The upcoming Game of Thrones massively multiplayer online role-playing game from Bigpoint has received an official name. It will be called Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms. Additionally, Bigpoint has sent out a couple new screenshots and promises that a trailer will debut at San Diego Comic Con in a couple weeks. They also have launched a revamped website that includes a sign-up for the closed beta.
After the break is the full press release, as well as the second of the two screenshots.
Bigpoint Announces Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms as Official Title of Upcoming Browser-Based MMORPG; Exclusive Trailer at Comic-Con
New Trailer to Premiere at San Diego Comic-Con; Updated Website Ready to Capture Early Beta Registrations
New Trailer to Premiere at San Diego Comic-Con; Updated Website Ready to Capture Early Beta Registrations
July 2, 2012 – San Francisco – Bigpoint – a global leader in online video games – today revealed the official name of its upcoming free-to-play (F2P) fantasy massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) as Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms. Bigpoint has partnered with HBO® to develop the game inspired by the network’s critically acclaimed television show, Game of Thrones®, adapted from the bestselling fantasy book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, written by George R.R. Martin. Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms will be set within the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, giving players the chance to experience epic moments from the television series. At the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con, July 12-15, Bigpoint will release a new exclusive video trailer for Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms.
“Selecting a game’s title can be quite an arduous process, especially in the free-to-play space where games must be easily discoverable by players around the world,” said Max Pfaff, Producer, Bigpoint. “By selecting Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms we’re confident that we’ve chosen an identifiable name that will resonate with the global community of diehard Thrones fans.”
In context of the lore, the Seven Kingdoms were originally independent countries which rose up over thousands of years until the Targaryens ruled over them as one nation of Westeros. Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms begins after the deaths of King Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark. The Starks of the north declare war on the south and Baratheon’s two brothers both make claims to the throne. Players are challenged to form alliances through Player vs. Player (PvP), Siege combat and politics to control Westeros.
Fans attending San Diego Comic-Con (July 12-15) will also have the opportunity to get a first look at the exclusive new Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms trailer by Bigpoint which can be viewed at booth 2615 (Dark Horse). The teaser captures the essence of gameplay and visual fidelity that players will get to experience when the game is launched.
Bigpoint is collaborating with Norwegian development studio, Artplant, on the development of the forthcoming Unity-based project. Bigpoint and Artplant have previously partnered on the production of Battlestar Galactica Online, a breakthrough F2P space combat MMO that recently celebrated its first birthday and 10 million registered pilot milestone.
Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms beta testing is slated to begin later this year. Fans are encouraged to visit: http://www.GameofThronesMMO.com/ for more information and to follow the latest Twitter updates @GOTMMO.
About Bigpoint
Bigpoint (http://www.bigpoint.com) is an online-game developer, publisher and content provider for more than 1000 global distribution partners. Bigpoint’s free-to-play games are played by over 270 million registered users in over 25 languages. The company‘s portfolio includes casual, core, and hardcore titles, including Battlestar Galactica Online, The Mummy Online, and Drakensang Online. Over 800 employees from more than 35 countries work together at Bigpoint offices in Paris, London, Madrid, Hamburg, Berlin, San Francisco, São Paulo, Luxembourg, and Malta. For more information please visit www.bigpoint.net.
About HBO Global Licensing
HBO Global Licensing officially licenses the HBO® brand for the development and merchandising of innovative product lines inspired by the network’s award-winning programming. With products created around classic series like the The Sopranos® and Sex and the City® to current hits like True Blood® and Game of Thrones®, items include fashion apparel, jewelry, digital and CD soundtracks, games, books as well as exclusive, premium collections in partnership with upscale, designer brands. Merchandise can be purchased in retail stores nationwide, at http://store.hbo.com, and at the groundbreaking HBO retail hub, the HBO Shop®, located at 42nd and 6th Avenue in New York City. HBO Global Licensing products are also sold internationally across Europe, Asia and Australia.
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95 Comments
I don’t care who is ticked off because of this, deal with it.
FIRST!!!! :)))
BTW like the big, granny letters, easy on the eyes ;)
Andrija Andrew PQuote Reply
So by calling it seven kingdoms means House Martell and Dorne will be playable because if not I call bullshit…
Zach ZQuote Reply
This is inevitably gonna suck so hard. Just exploiting the whole franchise to the max. Guess that’s the downside of big mainstream HBO success that can’t be stopped, even by GRRM (for as far as he cares, the man is probably finally earning some good cash with things like this for all his work over the long years).
JBJBQuote Reply
Not sure about this, in order to keep faithful to the series the prescence of magic(both offensive and healing) must be kept at a minimum. And I am terribly unsure if any MMO can succeed without mages or healers. But if it succeeds at creating an entertaining MMO experience that satisfies I might try this out.
Signed up for the BETA anyway.
Lannister_LionQuote Reply
Am I the only one that doesn’t see the BETA sign up or anything mentioning it on that website? I’ve already signed up for any news/updates so if that is it, I guess I’m set.
MiraxQuote Reply
The biggest problem with this game is the Free to Play with microtransactions. Instead of paying a monthly subscription and an initial cost for the game (the old standard model for MMO payment), players get a minimal set of playable conditions. However, in order to really play the game, one has to spend money to buy things in the game. In the case of Battlestar Galactica online, for example, the player gets a basic ship for free and can just barely make enough of the free in-game currency to keep it fueled. But it’s sort of like making the minimum wage and living below the poverty line. If you pay extra money (that’s real $$ not in-game currency) then you can upgrade your ship, buy effective weapons, get more fuel, make the game actually enjoyable.
This whole system of Free to Play games is designed as nothing more than making an ATM out of the player. To play the game at a quality and enjoyment level one would expect as part of a subscription-based game, the F2P player ends up having to actually spend more. Basically, it’s a scam. A scam cleverly hidden behind the veneer of appearing cheaper to those who don’t think things through.
