Why zombie MMO Class3 is 360 exclusive

By Fred Dutton Published 4 February, 2011

Microsoft is "aggressive" about online.

Yesterday, World of Warcraft co-creator Jeff Strain took the lid off his new project, an ambitious "online world" zombie-survival game codenamed Class3 coming exclusively to Xbox Live Arcade.

Whether it succeeds or fails, it's an intriguing prospect and one that many PC and PlayStation 3 users might feel sore about missing out on.

So why did Strain's Undead Labs studio choose to team up with Microsoft Game Studios rather than go multiplatform?

"We talked to everybody," Strain explained to Eurogamer.

"This was not a religious decision for us. We love the PlayStation 3, we love the Wii, we love the PC. What it came down to was that we found that Microsoft, as a publisher and custodians of the Xbox, are very excited and aggressive about the online future of the platform.

"They embraced our vision of where we wanted to go with this and just got in there and said 'Hey guys, let's get in there and make this happen.' That gave us a lot of confidence.

"Also," he added, "there's the very real aspect that we're here in Seattle, and they're over in Redmond. It's a 15 minute drive. When you're dealing with a publisher-developer relationship, you can't really discount how nice that makes things in terms of being able to get together and work through issues."

Despite the game's proposed MMO elements and Strain's background in desktop staples Warcraft and Guild Wars, there are no plans to bring it to the PC either.

The Undead Labs founder explained that he sees Class3 as an opportunity to bring the genre across to a console audience. The only way to do that, he argued, is to build it from the ground up with the console's strengths in mind, rather than porting across a PC experience.

"We believe starting from the ground up is the right way to make a full online world experience that feels at home on the console platform," he insisted.

"But it takes you having to take a deep breath and leap, right?

"Right now the market for online world games is on the PC side of the fence and to say to yourself I'm going to make this investment and make this kind of game and not make it for that platform – that's not a trivial undertaking. One of the reason we've partnered with Microsoft is that they're willing to take that bet."

No release date has been confirmed for the game yet, other than the fact that it won't be here in time for Christmas 2011.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (48) Latest comment 1 year ago

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

  • Silvergun-Blue #1 1 year ago

    Considering Xbox owners already pay to play online, I hope they have the sense not to charge a monthly fee.

  • evild_edd #2 1 year ago

    Wonder whether we'll see more in this at E3?

    I might be wrong, but I feel as though MS is putting its focus on exclusives for Kinect and XBLA these days, and perhaps away from boxed, 'core' exclusives (Halo and Gears aside).

    Really interested to see what the strategy for MS is come E3....

  • DozyKipper #3 1 year ago

    I thought Microsoft weren't going down the MMO route because of the closed nature of Xbox Live and extra monthly subs.

  • dirtysteve #4 1 year ago

    @Silvergun-Blue Unlikely, very very unlikely.

  • Kode #5 1 year ago

    I am still waiting for that zombie game where you need to build shelters in the day, defend at night. Maybe this will be it. Plus, co op would be awesome!

  • sesskie #6 1 year ago

    Well, good luck with limiting your audience and exposure to one single platform only. Not the wisest choice for a mmo, IMO.

  • Butr0sButr0s #7 1 year ago

    "Microsoft, as a publisher and custodians of the Xbox, are very excited and aggressive about the online future of the platform."

    Translation - Microsoft is aggressive with online PRICING on the platform. The entire live experience has been built around ads, paid DLC, and gold subscriptions. It's what caused me to eventually sell my Xbox360, I was tired of not being able to turn on my system without seeing a slew of tabs for "HALO REACH MAPS" "COD DLC PACK". If I'm paying, at least give me the decency of customizing my setup. Can you imagine if windows had random adds for your service provider in the background of your desktop?

  • gjgjg #8 1 year ago

    @butros you know you can boot to disc, even better: not be online?

  • davisorle #9 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 15:13:14 09-05-2012

  • inutaihanyou #10 1 year ago

    well, regardless, i hope its good. that's the only seller at this point.

  • RedSparrows #11 1 year ago

    Did anyone actually read the bit where they said it's not an mmo?

  • BlinkeredAxis #12 1 year ago

    Guild Wars was a huge success, without charging monthly. They just charged for the game and its addons. The addons were of an extremely high quality though, which is what you need to succeed subscription-free.

    Also, it was single platform (i.e PC) Most MMO's are.

    If Class 3 is good, then I wish it every success.

  • patchbox360 #13 1 year ago

    Microsoft's attempt to stranglehold the industry with its money hungry attitude will eventually hurt the industry, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Go Sony.

