Firefly Fans!

[Melbosa]

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/44938

Firefly to Return in MMO Form
Chris Remo

Firely, the sci-fi television series created by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, has already seen itself adapted to the film medium with Serenity, but now it seems the property will make a much more dramatic transformation into the world of video games. According to Wired News, freeware MMO platform provider Multiverse has signed an agreement with Fox to create a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game based on the universe of the show. Wired describes the game as being "in the fashion of Star Wars Galaxies or Eve Online," which likely refers more to the game's sci-fi setting than anything else, given the huge differences between the two titles' gameplay. No developer has yet been revealed for the game; Multiverse only creates the MMO content platform on which the game will be based, and will contract out development to a separate studio. "We want to find someone who wants to do something unique and fun and interesting, not just a re-skin of World of Warcraft or Star Wars Galaxies," said Multiverse co-founder and executive producer Corey Bridges.

As is frequently the case with online games based on established properties, the Firefly MMO will not focus on the core characters of the show. "If you're doing science fiction, you have to really think it out and create an incredibly rich environment that is compelling in its own right, and worth exploring and going back to week after week. That's what Joss Whedon did with Firefly," said Bridges in regard to the challenges of creating an MMO. "This all springs from the genius that is Joss Whedon. It's rewarding beyond words to be able to hopefully be a footnote in the history of Firefly."

Multiverse is expected to make a formal announcement tomorrow. The company hopes to deliver a playable game to fans some time in 2008.

[Darren Dirt]

Down with the Alliance!


Seriously, would be interesting, but might also be disappointing like the Matrix... Who wants to play an MMO if they never get to "be" the primary characters


Also, can't be true if Wikipedia makes no mention of it

[Ustauk]

I hope this is done well;  if so, I'd definetly take  a crack at it.

[Mr. Analog]

Sneak Preview

J/K Good for them, I hope the game is fun...

[Darren Dirt]

Also, can't be true if Wikipedia makes no mention of it

Yay, Wikipedia makes a mention of it; the truthiness level just doubled! ^_^

A Massively Multiplayer Online Game is in development, and is shceduled to be released in 2008.

80. Firefly Reborn as Online Universe. Wired.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.

"shceduled", eh?

[Shayne]

Im not gonna hold my breath.  Seeing as how bad this movie did in theaters, id say its going to get a second rate treatment and probably not even release.

[Shayne]

http://www.serenityrpg.com/index.htm  interesting

[Darren Dirt]

Im not gonna hold my breath.  Seeing as how bad this movie did in theaters, id say its going to get a second rate treatment and probably not even release.

badly marketed.

DVD sales were awesome tho, apparently.

[Shayne]

Got sources for DVD sales numbers?  I also don't think marketing was all that bad, i recall lots of commercials for it.  I wasnt even aware that it was a movie based upon Firefly before

[TheDruid]

Such a shame, i was watching the TV series again last night. Wish i could get more of it... just not in MMO form.

[Tom]

I rewatched Firefly and Serentiy just a couple days ago. For having just watched it a year ago (or so), I really enjoyed it. (I tend to hate re[waching/doing] things).

[Darren Dirt]

(I tend to hate re[waching/doing] things).

True dat, but the exceptions I have found for me, personally, seem to mainly include hour-long dramas with strong character development such as Millennium, Angel, Space: Above and Beyond, and of course Firefly.

Got sources for DVD sales numbers?  I also don't think marketing was all that bad, i recall lots of commercials for it.  I wasnt even aware that it was a movie based upon Firefly before

I meant inappropriate -- the audience they were shooting for was like fans of The Rock etc... not intelligent sci fi enthusiasts. From what I saw in the trailers/posters (although the first time I watched the trailer, with headphones and the volume cranked, it actually gave me goosebumps, some parts )


There are certain lines of dialogue which I think should have been included in the trailer, to suggest more of the *theme*, rather than the "let's be bad guys... no more running..." type of lines which make it seem like non stop violence and action.



re. source for numbers: BoxOfficeMojo shows it approx. broke even for theatrical sales. For DVD sales, I remember watching the Amazon Top 10 list the first 3 weeks of release, it was #1 a few times and stayed up there for quite a while. I wish I knew the DVD-sales equivalent of Mojo, though.

