DraSa: Phileasson's Secret - Interview with Bigpoint@Gamestar

German printmag Gamestar has posted a short interview with Jan Wergin from Bigpoint, the company that acquired Radon Labs last week. The interview is in German language of course, but key information is:
a) Bigpoint obviously acquired Philleassons Secret also, which will be completed, but the marketing channel has yet to be decided (i.e. download or boxed)
b) Bigpoint still wants to focus on browser games in the future
c) They want to make Drakensang 3, but it may be happening without the TDE License - yet to be decided
d) Answering the question about what Radon Labs should do for Bigpoint in the future, they say 'yet to be decided'
e) They will announce more about DS3 next week
So everything is possible, it seems…
More information.

I'm not an expert about Drakensang by any means but.. isn't the TDE license one of the pillars on which the game is based?
Can they even do a sequel without the license?

Depends on who owns the name rights to Drakensang. If it is registered to Radon Labs they could do a CRPG without TDE ruleset, just like Interplay wanted it to do with (Baldur's Gate: ) Dark Alliance. If the fans are willing accept such a product is another thing. I guess not, because Drakensang is heavily connected to the Aventuria background.

But yeah, it seems as if Jan Wergin from Bigpoint doesn't have a clue what product Drakensang exactly is and what TDE license means to the game.

Direct link: http://www.gamestar.de/interviews/23…_bigpoint.html

Originally Posted by Avantenor
But yeah, it seems as if Jan Wergin from Bigpoint doesn't have a clue what product Drakensang exactly is and what TDE license means to the game.

Exactly my impression - and that of the Drakensang community at the dtp forums also.
Perhaps you can imagine now how irritated they are !

I tend to believe now that they (Bigpoint) were just interested in the team. Of Radon Labs. Not in their products, like Drakensang.

Maybe they even haven't got a clue about "offline gaming" at all.

Urgh, it sounds like they are actually concidering to turn Radeon Labs into a browser-games developer. Talk about wasting potential.

Haha, I like the bit about turning Drakensang into an international success. They usually translate their titles into over 30 languages. They would like to do the same with Drakensang. Obviously, the Bigpoint representative has no clue.

The interview contains no real information about the future of Drakensang, except that there will be something called Drakensang in the future.

And I bet the license for TDE is rather cheap really since as I've understood, TDE is not doing that great and they don't even have money to release the rulebooks in English.

But for now, I'm just interested to get my hands on the english version of The River of Time and the addon.

Similar interviews can be found at PC Games and at Krawall.

No surprises here. Of course Bigpoint Berlin will become a browser MMO developer. The more important question is if they'll also do other stuff besides that.

RL's DSA license was only for offline party RPGs, as far as we can say. It's also not certain that it can be transfered without agreement by the license holder. So it's only natural Bigpoint evaluates going on without license.

more importantly, when can we expect the English version of DSA2?

Originally Posted by Davion
Urgh, it sounds like they are actually concidering to turn Radeon Labs into a browser-games developer. Talk about wasting potential.

Form what I've read that is exactly what is happening.

Originally Posted by Ergonpandilus
And I bet the license for TDE is rather cheap really since as I've understood, TDE is not doing that great and they don't even have money to release the rulebooks in English.

Believe it or not in the 1980s there were localized versions of TDE in French, Italian and Dutch.

Originally Posted by spiraling69
more importantly, when can we expect the English version of DSA2?

English DSA2? That was released in 1994. If you mean English DSA5 (The River of Time) I'd say that the publishers will waste at least 7 months between the German and the English release arguing how to make the most money off it, and later they'll complain that a 7 month old game did not perform as planned.

Originally Posted by WorstUsernameEver
I'm not an expert about Drakensang by any means but.. isn't the TDE license one of the pillars on which the game is based?
Can they even do a sequel without the license?

There is no way Bigpoint can do Drakensang 3 without the TDE license, period. The name of the game stems from a summit in the TDE universe, they are using a modified version of the TDE rulset, etc…
Only a "from the makers of Drakensang" tagline for a new game.

While this seems really bizarre, again, browser based capabilities ARE primed to increase pretty dramatically compared to the level of sophistication it has reached in these last few years—-Unity3D's upcoming version 3 being the best I know of.

So, cautious optimism, but they really should've educated this person a bit better so as to not cast such a shadow on this whole thing…

Providing, of course, somebody at the company actually DOES know better.

Originally Posted by noctrun
Form what I've read that is exactly what is happening.

I just refuse to believe, that they would waste all that talent, the working engine and EXPERIENCE just like that. But as promised in the interview, we shall know more in near future.

Originally Posted by noctrun
English DSA2? That was released in 1994. If you mean English DSA5 (The River of Time) I'd say that the publishers will waste at least 7 months between the German and the English release arguing how to make the most money off it, and later they'll complain that a 7 month old game did not perform as planned.

Oh, come on 99% in this forum understands that DSA2 means Drakensang: The River of Time.

Though, it's nice to remind younglings that there HAS been other The Dark Eye CRPGs before…

Localization progress is usually started at once for ALL the languages, because even the native language often needs spellcheck like all the others. So I have to agree with you about argying part. As far as I've understood, the international versions should be ready and waiting for publisher to make a move. Luckily the (german) version is quite bugfree and we shouldn't need any patches, since they most likely are not coming out anymore. The addon on the other hand might be more tricky, since even the german version is not ready yet. I wish they would launch Gold/Exnteded/Reloaded/Etc version of DSA2:TRoT with the addon internationally in autumn.

