Gazillion launches with a gazillion IPs

[UnSub]

Triforcer beat me to one punch, but the full article has Gazillion publishing a MMO for every target group, a chicken for every pot.

So, 2010. Good luck with that.

[UnSub]

Also, just a point to all the gaming site people who are commenting on this article: this is the fourth company to have a MMO deal with Marvel and the second to have an exclusive ten year contract. The last ten year contract lasted less than 3 years. Do your damn research.

[Sutro]

Yeah, fail.

Notice that one of the investors is Hearst? It'd be interesting to know how much stake Hearst has in them, as I can guarantee you that a company that's basically entered into extended death throes is not going to be very patient when it comes to "when it's done!"

[UnSub]

Re-reading the article, Gazillion is huge. With huge, expensive, must-succeed IPs. It's like Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's plans on speed.

EDIT: How did I not see that Slipgate Ironworks, John Romero's MMO company, is alongside NetDevil as the two 'known' MMO studios Gazillion has on board? Oh, my sides.

[schild]

We're going to entertain your... children.

That guy creeps the shit out of me.

[Le0]

Re-reading the article, Gazillion is huge. With huge, expensive, must-succeed IPs. It's like Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's plans on speed.

EDIT: How did I not see that Slipgate Ironworks, John Romero's MMO company, is alongside NetDevil as the two 'known' MMO studios Gazillion has on board? Oh, my sides.

For a moment I though you were speaking about George Romero and was thinking how awesome an MMO directed by the Romero would be ! Zombies!

[Lantyssa]

Up until now, Gazillion operated in stealth mode as NR2B Research, creating four game studios. While Hutter’s background is in investment, he did make a game for the Commodore 64 when he was 12 years old. He also recruited talent from a bunch of entertainment companies: Blizzard Entertainment, Pixar Animation Studios, Microsoft, Apple, and others.

These games are going to be awesome!

WTF was that even in the article?

[Bzalthek]

I read Hutter as Hitler and was confused. 

It was much more entertaining though.

[UnSub]

Up until now, Gazillion operated in stealth mode as NR2B Research, creating four game studios. While Hutter’s background is in investment, he did make a game for the Commodore 64 when he was 12 years old. He also recruited talent from a bunch of entertainment companies: Blizzard Entertainment, Pixar Animation Studios, Microsoft, Apple, and others.

These games are going to be awesome!

WTF was that even in the article?

Cuz he kicked old schoo'.

Any MMO start-up that references how much money films of a certain IP make or how big the MMO industry is going to get automatically raises warning flags in my brain.

So, Lum: I think you'd be part of Amazing Society, right? 

[Triforcer]

Heh, that thought crossed my mind too.  But whatever Lum does will be great as long as it has skill-based PvP in a game without levels that lets players change the world but also is friendly to newcomers by not changing.

[Lantyssa]

Heh, that thought crossed my mind too.  But whatever Lum does will be great as long as it has skill-based PvP in a game without levels that lets players change the world but also is friendly to newcomers by not changing.

Lum's Ten Things list from a few months ago makes me think a lack of classes and levels being The Best Thing Ever is the One Thing we disagree on.

(At least he backed up my assertion on AI being easy to make, but not what most people want.)

[Soln]

We're going to entertain your... children.

That guy creeps the shit out of me.

"i haz bl@z0r i can haz funding?? no waii!"

[squirrel]

Activision Blizzard makes console games based on the Marvel license, but Simon Philips, president of Marvel Enterprises’ consumer products group, said that it makes sense to keep the console and online game licenses separate, since it takes very different kinds of skills to make each type of game.

Yeah. What would Activision Blizzard possibly be able to bring to the table for an online game.

[Sheepherder]

I read Hutter as Hitler and was confused. 

It was much more entertaining though.

The names may actually have the same root.  Hitler is a variant of "hut dweller" alongside "Huetler", "Heidler", and a few others I can't be arsed to research.

EDIT: Buying Romero is clownshoes, he's the biggest fucking running joke in gaming.

EDIT2:

[AutomaticZen]

Activision Blizzard makes console games based on the Marvel license, but Simon Philips, president of Marvel Enterprises’ consumer products group, said that it makes sense to keep the console and online game licenses separate, since it takes very different kinds of skills to make each type of game.

Yeah. What would Activision Blizzard possibly be able to bring to the table for an online game.

This was my thought upon reading that quote.

[Lantyssa]

Yeah. What would Activision Blizzard possibly be able to bring to the table for an online game.

Success.

It's a Marvel game afterall.  Can't break with tradition.

[UnSub]

A little bit more info on what Gazillion is doing.

Six MMOs in production (Jumpgate doesn't count - NetDevil did a deal with Codemasters before Gazillion came along and bought them). Slipgate Ironworks to do a "WoW-level quality MMO". NetDevil has an unannounced MMO in development along with its other projects.

Still sounds like a house of cards to me.