Free to Play is also used as an excuse by developers when providing substandard product with low quality and non-existent customer service. “What did you expect for free?” lets them get away with designing a substandard game and then milking the customers via microtransactions who would otherwise not accept a cheaply made game for a monthly subscription. Almost all MMO’s which fail as a design end up going Free to Play or just going under outright. Not many just go under these days, they hang on as F2P games with no support and no quality advancements. Only monthly subscription games really provide quality and ongoing development.
LangkardQuote Reply
When are they gonna bring out a GOT game based on robert’s rebellion…… cuz that’s the game I wanna play….
gisizzlahQuote Reply
I am sooo playing this game…
Hope there is a “Warg” class =P
ArthurQuote Reply
While the info about Free to Play and microtransactions is a little disheartening, it would be so freakin’ sweet to ride a horse across the Riverlands or cross the mountains into the Vale. I hope the scale of Westeros is somewhat large, I’d rather it be vast than too easily crossed–let people hire wagons or things like that if they want instantaneous travel
John PearlQuote Reply
I don’t know much about gaming… How will this compare/differ from the role playing and strategy games released recently? Is an MMO like either of those, or totally different?
LexQuote Reply
Arrgh, I can’t believe they’re doing this to GOT too. First it was Knights of the Old Republic, now this. Martin’s world would be a perfect setting for a Mass Effect/Dragon Age style RPG, but they clearly aren’t interested in going that way. Oh, well.
poguemahoneQuote Reply
Lex,
MMO stands for Massively Multiplayer Online game. In short it is a role playing game over the internet. So yes, it will be a bit like the role playing game “Game of Thrones”, only much bigger and the interaction with other players will be very important.
Here is some general about MMOs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massively_multiplayer_online_role-playing_game
AbyssQuote Reply
I’m not fond of games based on novels. (Or TV Series). Especially games that are based on movies. It might just ruin the godly reputation this franchise has if this game ends up disappointing, which I’m quite sure it might be.
LexyvilQuote Reply
I can guarantee that this is going to be absolutely awful.
CillianQuote Reply
Langkard,
So does this mean that you just click a button to start playing on-line or do you have to actually purchase something to get going? Thanks – know RPGs but not familiar w/MMOs
patchy faceQuote Reply
Langkard,
It is up to the player if they enjoy the game enough to want to pay more to fully enjoy it ..there`s nothing wrong with that..
Coltaine777Quote Reply
Not sure what to make of this. Good MMOs take years and years to develop. Can’t see how this even could compare to giants like WoW or The Old Republic. How ambitious are the developers really? What scope are they aiming for? Battlestar Galactica Online, it seems, so we shouldn’t expect much at all. And besides, what will this really add to the experience that is A song of ice and fire? The answer is nothing.
…
…
… A MMO, seriously? After the “glorious success” of the other game? This will suck Strong Belwas balls, gameplay and storywise both, bet on it.
BobbenQuote Reply
I’ll try it out since it’s free. I don’t think it will have a long leash though. I want to like it really badly, but it could turn out to be another huge dud like the RPG.
If I want to play an MMO, I’ll probably wait for the revamped Final Fantasy XIV.
RyanQuote Reply
The number of similarities between the Game of Thrones RPG that already exists and Dragon Age and its ilk are pretty staggering. Why doesn’t that count?
A Man GrownQuote Reply
Langkard,
Even if “Bigpoint” made a decent MMO(which I doubt) it would fail anyway, isn’t it obvious? The MMO market is becoming more and more oversaturated and the F2p model is the only way for these MMO’s to survive. This game’s biggest problem is 2012, the MMO year. Don’t fool yourself , p2p is dying and this GoT MMO is one more proof of that…. and GW2.
AbrolhosQuote Reply
There are so many MMOs now, it just doesn’t seem like a great idea. Especially when you have EQ (the game that started it all) going Free to Play, and it still crashing and burning (if not faster then before because it is just awful lol).
We are going to be so over saturated with GoT stuff it’s going to have a negative effect.
ZhoraQuote Reply
It will be a browser-based game which means you basically just start playing. But what you get for free is the bare bones minimum needed to play. Unlike some Free to Play games which promise to never offer things for sale which give one player an advantage over another within the game, the maker of this GOT MMO makes no such promises. It’s business model, in fact, depends upon players buying lots of things to be able to play reasonably well.
And while Coltaine777 makes a valid point that it is up to the players if they want to pay more to fully enjoy the game or just enjoy it without paying, it is also blatantly obvious that the game company depends upon players buying more stuff. No one makes a game for free. Just remember the old adage, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is” and that applies to so-called “free” to play games. They’re free in the same sense that it used to be “free” to watch movies at the drive-in theater by parking outside and watching without sound.
LangkardQuote Reply
Why bother with this when you can play GOT RPG that came out a few months ago. Don’t believe the nay sayers, it was a very good game with an original storyline (approved be GRRM) that really sucked you into the game. It had multiple endings and followed a parralell path of the first book, starting right before John Arryn’s death. Besides the game being “slightly” glitchy and not as graphically aweinspiring as other gmaes out there, the story was where it really shined. If you’re going to spend money on a GOT game I’d say get that one, at least you get a good story out of it that will keep you sort of satisfied until season 3 rolls around. I for one am not going anywhere near this MMO.
KlavonivsQuote Reply
In my opinion, quality games still require a long start-up time and large initial capital outlay as well as a base cost for the game and then a subscription. Some games which are now F2P started out as subscription games, like Lord of the Rings Online. But the money guys in the $2000 suits in accounting want more money for less overhead and that means F2P. So games which aren’t attracting enough subscribers slip into the F2P type.
