Shadowbane

Last updated
Shadowbane
Shadowbane Coverart.png
Developer(s) Wolfpack Studios (2003–2006)
Stray Bullet Games (2006–2009)
Publisher(s) Ubi Soft
Platform(s) Windows, Mac
Release
  • NA: March 25, 2003
  • EU: January 16, 2004
  • NA: December 9, 2003 (The Rise of Chaos)
  • NA: December 7, 2004 (Throne of Oblivion)
Genre(s) MMORPG
Mode(s) Multiplayer

Shadowbane was a free-to-play fantasy role-playing video game (MMORPG) created by Wolfpack Studios and published on March 25, 2003 by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X platforms. Originally commercial and subscription-driven, Shadowbane was launched in March 2003, and was the creation of text-MUD veterans J. Todd Coleman, James Nance, Josef Hall, Patrick Blanton and Robert Marsa and a team of 45 programmers, designers and artists. It closed on July 1, 2009.

Contents

Shadowbane was a top-10 best selling PC game at launch, and had two noteworthy aspects. First, the majority of the game world allowed for open player versus player combat, making it an early pioneer title in the PvP MMO genre. Second, it was the first major MMO to offer dynamic world content as a primary feature of the game. Most MMOs were static, meaning the world itself did not change based on player actions. Dynamic worlds allowed player to change the game world itself; morphing terrain, building and destroying buildings and fortifications, and setting up patrol paths for player-hired AI combatants. The game was considered a "cult hit" and sustained a small base of followers, but technical issues plagued the game at launch and failed to retain much of the early fanbase shortly afterward.

After the sale of Wolfpack Studios to Ubisoft in March 2004, the live service was transitioned to a new management and (largely new) development team, led by Frank Lucero and Ala Diaz. This team later splintered off to become Stray Bullet Games in June 2006, and Mark Nuasha was brought in to run the organization. In March 2006 the game was made free-to-play. A system of short ads was introduced on March 6, 2007 to fund operating costs, which were displayed when the game was opened or closed and when a character died (with at least 10 minutes between death ads). [1] All servers were closed on March 19, 2008 to prepare for the "Shadowbane Reboot", a relaunch of the game to capitalize on stability and performance gains hindered by previously existing data. All player characters and cities were deleted in this reboot. On March 25, the fifth anniversary of the game's launch, two servers were brought online followed by a third due to overpopulation. The game was closed in July 2009.

The regular game took place in a dark fantasy world called Aerynth (the world sometimes depended on the servers, many of which had unique world maps). Gameplay featured many aspects typical of role-playing video games, such as experience points, character classes, and fantasy races. Character creation was fairly extensive, allowing for detailed, differentiable characters to be created.

Gameplay

Shadowbane was notable for emphasizing player-versus-player combat, implementing non-conventional races and specializing in siege warfare (players building cities and trying to raze enemy players' cities) whereas a significant number of MMORPGs released since Ultima Online usually restrict player killing to certain areas of the game or special dedicated PvP servers. The game also featured a seamless world map, and made no use of instancing.

Players were also allowed to own cities and capitals and most of the property and cities in Shadowbane were player owned. In effect, Shadowbane's war status was decided by the players rather than the game company. Whether a guild city went to war with another guild city was entirely up to the leaders. A government system was also implemented in the game. It ensured players were in total control of the Shadowbane world.

Though there were no quests in the game, Shadowbane featured PvP, Nation, and Siege Warfare systems, which offered players a wide range of in-game opportunities. There were twelve races available in the game. There were four basic classes; Fighter, Healer, Mage and Rogue. Not all races could use every class. At 10th level, each character had to choose to promote to a specific profession, such as a Ranger or Assassin. Two classes, Fury and Huntress, were for female characters only whilst the Warlock was for male characters only. Which professions were available was dependent on the race, gender and base class of the character. In addition, each character could take up to four disciplines, from a list of over thirty, though as with Professions, access was limited by race, class and current profession. The level hard cap was level 75, and until level 70 the fourth discipline slot was locked.

After shifting to free to play system, Ubisoft used an ad-based revenue generation system consisting of short ad videos at game start, game close and character death. Ads played on character death were limited to no more than one instance in ten minutes. [1]

Closure

Shadowbane was shut down on July 1, 2009. [2]

In April 2012, Chinese gaming company Changyou acquired the intellectual property rights and source code to Shadowbane with the intent of developing a new version of the game, which was titled World of Shadowbane. [3]

Announcement of re-opening

Around April 2020 Changyou announced that Shadowbane was going to re-launch. Currently the game is in server testing phase, first two-week test server opening on April 29 and second month-long test server opening on May 20.

