Things are pretty quiet on the 38 Studios front. That's rarely stopped Curt Schilling from talking in the past, though, and he recently sat down with the lads at Joystiq during this year's GDC to give everyone an update on the big Rhode Island move.
"The team is incredibly excited. It's our building! We have all six floors -- it's our studio and we're alone. It's our space," Schilling enthused. Joystiq also queried the former World Series MVP about whether or not 38 Studios' Copernicus MMO project might opt for a free-to-play business model in order to compete in what has become an extremely crowded game market.
"We have an open mind about everything, except the game," Schilling said. "We look at what we're creating and we say, 'What is the best possible guest experience we can create with this product?' And that'll answer your business model questions and your goals and objectives for the game." Sooo, is that a yes-we're-considering-free-to-play or a not-in-a-million-years? It's anyone's guess at this point, but one thing's for sure: With Schilling at the controls, the trip is bound to be eventful (and full of juicy quotes).
Reader Comments (20)
Posted: Mar 3rd 2011 4:50PM dudes said
I only play free to play in these austere times, I might spend a few pennies when it's not so cold and I don;'t have to spend the money on newspapers to burn in my metal bin to warm my hovel *joke* bah! humbug.
Posted: Mar 3rd 2011 4:56PM ScottishViking said
How can anyone still think that Copernicus is gonna be a winning ticket? The only thing I've heard about it is talk, a LOT of talk, and vague talk at that. Schilling's a nice guy, but man, this has "doomed" written all over it. Too much talk, not enough substance.
Posted: Mar 3rd 2011 6:11PM Vagrant Zero said
@ScottishViking
Copernicus is not due for a launch this year (or possibly even next), the SRPG that predates it (Mercury) isn't even launching until the end of this year (assuming there are no delays).
So why exactly would they spill their guts on something that isn't due for release anytime soon? To please the emo internet whinos? That's a trick question. There's no pleasing them.
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Copernicus is not due for a launch this year (or possibly even next), the SRPG that predates it (Mercury) isn't even launching until the end of this year (assuming there are no delays).
So why exactly would they spill their guts on something that isn't due for release anytime soon? To please the emo internet whinos? That's a trick question. There's no pleasing them.
Posted: Mar 3rd 2011 6:12PM ScottishViking said
@Gildas
"Perhaps the reason why you've only heard talk is because the game is not coming at for at least another year?"
Are you telling me there's nothing to show yet? Nothing at all? Besides fluff background paintings?
"Why would they expose a game way before it releases? "
If done responsibly, it's just Marketing 101.
"I expect to be hyped when it actually makes sense to do so."
Oh I agree. So if there's nothing done on the game, Schilling should probably shut up and stop showing up at every game conference pumping up a game that has shown us ABSOLUTELY NOTHING of substance.
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"Perhaps the reason why you've only heard talk is because the game is not coming at for at least another year?"
Are you telling me there's nothing to show yet? Nothing at all? Besides fluff background paintings?
"Why would they expose a game way before it releases? "
If done responsibly, it's just Marketing 101.
"I expect to be hyped when it actually makes sense to do so."
Oh I agree. So if there's nothing done on the game, Schilling should probably shut up and stop showing up at every game conference pumping up a game that has shown us ABSOLUTELY NOTHING of substance.
Posted: Mar 3rd 2011 6:14PM ScottishViking said
@Vagrant Zero
"the SRPG that predates it (Mercury) isn't even launching until the end of this year (assuming there are no delays)."
Great. Awesome. I'd love to see something about that. Anything. Anything at all. Besides another Schilling interview with inflated rhetoric and name-dropping R.A. Salvatore.
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"the SRPG that predates it (Mercury) isn't even launching until the end of this year (assuming there are no delays)."
Great. Awesome. I'd love to see something about that. Anything. Anything at all. Besides another Schilling interview with inflated rhetoric and name-dropping R.A. Salvatore.
Posted: Mar 3rd 2011 5:11PM mysecretid said
I'm still interested in this game, mostly because it's a "passion project" for Schilling and co., as opposed to something shaped by corporate committee to be as economically "safe" as possible when it goes to retail.
That said, though, how long have we been hearing about this game now? Does anybody have even a rough idea of when it's set to release?
ScottishViking and I do agree that too much talk before anybody sees anything can turn around and bite a game in the ass, often fatally.
Warhammer Online, for example, has yet to recover from their pre-release "all things to everyone and a WoW-killer too" hype that they spun before the game ever dropped.
That said, though, how long have we been hearing about this game now? Does anybody have even a rough idea of when it's set to release?
ScottishViking and I do agree that too much talk before anybody sees anything can turn around and bite a game in the ass, often fatally.
Warhammer Online, for example, has yet to recover from their pre-release "all things to everyone and a WoW-killer too" hype that they spun before the game ever dropped.
