Cliffhanger Productions, the makers of the upcoming Jagged Alliance Online, has announced another title in progress: Shadowrun Online. Based on the popular pen-and-paper game, Shadowrun will share a similar top-down strategy format with Jagged Alliance. Shadowrun takes place in a dystopian 2070 where magic and technology clash, and where hackers and street samurai are commonplace.
Shadowrun Online players will split their game time between prepping missions and carrying them out. While some of the maps will require all-out action efforts, others will require stealth, hacking, and even magic. Between fights, players will seek out contacts, prepare spells, and purchase gear to improve their odds when the time comes.
Shadowrun Online is in pre-production and the team hopes to get it into full development by November. It is planned to be a browser-based title, and Cliffhanger is drawing from Shadowrun alumni efforts to keep the game in line with the franchise. The company is still looking for partners to help with publishing and distributing.
Reader Comments (29)
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 9:38AM DeadDreamer said
Ohhh :) I recently started to re-play Shadowrun on the SNES. Nice timing!
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 9:48AM FrostPaw said
Sounds interesting.
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 9:55AM Equillian said
Great... browser based.
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 10:29AM Amusednow said
@Equillian I know seriously a border around a window that it'll run in if you don't enable the browser to go fullscreen, god what a step backwards. I mean seriously the backend browser api's now aren't capable of running crysis 2 but a lower rezed version of a 3/4ths view game what a shame. Or even a browser frontend that launches the actual client, better tell turbine etc they've been doing it wrong with that webkit.dll all these years as their launcher basis....
Reply
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 10:36AM Equillian said
@Amusednow
lol I love you browser based zealots. Show me a top tier game that's browser based. Best I can think of is Vindictus, and it's not exactly near top-end. Or are you gonna tell me that battlestar galactica online is awesome. It's not fullscreen (F11 on IE for those wondering) it's the poor quality that has come along side every one of them since conception.
Browsers are not built to run 3d applications, they're built to surf the web. A few years from now, that very well may change but till then, they're just creating plugins that trick the browser.
Reply
lol I love you browser based zealots. Show me a top tier game that's browser based. Best I can think of is Vindictus, and it's not exactly near top-end. Or are you gonna tell me that battlestar galactica online is awesome. It's not fullscreen (F11 on IE for those wondering) it's the poor quality that has come along side every one of them since conception.
Browsers are not built to run 3d applications, they're built to surf the web. A few years from now, that very well may change but till then, they're just creating plugins that trick the browser.
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 1:42PM WolvenSpectre said
@Equillian
Its not finnished yet but they have some demos you can play until then, Interstellar Marines ( http://www.interstellarmarines.com/ ) is a great browser based FPS with some of the best feeling weapons. It uses the Unity Plugin, and can do some amazing stuff.
Reply
Its not finnished yet but they have some demos you can play until then, Interstellar Marines ( http://www.interstellarmarines.com/ ) is a great browser based FPS with some of the best feeling weapons. It uses the Unity Plugin, and can do some amazing stuff.
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 2:22PM Equillian said
@WolvenSpectre
So I saw all the videos there. I agree with you that the Interstellar Marines looks good. Name, eh, but looks good. The ideas behind, music, and everything looks high budget.
What I can't find on the site is that they'll be releasing the game in anything less than PC. They may be using the Unity plugin for the demos only maybe?
If they are using unity then they are the first developer I've seen focusing on quality. That said, this isnt advertised as an MMO so I imagine its a lot easier to get quality when you dont have to worry about the "extra stuff".
That said part two, coop? Sci-Fi? Quality? This game got on my radar. Thanks for the link!
Reply
So I saw all the videos there. I agree with you that the Interstellar Marines looks good. Name, eh, but looks good. The ideas behind, music, and everything looks high budget.
What I can't find on the site is that they'll be releasing the game in anything less than PC. They may be using the Unity plugin for the demos only maybe?
If they are using unity then they are the first developer I've seen focusing on quality. That said, this isnt advertised as an MMO so I imagine its a lot easier to get quality when you dont have to worry about the "extra stuff".
That said part two, coop? Sci-Fi? Quality? This game got on my radar. Thanks for the link!
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 10:05AM Khal said
Holy....well, it isn't what I wanted or really had in mind, but at least it doesn't look to favor the popular themepark formula of late. Will keep my eye on it. Shadowrun is hands down my favorite universe ever created in gaming. So much so that I'd rather see it not done at all if it was going to be done in the mold of the modern "exclamation point over npc head, linear questing hub" themepark MMO.
