Big Huge Games - RPG in EA Publishing Deal

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SasqWatch
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EA will publish BHG's single player RPG say Gamespot.
Code-named "Project Mercury," the single-player RPG is being developed by Rise of Nations studio Big Huge Games. (After then-owner THQ threatened to close the studio in 2009, 38 Studios stepped in and bought the Maryland-based developer.) It will be an all-new intellectual property co-created fantasy by comic-book artist Todd McFarlane (Spawn) and author R.A. Salvatore (The DemonWars Saga), who will provide art direction for the game. Both men helped Schilling found 38 Studios--then called Green Monster Games--in 2006, and respectively serve as art director and "executive creator of worlds" at the Maynard, Massachusetts studio. The game will not be based on any of Salvatore's or MacFarlane's previous work.
Though 38 Studios is a relatively new operation, Project Mercury has some veteran development talent behind it. Its project lead is Ken Rolston, who was lead designer on Bethesda Softworks' acclaimed high-fantasy RPGs The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Several other Bethesda vets are working on the project, as well as a senior designer from Lucasarts' the Force Unleashed. Veterans of Civilization and Civilization II are also on board.
According to EA Partners general manager David DeMartini, Rolston and his team will also be able to tap the minds of EA's own RPG powerhouse. "The guys at BioWare were actually involved in the early discussions with the folks at Big Huge," he told GameSpot. "They've had an opportunity to have some preliminary discussions and preliminary talks….So, I certainly think that you could expect strong collaboration that would include the BioWare team."
More information.
 
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I remember Rolston talking about an RPG a few years ago. If this is it, i'm not too excited. If i remember correctly, it was either a console only RPG or a very toned down RPG. Either way, it sounded horrible.
 
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Thanks for posting that. I hope they remember what they said.
 
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Bethesda, McFarlane, some Bioware consultation ... could be promising. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
 
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On the other hand, Morrowind was great (unlike Oblivion), and Salvatore is certainly a good author.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now. Hope we get some more information soon.
 
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Some great names behind the project. It can be a hit since Bioware supports it and if Todd McFarlane reflects his twisted dark fantasy imagination to the game. I really like the dark elf trilogy of Salvatore, but his last game project was terrible (Demon Stone). BHG is a studio that made strategy games, so we can expect a brainy RPG. Anyway, time will show us.
 
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Could be good with Ken Rolston as IIRC his statement after "leaving" Bethesda sounded like he was pushed out and didn't care for the direction that Oblivious took. I can't say that I ever recall any interviews/etc. with him that made it sound like he wanted to do streamlined RPGs as his early interviews/statements after leaving Bethesda sounded like he disapproved of the dumbing down of Oblivious although I didn't like his stance about the player not being betrayed in games. [EDIT] IIRC he also hinted at possibly working on a new CRPG project in one of those interviews/statements as well, might be this one, but its been so long now... [/EDIT]

Conversely, to me, a comic book artist providing art direction is a VERY bad sign as I cannot even remotely abide comic book style "art". i.e. what's the point of having a powerful GPU if all it's going to do is render crappy cell shaded graphics that an old Atari ST/EGA could do? (TF2 I'm looking at you! Of course TF2 just sucked all the fun things out of TFC as well as being dumbed down console trash.)

The storyline might be OK with Salvatore, however I don't recall him from anything other than a few D&D "novel" knockoffs IIRC.

I hope that it ends up being a first person sandbox style RPG along the lines of Daggerfall/Morrowind with TONS of moddability.
 
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I wouldn't read too much into the Bioware thing. Sounds like a PR stunt to me.
 
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Oblivion team + Bioware stuff , this can potentially suck so much that the boxed version will even smell bad .

Spray perfume on it !
 
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