Firefly returns as MMORPG

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Dec 8th 2006 at 8:59AM }

Half of coding an MMORPG is hiding the statistics. Wired News reports that the criminally unappreciated Firefly is set to return as a massive, online role-playing game, thanks to an agreement between Multiverse and Fox Licensing. A charming collision between Western settings and futuristic technology (think live-action Cowboy Bebop), Firefly was a show marked with witty writing and memorable characters, but marred with abysmal ratings and a quick cancellation. Fox Licensing's Adam Kline believes that "Multiverse can deliver an experience that will remain true to the original series, while enabling a whole new level of personal involvement for fans."

Though hardcore Whedon fans are sure to be overcome with seizures of delight upon hearing this news, two crucial points need to be taken into consideration. The first -- Multiverse only develops the technology and tools necessary to create an MMORPG. For Firefly, they'll be hiring a team of seperate developers to realize their vision and not just do, as they say, "a reskin of World of Warcraft or Star Wars Galaxies." The second -- the massively multiplayer aspect of the genre implies that each player will have a unique character, with the show's core cast making celebrity-like appearances at best. Is Firefly's universe alone compelling enough for its own game?

Looks like we'll have to wait until gorram 2008 before we can answer that one.

[Thanks PapaZeb, adg1034]

Tags: Angel, Browncoats, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, BuffyTheVampireSlayer, Firefly, Firefly RPG, FireflyRpg, Joss Whedon, JossWhedon, Whedonverse

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Anita @ Dec 8th 2006 9:05AM

This doesn't sound like one of those games you'd play for ages. I'd imagine playing for a few months then switching back to one of the more mainstream MMORPGs.

Kriskb @ Dec 8th 2006 9:06AM

Wow I am pretty excited about this. I love Firefly! However, I am not sure if there is enough in the Firefly world to make an MMO out of it. Go Browncoats!

Franky Digital @ Dec 8th 2006 9:07AM

I will definately play this MMO to it's death - as I love the Firefly universe - but honestly, I'm not deluded enough to see this game (if it even happens) as anything more then the next SWG: great at first but dead-to-rights from the start.

Todd @ Dec 8th 2006 9:14AM

If Joss isn't involved in this creation, this MMO idea will fail before launching. You can't deny the creator from dipping his own fingers into the development.

baby sea tuna @ Dec 8th 2006 9:14AM

I personally think that MMOs are reserved for a special brand of douchebag, but I'd play it for a little while for the brand alone.

baby sea tuna @ Dec 8th 2006 9:15AM

That's the Firefly brand, not the douchebag brand...

playclever @ Dec 8th 2006 9:19AM

Sounds like it could tempt me along for the ride. Especially if they get the theme tune in there somewhere, it's still going round and round in my head :)

Alecks @ Dec 8th 2006 9:22AM

Yes, Very under- Apprechiated show. The Movie was great and I can see an MMORPG just being like cowboy bebop. Speaking of which- Why has no one thought of making a Cowboy Bebop like MMO.. It's got the elements of an mmo to join. Hackers, Mafia, Cops, etc. I won't go on, but it should be done, but not a re-skin, a game with mechanics to make you take a shit.

Insomnia Bob @ Dec 8th 2006 9:32AM

Hmm. Isn't Fox the television studio that canned Firefly after like 8 episodes, then held on to the rights for the series, and fought so hard the movie had to be renamed to "Serenity"?

Youch. If this thing ever goes gold, you can count me the hell out unless the original creator is involved.

Paul @ Dec 8th 2006 9:40AM

I never got into MMOs... but if Joss is involved them i am there.

polly @ Dec 8th 2006 9:52AM

This could be pretty damn cool. It would be sweet if they made it so you could choose between Alliance, Browncoats, and Reaver factions.

DC @ Dec 8th 2006 10:03AM

Like Insomnia Bob, I find it ironic and puzzling that the same megacorp that totally screwed over Firefly when it was on tv (showing the episodes out of order and cancelling it after just a few episodes) now wants to milk the license. I love Firefly, but I can't see this project being anything but a disaster.

James Lill @ Dec 8th 2006 10:07AM

One phrase sums it all up. "It's all in the execution." If donr right this could be a badass game, but if someone Sonyizes it like SWG, it will fail quicker than the series did. I loved the series and Movie, just don't have faith that the software developers will take a risk and make a good(read unique) game.

whiskeyjack @ Dec 8th 2006 10:16AM

If it's only mediocre and holds my attention for no more than a couple hours, I still want that one moment when I can say that I'm part of the 'Verse. That being said, is anyone really expecting that fantastic a game? I'm not. If it turns out good, GREAT! If not, I'll get my kicks out of it and move one. Either way, very shiny.