Shadowrun has one of the best foundations for a Sandbox out there of established IPs that it should be done as such, or heavily (80%+) favor it.
Shadowrun has one of the best foundations for a Sandbox out there of established IPs that it should be done as such, or heavily (80%+) favor it.
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 10:35AM Equillian said
@Khal
lol I love you browser based zealots. Show me a top tier game that's browser based. Best I can think of is Vindictus, and it's not exactly near top-end. Or are you gonna tell me that battlestar galactica online is awesome. It's not fullscreen (F11 on IE for those wondering) it's the poor quality that has come along side every one of them since conception.
Browsers are not built to run 3d applications, they're built to surf the web. A few years from now, that very well may change but till then, they're just creating plugins that trick the browser.
Reply
lol I love you browser based zealots. Show me a top tier game that's browser based. Best I can think of is Vindictus, and it's not exactly near top-end. Or are you gonna tell me that battlestar galactica online is awesome. It's not fullscreen (F11 on IE for those wondering) it's the poor quality that has come along side every one of them since conception.
Browsers are not built to run 3d applications, they're built to surf the web. A few years from now, that very well may change but till then, they're just creating plugins that trick the browser.
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 5:09PM pixledriven said
@Khal
I'm with you, I'd rather not see it done at all, than have it not live up to the IP.
Reply
I'm with you, I'd rather not see it done at all, than have it not live up to the IP.
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 10:16AM Furdinand said
I hope this turns out well, I loved the pnp version.
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 10:36AM (Unverified) said
It's got potential, even to someone like me that is generally not fond of sci-fi. Played the pnp version many years ago. I hope they do it right. Then again it is so early in development that we likely won't see it launch for 3-4 years easily.
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 10:39AM burnleyjohn said
Can't say I'm too optimistic about this. Given the polish of a triple-A title the Shadowrun franchise could be sublime. But I'll reserve judgement until I see what this turns out like.
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 11:35AM Ryukan said
Shadowrun Online has already been ruined by being browser based. Shadowrun has the potential to be a great AAA full scale MMO. But it will not be realised as a browser based game. I really enjoyed the PnP version, semi enjoyed the one decent version of the game back on the SNES and most of the other video game incarnations of the game have sucked. This version will probably be no different
I saw Shadowrun Online and I was excited, I saw browser based and my excitement about completely died. I am so tired of franchises being picked up by development companies that don't do the franchise justice. I will hold out the tiniest hope that this attempt at Shadowrun Online will be fun, but it is the smallest sliver of hope.
I saw Shadowrun Online and I was excited, I saw browser based and my excitement about completely died. I am so tired of franchises being picked up by development companies that don't do the franchise justice. I will hold out the tiniest hope that this attempt at Shadowrun Online will be fun, but it is the smallest sliver of hope.
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 12:13PM Khal said
It won't be AAA, for sure. Reading over the forums one of the lead devs stated that they didn't have 2% of the funding needed to make a 60-70 million dollar MMO.
It'll be microtransactions too. Not particularly happy about that.
Anyway, hope it's fun. So fun you forget about MTs.
It'll be microtransactions too. Not particularly happy about that.
Anyway, hope it's fun. So fun you forget about MTs.
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 12:25PM Bolongo said
Like Jagged Alliance? So, a squad-based strategy game? That's cool, I guess, but why do either of those titles need to be online? Oh, so they can sell us DLC like Age of Empires Online? Gee, thanks, that sounds great...
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 1:48PM blackcat7k said
I was about to have a heart attack right then and there when I saw "Shadowrun Online". Then I saw "browser based", and my heart sank a bit.
Even if it's similar to Jagged Alliance, which I did enjoy immensely. I'll need to see more details
Even if it's similar to Jagged Alliance, which I did enjoy immensely. I'll need to see more details
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 1:57PM Mystal said
Seems like a waste of one of the all time great RPGs.
Why is it that no one ever wants to make a Shadowrun game that's anything like Shadowrun? It's an amazing setting for an MMO, the lore and story is amazing, the diversity of possible playstyles is amazing, the potential for tactical combat, social and sandbox elements, etc, all amazing.
Why is it that no one ever wants to make a Shadowrun game that's anything like Shadowrun? It's an amazing setting for an MMO, the lore and story is amazing, the diversity of possible playstyles is amazing, the potential for tactical combat, social and sandbox elements, etc, all amazing.
Posted: Oct 13th 2011 2:16PM KDolo said
Do want FASA's OTHER RPG game as an MMO...
Or at least just the 5th iteration of it.
Or at least just the 5th iteration of it.
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