Sadly, the accountants have a warped sense of what “enough subscribers” means thanks to the ridiculous success of World of Warcraft. Other game companies drooled over the thought of grabbing big shares of 12 million subscribers paying $55 for the game plus $15/month and then another $55 or so every couple of years for expansions. So lots of other companies have tried to repeat what was probably a unique situation. And they have almost all failed miserably and ended up F2P. To date, the only subscription game to do well since WOW was released has been Star Wars: The Old Republic; but it has only about 10-15% of the customers that WOW had at its 12 million peak. Rift is a distant 3rd. There aren’t very many others that are still subscription. The accountants don’t see the return on investment they think that they should be getting.
The cheapest way to make an MMO is to create a quick derivative game, make it browser-based so no installation or disc or downloads are necessary and then make it Free to Play with almost everything a player really needs to play the game enjoyably and successfully cost real money. Low overhead, low start-up costs and low maintenance with no expansions or support. That is exactly the model being followed by Bigpoint in its games.
I wish I could agree that F2P is dying out. But that isn’t the case. Game designers long ago took a back seat in the industry. The decisions, even game design decisions, are made almost entirely by the accountants now. They all still want huge profits with as little cost as possible. And, frankly, that is no way to make a lasting, enjoyable game.
LangkardQuote Reply
The only MMO I’m excited for is the World of Darkness MMO, from the guys that made EVE. Because it’s probably going to have most of what I’d want in an ASoIF MMO, political subterfuge, backstabing, and roleplay. and because I’m going to be starting with everyone else I’ll likely be able to breach the barrier of entry, unlike EVE.
The way this is going to turn out is most likely how all these modern MMos are, WoW clones. It’s sad, MMOs could have a much brighter future if they actually took into account that ther are thousands of players all interacting with each other in a single coherent world, instead of being filled to the brim
with fetch quests..
ArithineQuote Reply
Langkard,
So I am presuming that you won’t let this suck you in? Do you play other MMOs?
patchy faceQuote Reply
EQ is not the game that started it all… Ultima Online was… and was one of tge best MMORPGs ever imo…
hiQuote Reply
Anyone who wants to play a GoT game that doesnt suck look into Crusader Kings II and there is a mod to play in Westeros.
bugger the kingQuote Reply
There are too many other MMOs these days, they have become about as common place (and annoying) as reality television.
The best way for this game to be successful is if the combat/game-play meshes with the cruel harsh reality of Westeros. Some simple suggestions that could help this game stand apart.
-Get rid of the number system. This is the most copied system of any MMO, having health points and such so that your attacks do a certain number of damage, this is overplayed and has become dull and boring. Gamers are ready for a riskier fast-paced battle, where more skill is involved than crit chance. If you want to dodge an attack, you better move your butt. If you want to block use the button thats mapped for blocking, get rid of this auto crap. The BEST combat system IMO for a game based in Westeros, would be an evolved version of the Bushido Blade (PS1) combat, where if your arm gets slashed through, it falls limp to the ground. Or if you were to strike the neck of an opponent and they weren’t wearing a gorget or didn’t block/parry then their head comes off. NO other MMO has done this, yet.
-Make a specific amount of Valyrian steel weapons based on server population maybe like 0.2% or 0.1% (or even less) so potentially 1/500 or 1/1000 players would be running around with one. Then make them stupid hard to earn.
-Make dead players lootable. This is one that most gamers will not all agree on. I believe this aspect would make the game very much like being in Westeros, making player battle much more a gamble of skill. This, if added with the Valyrian steel idea above, would prevent players from hoarding weapons and possibly make the weapons change hands more often.
I know this sounds more like a FP or TP Slasher (shooter for archers), but the game is destined for mediocre success, or less, if it just tries the same MMO song that has been far overplayed.
If your having trouble visualizing, think 1st/3rd person bushido blade MMO, mixed with diablo 2 hardcore mode. Its not exactly what ‘m referring to, but it damn close.
GameXpertQuote Reply
A Man Grown,
I didn’t play that game, but I heard the characters weren’t customizable, they weren’t fully voiced, and, judging from the videos on youtube, they didn’t bother to incorporate anything about the world of ASOIAF that makes it remarkable. The Dragon Age and Mass Effect games (well, the first DA and the first two ME games) were all about capital-S storytelling with an emphasis on character and plot, with enough politics and grit to make the world(s) feel believable.
The GOT game didn’t have any of that, which is a shame, considering Martin’s world is ripe for that sort of storytelling. Give someone like Drew Karpyshyn (who has unfortunately retired from the gaming world, IIRC) a good crew like he got on the first two Mass Effect games, and I think you’d create something worthy of the ASOIAF/GOT title.
poguemahoneQuote Reply
Cue brand name lawsuit from these guys?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Kingdoms_%28video_game%29
MaxQuote Reply
I don’t see a “Sign up for Closed Beta” on the site either. Just a “enter email address for updates” – which fails to a code screen if you don’t enter an email address (tip developers: make a website that works or you look foolish).
JeremyQuote Reply
I am interested in computer games, I am interested in SOIAF printed and on screen. But I am not in the least interested in any SOIAF computer game.
Why? Because it is obviously only for profit and these kind of games allways suck. Ok, one exception i have played so far – chronicle of Riddick was a surprisingly good movie-adaption.
And real good SOIAF-game – be it single or multiplayer – would need a combat-system like Mount&Blade and some awesome innovative story-telling.
opaomaQuote Reply
I’ve played most of them over the years, from some of the earliest on the old GEnie and CompuServe online services beginning back in 1989, up to SWTOR and Rift. Tera doesn’t interest me. Secret World is just another browser-based, microtransaction drain like we’re talking about with this GOT MMO. I suppose I’ll give the Elder Scrolls Online game a try when it comes out.
