big-huge-games posts

GDC10: Copernicus' Project Mercury being published by EA

by Justin Olivetti Mar 9th 2010 at 1:00PM

If you have been eagerly awaiting news on the top-secret Copernicus over at 38 Studios, you'll be pleased to hear that 38 Studios broke the silence today. "Project Mercury," a single-player title set in the Copernicus universe, will be coming to the PC, XBox 360 and PS3. 38 Studios signed a publishing deal with EA to bring the game to market.

"Project Mercury" is described as "an epic single-player role-playing game," and is being developed by 38 Studios-owned Big Huge Games under the guiding hand of Ken Rolston (Morrowind and Oblivion). This will be the first Copernicus project launched by Curt Schilling's team after years of anticipation and heavy speculation. As NASA's Project Mercury set out to test the boundaries of space by putting a man into orbit, "Project Mercury" looks to be testing the waters of single-player RPGs before diving into the realm of MMOs, similar to the approach of fan-favorite Torchlight.

Stay tuned to Massively, as we meet with Copernicus' R. A. Salvatore later this week at GDC to pick his brain.

Tags: 38-studios, 38-studios-copernicus, 38-studios-project-mercury, Big-Huge-Games, copernicus, curt-schilling, EA, gdc-2010, ken-rolston, project-mercury, r.a.-salvatore, ra-stalvatore, stalvator

38 Studios estimates it will take 50 to 100 million to finish Copernicus, Schilling looking for investors

by Seraphina Brennan Jul 28th 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, News items

Curt Schilling is out on the field again -- the investing field, that is. The former baseball star turned game developer is looking for more investors to back 38 Studios and their first game, the title codenamed Copernicus. The company's estimates for their game requires 50 to 100 million more in funding for the staff, all with their tentative December 2010 launch in mind.

Keep in mind, of course, that 38 Studios has acquired Maryland developer Big Huge Games, the company known for Rise of Nations, Rise of Legends, and Xbox Arcade's version of Catan. That acquisition doubled the company's headcount and has possibly driven operating costs into the 15 to 20 million a year range, according to the Boston Globe.

So far Schilling hasn't had any luck with potential investors. However, as he said to the Boston Globe, "I'm not going to complain about the economy. It's like pitching on a rainy day. The other guy has to pitch in it, too."

[Via Cuppycake]

Tags: 38-studios, acquisition, big-huge-games, boston-globe, breaking, budget, catan, copernicus, copernicus-mmo, funding, investors, kurt-schilling, r-a-salvatore, rise-of-legends, rise-of-nations

38 Studios CEO Brett Close on the Big Huge Games acquisition and the Copernicus IP

by James Egan Jun 28th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles

Joystiq's fearless leader Chris Grant recently caught up with 38 Studios CEO Brett Close to discuss their recent acquisition of Big Huge Games, and what this might mean for the "Copernicus" MMO. Massively has mentioned Copernicus at a few points in the past, but unfortunately in terms more vague than we'd like. We know it's a fantasy MMO project that draws upon notables like R.A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane, but Joystiq turned up some more info about Copernicus.

Close stresses that Copernicus is an IP that will exist in several channels; there will be books, graphic novels, and of course an MMO that draws upon these elements. "Rather than drilling into details about why this is going to give people something they have never experienced before... what I will tell you is that it's simply based on that talent [R.A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane] and based on our approach and our experience in building these products. There's nothing like it out there right now. And I don't believe there's anybody working on anything like this right now."

Tags: 38-studios, big-huge-games, brett-close, business-models, chris-grant, copernicus, fantasy, interviews, joystiq, mercury-engine, mmo-industry, new-titles, r.a.-salvatore, the-mercury-engine, todd-mcfarlane