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Diablo III vs. Torchlight II: Battle of the dungeon-crawlers

Matt Daniel — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Diablo III

We know you're all still enthralled by Blizzard's latest blockbuster, Diablo III, but it's important to remember that it's not the only major dungeon-crawler hitting the market this year. Runic Games' Torchlight II is also slated for release, and it's sure to offer plenty of dungeon-delving, loot-gathering goodness as well.

But the real question is, how do the two games stack up against one another? The Ancient Gaming Noob has decided to pit the two titles against each other in a no-holds-barred Thunderdome deathmatch to see which game emerges victorious!

On one hand, you have Diablo III's simplified method of character progression utilizing runes and a number of skill combinations, and on the other hand, there's Torchlight II's more traditional talent trees and attribute points. Atmosphere (bright and colorful vs. dark and dreary is a battle for the ages), story, and gameplay are all matters of contention between the two, and each category receives ample coverage, providing a detailed look at the similarities and contrasts between the titles. If you're unsure which dungeon-crawler you want to swear allegiance to, head on over and give the full piece a read for a bit of help in the decision-making process.

Diablo III vs. Torchlight II: Battle of the dungeon-crawlers originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 May 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: D3 approaches, HoN reveals MidWars game mode

Brendan Drain — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III

With just over a week to go until Diablo III is released, Blizzard revealed the final details of the real money auction house, released some fantastic new class wallpapers, and launched a TV advertising campaign. Meanwhile, Torchlight II showed off the impressive final result of its earlier armour design contest and encouraged players to produce armour mods when the game is released.

Heroes of Newerth released a brand-new community-inspired MidWars game map this week to lend official support to the popular unofficial game mode. League of Legends revealed upcoming champion Varus with a full run-down of his abilities and a great art spotlight video. Dota 2 fixed some bizarre bugs and introduced classic hero Phantom Lancer. Rise of Immortals revealed details of its upcoming immortal Nauria, the Angel of Agony. Finally, Wrath of Heroes announced the controversial addition of health potions to its microtransaction store.

Continue reading Not So Massively: D3 approaches, HoN reveals MidWars game mode

Not So Massively: D3 approaches, HoN reveals MidWars game mode originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: Hero spotlights and Diablo III confirms PvP arenas in 2012

Brendan Drain — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III

This week, League of Legends revealed plans to buff support tanks in the Varus patch and change several ability power items. Riot also plans to buff Master Yi and nerf Ryze's ability to tank and deal damage at the same time. Dota 2 released an updated user interface designed to take all the pain out of using the courier, and Bloodline Champions revealed its massive $10,000 DreamHack Summer 2012 tournament.

Diablo III revealed the Witch Doctor this week, giving Diablo II necromancer fans a peek at the closest replacement they'll get in the upcoming title. Blizzard's Jay Wilson also confirmed that PvP arenas will be released long before the end of the year. Heroes of Newerth released its new support hero Ellonia, an ice mage whose abilities focus around a stacking slow debuff. Rise of Immortals released a new immortal spotlight video on popular area-effect damage-dealer Netheurgist and encouraged players to start guilds with a contest to win 1,000 prestige points for every guild member.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Hero spotlights and Diablo III confirms PvP arenas in 2012

Not So Massively: Hero spotlights and Diablo III confirms PvP arenas in 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get into the Neverwinter beta by pre-ordering Torchlight II

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Free-to-play, Promotions, Neverwinter

Synergy and cross-promotion are what make the corporate world go 'round, so try not to boggle too much as you read the following sentences. Perfect World and Runic Games have teamed up to give you a unique way to access the Neverwinter beta. All you need to do is to pre-order Torchlight II.

The closed beta access comes with a couple provisions. You'll have to specifically pre-order through Perfect World to get beta access, as a Steam pre-order won't reap the same results. Also, it's important to note that Runic Games says that the "exact date of [beta] access will vary."

Runic Games is a subsidiary of Perfect Worlds, which also owns Cryptic Studios.

We found ourselves incredibly impressed with Neverwinter after getting our hands on it at PAX East, so it's great to have a guaranteed path into the beta. Make sure to read up on our impressions of this upcoming title from Cryptic.

[Thanks to Jay for the tip!]

Get into the Neverwinter beta by pre-ordering Torchlight II originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Torchlight 2 available for pre-purchase on Steam

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, News items

With all the buzz around a certain well-known third installment of a franchise, you could be forgiven for momentarily forgetting about Torchlight 2. However, the game is now available for pre-purchase on Steam, which should serve as something of a reminder. The game doesn't yet have a firm release date other than this summer, but you can still drop your $20 and have the game ready to play on launch day.

The original Torchlight was hailed by many as the spiritual sequel to Diablo II (and some assumed it would also be the closest we'd ever get to an actual sequel). Torchlight 2 boasts more character customization, more pet customization, improved fishing and pet management, a new set of classes, and of course all of the same hack-and-slash gameplay that the first game featured. If you're a fan of the genre, that third installment likely has your eye for the moment, but you might want to see how the other half lives as well.

