Twin Skies, the new project from the creators of Neopets, has binned its plans for now to create a 3D virtual world that users could connect to through a variety of lighter weight 2D applications. Instead, the developers, Meteor Games, will work on developing the same story and world purely in a 2D, free-to-play, Flash environment.
"A lot of things have changed in the last few months, we've taken a few steps back and realised that creating a 3D MMO is really, really hard, especially in this economy. We've come so far with the design, quests, and lore, but we feel that it's just a really risky and bad time to try and follow through with our plans and complete the game," explained CEO Adam Powell in a forum post. "[President] Donna [Powell] and myself have a much stronger background in 2D content (at least that's what it says on our resumes) and this is the direction we feel the company should pursue. "So... we're not doing a 3D MMO any more. If things go well its certainly an option for us in the future, but its not something we're going to make a decision on for the next year at least."
Powell says the company is aiming for a 2009 debut for Twin Skies 2D, but is unsure whether it will meet that target.
In the meantime, though, Meteor Games is chugging away on social networking apps, some as tie-ins for the casual MMO and some not. The first, Twin Skies Tower Defense, was released several weeks ago. The next, Viking Pirates Ninjas, should come out in January.
The Powells are also working on a new virtual pet site, which, coming from their experience with Neopets, should draw at least some interest.
The new take on Twin Skies is a little less ambitious, which is especially worth noting at the beginning of a new year when everyone is wondering how to tackle an off economy. Pushing for lightweight apps instead of 3D means more accessibility, less development cost (and user prices), and the same opportunity to connect to social networks for viral growth.
2008 saw a turn from massive 3D worlds and builds, whether for developers or brands, to niche environments and focused campaigns. Until the economy turns around, 2009 might look fairly similar.
This is not totally accurate. The 2D game will take place before the meteors hit. Adam has said in the forums that the hope is that if this takes off, they will be able to launch the 3D game as well and things that happened in the 2D game will directly affect the 3D game...
Posted by: Katie | January 07, 2009 at 10:25 AM