Topic: Shadow of the Eternals and Eternal Darkness sequels thread

[ThePerm]

So a couple of days ago I had a nerdgasm. I got some news for a game coming to a Nintendo platform that i'm actually excited about: Shadow of the Eternals. The Spiritual Successor to Eternal Darkness.

if you go to
http://www.precursorgames.com/shadowoftheeternals/

you will learn 2 things. Theres a game coming to wii u on the Crytek engine and it looks pretty awesome. One of the things that strikes me as bizarre is the level that they show off looks like a modified version of the Anthony level. Which, makes you wonder about the what Nintendo thinks about the game. Now of course one of the deals with Eternal Darkness was that the design of the levels was based on historical architecture.

One of the things I liked about it was they had Elizebeth Bathory, who I first learned about years ago. She for sure seems like someone who would be possessed by a bonethug. Nobody acts that batshit crazy regularly.

Some of the good things I heard were that there would be more than just in-door environments. There may also be a hot relationship between the blond and the redhead.

another thing Dyak said was paraphrased: "this time we have competition"

Which is what interests me. I was saying before this could be a Octopussy vs Never Say Never again situation where there are two bond movies coming out at the same time and competing against each other.

[alegoicoe]

One question left to be answered its the time span between releases of individual episodes.

[ThePerm]

If I were to just deduce it myself. I'd guess about 2-4 months. Thats just about how long it takes to build a very fine tuned level in the Source engine by myself. They use the crytek engine so idk. Crytek engine is supposed to be a decently fast platform.

[alegoicoe]

it would take almost two years to release the entire 12 episodes, that sounds like a long time. I hope they have at least three episodes in the pipeline once the game launches.

[BranDonk Kong]

Ain't gonna happen unless you give Dyack all yer money and even then it still won't happen and then Dyack will sue you.

[alegoicoe]

Ain't gonna happen unless you give Dyack all yer money and even then it still won't happen and then Dyack will sue you.

And loose and payback royalties

[Stogi]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought it looked exactly like the Anthony Level. That level was one of my favorites though. Monks bursting into demons? Who doesn't like that. But what I liked most about that level was how futile it ultimately was.

If this gets made, I hope futility plays another role.

[Pixelated Pixies]

So, I watched IGN's interview with Dennis Dyack earlier. My eyebrows were raised pretty much throughout the interview, but this part in particular made me feel a little uneasy about the prospects for this game.
 
(6 mins 30secs)
 
McCaffrey - "What is the goal that is going to get this game done?"
 
Dyack - "The initial goal is 1.5 million to get it started. Ahhm...that may fluctuate (laughs)...I'm excited to do it, I certainly hope it's successful, but I feel fairly confident that it's going to be an exciting ride either way."
 
Seriously guys, Dyack scares the hell out of me. I'm a massive fan of Eternal Darkness and have been crying for years for a sequel (be it direct or spiritual), but I can't in good conscience give this guy (and by extension Precursor Games) my money.
 
Plus, I can't trust someone who can't pronounce 'plethora' properly.

[Adrock]

Dyack - "The initial goal is 1.5 million to get it started. Ahhm...that may fluctuate (laughs)...I'm excited to do it, I certainly hope it's successful, but I feel fairly confident that it's going to be an exciting ride either way."

I take that to mean that they will still try to make the game even if they don't meet their goal. For example, if they earn say $1.4 million, they'll still make the episode and maybe cut something (Kickstarter doesn't let you do that. If you don't meet your goal, too bad). I'm not advocating this, but Dyack seems pretty intent on releasing this game so it wouldn't surprise me.

Plus, I can't trust someone who can't pronounce 'plethora' properly.

He's Canadian. Those silly, silly Canadians...

[Stratos]

It's coming to Wii U?  And Dyack is involved? Cool. I thought it was just a small band of ex-Silicone Knights devs putting together a dream game of theirs. I also thought it was only going to be on PC.


I'll be watching this game for sure. I know they dropped a good deal of material from Eternal Darkness so I do hope that some of that appears. Also, Dyack always hinted at a 'hidden' 5th Ancient (the opposite of Mantorok the Chaos God and represented by the yellow magic in the original title) so here's hoping for that to be expanded as well. I remember researching that for my Eternal Darkness Mafia game years ago.


My biggest concern is that Nintendo, the rightful copyright holder, throws a wrench into things. Best case scenario Nintendo takes them and the project under their wing and it becomes a 'true' sequel. Though they can just change names and such but Nintendo even owns the copyright on the whole sanity gameplay element.

