New Neverwinter game announced

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 23 August, 2010

From Star Trek Online dev Cryptic Studios.

Atari Europe has announced a new Neverwinter game, created by Star Trek Online developer Cryptic Studios and due out on PC during the last three months of 2011.

Neverwinter is described as a "co-op role-playing game inspired by R.A. Salvatore's upcoming book trilogy".

"Once a bustling location, Neverwinter has faced a great many disasters in the past hundred years," says the official blurb.

"Rule of the city remains unclear following the unfortunate demise of the last Lord of Neverwinter and factions still battle for dominance after the all-consuming Spellplague took a high toll on the population.

"Even Neverwinter's dead are beginning to rise from their graves and march upon the city they once called home."

The original Neverwinter game, Neverwinter Nights, was a 2002 BioWare created third-person RPG published by Atari.

Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment created the sequel, Neverwinter Nights 2, which was released in 2006.

Cryptic COO Jack Emmert had this to say: "We're beyond thrilled to develop a brand new version of Neverwinter.

"It's been years since the original became a gaming icon and we're honored to work with such a great franchise.

"We've been working closely with Wizards of the Coast and R.A. Salvatore to create an authentic D&D adventure filled with compelling fiction and exciting gameplay."

Gamers will choose to become one of five classic D&D classes and team up with friends or the AI to form five-person co-op groups.

There's an "extremely user-friendly" content generation system called Forge, too.

Book one in Salvatore's Neverwinter trilogy, Gauntlgrym, will be released on 5th October this year, and "lays the groundwork for the Neverwinter storyline".

Atari's launched a website for the game, from which you can follow using Facebook and Twitter.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (37) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Eraysor #1 2 years ago

    Cryptic's MMOs have absolutely no chance of success then.

  • moozaad #2 2 years ago

    destroying one franchise at a time....

    Modern games industry needs a kick up the arse. I going to go ahead and presume that the Syndicate remake will be trash too. Also can you come in on the weekend? about 10am? That's great.

  • JamesG #3 2 years ago

    Would have been more interested in this if Obsidian had been making it. Never played anything by Cryptic studios, so will try to avoid judging them too much, but I haven't heard much positive regarding Star Trek Online.

    Oh, and a Geeky nitpick for the sole purpose of showing off my arcane gaming lore, the first Neverwinter Nights was actually released in 1991, as an AOL MMORPG. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwinter...

  • JamesG #4 2 years ago

    @ClubHeaven

    The ability to play the game co-op is pretty central to the NWN franchise.

  • darc #5 2 years ago

    "destroying one franchise at a time...."

    No worries, this franchise arrives pre-destroyed courtesy of NWN2. :)

    NWN3 (or whatever they call it) seems like it would be especially challenging for any developer. Aside from the challenges in building any large-scale RPG, trying to deal with the changing expectations re: co-op, MMO, user-generated content... this one is just a doozy.

    I'd really love it if they got it right, but my gut tells me this project is cursed.
    Edited by darc at 23/08/10 @ 15:06

  • ChthonicEcho #6 2 years ago

    No. Please, no. No. I could barely endure Obsidian stomping on my beloved franchise.

    I think I'm about to lose my breakfast.

  • Shikasama #7 2 years ago

    NEVERWINTER!?

    'By Cryptic Studios'.

    Do not want.

  • darc #8 2 years ago

    "Everything has to be fuckin co-op ? Really ?"

    JamesG's reply hits it, plus if this follows suit from the previous titles, co-op will be optional. And co-op games with a single player option generally fare better than MMORPG's that you can alledgedly "solo".

  • Gurgeh #9 2 years ago

    IIRC Atari are due to lose the license for D&D shortly, and are still involved in a legal dispute with Hasbro. They basically have to get one more NWN game out ASAP because its very unlikely they'll be allowed to do another by Hasbro.