I agree with this. I posted about it in different thread a few weeks back. Crusader Kings II uses an enhanced Europa Universalis engine and the Westeros mod for it can be found here.
You’ll need to have Crusader Kings II installed on your computer first for the mod to work.
It takes place during the period of Robert’s Rebellion. CKII does a really good job of simulating the diplomacy, treachery, kingdom-building of a balkanized European medieval world. So it translates pretty well into a Westeros-style game. I don’t know much about the modding of the Europa Universalis games; but I suspect it is similar to the modding that can be done for the Total War games. With CRusader Kings II as the basis, the mod has lots of backstabbing, having to keep your vassals happy, worrying about your succession, spying, assassinations, the lot. Good stuff. So far, I think it plays much better than the GOT RPG.
LangkardQuote Reply
Give those guys a chance. Because it may not be as great as WoW, Lord of the rings online, star wars old republic etc, but it still can be fun and good game.
The guys that are working on this (bigpoint) made a really great online browser rpg, called Drakensang Online. Its very popular and very good, they did a great job with it. Its a bit different because its isometric rpg like Diablo for example, but still it shows that they can do good games. So give them a chance.
MoldaQuote Reply
Langkard,
i guess it depends on the game (and its developers).
Runes of Magic, for example looks a lot like WoW but has always been free to play and i played high-level end-game on it for one year and a half. During the time i took to up my char to the maximum level (one big unemployed month), i didn’t have to buy anything. You start paying at endgame to upgrade your items with stat boosts on them and if you planned your char correctly you can get your endgame dream equipment for 3 months of WoW membership (1 month by full armor/weapons boost and you need 2 intermediary stuff sets to be strong enough to go raiding where you’ll get your final stuff). I could have played one year more without paying anything and enjoying the game as much as it is intended. So i could have played a game better than wow (more moderated, more mature community, more challenge in raids, every boss requires a strategy) for 3 years, paying what i would pay for 3 months on WoW.
But Sadly BigPoint didn’t have anything to do with RoM and worked on BSG online so i guess that your point is valid and that i shouldn’t hope too much but i can’t help it.
ASOIAF FanQuote Reply
poguemahone,
How can you say there isn’t something in a game you haven’t played?
Too bad for you that’s the only thing there is, i’ll take the game of thrones RPG storyline over the one of dragon age, mass effect or any RPG since Final Fantasy 6.
There are a lot of issues with the game but the storyline alone is strong enough to carry it despite them.
You lament about lack of customization and storyline when the 2 are incompatible, if you let your char be customizable then the story won’t be as good as if the character’s storyline is really tied to the plot even if you give the false illusion that your background choices affect future storylines, like in Mass Effect.
ASOIAF FanQuote Reply
looks promising…
hope there are places available for the kings guard, that would kick-ASS!!!
Wun-WunQuote Reply
Thank you for this good explanation – I was wondering how a “Free to Play” game was going to make any money!
purplejillyQuote Reply
It’s not as brutal as Langkard is saying. Not every free to play game is made that way. There are games, which you can play without any problems and with full enjoyment even without spending anything. Like for example great RPG game Path of Exile, where you can (or you will be, because its in closed beta now stage now) buy only cosmethic things, nothing that you need or nothing that would make your character better than the character of someone who didn’t buy anything.
And even with that phylosophy of theirs, the game is superb in quality, tons of people love it even though it is not completely done yet. The developers are great bunch of people who listens to community and are working so hard to make it great.
I am in closed beta for year (with lots of other people) and lot of people even say, that its better and more fun and enjoyable than super popular AAA title Diablo 3. And thats a big compliment and that just shows, that even free to play games can be great and there will be more games like that in future.
MoldaQuote Reply
So true!
HarryQuote Reply
I can’t imagine this will be good at all. MMORPG’s are a very stagnant genre that haven’t had much forward thinking since World of Warcraft (which is a great game that really revolutionized the genre). Almost every MMORPG since then has taken many many many pages out of WoW’s book, and none have been able to match it’s success, despite claiming that they would. I don’t think this game is touting that it will be a WoW-killer, and is just around to cash in on some of the GoT hype. I’ll give it a shot, as it’s a free-to-play game and I of course love GoT/ASOIAF, but I have very low expectations.
VanderhookQuote Reply
Lexyvil,
My thought exactly. Not going to even try. As a long time WoW player, as well as playing other MMORPGs and ARPGs I prefer those NOT based on novels. ASOIAF is such a great book series and GOT is such a great Tv series I am more than content to leave it at that.
UdiQuote Reply
At least Activision-Blizzard aren’t the ones making it. Blizzard North made some of the best ARPGs and MMORPGs out there but since leaving and since Blizzard is in bed with Activision it’s been all downhill imo. WoW had some bad expansions and the upcoming one with cutesy Panda bears is too much. And Diablo 3 is a half baked game with a ton of problems. It is designed to suck money from fans of the franchise, without delivering anything close to their expectations after waiting more than 10 years for this sequel.
UdiQuote Reply
This about sums it up. The best RPGs are about more than their story. They’re things we must sink 40-100 hours into, meaning a bunch of dungeon crawling, talking to townspeople, wandering the land looking for the next place to advance the story. In good games, this stuff is fun. In bad ones, it’s filler, padding, annoyingly preventing us from experiencing the story. Who wants to plod through a crappy, bug-ridden game for any narrative? I value my time more than that.
Mass Effect and Dragon Age are great examples of the genre being done justice on modern hardware. I would also put Skyrim and Fallout 3 in that company, although in those the storyline isn’t as forward pushing. It’s more about exploration. They succeed really well at what they go for–which is, to me, more in the style of an MMO without all the aggravating “kindly collect 10 x’s for me, and then my friend could use your help collecting 10 y’s.”
