Curse

tasha · Nov 23, 2009, 06:26 PM // 18:26

Jeff Strain (One of ANet's co-founders) has popped up on the radar again. Seems he's spent the last few months setting up a new game studio called Undead Labs in Seattle. Their focus: a MMO world based around Zombies. Oh and its console based too.

Links:

Destructoid
Massively

Edit:

Press release offers an interesting if hypocritical dig:

Quote:

Undead Labs is committed to bringing to life an MMO loaded with action, humor and, of course, a whole lotta zombies, because the world doesn’t need more dragons.

Arkantos · Nov 23, 2009, 06:31 PM // 18:31

Strain left ANet to make a console zombie MMO?

Lol.

Winterclaw · Nov 23, 2009, 07:01 PM // 19:01

Let the "how this relates to GW2" rumors begin.

Ravious · Nov 23, 2009, 08:14 PM // 20:14

It's going to be real interesting to see if or how many ANet employees he poaches.... and it might be telling of GW2's status.

EDIT:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winterclaw

Let the "how this relates to GW2" rumors begin.

Well, of course, but not so directly. It isn't going to be what happens to Jeff Strain that will reflect on GW2 development, but rather what happens to ANet's employees. I believe that he left NCSoft b/c he was getting too far from actually making games regardless of how good his products were going to be (GW2). OTOH, if a lot of ANet people leave... might be indicative of the current GW2 dev culture.

Winterclaw · Nov 23, 2009, 08:51 PM // 20:51

Ravious, the fact that this is being announced now means he probably left months to a year ago. It would be very possible that when he left and possibly took some employees with him, the replacements decided to change the game in some substantial ways which caused it to be pushed back to '11.

Ravious · Nov 23, 2009, 08:54 PM // 20:54

I.... uh... think we agree then.

Karate Jesus · Nov 24, 2009, 12:22 AM // 00:22

Well....it sucks that he left GW (jumped off a sinking ship, imo), but zombie MMO just sounds so fcking cool I can't blame him.

I'm with him on the zombie movies, games, etc. stuff. I love pretty much everything zombie.

Console based sucks, though.

Esprit · Nov 24, 2009, 12:37 AM // 00:37

Zombies should stay with FPS games.

Karate Jesus · Nov 24, 2009, 12:52 AM // 00:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Esprit

Zombies should stay with FPS games.

And they said FPS games shouldn't be MMO's. Borderlands anyone?

IlikeGW · Nov 24, 2009, 12:56 AM // 00:56

Zombies are the new WWII. If Strain left Anet because that's all he could come up with, probably better off gone.

Shayne Hawke · Nov 24, 2009, 01:03 AM // 01:03

Quote:

MMO

Quote:

console

I smell trash. I don't recall any MMORPG that has ever been too great on a console that wasn't lots better on a PC.

But hey, it seems like it's their goal to make a good MMOZ (lolwut) for the console genre, so more power to 'em, I guess.

Braxton619 · Nov 24, 2009, 01:10 AM // 01:10

Lol he left ArenaNet to make his own zombie based company

/epicfailure

AlsPals · Nov 24, 2009, 01:18 AM // 01:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leet Tankur

Lol he left ArenaNet to make his own zombie based company

/epicfailure

No, thats not the epicfailure. Its the Console shit thats made of fail. PC is a gaming lapdog.

jiggles · Nov 24, 2009, 01:27 AM // 01:27

Put it on the pc, let the community develop mods for it. The game will probably become amazing. Else I won't be touching it with a stick.

Bob Slydell · Nov 24, 2009, 01:35 AM // 01:35

Not that I'm bashing the console MMO already...but seriously. What the hell? He left GW, he left all of them, left the chance to be with them on the rrelease of GW2 and immediately switches to a horror game for a console.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jiggles

Put it on the pc, let the community develop mods for it. The game will probably become amazing. Else I won't be touching it with a stick.

Me either, long live PC gaming.

Shadowspawn X · Nov 24, 2009, 01:42 AM // 01:42

Guy must have Alzheimer's, horrible idea.

Garreth MacLeod · Nov 24, 2009, 01:56 AM // 01:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winterclaw

Ravious, the fact that this is being announced now means he probably left months to a year ago. It would be very possible that when he left and possibly took some employees with him, the replacements decided to change the game in some substantial ways which caused it to be pushed back to '11.

Strain left NCSoft shortly before the release of Aion if I'm not mistaken. Several folks assumed he was still with ArenaNet but there was no reason to believe that. Leaving the parent company usually means you leave and divisions as well. Now we know he left to start a new company.

Zahr Dalsk · Nov 24, 2009, 02:11 AM // 02:11

Logo looks like it's giving us the finger.

Socrates The Mauler · Nov 24, 2009, 02:47 AM // 02:47

Console. MMO. lol

Ravious · Nov 24, 2009, 03:13 AM // 03:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leet Tankur

Lol he left ArenaNet to make his own zombie based company

/epicfailure

He really left NCSoft where he was a suit behind the desk. In one interview he talks about wanting to be really hands on (like actual coding) rather than just doing whatever it was he did at NCSoft... and yeah, in a perfect world he could have gone back to ArenaNet if he wanted, but you know the old saying "you can never go home...."