Reception

The original Shadowbane received "generally favorable" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [4] The game sold over 120,000 units by the end of March 2003. [14]

The Rise of Chaos

The Rise of Chaos received "mixed" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [15]

Related Research Articles

<i>EverQuest</i> 1999 video game

EverQuest is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) originally developed by Verant Interactive and 989 Studios for Windows PCs. It was released by Sony Online Entertainment in March 1999 in North America, and by Ubisoft in Europe in April 2000. A dedicated version for Mac OS X was released in June 2003, which operated for ten years before being shut down in November 2013. In June 2000, Verant Interactive was absorbed into Sony Online Entertainment, who took over full development and publishing duties of the title. Later, in February 2015, SOE's parent corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment, sold the studio to investment company Columbus Nova and it was rebranded as Daybreak Game Company, which continues to develop and publish EverQuest.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is a series of stealth action-adventure video games, the first of which was released in 2002, and their tie-in novels that were endorsed by Tom Clancy. The series follows Sam Fisher, a highly trained agent of a fictional black-ops sub-division within the NSA, dubbed "Third Echelon", as he overcomes his adversaries. Levels are created using Unreal Engine and emphasize light and darkness as gameplay elements. The series has been positively received, and was once considered to be one of Ubisoft's flagship franchises. The series had sold 19 million units by 2008. No further installments have been released since 2013. A remake of the first game was announced in December 2021.

<i>Asherons Call 2: Fallen Kings</i> 2002 video game

Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings was a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for Microsoft Windows which was released on November 22, 2002 and shut down on December 30, 2005 before it was relaunched as a beta for active Asheron's Call subscribers in 2012. It is a sequel to 1999's Asheron's Call, although content, graphics and gameplay dynamics differed greatly from its predecessor.

<i>Star Wars Galaxies</i> 2003 video game

Star Wars Galaxies is a Star Wars- themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for Microsoft Windows, developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts.

<i>Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning</i> 2008 video game

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy setting, developed by Mythic Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts in 2008. The game revolved around the continual worldwide conflict that the Warhammer Fantasy setting is known for, and the game is geared toward ongoing, constant war laced with dark humour. Age of Reckoning ended up selling over a million copies and peaking at 800,000 subscribers, but dropped to 300,000 subscribers several months later. The game received generally positive reviews from critics but shut down in 2013. Since at least 2014, an active private server called Return of Reckoning has been run by fans, and it remains active as of September 2023.

<i>EverQuest II</i> 2004 video game

EverQuest II is a 3D fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) originally developed and published by Sony Online Entertainment for Microsoft Windows PCs and released in November 2004. It is the sequel to the original EverQuest, released five years earlier, and features updated graphics and more streamlined gameplay compared to the previous entry, as well as an abundance of voice acting with contributions from actors such as Christopher Lee and Heather Graham. In February 2015, Sony Online Entertainment's parent corporation Sony Computer Entertainment sold it to investment company Inception Acquisitions, where it continues to develop and publish the game under its new name, Daybreak Game Company.

<i>The Lord of the Rings Online</i> 2007 video game

The Lord of the Rings Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for Microsoft Windows and OS X set in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, taking place during the time period of The Lord of the Rings. Originally developed by Turbine, the game launched in North America, Australia, Japan, and Europe in April 2007 as The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Players could create characters of four races and seven classes and adventure throughout the region of Eriador. In November 2008, the Mines of Moria expansion was released, adding the region of Moria and two new playable classes. It was followed by the Siege of Mirkwood in December 2009. In 2010 the game underwent a shift from its original subscription-based payment model to being free-to-play.

<i>Age of Conan</i> 2008 fantasy-themed MMORPG

Age of Conan: Unchained is a fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Funcom and published by Eidos Interactive for Microsoft Windows in 2008. Age of Conan is the first installment in the planned Age of Conan series. Age of Conan takes place within the continent of the Hyborian kingdoms, a year after the events depicted in Robert E. Howard's Conan novel The Hour of the Dragon.

<i>The Secret World</i> 2012 video game

The Secret World is a massively multiplayer online role-playing video game set in a modern-day real world under attack from occult forces. Ragnar Tørnquist led development of the initial game for Funcom. The Secret World uses a subscription-optional, buy-to-play business model, requiring players only to buy the game with no additional subscription fees, with additional benefits to those members still paying a subscription.

<i>Aion</i> (video game) 2008 video game

Aion: The Tower of Eternity is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by the South Korean company NCSoft. The game combines PvP and PvE in a fantasy game environment. As of May 20, 2009, Aion had 3.5 million subscribers in Asia. AION's first major expansion pack was released to North America and Europe on September 7, 2010 under the name AION: Assault on Balaurea. Truly Free launched on April 11, 2012 with no restrictions. Aion's second major expansion was released in North America on June 26, 2013 under the name "Aion: Dark Betrayal". Its most recent expansion was launched on July 13, 2016 under the name "Aion: Echoes of Eternity".

The history of massively multiplayer online games spans over thirty years and hundreds of massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) titles. The origin and influence on MMO games stems from MUDs, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and earlier social games.