[Soren]

I won't get my hopes up for a game that will not come out.

[Adrock]

Nintendo fans made Eternal Darkness a cult classic. It's easiest to reach those fans first. That's most likely why this is coming to Wii U. It also doesn't hurt that there's next to no competition on the platform for this kind of game.

There's no doubt in my mind that Dyack, either at Silicon Knights or at Precursor Games (both?), pitched this project to Nintendo who refused even when Shadow of the Eternals easily could have been Eternal Darkness 2: Shadow of the Ancients or Shadow of Eternal Darkness. An Eternal Darkness sequel is looking at Eternal Darkness-esque sales. Probably not good enough for Nintendo even though they keep extending the ownership of the trademark. Still, I doubt Shadow of the Eternals could even be released period without Nintendo's blessing otherwise Precursor Games would have been served a cease and desist notice. This is the same Nintendo that let Silicon Knights off the hook to work on Too Human with Microsoft. Shadow of the Eternals is not even remotely subtle about how close it is to Eternal Darkness and Nintendo holds those rights so Nintendo is letting this happen. Precursor Games has to have an eshop license.

Dyack really plays up the crowd funding, community, and episodic aspect of this project, but really, what choice did he have? This was the only way the game was going to get made though he's acting like this was the plan from the beginning. He's really selling this idea that the community should get involved and suggest ideas. How much time would they even have between episodes to implement those changes and ideas without severe delays? More importantly, how much confidence can you have in your own project if you're already relying on your audience to fix ****? In the interview, Dyack says, "With episodic content, we have a chance to, you know, bring this out in stages and not only gauge a reaction, but allow the gamers to create the games as well." That's not my responsibility. You, sir, should build a game that doesn't suck. That said, I'm not really buying that whole dealie. At best, it's a sales pitch (You're helping to make the game, helper-person"). At worst, it's...


And I find it a bit strange that Dyack talks about how different Eternal Darkness was back in 2002 and how Shadow of the Eternals is trying to be different from what's out today and from Eternal Darkness. "It's got some of the same spirit of Eternal Darkness." Really, Denis? Everything you've shown is essentially Eternal Darkness. I'm pushing the shenanigans broom on that. About the only thing different so far are that the graphics are nicer and the cast of characters. That is, until you look at the last two silhouettes in the Cast section of the website.



Look familiar?



Pay attention to the end of that interview when Ryan McCaffrey asks if there will be any references or cameos and Dyack says, "I think anything is possible." Get your tinfoil hats ready, everyone.

It's important to note that the crowd funding is for the Pilot Episode only. Is this an audition? Does Precursor Games really want to gauge interest of players or Nintendo? If they really wanted to make something different from Eternal Darkness, they could easily make something different from Eternal Darkness. I'm under the impression that if Nintendo offered the use of Eternal Darkness in exchange for exclusivity (obviously), Dyack would drop the PC version and give up this "spiritual successor" posturing in a second. "We couldn't pass up the opportunity to work on Eternal Darkness." It wouldn't be the first time an unrelated game became a Nintendo franchise. Honestly, that's the only way I see all 12 chapters ever coming out.

[BranDonk Kong]

Yeah, this game is never coming out.

[Halbred]

NOOOOOPE.

[Adrock]

The Pilot Episode might come out due to people's curiosity. Beyond that, nope. Don't episodic games tend to lose their audience? Dyack seems to think the opposite is true. I'm not pledging so I wouldn't really have the right to mourn if it doesn't get made.

Crowd funding isn't going to get it done, neither is the episodic route. If Precursor Games is really serious about Shadow of the Eternals, they need to do what Silicon Knights wasn't willing to do: work on projects they're not enthused about to fund the projects that they want to make.

[jayar]

On the website FAQ it at least offers a statement that they'll refund everyone's money if it's clear they won't have enough to make the game. Obviously, that's not much insurance, but as someone who has worked in the entertainment industry, I know statements like that aren't made lightly. Dyak's whole niche will be donating, and it wouldn't be a wise career move for him to alienate the whole niche by stealing their money. It's not like they could spend it all in the 30 day donation period anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much about losing your 25 bucks. I'm not convinced this game will be made, but if you're interested in this game, I wouldn't write it off just yet. I think it's worth a gamble just to finally see a creative use of the Wii U's controller with new insanity effects.