Jellodyne @ Dec 8th 2006 11:09AM

There's a lot of fun to be had in this 'verse, but I'll be impressed if they can pull it off. I'd love a multi-user space trading/smuggling sim with ship-to-ship and person-to-person combat.

chenry @ Dec 8th 2006 11:11AM

I hate MMORPGS. I love FireFly.

I'm so torn :S

White Rose Duelist @ Dec 8th 2006 11:14AM

I don't want to get sucked into MMORPGs... but I probably have to now.

Mac @ Dec 8th 2006 11:33AM

ONLY if Joss gives it his blessing and personal touch.

Is the universe compelling enough in itself? It's a good base, but the real key to success, aside from, you know, gameplay, will be the community that comes in. A pre-built fan community can potentially take this to good places.

Pip @ Dec 8th 2006 11:36AM

I really wish I knew why people were so into Firefly. I couldn't watch the series without falling asleep, and the movie I thought was a pile of cheese. I can get into , and love, BSG, Star Trek, Space Above and Beyond, Lexx, Farscape, and countless other SciFi shows. But not Firefly. I just found all the characters boring and the universe uninteresting, yet people hail it as the best SciFi ever made. I dont understand!

adg1034 @ Dec 8th 2006 12:00PM

Pip, how much of the series have you tried to watch? Think about it like this: it's about what would have happened to Han Solo if Luke Skywalker had been killed in the Death Star trench before he'd gotten his proton torpedoes off. Han would have been on the losing side, the Empire would have gotten even more ginormous, and Han would have had to start a new life somewhere else, always on the run from the Empire. If you haven't at least watched the first four episodes or so, you can't say you've given it a fair shake. A few days ago, I had never seen an episode of the show, but now that I have, it is quite possibly my favorite of all time. Give it a chance.

Blue @ Dec 8th 2006 12:11PM

Pip: I think it depends on what you're looking for in a show. The appear for Firefly for me was the characters. I found them funny and the dialogue witty. The show may take place in a Sci-fi universe, but I'd have been just as happy if it took place in modern-day.

samekila @ Dec 8th 2006 12:40PM

I dont even play MMORPG but I am sold i love this show now where is my buffy MMO

strider_mt2k @ Dec 8th 2006 12:47PM

Wow, I'll keep an eye on this!
It would be an interesting universe to run around in that's for sure.

BTW, get the DVD set. THAT'S the way to experience this yes, CRIMINALLY underrated series.

Oh man, Wash. I wish they hadn't of done it...

k @ Dec 8th 2006 1:05PM

I am so torn on this.

I adore Firefly, and I think the universe is easily compelling and rich enough to support the game.

But I worry, *really* worry, that the developers won't get it and won't do it justice. They need to be hiring Joss and tapping into the superfan Browncoat community for input on this one.

I was scared the movie would suck too, but after all was said and done, I think it was an admirable job. If they can impress me similarly, I'll be joining up.

And that's saying a lot... My pc is an Athlon 1GHz, with a 64MB video card from 2 years ago... me playing this game is going to involve the purchase of a modern gaming rig whenever the thing is released, but I'll set down my Wiimote and do it in a heartbeat if they get it right.

Ian M @ Dec 8th 2006 1:25PM

I was just literally talking to a friend about how we need a space MMO without the inital 'Oh god this is complicated O_O' of eve online. we also both love serenity/firefly

yes of course the universe is rich enough! and this will give the creators ample excuse to expand it. If joss whedon is heavily involved in the storys, environment and charachters, I cannot seeing this go terribly wrong at all. in fact it will have awesome potential. if not... well there will be outcry, but it will all be up in the air weather its good or not.

either way, Im in.

tracked @ Dec 8th 2006 1:40PM

Actually Ludwig (lol the name of Beethoven). The firefly univerise is big. Since you can't speak Firefly lingo I'm sure you know the storyline. But for those who don't know. Firefly is set in a universe where humans live in a solar system full of planets and small moons. All of them terraformed. The inner planets have joined together in an Alliance. The outer planets didn't join it. There was a war between the Browncoats (the outer planets) and the Alliance. The Alliance won. After the war the outer planets were forgotten. Many of the former browncoat figthers became pirates and criminals. One of them is Mal.

It's basically like pirates in the 16thC. Mal goes around does odd jobs and deliveries and steals from Alliance colonies. Thats how the game will probably be.

I'm happy they mentioned SWG. It means that they know the mistakes of SWG. They better not repeat it.

Ludwig Kietzmann @ Dec 8th 2006 1:51PM

Perhaps I'm not like most Firefly fans -- I watched the show for the characters, not the universe. No Mal and co., no deal.

