Dana, still out in lovely San Francisco at GDC 2007, reports in with this juicy tidbit from Games Workshop. Read more to learn about EA's effect on the Warhammer: Age of reckoning development and why THQ is making Warhammer 40K.
This is one heck of a time to be a fan of Warhammer. EA Mythic is making Warhammer Online, the fantasy MMO, there are a range of single-player titles on the market and now THQ has announced a deal to develop the Warhammer 40k license as a massively multi-player online game. Erik Mogensen, who does licensing for Games Workshop in Nottingham, met with WarCry at GDC to discuss the two MMOs and the many projects this miniatures company has in the works.
Vigil Games, a new studio made up of ex-NCSoft developers in Austin was selected by THQ to work on the 40k MMO. Literally, the contracts have just been signed and the game is no more than an idea, but if the sheer glee in Erik's voice was any indication, they're going to have some fun with the project.
"The possibilities are endless," he told us.
At this stage, they could not yet discuss the game beyond the fact that it does exist and, in the opinion of Games Workshop, is perfectly suited for an MMO. The 40k universe is Warhammer in the future. It's a gritty, more serious sci-fi universe that could be built as an RPG or an FPS. With this property, they could do anything from a game where the player plays as a space ship, to a hand-to-hand MMO shooting game in the trenches of one of the property's countless alien worlds.
While fans were certainly thrilled to read that a 40k game is on the way, it did strike many as odd that THQ and not EA Mythic - who are doing the fantasy MMO - would get the license. For Games Workshop, it was an extension of a previous relationship, as THQ is responsible for many of the company's single player games. Mogensen said he could not be happier with the work EA Mythic is doing and the level of quality in their production, and does not believe that the existence of two MMOs from the same basic universe will be anything but positive. We also spoke to EA Mythic who agreed and pointed out that Warhammer Online will likely have been on the market for a few years before the 40k MMO, and do not foresee any confusion or problems coming from this kind of double coverage.
EA Mythic hopes to launch Warhammer Online by the end of this year, and unlike many situations in this industry with licensors and licensees, it seems like Games Workshop and EA Mythic are on the same page and working together. When Electronic Arts purchased Mythic, some fans were concerned that this would have a negative influence on the direction of WAR. Not so, Mogensen told us. From his perspective, the relationship has not changed at all with the big purchase. He talks to the same people, the approval process is unaffected and original design has been maintained. Once again, it's confirmation of what everyone has insisted from the start, that Electronic Arts has given EA Mythic the flexibility they need to continue making solid games.
Games Workshop is also branching out on a few other fronts. Their game licensing division is at its peak, but they also have comic books and board games coming out to join their core publishing and miniatures business. Boom Studios has just released the second issue of their 40k comic "Damnation Crusade" and their classic fantasy board game, Talisman, is about to be released in a 4th edition. Talisman is not based in the Warhammer universe, but combines simple fantasy battles with a Monopoly style board.
On the publishing end, they continue to explore the depths of the Warhammer universe with a fascinating series of background books. They're actual reference books from the Warhammer universe. The current release is the Witch Hunter's Handbook that literally gives people advice on finding, identifying and hunting witches. It sounds bizarre, but for fans of the property - especially the role-playing game - these books could be extraordinarily interesting.
With so many things in the mix, there is one big hole: movies. So, will Games Workshop ever give out the license for a Warhammer movie? They'd love to and explored that path many times, but ultimately Games Workshop requires that they have final approval over anything using their IP, and that is a level of influence that most movie companies are not comfortable with. Thus, no movie has happened or is likely to come soon. But if they find the right partner, it could.