[ShyGuy]

Precursor responding to Silicon Knights connections/criticisms:

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-05-09-precursor-we-understand-the-skepticism-about-our-silicon-knights-roots

[Shaymin]

Probably picked up the assets for...

ONE DOLLAR, BOB!

[ThePerm]

well at their current rate they should make 1.3 million in their 30 day time. they seem to be making 43,333  a day.

[BranDonk Kong]

Yeah, it's never being made or coming out. Worst case - they release the demo that they made while they were supposed to be working on X-Men Destiny. Best case - they release the demo that they made while they were supposed to be working on X-Men Destiny.

[Pixelated Pixies]

I think this first episode has a chance of coming out. My doubts lie more with the quality. I guess I should probably give Precursor Games the benefit of the doubt, but I am somewhat dubious that this will come close to Eternal Darkness.

[ThePerm]

Back to my What's Retro Studios working on?

The two notable guys they hired are: A level artist from uncharted, and a character artist from Darksiders.

[ThePerm]

there had been another video earlier, but here is one without commentary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UAwnT8A8EQ&

just wanted to post this old demo video too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDadY9AfVL0

[ThePerm]

they now  have a kickstarter version of the campaign, asking for less money and a longer time period.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/617502838/shadow-of-the-eternals?ref=card

[ShyGuy]

Well if someone was nervous about their donation being taken, this should help reassure them.

[Adrock]

they now  have a kickstarter version of the campaign, asking for less money and a longer time period.

Is the $1.35 million just minus what they have collected through their own crowd funding on their website?

Anyway, I would feel safer contributing to this project trough Kickstarter, but I'm far more likely to just wait to see if they actually finish the entire game.

[BranDonk Kong]

Gameplay demo - this game looks like a mix between Assassin's Creed and [any game that never got finished goes here].

[Adrock]

Ain't gonna happen unless you give Dyack all yer money and even then it still won't happen and then Dyack will sue you.

Yeah, this game is never coming out.

Yeah, it's never being made or coming out.

Gameplay demo - this game looks like a mix between Assassin's Creed and [any game that never got finished goes here].

I may be mistaken, but I'm under the impression that Brandogg doesn't think Shadow of the Eternals is coming out.

[NWR_insanolord]

It's an understandable opinion.

[alegoicoe]

They just opened a Kickstarter campaign, bringing even more legitimacy to the project.

[ThePerm]

Well, I just put $25 in. The kickstarter version of course.

[Adrock]

It's an understandable opinion.

I didn't say it wasn't. In fact, it's an opinion I share. I just thought it was funny (albeit excessive) that he brought it up four times in the same thread.

With a Kickstarter, there's a greater chance of Precursor Games meeting their goal though I wonder how many people are aware that they're only contributing to the first of many episodes.

[BranDonk Kong]

I do realize that I keep saying the game isn't coming out. I would like for the game to come out though, but it sucks that they have such a bad reputation that they have to use Kickstarter to get their game funded.

[NWR_insanolord]

I just thought it was funny (albeit excessive) that he brought it up four times in the same thread.

Subtlety is something Brandogg would never be accused of.

[Adrock]

I would like for the game to come out though, but it sucks that they have such a bad reputation that they have to use Kickstarter to get their game funded.

I don't know if that's entirely fair. A lot of people whose reputations haven't been dragged through the mud turn to Kickstarter. And really, only Denis Dyack's reputation has taken a hit and he's not even running the company. No one knows who the hell the other guys at Precursor Games are. That Kotaku article was damaging, but it's still hearsay. I'm not apologizing for Silicon Knights or Denis Dyack. There's no excuse for submitting such a **** product like X-Men Destiny. The pieces fit though we've only heard one side of the story. What does X-Men Destiny's turbulent development say about the people who commented on that article? If levels were barely playable for most of development, they weren't doing their jobs either so it goes both ways. Games development is a collective effort. It's easy to pass the buck on those whose faces and names are out there while hiding behind the veil of anonymity.

[NWR_insanolord]

So you're suggesting it might be a coincidence that every project Dyack's been involved with in the last decade has turned out to be a mess after going through development hell?

[Adrock]

No. Not at all. I have previously mentioned that delays of Dyack's other projects were reason to be skeptical that Shadow of Eternals would not meet its Q3 2014 release though that doesn't tell the whole story.

