OT: Firefly "Serenity" Fans

[Atrocities]

Hey great news for Firefly "Serenity" fans. There is talk of turning the series into MMO game. Gamespot Link

From Gamespot.com

Sci-fi geeks can attest to the fact that one of the best television shows that wasn't given its proper due was Fox's short-lived Firefly. The show was created by Joss Whedon, who also brought to the small screen cult favorites Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. The show ran just 14 episodes but was momentarily resurrected by a big-screen continuation, 2005's Serenity.

Now it appears the television series is getting a third shot at life in another form of media--a massively multiplayer online game.

The Multiverse Network today announced that it has attained the rights to develop an MMO game based on Firefly from 20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising. Multiverse has yet to announce the production team that will develop the game, but it hopes to have the product ready sometime in 2008.

"Fox's Firefly series is set in an incredibly rich and exciting universe. It's going to make a very compelling and unique online experience filled with adventure, humor, and mystery," said Multiverse cofounder and executive producer Corey Bridges. "It's our hope that Firefly's passionate and dedicated community of fans will enjoy the chance to become part of the story as they develop and explore the worlds of Firefly."

Eschewing the traditional practices of developing MMO games, Multiverse is creating middleware dedicated to MMO games, which can be licensed to developers who then use the technology to easily create a game. The company's profit is made off of revenue sharing.

This had to be one of the best sci-fi series to come down the pipe since the original TOS. It wasn't given a fair shake by FOX, imagine that, and was cancelled after only 9 aired episodes out of 13. In 2005 Serenity, a big screen adaptation of the series, was released and dispite it being one of the most original sci-fi movies since Star Wars, it flopped horribly. . (No more serenity movies.) (Rumor has it that George Lucas was behind the the canning of the series and the limited theater release of Serenity. - See other thread for discussion on this.)

Any who Firefly was a ground breaking series who out of control camera special effects have been adopted by other shows such as BSG. They pioneered the camera "style" that is now being widely used in BSG for special effects shots and what not.

The writing of the series was superb to say the least, and either people got the show or they didn't. It would appear that more people didn't get the show than had first been estimated and that spelled doom for the motion picture.

Now its to the PC realm and one can only hope that attempt number 3 at keeping this fantastic series alive will succeed.

[RCCCL]

The show was never given a fair chance. Fox put it up against shows that were already well established.

I was thrilled when Serenity came out, and now, if this game holds up to the same writing and ideas behind the show and movie, it sounds extremely exciting.

[AAshbery76]

The game would be a bigger flop than the series.

[Renegade 13]

AAshbery76 said:
The game would be a bigger flop than the series.

Agreed, I highly doubt it'd do well at all.

[Shadowstar]

Infinity could have easily been a Firefly MMO if things had gone along a different path and the licensing went that way instead. Infinity looks very promising, and seems to be trying to accomplish the same thing (or more, actually). The way it's being developed really drives alot of hope into it, enough that I have my doubts anyone else would be able to do something so similar so well. The deciding factor would be the fact that Infinity is a non-budget (volunteer) project, whereas Multiverse's Firely MMO is a standard commercial project.

What it comes down to is, if Infinity does get finished, it could seriously cripple Firefly's chance to market. I wouldn't want to compete with that. Of course, the point here is IF it gets finished. It could just as easily end up vaporware like so many other games in the genre have.

Then there's the fact that most MMO'ers aren't really excited about the prospect of another EVE (or even worse, SWG). They'd better have some aces up thier sleeves if they're going to make this work.

But yeah, as a Firefly/Serenity fan, on the chance that this does pan out, I think it would be great fun. The story premise really is quite well suited for a MMO. Of course, the idea was nothing new. I posted about the possibility of a Firefly MMO almost a year ago on the Inifnity forums and it was well recieved, though we all dismissed it as a "fun notion" and went back to futily discussing complex MMO concepts until our fingers turned blue.

[Atrocities]

Renegade 13 said:

Agreed, I highly doubt it'd do well at all.

Ya, it would be so nitch that even SE V would look like a Lucas Arts game compared to it.

[dogscoff]

Penny arcade already picked up on this I see:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/12/11

[StarJack]

The series was enjoyable to watch, in order, on DVD. It was not only poorly advertised on it's release, it was aired out of order, confusing those who did watch it. The pin headed, needle petered executives responsible for the shows demise should be cleaning toilets, not determining schedules.

Serenity also did poorly due to the pathetic name recognition and awareness of Firefly. Fox (network) management is a shining example of incompetent persistence. The game will be a fart in a storm.

[DarkHorse]

The show wasn't a flop so much as completely misunderstood by Fox (go figure) and not even allowed time to build an audience. Even Futurama managed to run for 3+ seasons-- albeit following a spastic, often pre-empted schedule, before Fox stupidly pulled the plug.

[Atrocities]

Look at Family Guy. Ran for two years then was pulled. Then after becoming a ratings boom on Adult Swim, and having fantastic DVD sales, Fox put it back on the air. They made a joke about getting back on the air if a whole list of other Fox shows were pulled. Firefly was on that rather large list.

The DVD sales for Firefly were astouding. That was one of the reasons Fox ok'ed the movie but as rumor has it, because of George Lucas, the show cannot be revived on TV for seven years. That would six more years from now.

Rumor had it that GL took personal offense to Josh Weaton and his concept for Firefly as that it kinda sorta reminded him of a Han Solo and George wanted, but has yet to ever do anything about it, make a TV series based on Han Solo. These are rumors only though. There are facts that support that George does not like Josh. Comments Lucas made about it him a few years back support that.

Goerge wants to be king of the sci-fi hill. He torpedoed Wing Commander the Movie, (And tv series concept based off of that movie by Glen Larson) - He was semi-instrumental in killing the original BSG - albeit the cost of that show made it to expensive to continue. And rumor has it because he whined to FOX about Josh's show, they dicked him and made it impossible for the show to succeed in hopes of getting George to sign his new Star Wars series and trillagy movies with Fox.

I would bet a pretty nickel that had Star Trek come after Star Wars it too would have become a thing of the past thanks to GL. I am surprised that Stargate and SG Atlantis have survived all these years. They are obviously nothing like SW. Well not until they built the X302's, X303, and X304's.