Torchlight 2 available for pre-purchase on Steam originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drakensang Online compares itself to Diablo III and Torchlight II

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Free-to-play, Humor

Bigpoint Games is painting Drakensang Online as the Rocky Balboa of isometric hack-'n'-slash MMOs, and it's stepping into the ring with the upcoming title contenders and swinging away. The company released a comparison chart to show how its scrappy underdog is actually head and shoulders above the developing competition.

According to the comparison chart, Drakensang takes the lead by offering all that its competition has and more. When you've got a game that was developed in less than two years, is free-to-play, and is a full-fledged MMO, why would you ever want to sample the fruits of Blizzard's and Runic Games' trees?

Will Drakensang nip hard enough at Diablo III's heels to hobble the mighty demon as it releases next month? Time will tell, but you can check out our impressions of Drakensang when Mike plays it for you live on Massively TV this Wednesday evening!

[Source: Bigpoint Games press release]

Drakensang Online compares itself to Diablo III and Torchlight II originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Runic not ready for Torchlight MMO anytime soon

Jef Reahard — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, MMO industry, News items

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.

Runic 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.

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Not So Massively: Meet Diablo III's demon hunter

Brendan Drain — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III

With five weeks left until Diablo III launches, Blizzard started its pre-launch marketing campaign this week with a new series exploring each of the five classes. This week kicks off with a preview of the Demon Hunter. Meanwhile, Torchlight II revealed details of a new charge bar mechanic designed to keep a rapid pace of action, and dungeon crawler Path of Exile started gearing up for release with some tempting pre-order packages.

Penny Arcade made a guest appearance in League of Legends this week with a special comic introducing upcoming champion Varus. Riot also revealed the next champion due for release, armoured spectral warrior Hecarim. Rise of Immortals got the Penny Arcade treatment this week too when joke character Karapyss the Crabomancer was actually released. Bloodline Champions launched an Easter egg painting contest this week and asked players whether grades should be reset for the current competitive season.

Blacklight: Retribution officially launched this week and celebrated with the release of its first new gun, the heavy assault rifle. Finally, Wrath of heroes released its first hero spotlight video this week, introducing hybrid damage-dealer Nethys.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Meet Diablo III's demon hunter

Not So Massively: Meet Diablo III's demon hunter originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: Diablo III's competitors speak up and LoL reveals Lulu

Brendan Drain — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III

The big announcement we've all been waiting for has finally arrived: Diablo III has a release date! This week the beta was wiped to prepare for launch, and Blizzard's Jay Wilson responded to questions about the cash auction house in hardcore mode. Competing title Path of Exile continued development toward its own release, and Torchlight II gave players a unique look under the hood of the game with a breakdown of item drop statistics. Runic Games congratulated the Diablo team on its release date announcement and published an open letter to fans urging them to just wait a little longer for their Torchlight fix.

In MOBA news, League of Legends revealed its next champion, Lulu, and explored the game's rapidly growing German community. Dota 2 added classic DotA hero Shadow Demon and performed some much-needed tweaks to bots, and Rise of Immortals released the official Azcadelia immortal spotlight. Heroes of Newerth released Gunblade, an original ranged agility carry hero that was been met with some strong disapproval in the community. Blacklight: Retribution's open beta updates continued this week with the release of its Vertigo map, a battleground set in the roofspaces of a sprawling industrial complex.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Diablo III's competitors speak up and LoL reveals Lulu

Not So Massively: Diablo III's competitors speak up and LoL reveals Lulu originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: Diablo III expectations, polishing Torchlight II

Brendan Drain — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Game mechanics, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends

This week Diablo III's Bashiok caused a stir over a cheeky forum post asking a fan to lower his expectations of the upcoming title. He continues posting rampantly to the forum this week to defend recent game design decisions. Dota 2 delivered its first test build using its new deployment system, and Gaming With Gizmoh raised over $1,000 US for Child's Play with a 24-hour marathon of the beta. League of Legends took a look at its Filipino playerbase, while Heroes of Newerth was struck by a massive exploit that saw the European servers taken offline for days.

Web show Extra Credits teamed up with Red 5 Studios to offer its support for the studio's ambitious development plans for Firefall. The month-long Blacklight: Retribution open beta started today, with the introduction of three beta events with prizes and a new video tutorial for the Heavy Metal map. Rise of Immortals celebrated its first anniversary of unveiling the game to the public this week and offered a sneak peek of its creepy new Immortal Azcadelia. Finally, Torchlight II developer Patrick Blank talks about polishing content and delivers an update on where the team is in development.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Diablo III expectations, polishing Torchlight II

Not So Massively: Diablo III expectations, polishing Torchlight II originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: Diablo III's rune system and new MOBA heroes

Brendan Drain — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends

League of Legends discussed the Chinese community this week as part of its World Tour series. Dota 2 delivered three weeks worth of beta updates at once, including a new single draft game mode and matchmaking system. Heroes of Newerth released its latest hero this week, the fire-breathing dragon Draconis, who has massive farming capabilities. Rise of Immortals launched its latest immortal Kaos, a seemingly mortal US Marine lost in the game's fantasy land.

