Jan
10
Stargate – Not a Figment of the Imagination
Before I get into this, please go visit West Karana. I’ll quote a bit of what she said so you get where she is coming from when it comes to Stargate Worlds:
I don?t mean to be flip or insult Stargate fans, of which I know there are many. I just didn?t get the show. I guess they eventually also rediscovered Atlantis, which spawned its own show. What I?m getting at here, is, why don?t they make an MMO for a more popular SF TV series, like, say, Battlestar Galactica? Or a world-in-a-spaceship thing like Robert Heinlein?s ?Orphans of the Sky? or Gene Wolfe?s ?Book of the Long Sun? (excellent series, by the way). That concept was used in an old Canadian TV series starring Kier ?David Bowman? Dullea called ?The Starlost? that I watched when I was a kid, and any MMO based on it would definitely be better than the series.
But the real issue I have is, this is a show that has such a limited appeal I doubt I know anyone in real life who has even heard of it ? how can this possibly succeed? I am actually also a little hopeful. If a niche MMO becomes profitable, that may help open the way for even more niche MMOs in the future. Let?s get away from the place we are now which insists that any game with only 200K subscribers is a failure.
Following the article are 11 responses…read those too.
It’s not just her, but I’m getting the feeling that some either a) think that Stargate:Worlds is vapourware and b) Stargate is a weak IP. I’m going to try and address both of these…although, I’ll admit that I can’t even convince myself that (a) is not true. Also, this is not something that Tipa says directly in her post, it’s just two things I want to focus on due to this and other articles I’ve read
Stargate is a Weak IP
Good gawd….no no no. I’ll direct you all to the wiki regarding the TV series Stargate: SG-1. SG-1 lasted 10 seasons and is probably THE longest running sci-fi series in television history. I’m going to tell you….we have nine of those seasons (…don’t think that season ten is out yet…) and each one is very solid. The series itself is very well written with a deep story line with lots of “meaning of life” stuff in it. The characters, although a bit weak to start, really, really grow on you….especially Jack O’Niell. It’s another show…much like Buffy… that does not take itself seriously. Don’t believe me…watch this:
…and here:
So, we’ve got 10 seasons of solid lore to draw from along with the Atlantis series and, from what I know, another series based on the Stargate world is on its way. Trust me when I say, that this IP has infinite possibilities due to the way the stargate works. You can literally, and they did, tell almost every kind of sci-fi story and more. This is because the stargate gives them that magical vehicle to any setting that your imagination can drum up. So, it’s not a weak IP…it is in fact one of the more stronger ones to base an MMO on. The material is there…but…
Stargate: Worlds is Vapourware
I honestly don’t know. They have a website. They have screenshots and concept art. They have forums with, what looks like, a solid community. They even released a trailer recently…but is there really a game there? Your guess is as good as mine, but I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt before I say “poo-poo”. We only know the very basic of information right now and I’ll hold off on the panic button until we start seeing real gameplay footage and reports from people we know and trust. This will be Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment’s first MMO release…so you can take that as a point against them if you want, but I’m sure they are not all noobs over there. For me, this falls right along with the Star Trek license…they have very little wiggle room and it would be a disaster if they messed it up.
So, enjoy the videos. Get a couple of Stargate seasons and you’ll see how fun this MMO could potentially be….but don’t get your hopes up because sometimes shit happens 
D out.