  • darkmorgado #10 2 years ago

    Being made by Cryptic, we can assume the final product willl be a buggy, unfinished mess with subpar graphics and a lack of actual content, with the "promise" of extensive future support patching in content that should have been there to start with.

    But hey, at least it will have a decent character editor.

  • mrStones #11 2 years ago

    Nice one. Nwn 1 and 2 were some of the greatest pc games i've played although any attempts we ever had at co-op involed someone running miles ahead and getting their face kicked off while the rest of party is distracted by kettle and tea.

    Still as RPG's go it was a awsome single player experince and really lookin forward to a sequal. Just hope it ain't a MMO because well... Kettles.

  • darkmorgado #12 2 years ago

    Still as RPG's go it was a awsome single player experince and really lookin forward to a sequal. Just hope it ain't a MMO because well... Kettles.

    Yeah I know, all those bloody kettles are ruining online gaming. They should go back to boiling water instead of encroaching on our hobby!

    ;-)

  • Spekingur #13 2 years ago

    People complaining about Cryptic doing this - it ain't an MMO.

  • Shikasama #14 2 years ago

    Good point Spekingur, we should forget that the last three games released by Cryptic were utter tosh and supported poorly because they were in a different genre.

  • Pardoz #15 2 years ago

    ""Once a bustling location, Neverwinter has faced a great many disasters in the past hundred years."

    And now it's ripe for the biggest disaster in the city's history...

  • sneetch #16 2 years ago

    "Even Neverwinter's dead are beginning to rise from their graves and march upon the city they once called home."

    What do you mean "even"? They say that as if it's unusual? The dead rising seems to be the first thing that happens in these places. I'd imagine they have zombie forecasts like we have weather forecasts.

    "Today will be sunny with occasional wights in the morning with the chances of mild zombie attack rising throughout the day but by evening a full zombie horde will have swept down from the north"

    Anway, looking forward to hearing more out of this. Looking forward to seeing how they handle the 4th ed. rules too.

  • darkmorgado #17 2 years ago

    "Even Neverwinter's dead are beginning to rise from their graves and march upon the city they once called home."

    Makes it sound as though things other than dead people rise from their graves. Does Neverwinter have some sort of problem with people being buried alive?

  • Scimarad #18 2 years ago

    Bit of a bizarre choice...

  • TheTingler #19 2 years ago

    An online Cryptic game but not an MMO? Colour me slightly more interested than I was a few seconds ago.

    Still, I'd kill for a decent NON-online RPG set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe at last. Preferably Planescape-based.

  • dacicus #20 2 years ago

    Really?! Cryptic?! Oh, well, here goes the neighborhood. I expect a bloody affair, finally involving ATARI's bankrupcy.

    So, yes, ATARI, please do leave Cryptic handling this game. It's the perfect choice for taking the blame if anything goes bad (which, most likely, will). The brilliant NWN 1 + the amazing expansion Mask of the Betrayer for NWN2 can finally take a rest. The next-gen NWN is coming. C0-op, you say? RPG gamers aren't big on cooperation in their SP franchises.

    RTS and RPG don't seem to mix well with co-op. Look at the sad affair that RA3 was. And think hard of why the big RPG developers avoided co-op for SP. But, here is me, looking forward to ATARI'S demise. Just happens to have a dent against them, mostly because of how poorly they've supported Codename Panzers: Cold War and not only that.
    Edited by dacicus at 23/08/10 @ 16:33

  • darkmorgado #21 2 years ago

    The only thing "Cryptic" about Cryptic is how the hell they are still going after putting so many subpar MMOs.

  • lucifon #22 2 years ago

    Cryptic? Don't mean to prejudge but I have no hope for this.

  • darc #23 2 years ago

    LOL I always get negged for hating on NWN2. I must have gotten the Special Borked Edition or something - it's as if everyone else played an entirely different game.

  • Bleemo #24 2 years ago

    "LOL I always get negged for hating on NWN2. I must have gotten the Special Borked Edition or something - it's as if everyone else played an entirely different game."