Diablo III took another step toward release this week by finalising a replacement for the scrapped rune stone system and cutting socketable runes from the list of potential features at the same time. Torchlight II teased players with six new screenshots, and Path of Exile discussed the design process behind the game's unique items. Finally, Blacklight: Retribution announced its public open beta, which is due to start next week.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Diablo III's rune system and new MOBA heroes

Not So Massively: Diablo III's rune system and new MOBA heroes originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: MOBAs, shooters, and dungeon crawlers

Brendan Drain — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends

League of Legends revealed Nautilus this week, continued its world tour with a look at the community in Singapore and Malaysia, and announced impending nerfs to Sona, Soraka and Vladimir. Dota 2 fans faced yet another week without updates as Valve was busy this week installing new servers. Bloodline Champions released a gameplay video of its new bloodline, Headhunter, and Rise of Immortals revealed that its next character will unexpectedly be a US marine. Upcoming FPS Firefall tackled the question of whether it's an MMO this week, while futuristic FPS Blacklight: Retribution released a new Intel Report video on its Piledriver map.

Diablo III revealed further details of the game's difficulty modes this week, confirmed a Q2 2012 release target, and launched the Battle.Net Balance service. We also discovered new map restrictions coming to the beta that will stop players from playing with the map permanently open. Torchlight II's website was overhauled this week, and Runic Games revealed that the game's beta will be starting soon. Dungeon crawler Path of Exile continued its own beta this week with patch 0.9.6 and showed just how complicated its passive skill tree is with a new calculator.

Continue reading Not So Massively: MOBAs, shooters, and dungeon crawlers

Not So Massively: MOBAs, shooters, and dungeon crawlers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Max Schaefer talks Torchlight II development, potential MMO plans

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous

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.

Max 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.

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Not So Massively: Free Steam games and promotional gifts

Brendan Drain — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Game mechanics, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Not So Massively, MOBA

It's Christmas time, and what better way is there to celebrate than to smash some internet people to bits in your favourite MOBA? League of Legends leads the charge with a gift of 450 RP delivered to every nice player who hasn't been banned in the past two months, and it shows off upcoming champion Victor the Machine Herald. Heroes of Newerth gives all players two free Christmas alt avatars and has a limited-time offer to buy a pack containing every previously released hero for just $10.

Rise of Immortals takes part in Steam's Great Gift Pile promotion that gives you the chance to win discount coupons or free Steam games, and it releases an immortal spotlight on Kavashiir. CrimeCraft: Gang Wars also offers players a Steam prize for playing its festive Snow Brawl game mode. Firefall clarifies the beta process and reminds fans that the game will be "done when it's done," and Torchlight developer Runic Games announces a new armour design contest. Finally, of all the intellectual properties to be made into an online game, did you ever think Doctor Who would make the list? BBC Worldwide has released an open preview of Doctor Who: Worlds in Time, a team-based puzzle game by the makers of Puzzle Pirates and Spiral Knights.

Skip past the cut for details of this week's biggest news from the world of MOBAs and other big online games that aren't quite MMOs.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Free Steam games and promotional gifts

Not So Massively: Free Steam games and promotional gifts originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diablo III and Torchlight II compared via infographic

Jef Reahard — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play

Diablo III? Or Torchlight II? If you can't decide which 2012 action RPG will reign supreme on your desktop, perhaps it's because you haven't compared each game's features side by side.

GameArena has made that task quite a bit easier thanks to a comprehensive new infographic that appeared earlier this week. Whether you need a quick glance at the games' classes, a breakdown of the various single- and multiplayer options, or a look at intangibles like the modability and offline play of Torchlight II, the infographic has you covered.

There's even a section on pets and a mini-bestiary!

Diablo III and Torchlight II compared via infographic originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Torchlight MMO still on schedule, depending on success of Torchlight II

MJ Guthrie — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, New titles, News items

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.

Torchlight 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.

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Behind the Mask: Perfect World and the future

Patrick Mackey — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Behind the Mask

If I were to describe the emotions of the Champions Online playerbase regarding the Perfect World buyout, I would have to say "mixed." Some players are happy that the days of Atari are behind them, and some are really skeptical about the future of the C-Store.

CO is a fairly "pay-to-win" game in that Gold members have a lot of gameplay advantages over their non-subscribing counterparts. A lot of players are suggesting that the C-Store might become inundated with paid features and that we might possibly see the removal of certain free features (like global-purchased respecs).

I am cautiously optimistic about the whole thing. Perfect World Entertainment holds controlling shares in Runic Games, and if the recent Mac and console ports of Torchlight are any indication of PWE's approach to management, I'd be more than happy to welcome our new alien overlords.