Originally Posted by noctrun
Believe it or not in the 1980s there were localized versions of TDE in French, Italian and Dutch.

Yes, better times … *sighs*

But not for the fourth edition. There is an English-language rule book out there - but that's it. No further translations.

And even that it not easy to get. Although I saw it a few times at the RPC.

Originally Posted by Ergonpandilus
And I bet the license for TDE is rather cheap really since as I've understood, TDE is not doing that great and they don't even have money to release the rulebooks in English. .

They have the money, but no customers. Are they supposed to make loss from their core business?

Originally Posted by noctrun
There is no way Bigpoint can do Drakensang 3 without the TDE license, period. The name of the game stems from a summit in the TDE universe, they are using a modified version of the TDE rulset, etc…
Only a "from the makers of Drakensang" tagline for a new game.

Doesn't necessarily mean that Significant GbR holds also the name rights to Drakensang. It could simply be part of an agreement between the P&P licencee Ulixes and the CRPG sublicence holder Radon Labs that guaranteed Ulixes the use of the game's name for that campaign as both parties wanted to profit by that business relationship. At least the game package says Drakensang - Am Fluß der Zeit (c) dtp Entertainment AG.

Originally Posted by Ergonpandilus
Localization progress is usually started at once for ALL the languages, because even the native language often needs spellcheck like all the others.

Didn't they say english localization has already been done? (but as always no english publisher)

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
And even that it not easy to get. Although I saw it a few times at the RPC.

It's sold out.

btw, is it just me or do dtp and Bigpoint not agree on who is going to publish the addon? dtp said that Radon Labs demise didn't change anything for Phileassons Secret and the English version of River of Time. My guess is that dtp at least thinks it holds the publishing rights for both, so it's not really Bigpoints decision whenever it would be a download and/or boxed. I'm fairly sure dtp helped to finance this thing and if there is money changing hands you can be sure there are contracts.

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
But not for the fourth edition. There is an English-language rule book out there - but that's it. No further translations.

Besides the 4th Edition Basic Rules FanPro USA also published The Secret of the Blue Tower and Witching Hours and World of Aventuria.

Originally Posted by Ergonpandilus
Oh, come on 99% in this forum understands that DSA2 means Drakensang: The River of Time.

Well 99.9% of the people not going DSA2? matter of sorcery is this? will never associate DSA2 with River of Time. The usual River of Time abbreviation is (unfortunatly (IMHO)) Drasa2. If it would have been TDE2, I woundn't have said anything.

Originally Posted by Avantenor
Doesn't necessarily mean that Significant GbR holds also the name rights to Drakensang. It could simply be part of an agreement that guaranteed Ulixes the use of the game's name for that campaign as both parties wanted to profit by that business relationship.

I don't want to add anything to speculation like that, but the name may very well be owned by dtp.

Originally Posted by Avantenor
It's sold out.

The printed ones may be but they still exist as ebooks, no "sold out" there.

Originally Posted by Ergonpandilus
I just refuse to believe, that they would waste all that talent, the working engine and EXPERIENCE just like that.

How does Bigpoint waste talent? They've just added 35 experienced devs with several shipped titles. Whatever Radon Labs did before the acquisition can be seen as sunk costs.

Originally Posted by noctrun
btw, is it just me or do dtp and Bigpoint not agree on who is going to publish the addon? dtp said that Radon Labs demise didn't change anything for Phileassons Secret and the English version of River of Time. My guess is that dtp at least thinks it holds the publishing rights for both, so it's not really Bigpoints decision whenever it would be a download and/or boxed. I'm fairly sure dtp helped to finance this thing and if there is money changing hands you can be sure there are contracts.

Yes, the dtp CM was also surprised. If there was a change she didn't get the memo yet.

I would expect dtp to hold the worldwide publishing rights for both TRoT and its add-on. In that case Bigpoint would have to find an agreement with them should they want those rights, which means "pay them off".

Originally Posted by Ergonpandilus
And I bet the license for TDE is rather cheap really since as I've understood, TDE is not doing that great and they don't even have money to release the rulebooks in English.

Depends on your definition of "great".

The P&P RPG market is shrinking everywhere. TDE is still the most popular system in Germany, and it has several products coming out each month.

Its not that they don't have the money to make an English version. They just don't want to, because they don't think they can break into that market (I agree - which is a shame, really).

Originally Posted by Avantenor
It could simply be part of an agreement between the P&P licencee Ulixes […]

Sadly I don't hold the P&P licence for TDE (that would be awesome). The company is called Ulisses

And yes, pure coincidence.
Didn't even know about the company when I chose my net-pseudonym. Both names are however referring to the hero of Homer's Oddyssee, mine being the Latin name of him, and the company's name being a somewhat English one.

Originally Posted by ulixes
The P&P RPG market is shrinking everywhere.

Yes. Indeed. And thi is the far greatest riddle and challenge at the same time for almost all P&P markets, as far as I know.

Only Pathfinder appears to have gained several plusses, but that's just my personal, subjective impression.

But no-one knows, in fact, why these markets are shrinking.