38 Studios' Project Copernicus would have been free-to-play

GW2 is "F2P" and look at the hype for that. It just goes to show that F2P is viable in this market.

I was going to make a post that would have shocked the world, but then I took a bankruptcy to the knee.

So even if the company didn't die, the game would have lost all the money anyway... Micro-transactions are a terrible thing for games, subscription is expensive, but at least it doesn't bone the economy of the game.

Don't let anyone else this stupid spend other peoples money.

I hope it gets made.

Oh, for god's sake not another F2P. Quit pushing it down our throats and start making decent fully-priced games for a change.

Is it just me or have there been a lot of these "our next game WOULD HAVE been mind-blowing, if we hadn't have gone bankrupt" this last year. I can't name them, but I remember reading articles like this recently.

I think a big problem all these belly-up studios are making is their quest to make a "AAA title" even though they haven't been around long enough. Sometimes a start-up can get lucky and publish a hit right out of the gate, but most of the time it takes experience. The team needs to work together for a while, release a full product to some manner of success, build up some capital, get a feel for their particular style/audience and THEN go for the big, ambitious title.

In the business world, "would have" and "could have" mean nothing. I "would have" made the best-selling and highest-rated game in the world if I had the staff, facilities, funds, development time, publisher, and idea. I don't, but I would have. That's good enough, right? Right?!

SMDFH its thoughts like that that got you bankrupt

Kingdoms of Amalur wasn't a AAA title, maybe Curt thinks it was but it wasn't. Very derivative gameplay. Played like a lackluster MMO. It had its moments where it shined, like combat, but ultimately could not stand head to head with the best from Bethesda or Bioware.  I doubt Copernicus would have been anything that great. 

and I would have passed on it...

Lol.... "Founder Curt Schilling claims fantasy MMO game would have "shocked the world" as the first AAA F2P game with $100 million budget."

More like shocked Rhode Island's wallet.

Sorry Curt, but you got duped.  Starting a company with an intent to create a $100M free-to-play MMO in an MMO-over-saturated market was completely idiotic.  

It's interesting that there are so many MMOs coming out when so many of them are failing. WoW is slowly on the downswing, SWTOR was unsuccessful with a subscription... the MMO market is over saturated. I'm not sure how Copernicus was going to survive. It built off the Amalur universe, but how can it compete with already well known universes like LOTR, Star Wars, Warhammer, and Elder Scrolls?

i own amalur and don't even want to play it.  i wish i wanted to, but it really isn't great or even good.  it's the kind of game where if it were the first game i played, i wouldn't understand why people play video games.  its as bland as possible and the character moves around the world as though he's ice skating.

It was way too soon to be pouring huge sums of money into developing an MMO, f2p or not, based on an IP that hasn't been around long enough to have a large and loyal following. Maybe 5-10 years down the road after releasing several stand-alone KOA games and having some solid, profitable successes under their belt. There seems to have been a whole lot of magical thinking going on at 38.

What a shame.

I found it interesting that one of the game-changing features he touted was a 100 million dollar budget. More money does not fully equal a better game, a lesson he should have learned with Kingdoms of Amalur. What about having innovative gameplay instead of an unheard of budget for a F2P?

OK, we need to put Curt Shilling into Peter Molyneuxs special "Keep him the hell away from a keyboard" cell.

Shoulda Woulda Coulda

If it was just full of bland quests though, it would probably have gone the way of Amalur anyway.  If you're that convinced it would have worked dude, get on kickstarter.

it would have been good if he didn't have so many employees working ont he game for one and 2 spent half that much on it, that way they would have not gone udner so badly. 38 I am disappointed in you...you could have been great but all you gave me was a one good game before dying

I don't know how this game entered development in the first place. Recouping $100 million with a generic free-to-play game that isn't based on an existing IP should've sounded as ridiculous before they started as it does now.

If it went free to play, it most likely wouldn't be good anyway. I don't care if they had a 100 million+ budget, free to play just ends up unbalanced and crappy. I still believe that the best way for a game to be sold is the original model of 60 bucks (that could be argued too much but that's a different debate.) 

thats a hell of alot of money to recoupe in a free to play

It is very sad that a gaming studio went under, but I felt that if 38 Studios was managed well, it would have survived today.

In other news, the Governor of Rhode Island declared he was going into game development. When asked why, he stated "Well, we got all this Amalur stuff just lyin' around, I figure I aught to do somethin' with it. I figure it'll be something to do when i need a break from playin' golf."

This would have indeed shocked the world and taken a long time to recoup that budget.

Wow, now I care even less. 

I hope someone picks this game up.  I think something great could be done with it.  Definitely needs a lot of work though.  

F2P or P2P both in MMO are good depending on the games server.

"Founder Curt Schilling claims fantasy MMO would have "shocked the world" as the first AAA F2P game with $100 million budget."

....guild wars 2

What does EA put in their publishers kool-aid I wonder?