Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Torchlight exec on MMO: 'It may be radically different']]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/08/09/torchlight-exec-on-mmo-it-may-be-radically-different/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/08/09/torchlight-exec-on-mmo-it-may-be-radically-different/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/08/09/torchlight-exec-on-mmo-it-may-be-radically-different/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Torchlight exec on MMO plans 'It may be radically different'
Runic Games' Max Schaefer is preparing for the release of Torchlight II, but that didn't stop him from looking to the future for the franchise. In an interview, Schaefer teased that the eventual MMO may be "radically different" from what some are expecting.

Schaefer did admit that the MMO isn't a solid lock as of yet. When asked about the next step after Torchlight II, he said, "We don't know what we're doing in the MMO next or ever or what. That's kind of the big plan is to keep expanding the Torchlight world."

He did confirm that a Torchlight MMO would be an action RPG and not a standard MMO setup. "We would not want to do a traditional at all," Schaefer said. "We'd adapt it in many ways to Torchlight. It'd be an MMO in so far as everyone's playing in the world of Torchlight, but it may radically different. I think it would keep our creativity alive, not just to do traditional MMO."

MassivelyTorchlight exec on MMO: 'It may be radically different' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-rpgarpginterviewmax-schaeferrunic-gamestorchlighttorchlight-2torchlight-iitorchlight-mmoThu, 09 Aug 2012 09:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Runic not ready for Torchlight MMO anytime soon]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/19/runic-not-ready-for-torchlight-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/19/runic-not-ready-for-torchlight-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/19/runic-not-ready-for-torchlight-mmo/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Torchlight 2 gameplay
So when's that Torchlight MMO coming out? When it's ready, and when Runic can muster the money and resources needed to properly handle the long-term commitment that an MMO represents, according to CEO Max Schaefer.

"An MMO is a hell of a commitment," Schaefer tells Rock, Paper Shotgun. "It means we're gonna be doing that for a few years at least prior to release and then committing years of support for it afterward. So it's a decision we take very, very seriously."

RPS says that a Torchlight MMO has always been Runic's end goal, but given the fact that the 30-man company is still fiddling with Torchlight II, we suspect the massively multiplayer version remains a ways off.

MassivelyRunic not ready for Torchlight MMO anytime soon originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>diablo-clonedungeon-grinderf2pfree-to-playmax-schaeferrunicrunic-gamesrunic-mmotorchlight-2torchlight-mmoThu, 19 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Max Schaefer talks Torchlight II development, potential MMO plans]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/max-schaefer-talks-torchlight-ii-development-potential-mmo-plan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/max-schaefer-talks-torchlight-ii-development-potential-mmo-plan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/max-schaefer-talks-torchlight-ii-development-potential-mmo-plan/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It's up to you if you find Torchlight's somewhat exaggerated, cartoony style more or less grating than Diablo's insistence on layering black paint over further black paint.
There are a lot of people eagerly anticipating Diablo III, but there are also several people looking forward to Torchlight II, the followup to the hugely successful spiritual sequel to Diablo. A recent interview with Max Schaefer, co-founder and CEO of Runic Games, discusses the development of the sequel including some of the contrasting points between it and Diablo III -- including the lack of any sort of virtual item shop. As Schaefer puts it, the team wants to put together a good game that stands on its own, and if it's successful the developers will look in the direction of an expansion rather than a straightforward shop.

Schaefer also discusses a potential MMO coming out of the studio, something that's long been among the studio's plans -- one of the big reasons that Runic partnered with Perfect World Entertainment was due to its expertise with running an MMO. He claims that it's definitely still on the table, but it would be a big change for the studio, since the company has focused on staying small and launching an MMO is a very long-term commitment. Somewhat sad news for those hoping that Torchlight II's launch would spearhead MMO development directly, but the possibility certainly remains.

MassivelyMax Schaefer talks Torchlight II development, potential MMO plans originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-mmoaction-rpgdevelopmentinterviewlaunchmax-schaefermmo-industrypotential-titlesrunicrunic-gamesspeculationtltl-mmotl2torchlighttorchlight-2torchlight-iitorchlight-mmoTue, 24 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Torchlight MMO still on schedule, depending on success of Torchlight II]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/05/torchlight-mmo-still-on-schedule-depending-on-success-of-torchl/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/05/torchlight-mmo-still-on-schedule-depending-on-success-of-torchl/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/05/torchlight-mmo-still-on-schedule-depending-on-success-of-torchl/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Fans who are eagerly awaiting news on the status of the Torchlight MMO were offered a brief update during Runic CEO Max Schaefer's interview with Eurogamer; unfortunately for fans, it appears that completion and release of the MMO are quite a ways away.

