog introduces super-secret surprise mystery writer!
Mark Kern, CEO of Red 5 Studios, sits down with players today for a nice fireside chat in the not-quite-June Firefall developer diary. The focus of the dev diary is on the story Red 5's upcoming MMOTPS. Mr. Kern explains that the Firefall team really wants players to be invested in the game's story, and he goes on to discuss how the folks at Red 5 intend to make them give a darn. So how exactly are they going to do that? Well, as Mr. Kern points out, a large part of a good story is a good writer. And contributing to Firefall's story will be none other than the esteemed Orson Scott Card. That's right, the creator of the legendary Ender's Game series -- alongside his daughter, Emily Janice Card -- will be contributing to a free upcoming Firefall manga that will help to set up the story prior to the game. Udon Entertainment (of Street Fighter comic fame) will be providing the artwork for the manga, so it's sure to be a must-read for any Firefall fans. To see the whole dev diary, which includes some words from Mr. Card himself, head on past the cut.
Red 5 in legal battle with Webzen over FireFall, seeking $5 million
Firefall developer Red 5 Studios has filed for legal arbitration against Korean publisher Webzen. According to Red 5, Webzen has committed "multiple breaches" in its Asian publishing agreement, and the studio is seeking both to terminate its agreement and to "recover $5 million due to Webzen's alleged breach of its obligation and refusal to commit that money to market the game in the United States." The arbitration should not affect the United States or European release of Firefall, which will both be self-published by Red 5. Webzen has published its own response to Red 5's claims, stating that it is "undisputable" that it has "fulfilled all of its obligations" to the studio. The publisher also mentions that Firefall has undergone numerous development delays. Webzen also references its own "disputes" with Chinese game operator The9 – majority shareholder in Red 5 – though it makes no direct allegations toward the company. The publisher states further that Red 5 Korea has "infringed Webzen's rights as the publisher in Korea," though no specifics are mentioned. Regarding the arbitration, Webzen says it will comply with the final decision, but plans to "firmly seek all of its remedies under the law."
Firefall art lead builds battleframes
Firefall isn't being marketed as a traditional MMO, and in fact there aren't many traditional MMO staples in this Red 5 Studios creation. For instance, the class system is series of battleframes. These are armor sets that any player can wear, and they define what role he plays in a group. Another way Firefall is attempting to carve its own gaming niche is found in the art style behind this third-person shooter. Art Lead Adam McMahon takes a few moments in the latest Firefall dev blog to talk about the evolution of the battleframe design. Some of the original designs for the battleframes conjured up scenes from Alien or Starship Troopers. But the art team quickly realized that it was "making a game for the global market," and therefore, as McMahon explains, "the art needs to be special and it needs to appeal to that broad audience." At that point, the design took a totally different direction and eventually became the look you see in the promo art now and you will see in the game. If you'd like to read more about how McMahon and the Firefall team inspired the look of the game, be sure to read the whole developer diary. While you're there, take a moment to sign up for the beta. %Gallery-126195%
FireFall team deathmatch trailer is very classy
Red 5 Studios has released a new trailer for its upcoming free-to-play FPS, FireFall. The video shows off the various classes, or rather the classes of "frames" with which players can outfit their avatar. Try not to worry about the technicalities and focus on the jet packs and ice bullets. Red 5 has also announced that there will be a FireFall live streaming event next Friday, May 6. "A group of e-Sports broadcasters" will take part in the event in order to "provide their insights into the game and help [Red 5 Studios] tune the competitive side of Firefall." Red 5 will be showcasing a live match of FireFall during the event, which will be hosted on the studio's Justin.tv channel.