I'm pointing out that Precursor Games is an entirely new entity, one in which Dyack is apparently only involved in the development side which makes this the first project where he isn't also running a company. If we are to be believe that Kotaku article and blame Dyack's inability to correctly run a business for Silicon Knight's failings, it follows that a company that he isn't in charge of should fair differently unless, of course, Precursor Game's CEO, Paul Caporocci, makes literally all the same mistakes Dyack made at Silicon Knights.

Many of us here like one game Dyack has helmed so I think we can at least begrudgingly agree that he's not a total **** up when he's involved in a project he cares about (as in not X-Men Destiny). Shadow of the Eternals being such a project as well as one he now can devote his attention entirely to, I don't think it's a stretch that the game would have a better chance of not running into the same issues as Silicon Knight's titles.

Even then, and as I also previously mentioned, I think Dyack not having someone like Miyamoto overseeing his progress and telling him something sucks could be a problem. He's relying on the crowd funding people to do that which isn't the same. There's reason to be skeptical of Shadow of the Eternals which I admittedly am, but not necessarily for the same reasons Silicon Knight's games deserved skepticism.

[NWR_insanolord]

Dyack, as you alluded to, only works when he has someone who can effectively say "No" to him. Nintendo got results from him because they kept him on a tight leash. Even if he's not technically in charge of the business, I seriously doubt that whoever is will be capable of reining him in.


EDIT: The one thing that might save this is that, for Dennis Dyack, proving that he's capable of doing this is of equal importance to actually making the game itself. It might be a big enough motivator to keep him in line if he truly understands why he's failed in the past and he understands that his future in the games industry is at stake. If he pulls this off, publishers will be knocking at his door with offers, and if he doesn't that's pretty much it for his career. It depends on how well his head's screwed on how he'll respond to that.

[Adrock]

Maybe, maybe not. Considering someone else writes his checks now, he might not have a choice.

[ThePerm]

One of the thigns that went wrong with Silicon Knights was the constant fluctuating ballooning popping teams. When the company was a small group of people they made good games. Personally I think nowadays with the tools that are available I could make a game like Eternal Darkness with about 3 other people in about two years. I would have to spend all my time dedicated to it, and it would be madness. I would do that now, but obviously I would need someone funding me.

Even as a fan of their work I was still hesitant to jump in given their reputation. But kickstarter is a far safer thing. Also its much less annoying than paypal, and I just set up my amazon account last week for different reasons anyhow.

[Ian Sane]

The one thing that might save this is that, for Dennis Dyack, proving that he's capable of doing this is of equal importance to actually making the game itself. It might be a big enough motivator to keep him in line if he truly understands why he's failed in the past and he understands that his future in the games industry is at stake. If he pulls this off, publishers will be knocking at his door with offers, and if he doesn't that's pretty much it for his career. It depends on how well his head's screwed on how he'll respond to that.

How many people do you know are self-aware enough to understand why they have failed in the past?  SK sued Epic claiming that they had sabotaged the engine on purpose.  That's some pretty nutty **** and doesn't sound like the actions of someone who would think to themselves "well I really fucked up here and should do things differently next time."  The whole thing seems more like the actions of someone who always finds someone or something else to blame for failings.  "SK didn't fail.  It was Epic SABOTAGING US!!!"

So from that Dennis is going to realize the real reason why everything since the split from Nintendo has been a complete disaster and will shape up?  I don't expect that sort of thing from most people who don't have a bad track record just because it's human nature to assume we're all a lot better than we really are.

[ThePerm]

From what it seems is the company is ran by someone who was laid off at SK. Which means Dyack doesn't have the reigns on this one. It seems the vibe of the new company is much more humble.

[ShyGuy]

Dyack addresses concerns and that dirty Kotaku.

http://www.precursorgames.com/shadowoftheeternals/campaign-update-8-precursor-response-to-kotaku-article/

[BranDonk Kong]

TL;DL

Still don't have any faith that the game is coming out.

[Enner]

It's a nice video; you should watch all of it.

It is admirable, respectable, and right of him to speak about the allegations on-camera, especially since the article has been so pervasive. Having watched the video, I more believe that he and the developer should get this chance.