James @ Dec 8th 2006 2:22PM

My first reaction was, "there's not really a game in there". On reflection, I guess there could be -- the "universe" had a really interesting setting (that plus the writing was the reason I liked the series to begin with), but none of the shows suggested a particular mechanic for gameplay. Reading through the thread, people played up the "space pirate" part, which could actually be really fun -- I have often imagined a MMO version of Tachyon (the Bruce Campbell-voiced space-pirate sim) or some such, and Firefly would present an ideal setting. I agree, though, about chosing one of the two (or three) sides, and I'm not really sure what you would *do* if you chose Alliance. I just don't see how it would be any fun. I guess everybody could be an Alliance soldier and hunt the outworlders/pirates... regardless, I don't think that a planet-bound version would likely be that engrossing. I think they'd have to have really well-polished space combat to keep us entertained. Thoughts?

mietha CAG @ Dec 8th 2006 5:02PM

As long as it's better than that piece of shit movie.

First_Time_Poster @ Dec 8th 2006 7:22PM

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but a while back there was a pretty cool PC game called Freelancer. Essentially, it was a GTA set in space (minus the violence and car jacking). Apart from story missions, you could take on odd jobs, buy new ships or upgrade current ones or just cruise around the game's immense galaxy.

How does this relate to Firefly? Well, there's a mod site out there were you can change one of the in-game ship models to the Serenity as well as add music from the show.

A pretty good make shift Firefly game, actually. Minus Jayne, of course.

Brandon @ Dec 9th 2006 12:53AM

How did you not include "How I mine for fish?"

Joe @ Dec 9th 2006 10:56AM

Like I said on TV Squad, these people can just get Stargate Worlds and chat to each other in Chinese.

DefineReality @ Dec 9th 2006 12:02PM

I don't know.

In my opinion, Firefly could make an interesting MMO. The key here would be to obviously make it far less complicated than Eve or something similar that involves space flight. Your 'Clans' would be ship crews or somesuch and instances/dungeons could be planetside or space side.

But then there's the issue of every player would want to be the 'star'. If you can't be the star, the theme loses its appeal rather quickly. The series focused on crews and their interactions. How do you convey that in a game where a majority of players would want to level and have their own goals in mind?

Will this game see the light of day? Probably not, I think. Just like I seriously doubt the Star Trek MMO (As much as I'd love the idea of it) will see any real success.

A quick search of the web, however, shows several text-based MMO's on Firefly that appear to be successful. "Into the Black: A Firefly MUSH" appears to be the oldest and most successful and there's "Serenity MUX" and a couple others that seem to have closed up shop but still have websites.

Of course, you'd have to be very old school to enjoy those games. No graphics, etc. Hard to get involved in that sorta stuff since MMO RPG and text-based RPG are radically different creatures. Let alone I seriously doubt any of them have level or any other goals except for cooperative story telling.

Here's to hoping the graphical MMO does at least come out. But if it's going to embarass the awesome television series, then I'd rather it not.

NeoSkye @ Dec 9th 2006 8:16PM

Screw World of Starcraft, bring on Worlds of Firefly! lol, no but seriously, I am really excited about this, especially how they aren't going for the same old MMO formula, but like most of the comments, if Joss isn't in then neither am I.

Simon @ Dec 11th 2006 8:53AM

I love Firefly and would love a *well done* MMORPG in it's universe, but I honestly don't think they will be able to do one. But it would be nice to fly around in a space ship (without making any sounds!) and on the other side riding horses and shooting with colts :-D

blacksands @ Dec 11th 2006 6:49PM

The "heal plz" line really should be coming from Wash. ;)

tracked @ Dec 13th 2006 6:25PM

Leaf on the Wind @ Dec 18th 2006 1:30AM

The MMO craze is becoming more and more narrow with WoW being the king of the hill (and rightly so) especially with BC coming out soon. If this is work everything everyone has noted is true, what this game is for no matter how you slice it is a fan-hommage. With that said I long to travel to that infamous small moon where the primary form of recreation is juggling geese.

There are several ways they can go with this... it is pure curiousity that will keep my eyes on this one.

FireFly Fan @ Dec 23rd 2006 7:42PM

Gah! Bring back the series! Anyway...I would definitely try it out. I'm a huge fan anyway so any scraps I can get I will take. I'm also heavily into MMORPG's and as others have said if done right this could be a great MMORPG.

Locass @ Jan 2nd 2007 6:22PM

OMG!!! i have loved this show for ages, know most of teh episodes off by heart, and watched teh film so many times my friends wont watch it with me because i ruin all of the funny lines :D:D:D
but will i would happily pay more that £20 (over WoW and SWG) a month play and keep the servers up. i have played WoW and SWG and would love this alot better!!!

twerk_face @ Jan 31st 2007 10:23AM

Sadly enough, I have a Mac, and not enough money to spend on a high quality gaming windows. BUT, I love firefly, I love the only MMORPG i have played (WOW) and my Mac is plenty good enough to run any game for it. So, if they have a Mac version, then i will jump on the game so fast.....well, you get my point. : )

And yes, one of the things i love most about firefly is the universe, and i think they need to tap Joss Whedon as a resource, and they can get this good.