Firefall dev blog talks skill vs. progression
If you're a bit apprehensive about the balance between progression mechanics and skill-based gameplay in Red 5's upcoming Firefall title, you're not alone. You're also in luck since senior designer Dave Williams has just posted a new dev blog on that very topic. So what's the answer to this age-old design predicament? That's hard to pin down, and Williams spends quite a few words attempting to wrap our brains about the firm's plans for the game. In a nutshell, we can expect something called horizontal progression -- basically an "enlargement of your toolset" -- as opposed to the vertical progression in a typical RPG that often results in god-mode for players a couple of levels above their opponents. "At the end of the day we want your ability to place your crosshairs over your enemies and pull the trigger to matter," Williams explains. It's clear that Red 5 also wants to keep players engaged over the long-term, and how Firefall manages the delicate balancing act between grind and fun will be interesting to watch.
Massively's April Fools' Day [adjective] roundup
The favorite day of the year for anyone named April has [verb ending in ed] the internet, making some web surfers [emotion] and others [emotion]. In [adjective] Massively fashion, we felt it best to gather all this news [adverb]. After all, what would an event be without a [adjective] Massively roundup? World of Warcraft [past tense verb] not just one internet prank but four for the [plural noun] of BattleNet. Turbine invited its [plural noun] to be the broccoli for [adjective] race in Dungeons and Dragons Online. The [plural title] of Star Wars: The Old Republic did not want to leave the Wookiee [plural noun] from playing their [adjective] game, so they created a Shyriiwook interface for all those [adjective] people. However, the prank that takes the [food] has to be ArenaNet's new Guild Wars 2 class, the Commando; Anet created [adjective] videos complete with jiggle physics and placed helicopters into the current Guild Wars game. After the cut, we have [past tense verb] all the [adjective] pranks in this year's batch of favorite MMOs. Now you won't have to [verb] around the internet to find them yourself! But if you do [verb] something not on our list, let us know in the comments.
Redefining MMOs: More developers weigh in
In 2009, the staffers of Massively were more than aware of the changes happening in the MMO industry. The game was changing; technology was allowing the MMO to step out of its turn-based comfort zone and take on new challenges. We began to see the MMO-shooter, the MMO-RTS, and the MMO-does-that-even-fit-in-a-genre. The staff penned a series of articles called Redefining MMOs. Have things changed in two years? On the surface, I'd say no. We still can't figure out exactly what an MMO is. If you ask six different people the same question, you'll get six different answers (if not more). In fact, while I was at PAX East, I did just that. I spoke to six different designers: three from the most anticipated games of this year, two from studios that have been doing this MMO thing for a long time, and one from a studio that refuses to label its game as an MMO. After the break, find out what developers of Guild Wars 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, City of Heroes, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, and Firefall have to say about the new definition of MMOs.
PAX East 2011: Firefall, the non-MMO MMO
Last weekend, one of the biggest booths to dominate the PAX East showroom floor was a game called Firefall by Red 5 Studios. This shooter game has gained a lot of attention in the past because it pulls elements from different games such as Borderlands, Team Fortress 2, and even Halo. However, none of the comparable games is an MMO. Thus, Firefall really stands out among its peers. There are mechanics of this game that really scream "MMO" to the average observer, yet there are very non-MMO designs as well. At PAX, I had a chance to sit down with Red 5's CEO, Mark Kern, to discuss many of the design philosophies behind Firefall -- in particular, I wanted to know why Red 5 doesn't label the game an MMO when it clearly features many of the hallmarks of the genre. "The potential of MMOs is so much broader than the tag would indicate. We are broadening that definition and taking a crowbar to it. If people want to call us an MMO, that's great. We aren't going to call ourselves an MMO, because we want you to think fresh thoughts along with us," Kern explained. I also had a chance to play this unique game, so follow me after the cut as I give my impressions of the game along with some key quotes from my talk with Mark Kern.
FireFall preview: A different frame of mind
I was pleasantly surprised by FireFall. There are a lot of things to like about it, including competently executed class-based gameplay and what sounds like a very robust player progression system. FireFall even sports a nice, cel-shaded cartoon aesthetic. The surprising part is that FireFall is completely free.%Gallery-118900%
