Buffy MMO will be 2D first, 3D later

By Oli Welsh Published 8 September, 2008

Beta "by the end of the year", hopefully.

Speaking to Massively, Multiverse's Corey Bridges has shed a little extra light on the company's just-announced Buffy the Vampire Slayer MMO.

Bridges noted that the game would be released in a 2D, Flash-based version first, with a full 3D version to follow.

"What we're doing with the Buffy game then is releasing it in stages," he said. "It will start as a 2D Flash-based MMO where you can go on missions and interact with other players. This will extend once we have the 3D client working."

Bridges also confirmed that the two versions of the game would connect: "We're going to have these shared spaces where 2D and 3D people can interact," he said. But they would also diverge: "We're planning to have content that can only be done by 2D players, and content that can only be done by 3D players."

"The easy thing is to say that it will be more casual in the 2D version of the game, and more deep... in the 3D version." Multiverse is "planning for" avatars being able to switch between both versions of the game.

The 2D version will go into public beta "really soon", according to Bridges: "I'd love to get that out to players by the end of the year," he said.

Bridges also took the opportunity to apologise for the non-appearance of the company's planned Firefly MMO, although he was "contractually bound" not to say anything about it.

He said that Multiverse was already in development with Buffy, whereas it had only done pre-production work on Firefly. It was looking for another company to develop the Firefly game.

"I can say that it's not an issue of someone being at fault. Neither Multiverse or Fox, or anyone in specific made an error in this. There are just some issues that need to be worked through. Hopefully things will get back on track before too long," Bridges said.

"Believe me, nobody could beat us up [more than] we beat ourselves up about this. We're not at fault, but there are a lot of dashed hopes here."

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (15) Latest comment 3 years ago

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  • mingster #1 3 years ago

    bit bizarre starting it as a 2D ... can't imagine anyone would pay to play a flash game

  • Hamflank #2 3 years ago

    Absolutely mega exciting stuff.

  • Miths #3 3 years ago

    @mingster
    Take a look at AdventureQuest (battleon.com) and their three other games, DragonFable, MechQuest and the upcoming Flash based MMO AQ Worlds.
    I think there are plenty of people out there - including myself - who are willing to pay for good Flash RPGs (though I'm refraining from speculating on whether the "good" part will apply to this Buffy game :)). Although in the cases mentioned above, that is admittedly only a one time fee for access to special items etc., not a recurring monthly price.

  • Triggerhappytel #4 3 years ago

    I enjoyed Dragon Fable, from the handful of hours I put in to it - the writing and humour was one of the game's most appealing aspects.

    Don't really care about this, though. And as much as I love Firefly, I can't see that being anywhere near as good as the show.

  • viper_h #5 3 years ago

    Bored now.

  • Wash #6 3 years ago

    Does anybody believe the firefly mmo will actually be released?

    As much as i'd love to see it, it doesnt appear to have anything behind it. Why would fox be that interested in making it the best it can be when they couldnt even be arsed to let the show run.

    Also, has anything come from multiverse thats been entirely worth playing?

  • Bloodloss #7 3 years ago

    Surely this is some sort of joke?

  • Retroid #8 3 years ago

    It's not a joke. And don't call me Shirley.

  • SpikeRocks #9 3 years ago

    "Wish me monsters."
    "I laugh in the face of danger, then i hide until it goes away."
    "Bored now"


    I can quote Buffy all day! :D

  • DFawkes #10 3 years ago

    Firefly MMO please, that is all.

  • actionfitz #11 3 years ago

    I honestly can't get my head around a Firefly or Buffy MMO... seriously... do they think they can squeeze these existing IP's around the 'bread and butter' of MMO gameplay - tank, heal, dps... Thats such a bad idea it makes baby jesus cry... i imagine... :<
    That sort of thing is fine for your sword and shield high-fantasy concept (which is being flogged like the proverbial dead horse right now).

    Or by some miracle, come up with some new gameplay style that compliments and extends the experiance of the Shows.

    I'm not holding my breath.

    The very idea that someone might butcher my beloved 'Firefly' with a sub-standard EA-movie-tie-in-clone type of game with gameplay copied and pasted from your common or garden variety elfs and orcs mmo... makes me want to harm passers by.
    :(

  • jonthepymm #12 3 years ago

    Exactly what would be in a Firefly game anyway? Are we talking EVE? If so, why not stick with EVE...

  • spudsbuckley #13 3 years ago

    I so want this to be good but know it's going to suck :(

    Sounds like they're aiming to develop it the way Runescape has developed.

  • Nithron #14 3 years ago

    Put real-time combat in it.

    Put real time combat in it.

    PUT REAL TIME BLOODY COMBAT IN IT!

  • firefly #15 3 years ago

    Not overly convinced by the idea of a Buffy MMO, the show was great because of the writing and the characters but there was nothing about the universe itself that demands an MMO.

    Firefly on the other hand sounds like it would have better prospects. The universe is more interesting and very much unexplored due to the short livedness of the TV show. The mission structure has far more potential (smuggling runs, robberies, etc rather than just fighting demons) and it strikes me that it would offer more to aspire to (you could start out living on one of the outer worlds with nothing and as the game progresses scrape together enough money to buy your own ship which allows you to recruit your own crew and opens up a new set of missions).