Continue reading Behind the Mask: Perfect World and the future

Behind the Mask: Perfect World and the future originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Torchlight's Schaefer: MMO subscriptions aren't the way to go

Jef Reahard — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play

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!]

Torchlight'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.

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Travis Baldree talks Torchlight MMO

Jef Reahard — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, New titles, News items, Free-to-play

Runic Games and Torchlight designer Travis Baldree open up about their Torchlight MMORPG in the new issue of PC Gamer that hits newsstands this week. The hit single-player game will serve as inspiration for a solo-able massively multiplayer title.

"Our vision is to have an MMO that plays as close to single player as we can get it. It will have the same focus on relatively fast action: carving your way through hordes of monsters with a large number of hugely devastating skills. The game has to be solo-able, but players will have to have skills that make them useful in a party and make them work together," Baldree says.

The title will also feature a microtransaction payment model, which, ironically enough, its creator despises. "I will never, ever buy a microtransaction item," Baldtree states. "I'm that kind of player. And the game has to be enjoyable for me, too. We don't want our monetisation stuff to offer ways to skip the game because the game is boring."

Check out the teaser announcement on PC Gamer's website.

Travis Baldree talks Torchlight MMO originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week on the MMO Report

Larry Everett — Fri, 21 May 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Humor, The MMO Report

The MMO Report this week is chocked full of pre-E3 goodness, and Casey Schreiner wants to tell you all about it!

How are you preparing for E3? Casey and the rest of the MMO Report crew are staying up late and gaming early. Although, they took time out of their exhausting schedule of coffee and mouse clicking to fill our heads with the latest SWTOR Advance Classes propaganda and Guild Wars 2 world changing events. Because most of us are computer inept, WoW demanded Casey give pun-filled detailed instructions on how to sign up for the Cataclysm beta. If you play it back slowly, you can follow along. Casey expresses his soft-spot for Torchlight especially when Perfect World and Runic form a bond. Plus, viewers predict the future of MMOs and feel around in Casey's Mailbag.

All this and more in G4TV's The MMO Report. Oh! Don't forget to snag your fart/laugh ringtone.

Continue reading This week on the MMO Report

This week on the MMO Report originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 May 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Perfect World Entertainment invests in Torchlight MMO

Rubi Bayer — Tue, 18 May 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items

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."

Perfect 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.

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Runic Games interview, part 3

Tracey John — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Free-to-play

There's no Diablo III release date yet, but does its release concern you in terms of your playerbase?

Baldree: Honestly, we tried to go a different way. We knew Diablo III was going to come out eventually, and we know it's going to be fantastic and amazing, but we wanted to make a game that sat in a different slot, so we chose to make a single-player mod-able game and then an MMO with a persistent world. We tried to go on both sides of Diablo.

Schaefer: Diablo III has the controversy with the new artwork being too colorful and not having the somber, gothic tone of the old Diablo games. We went way further, and again, in a conscious attempt to be different. We didn't want to be Diablo. We wanted to be in that genre and do well the things that Diablo does well, but it's a different style. It feels different.

Speaking of color, did you have any debate using colors, since many RPG players like the dark, gloomy color schemes?

Baldree: We definitely talked about it, but I think we were all on board with going for a more, broadly accessible look. It took us a few months to hone in on exactly what we wanted to do. I think the Pixar angle is really the best comparison. Pixar has a style that is really broadly appealing. Who doesn't like a Pixar movie? It's cartoony without feeling juvenile, which is what we were kind of hoping to aim for. We tried to reinforce that with the sound of the music. We intentionally didn't make cartoony music.

Schaefer: I think that we should disclose that we were looking for an art style that was conducive to a low tech approach. One that didn't need all kinds of fancy shaders to look good and didn't have to approach realism, just because we're a team that is two percent the size of Blizzard's, if that, and we need to be more efficient.

Baldree: We have about 25 or 26 people now. We really wanted the game to run on everything we could get it to run on too. So having lower system requirements was one of our internal mandates, and the art style really fit in well with that.

To Diablo fans specifically, why do you think they should care about this game?

Schaefer: Um... we're available for sale and you could play today! (laughs)

Baldree: I think some of the main advantages are it's $20 and it's got a full modding suite, so if there's something you wanted to play around with, you can.

Schaefer: Everyone's a critic about the Diablo style of gameplay too. Everyone's like, "They should've done this or done this this way or fix this mechanic here." Now people can go and do that (in Torchlight). And I suspect we're going to have lower system of requirements than Diablo III.

Baldree: Another thing is, if you like these kinds of games, you'll enjoy it. And yeah, we're going to buy Diablo III and play it in the office. I love the genre, so I love it when games arrive in it.

A lot of people are wondering what Blizzard's next MMO is, and for a time, people suspected it could be "World of Diablo." Would you say this is, in a way, the Diablo MMO that some people were hoping for?