  • Machiavellian #14 1 year ago

    Microsoft's attempt to stranglehold the industry with its money hungry attitude will eventually hurt the industry, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Go Sony.

    So the way you see it, when Sony pay for exclusive PSN titles which they do and also publish, its for the good of the industry and the happy development of the developers but when MS does it with their own publishing company, they are hurting the industry, exploiting their power and corrupting developers.

    Or could it be like the man said. They shopped around, MS Studio loved the idea and Funded the project on the 360. Its pretty much as simple as that. MS game Studio only publishes exclusives on their platform which is pretty easy to understand why. Sony has incentives to go exclusive with their Platform as well but I guess that's cool because it's Sony.

    With a small studio and a huge project, it's probably best to limit the platforms for your game so you can make a better product on one then end up having a sub par game on the many.

    Interesting enough, for some of you, I do not see you crying when the PS3 gets an exclusive for the PSN store.

  • jackdoe #15 1 year ago

    It also seems like if you want an MMO on the 360, it has to be an exclusive. MS doesn't like cross platform interactivity a hell of a lot if it doesn't utilize Games for Windows Live (and we know how popular that is). I'm extremely interested in this, but if they announce a $15 sub fee in addition to the Gold fee I'm paying, then no dice.

  • comben #16 1 year ago

    man this was looking pretty sweet till i realised it was xbox only. faaaaaaaiiiiiilllll

    "We talked to everybody"

    'What it came down to was that we found that Microsoft, as a publisher and custodians of the Xbox, are very excited and aggressive about the online future of the platform.'

    and when you say aggressive you mean willing to spend millions for exclusives right? :p

  • SpaceMonkey77 #17 1 year ago

    I'm pumped for Class3. Just give a city full of zombies and survival option, and I'll be happier than I ever was with DR or RE. This sounds a lot like Dead State, an indie zombie game also being developed (google if you must).

    To some, don't be so down on MS for running with an oppurtunity like this game. Sony helped fund the awesome Demon's Souls, yet didn't want to back it outside of Japan, so Atlus stepped into the breach. Shame on Sony, but as a result, the sequel Dark Souls will now get to more gamers on 360 and PS3.

    I just hope that we see more commitment from MS, than we did for 1 vs 100.

  • riz23 #18 1 year ago

    Well seeing as this is the bloke that was instrumental in creating Guild Wars there may not be a subscription at all. I can certainly see buying further episodes/areas/content with Xbox Live points though. Nothing wrong with that, good luck to the guy.

  • varkdm #19 1 year ago

    @Sesskie .. yeaa.. cos WoW suffered from being patform exclusive didnt it... so did ultima online, eve online, everquest 1&2 etc etc. Actually all of the most successful MMO's are platform exclusive, its just that that platform is the PC. There is no reason why, with the playerbase of the xbox .. or indeed the PS3, that any mmo tied to one console cant be successful.


    I also don't understand all this venom towards exclusives. All the consoles do it. Ultimately the developers, publishers and console manufacturers are profit making organisations, not charities. If exclusives make them money, then great, good for them. You cant seriously expect Microsoft Game Studios to publish a unique and likely very tempting game on the playstation 3, anymore than you would expect Sony to publish their games on the xbox. Not that I'm saying their attitude is best for them, the games or the industry, but its business - you dont find Manchester United shirts on sale on at Chelsea football club, sainsburys food for sale at tescos etc.

    It may not be the best decision, if Sony and MS act as publishers and put their games one each others consoles they might well make a lot more money.. but none of us work for them and so cant have any real idea of what revenue a decent exclusive brings through console sales, as opposed to the increased unit sales of a multiplatform release for MS or Sony as a publisher. Either way, they are entiteld to run their business however they please and there is nothing wrong or unusual in how they are doing it.

  • GibboMayhem #20 1 year ago

    Sold!

  • comben #21 1 year ago

    tbh come to think of it, i couldnt give a shit about what platform this is on now, im just pissed he didnt say MS paid us a shit load so they could keep it exclusive to ms. i would actually have prefered that lol ( i have an xbox btw and a pc so the exclusitivity means little in that respect for me at least)

  • jackdoe #22 1 year ago

    @davisorle: Requiring Xbox Live Gold in addition to requiring a fee for a monthly MMO subscription would be like paying an additional 40 Euros to your WoW subs. Which is ludicrous. Xbox Live Gold should NOT be a requirement for MMOs on the 360 and if it is, then there shouldn't be a separate MMO sub fee. Choose one or the other. Not both.