Jeffrey Todd Coleman is an American computer game designer and businessman. He is known for Shadowbane, released in 2003, and Wizard101, released in 2008. He was a founder at Wolfpack Studios, which was purchased by Ubisoft. He also worked at the KingsIsle Entertainment in Austin, Texas. On February 1, 2013, Coleman resigned from KingsIsle Entertainment to pursue other interests. He is currently Creative Director of the Kickstarter-backed MMORPG Crowfall.

<i>Rift</i> (video game) 2011 video game

Rift is a fantasy free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Trion Worlds. Rift takes place within the fantasy world of Telara. Two competing factions, composed of a selection of races and classes, battle each other and the enemies who emerge from dynamic "rifts". The game was released in March 2011. A port of the game, called Rift Mobile, was released for Android on January 25, 2012.

<i>Wizardry Online</i> 2013 video game

Wizardry Online was a free-to-play MMORPG developed by Gamepot, Inc, based on the classic Wizardry computer games originally created by Sir-Tech. It was released in January 2013 before being discontinued in July 2014.

Infestation: Survivor Stories was an open world zombie video game developed by Hammerpoint Interactive and published by OP Productions. Infestation: Survivor Stories features both first-person and third-person shooting perspectives. The game offers players the option of killing zombies or playing against other users (PvP).

<i>Tom Clancys The Division</i> 2016 video game

Tom Clancy's The Division is an online-only action role-playing video game developed by Massive Entertainment and published in 2016 by Ubisoft, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. It is set in a near future New York City in the aftermath of a viral pandemic; the player, a Special Agent of the Strategic Homeland Division, is tasked with helping the group rebuild its operations in Manhattan, investigate the nature of the outbreak, and combat criminal activity in its wake. The Division is structured with elements of role-playing games, as well as cooperative and player versus player online multiplayer. This game also marks the debut of Massive and Ubisoft's Snowdrop game engine.

<i>The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot</i> 2015 video game

The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot was a free-to-play action role-playing video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal. The game combined castle building and dungeon crawling mechanics: each player built a castle filled with traps and monsters and then attacked other players' castles, earning gold and equipment. While the castle attacks were single player affairs, the game required the player to be online as the castles they attacked were those of other players. The game also received a mobile version in July 2019.

<i>Absolver</i> 2017 video game

Absolver is a martial arts-themed action role-playing video game developed by Sloclap and published by Devolver Digital for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. In the game, players control warrior characters who fight other players and computer-controlled characters across the fictional land of Adal to prove their worthiness of joining the Absolver peacekeepers. The game's story is focused on the human development of the characters as they fight to find their place in the collapsed empire. The character's fighting moves are customized in a "combat deck" of cards, with each card assigned to a move. Players earn cards, equipment, and weapons by progressing through the game.

<i>New World</i> (video game) 2021 video game

New World is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Amazon Games Orange County and published by Amazon Games released on September 28, 2021. The game was previously scheduled to release in May 2020 and subsequently August 2021, but was delayed until its worldwide release on September 28, 2021. Set in the mid-seventeenth century, players colonize a fictional land modeled after the Americas.

<i>Lost Ark</i> (video game) 2019 video game

Lost Ark is a 2019 MMO action role-playing game co-developed by Tripod Studio and Smilegate. It was released in South Korea in December 2019 by Smilegate and in Europe, North America, and South America in February 2022 by Amazon Games. Lost Ark cost around US$85 million to develop. The game received generally favorable reviews.

References

  1. 1 2 Archived March 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Archived April 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "Changyou resurrects Shadowbane?". JeuxOnline. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Shadowbane for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Asher, Mark (July 2003). "Shadowbane" (PDF). Computer Gaming World . No. 228. pp. 70–71. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Shadowbane". Game Informer . No. 122. June 2003. p. 117.
  7. ↑ Dulin, Ron (11 April 2003). "Shadowbane Review". GameSpot . Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  8. ↑ Harker, Carla (1 June 2003). "GameSpy: Shadowbane". GameSpy . Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  9. ↑ Bohmann, Ryan (5 May 2003). "Shadowbane Review". IGN . Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  10. ↑ "Shadowbane". PC Format (159). March 2004.
  11. ↑ "Shadowbane". PC Gamer UK . March 2004.
  12. ↑ Boily, Christopher (June 2003). "Shadowbane". PC Gamer : 78. Archived from the original on 12 January 2005. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  13. ↑ Bemis, Greg (8 May 2003). "'Shadowbane' (PC) Review". X-Play. Archived from the original on 8 May 2003. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  14. ↑ "Multiplayer.it Business to Business". www.multiplayer.it. Archived from the original on 1 August 2003. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  15. 1 2 "Shadowbane: The Rise of Chaos for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  16. ↑ Asher, Mark (April 2004). "Shadowbane: [The] Rise of Chaos" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 237. p. 90. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  17. ↑ Park, Andrew (9 January 2004). "Shadowbane: The Rise of Chaos Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  18. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (21 January 2004). "Shadowbane: The Rise of Chaos - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 25 January 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  19. ↑ Quesnel, Marc (6 February 2004). "Shadowbane: The Rise of Chaos Review". IGN. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.