ZackQuote Reply
Vanderhook,
Wow is a dumbed down generic game, lots of MMO were far better before and lot’s of it’s “clones” are actually a lot more enjoyable and smart that wow ever was.
I’d even say that WoW marked the start of the decline of MMOs, they were all better than the previous ones until wow came.
There are no strategies to pass raids, you just have to be strong enough and go in the right direction killing everything on your way, not much use in having a coordinated party as all instances are doable solo with a good char. No game immersion when a rat can drop a plate armor or a pnj can ask you 10 times the same day to repeat the same quest and kill the same named boss you already killed 9 times. No RP as you can’t even fight someone of your faction. No possibility for the player to have an impact on the world, no politics, no real impact on the economic system, no religious structures led by players, nothing. All of that has been done before and sometimes very very well but it wasn’t on WoW.
Before wow :
- The 4th Coming, never seen a MMO where players could impact as much on the world (was full F2P no shop, no MMO were pay-per-play at the time).
- Ryzom (hit the market same time as wow, couldn’t survive because of that)
After Wow :
- Runes of Magic : Wow-clone better than the original with real strategies needed to pass dungeons and bosses (F2P)
- Dungeons and Dragons online : close to the P&P game, each class has its specificities and you can’t pass the majority of dungeons if you don’t have a certain mix in your party.
ASOIAF FanQuote Reply
I am praying for a day when someone somewhere from a big gamers studio will buy the rights to the game and develop it utilising a decent amount of time and money to make a great game! There is so much potential here, not just for making a quick buck, but leaving behind a game brand that could grow like Assasins Creed has.
GoT the RPG had a very nice storyline and got more fun the longer you playd but will never be one of the greats.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
ASOIAF Fan,
I’ve got to disagree with you. Pre-WoW, MMORPGs were not a very accesible genre. They were very much geared toward “hardcore” players: i.e., very punishing and excessive grind-fests. While WoW certainly has its grind-fest moments, it’s nothing compared to it’s predeccesors (Everquest, Final Fantasy XI, etc). The game brought the concept of being able to get meaningful things done in reasonable amounts of time as well as increased viability in solo-play. I can understand not liking WoW, but I think it’s clear that the game totally revolutionized and popularized the genre. It’s left a huge mark on MMORPGs and almost every game in the genre has borrowed heavily from it, including the games you have listed.
VanderhookQuote Reply
Vanderhook,
Yes it introduced the concept of “a good game is a game that can be played and understood by the dumbest possible people starting age 8″ when before a good game was a complex game that you couldn’t even master after years of playing. In that sense i agree that it revolutionized the gaming industry, but not in the right direction.
ASOIAF FanQuote Reply
Well, I disagree with both your opinion that WoW is excessively dumbed down, as well as that it moved the genre in the wrong direction. Let’s leave it at that, as I don’t really think theres anything I can say to sway you.
VanderhookQuote Reply
I don’t get why some people are upset over this. No one’s forcing you to play it. This is just extra stuff for fantasy fans and MMO fans. If you don’t like it, then you’re not being forced at gunpoint to play it. But for a F2P browser-based MMO, this looks f***ing awesome. The graphics look amazing for a game like this, and from earlier looks, it’s gonna be great.
LordEddardStarkQuote Reply
ASOIAF Fan,
You are very edgy. Now can we please take the discussion of how Blizzard is ruining everything back to the Blizzard forums?
As to the actual topic at hand, I really can’t imagine there being any hope for this game.
GustQuote Reply
LordEddardStark,
People love the franchise, and gamers want a fun experience. It’s not about being forced to play a bad game, but about not being able to play the nonexistent good game that we missed out on.
A more polished game will sell more copies than a game merely cashing on on the ASOIAF name, and that’s good for everyone.
ZackQuote Reply
I can see u haven’t played wow, at least any end-game
Pau SorianoQuote Reply
Pau Soriano,
i have, 3-men parties for raid ( i admit that for 2 of them we had to look for a full team but it was a pain in the ass to have to deal with unknown people on this game, while it has been the major attraction in nearly every other mmo i played) and we did everything short of the last expansion at the time i did quit the game.
I soloed every instance except epic (did some but couldn’t tell you which ones, i played 4 months, not enough to remember any names). I had a deathknight spé necro or whatever it’s called and played essentially solo or in a group of 2 with my ex girlfriend (sometimes 3 with her dad) as we took a lot more stuff a lot more quickly than when using the looking for group function and doing instances with the worst dimwits i have ever seen on any mmo. I have been playing MMORPGs for 14 years and i can tell you that there is absolutely no challenge in wow (if you want to do everything solo maybe but with a full team…. no) other than finding decent players. Good games should be able to offer challenges for a team of the best possible players on any server.
ASOIAF FanQuote Reply
I want this movie! (after the series is over)
Arthur,
Xavier CantuQuote Reply
My god, all you people do is complain. (especially you Aegon) The game hasn’t even come out yet and you people are already throwing suck bombs. If its not your type of game then don’t play it. As supposed fans of game of thrones any new product license off the show/books, should be greeted with enthusiasm and curiosity. Maybe it will garner more fans thus bring in more viewers to the show thus more acclaim and longtivity for the series on air. How can that be negative?
“free to play! What a stupid idea”
“what is GRRM thinking?”
“better be able to play as the dornish or I call bs”
“the reed twins better be in it!”
“if I can’t have sex with my sister in game then I’m not playing it!”
Are you guys even fans of this show or just like trolling each other.
Charles whetstoneQuote Reply
Aegon the Conqueror,
But I agree with you Aegon about the GoT RPG. I thought it was awesome, just because I could play in my favorite setting. I probably won’t play this MMO simply because it requires me to have to play with people and I hate people. My only gripe about the GoT RPG was that there was no “blackwater chain” or “reed twins.”
