Second exec comment was “This is a Wing Commander game! It’s got to have space combat. Star Settlers worked in part because it literally handed galactic history over to the players. There’s a lot of lore in the WC universe. This of course blew up a huge portion of the design. And we have a powerful science fiction IP in-house! This should be in the Wing Commander universe. This got changed when he pitched it to EA’s execs:įirst exec comment was “Hate the name. Raph Koster ( SWG, Crowfall) recalled the origin of Privateer Online, saying that it was initially a 2-D MMO concept he came up with called Star Settlers that focused on interstellar colonization and exploration. As I’ve seen the titles listed as discontinued on separate dates, I’m going to go with the “two projects” angle. The problem here is that several sources mention them as separate projects, while other sources ignore WCO altogether. I’ll admit that it’s not 100% clear whether these were two separate titles, a name variation (such as Wing Commander Online: Privateer), or a continuation of the same project under a name change. Out of the two, Privateer Online seems to have gotten the most attention and push from EA. What exists of these two titles today in action is hard to find: a blurb in Origin Systems’ history, some concept art, and a few screenshots. Even the lack of Chris Roberts (who left the studio in 1996) didn’t seem to dampen spirits. Players who caught wind of these projects couldn’t stop salivating at the thought of piloting their own fighter or freighter through the galaxy and making a name for themselves. Work began on Wing Commander Online and Privateer Online ( Privateer being a spinoff of Wing Commander set in the same universe that offered more freeform options). With Ultima Online’s popularity giving Origin’s namebrand a boost, the team had permission to build two MMOs out of its space sim franchise. It’s almost breathtaking to think about what might have been. It made a certain sense to build an MMO off of a hit franchise, so if Ultima Online could launch off of the Ultima games, why couldn’t Wing Commander do the same? After seeing the strong reaction and rabid following by the gaming community, EA decreed that online gaming would be the focus of Origin from there on out. The studio stayed afloat, and a few years later EA gave Origin the go-ahead to develop one of the first big MMOs: Ultima Online. Chris Roberts and his team struck gaming gold with Wing Commander in 1990, kicking off a flurry of expansions, sequels, and spin-offs that took this franchise to the top of the charts in that decade.Įlectronic Arts acquired the studio in 1992 after Origin suffered a severe financial crisis. One of these titles was a space sim-slash-arcade shooter that featured valiant humans fighting among the stars against the oppressive Kilrathi empire. The studio was anchored around the hit Ultima franchise, although it soon branched out and started making great games all over the place. It was this year that Origin Systems, Inc., was founded by a few guys, including some dude named Richard Garriott. To dig into this interesting “what if?” scenario, we’re going to start at the beginning: 1983.
What happened and why aren’t we playing one of these games today? Find out on this exciting episode of The Game Archaeologist! A pair of projects, Wing Commander Online and Privateer Online, promised the thrills of the hit space saga with the expanse of the online gaming world. Interestingly enough, there was another, older effort made to bring the well-known franchise to the MMO table back in the late ’90s. I don’t have to explain to you the subsequent rise of this $138M+ budget title, the vast expansion of its scope, the debate over its viability, and the fanatical following that fans have for this “under construction” sim. Even if it can’t be Wing Commander in name, gamers reasoned as they plunked down their money, it could be the Wing Commander MMO in spirit. Fans opened up their wallets and started pouring unprecedented amounts of money into the project, which Roberts called Star Citizen. In late 2012, former Wing Commander developer-slash-movie director Chris Roberts emerged from a decade of obscurity to ask for help to fund his vision of a massive, engaging space sim for a modern audience.
0 kommentar(er)