Schaefer: Um, yeah. As far as I know, (Diablo III) is doing more of the Battle.net matchmaking-style session that Diablo II had. So yeah, (Torchlight) is the action-RPG MMO.

People seem to keep trying to make the WoW killer...

Baldree: Yeah, we're not really interested in that.

Schaefer: Frankly, that's a terrible idea, to try and make a WoW killer. They put well over $100 million into the budget right now, 10 years, and 200 of the best developers in the world. Why would you try to beat that?

Baldree: What we used to say about Mythos is that we wanted it to be the game you would play while waiting for your WoW raid to start. (laughs)

Do you think it's just dangerous for a developer to shoot that high? Or do you think it's just a ratio of budget to the amount of users you expect?

Schaefer: It's just a losing game because, not only are the resources incredible that you have to put into it, but then you have to make something that's actually better.

Baldree: I think we went down that road in a smaller scale at Flagship. Rather than do that this time around, we went with wanting to build on a smaller success and work our way up, instead of trying to slay Goliath the first time out.

Do you see this game ever coming to consoles? A lot of MMOs these days are trying to make that jump.

Baldree: We talked a lot about it. I think it would be really neat. I think the first person to do a free-to-play MMO on Xbox Live that uses points for in-game purchases is going to do really well.

Schaefer: We'd like that to be us but it won't be an in-house project. That would be something we would have to outsource, and there's a lot of logistical issues. It's on our wish list, but it's not something we're directly pursuing right now.

What can we expect from Torchlight in the near future, before the MMO?

Schaefer: Lots and lots of mod community action. We left a lot of room in the game for people to be creative and do wonderful things. We had a tiny team here, but there's hundreds of modders out there. So we're hoping that they come out with some really cool stuff over time now.

Baldree: For our part, we'll be spending a lot of time with the modding community, injecting assets, being helpful, offering advice, showing how things work.

What have you guys learned from your time at Blizzard and then Flagship for Torchlight?

Schaefer: Well, I can speak to Blizzard. From Blizzard, we definitely just picked up a real appreciation for production values and making sure whatever you're doing, you're doing really well, even if it's at the expense of cutting lots of features just make sure what you're doing is super tight, super polished and don't release it until it's there. That was the biggest thing from Blizzard that I think we took.

From Flagship, the lessons were myriad from there, but really a lot of it was don't try to do everything for everybody. Start with manageable tasks, start with attainable goals, and just pay a lot of attention to budget, efficiency, team size and partners.

Baldree: Basically, starting Runic and working on Torchlight, what we wanted to do was choose something that we thought we could do and excel at with the time and resources we had. And that also fits in with the single-player game. What we had to work with was a small but really good team.

Do you think of the online PC games market is still healthy despite naysayers?

Schaefer: I think so. I think we went through a little rut where there just wasn't a horribly compelling product being made, because everyone was trying to make WoW killers. (laughs)

Baldree: I think it's definitely changed a lot, and it's not the same market it was years ago, that's for sure.

Schaefer: It seems you're seeing more clever things come down the pipe nowadays.

Like Torchlight?

Schaefer: Yes, exactly! (laughs)

Torchlight is available now for $20. The retail version of the game will in stores on January 5th and is available for pre-order at Gamestop and Amazon. Runic Games also says they're currently working on a Mac version.

Runic Games interview, part 3 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Runic Games interview, part 2

Tracey John — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Free-to-play

What business model are you going with for the MMO?

Schaefer: Right now we're looking at free-to-play: item sales and free download. We like that model because we think subscriptions are just too restrictive. Everyone's got a (World of Warcraft) subscription already, so who wants to put more money on their credit card every month whether or not they play the game? So we like the item sales model. Having said that, it's two years until it releases and that's an eternity in this industry, so we reserve the right to change that. (laughs)

The economy isn't in good shape either. Do you think that's also a good reason to go free-to-play?

Schaefer: It is internationally. The question is, would (free-to-play games) get adopted in the U.S.?

Baldree: The nice thing about (free-to-play) is that it's a low barrier to entry. You get in and try out our game. And we'd like everything about the game to be that way. We don't want you to have a high-end rig to have to run it; we want it to be something people can easily try out.

Schaefer: And we don't want you to have to buy a $60 box so that you can start paying the subscription to play the game.

Do you think the free-to-play market is getting too crowded though?

Schaefer: I think consumers are business-model agnostic. They'll get word of mouth that some game is cool and that's what they'll play.

Baldree: I think we just have to make a really good game. That's the most important thing.

Schaefer: Right. And if it says, "Hey, come check out this game, you don't have to pay anything to try it out," I think that works. Now item sales is more challenging from a design perspective than subscriptions. With item sales, you have the whole issue of having to balance out what you're selling and not angering the free guys, not angering the pay guys and making everyone happy with it. And it's certainly possible, but it is more work.