While Schaefer assures players that it is still planned and that they "have a lot of good ideas for the MMO," he also admits that they currently have other priorities -- namely the release of the forthcoming Torchlight II. He is clear that they "just aren't committing to any kind of schedule yet." Looks like fans will have to bide their time a while longer.

MassivelyTorchlight MMO still on schedule, depending on success of Torchlight II originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>f2pfantasyfree-to-playfree-to-play-mmomax-schaeferRunicrunic-gamestorchlighttorchlight-mmoFri, 05 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Torchlight's Schaefer: MMO subscriptions aren't the way to go]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/torchlights-schaefer-mmo-subscriptions-arent-the-way-to-go/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/torchlights-schaefer-mmo-subscriptions-arent-the-way-to-go/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/torchlights-schaefer-mmo-subscriptions-arent-the-way-to-go/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Runic Games CEO and Torchlight developer Max Schaefer knows a thing or two about addictive, loot-driven dungeon crawlers. After all, he was a founding member of Blizzard North and instrumental in the development of Diablo and Diablo II. So, when Schaefer talks about game design, people generally listen.

Whether Schaefer's expertise extends to MMO business models is up for debate, though, which makes a recent interview at Charge-Shot.com an interesting read. "I don't think really anyone can do [subscriptions] anymore because pretty much everyone that does subscriptions has one for World of Warcraft," Schaefer posits, while speaking of his plans for the upcoming Torchlight MMO.

While the majority of the interview focuses on the new Xbox Live incarnation of the original Torchlight -- as well as the forthcoming Torchlight II -- it's also a window into Schaefer's design sensibilities and therefore a possible barometer for the type of gameplay that fans might expect from a Torchlight MMO. "[Torchlight] is the kind of game you can play for 20 minutes before you got to go out to dinner, but it's also one that you can geek out on all night. It's just a very accessible format that gives people a chance to enjoy a game rather than work at a game," Schaefer explains.

[Thanks to Craig for the tip!]

MassivelyTorchlight's Schaefer: MMO subscriptions aren't the way to go originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accessibleaction-rpgbusiness-modelscasualf2pfantasyfree-to-playlootmax-schaeferrunicrunic-gamessubscriptionstorchlighttorchlight-mmoMon, 21 Mar 2011 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Perfect World Entertainment invests in Torchlight MMO]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/18/perfect-world-entertainment-invests-in-torchlight-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/18/perfect-world-entertainment-invests-in-torchlight-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/18/perfect-world-entertainment-invests-in-torchlight-mmo/#commentsFiled under: ,


Torchlight received quite a bit of attention last year when Runic Games announced that they would be releasing the game as a single-player, with an eye for MMO development in the next 18 months or so. Since then, Torchlight has done very well for itself: Runic Games recently announced that they had sold over 500,000 units.

The success inspired confidence in publisher Perfect World Entertainment, who solidified their commitment by purchasing an $8.4 million majority stake in Runic Games. PWE -- best known for their Perfect World MMO and more recently Battle of the Immortals -- is the publisher of the Torchlight MMO and the game itself can be found under the Perfect World banner. PWE hopes that the combined expertise of the two companies will spell success for both: "By collaborating more closely with Runic's professional team, we seek to combine their creativity and expertise in game development with our deep understanding of the online game market to create global titles."

MassivelyPerfect World Entertainment invests in Torchlight MMO originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 May 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>perfect-world-entertainmentPWErunic-gamestorchlighttorchlight-mmoTue, 18 May 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Getting Torchlight?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/27/the-daily-grind-getting-torchlight/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/27/the-daily-grind-getting-torchlight/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/27/the-daily-grind-getting-torchlight/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Today is the launch of Runic Games' Torchlight, although you probably know them best as the guys who worked on Mythos. The MMO version of Torchlight isn't out for another 18 months or so, but you can get a taste of it as of today, which is of course the game's release date -- imagine that!

Not only is the game developed by the former Mythos team, it's also headed by Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer, co-designers of Diablo and Diablo II. Speaking of those games, we hope you liked their music, because the same man who wrote it worked on Torchlight as well. The pedigree is definitely high, and from our hands-on experience it shines through exceedingly well.

So will you be getting Torchlight? At the low price of $20, it's not a hard sell considering the quality of the game. Plus, with full mod tools being included in that price, free fan-made content should be falling down from the heavens in no time flat.

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Getting Torchlight? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>diablodiablo-2diablo-iiperfect-worldrunicrunic-gamessteamtdgthe-daily-grindtorchlighttorchlight-mmoTue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST