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Torchlight's Schaefer: MMO subscriptions aren't the way to go
Runic Games CEO and Torchlight developer Max Schaefer knows a thing or two about addictive, loot-driven dungeon crawlers. After all, he was a founding member of Blizzard North and instrumental in the development of Diablo and Diablo II. So, when Schaefer talks about game design, people generally listen. Whether Schaefer's expertise extends to MMO business models is up for debate, though, which makes a recent interview at Charge-Shot.com an interesting read. "I don't think really anyone can do [subscriptions] anymore because pretty much everyone that does subscriptions has one for World of Warcraft," Schaefer posits, while speaking of his plans for the upcoming Torchlight MMO. While the majority of the interview focuses on the new Xbox Live incarnation of the original Torchlight -- as well as the forthcoming Torchlight II -- it's also a window into Schaefer's design sensibilities and therefore a possible barometer for the type of gameplay that fans might expect from a Torchlight MMO. "[Torchlight] is the kind of game you can play for 20 minutes before you got to go out to dinner, but it's also one that you can geek out on all night. It's just a very accessible format that gives people a chance to enjoy a game rather than work at a game," Schaefer explains. [Thanks to Craig for the tip!]
Torchlight 2 'probably' delayed to July, Runic says
Speaking to Digital Spy, Runic CEO Max Schaefer revealed that Torchlight 2 will likely miss its original May–June release window. According to Schaefer, the game will now "probably" be released this July. Apparently the time Runic had to spend on the extra interface design for the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade version of Torchlight is to blame for the sequel's delay, though Schaefer noted that development is "going great" otherwise. Schaefer added that Torchlight 2 should receive some "optimizations and technical improvements," originally created for the XBLA Torchlight. Notably, the sequel should now benefit from reduced load times and improved animation. The XBLA version of Torchlight will be released on March 9.
Light up your day with the first Torchlight 2 trailer
The first trailer for Torchlight 2 doesn't dance around the issue: The original Torchlight should have had multiplayer. As such, be prepared to be bombarded by the fact that Torchlight 2 does have multiplayer, and that it appears to be a (magical) blast. Basically, the trailer makes 2011 seem really far away. %Gallery-99869%
The Daily Grind: Getting Torchlight?
Today is the launch of Runic Games' Torchlight, although you probably know them best as the guys who worked on Mythos. The MMO version of Torchlight isn't out for another 18 months or so, but you can get a taste of it as of today, which is of course the game's release date -- imagine that! Not only is the game developed by the former Mythos team, it's also headed by Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer, co-designers of Diablo and Diablo II. Speaking of those games, we hope you liked their music, because the same man who wrote it worked on Torchlight as well. The pedigree is definitely high, and from our hands-on experience it shines through exceedingly well. So will you be getting Torchlight? At the low price of $20, it's not a hard sell considering the quality of the game. Plus, with full mod tools being included in that price, free fan-made content should be falling down from the heavens in no time flat.
PAX 2009: Hands-on with Torchlight
We never thought a completely new game would rise from the ashes of Mythos in just over a year, but that's exactly what Torchlight represents. We played through Torchlight for half an hour at the show, and it's a delightful action RPG that looks like a cartoon version of Diablo ... which doesn't mean it's for toddlers. There's still killing of the smashing, bashing and magical varieties throughout this thing, you know!%Gallery-72098%