    Fight the good fight brother I too found it to be boring, generic fluff.

  • tincanrocket #25 2 years ago

    Having been stung twice by Cryptic (STO and Champions) it looks like NWN2 will be my last adventure in the Neverwinter universe, as I'm not getting stung a third time

  • MrChuckles #26 2 years ago

    Maybe as they worked on Star Trek Online, they'll follow the Star Trek Film analogy of Crap, good, crap gooe etc.

    NWN 1 was awesome, NWN 2 was pants, so we should expect a good one again?...No? Bugger.....

  • RexRunti #27 2 years ago

    My reaction to this news was "A new Neverwinter game? Woo! Cryptic? meh".

  • Sharzam #28 2 years ago

    What gets me is the amount of projects cryptic work on, sure its great to make games but what about development time and ongoing support. MMOs in particular need attention afterall you have subscribers to keep.

    This company has developed more games in the last couple years than what most studios develop in ten years, and its not as if there a monstor comapny with hundreds and hundreds of staff. Even blizzard who have to be one of the biggest out there focus on there MMO alot more than just making new games.

    I will reseve full judgment till we see it but i strongly doubt it will be anywhere near the orginal which took many years to perfect just look at the amount of addons that were made for it.The sequel was ok just not stunning in my view, simlier situation to KOTOR bioware made something magic and Obsidian made a good game.

    If cryptic want to be taken seriously they need to take more time with developing there games not the standard 18 months turn around after getting a license.

  • Turambar #29 2 years ago

    So, genero grind based RPG with some names and locations taken from NWN (because that's how Cryptic roll) and plenty of mindless Salvatore fantasy cliches. No sale.

  • IronCladChicken #30 2 years ago

    It's been a while since I read about Neverwinter nights...

    But wasn't Neverwinter nights originally about creating a computer version of D&D - i.e. the DM can create and control the world/npc's while the players 'play' in the world... with a single game tackked on as an extra... Is this wrong?

    Will it be dropped in favour of a story driven RPG for NWN3?

  • bratmandu #31 2 years ago

    is trek online no good then? I was gonna get that when i upgrade me desktop. Demo seemed ok if ur a big trek fan - not worth it then???

  • darkmorgado #32 2 years ago

    @bratmandu

    Have a look for yourself
    Edited by darkmorgado at 23/08/10 @ 19:10

  • Shigawire #33 2 years ago

    Neverwinter + Cryptic? I'll gladly pass up on this

  • Lin #34 2 years ago

    "five classic classes"? nwn2 had about 15 classes and twice that many prestige classes.

    imho nwn2 ended up being one of the greatest rpgs ever made with all the expansions, patches and a few choice community tweaks. if nothing else it had the best character customisation i have ever seen in a CRPG (in terms of rules, not visuals). the art design in the expansions beats the crud out of Dragon Age's endless grey.

    ultimately, given the atrocious 4th ed rules (essentially WoW on paper, including cool down abilities), i had no hope for this being any good, even before someone as incompetent as cryptic was attached.

    fortunately their is enough nwn2 user content to keep me going a long while.

  • MuppetThumper #35 2 years ago

    I sank 60 hours into Neverwinter Nights 2 and to be honest it was 60 hours well and truly wasted. I wanted to complete the game but frankly didn't enjoy the ride. Much preferred Divine Divinity which was about the same sort of time if I remember?

  • Nostrus #36 2 years ago

    Fuck D&D, I want a Pathfinder game. Kthx.

  • spudsbuckley #37 2 years ago

    More evidence of what i've thought for a long time. Dev's are just throwing multiplayer in as the core game of everything now.

    Don't get me wrong, i'm an avid WoW player and i love MP when it's done right (COD:MW2 et al) but can't we just have some decent single player only experiences again?

    I'm tired of MP for the sake of MP.
    Edited by spudsbuckley at 24/08/10 @ 07:14