[ShyGuy]

Shadow of the Eternals is up on Steam's project greenlight:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=146636877

[ShyGuy]

Also, Dyack apparently did a Let's Play of Eternal Darkness with an interviewer on Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxp1C5yZEPBxS3XUj23F-tR0hDiHZVJJ

[azeke]

Also, Dyack apparently did a Let's Play of Eternal Darkness with an interviewer on Youtube

Nintendo is getting all moneys from this Let's Play

just getting this out of the way, you know this is inevitable

i got the game last year and haven't put it in since

[ThePerm]

a nice interview I missed from a couple of days ago

http://www.cubed3.com/news/18764/1/precursor-talks-shadow-of-the-eternals-eternal-darkness-and-nintendo-wii-u-development.html

[ymeegod]

"Precursor Games is an entirely new entity"

LOL, that's rich.  Think they are all "ex" Silicon Knights employees, the CEO, CCO (Dyack), tech director, lore master, ect.  A new logo and a name change doesn't skipped the fact that these guys are the same ones that put out Too Human and Xmen destiny (even though they all deny it).

[ThePerm]

so much internet negativity....

all i can think of is this with the negativity
http://blip.tv/paradiseandfaries/xbox-one-the-next-sega-saturn-6591050?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blip%2FrodV+%28Dr.+V+-+TV+-+recent+posts+-+blip.tv+%28beta%29%29

was Too human really that bad, or is this all hyperbole? I've read reviews ranging from 68% to 88%. As far as Xmen, i hear a lot of negative things about it, but I also hear its one of those cases where it could have been an awesome game had they just made a few different design choices.

Now I had always wanted to work over at Silicon Knights, I had tailored my portfolio specifically for their studio. I stayed the hell out of there though, because I could tell they were a pretty volitile group right after Twin Snakes. When they had worked on Eternal Darkness they were a very small group. And after every game their team grew by about 30. By Xmen time they were hiring and firing people left and right. I didn't want to be involved with that.

Also, the whole x-men game...i remember when that game was announced. It just seemed like the wrong fit for them. Like they were just doing a commercial game to stay afloat. If you really look at it from SKs perspective, you have a studio that isn't getting their game made. We were supposed to get Too Human for gamecube, and for whatever reason it fell through and wound up being on xbox. Maybe the Wii was too weak for what they had in mind? Maybe Nintendo wanted SK to make some games they would rather not make? Either way they were thrown into a situation where they had to find new publishers, and that can be a duanting thing.

It seems though that they've filtered out the non-sense. There are only enough people to make a game at this point, and their output has been pretty great. I'm liking all the videos and screenshots. The characters look good. Not to mention the gameplay of Eternal Darkness was one of those games that if simply translated to the wii u would still be new and refreshing. Its one of those cases that if it isn't broke don't fix it. 

One of the things for instance was I always found myself thumping around the start menu trying to set up my spells. This would totally be fixed with the Wii u gamepad.

maybe you need more convincing..I had posted some links, but here is the 9 minute gameplay video.

[Sarail]

Wow. That actually looks interesting. I'd like a bit more than just context sensitive actions appearing on screen, but colour me impressed.

Do I donate, or do I not? Hmmm...

[Adrock]

a nice interview I missed from a couple of days ago

Those were some of the most generic answers ever given.

Still, this is the second Precursor Games interview where they were asked if there would be any connection to Eternal Darkness and their answer again was "anything is possible." Coupled with claims of how supportive Nintendo apparently is toward Precursor Games, I have to wonder if there's some underlying deal in place. Why would Nintendo be so supportive? I mean, other than "Here's an eshop license. Go nuts." While there are 26 days left on the Kickstarter, Precursor Games hasn't met 10% of their goal. Did they really think they could raise over a million dollars for 1/12 of a game? Or was this a publicity stunt? A way to gauge interest in an Eternal Darkness follow-up? A way to get people talking and remembering a game that came out over a decade ago? It could have the opposite affect. If there isn't sufficient enough interest, the project is in trouble.

For comparison's sake, Tim Schafer and Double Fine launched a Kickstarter last year to raise $400,000 for an entire game (albeit much smaller in scope than Shadow of the Eternals). They raised over $3 million. The lowest pledge of $15 nets you the game, as in all of it. What Precursor Games wants to do is just so delusional yet they seem so confident that the game will be made. Maybe Nintendo is really helping them in some way.

[ymeegod]

"was Too human really that bad"

60+ million dollars to make over 8 year cycle time and only this thing they got for it was 1/3 of a crappy game?  And yeah I played and finished Too Human.  SK blamed Epic for their failure.

Xmen same crap, blamed everyone but themselves and then deny even working on it at all? 

[TJ Spyke]

They got a full game. It wasn't 1/3 of a game, it was the first in a trilogy. But it was still a stand-alone game. Not saying the whole blame is on Epic Games, but Epic did deliberately hold back features of the engine so they could take advantage of it before others.

