Beamdog - Next Level Doco
 

@Gamebanshee Next Level profiled Beamdog saying they have the potential to be Bioware 2.0.

More information.

Bioware 2.0 means phones?
I'll just roll my eyes and move on.

I somehow lost track. What is their current project in development?

RPGCodex seems to think it is another Planescape game.

Do they have any claim to success not based in others' work from 20 years ago?

Nothing announced since the PST:EE released earlier this year (outside patches).

In term of "EE", IWD 2 is out of the picture, they haven't been able to find the source code and NWN is tied up in licensing rights issues (with the name) so not happening.

On the not EE side, they haven't announced anything officially. Some stuff made it to the web (like these concept arts 1, 2, 3) and there was a screen of a 3D engine in a video interview but that and the concept arts might not be related. Beamdog was working on 3 projects as of last year: one large, one mid-sized and one small. PTS:EE was either the mid-size or small one.

Ah, so the large one is still unannounced.

With their ambitions, previous solid work (indeed based on others) and their presumable low funds they imho are a good candidate for a starting Kickstarter campaign.

Some of them are former members of Bioware and Black Isle.

Yea… The cleaning lady.

Indeed David Gaider's resemblance to Mr. Clean (at least ion hairstyle) has always been suspicious…

I need to pay them another visit and see if I can spy out what they may be up to these days……

Planescape: Unraveled? Funny name that.

Unraveled, geddit?

"Next Level profiled Beamdog saying they have the potential to be Bioware 2.0."

That's meant to be a compliment?

I was talking more about the hot air regarding their "next Bioware" comment. They haven't done anything original/notable thus far as a company.

Very strange they'd choose to make a Planescape game considering the lack of financial success of the original and of Torment. I do like the setting, though.

Siege of Dragonspear. Which I think was pretty great for their first original piece.

Also, their engineering chops aren't in question either. Trying to completely reverse engineer someone else's code is a lot harder than just starting from scratch.

Their business model is smart. I know it's a sore issue for many people here, and a lot will say that their Enhanced Editions aren't worth it, or it's a scam, or what have you. But it does the following:

1) Gets them extremely familiar with the old school material. It's hard to argue that they're not veterans to the genre, after remaking all the classics

2) Gets them a lot of input for what's next. Going through all the betas and feedback, and responding to a lot of their community, they're getting a good idea of what will work, and what's expected in new content or a new IP entirely.

3) Sets them up with a stable business model. If they can make a steady income from the remakes, then budgets and deadlines are less of a concern.

4) Gets a wider audience. Going mobile/tablet was a smart move. Some will cry foul, but not for any really good substantial reason. There's a major untapped market there. And if they're staying true to the original content (IE no pay to win, etc), then it only makes sense.

I was just pointing out that some of them helped create the original games they made enhanced editions for. People love to claim that Beamdog is only making a buck off others' work, but ironically it's their own games for some of them.

I personally don't think their big project is a Planescape game. Some stuff seen behind the scene might refer to it, but they were working on making PST:EE until last April. They probably worked on/looked at potential new content for it over the last 2 years.

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looking around for news on Beamdog I just saw that they poached 2 more BioWare devs last summer. Not as well known as Gaider though. I suspect more than half their staff is ex-BioWare actually.

I don't care what people say about you, @Caddy, you're alright! :D

And there's a lot more reasons I can cite, too. Ongoing customer support for the classic games, potential to show and create a market for "true" classic style RPGs, updating the games to play on modern systems, i.e. keeping them alive for future generations. And more.

I like the EE's on tablet, too. While that's not something I'd prefer OVER PC gaming, snuggling up with a tablet and playing some Baldur's Gate or Planescape before bed like you're reading a book is actually a very enjoyable experience. Get some nice headphones and get lost in those worlds in comfort. :)

You have potential to become cool with comments like these. :P

I just don't understand the hate from RPG fans for Beamdog. I don't see a ton of others trying to revamp the classics like they have, or make an expansion for a 20 year old RPG.

Speaking of which, I need to play Dragonspear soon. Almost time to embark on my epic quest of playing the entire series in order. :)

A bit disappointed that Bumdog isn't going with FR or Greyhawk (hell, I would even take Eberron) for their next game. What is the obsession with Planescape ? It is damned depressing.

Lol, it is, though. I'm playing through BG1/SoD/BG2 soon instead of replaying PS:T:EE because of that.

While BG has depressing parts too PS:T takes the cake there.

The Planescape setting is cool, though. I have lore books and fiction books about it and they are great. A little dark, weird, etc., but the novels themselves are not THAT depressing.

I agree Planescape setting is cool. Def depressing but cool. To be honest, I love high fantasy setting but don't really want to see anothet set in FR. Why can't we get something different for a change? Like Dragonlance?

I'm not as familiar as you or others with D&D settings. All I really know is FR and now Planescape. I would like to see another game set in Planescape (the novels and lorebooks I have are great, really enjoy them.), and Dragonlance or anything other than FR would be cool, too.

That said I'd still take any D&D CRPG right now if it had quality and depth like the classics. :)

Sounds awful. That's no surprise, coming from Bumdog. Were we really expecting something which isn't derivative?

They could call it Planescape: Whorement, The Great Sensate-ion and I'd buy it. Just give me new D&D CRPGs that look and play like the ancient ones. :)

The title is almost certainly a joke name while in development. See Infinitron's post.

No mystery there is it, since you have the lowest consumer standards on the watch (and possibly beyond).

Abso-lutely. :party:

We all can't have great tastes like you and play DOTA for thousands of hours. I yam what I yam. :/

Regardless, I'll be shocked if it turns out worse than Numanuma. Anti-RPG mechanics + purple prose + super easy game. Not a difficult task at all.

Fail to understand all the hate toward Beamdog just because they remake some classic game.
Well, If you want to play original copies, that is fine with you.
I just want to point out that there are 486,765 people on steam enjoy the EE projects, myself included.
It is a pity they can not put up a EE version of IWD 2. I always want to play IWD 2 again, but not interested in playing the original copy which is a sore to my eyes even with wide screen mod.

I would be interested in any isometric RPG project they put up, since they focus on classic isometric RPG and I have good belief that their project would follow the tradition of classic isometric RPG.

Well, I've seen absolutely no sign whatsoever that Beamdog could become Bioware 2.0 - if we're talking about the old Bioware.

But I can't exactly rule it out, either.

I can say that Beamdog enjoys a stellar reputation within the city that is their home. I personally save my distaste for companies or beings that actually deserve it, of which there are plenty these days.

Are they actually known in the city? They are like ~25 people working there (sitting in the office, according to Gaider).

Learned that while listening to a an interview released yesterday (he was in Australia for PAX AUS and another gaming convention a few days ago). Beamdog stuff start at around 46 minutes, nothing about his game though outside "working on it" though (funny to hear his shock of moving from big company to small company).

Might one be led to guess that it's a prequel then? An origin story, if you will.

I like beamdog, I think the remakes are good stepping stone for them. It is time though for them to make something of thier own.

If however it’s true that it’s a planscape game then I have zero interest and will wait to see what they do after that.

I remember when everyone knew were to find the old Bioware offices in Edmonton. Complete with homeless people hanging out in the rear stairwell entrance. It was a company perk.