Initially we are looking to stay in the strategy-game market. But we are also looking to expand into role-playing, as well, since we feel that’s another market that—like strategy—hasn’t received a lot of attention from publishers and developers in recent years (outside MMOs which are a totally different thing).
Aside from them being another publisher of games, why is it that Stardock publishing games makes anyone excited? Is it just because people feel they may choose a developer who’s doing a quality game rather than not? Afterall, a publisher does little work on the game itself. If Stardock said they were developing RPGs, for instance, that’d be different.
Why? Is Stardock all of a sudden going to implement a game quality screening process which is more effective than anything any other publisher is doing?
As big as a success story as Stardock is, I don’t see how you could call them an empire. They have their key franchise (Galactic Civilization 2) and some ambitious looking projects, but thats still a far cry from the sort of domination EA or Activision can show.
Anyways, I think Stardock definintely showed you can make money by releasing niche games that real publishing empires won’t touch, and I being a big fan of RPGs I am definitely pleased to hear more of them being made.
Yes. I’d be pretty surprised if Stardock published a poopy game. Compared to, say, Strategy First, whose quality is so all over the map it’s not even funny. Stardock knows their reputation depends on a consistently high quality level, and I doubt Brad et al. are in any hurry to boof that.
Especially if you had magic, and you were a master of it.
(edit)Damm… didn’t see the last post. Oh well, so much for that idea.
(edit 2): As an after thought, no one says they can’t make a MoM like game. People made Diablo clones out the whazoo, there isn’t a reason they can’t simply rip off MoM completly and then improve it a bit.
The name doesn’t matter that much although from a marketing standpoint, it should remind people of masters of magic so they might think it is the same kind of game.
Anyway, my vote is for stardock to rip the game off anyway. Let them sit on thier license then and let it rot. Create a new IP and make it the MoM + everything everyone has wanted from a sequal. If Brad gives us a hit they would do that, I am sure we can entertain him with long lists of wishes.