Red Eagle Games to develop The Wheel of Time MMO
by James Egan 
Nov 12th 2008 at 6:00PM
Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, New titles, News items
Red Eagle Games is a relative newcomer to video game publishing, but their first MMO will be based off of a well-established IP -- Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time" series of novels, which are a blend of fantasy and eastern mysticism. Although Jordan passed away in 2007, he left behind 11 novels and a deep imaginative legacy that could prove to be a popular setting in the MMO world. Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon from Red Eagle Entertainment, which has spun off Red Eagle Games, recently spoke with VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi about their plans to bring The Wheel of Time into the realms of film and games. Film tie-ins with The Wheel of Time IP have already been funded, they're still in the process of raising funds for Red Eagle Games, according to Selvage. "That could prove to be difficult, but he said he has already received an enthusiastic reaction, largely because the rights to the series are considered so valuable," Takahashi writes. Funding issues aside, whether or not Red Eagle Games can break free of the stigma connected with games released in tandem with films isn't clear yet. "Selvage said he is aware of the risks and he believes that most games based on movies fail because they are made in too short a time and there isn't enough cooperation with the movie studio," Takahashi adds.
Are you familiar with The Wheel of Time series of novels, and do you think the setting and lore would lend itself well to a massively multiplayer online title?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Zan said on 6:43PM 11-12-2008
BRING IT ON!
I just finished listening to the full 11 book audio series (very well done btw)... and I was thinking, this would make a SWEET MMO. I hope they do it right, but the world setting is very rich and a perfect setting. I want to be an Asha'man baby!
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Brown said on 6:53PM 11-12-2008
Light! This is great news for fans of the WoT series. It's a shame Robert Jordan (James Oliver Rigney) passed away so young. I believe RJ would have loved to be involved with Red Eagle's MMO regarding the WoT's vast world setting, lore, history, ect. Robert loved to share his passion for epic storytelling and I cant think of a better way to continue his epic WoT series than to share it with the gaming community.
Also, am I the only one who remembers the WoT first person shooter from a few years back? Just wondering...
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Seele said on 8:05PM 11-12-2008
I think the world could make for a good MMO, even including a PvP element (since many of the eventual 'good' sides start out at each other's throats). There could even be VERY clever PvP if they tried to implement a system where the white tower faction can't actually kill its adversaries, but maybe had more power to make up for it.
I do see some potential if the developers try to innovate and really take advantage of the unique setting. But if they go the more likely route of least resistance, and try to make a WoW-clone, well they are left with a limited PvE experience that will end up sucking all the feeling out of the IP (by giving us tons of pointless grind quests killing rats, bats, and wolves that would not really make me feel like I'm playing a WoT game).
This reeks of an IP that is just trying to take advantage of films being made and make a quick buck. If this MMO does actually ever see the light of day as a film tie-in, I'd give odds that it ends up being a generic, WoW-clone-lite (very lite) that blows chunks.
I really hope they do this, and take the time to do it right, but I won't hold my breath.
Seele said on 8:08PM 11-12-2008
Oh yeah, I do remember that FPS WoT game from years back. I actually really liked it for its time. I wasn't a big fan of the way they handled magic (with having to use a relic each time you fired a spell), but it made for some real fun multiplayer.
And I still remember that games rendition of the ways, I thought they did a fantastic job with that, and the whole game! I really hope the MMO people put as much care and thought into the game as the old devs did with that FPS.
sean scryblao said on 6:45PM 1-13-2009
no ive got it. the problem was that it was produced in 1999, just before the major gaming jump. its pretty good, i guess
John said on 7:06PM 11-12-2008
HOT DAMN.
The only problem is there's too many MMOs I like right now, and too many coming out. Where will I find the time? :)
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Ripper McGee said on 8:40PM 11-12-2008
Don't we already have enough Rand al'Thors in every MMO already on the market :p
Seriously though, it's a good IP for a core crowd, but so were AoC, LotR, and WAR. Do we really need another cool IP fantasy MMO?
I'd rather see a really solid alt-genre MMO like a western!
~Ripper
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Sean said on 12:04AM 11-13-2008
omg, please don't let it be a terrible MMO.. I don't need games to destroy my favorite series of novels (already one horrid WoT game out...)
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Kanwalf said on 1:04AM 11-13-2008
Bad Idea very very bad Idea. I've read the WoT series over 5 times and I think this is the worst Idea for a MMO. Where will the game start? Where the books do then when people get bored the Devs jump the shark and start the wars too soon. Plus everyone and their brother will be a boarderlander with Lan in their name somewhere... Please don't ruin one of the Epic Fantasy series of the 2oth century.
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Bryan said on 6:15AM 11-13-2008
HOLY CRAP! About time they decided to do this. I LOVE these books and can't wait for the mmorpg/movies for them. The books already have a huge pool of lore and artwork for the game to use and if any series of books out there has a ton of content for an mmorpg this is it. Tons of cultures, peoples, careers/classes/jobs, music, fireworks, etc. Invading armies from across the sea, aes sedai weilding magic, hell just choosing an aja could be fun as hell. As you can tell I'm extremely psyched about this. With book 12 coming later this year to tie up the series my day is going to be a great day.
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jasonablackburn said on 9:28AM 11-13-2008
WoT would make an awesome MMO. Sign me up for this one. Can't wait for them to finish book 12, since he left lots of notes for it. RIP RJ :)
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Rik said on 11:04AM 11-13-2008
HOLY CRAP!!!! My bags are packed!!
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RJGiskard said on 3:49PM 11-13-2008
I started reading the first book in the series a couple months ago. I found it very bland; the writing style was too basic, too mechanical, the characters one-dimensional. The story itself didn't seem to contribute anything new or exciting to fantasy fiction, and I got to the point where I thought Jordan was writing pages of (uninteresting) stuff just to keep the book going. I gave up about a third of the way in, which is very rare for me.
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hybridhavoc said on 2:04AM 1-02-2009
To RJGiskard...
I think perhaps you should look back over your comment and really consider what you've just said. You gave up a third of the way into the book, the first book in a soon-to-be 12 book series.
Having read the series several times, as well as many other fantasy series, I have to disagree with you big time. I can admit that Jordan has followed a similar storyline as all of the great epics, but he has taken that and advanced it beyond belief. The complexity of the plots, the inevitable growth and adaption of his characters, and his ability to remain consistent through all of this have all helped to place him above all other authors to me.
Anyone that believes they should fully understand even a main character within a few hundred pages should consider whether they could define themselves that well in so little space.