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THQ spending approximately $50 million on WAR40K MMO
If you're wondering how many users it's going to take for THQ's forthcoming Warhammer 40K-based sci-fi MMORPG to be successful, you can keep wondering. THQ executive vice president and chief financial officer Paul Pucino did speak briefly about the budget of Dark Millennium Online, however, while addressing a Wedbush Morgan conference on March 9th. Pucino said the title will cost "somewhere in the area of $50 million or so to get these games to market, certainly in that range for Dark Millennium." Pucino was asked about desired subscriber numbers for WAR40K, which is being developed by Vigil Games, but declined to offer any details. "We haven't gotten specific yet, we're a couple of years away here from release and certainly as we get closer we'll give some specifics with regards to break-even or target users," he said.
The Road to Mordor: Enedwaith Exploration Expo
E3 is always an exciting time full of announcements, reveals and hundreds of journalists attempting to leech every last drop of information from crafty studios. It's pretty much insane, and if your head isn't exploding from all of the news, trailers, screenshots and surprises, then I'm going to have to ask you to hand in your gamer card. For Turbine, this year's E3 has been a crucial moment in the company's history. Not only are we seeing them under the Warner Bros. banner in public, but they had to step up and both defend and build off of the revelation of Lord of the Ring Online's new business model. They were smart not to save the announcement itself for E3, because the gaming public and the press needed a bit of time to both digest the news and get past the initial emotional reaction so they could bring the studio thoughtful questions. Turbine's undoubtedly enjoying its fair share of press coverage at E3 because of this, and that's saying something considering all of the other heavy-hitters like Star Wars: The Old Republic, Final Fantasy XIV and Warhammer 40K that are making appearances. No matter what your feelings are on the F2P model, Turbine's got a lot more for LotRO gamers than just that -- in fact, they've been bombarding us with so much good new stuff that it's hard to know where to start. So let's take a quick tour through 10 exciting additions and updates to the game that they've revealed.
E3 2010: Interview with Warhammer 40K's Mark Downie
Let's face it: At E3, every studio, game and gadget struggles to be the talk of the show, but there's just so much going on that most exhibits and demos get lost in the noise. Therefore, when buzz erupts to eclipse the noise, it behooves the gamer to sit up and take notice. Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium Online is buzzing strong right now, like thousands of armored, heretic-hunting space bees, especially after revealing the trailer earlier this week. With the previously secretive MMO out in the open, fans are hungry for any and all details about this entry in the beloved 40k franchise. Fortunately, Massively made fast friends with Vigil's Mark Downie, who was more than happy to spill the space beans about the look of the game, faithfulness to the IP and Warhammer 40k's release window. Buckle up, engage thrusters and hit the jump for the full conversation.
THQ: Warhammer 40K MMO will profit with 'anywhere near' a million subs
Speaking during a financial earnings call, THQ CEO Brian Farrell said that the publisher is making a big investment with the upcoming Warhammer 40k MMO, but that if the game nets "anywhere near" a million subscribers, it will pay off. Farrell suggested that the company must spend "at the high-end of what it costs to build a core game" just to get the online title launched. But the return could be high, too: "Presuming that the MMO is successful," he said, "we could have a three-, five-, seven-year-long term revenue and profit driver with that very, very exciting brand." Even if development costs continue to climb as expansion packs and additional post-release content is created, Farrell believes that spending more money on the project is a good sign. Farrell said that "if we're investing a lot over the next five to seven years of the MMO" by adding content, "that means it's doing very, very well." Success doesn't mean you need to reach World of Warcraft numbers, either, according to Farrell. "We don't need the kind of subscriber levels that people throw around, like a million subscribers, to make a lot of money on this title. If we get anywhere near this level, we'll be making a lot of money." The EA and Mythic-developed Warhammer Online peaked out at around 300,000 subscribers by last count, so THQ has a steep hill to climb. But Farrell is convinced the company can do it. "I love the game," he told listeners on the call. "Please come by the booth at E3. I think you'll like what you see."
THQ moving Vigil studios to new office
Along with working on two major current-gen games in Darksiders: Wrath of War and a Warhammer: 40K MMO, THQ-owned Vigil Games is packing up its stuff and moving to a brand new 33,000-square foot studio in another part of Austin, TX. Unsurprisingly, in confirming the move to Kotaku, THQ reiterates its desire to attract new employees as development ramps up on the aforementioned titles.Though the move was likely decided well before UFC 2009 Undisputed hit store shelves -- and quickly went flying right off those same shelves -- the 1.01 million unit sales of the game couldn't hurt the moving situation. Plusher couches at the new offices, perhaps? If it happens, remember: you heard it here first!%Gallery-19839%
Vigil Games details Warhammer 40K MMO
While what we know about the game is barely knee-high to a gretchin, PC Gamer magazine recently had the opportunity to speak with a pair of folks behind Vigil Games' upcoming Warhammer 40,000 MMO, specifically general manager David Adams and studio creative director Joe Madureira. Both shed a few details on what we can expect while we wait patiently to kill rats aboard space hulks for the emperor. Says Adams, the game will be "much more intense" and combat-focused than the traditional fantasy MMOs upon which we've cut our teeth, giving us all the more reason to want to trade up our broadsword for a storm bolter. However, the dev notes that the MMO "will be an RPG," adding that "Relic has the RTS angle covered with the awesome Dawn of War series - we are making an RPG." Other interesting tidbits from the article include note that the game will include all of the tabletop game's "important" races, customizable characters, a variety of solo, party-based, and PvP missions, and the possibility of in-game vehicles as well. We can't wait to see how the tabletop war game makes the leap to MMO, but as it stands, in the grim darkness of the far future ... there is only waiting.[Via Massively]
Warhammer 40k MMO info update
The folks at PC Gamer (US) had the chance to sit down with Vigil Games' General Manager David Adams and Studio Creative Director Joe Madureira for a chat about their in-development MMO. The title is a little IP called Warhammer 40k, the gritty guns-and-gremlins sibling to Warhammer Online and the Warhammer fantasy RPG. The Vigil developers offer up a far-distant preview of what they're hoping to offer in 40k once the dust settles. From the sounds of things, the 40k approach to the Warhammer world will be a lot closer to the 'mass combat' style of gameplay we see in the miniatures game.That said, the developers also made it clear that this is going to be a roleplaying game. As they put it, "Relic has the RTS angle covered with the awesome Dawn of War series - we are making an RPG." An RPG, but with a number of twists: guns will be the primary form of combat, incredibly customizable characters, no forced grouping, and the possibility of vehicles playing an important role in the gameworld. So far Vigil is saying all the right things, offering up hope that they're going to polish until they get it right: "We want each and every race to have weight in the game world, and feel distinct. We won't include a race if we can't do them justice." Let's hope that attitude sees them through the long process of bringing an MMO to market.
THQ: WoW has peaked, Warhammer 40k MMO years away
THQ executive Jack Sorenson tells Eurogamer he believes World of Warcraft has "peaked." He's not daft though, recognizing that there may always be millions of people playing it and that WoW is a great business. On that note, Sorenson is playing the good cheerleader for THQ's upcoming Warhammer 40,000 MMO and says it's still years away. THQ CEO Brian Farrell told investors in 2006 that the company wasn't going to take on Warcraft until it was in a "downward slope." Sorenson backs that up by echoing the same thoughts of many MMO producers over the last couple of years that titles need to launch "great" now. It appears THQ is in no rush to get the Warhammer 40K MMO out the door without more than a prayer to the Emperor that it'll survive.
