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Jumpgate Evolution - An Interview with Codemasters
Recently, the world learned that NetDevil's upcoming Jumpgate Evolution would be published by Codemasters. MMORPG.com's Jon Wood had the opportunity to ask some early questions to the publisher about the agreement and the game itself.
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MMORPG.com:
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What, in your mind, stands out most about Jumpgate Evolution? |
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Codemasters:
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Jumpgate has a huge number of great features that really make this amazing MMO stand out from the crowd. Aesthetically the game looks amazing but the one defining feature that will appeal to gamers other than the setting / theme will be the amazing twitch-based combat. In Jumpgate players will be able to jump into the cockpit and take part in realistic all-out action style dogfights in space which make for an incredibly exciting experience. Jumpgate also adds full joystick support adding yet another layer to the games realism and immersion. |
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MMORPG.com:
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How long have you had your eye on Jumpgate Evolution as a possibility for publication? |
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Codemasters:
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As a business we monitor all titles in the market and Jumpgate as a title shone out brightly in a particularly cluttered space. We feel that Jumpgate offers us as a publisher / operator of the game the right genre, the right theme, the right hooks and features along with the right development partner. As you can probably tell we are extremely excited about Jumpgate and we look forward to bringing this exciting new game to market along with our good friends at Net Devil. |
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MMORPG.com:
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What led to the decision to publish the game in both North America and Europe? |
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Codemasters:
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We’ve published a number of products now in both Europe and North America and have built up a tremendous amount of experience in doing so. Quite simply we believe in the game and our experience to deliver, it was a very easy decision to make. |
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MMORPG.com:
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How much input will Codemasters now have in the development of the game? |
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Codemasters:
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This is still very much Net Devils’ game, we shall of course be there to support them and offer our experience if / when needed. Net Devil are a great developer developing an amazing game and we will be there to support them throughout the development process. |
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MMORPG.com:
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Can you be specific about Codemasters’ role as publisher? |
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Codemasters:
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Quite simply Codemasters Online will be publishing Jumpgate across N.America / Europe. Our role as the publisher means that Codemasters Online will be responsible for getting the box onto the shelves as well as all of the other marketing, PR, community support etc which goes into launching a successful game. |
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MMORPG.com:
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Given that Codemasters is publishing both the North American and the European versions of the game, will we be looking at a simultaneous release in both continents? |
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Codemasters:
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Simultaneous release dates are always very difficult to co-ordinate mainly due to logistics of distribution and how games are shipped to stores across each region or country. It is certainly something that we will be looking at closely as we know how important this is to MMO gamers and we hope to have more news on this closer to the full launch of the game. |
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MMORPG.com:
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Now that the game has a publisher, can you shed any light at all on a possible launch date for the game? |
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Codemasters:
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The current plan is to release the game in winter 2008 however we are not in a position to announce a firm date as yet. |
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MMORPG.com:
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With Jumpgate Evolution serving as a follow-up or re-imagining of a game that was originally launched in 2001, do you think that fans of the original will be drawn to the updated version? |
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Codemasters:
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Think of Jumpgate as the Battlestar Galactica of sci-fi MMOs; Net Devil have taken a classic game and reworked it into something completely new and unique in its own right. The game is a completely new title and we think both previous fans and new players alike will like what they see as we move into BETA then onto the full launch of the game. For more information on Jumpgate visit www.jumpgateevolution.com
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It's already Winter 2008!
I'll order it now....
The game looks interesting, Codemasters are around 5 miles from my home in the UK, shame they dont need any .net web developers ;).
The link at the bottom is incorrect, it's needs the http.
Regards,
Khan
The current plan is to release the game in winter 2008 however we are not in a position to announce a firm date as yet.
FAIL
KhanUK,
Maybe we do! :) Visit our recruitment site on www.thenewbreed.info and submit a speculative application.
Also, as you're so nearby, have you thought about maybe coming to our Connect '08 event in Birmingham? We'll have playable Jumpgate code there throughout the two days :)
Check out http://www.codemastersconnect.com for more information.
Hope to see you there!
hmmm, a flight/combat model like battlestar galactica ? (hey, they made the comparison, grin)
i could go for that.
Will there be game time cards for JG Evolution? Perhaps with three different artworks, one for each of the playable nations? This has been on my wish list almost since I started playing the "classic" game on the EU server back in '02.
And another thing, Codemasters, while I really like to see JGE in shelves, please make it downloadable as well with no additional cost than the monthly fee.
Oh, and please offer more payment options for one-time payments.
Regards,
KhanUK
This is standard practice, your lack of understanding is the only failure.
What a winning combination:
NetDevil: Auto Assault (failure), Jumpgate (failure)
Codemasters: ArchLord (failure), RF Online (failure), Dungeons & Dragons Online (failure)
Things are looking good...
...for another failure
I do agree, but many people enjoy DDO... and some wait for Jumpgate Evolution anxiously
The reason why Jumpgate was a faliure was because it was Netdevil's first game and not very many people heard about it. It actually got solid, respectable reviews. Also DDO the best mmo to date imo.
Despite this fact and the fact that Jumpgate's graphics was outdated even by 2001's standards and the game's limited content, it managed to keep running as a commercial venture for over 7 years despite WoW and EVE, outlive much shinier products such as Earth & Beyond, and gather a small but extremely loyal and dedicated player- and fanbase. Not too bad for a "failure".
When you have a game that is not making any money, rarely updates content, and has hardly any subscribers, that's a failure. I don't care how loyal those 49 people are who play the game.
Let's call a failure a failure, and Jumpgate (however you want to sugarcoat it) was a failure. I don't care if it was NetDevil's first game. Their second game, where they SHOULD have learned from Jumpgate's failure, also tanked. Are you going to blame NC Soft for that one?
Nobody denies that Jumpgate never was a cash cow like EvE or WoW even at its best times, but according to NetDevil's CEO it never ever made a loss either.
However you can't measure a game simple by its "shareholder value". A lot of people enjoyed playing Jumpgate, quite a few still do, and the developers are still actively supporting it (though at a rather slow pace due to the upcoming new project). You may call it a failure, I still call it "fun" :D
Supermax wins the award for refusing to call a spade a spade.
Grats!
Actually, concerning the graphics... Jump Gate at launch was on target. If I remember right, it came out right after games like Klingon Academy, Operation Flashpoint... and was on the shelves at about the same time as Diablo 2. Granted, graphics were not the greatest.. but I believe they met the standards for that time period. Not to mention, the comps people were using back in 2k1...
Jump Gates failure.. and yes, even though I am a huge fan of the game.. it was indeed a failure. Was due to poor management, and horrible marketing on 3DO's behalf.
Now lets get to the failure part, the game itself was a heartpounding blast to play. And content was updated, just not as much as should be... etc. The failure was marketing. Unlike AutoAssault, wich imo was just crap... A bad idea, implemented poorly.
If NetDevil/Codemasters are able to bring in customers, and IF NetDevil stays true to the original concept of the game... physics, vision, etc. There is absolutely no way that JGE could fail.
You like RP, JGE will have it.
You like PVP, JGE will have it.
You like FPS/Flight sim combat... yes JGE will have it.
Mind you, JGE will not be one of those "Im a lvl 70 Warlock and I one shot you to death..." type of games. JGE will be skill/ twich based. Where someone flying a light fighter, with skill can take on someone flying a bomber. And that my friends, is a beautiful thing.