Charles whetstoneQuote Reply
ASOIAF Fan,
Yeah dude, I’m going to have to call you out as well. Soloing every instance? 3-manning all the raid content? Sounds like a load of bullshit. Unless you are talking about old, outdated content from several expansions ago which is tuned to people who are much lower level with inferior quality armor. I have to say it seems like you just don’t have much of a clue what you are talking about.
VanderhookQuote Reply
ASOIAF Fan,
Obvious grumkin is obvious. No food from me! >:(
GustQuote Reply
Wow some of you guy have axes to grind against MMOs and FTPs huh?
First off, as has been point out, there IS a Dragon Age style RPG game for GoT already. It got bad reviews by people who either weren’t fans, hated the graphics for not being a AAA game, or didn’t bother to learn the combat system, but then called it too simple anyway. Most of the bad reviews still praised the writing as GoT-like, but that’s because they can’t tell the difference between GRRM and a bunch of young European roleplayers writing trying to mimic GRRM’s style. The gameplay was better than the reviews would say, the story a bit worse, but the game did have a few moments of tension which most modern games lack, and for fanboys, the game’s story did keep the momentum going so that you wanted to get to the end. Overall, I’d recommend it to people who are both hardcore GoT fans and hardcore yet open-minded game-players. But that’s it.
Next, EVERY MMO is pretty much FTP now. Warcraft only lets you play to level 20, but D&DOnline an DC Universe Online (and I think Star Trek too) have both actually been making MORE money since going FTP. I’ve been playing DC Universe Online since launch as a subscriber, and I’ve seen first hand people who said “I would never buy a game and then spend $10-15/month to play it” download the game for free and then spend 20-30/ month on it. People will buy the dumbest things just because they look cool or they think it gives them a minor advantage. This is not a scam. The gaming community actually demanded this. And smart players who understand the value of money will not spend any more than they want to.
Finally, THIS game isn’t really an MMO. Its a browser-based MMO which pretty much assures it will suck. Can anyone name ONE browser-based game that has been worth playing? This game will probably have more in common with Farmville and other Facebook games than with WoW or SWO or other MMOs. Which also means that part of its revenue-making system won’t just be micro transactions, but having you “recruit” other players, and having ads in the browser. I know some people will now say “ads are great, it means ill have to pay less” and others are saying “ads are terrible, how dare they should try to make any money off me forever, everything I like should be totally free”
So basically people, the world isn’t out to get you and if you should set your expectations for this game down to 0 now, so you’re not disappointed later.
stevelabnyQuote Reply
Hahah you spoiled brats. Two years ago you’d have been pissing your pants with joy that someone would make a GoT video game.
KGQuote Reply
Well first off, most of those quotes you posted were very tongue in cheek, and not meant to be taken seriously.
Secondly, I doubt this game would bring in any more fans to the series, at least not in a number that is anything but neglible. This isn’t a highly anticipated game among MMORPG fans, and I’m willing to bet the vast, vast majority of people who are following this game are already fans of the TV and/or Book Series.
However, let’s say that it is expected to bring in a lot of new fans. Shouldn’t that be even more of a reason to demand higher quality from this game? I don’t think anyone wants people to pick up this game, be turned off by the low quality and thus, turned off to ASOIAF. That’d be bad.
This is more than “if its not your type of game, don’t play it”. That argument can be applied to someone who isn’t a fan of MMORPGs. But what if somoene is a fan of both MMORPGs and ASOIAF, like myself? It’s very disheartening to have someone make something that is right up your alley, only for it to be of low quality, which this game is shaping up to be.
Like I said, I’ll give it a shot, but I’m not expecting much.
VanderhookQuote Reply
Isn’t that argument a bit reminiscent of the arguments had between Star Wars PT fans and the rest of us?
I never understood how certain people give things a free pass merely because they’re a new part of a brand they like…
ZackQuote Reply
Pretty sure that two years ago if I heard someone was making a brower based MMO that nickle and dimed you to spend money on stuff(basically ASoIaF Farmville), I would have cringed.
This is the site where people go ballistic over small changes in a HBO adaptation. You really think people would have been “pissing their pants with joy” over the butchering that’s going to happen when the world gets adapted to a browser game?
ScottsdaleSamQuote Reply
No offense to anyone else on this post but this may have well been called “Filler Article until we get Casting News” because this is ridiculous. A week ago last year we knew whom were playing Stannis, Mel and Davos.
Sorry end rant. Carry on….
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
Vanderhook,
Actually them quotes are real comments are from posters on this thread, aside from the last which I added just to show how ridiculous people here sound when complaining for a free game. But I agree with and you make valid point. A farmville type browser game doesn’t do the world of GoT justice. I think a total war type game based in GoT and officially licensed from the show would be much better.
Charles whetstoneQuote Reply
I was aware those were actual comments. I was saying that a lot of those comments were tongue in cheek and not supposed to be all that serious.
VanderhookQuote Reply
The frozen region was the last expansion but i didn’t do the content except getting a deathknight char. I did everything before that, the bigger raids with us being some lvl higher (i had the expansion lvl cap but no stuff from it), and after 10 years of better MMOs i wasn’t really curious to see what was next so i went back to the game i was playing before meeting that girlfriend.
ASoIaF FanQuote Reply
Has nobody read anything about this game?!
There will be no magic class. In fact, there are no classes. The skill development will be like Skyrim… use it, and become better with it.
It will be a sandbox, open world, guild centered pvp game. It will be more like Eve than Wow. Thank God. Because in Game of Thrones, you are never safe! :P
Randy CotterQuote Reply
If I can’t have sex with my sister in game then I’m not playing it!