  • Lunastra78 #23 1 year ago

    I'll admit there are certain 360 exclusives that make me a bit jealous.

    But this is not one of them...

  • Machiavellian #24 1 year ago

    tbh come to think of it, i couldnt give a shit about what platform this is on now, im just pissed he didnt say MS paid us a shit load so they could keep it exclusive to ms. i would actually have prefered that lol ( i have an xbox btw and a pc so the exclusitivity means little in that respect for me at least)

    Why would he have to tell you that MS paid to have the game exclusive when MS is the publisher. The fact that you do not understand that simple concept is a problem of your ignorance more than the developer somehow trying to pull one over our eyes. Really, is it that hard for some of you to understand this simple concept. MS game studio is the publisher, of course they funded the project and thus decide which platform the game will be on. Do you see any Sony published or funded games on the 360. I am simply at a lost as to why you would be piss at something so simple to understand.

  • comben #25 1 year ago

    i would appreciate the honesty. i was brought up that way, sue me. like i said i couldnt care less about it really, just another example of how people talk shit instead of talking straight. and dont call me ignorant you dont know anything about me which makes you just as bad or worse.

  • varkdm #26 1 year ago

    @jackdoe : no it wouldnt, xbox live gold is about £5 a month, wow is £9 a month. Xbox live gives full online access to most games on the platform, wow gives you access .. to wow. If this is a proeprly structured and supported mmo, then there is no reason they shouldnt charge a monthly fee for it - they just have to be very careful how much they charge. They also havent said wether a gold membership is needed to get access to this game, a free silver membership maybe ok, in which case charging a monthly fee for a proper mmo is perfectly reasonable.

    @Comben - publishers pay money to the developers of the games they publish. Games developers will tie in to a publisher based on the strength of the deal that publisher offers. The above article explains some of the reasons why they tied in with microsoft games studios, which all sound plausible to me. The fact that money change hands is irellevant, it aways does.

  • Machiavellian #27 1 year ago

    i would appreciate the honesty. i was brought up that way, sue me. like i said i couldnt care less about it really, just another example of how people talk shit instead of talking straight. and dont call me ignorant you dont know anything about me which makes you just as bad or worse.

    I don't think you really get it. There isn't anything hidden or unspoken. There isn't any honesty to come out with. MS game studio is publishing the game. MS game Studio only publish games on their system. MS game studio is a publisher and just like every over publisher of course they are funding the game. These are very basic concepts that the developer doesn't have to convey. If you are blaming the developer for your ignorance then that's on you but it doesn't make how you feel any more right.

    Also do you know what the word ignorance mean. It means you lack knowledge. I do not have to know you to know that you lack basic knowledge about the situation based on your own comments. You developed some emotion about the developer because you feel he did not relay some information you felt was important but in actuality, it was your lack of knowledge that led to your emotion.

    "We talked to everybody," Strain explained to Eurogamer.

    That one line right there tells you what you need to know. They shopped around for someone to publish the game. Pretty basic.

    "This was not a religious decision for us. We love the PlayStation 3, we love the Wii, we love the PC. What it came down to was that we found that Microsoft, as a publisher and custodians of the Xbox, are very excited and aggressive about the online future of the platform.

    They talked with all the OEMs and some third party publishers. MS gave them the best deal. They have a large platform that and the infrastructure to do what the developer wanted.

    "They embraced our vision of where we wanted to go with this and just got in there and said 'Hey guys, let's get in there and make this happen.' That gave us a lot of confidence.

    MS gave them everything they wanted and probably some incentives based on how successful their game is. New startup, with ambitious game. Goes to MS and they are the only publishers really excited about their game, give them the funding thus reducing the risk, give them the ok with their ideal on where they want to take the IP. It makes sense, making games is a business, you go with the best deal that reduce your risk and increase your chance of success. Really, if the man has to break it down for you so you feel better at night, just maybe you should look into the mirror and ask yourself why.

    "Also," he added, "there's the very real aspect that we're here in Seattle, and they're over in Redmond. It's a 15 minute drive. When you're dealing with a publisher-developer relationship, you can't really discount how nice that makes things in terms of being able to get together and work through issues."

    He tells you that communication was also a big key and if you every dealt with a partner relationship like a publisher has with a developer you would know how invaluable such easy access is.

    You take those comments as fluff but people who understand the business, who have been in those situations understand very easily where he is coming from. You want that man to write you a story about every little decision that led the team to go with MS studio, most people can easily piece it together by those simple comments. I guess The man should be sorry that he did not know you needed more in depth info on their decision to make you happy. Or is it that you want him to say something you have no ideal is truth but its what you believe to be true. You want him to say that the decision was solely based on money and that's it. That would be a very arrogant stance on your part because you nor I know if that was the case and to get mad because he didn't say such a think shows more about you than the developer.