Baldree: In the end, I think the game has to come first and if we make a really good game, regardless of what we do business model-wise, it'll work.

What kind of items will we be paying for?

Baldree: A lot of things we talked about are things that really still encourage you to play the game. We really don't want to charge people to skip the game.

Schaefer: Right, we don't want you to buy a cool sword. We want to make it so that the guy who pays has a little better chance to find the cool sword than the free guy.

Baldree: And we don't have that much interest in grinding; we want you to just play and have a good time. A good example is one of the things we were going to be doing with Mythos. We had the concept of cartography. You could buy maps that would make a private instance for you and all of your buddies, and you could control the properties of those areas.

So you could say, "I want this to have more champions" or "I want it to be luckier so I can get slightly better loot." These were options you could change for small amounts of money. So you could have one person who would spend a buck and create an epic map for you and your party to go into.

Schaefer: Right, so everyone can participate; you just got to get one guy in your party to buy the map.

Baldree: Things like high-end balance and guild-housing and cosmetic features. We really don't want to be selling the biggest, shiniest sword in the game for money and then have people buy that because it just doesn't feel fair or right.

Schaefer: That's not fun for anybody.

Let's go back to the beginning though. How did the idea for Torchlight come about?

Baldree: A lot of us worked on all of the Diablo games, and all of us have worked on action-RPGs for a lot of years. And we were working on an action-RPG, Mythos, when (Flagship Studios) closed. So I think it was kind of just a momentum thing. We wanted to finish what we started with the Mythos project, and we thought we were on to something pretty cool with that so we didn't really debate it much. When we started the new studio, we were like, "Let's get a real cool-looking action-RPG going as fast as possible."

And having worked on Mythos and Diablo, did you try to differentiate Torchlight from those games? What did you take from those projects and what did you try to avoid?

Baldree: We definitely wanted to approach it with a different visual style and tone, because we're really not trying to make Diablo. We're making a game in that genre, so we consciously went for a more Pixar kind of look to things. Overall, the look of the game isn't quite as grim.

Schaefer: I think also we brought a lot of lessons from the development of action-RPGs from those projects. We learned a lot about the process of making them and how to do them efficiently, and I think we've applied those lessons to the single-player version and will apply the lessons from the single-player version to the MMO. I think every time you do it, you get a little better at it.

Obviously, just from having worked on Diablo and creating a game in the same genre, people are going to make inevitable comparisons to the past Diablo games and the upcoming Diablo III. How do you feel about those comparisons?

Schaefer: I think it can't do anything but help. I mean, Diablo III is a relatively high-profile project with some pretty significant expectations, so as long as the comparisons aren't discouraging we're pretty happy with it. And obviously that is going to be the comparison. I think one of the reasons we've picked this genre is we feel that there aren't enough games in it. There are a million games that play like WoW, but there really aren't a lot of good action-RPGs or MMOs out there. So yeah, obviously, Diablo is the biggest one and therefore we're compared to that. But I think that's kind of testament to the fact that there aren't that many good ones.

Can you comment on some of Torchlight's similarities to Diablo?

Schaefer: I think there are interface conventions that are not just from Diablo and Torchlight that people use because there's no point in reinventing something that everyone already knows how to use and is already comfortable with. It's kind of just frustrating to figure out how interface works or how a skill tree functions when everyone already knows the standard way to do it. So we didn't want to reinvent how you control one of these games or what they look like, we just wanted to give you a new and fresh take on it.

And Diablo certainly didn't invent a lot of those things that people would say are striking similarities. We consciously used things from other games that worked and felt right. And I think every game does that. How many games use the WASD keys and mouse look controls? It's because it's good, and it works. People know how to do it.

Baldree: I think it gets down to the fact that the genre right now doesn't have that many games in it. Right now you have Borderlands, Rage and Fallout 3. All of which are post-apocalyptic, semi-RPG shooters. But the genre is so large at this point that the internal comparisons aren't made as much.

Fair enough... but you could've added a pants slot!

Baldree: (laughs) The pants slot comes in the MMO!

Page 3 of the Runic Games interview

Runic Games interview, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Runic Games talks Torchlight, the upcoming MMO, Diablo comparisons, more

Tracey John — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Free-to-play

Can't wait for Diablo III? Try Torchlight. The single-player action-RPG, available for just 20 bucks via digital distribution, has got PC gamers talking.

But why should Massively readers care, you ask? Because eventually, in about two years or so, developer Runic Games will make it a full-fleged MMO.

We spoke with Runic Games CEO Max Schaefer, who worked on the Diablo series, and lead designer Travis Baldree about what they plan for the Torchlight MMO, what they learned from their time at Flagship Studios, and if their game will be the World of Diablo we've all been waiting for.

