Wing Commander creator talks new project
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Advancements in technology and a desire to champion PC as core gaming platform lure Chris Roberts back to industry; teaser trailer released ahead of unveil on October 10.
Over the past decade, Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts has worked in the film business, serving as producer on movies like Lord of War and The Punisher. Now he has returned to the game industry with a new mystery project set for an unveiling on October 10. A teaser trailer was made available today, and is embedded below.
GameSpot caught up with Roberts today about his new game. (Though not confirmed, the project's website has strongly hinted at it being a space combat simulator) He said one component of his return to the game industry was a result of technology being capable enough to suit his creative and technological desires.
"A couple years ago, I came to the point where I was playing stuff and I was feeling like the technology was getting to the point where I could do some stuff that I was interested in again. The level of immersion and realism that you can do [today] is significantly higher," Roberts said.
Roberts said that the project's visuals may be slightly ahead of what next-generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony will offer, and this visual prowess has always been an aim for the developer.
"I want to get back to the roots of what I did in the old days with Wing Commander, which was, if you've got a really badass PC, this is going to show it off," he said.
One way in which Roberts' new game will leverage current technology is through its use of an online component. He said his new game will allow the community to connect in ways that Wing Commander or Freelancer players never could.
"In the old days of making games…you built everything, put it on discs; it went out and shipped to a store. You hoped people liked it. Then they played it for a month or a week and then you're off for another three years making a game. Right now is a really good time to re-enter because I feel like there's opportunity now that maybe there wasn't even a few years ago," he said.
Roberts' new project will also leverage its online presence to boost its story-telling. He explained that his new game will not mirror other online games in only offering one or two updates a year, but rather it will release a host of "micro-updates" on a frequent basis.
This effort has already begun through the project's teaser website and its Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and Tumblr accounts. The social portals have poured out, in cryptic fashion, news about what the project may have in store for gamers.
Though Roberts was out of the business for the past ten years, he says he's acutely aware of the changes that the industry has gone through, thanks to communication with friends, and tracking the business himself. One of the biggest differences he has taken notice of is the role of publishers.
"The appetite of the big publishers to take a chance…it's like the movie business…it's all about these huge, big events in the movie business. And it's all about these huge, big event games in the game business. They want to do fewer titles; they want to do [games] that cost a lot more; they want to have them all on very safe, existing brands. So it's great if you're doing another Call of Duty."
Roberts does not plan to have a publishing partnership with companies like Activision or Electronic Arts for his new game. Rather, the financing for the project has been arranged privately.
Another reason Roberts is keen on returning to games is that he sees it as an opportunity to champion the PC as a core gaming platform, as opposed to using the platform for social games.
"I don't want to do a mobile game. I don't want to do a social game. I'd shoot myself. And I know people are getting paid to do it, but I like to do these big splashy, jaw-to-the-ground…get-lost-in-the-fantasy-of-it-all [type of games]."
Regarding his future, Roberts did not rule out a return to the film business some day, but said right now games are more capable than ever as an entertainment medium.
"I can build and tell [a more interesting story] in a game world than I could do in a film. Like everything, never say never, but at the moment I am focused on coming back and doing some great stuff [with] games."
Roberts will unveil his new game in full on October 10 at the Game Developers Conference Online in Austin, Texas. GameSpot will live-stream the event.
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
215 comments
I'm thinking Wing Commander 1 remake. Those fighters looked very similar to the Hornet, the light fighter you start off in in WC1.
I miss the old Space fighting games...X-Wing, Wing Commander, Freespace even Freelancer
2 Like This is how much Chris Roberts had an impact on gaming for me:
In 1990, i was in JR music world(nyc) and saw Wing Commander 1 on the big screens, and was blown away.(remember this was when consoles[Nes/Genesis] had little Ram and could not do 3D).
During that week i spent $2300 on a 80486 that could run it well, as well as a new monitor.
I remember taking a cab back home(Bronx, nyc) and unpacking the pc solely for one reason Wing Commander I.
I then did a 27 hr marathon session from start to finish, and still to this day, very few games had that type of impact on me.
A new Chirs Roberts game..and i'm buying a new motherbd and adding in a gtx 690(have a 670 now) or just adding in another 4GB GTX 670 instead. :)
wow, this brings me back to wing commander iv when i would run out of ammo and so i'd have to divert my shields to the front and kinda love tap the enemies to death haha. excited to see what he's been cookin all this time
10 Like "I don't want to do a mobile game. I don't want to do a social game. I'd shoot myself."
"I can build and tell [a more interesting story] in a game world than I could do in a film."
haha!
I like this guy :)
Finally...something that will not only give my rig a good run, but look super awesome doing it. Whatever it is it's by the man himself who's responsible for one of the reasons I got into building PC's and gaming in the first place. Can't wait!!!
6 Like It's like Roberts is peering into my soul, telling me all the things I want to hear. Space combat simulator? Leverages the latest PC hardware rather than compromising for 7-year-old consoles? "Big splashy, jaw-to-the-ground?get-lost-in-the-fantasy-of-it-all" type of game?
Yes, yes, yes please!
1 Like Chris Roberts... now that is a name I have not heard in a long time. A long time.
But I am daggum happy to hear it again!!! Welcome back, the Wing Commander himself!
My computer probably won't be able to run this the way I want it. Kinda wished he'd port it over to consoles, but I'm EXTREMELY happy it's a space combat sim. That genre (my second favorite genre) needs to make a comeback! Chris Roberts is probably the only game designer that can make that happen.
