But then Bullfrog were sold to EA. And Molyneux went off and formed Lionhead. And...all people were left with was an innate desire to complain to publishers about how there should be remake upon remake of Bullfrog's classic titles.

Complaints that EA - who hold the rights to Bullfrog's back catalogue - have heard. EA's Harvey Elliot has told Kikizo that many of those old games are worth a second look:

If you remember all the old classics you played, if you go back and play them now, they're not the same. They were right for their time, and the trick with those games is coming up with what's right for the time now. I'm going to look at them at some point, I think there's an opportunity to bring those back in the future, but only if it's right for the time and not just a 'remake' or something. We'd need to do it in a way that's true to the original values, but would still make a great game today.

Know what would make Syndicate great today? Take the original Syndicate, put it in a new box and sell it.

Why there's hope for Bullfrog IP returning [Kikizo]

First, industry site Gamesindustry.biz said that, according to sources, Starbreeze (developers of The Darkness) were at work on a new Syndicate title, and that it was due for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. They also said it wouldn't be out for a little while, as Starbreeze had to finish working on the Bourne game for EA first.

Then news site Shacknews said much the same thing, though their source was from publishers EA.

When contacted for comment, EA would only say that they do not comment on rumours.

While it's nice to see the name pop up again after a decade of lying dormant, the fact it's coming for the 360, PS3 and PC has us worried that the appeal in a remake may have more to do with the game's setting and clinical ultra-violence than it will with tactical squad command.

Starbreeze working on new Syndicate title for EA [GI.biz]
EA Reviving Syndicate [Shacknews]

Dungeon Keeper Online, as the game will be known as, is to be developed by Chinese studio NetDragon Websoft. As part of the deal,. NetDragon will get access to all of Dungeon Keeper's "themes, characters and other game content", while EA will get access to (provided the game succeeds) large amounts of cash money.

Apart from the fact it's a "3D massively multi-player online role playing game", nothing else about the game was announced. Sadly for Western lovers of the franchise, the game is slated to appear only in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

HONG KONG, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — NetDragon Websoft Inc., a leading game developer and operator in the People's Republic of China ("NetDragon" or the "Company", with its subsidiary collectively know as the "Group"; Hong Kong stock code: 777) announced a new licensing agreement with Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: ERTS; "EA") on the development of the Group's first 3D massively multi-player online role playing game (MMORPG) based on Electronic Arts' "Dungeon Keeper(TM)" line of games — including themes, characters and other game content. As part of this agreement, NetDragon will develop the game and obtains the exclusive license to operate and distribute Dungeon Keeper Online throughout the Greater China region, including Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.

"We are delighted to enter into an agreement with EA in the development of our first 3D MMORPG. Our partnership with this internationally renowned game developer is proof of our capabilities in game operations and development as well as a reflection of our market reputation," said Mr. Liu Dejian, Chairman and Executive Director of NetDragon on a Kotaku press release. "Capitalizing our strength to create a strong gaming experience, powerful operating platform and unmatched expertise within China's online game market, we are confident that Dungeon Keeper Online will not only become successful in the Greater China region but also achieve remarkable results overseas."

Jon Niermann, President of EA Asia Pacific said, "The partnership marks a significant milestone for EA as it will enhance our intellectual property and extend our product reach throughout the Greater China region. It will also further enhance our intellectual property with differentiated, high-quality games, particularly in the field of MMORPGs."

Dungeon Keeper(TM) is a PC strategy game released by EA in July 1997.

EA at work on new Syndicate [CVG]

He says the first was another PC title, begun as soon as Dungeon Keeper 2 was wound up, though ultimately it went nowhere. There would later be several more attempts, none lasting more than a "few months", though one iteration did get a little deeper into production than the rest: a PS2 version, which was worked on for around a year. This would have featured a "free-roaming multi-tiered city", and would have been home to three factions: the Syndicates, a rebel group called the Freemen and the mysterious Hybrid.

While this and every other Syndicate project died in the water at EA, some remnants of them live on: our man points us towards the blog/portfolio of another former Bullfrog/EA UK employee Mike Man, who's got some concept art for the PS2 title hosted on his site. Would certainly have been a different game to the Bullfrog Syndicate you grew up with, as you can see below.

I really would love to redo a version of Syndicate. Syndicate was probably one of my favourites

I was a bit of a prat back then, to be honest. To be fair, I think [EA] didn't do anything bad. I was just very immature, and I was coming to terms with not having 30 of my friends but instead having 200 strangers around me. That was difficult, and I made life difficult for them.