Richard Garriott has a plan to beat Zynga
There is a fascinating article about Richard Garriott’s new company, Portalarium, and its plan to take on social gaming giant Zynga at GamesBeat.
It’s a pretty informative article, actually, structured around a discussion with Garriott that ranges over the various ages of gaming (according to Lord British, at any rate), the upper and lower bounds that exist on what one can cram into a social/casual game and still deliver a rewarding, engaging experience from it.
This was the part of the article I thought was promising:
Garriott was very far removed from the programming process in Tabula Rasa. But at Portalarium, he can now get involved at that level.
“I once felt like I had mastered every byte of the Apple II as a programmer,” he said. “It’s been a decade since I have worked at this level in a game and I am truly enjoying it.”
The game mechanics won’t be something familiar like running a pet shop or a farm or a town, Garriott said.
“I looked at FarmVille, but it was too simple for me as a player,” he said. “The user interface was awkward and the game play was not rewarding. When FrontierVille came out, it was much more interesting. But now with CityVille, there is way too much going on. So now we have bracketed this new experience. One is too simple, and one is too complicated.”
And because the people at GamesBeat are awesome, they even threw in this video interview with the man himself:
Zynga...he has their number.
You may also notice, those of you who read the article, that the release window for Portalarium’s next game gets teased at least twice. (Hint: really soon!) No word yet on what that game will be, however.
Simfarmportaloriumonlineville?
Dungy: ICantBelieveItsNotLordOfUltima?
Lords of Portalarium.
I’d reall like to know what what that big Lord British social game is gonna be like 😛
I really dig Richy G. Despite Tabula Rasa being underwhelming, I still think that if anybody can manage to make MMORPGs fun and interesting again it is Richard Garriot.
Or casual gaming, Handshakes.
I’ll wait to see what he brings out (not that I’ll play it… I don’t play those sort of gamees). But at the moment I have doubts that he is doing anything particularly new and groundbreaking. I think he’s trying to hop onto a train that has already been going for a few years rather than working out what could be the next big thing.
Unless it’s something undeniably fun, which is tough to come up with whether it’s a casual or traditional game, even I don’t see myself playing an LB game which probably requires Adobe Flash and a Facebook account. Flash is a seriously flawed, shitty medium for games. Facebook is a seriously flawed, shitty way to “socialize” with people. The recent Mozilla competition shows much more promising technology and I really hope he’s taking advantage of that and not releasing a Flash-only Facebook exclusive.
All that boring stuff aside, how about this quote of ultimate goodness:
‘Eventually, Garriott promises that he will move on to “Lord British’s brave new world, or a spiritual successor to my previous work.”’
Yes, yes, and more yes.
Facebook and hi5 are the target portals, but I’m not sure his engine will be Flash. There are a few game engines that have web players now, after all…Torque, and especially Unity (which I’m seeing more and more of; the latest example was a free web-based 3D flight sim).
Now, he could be using Flash; I don’t know. But I’d hope he’d opt for one of the more powerful — and less kludgy — alternatives.
No, somehow I doubt even LB could make fake farming fun.
… Unless he added dragons and swords.
Oh shit….why…why…why….They have all all the big names on this project…. Just create something special!!! Something good. Not a crappy Social Network game!
I don’t see Windws and MAC getting lost installing a games these days…That not a valid point.
I can chat with my mates over messenger or skype/msn. Just build a fucking battlenet portal so we can all chat online over various games… arrgghhh
I can see it now.. The Avatar enters into Farmville.. FFS! Or a Tabula Rasa II 🙁 Come on Garriot.
There is always the possibility that this could be what triggers an evolution in what social gaming can deliver to the end user, a chance for the medium to grow beyond just silly resource-management pablum.
Long-ish odds, maybe, but a similar trend is taking place in smartphone gaming, which is…well, related.
Well the plan for Garriott is to create a true Ultima-ish kind of experience in browser game, though with obvious online componant, but he’s made clear he wants to come back to his roots in term of what game he will offer. So I doubt it’d be a farmville kind of game (though the one coming next month might I guess :P)
I can see why he is interest in gaming through this medium though – he’s done traditionnal, he’s donne MMOs, and social networks gaming is basically the next big thing and Garriott has always very much the kind to look toward new medium and technology and see what he can do with it (Remember how he wanted Ultima X to be done using VR helmets and Gauntlet ? :P)
“I don’t see myself playing an LB game which probably requires Adobe Flash and a Facebook account.”
From what I understand the Portalarium technology the company is built on is not flash but something new, and should basically work on any browser and outside of Facebook altough their two casino games where put through Facebook.
Sorry not convinced. 🙁 He should stick to what he is good at. Making great games. Its been ages since he has released anything good. Look at Blizzard. They stick to what they are good at. Making great games.
Sorry to be negative but this looks like another crash and burn project.
Remember how he wanted Ultima X to be done using VR helmets and Gauntlet ?
Yes! I remember thaht promise. Actually you can play modern RPG`s with stereoscopic polarized glasses and Kinect for PC in on the Move.. yeargh, i mean it`s coming. So, thaht type of gaming is possible nowadays. Anyway i doubt that “Richie Rich`s” new game will support it.
Well the thint is to do this sort of high end 3D games he’d need a AAA budget and company which definitly does not fit the small independant approach Portalarium.
I think Garriott is fed up with big budgeted corporate approach. Its also in that sense that Portalarium marks a come back to his gaming roots.