[pokepal148]

They got a full game. It wasn't 1/3 of a game, it was the first in a trilogy. But it was still a stand-alone game. Not saying the whole blame is on Epic Games, but Epic did deliberately hold back features of the engine so they could take advantage of it before others.

but then it wasn't just silicon, meaning the case wasn't justified on their own

[ymeegod]

Clearly, an 9 hour RPG game counts as a full retail product?  Don't talk about an game you never played because anyone who played the shitty thing would tell you they simply cut and released a product that wasn't close to being done and called it a full game.

Xmen is not as bad as Too human but you can clearly see a rushed product at the end. 

[TJ Spyke]

Clearly, an 9 hour RPG game counts as a full retail product?

So is Fable not a full retail product? Because I beat it twice in under 10 combined hours. Length has nothing to do with it.

[ymeegod]

Which Fable?  Just googled in the first one and the fastest it can be completed with skipping FMV is 7:30 and the avg completion at 20 hour mark?

Not really a huge Fable fan neither (Peter Molyneux) but there more sidequests and other stuff to do in his RPGs.  Unless you mean that last "Kinect" Fable game because that's an adventure and not a RPG like Fable1-3 were.

[TJ Spyke]

LOL, not true at all. I beat the game in under 5 hours as a good hero, then beat it again in under 5 hours as bad hero. Looking online, I am far from the only person to beat the game in under 5 hours (even WITH the cutscenes. The only way I can see it taking 20 hours is if you take your time and 100% everything (even then that is a long time).

And I mean the original Fable.

[ThePerm]

[ShyGuy]

 That was pretty cool.

[BranDonk Kong]

They got a full game. It wasn't 1/3 of a game, it was the first in a trilogy. But it was still a stand-alone game. Not saying the whole blame is on Epic Games, but Epic did deliberately hold back features of the engine so they could take advantage of it before others.

Finishing 1/3 of the game and calling it part of a Trilogy doesn't excuse them for taking 8 years and not finishing the game.

[ThePerm]

same with Sega and their idea of episodic content. Shenmue was the biggest budget game in history, im not sure if it still is, but they made two games, the last ending with a cliffhanger and no resolution. It was also a terrible flop in terms of sales. It is difficult to make games in that sort of scope. The only game I can really think of that did that was Mass Effect.

[Soren]

...and the Kickstarter's been suspended.

[Adrock]

According to the website, they're going to relaunch it in a few weeks with some "exciting new developments" which should seriously start with a less insane initial goal. I don't think the Kickstarter route is going to work without drastically altering what they envision Shadow of the Eternals to be. Precursor Games is going to need a publisher.

At this point, their best bet might be to drop the PC version and pitch the game to Nintendo as an exclusive. They'd probably have to surrender the rights to the IP which at that point would practically make the game an actual sequel to Eternal Darkness.

[ShyGuy]

I bet they worked out a deal with a publisher or a investor.

[ThePerm]

for one 30 days is a terrible amount of time. I've pledged $25, but the campaign didn't go anywhere past the initial 4 days. They should have ran it for 4 months. I've been active in the precursor community since it became a thing. So, I hope it gets made. If it switches consoles I will be pissed though.

As far as surrendering the IP goes...why not have 2 Eternal Darkness series? If they can evolve in separate directions that could be a good thing.


Or how about 3? I could launch my own Kickstarter Spiritual Successor. I already thought of a title.

[alegoicoe]

I bet they worked out a deal with a publisher or a investor.

And i bet is Nintendo, the most logical choice for both companies. Precursor needs the support and Nintendo a sequel to eternal darkness to attract gamers

[Spak-Spang]

I always hoped the entire crowdfunding campaign in and of itself was an insanity effect.  Though, honestly it probably isn't or wasn't.  I believe they are probably just taking the game in a different direction to hopefully secure more support and revenue for the game. 

That being said, it would have been an awesome insanity effect marketing campaign...and perhaps it could re-emerge as that again.

[Soren]

I bet they worked out a deal with a publisher or a investor.

And i bet is Nintendo, the most logical choice for both companies. Precursor needs the support and Nintendo a sequel to eternal darkness to attract gamers

Yes, because the market spoke, nay, they screamed out loud "We want this game!". That's why the Kickstarter was doing so good.

They're going to re-open the kickstarter again with a lower goal so they don't have to give refunds like they were going to have to do this time. They'll do as much work on the game as the money allows them to, then pitch to/pray/hope a publisher picks them up so they can finish it.