Posted: Mar 3rd 2011 5:24PM (Unverified) said
@mysecretid
Uhhhhh passion project?
"We look at what we're creating and we say, 'What is the best possible guest experience we can create with this product?'
sounds like corporate speak for shaping something to be safe economically to me :)
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Uhhhhh passion project?
"We look at what we're creating and we say, 'What is the best possible guest experience we can create with this product?'
sounds like corporate speak for shaping something to be safe economically to me :)
Posted: Mar 3rd 2011 6:02PM Halfcentaur said
@(Unverified) Oh come one. Stop pretending that games are not intended to provide enjoyment for the people who play them, and yes, thus make money and give people the chance to make a living of what they are passionate about.
This is a passion project, no matter the fallacious way you can twist a phrase around in light of everything we've been told.
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This is a passion project, no matter the fallacious way you can twist a phrase around in light of everything we've been told.
Posted: Mar 3rd 2011 6:13PM Vagrant Zero said
@(Unverified)
Yes. Those EVIL bastards. How DARE they attempt to make a living!
Honestly, what's happening here at Massively? I come to this site to escape the MMORPG.com "special" children.
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Yes. Those EVIL bastards. How DARE they attempt to make a living!
Honestly, what's happening here at Massively? I come to this site to escape the MMORPG.com "special" children.
Posted: Mar 3rd 2011 6:50PM PiOmega said
@Vagrant Zero
You kidding, right? mmorpg dot com is a haven for f2p special children, as disagreeing with f2p will get you banned as it cuts into their bottom line with 99% of ad banner revenue coming in from f2p ads.
--
Anyhoot, my vote for Curt is to stay away from picking up the free to pay model, it's just bad business on many levels.
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You kidding, right? mmorpg dot com is a haven for f2p special children, as disagreeing with f2p will get you banned as it cuts into their bottom line with 99% of ad banner revenue coming in from f2p ads.
--
Anyhoot, my vote for Curt is to stay away from picking up the free to pay model, it's just bad business on many levels.
Posted: Mar 3rd 2011 7:24PM Averice said
So is there any word on what this Copernicus thing is? I clicked the name in the article and it brought up all of Massive'ys articles of course, and all I saw were a bunch of references to payment models... I mean, if that's all the news is going to be about this game... 0_o
You gotta make something before you get paid for it. Well.. actually, I guess technically they already got 78 mil.
Is that macfarlane the one that makes family guy? Cause I think he'd kind of suck at making video games.
You gotta make something before you get paid for it. Well.. actually, I guess technically they already got 78 mil.
Is that macfarlane the one that makes family guy? Cause I think he'd kind of suck at making video games.
Posted: Mar 3rd 2011 9:12PM Dread said
Oh dear god.....
Posted: Mar 4th 2011 6:38AM Fabius Bile said
way to kill any interest I had in this game. if it goes F2P I might aswell pretend it never released
Posted: Mar 4th 2011 10:35AM Valdamar said
38 Studios should stay quiet - it's not like they'll be launching any time soon and even with a couple of big names on the staff it's not like they have any track record at making big games like this as a studio. Sure, they could pull a Trion and come out of nowhere with a polished game like Rift, but far better they stay quiet until they're close to launch and actually have some reveals worth showing.
All they've done so far is talk about financing and passion - those two things alone don't make a good game, as plenty of MMO flops from the past decade can attest - it takes hard work and iteration to make a good MMO, not PR bluster and names - so I am glad that 38 Studios have shut up for a little while to focus on their game. Despite their big names they're pretty much nobodies to me until they have a working product ready for at least public testing.
Maybe if they buckle down they can follow in Trion's footsteps and launch something like Rift, rather than walking the path Sigil did and launching another Vanguard.
All they've done so far is talk about financing and passion - those two things alone don't make a good game, as plenty of MMO flops from the past decade can attest - it takes hard work and iteration to make a good MMO, not PR bluster and names - so I am glad that 38 Studios have shut up for a little while to focus on their game. Despite their big names they're pretty much nobodies to me until they have a working product ready for at least public testing.
Maybe if they buckle down they can follow in Trion's footsteps and launch something like Rift, rather than walking the path Sigil did and launching another Vanguard.
Posted: Mar 4th 2011 3:21PM (Unverified) said
It must be F2P: the subscription model is borderline socialist, with everyone paying the same amount, and some players subsidizing others. A good republican like Curt Schilling will surely go with a market-based user-pays F2P+cash shop model!
Posted: Mar 4th 2011 7:30PM (Unverified) said
@PiOmega : not at all! Everyone who pays the same magazine subscription rate gets the same magazine! That is not at all true for subscription MMOs, whether you play a couple of hours a week or a hundred, you pay the same rate. Hence, the light players (mostly employed people with families) subsidize the heavy players (mostly unemployed). Pure socialism!
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