I actually didnt mind the movie Wing Commander dont know if they ever did another one Freddie Prinz Jr was in it
Indulge me Chris! ;-)
I still remember when I destroyed a whole Kilrathi fleet with the lasers of my Hornet!
Those were the times :-)
5 Like The return of the Legend.
Welcome back Chris Roberts !!! you have been missed.
Please make a game worth having 3 graphic cards together and liquid cooling system as my is getting wasted on console level graphics.
2 Like Did the guy from freelancer make this?!?!?!?! I used to rip freelancer it was well ahead of its time... If its anything like freelancer sign me up!
1 Like Awesome news. Played all the Wing Commanders, Privateer and even Strike Commander (was by the same guy right?)
I remembered when WC first came out, I couldnt believe the graphics -- a 3D flight combat sim!! with (the then) jaw dropping sprite based ships and some really cool explosions ... then the next WC came with SPEECH PACKS!!! All running on my 486 DX with a Math Coprocessor and a staggering 8 MB RAM rocking through a Soundblaster (or was that a Pentium PC that I had -- hmm a bit hazy now)
Anyways ........................enough reminisicng .... Welcome back Chris!!!!! Looking forward to what you got in store for us old f4rt gamers, and maybe show the young uns how great games are made :)
1 Like It's about time. Space Sims used to be as popular as FPS' are now and for some reason, they've died a slow, agonizing death. Freelancer was the last great one, and that was nearly a decade back. I've been worried that it would never make a comeback and die off for good, but if anyone can resurrect the genre it's Chris Roberts. Lets hope he does something truly astonishing. Couldn't have asked for better news than this.
1 Like PC's are best because they has better graphics. Everyone knows graphics > gameplay and they all want to be part of an elitist arrogant community. I play PC games, but the community just reeks of 'I'm better than you'. It's just childish fanboyism.
@Caitsith123 I agree that the PC fanbase is the worst fanbase in existence (apart from the modern Nintendo fanbase, obviously, but that goes without saying), but there are things that can be done on PCs that simply CANNOT be done on consoles, and it's not just the graphics. Developers purposefully hamstringing their own games so they can run on seven year old hardware that was obsolete the day it was made is a millstone around the neck of PC gaming and it really needs to stop.
4 Like The only way for this to get better is the announcement of a new X-wing game, and of a new Homeworld game...
2 Like Could this possibly be a remake / reimagining of PRIVATEER??? I noticed the "merchants guild" and the hangers etc. For those younger than I, the next closest thing to Privateer was Freelancer. I"m on board if he is picking this up and all over it.
7 Like Another reason Roberts is keen on returning to games is that he sees it as an opportunity to champion the PC as a core gaming platform, as opposed to using the platform for social games.
This man is my hero. So long as this isn't a glorified MMO anyway.
The only part i didn't quite like was " ....if you've got a really badass PC, this is going to show it off. "
Problem is : to have a badass PC you must fully upgrade your current one from 6 in 6 months , to much money wasted in my opinion.
2 Like @suplax RAM has a safety buffer right now, nothing needs 16 or 32GB. If you buy a high end CPU it'll last you a while, and they're designed with OC room in mind now. All you really might need to upgrade is the GPU and it's a yearly cycle.
I don't think the bleeding edge is the way to go but, I don't think it's as bad as it used to be.
4 Like @suplax You can still play it with an average PC (which should still be more visually appealing then any console). It will just look far better on an awesome PC.
5 Like I hope they will make Microsoft go "D'OH!" on October 10. It would serve them right after pulling the plug on Digital Anvil.
3 Like Oh Wing Commander, such a fantastic series.
Movie quality FMVs with Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) as the main character.
Terrific space combat and an excellent story.... Now I want to replay them!! Good thing they are all on Good Old Games for dirt cheap.
2 Like "I don't want to do a mobile game. I don't want to do a social game. I'd shoot myself. And I know people are getting paid to do it, but I like to do these big splashy, jaw-to-the-ground?get-lost-in-the-fantasy-of-it-all [type of games]."
This comment alone makes this man one heck of a visionary/developer... You da man Chris!
I can´t wait to see how insanely awesome this game is gonna be...
3 Like I' still playing Freespace. Its now heavily modded and has become Freespace scp. source Code Project. When I play this game it looks like a DX10 game but with classic gameplay http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tKceQoNrBs
1 Like Grew up playing Wing Commander and Privateer. Loved both of them to death. Can't wait to see more. Roberts, welcome back to the gaming world, the gaming world missed you dearly. Make a kick ass game!
1 Like Also: This year is seeing Sid bring back XCOM, Chris bringing back WC (In a different type of space MMO), lets hope that sometime in between his excursions to outer space, Richard brings back Ultima.
The Wing Commander games were awesome, even the live video cutscenes ones were awesome. I hope this is a new awesome game.
However I also hope he learned something from the movie (Chris mentions movies in this blog) because the Wing Commander movie was *the* worst movie I've ever seen in my life. To this day, my friends and I compare movies based on that piece of garbage. Rubber alien lizard suits, etc... Never want to waste an hour or so of my life on something like that again.
3 Like As long as it has good support for quality joysticks/hotas. StilI very exciting news as the industry should be desperate for another Freespace or a Wing Commander type game that does the originals justice. X3 just doesn't cut it and Eve is an MMO. As long as it isn't another sell out freelancer type game with mouse controls and really getting back to the roots it should be awesome. And kudos for going private, should allow him to do it his way.. so I'm very hopeful.
@BongMonkey You can bet it's gonna have mouse control and it's gonna be the focus, to make good mouse controls. It may support joysticks but they ain't gonna make someone buy a peripheral to get the most out of the game. They want the game to succeed.
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