    Edited by Machiavellian at 05/02/11 @ 09:22

  • jackdoe #28 1 year ago

    @vardkm: I completely agree; if Gold is not needed, then charging a monthly fee is perfectly reasonable. However, it is COMPLETELY unreasonable to charge for both Live AND an MMO subscription fee. So I'm not quite sure what point of mine you were trying to dispute.

  • MJHaylett #29 1 year ago

    its a shame that PS3 and PC owners get shafted with this but Microsoft do rely on third party titles more than any other console. But PC? Not suitable for an online MMO! lol

  • miiiguel #30 1 year ago

    Instead of thread angry comments you should go out and spend as much money as possible on PS3 things if you want to hurt evil MS. Sony needs your money! Do it now!

  • Gastrian #31 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 17:56:43 13-04-2012

  • crazyhorse174 #32 1 year ago

    I am still waiting for that zombie game where you need to build shelters in the day, defend at night. Maybe this will be it. Plus, co op would be awesome!

    Minecraft?! :p

  • Noble6 #33 1 year ago

    @patchbox360
    What the hell are you on about ? You make no sense.

  • Noble6 #34 1 year ago

    Why do some people write essays on a comments section ? Such a chore.

  • Lucodeath #35 1 year ago

    I dont read the big comments cos it to much for my video gaming brain.

  • miiiguel #36 1 year ago

    @patchbox360: Killzone 2!

  • Harmonica #37 1 year ago

    The 'small base' concept art looks like something out of Walking Dead which is pretty cool.

    I have no problem paying for an MMO on the 360 because lord knows we've been crying out for one since day one of Xbox Live, and there have been a few non-starters along the way which people were really looking forward to (and a few which came out in Japan and Asia but didn't arrive over here).

  • Zaiz #38 1 year ago

    I bet what's going on is that they are getting a really good deal on data transfer on Live. Gold pays for data transfer on the network, so devs get to patch for free(other than the time commitment to pass the certification process) so Class3 signed up to get really inexpensive(possibly free) bandwidth costs. That's probably the best explanation. Microsoft probably wouldn't even feel the bandwidth drain from an MMO on a network that big.

  • comben #39 1 year ago

    lol i love the way people just presume i didnt know all this already. what would be wrong with just saying 'they offered the best deal, fiscally or otherwise'. tell me. please.

  • SeesThroughAll #40 1 year ago

    @Machiavellian: If you had bothered to actually take a look at patchbox360's profile, you would have noticed that he/she was just joking...

  • Harmonica #41 1 year ago

    Console warrioring ITT.

  • Machiavellian #42 1 year ago

    @ Machiavellian: If you had bothered to actually take a look at patchbox360's profile, you would have noticed that he/she was just joking...

    Ha, I rarely comment in the threads anyway and even more rare would be me looking at someone profile to see if they were serious or not. Anyway, its all good.

  • bell_801 #43 1 year ago

    It's always funny seeing miiiguel owning the phonytards that go all butthurt rage with anything MicroSoft related, just beacuse it isn't on the phonyxation3.
    Just give up man, ignore will make'em even more ragged and funny to read. Third place is where it is at, so they say. (lol)

  • frankster #44 1 year ago

    @Kode: You mean Fort Zombie? http://www.fortzombie.com/

  • Hei #45 1 year ago

    Another game that will get cancelled.
    Too many 360 MMO only have goten cancelled in these past few years, it wouldn't be surprising.
    Edited by Hei at 07/02/11 @ 03:21

  • M_of_the_sys #46 1 year ago

    I like the sound of this. It's a shame I own a PS3 and PC.

  • jynxce #47 1 year ago

    Where were some of you hypocritics when DC Online was released for PS3/PC or a myriad of other games were going exclusive to your platform of choice? It's tiring to hear evil MS this, evil MS that, when your scrutiny doesn't apply across the board. They secure an exclusive and now it's whine-fest '11 (considering every publisher does it). Sony's, EA's, Activision's, etc. stable of devs consist of a bunch of studios they bought out or purchased.

    Reasoning with fanboys of any console is a waste of time. If you don't get something for your system, you whine, period. At least come up with a less transparent reason for it.
    Edited by jynxce at 07/02/11 @ 16:11

  • Seoh #48 1 year ago

    @Kode, its called minecraft