[shingi_70]

I wonder if the kickstarter would have done better if they targeted all next gen platforms.


I guessing they're going to scale the project back.

[Adrock]

I wonder if the kickstarter would have done better if they targeted all next gen platforms.

Maybe though I doubt it would have been a difference maker. Most of the people who pledged were probably Eternal Darkness fans who in turn were probably Nintendo fans as well. Targeting Wii U for a spiritual successor of a Nintendo cult hit was the one thing Precursor Games absolutely got right.

[Kytim89]

 I wonder if Nintendo might have picked this game up for publishing and will announce it at E3?

[Adrock]

I wonder if Nintendo might have picked this game up for publishing and will announce it at E3?

The timing is off and the details don't add up. Precursor Games wouldn't be relaunching the Kickstarter in a few weeks if Nintendo picked up Shadow of the Eternals and planned to announce it next week.

[Spak-Spang]

Unless Precursor isn't going to relaunch the kickstarter campaign.  That could just be a ruse. 

[BranDonk Kong]

One of the founding members of Precursor and former Silicon Knights director has been arrested for possession of child pornography. So, here comes the beginning of the end.

[TJ Spyke]

He is one employee, doesn't mean the company is bad.

[BranDonk Kong]

Didn't mean to imply that the company is bad, just pointing out that they've got issues.

[broodwars]

He is one employee, doesn't mean the company is bad.

Even disregarding the massive PR issue that company has now, they just lost presumably their game's main writer; game designer; and artist. Considering there were already little more than 12 employees in the entire shell company, losing such a major one is a huge blow.  And let's not forget that they still have Dyack, who hasn't exactly endeared himself to the gaming community, either. If this didn't destroy the company, it certainly set them on that path.  We'll see if they can recover from it.

It's hard to beg what fans you have to give you money when one of your employees is a walking PR nightmare and another (now former employee) was arrested for possession of child pornography.

[Spak-Spang]

They are not recovering from it.  Even if he is found innocent, it will be hard to recover.  No publisher will touch them...which means crowd funding is there only hope, but they can't get that off the ground either. 

They seem to just act like they are entitled to make the game. 

[shingi_70]

Game is done sadly enough. After the kick starter failed the games only hope was to be picked up by a publisher. That however probably isn't an option in light of recent events.  Even before that I'm not sure anyone would want to get in bed with Dyack.

[ThePerm]

ah **** McCulloch?
I was in the forums ms paint art contest recently. He was posting some neat stuff. This is too bad.

[shingi_70]

If they were to announce a PS4 tier I'd reluctantly back the game.  At this point the game needs be on every major platform that allows for Self Publishing to even meet its next kickstarter goal On that topic I wonder if they're going to push the relaunched kickstarter to try and let this controversy blow over.

[Adrock]

Well, apparently, Shadow of the Eternals is a thing again. I'm not entirely sure how Denis Dyack pulled this off. Who is still giving him money and why? My current theory involves Dyack pledging his life to Xel'lotath or something.

Some details
- Dyack started Quantum Entanglement Entertainment to revive the project
- Shadow of the Eternals is apparently in development now and in addition to related TV and film projects; Dyack calls this merging of games, TV, and film "The Singularity"
- No platforms announced
- Still isn't Eternal Darkness 2

Who want to take the over/under on this latest revival failing?

[broodwars]

Well, apparently, Shadow of the Eternals is a thing again. I'm not entirely sure how Denis Dyack pulled this off. Who is still giving him money and why? My current theory involves Dyack pledging his life to Xel'lotath or something.

Some details
- Dyack started Quantum Entanglement Entertainment to revive the project
- Shadow of the Eternals is apparently in development now and in addition to related TV and film projects; Dyack calls this merging of games, TV, and film "The Singularity"
- No platforms announced
- Still isn't Eternal Darkness 2

Who want to take the over/under on this latest revival failing?

Interesting how Denis Dyack couldn't manage to fund ONE video game without TWO failed Kickstarters, but could manage to scrape together the funding to form a transmedia corporation that is making that same failed video game along with other TV & film projects.

To say I'm skeptical of this little endeavour's legitimacy and life expectancy is an understatement as large as Dyack's ego.  Seriously, who's still giving this guy chances when he hasn't had a successful game since the PS1 era (remember, as much as we may like Eternal Darkness, it wasn't a big seller and Twin Snakes skated by on the MGS name)?

[BranDonk Kong]

Adrock you forgot a couple details:

This will never get finished.
Company will close within months.