KnurkQuote Reply
It’s not a scam at all. If you don’t like it, don’t play.
EdQuote Reply
If this is taking place during Robert’s Rebellion, I’m heading STRAIGHT to the Tower of Joy to see what really happened!
EdQuote Reply
Yeah, no offense, but it’s pretty clear you don’t know what you are talking about, as you didn’t do *any* endgame whatsoever and you are complaining about raid content that was meant for when the level cap was 60 as being too easy for a character that was well over that level. I suspect you might be a troll.
VanderhookQuote Reply
Guild Wars 2.
BOOM!
GreatjonQuote Reply
.
KGQuote Reply
The rebellion reference was to the Westeros mod for Crusader Kings II, not for the GoT MMO.
LangkardQuote Reply
Langkard,
Secret World is not a browser based game. It does have an in game browser though. As for the micro transactions they are all cosmethic. Last but not least, it’s not free to play, you have to pay a monthly fee.
I don’t do MMOs, never even tried because i just know it would pull me in and in the long run suck all life from my body. But after wathcing a few hours of the game being live streamed The Secret World is probably the most interesting MMO i’ve ever seen.
Amused to deathQuote Reply
D
You clearly have no idea of what you are talking about
Pau SorianoQuote Reply
Regarding this game, well, I played WoW for more than 10000 hours (ten thousand, thats right…thats 7 years straight averaging 4h daily) and just quitted recently. I’m playing Diablo 3 with all my WoW buddies atm, and when the hype for the game will be over, some will go back to WoW and some are planning to start Guild Wars 2.
None will play this game though :/
Pau SorianoQuote Reply
You’re mistaken, and I think you should actually play the game. Mind you, the GOT RPG is only mediocre, but its mediocrity has nothing to do with the plot, which includes plenty of great moral dilemmas, story branching, intrigue/secret history galore, and a far better variable conclusion than anything Mass Effect has ever done. The first hour or so of the game is just terrible both story and gameplay-wise (I imagine anyone new to the universe playing the game would have been utterly bewildered as to why it’s so beloved) but the plot definitely improves and acquires additional dimensions as the game goes on. The *actual* flaws of the GOT RPG are:
1) Tedious combat system, combined with a immersion-breaking quantity of combat in the story. Combat is “difficult” in the sense that you _must_ use your abilities intelligently to survive, but it’s always obvious what “intelligent” use of your combat abilities is, so it just ends up being a chore. Also, there is little variation in the combat challenges, so once you’ve identified the right strategy it’s just a matter of repeating it across different enemy skins.
2) Modest production values. Poor-to-indifferent voice acting from the leads. Embarrassing VA from background characters/extras. Poor system performance that makes saving/loading games a chore. Unimpressive graphic quality-to-performance ratio.
3) Occasionally awkward phrasings, probably because the developers were not native English speakers. So while the overall plotting is quite strong, the line-by-line dialog can seem stilted. That said, Martin himself is guilty of plenty of awkward phrasings himself.
In sum, some of the game’s flaws are the consequence of limited resources (engine limitations, not enough money for quality VO). The game would have been much better in the adventure genre or even as pure interactive fiction (Dreamfall-style) which would have allowed the plotting to shine. I don’t think it’s worth $50, but if you’re interested in the universe it’s well worth picking up on steam sale just to play through the plot. Set the combat to easy so you can steamroll through it and enjoy just what the game does well.
I think a choose-your-adventure style “novelization” of the GOT RPG would actually be decent, for those who don’t fancy sludging through the game itself to get the story. I’m considering writing one up for non-gaming fans, actually, but the prospect of grinding through the various branches of the game to see all the different story paths isn’t too appealing.
eudaimoneanQuote Reply
Vanderhook,
I played 3 other mmos to find something i could be interested in the year i tried Wow. I knew from the start that i didn’t like the game so why bother learning stuff i don’t care about when i was more interested in coming back to the game i left after negotiating with the girlfriend.
She knew the game and wanted someone to do content with other than random unkown wow players, i was just following and doing what she told me to to get instances done, so yeah i don’t know the names of the zones or expansions or even character classes or the different level of instance difficulties other than epic because the game sucks and i didn’t want to forget every geeky details of the game i was going to go back to after 4 month of boredom.
And i’ll reserve the right to call you or KG trolls everytime i’ll disagree with you, wouldn’t want to seem impolite after you gave the example.
ASOIAF FanQuote Reply
Ok. So speaking as someone who basically stopped posting here daily because of an MMO (DCUO), I can’t tell you how disappointed this news makes me.
First of all the screenshots are horrible. If those are the best images of the game that the developers can give us, then Its pretty well locked that thisgame is going to be terrible. A small part of me will hold out hope that the game is early on in development and that the graphics will improve, but if that is the case, then I would have strongly advised waiting to release anything. The MMO market are some of the most fickle people on the planet and if you do anything other than knock your press release out of the park, you risk killing the game before it ever launches.
As mentioned above, F2P is usually the death knell of an MMO. Launching the game this way speaks volumes about the game developer’s confidence in the game’s ability to succeed. It says to me that they want to grab as much dough from unwitting GoT nerds as they can until we can’t stand to log on anymore and stop playing. DCUO has gone F2P, but at least you can still opt for the monthly subscription.
By the way, don’t buy the “free to play” slogan. None of these games are really free to play if you wish to do anything meaningful. A more honest catchphrase would be “pay as you go”
Browser-based is also another immediate red flag.
I’ve been looking forward to this game since its initial announcement (and hoping for one like it since long before that). I also have been lobbying to my Leaguemates in DCUO to play it when its released. After this feeble look and discouraging press release, I will no longer do so. Until i see more (and truly, I hope there is a ton of innovative gameplay that makes this game the best MMO ever), my appetite for GoT MMO-style had been curbed.
