Buffy the Vampire Slayer MMO announced

By Ellie Gibson Published 4 September, 2008

But development on Firefly game delayed.

Multiverse has announced plans to release an MMO based on tip-top TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The announcement was made by movie producer Jon Landau at the VirtualWorlds conference. "The resources are in place to develop a great MMOG," he said.

Apparently the game will launch from 'Multiverse Places', a new social networking environment. In a statement, Multiverse said the Buffy MMO will be playable "either as a fully immersive 3D environment or as a Flash-based 2D game, where both types of players can interact". Which isn't confusing at all.

"As a brilliant storyteller and world-maker, Joss Whedon crafts stories that expand perfectly into the new medium of virtual worlds," said Multiverse's Corey Bridges.

"Not to give away too much, but when the Buffy team finished the television series, they created the perfect launching point for an MMOG where everyone will feel like they're an important character in the ongoing story."

A paragraph slipped in towards the end of the statement quietly reveals that another MMO based on a Joss Whedon creation might not be happening after all. "Fox's plans for the development of the previously announced Firefly MMOG have been delayed," apparently.

At least there's the Buffy MMO to look forward to. There's no word on a release date yet, but Multiverse did say the game will go into beta testing "later this year".

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (29) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • the_dudefather #1 3 years ago

    Still waiting for a Coronation Street MMO

  • Evolution #2 3 years ago

    I suppose it's an obvious move considering the longevity of the Buffy series compared with Firefly, but Firefly is just so much better.

  • DFawkes #3 3 years ago

    Screw you guys, we've got plenty of Buffy on DVD. I want more Firefly. Firefly, damn you!

    FIREFLY! You could charge whatever sub you wanted, Firefly starved fans will pay it. I say fans, I pretty much mean just me.
    Edited by 1 at 04/09/08 @ 09:52

  • Widge #4 3 years ago

    initially yay, but FLASH BASED 2D? what are people going to do, walk round and quote at each other?

  • Thamuhacha #5 3 years ago

    Firefly > Buffy ...

    ... with nobs on!

    And it would make a MUCH better MMO too. We could all be different crew on different ships and it works. 1 million buffies is just shit, and no one wants to be that librarian bloke from the coffee ads anyway (yes, I never really watched it after series one)
    Edited by 1 at 04/09/08 @ 09:53

  • Widge #6 3 years ago

    urgh, then that negates the > argument based on incomplete viewage!

  • Thamuhacha #7 3 years ago

    It really doesn't. I have actually watched more Buffy episodes that I have Firefly episodes (for rather obvious reasons) and FF was obviously better.

  • Triggerhappytel #8 3 years ago

    I was thinking a few weeks ago how a Firefly game might work to carry on the story, which Whedon obviously wants to do but film studios are unlikely to fund any more. I don't think a MMO is the way to go, though. I think a strong story-based single-player game would be best, perhaps in the style of KotOR or something similar.

    ...Or they could just leave it alone as it will honestly never be as good as the show.

  • anomagnus #9 3 years ago

    @the_dudefather

    Never going to happen, pvp battles over the rovers return will simply be server crashes.

    Also, some classes are going to be naturally OP - i'm thinking of the CC classes like Bar Person, and healer classes like News Agent

    I also don't fancy the grind to get to level 100 hero class ken barlow

  • andywilkie35 #10 3 years ago

    oh dear

  • viper_h #11 3 years ago

    OMG Hero Class Ken Barlow?

    Sold.

  • BobasaurasRex #12 3 years ago

    I love Buffy, but this could easily turn out to be shit. :( Flash based 2D??!

    But, I'll stay positive! ;)

  • Schiraman #13 3 years ago

    TBH I don't see the point of making either Buffy or Firefly into an MMO - both properties were great on the basis of strong characters and amusing dialogue, because that's what Joss Whedon is good at. Neither of them are set in a particularly compelling or detailed world, which is what an MMO really needs.

    My prediction is that this game will be one of the many MMOs that's announced but never actually sees the light of day. Which is probably for the best, because if it does get made it's hard to see how it could avoid being generic crap.

  • EDDS #14 3 years ago

    omg my dreams have come true, lets just hope its good

  • Arwin #15 3 years ago

    Funny, I'd just thought about this the other day, that the ending of the Buffy series creating slayers all over the world thanks to Willow and the cool-axe-mojo thingy would definitely be a good starting point for something like a Buffy MMO. Could be interesting, but we'll see - it will probably take a good while before it's done, and it remains to be seen whether or not Buffy will be (back) in vogue then. But it could definitely work.

    Of course I wouldn't mind a Firefly MMO either, but then any space MMO would be just as good really. It would basically be Elite MMO anyway. I'd rather we get some more Firefly on regular TV instead. Buffy on the other hand is done as a TV series, so different outings (there's the Season 8 cartoons) make sense.
    Edited by 1 at 04/09/08 @ 10:54

  • frostcircus #16 3 years ago

    The Buffy/Angel universe really is not the most consistent ever. It's forever changing to fit the stories the writers want to tell. An MMO is by nature the exact opposite, with each player's story dictated by the universe. So there's a pretty big disconnect there. Also, what Schiraman said.