Continue reading Runic Games talks Torchlight, the upcoming MMO, Diablo comparisons, more

Runic Games talks Torchlight, the upcoming MMO, Diablo comparisons, more originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Developer round table: MMO betas, page 3

Kyle Horner — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, Massively Interviews

Continue reading Developer round table: MMO betas, page 3

Developer round table: MMO betas, page 3 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Digital Continuum: Torchlight my fire, page 2

Kyle Horner — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, Free-to-play, The Digital Continuum

Continue reading The Digital Continuum: Torchlight my fire, page 2

The Digital Continuum: Torchlight my fire, page 2 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Digital Continuum: Torchlight my fire

Kyle Horner — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, Free-to-play, The Digital Continuum

For the past week I've been delving deep into the dungeons of Runic Games' Torchlight and found the experience to be nothing short of joyous. Granted, like many other people I also wish some kind of co-op shipped with the game (even over LAN) but thankfully the developer's next project will be an MMO built upon the foundation laid down by last week's release.

My joy for this game most definitely bleeds into its MMO incarnation, which has led to far too much thinking on additions I'd like to see made. So this week, I'm going to get them all off my chest in the hopes that I'll stop obsessing over them. Of course, there's never a guarantee with these things.

Continue reading The Digital Continuum: Torchlight my fire

The Digital Continuum: Torchlight my fire originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Getting Torchlight?

Kyle Horner — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, Opinion, The Daily Grind

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.

The 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.

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An insight into the art of Torchlight

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Free-to-play

While many eyes are glued to the revitalization of the Mythos IP, many other eyes are looking in the direction of Runic Games's Torchlight. For those not in the know, Torchlight is being made by the original Mythos team -- the ones who were on staff at the time of Flagship Studios's untimely closing -- while Mythos is now in the hands of HanbitSoft, the publisher who had a massive stake in Flagship.

While Torchlight won't be ready for the MMO scene anytime soon, the developers are still coming up with the single-player game that will be the base component for the MMO edition. With that in mind, we'd thought you'd like to check out this Gamasutra article that focuses on the art style and history of Torchlight and how exactly Mythos has impacted that style. It's a great read (although it's a little long at six pages of narrative) and a must see for all fans of the upcoming action RPG.

An insight into the art of Torchlight originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PAX 2009: Runic Games announces Torchlight launch for October 27

James Egan — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, News items

Runic Games announced at the Penny Arcade Expo today that Torchlight is slated for an October 27th launch, with Perfect World as the game's publisher. Torchlight will be a fully downloadable game, sold at $19.99. Massively had a look at Torchlight at E3 2009 and noted the game is influenced by titles like Diablo and Fate, which should come as little surprise given that the Runic Games is headed up by CEO Max Schaefer (co-designer of Diablo) and President Travis Baldree (designer of Fate).

Runic Games now has a "Meet the NPCs of Torchlight" page up on the game's official site and will be giving fans an early peek at the game at PAX 2009. For the rest of us who can't be there, they'll also be on Twitter with updates from the expo.

PAX 2009: Runic Games announces Torchlight launch for October 27 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mythos teaser and closed beta registration page emerges

William Dobson — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, News items, Mythos

Things are stirring behind the scenes in the world of Mythos, the little MMO that could. A newly launched site offers a very small teaser, but also, a closed beta registration form which is of far more interest. While Mythos was much-loved in its previous form, we don't doubt the followers of the Diablo-esque dungeon-crawler are keen to see if the magic is still there in HanbitSoft's re-envisioning.

If you're not up on the history of this title, now (at its new beginning) seems a good time for us to sum things up. It started out as a way for Flagship Studios to test their networking technology for the then-upcoming Hellgate: London, but soon grew into a popular game in its own right through a widespread closed beta test. It was all set to transition from experiment to fully-fledged title and move into open beta when the well-documented trouble at Flagship derailed the whole thing.

However, Flagship's Korean publisher HanbitSoft acquired the game's license and decided to make use of it. They reassured eager fans only a few months ago that Mythos would be re-born better than ever. Only time will tell if that's true, but with this new closed beta registration, it shouldn't be too long before a select group finds out for themselves. In the meantime, all of the old Mythos devs will be working away on Torchlight at Runic Games. Torchlight undoubtedly stands to be significant competition for Mythos in the future, but it won't be ready (in its MMO form at least) any time soon.

Mythos teaser and closed beta registration page emerges originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Torchlight will morph from single player game to MMO

Kyle Horner — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Massively Hands-on

Coming from the desginers who made Diablo, Mythos, Mythos II and Fate, we're expecting quite a lot from their new title, Torchlight. This classic Diablo style 2D hack-and-slasher can in every way be considered the spiritual successor to Mythos, and in some ways even more closer to the original Diablo. For instance, Torchlight is a town with another world underneath it -- that and it's going to be a single player RPG before it goes MMO. But rest assured, it will go MMO in a year to a year and a half.

First, we'll discuss features that will exist at singleplayer launch later this year, then we'll cover the new elements planned when the game expands into a massively multiplayer game. Check it all out after the jump along with gameplay footage, complete with Felicia Day of The Guild trying her hand at a beta version of the Action RPG.