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
Lord Ned’s Head,
Are you joking? Graphics say nothing of gameplay. Don’t be such a knob (or a noob for that matter). Also, those graphics aren’t that bad, FYI. They look better than the recent GOT game that was released on consoles.
Also, clearly you don’t know much about the F2P MMO model as it is HARDLY the “Death knell” you say it is. There are several FREE and SUCCESSFUL MMOs out there that rely on in-game transactions to turn a profit.
dubqQuote Reply
I just can’t believe some people are that stupid.. 8)
Game looks awesome. PvP, player controlled holds, non-target, skill-based.. I’ll be interested even if it wouldn’t be about Westeros. But looks like series fits perfectly in such gameplay.
KidQuote Reply
Kid,
I agree! I also love that Ned’s Head states that DCUO pulled him away from posting here daily.. but trashes the GOT MMO’s visuals. Hello? DCUO isn’t exactly a bastion of super awesome graffix, bro!
I personally wasn’t psyched that it is a browser based game but I’m definitely going to give it a chance.
dubqQuote Reply
You are correct. I was thinking of another game. My problem with Secret World was the Facebook requirement to join the beta. I don’t do Facebook, so that means I won’t be doing Secret World.
LangkardQuote Reply
I wasn’t calling you a troll because you disagree with me, I *suspected* (meaning, I thought it was a possibility and wasn’t sure) you were a troll because you had some very heavy criticisms of the game while also displaying a startling lack of knowledge and understanding of the game to warrant such criticisms. For the record, I no longer think you are a troll (if you are, bravo my friend, because I have gotten trolled). Right now, I just think you are just heavily biased against the game and willfully ignorant due to said bias. I mean you essentially said “I knew before I even played the game that I would hate it, so I didn’t even take the time to give it a proper chance”. You are *worse* than a troll. Trolls say outlandish things to just to provoke people and cause mischeif. You say outlandish things because you are totally ignorant, and worse, by choice.
It’s one thing to dislike something and criticize it, it’s another to dislike something and have no idea what you are talking about. I mean can you imagine if someone decided to watched Game of Thrones, and hated it and then demonstrated a complete and utter lack of knowledge or understanding of the series? You’re criticisms of WoW are similar to if someone watched Game of Thrones and said “This series sucks, fantasy is terrible, theres zero character development and everyone just talks all the time. None of the stories have anything to do eachother like that guy who is in the snow area and that blonde chick. I don’t even know their names because I knew the second I put this show on I hated it so why even bother learning about them”. It’s just.. SO ignorant.
VanderhookQuote Reply
Kid,
Yes some F2P games have been successful. DCUO itself is now F2P and because of it, the game has had a nice resurgence. Most successful MMOs however start out subcription-based and turn to F2P after the initial launch fails. I guess what bummed me out hearing that the game would start F2P was that I was hoping there would be a stronger effort involved to allow the game to carve a significant piece of the MMO marketplace. Announcing a F2P launch coupled with other things listed below, combine to paint a very dismal outlook for this project.
Another big red flag is the browser-based form the game will have. I’m disheartened to hear the game will use this type of a platform. Any serious-contender in the MMO market uses their own engine. The announcement that the game is partnering with HBO to let players relive important parts of the book also smacks of a cross-promotional marketing ploy instead of an original gaming experience.
The third point that bothers me is the game’s graphics. I happen to agree with you that graphics aren’t mandatory for a fun game. There are plenty of games from fpses to turn-based strat games that have sub par graphics, but engaging gameplay. The problem with the screenshots is that they show a complete lack of art direction. This game looks like so many other fantasy-based MMOs that there is absolutely nothing to distunguish it on a visual level. Like the cartoony manga-equse qualities of WOW or not, at least that game has visuals that identify it with a brand. DCUO in fact does have amazing graphics. Not cutting edge graphics in terms of technology. Not because of any polygon count, but because Jim Lee was in charge of its look and he made a huge effort to make the game feel as though you are in a comic book. The game has a look that immediately lets a player know that he is in Gotham or Metropolis.
The video gamer market as a whole and MMOers in particular are some of the most fickle consumers on the planet. When you give a press release about an up and coming game, you need to make sure you hit a grand slam with what you annonce and show to the fans or you risk losing them before they ever log in. I may sound like I want the game to fail from this post, but the truth is that I want it to succeeed more than just about anyone. It combines 2 of my favorite things. I’d be crazy not to be rooting for it. I do, in fact plan on at least taking a look . However instead of the grand slam I was hoping for, I fear that with the joint announcements of an F2P system and a browser-based format combine with lack luster graphics GoT 7 Kingdoms might have just struck out for alot of potential gamers.
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
Luster graphics? In GoT? Some armoured underwear maybe?))
I got a name for it.. “GoT Kids”))
Hope they’ll make a real mature game, that will match atmosphere of GoT series. Anounced game features and screens fit quite well for now. And it what a shame, that WoW or DCwhatever audience don’t find them attractive, we’ll miss them soooo much..))
KidQuote Reply
Kid,
Turning down a color pallette to make the game look grittier is hardly art direction worthy of this brand. I’m not suggestiong at all that this gam should look like WoW or DCUO. What I am saying is that it should have its own look and feel. Those screenshots look like they could be from any one of 20+ other fantay RPGS and MMOs from the past 10 years.
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
Anyone know how you sign up for beta test ??
AugieQuote Reply
I am with you a game based on the Baratheon erbellion would be sweet
AugieQuote Reply
I just don’t see game of thrones as an RPG, I think it would be much more interesting if it was a MMo strategy game, something similar to the card game just online
AleksLQuote Reply
What a data of un-ambiguity and preserveness of precious know-how regarding unpredicted emotions.
ElizaQuote Reply
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