Firefall is a game that doesn’t get a lot of attention from media-outlets or the gaming community itself. Knowing who’s actually behind this free to play shooter/MMO only confuses this lack of attention even further. Two heavy hitters in game design, Mark Kern – the project lead behind the behemoth known as World of Warcraft, and Scott Youngblood – the creative mind and project lead behind the critically acclaimed Starsiege: Tribes and Tribes 2 are hard at work with a team of wonderfully talented people at Red 5 Studios to bring you Firefall. I realize maybe not everyone goes so far as to remember the names of the folks responsible for the games they play, even with their favorite games. Let us dissect the work history between these two men very briefly before we press on to the details we know of Firefall.
World of Warcraft – the game that has changed the industry at its very core because of its unfathomable success since its initial release in late 2004. This is a game that has completely changed the way designers, publishers and enthusiasts alike think about games and what games are capable of being. Following a rough beta testing period, World of Warcraft went on to become arguably one of the most financially successful video games in history. Lately subscriptions have been declining, but with every expansion release they climb back up. Aside from World of Warcraft, Mr. Kern was involved with the development of other colossal games such as Starcraft and Diablo II. If the titles listed above aren’t enough to get you excited for what this man is involved with next, read on. But you may want to check for a pulse first.
Starsiege: Tribes was an explosive entry into the first person shooter genre for
Dynamix. Coming seemingly out of nowhere, Scott Youngblood led a team to create wonderfully complex and fast-moving skill based games in the Tribes name. Starsiege: Tribes and Tribes 2 are regarded as ahead of their time in many circles, combining fast paced gameplay that rivaled arena shooters like Quake and Unreal Tournament, but doing it with vast, open maps and including vehicles in the mix. Tribes was something to behold and the first two games are still worth seeing for those who are unfamiliar with the franchise. There is an undeniable influence that the Tribes franchise has had over shooters since its initial introduction to the world, and it has only continued with games like Halo. If you’re playing Halo: Reach and your jetpack just got you out of trouble, now you know where to send your thanks. But be sure to send thanks for your regenerating shields, too!
Even if you’re someone that hasn’t played any of the games these two men are responsible for bringing to the world, Firefall is still worth being more aware of. It’s free to play, it’s a team-based shooter in an MMO environment with what looks to be a rich story and art direction. It will have a micro-transaction style marketplace, but even from the initial announcement of Firefall Red 5 Studios has been adamant about not wanting to compromise the ‘skill based gameplay’ by allowing players to purchase weapons that are better than the free weapons you earn. It’s been said that you’ll be sharing the world with hundreds of other players, and while no actual player count per server or per instance has been confirmed, it’s not difficult to see that this is an ambitious project. I don’t know about you, but in video games there is little more exciting to me than seeing a master knee deep in their craft, making games they know incredibly well. Take the fact that we’re not just seeing one master working within his craft, but two masters working within their different crafts at the same time as well as all of the very talented people at Red 5 Studios, and it’s difficult not to believe that Firefall will be something special. Look out for their invite-only beta very soon and some beta coverage from us at PAX!
