BREAKING NEWS: The Commander is Back! (August 12, 2011)

EA is doing nothing with the Wing Commander franchise, so there's no reason why they wouldn't let Chris Roberts take the helm again if he had a good proposal for a project; and as I tried to make clear at the end of the profile piece, the environment feels extremely ripe for a new Wing Commander game.

I may have one more feature to write from the interview, from more of a tech/design perspective (G4 being a consumer-facing outlet means certain content wasn't appropriate for them), in which you may get to hear Chris talk about how the current technology fits into the potential for new space combat flight sims, which would also play into this equation.

In terms of EA taking a risk on what essentially might function as a new IP in the current marketplace, perhaps you noticed they acquired PopCap recently for $650 million? That suggests to me that they certainly have the finances and the will to keep expanding into new territory.
 
I may have one more feature to write from the interview, from more of a tech/design perspective (G4 being a consumer-facing outlet means certain content wasn't appropriate for them), in which you may get to hear Chris talk about how the current technology fits into the potential for new space combat flight sims, which would also play into this equation.

That's cool. I know most of us here would definitely be interested in hearing it. If you have no other means for publishing it, I'm sure we could arrange something here, if you're willing. You can email the site staff or visit us on IRC.
 
I may have one more feature to write from the interview, from more of a tech/design perspective (G4 being a consumer-facing outlet means certain content wasn't appropriate for them), in which you may get to hear Chris talk about how the current technology fits into the potential for new space combat flight sims, which would also play into this equation.

Very cool! That would be great to read about. Thanks again for your awesome article/investigation/interview here!
 
Sold Sold Sold.........the Australian fan will definitely buy every possible copy whereever we find one!!!!
 
Thanks for the information Dennis!

You've definitely got a thirsty crowd of wingnuts always looking for more!
 
Hi Gang!

As a WC fan since 1990, I can honestly say this is great news! I truly hope it becomes a reality!

Cheers,

Jumpstart
 
Being a fellow WC-veteran I would veeeeery much like a new WC. But I'm skeptical on the success of such a game in this day and age, plus the probable difficulty in finding someone willing to put money into it.
What sells today? And how much must any game sell for it to be considered worth while investing in? Take a look at the various PC/Console top-lists today and see for yourself. If you utter the names "call of duty", "battlefield" or "MMO" the financers would probably see dollar-signs! But if you say "sci-fi flight sim" noone will probably even beat an eyelash....Assuming those people have even heard of the genre to begin with.
I doubt there a market for a Wing Commander game today except by us fans and veterans, and there arent that many of us. The late 90's early 2000 was the last gasp of the sci-fi flight sims. Freelancer (2003) was cool and all, but it was also a rushed production that was lucky to have been released in the first place. There seems to have been a rise in sci-fi flight sims produced in the former eastern block, though none of them have made any impact on the gaming market so far.

If he (Roberts) gets the funding for a new game I do hope he will not announce a trilogy or something that requires sequels since the success of the first game will probably lead to the funding, or discontinuing of funding, of the remaining two games.

I do hope I'm dead-wrong about this, I really do. I would really like to see a great new start for WC and perhaps even Privateer depending on how it goes.
 
I may have one more feature to write from the interview, from more of a tech/design perspective (G4 being a consumer-facing outlet means certain content wasn't appropriate for them), in which you may get to hear Chris talk about how the current technology fits into the potential for new space combat flight sims, which would also play into this equation.
Being a fan-oriented outlet, you can see we'd all be very interested in this. Thanks for all your efforts!

In terms of EA taking a risk on what essentially might function as a new IP in the current marketplace, perhaps you noticed they acquired PopCap recently for $650 million? That suggests to me that they certainly have the finances and the will to keep expanding into new territory.
Undoubtedly, EA has the finances, I'm just questioning whether or not they have the willingness to take the chance. But clearly others are far more optimistic about this prospect than I am. For myself, I will hope for the best, but be prepared to be disappointed.