[Mr. Analog]

DVD sales figures are a closely guarded secret so we may never know. Personally I think the movie trailer worked for the movie (it made me, a Firefly non-liker a bit curious) what I think didn't work for the movie were the fanboys actually. I mean, when any trailer comes out people start talking about the movie, try talking absently about Firefly within earshot of a fan, they'll tell you a) It was a TV show cancelled by Fox b) it's by "that guy who did Buffy". For the non-nerd moviegoer you've been told two things, it wasn't good enough for TV and you have no idea what Buffy is (or if you do, you probably remember that terrible movie in the 90s). A person like that might be turned off by it already, or if doing some web searches might confirm a few things they saw in the field, nerdy people geeking out about a show that's been off the air for a while. Now personally this doesn't bother me, I'm a card-carrying nerd who collects comics, anime and has seen every episode of every Star Trek ever, but I think to the average moviegoer whose likelihood of seeing a space borne action-adventure is low to begin with, Firefly the movie is prohibitive at best because of its legacy. I mean, how many people here would see a Farscape movie if they made one?

P.S. DD, I would argue vociferously that Firefly (much like Star Wars) has virtually no science in it and should be classified as an action-adventure or just fantasy-adventure.

P.P.S. I think I might download it (Firefly) and attempt watching again, just to see if it still rubs me the wrong way.

[Darren Dirt]

Personally I think the movie trailer worked for the movie (it made me, a Firefly non-liker a bit curious) what I think didn't work for the movie were the fanboys actually. I mean, when any trailer comes out people start talking about the movie, try talking absently about Firefly within earshot of a fan, they'll tell you a) It was a TV show cancelled by Fox b) it's by "that guy who did Buffy". For the non-nerd moviegoer you've been told two things, it wasn't good enough for TV and you have no idea what Buffy is (or if you do, you probably remember that terrible movie in the 90s). A person like that might be turned off by it already, or if doing some web searches might confirm a few things they saw in the field, nerdy people geeking out about a show that's been off the air for a while. Now personally this doesn't bother me, I'm a card-carrying nerd who collects comics, anime and has seen every episode of every Star Trek ever, but I think to the average moviegoer whose likelihood of seeing a space borne action-adventure is low to begin with, Firefly the movie is prohibitive at best because of its legacy. I mean, how many people here would see a Farscape movie if they made one?

Excellent points. I often forget how niche-like a lot of our favorite interests are. I'm sure a "Survivor: The Movie!" would appeal to a far larger audience

The one noteable positive I thought was how a lot of the early previewers were describing it as (re-)capturing the spirit of the original Star Wars. Like "our generation's space opera/saga". And in my first theatrical viewing, that's kinda how I felt. It stood on its own, IMHO, rather than just being a "next episode in the series" like a Farscape film adaptation would probably be.

P.S. DD, I would argue vociferously that Firefly (much like Star Wars) has virtually no science in it and should be classified as an action-adventure or just fantasy-adventure.

IMHO, there's lots of "science" (and little-to-none "fantasy") in the Firefly universe... After all, it's more like a mix of "wild west" independent spirit combined with current-and-future technology, medicine, culture, etc.

Some of the "science" is background info that isn't integral to the average story, like the history of the Alliance, terra-forming, medical advances, electronic gadgetry. and of course all them fancy schmancy rocket ships But on occasion the science is central, like in the opening "escape" sequence being played back by The Operative, in the Serenity film.

I'm curious, my friend, which aspects are to you "fantasy"?

[Lazybones]

I think what turned Mr. A off was that the show was too much cowboy and too little space man in most of the episodes he saw.

I can think of a few things they did that where interesting stuff scifi wise.
1. They put out fires on the ship by decompressing a large section.
2. The ship is a cargo ship and they improvise a weapon. (I still find that one funny, I won't say more for those that haven't seen it)
3. In the TV series space scenes are always devoid of effect sounds. They screwed that up in the movie from what I remember.