    That said, as long as the locales and their inhabitants look like they're supposed to, I'm sure I'll be able to wrest some joy from the game, even though I think they're throwing the point of the show out the window. The first Xbox game did that too, and until it started being a dick with the difficulty, it was very fun.
    Edited by 1 at 04/09/08 @ 10:58

  • Kami #17 3 years ago

    Actually Schiraman, the Buffy/Angel "world" is incredibly detailed, but the problem with Buffy is if they're basing it post-Sunnydale destruction then where are they going to set it? Location is a key problem. Also a problem is how they operatte a class system, after all - Slayers are all inherently female, so where will the strong male archetypes come into play? And what other classes could they provide to keep it all ticking over (Soldier and Witch spring to mind but only three seems very limiting)? Then you have demons to consider, and day/night cycles, and a whole range of other issues to consider to keep the world as believable and balanced as they did in the series.

    Basically, no. I'm struggling to see how a Buffy MMO would work. It's set in the modern-day, and the real attraction was very strong storytelling (I got into Buffy when Willow went all evil. Mmm... evil Willow... Faith wasn't half bad either). Transferring all of that to an MMO is going to be difficult.

    As such, I'm +1 to "Give Firefly MMO. NOW!" It just seems much better suited. If they must do a post-series Buffy game, they should do it as a very tight single-player game following what happens next. It's just sounding like an excuse to millk a subscription fee from a much-loved franchise, and that really isn't a great start for an MMO.

  • mingster #18 3 years ago

    +1 to Coronation Street MMO
    you could have PvP with a whole other soap faction MMO. ie: versus Eastenders.
    pub brawls with smashing glasses over peoples heads would be quality.

    also firefly rules.

  • Arwin #19 3 years ago

    "Then where are they going to set it?" Are you kidding me? In the final episode, when they look at the destruction, Giles mentions a few other locations where there are Hellmouths. The developers don't even have to make that up.

    Seriously, if you can't see how easy it would be to set up a Buffy MMO then you're a) really thick, b) haven't paid attention during the series final season or c) want a Firefly MMO so bad that you refuse to see reality for what it is. ;)

  • Chaote-Imagicka #20 3 years ago

    Actually Schiraman, the Buffy/Angel "world" is incredibly detailed

    But as frostcircus pointed out those details keep on changing. And with Season Eight and After the Fall going on those detail changes are getting absolutely insane as anyone whose picked up today's issues of those two titles will be able to tell you.

  • Bru-Man #21 3 years ago

    I'm a big fan of Buffy but I really don't see the point in this. I'd much rather a brand new IP than digging the slayer out of her grave how many years after the series ended? The world has moved on since then and new original ideas would be more welcome.
    Then again, Willow ... mmmm ...

  • agparrot #22 3 years ago

    /agree with all Pro-Firefly sentiments.

    Buffy MMO? Surely the money would be better spent on a new series of Firefly on TV. Dread to think how many millions of dollars are going to be wasted on this pap.

    Christ.

  • Orange #23 3 years ago

    A buffy MMO would work very well from a story perspective. You could have multiple slayers, you can also have watchers, witches and tech geeks as character classes.

    Only problem is I doubt this company could do it justice and the 2d flash comment worries me.

    Firefly would also make a cool mmo of course, although I doubt anyone would fund it.

  • OfficialBlue #24 3 years ago

    WTF???

  • ZuluHero #25 3 years ago

    doesn't this just open the bag of worms that is gender-specific classes?

    but then again maybe all the male chara's will be moody vamps, who just happen to be 'good' because they have "souls"?

    But no 'cybering' for you otherwise its straight back to the Dark Side! :D

  • actionfitz #26 3 years ago

    Firefly MMO? Buffy?
    jesus fuck... is nothing sacred.

    hands up who reckons a good license = a good game...
    Conan much?
    I rest my case.

  • frostcircus #27 3 years ago

    @zuluhero
    They could always pull a Chaos Bleeds and just make the Xanders of the world fight every bit as well as the slayers. God that game sucked.

    (personally, I think they should make it so you can only play as a slayer. So yeah, it's still gender-specific class, but not in a wormscan way. It ties in perfectly with the lore and with the ending of the show. Plus with so few games having female protagonists, it'd just be flat-out awesome for a game to have lots of female protagonists. Based on the guy's comment, my money's on this being the approach they run with.)

  • Lemming81 #28 3 years ago

    Vagina Monologues Online next, is it?

  • Bloodloss #29 3 years ago

    Hmm. Bit late. Regardless, just felt the need to state that Buffy is infinitely better than Firefly. However, yes, Firefly would make a better MMO and this game will most likely be shit, so ah well.