Freelancer (2003) was cool and all, but it was also a rushed production that was lucky to have been released in the first place.
My understanding is that Freelancer took several years of development, unless you mean it was rushed in the sense that it was released quickly simply because it had been in development for so long already. Too, it was Microsoft, not EA, but otherwise I think I understand the point you're trying to say here.
 
If Chris really wants to do this, I would imagine that it's just a matter of getting everyone to sit down at the table and work out the details.

Chris Roberts is a savvy businessman, though, and he knows you don't go to the table after already announcing what it is you want.

... which is to say I'm willing to bet that whatever agreement he needs to make with Electronic Arts has already been signed.

My understanding is that Freelancer took several years of development, unless you mean it was rushed in the sense that it was released quickly simply because it had been in development for so long already. Too, it was Microsoft, not EA, but otherwise I think I understand the point you're trying to say here.
The Freelancer that made it out--though I like it a lot--wasn't the game Chris Roberts envisioned. That's where the rush came from: he left Digital Anvil and Freelancer was turned into a much more, I guess you'd say accessible, game from what he had in mind.
 
Chris' own words indicated that he would use an existing game engine such as IDTech 4/5, Unreal 3, or even the new Battlefield Engine to base the game on rather than writing an entire engine from scratch. That would cut the development time down quite drastically. Assuming that the next wing commander would be a game similar to Star Lancer or Wing Commander 1/2/3/4 and not an open ended game like Privateer. Development time should be quite quick if engine development is kept to a minimum. The graphics engines in modern games are very advanced and handle all the shader/texture things for you out of the box. Combined with model import/export tools pre-made and you can see how development time on a major game can be cut dramatically back to 1-2 years from 5+ that games which write their own engines tend to suffer from.
 
From a purist point of view, it almost seems 'dirty' that a new Wing Commander wouldn't have its own engine... but I'm willing to be pragmatic and take whatever comes! (Actually, I don't know if Arena used its own engine or borrows from something else.) After all, this isn't Origin any more.

... which is to say I'm willing to bet that whatever agreement he needs to make with Electronic Arts has already been signed.
Oh. Well, in that case, I'm encouraged about future WC prospects even more.
 
I'd love to see a new Wing Commander by Chris Roberts. I wonder which setting it'll have. I'd like to see something set between Action Stations and WC1, between the games or set after Secret Ops or even after Arena.

So... you mean you would like to see a new Wing Commander set at ANY time? Heh heh me too... The only option I don't want is pre kilrathi war... can't imagine a new WC without the cats. I am interested in the whole Pilgrim war thing, but I reckon its better left to fan fiction, books, or mod projects. Seems a waste otherwise.
 
Whatever the story will be I hope it will not be Nephilim-related. The nephilim-aspect is my least favorite part of WC and I honestly wish "WC 5 Prophecy" had never been made. :p
 
From a purist point of view, it almost seems 'dirty' that a new Wing Commander wouldn't have its own engine... but I'm willing to be pragmatic and take whatever comes! (Actually, I don't know if Arena used its own engine or borrows from something else.) After all, this isn't Origin any more.

Arena was an existing engine, as were Privateer 2 (BRender, a commercially licensed engine) and Wing Commander Armada/3/4 (RealSpace, developed for Strike Commander).

Pretty sure this will be Unreal 3, though.
 
It can be used for anything--an engine is sort of a broad thing that encompasses everything about how the game renders graphics, treats physics, etc. (And really what is Wing Commander other than an FPS without a floor?)
 
Sol Exodus will be using the Unreal Engine 3 as well and it will be a Space-Sim. "Engine" does not necessarily mean, that you have to do games like the first game using it. Look at the gamebryo-engine :).

I like to stress the fact, that EA is willingly "lending" its IPs to other developers recently. Look at Syndicate or Command & Conquer. And don't forget the GOG-move. Why now? I'm excited :D.
 
Chris Roberts is a savvy businessman, though, and he knows you don't go to the table after already announcing what it is you want.

... which is to say I'm willing to bet that whatever agreement he needs to make with Electronic Arts has already been signed.


I hope you're right and all... but is this some insider knowledge of yours? or just extreme optimisim? maybe both?!
 
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