[schild]

Well, Slipgate Ironworks is really the only company that can probably always secure funding as necessary due to the names attached. The rest?

What Gazillion is doing is throwing all sorts of shit at the wall hoping something sticks.

How NetDevil continues to do well in terms of funding and property FUCKING BAFFLES ME BEYOND ALL RECOGNITION.

[Mrbloodworth]

Well, Slipgate Ironworks is really the only company that can probably always secure funding as necessary due to the names attached. The rest?

What Gazillion is doing is throwing all sorts of shit at the wall hoping something sticks.

How NetDevil continues to do well in terms of funding and property FUCKING BAFFLES ME BEYOND ALL RECOGNITION.

Well, their practices are like night and day compared to the development of auto assault, and Jumpgate. Jumpgate is a very measured, very focused design...auto assault was not. And they technically have brought a game to market, that's more than some can say, failure or not.

Not sure if any of that matters.

[UnSub]

Well, Slipgate Ironworks is really the only company that can probably always secure funding as necessary due to the names attached.

Anyone who knows the name "John Romero" also has to know the name "Daikatana" and term "epic fail".

I'm pretty sure Gazillion went to potential investors saying that MMOs were recession proof and pointed at WoW. Then promised one, if not two, titles out by next year.

[schild]

Well, Slipgate Ironworks is really the only company that can probably always secure funding as necessary due to the names attached.

Anyone who knows the name "John Romero" also has to know the name "Daikatana" and term "epic fail".

There are more senior level people in MMOGs that have nearly nothing but epic fail on their resume and they keep moving on up. I fail to see how that's a valid point.

[Soln]

this dead yet?  No?  Ok.

[UnSub]

Well, Slipgate Ironworks is really the only company that can probably always secure funding as necessary due to the names attached.

Anyone who knows the name "John Romero" also has to know the name "Daikatana" and term "epic fail".

There are more senior level people in MMOGs that have nearly nothing but epic fail on their resume and they keep moving on up. I fail to see how that's a valid point.

... and suddenly I get the feeling that Brad McQuaid is going to be announced as the head of one of these new studios. 

[Trippy]

Well, Slipgate Ironworks is really the only company that can probably always secure funding as necessary due to the names attached. The rest?

What Gazillion is doing is throwing all sorts of shit at the wall hoping something sticks.

How NetDevil continues to do well in terms of funding and property FUCKING BAFFLES ME BEYOND ALL RECOGNITION.

Well, their practices are like night and day compared to the development of auto assault, and Jumpgate. Jumpgate is a very measured, very focused design...auto assault was not. And they technically have brought a game to market, that's more than some can say, failure or not.

Not sure if any of that matters.

Bringing a game to market that was a net loss for its "investors" is not something I would be bragging about. In any other industry that would've been it for them but unfortunately in the NA MMO world it doesn't work like that.

[Redgiant]

If I can't catapult dead fetuses I'm not playing it.

[UnSub]

With the Super Hero Squad MMO, Gazillion can tap into the latest Marvel creations: 

[schild]

What the fuck is that?

[Triforcer]

What powers does Motorcycle have again?  I am not up to date on the Marvel Universe 

[squirrel]

What the fuck is that?

My new avatar. With the retconning of Episode IV and the latest Indiana Jones this completes the desecration of my fictional history.

[UnSub]

What the fuck is that?

Those are the Super Hero Squad figurines for the Wolverine movie. And a cartoon coming out later on this year. And then the MMO in 2010.

I'd never looked them up properly. Wolverine and Sabertooth look like they are about to get into a tickle fight with Deadpool. Meet Galactus, Hugger of Worlds:

[WindupAtheist]

DC has a line like that too, complete with a cute widdle Batman. Hey, gotta hook them kids early.

[Merusk]

They make 'em for Star Wars, too.  My son and nephews have a bunch of those and their vehicles.  Playskool does indeed pimp that line out to any of the big movies or franchises to hook fans early.

[UnSub]

Marvel says Marvel MMO due out in 2012 because that's when the movies are planned.

[Margalis]

Bringing a game to market that was a net loss for its "investors" is not something I would be bragging about. In any other industry that would've been it for them but unfortunately in the NA MMO world it doesn't work like that.

It's not just MMOs. So many projects get cancelled and so many people of questionable talent are trying to get a foot in the door that shipping *any* title is at least a minor accomplishment.

It's not uncommon to see resumes where more than half the projects a person has worked on have been cancelled. And I don't mean after 2 months of pre-production by a skeleton crew, I mean projects that had already staffed up to production levels.

[Hawkbit]

Marvel says Marvel MMO due out in 2012 because that's when the movies are planned.

Normally when they release a video game and movie combo all we get is a classic turd of a video game.  In this case, though, pairing the movie timeline with the design complexity of an MMO is going to yield a trainwreck of McQuaid proportions. 

Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration.  But I still can't imagine anyone looking at MMO design is trying to plan it around anything else.