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General: Wheel of Time MMORPG Announced
Szark
News ManagerMember Posts: 4,420
Red Eagle Games has announced in a press release that they are making a full line of video games based on Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, including an MMORPG "encompassing the themes, characters and world of the Wheel of Time novels."
Los Angeles, Calif- Nov 12, 2008 Red Eagle Games is bursting on to the digital- entertainment scene, launching its new Los Angeles based videogame publishing studio with the rights to one of the most popular and beloved fantasy epics of all times-Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series.
A Wheel of Time feature-film production is planned with Red Eagle Entertainment's executives Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon as producers, and now Red Eagle is unveiling plans to bring Jordan's fantasy universe to life via two distinct lines of interactive entertainment.
A line of stand-alone Wheel of Time games is planned for release on all major videogame platforms, including consoles, personal computers, handheld systems and wireless devices. In addition, Red Eagle will launch and operate a massively multiplayer online role-playing game encompassing the themes, characters and world of the Wheel of Time novels.
The rich details of Jordan's meticulously crafted series have captivated readers since 1990, when The Eye of the World, the first book in the series, was published. Eleven additional books, including one prequel, have since been added to the series and have consistently appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List with the last four of his novels in the series debuting at No. 1. Jordan passed away in 2007 at the age of 58, but a final book, A Memory of Light, will be finished by fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson using notes and a partial draft left withJordan's wife and editor, Harriet Rigney, and is expected to be published in fall 2009 by Tor Books.
"I am confident in Red Eagle Games' ability to capture the timeless appeal of The Wheel of Time story as they adapt its characters and themes into this new electronic medium," Rigney said. "I expect fans of the series will be delighted by these new interactive additions to the Wheel of Time universe."
Jordan's wildly popular books have been translated into 24 languages, and have sold about 44 million copies worldwide. In addition, the series has a vast global on-line community of tens of thousands of dedicated fan Web sites.
"There are few properties as well-loved and influential as Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series," said Rick Selvage, chairman and president of Red Eagle Entertainment. "The Wheel of Time books have captured the imagination of millions of readers around the world, and we expect our interactive recreations of Jordan's complex universe to garner a similar level of devotion and enthusiasm."
Read more here.
Comments
Let me preface this comment with sadly I have never read any of the Wheel of Time books (though I have always heard only good things about them)...but do we really need another epic fantasy MMORPG?
I don't think so.
If it's Wheel of Time, then yes... yes we do.
I just hope they have two lists... one for your friends, and one to keep notes on every NPC you meet...
Yay! But I was hoping for a Sword of Truth MMO...
------------------
Playing:LotRO
Waiting for: anything better than whats out now.
Very nice. Big fan of the books and didn't really expect anything to happen after Jordan died, so this is pleasant news.
I'm thrilled and frightened to hear this!! The time for other forms of media to use this series is looong overdue. I just wish RJ was still around to be involved in there production as I'm concerned about how they will be interpreted.
Hurray, I predict my favorite book series to be raped by watered-down theme park game designing. This is fucking horrible.
We probably have about 5-10% chance it won't be a theme park game.
Robert Jordan: Tolkien's heir...
He will be missed.
Regardless of what happens to these movies and these games... I will always love the series.
No one can ever truly emulate or recreate the world Robert Jordan had envisioned... He gave us just a small taste with the lives of Rand, Perrin, and Matt...
But I wish the film and game developers my best and ask them to do one thing: Do your best.
I care not if the game is a themepark MMO, a sandbox MMO, or a MUD.
If you do your best, with the desire to show respect and consideration to the memory and legacy Robert Jordan left behind...
We will see it in your products.
Good Luck.
I had the chance to meet Robert Jordan at a book signing for book 10. I am soooo excited to see this and hope to heck this MMO will be good. I love this series (and yes it would be cool if they Made a Sword of Truth MMO also, but at least there is a tv series for that :P)
There is no way that a Wheel of Time MMO will be good. The Wheel of Time universe is inherently unbalanced since channelers grossly out-power regular folks far beyond the degree to which "mages" in other Intellectual Properties do. There is no way to implement Jordan's version of "magic" (aka the "Source") in a manner that's functional for balanced gameplay while at the same time being true to Jordan's concepts.
There are only two possibilities: betray Jordan's universe and make a balanced game, or be true to his universe and have an unbalanced game.