[Louieturkey]

Adrock you forgot a couple details:

This will never get finished.
Company will close within months.

Probably true.
Until the game is on shelves or on Steam/PSN/XBLA/Whatever, I'm expecting it to fail.
And I won't touch it until it gets multple rave reviews.

[Retro Deckades]

After listening to the latest Nintendo Voice Chat podcast in which Dennis was a guest, it's clear to me that he is a man with some pretty cool ideas, but he seemingly has no idea how to focus on just one thing to see it come to fruition. It's a sort of "Jack of All Trades, Master of None" scenario. Instead of having a company focused on combining all of these different aspects of entertainment, why not just pick one aspect and do it really well? That's how businesses succeed. That's probably why he worked so well with Nintendo -- they helped him to focus on what mattered regarding video games. To try and combine all these different entertainment ideas and make them work, while a great idea in theory if done correctly, seems like it has an extremely long shot of succeeding, in reality. The name of the company seems rather fitting, at least.

[marvel_moviefan_2012]

Did Eternal Darkness need a "spiritual successor" though? Wouldn't it make more sense to get into bed with Nintendo to try doing an enhanced remake for Wii U at this point? or at the very least get the GC game up on eshop it doesn't have to be an emulation they have the original code and assets just port it to the Wii U platform and done. Six months tops.

[ThePerm]

So there is a rumor that Nintendo is reviving a publicly cancelled game.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/189706-nintendo-switch/77491289


Nintendo still keeps filing trademark extensions for ED. Maybe they'll release it maybe they won't. They should at least release a port of the original for Switch. Preferably HD.

https://www.dualshockers.com/eternal-darkness-trademark-nintendo-switch/

It probably won't be whatever Dyack's team is called working on it. They might farm it out to some other studio. I'd rather see a sequel by some other studio than never a sequel at all.

[Rancid Planet]

I would do anything for more Eternal Darkness.

I played it to completion as much as any cube game not named RE4.

[NWR_insanolord]

Project H.A.M.M.E.R. here we come!

[ThePerm]

Someone speculated Silent Hills might show up. That was very publicly cancelled. Konami has a good relationship with Nintendo right now. Also, an almost adversarial relationship with Sony now thanks to scooping up Kojima.

I mean I will be buying Death Stranding, but a new Silent Hill game sounds great.

[ShyGuy]

Oh man, PT, Project Hammer or Eternal Darkness? tough choice, but I think I would choose ED.

My guess, it's actually:
Platinum's Scalebound

[Arbok]

Nintendo still keeps filing trademark extensions for ED.

Well it was represented not that long ago with a Spirit in Smash Bros... could be just Nintendo keeping their options open.

[Rancid Planet]

Maximillian Roivas as a playable SSB character would be dope.

[ThePerm]

Mantorok as a Smash Bros level would be great.

[Rancid Planet]

Complete with Sanity effects if you fight too long in there perhaps.

[BranDonk Kong]

Someone speculated Silent Hills might show up. That was very publicly cancelled. Konami has a good relationship with Nintendo right now. Also, an almost adversarial relationship with Sony now thanks to scooping up Kojima.

I mean I will be buying Death Stranding, but a new Silent Hill game sounds great.

There's actually a conspiracy theory that Silent Hills was actually never cancelled and that Death Stranding actually really is Silent Hills (and that it's all just been some crazy experiment/viral marketing scheme). It sounds crazy, but there's a pretty...somewhat convincing video on YouTube.

[ThePerm]

Someone speculated Silent Hills might show up. That was very publicly cancelled. Konami has a good relationship with Nintendo right now. Also, an almost adversarial relationship with Sony now thanks to scooping up Kojima.

I mean I will be buying Death Stranding, but a new Silent Hill game sounds great.

There's actually a conspiracy theory that Silent Hills was actually never cancelled and that Death Stranding actually really is Silent Hills (and that it's all just been some crazy experiment/viral marketing scheme). It sounds crazy, but there's a pretty...somewhat convincing video on YouTube.

Well that blows my mind. IDK if the **** Konami stuff would fly. Though it could turn into ¿:0 **** Konami?

[Spak-Spang]

Nope.  That is too much of a stretch. 

However, I do like the idea of an insanity effect laden stage in Smash.  It could be based on how much damage you have taken, and it could effect game play randomly...sometimes like really effect it like making the controls weird.  To just changing the design of projectiles.  Having the stage speak to you.  "Link is about to die!"  ect.