Gallery: E3 2009: Torchlight

Continue reading E3 2009: Torchlight will morph from single player game to MMO

E3 2009: Torchlight will morph from single player game to MMO originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We're assured that Mythos is coming back

Kyle Horner — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, News items, Mythos

Mythos seems to hold a cult fan status among those who were lucky enough to play the game before last year's Flagship kerfuffle unceremoniously halted the games' production -- and with good reason. The game was a lot of fun, as all those cult fans know. Which is why we're torn about this news.

It appears as though Hanbitsoft -- the Korean developer who picked up the rights to Mythos last year -- has come out and said they fully intend to bring the game back into the world. They've also said they realize the game is basically inspired fully by Diablo, and plan to, "-put in more content for more exciting multiplayer." That's great and all, but we worry that the beta that we played last year and this retooled Korean flavored version aren't going to elicit the same kind of excitement.

This is also compounded by the fact that, well, the original Mythos team has already formed Runic Games and will be presenting their spiritual successor to Mythos, entitled Torchlight, at E3 in just about a month. Now, while Torchlight is only a single player RPG for the time being, Runic has clearly stated their plans to build it into an MMO down the road. So for now, with one game the closer, we'll just decide to be excited for E3 come early June.

We're assured that Mythos is coming back originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Runic Games interview digs deeper into the Torchlight MMO

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 05 May 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles

Earlier last month we learned a bit more regarding a resurrection of the Mythos team in a new project entitled Torchlight. Apparently, this game will begin life as a single-player game, then eventually branch out into an MMO. Although not much is known about this MMO and how much Mythos influence it will hold, a recent interview at Gamasutra sheds a bit more light on what we can expect from Runic Games.

The Torchlight MMO is said to be modeled after a Diablo-style game mechanic. With the 22-person Runic Games team being comprised of mostly Diablo and Mythos vets, the familiarity will certainly be there. "Obviously it's the same style, but again, they're working on an established IP that has its own look, and its own story and its own tone, and they're not doing, as far as I know, a traditional MMO," says co-creator Max Schaefer. "[It's] more in the BattleNet style that Diablo II was in."

Runic Games interview digs deeper into the Torchlight MMO originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 May 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ex-Mythos devs discuss upcoming MMO project at Runic Games

James Egan — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, New titles

A few of us on the Massively staff were gutted when Mythos became a casualty of the Flagship Studios closure. We later learned that some of the former Mythos devs had formed a new studio called Runic Games; just the other day we picked up on a partnership between Runic Games and Perfect World to release a new title called Torchlight. Aside from this, we'd heard precious little about what's in the works at Runic Games, but an interview we've come across sheds some more light on what the former Mythos devs have been up to.

Travis Baldree from Runic Games discusses how they're building Torchlight as an MMO, although its first incarnation will be a single player title, one that actively supports modders. The interview also discusses the story and art of Torchlight, as well as its music, programming, and the toolsets which will be made available to players. In fact, Runic Games' Greg Brown says, "Hopefully, nearly everything I've been working on will be usable by players who want to modify the game." If you were interested by what you saw of Mythos and want to know what those devs have in store for gamers with Torchlight, you'll want to give the interview a read at the Runic Insider site.

Ex-Mythos devs discuss upcoming MMO project at Runic Games originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Runic Games partners with MMO portal Perfect World for their upcoming game

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, New titles

Perfect World Entertainment, the MMO portal of the self-titled Perfect World International and Ether Saga Online, has announced a partnership between themselves and the phoenix game studio Runic Games for the publishing rights of the upcoming MMO, Torchlight.

This is a large step forward for Runic Games, the previous Mythos game team of the now defunct Flagship Studios. Their agreement with Perfect World is for global publishing rights, meaning Torchlight could be seeing an international release.

Little is currently known about Torchlight, other than the game will be focusing on a single city and centered around the acquisition of a magical ore that imbues equipment with power, but also has a downside to it as well. The game has a bit of a cartoony, playful character to it, as seen in some early concept art shown on the main Runic Games website.

Runic Games partners with MMO portal Perfect World for their upcoming game originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From the ashes of Mythos, Runic Games is born

James Egan — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items

The fate of the former Flagship Studios staff is something a number of our readers have been wondering about, particularly after the confusion and drama surrounding the Hellgate: London and Mythos IPs. The writers at Massively have been curious about this as well, until now. We've gotten word from Joystiq that former Flagship Studios Seattle staff -- specifically, the Mythos team -- have formed a new company called Runic Games.

Max Schaefer and Travis Baldree are at the helm of Runic Games, and have stated that their forthcoming projects will be announced in the coming days. There are no further details at this time, but Runic Games now has a site where the announcement of their resurrection is posted. Massively extends its congratulations on making a quick comeback, and here's hoping Runic Games will bring some of that Mythos magic to their new projects.

From the ashes of Mythos, Runic Games is born originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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