1, disagree. I only like fantasy games
2, I really liked the books and will definitely try it.
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Sometimes I feel like I am the only person who dislikes WoT.
WTF are you on crack.....It's WoT, Hell yes we need it.
If you don't care about it then stuff your head into an applesauce grinder.
JK. But Wheel of Time is the greatest fantasy work of all time. If they get a good developer that isn't afraid to spend boatloads of cash developing it this could be awesome.
Fans of R. J. are just louder then the majority of people who are still taking notes trying to make sense of that man's plot(S). The guy must have had a chronic fear of having too few characters in his books.
.....................................
...but time flows like a river...
...and history repeats...
-Leader of "The Fighting Irish" in DAoC on Hib/Kay-
The majority of will users are not that powerful. . . and there are tons of classes that could match. . sword master, wardens, maidens of the spear. . . and it really matters what era it is set in. . I think balancing will be easier than you think . . not super easy mind you. But most Channelers can be overwhlemed by force, or herbs. . not everyone can start as Rand with his full powers =P
Anything is possible, provided enough energy and resources.
You use the term mages, but what if all characters had access to all skills and abilities without class restrictions?
Customize your character to how you see fit.
I think the original Star Wars Galaxies managed to balance the obviously over powered abilities of the Jedi...
I imagine it could be done again.
WTF are you on crack.....It's WoT, Hell yes we need it.
If you don't care about it then stuff your head into an applesauce grinder.
JK. But Wheel of Time is the greatest fantasy work of all time. If they get a good developer that isn't afraid to spend boatloads of cash developing it this could be awesome.
I have nothing against the WoT series. I was just stating in the big picture of things the last thing we need is another fantasy MMORPG. Especially seeing the last two major MMORPGs to launch, AoC and WAR, are fantasy setting...and both failed to bring anything new or exciting to the genre.
I just hope all the people working on this project have at least read all the books... I love the series and always wished more would come of it like a Movie series, Anime series, game series, something, anything. I'll be trying this one out for sure!
That's awesome. I hope it doesn't wind up like LOTRO.
A pen-and-paper RPG of the WoT has been out for quite a while now. I'm sure that experience has revealed balance issues, etc. I, for one, can't wait to have yellow eyes.
What boggles me is that unless I missed something (read about this on another site).
The company doing this has been making graphic novel versions of Jordans books... I've never heard of them.
Now they are creating (this isn't pre existing) a gaming division to make an MMO.... with people I've never heard of.
My worry would be:
1) who are these people and what is the experience with games/mmo's
2) do they have the financing
I didn't see any mention of we have A, B or C on our team and they have such and such experience... they don't even really have a website up atm.
Just some questions that pop into my mind... (oh if I rambled to much 1) experience 2) who are they 3) financing).
My excitement at the announcement of a WOT themed MMO was somewhat diminished at the point where they said the launch would coincide with the movies. I truly hope the game does the books justice and not just a way to cash in if the movies are a hit.
Ive only read one book, but what I read had definitely caught my interest. Once I started reading it, I couldn't stop, and when I finished it, I wanted to read more, but sadly I cant find any of the books around.
I really do hope that both the movie and this MMO does the series justice.
My gretaest fear
1.I wish they make it a skill base game instead of level base.
2.Will players be able to play Aes Sedai and A'shaman?
3. Will the Seachan be a pet class?
4.As regular folks will we be able to fight the Forsaken?
In the land of Predators,the lion does not fear the jackals...
Been waiting for a WoT MMORPG for years, really excited by this, but I am worried in regards to it not getting the time, funding and respect it deserves.
I enjoyed the first book. Unfortunately for me, I found that each of the successive books seemed to suffer from sequel syndrome. Still this series is one of the best-selling so there's a pretty good chance that this game is the devs to mess up.
Does anyone remember the FPS? I tried the shooter that came out a while back. Balance issues did not matter as much in a FPS, and the story was surprisingly well done.
A MMO though? I agree almost everyone will want to channel. Or be a heron mark blade wielder. Or both. I find the Jedi and SWG analogy fitting. NGE and Jedi ruined the game. Well Sony certainly helped.
For WoT I could see a great deal of hype, a lot of ppl who would try the game. But stay? Hopefully the devs put together a top-notch product.