The Cut Scene are reporting that Cryptic are already at work on a Neverwinter Nights MMO, with the game due for release in 2011. Makes sense! Atari still hold the rights to NWN, it's already an RPG, and the series has a loyal, persistent following.

It's also claimed that this was indeed the main reason Atari bought Cryptic in the first place. Which, again, makes sense: after all, it's now official Atari policy to pursue an online business model.

Atari's secret weapon – Neverwinter Nights [The Cut Scene]

Atari revealed its intentions to revisit and resuscitate some of its better known properties at a press conference in the UK today, pointing to some of its most beloved hits as a focus for 2010 and beyond. The rebounding publisher diverted focus to its next-year line-up, according to Eurogamer, which includes Ghostbusters, The Witcher for consoles and the recently announced Ready 2 Rumble Revolution.

While Atari's been supporting Neverwinter Nights 2 in the form of expansion packs, the Baldur's Gate series has been quiet since the release of Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, with the spin-off series Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance petering out in 2004. Sequels to both would be very welcome, my new Atari overlords.

We suppose the only question is: who's going to develop the next Baldur's Gate? BioWare, now owned by EA, has already moved on to its own "spiritual successor" Dragon Age.

As far as another Test Drive, Developer Eden Games is rumored to have already started work on a sequel to Test Drive Unlimited as of earlier this year.

Atari to revisit Baldur's, Test Drive [Eurogamer]

Don't Be Overly Ambitious "We thought it wouldn't be too hard to design a realistic War of the Roses-era economy, complete with swords, armaments, horses, food, and clothing. You want to create a suit of armor? First you have to smelt brass to make the bolts and gather fibers to make string ... We soon learned why most designers don't do that level of realism."

Go Low Tech
"If you can't find a professional game studio to partner with, start small. There are lots of simple development platforms to experiment with. Look at Tribal Wars — it's an HTML-driven online game with hundreds of thousands of users. It can be played in a browser window."

Think About Your Audience
"We put Arden in front of Shakespeare experts and they loved it. We put it in front of play testers and they yawned. We'd get feedback like, 'I talked to that Falstaff guy for a while and got a quest to go repair something. I logged out and never came back.' Too much reading, not enough fighting. Arden II will be more of a hack-and-slash Dungeons and Dragons type of game."

Get a Full-Time Staff
"I love my students, but they just don't have the schedule to do this. I have a very able lead designer and an excellent lead artist, but they had to pause for midterms. You need a core group of 60-hour-a-week people."

Concede Screwups
"You face a moment where you can admit something isn't working or you can lie about it. It's like in Shakespeare's plays: The tragic heroes keep making new mistakes that compound their original mistakes. The comic heroes muddle around and find themselves in ridiculous circumstances, but in the end they accept their own humanity, and the audience respects them for it."

We`re fairly sure BloodSpell is the largest Machinima film ever created. It`s an independent film that, because it is using Machinima technology, isn`t subject to the usual limitations of smaller films. But, at the same time, we don`t have the politics, money and producers of a Hollywood production involved, so we can experiment with ideas, styles and attitudes that wouldn`t be possible in a more top-heavy Hollywood production.

Of course, we still have some limitations, and BloodSpell won`t be beating out `Lord of the Rings` for visual effects. But we hope that what we lack in slick polish, we can make up for in originality and passion.

So take a look if you're fond of machinima and have an hour and a half to kill.

BloodSpell [via GameSetWatch]

A few months ago, Atari dealt a blow to the Neverwinter Nights mod community. "No more premium modules for you!" they shrieked.

It was a huge downer. The premium modules program by Bioware had long extended the lifetime of Neverwinter Nights and allowed Bioware to keep up with the community by continuing to patch the game long after it would have otherwise become unprofitable to do so. It was basically the death-knell of Bioware support for NWN.

So it was a surprise when I woke up this morning to find an email, saying that Atari had released one last premium module, Wyvern Crown of Cormyr.

Featuring rideable horses, jousting and cloaks, the word is that Bioware was so impressed with it that they actually begged Atari to release it. And so they did, for $11.99.

Great news for the team, as word is that Atari's contracts with all guys working on the premium modules was they were to be paid only when the modules were released. When they pulled the plug, a lot of guys discovered they'd been working for nothing for months. Florian Eckhardt

Wyvern Crown of Cormyr [Bioware]

It was a bit sad when Neverwinter Nights' premium module service was canned: it allowed Bioware to support NWN and add features long past the point where it would have become unprofitable.

All good things must end, but one promising module in particular was canned mid-completion: Darkness Over Daggerford by Ossian Studios. Many NWN fans rended their clothes and lamented they would never see it. But not so! Ossian Studios, despite a lack of pecuniary reward for their efforts, sallied forth and have now released the last premium module for Neverwinter Nights free to the community.

If you love NWN, go download. They promise between a 25 and 30 hour adventure! Florian Eckhardt

Darkness over Daggerford [NWNVault]

Atari has issued an official response to questions about the cancellation of the Neverwinter Nights premium module program, as well as all future support or patches. They basically pimp NWN2 instead.

Atari understands the importance and popularity of the mod community, which has supported the Neverwinter Nights franchise for years. Atari remains as committed to the franchise and the growing members of the community as ever and we've still got quite a bit more news in-store for everyone between now and September. Our goal is to make Neverwinter Nights 2 one of the most compelling RPG experiences seen in years by also making it one of the most mod-friendly games ever.

Fair enough, I'm sure NWN2 will be great. But what many of us are interested in is NWN2's official premium content. NWN was a great experiment, allowing a community-oriented game to flourish long past the point of technological obsolescence through continuous patches that added features for which the mod community clamored. Those patches were funded by premium modules. Is NWN2 going to handle this the same way? FLORIAN ECKHARDT

Atari Responds to Neverwinter Nights Non-Support Rumors [Firing Squad]

It couldn't last forever and obviously it hasn't: Bioware has confirmed that Atari has pulled the plug on the Neverwinter Nights premium module program. They've also said 'no' to any further patches. Any modules that were in development for the premium program have officially been canceled, although don't be surprised if you see them get a free release.

The NWN community is obviously a bit bummed, but we've got to hand it to Bioware and Atari for not putting that old mule to pasture a long time ago. Neverwinter Nights' premium module program is a great example of why episodic content can be great for gaming: it allowed Bioware to support the game far after the point where it would have become unprofitable to do so, introducing new features at the request of the mod community that allowed them to create more innovative worlds for the rest of us to play in.

Let's hope Atari sees the sense in a similar approach to Neverwinter Nights 2. FLORIAN ECKHARDT

Atari Pulls the Plug on NWN 1? [NWVault]

At first, I reacted to the news that Bioware would be releasing premium content modules for Neverwinter Nights (already a game bordering on obsolescence) with suspicion: it seemed like an attempt to milk gamers out of money for something the mod community generates for free. But I was glad to be proven wrong. The premium modules are consistently excellent and their existence has allowed Bioware to continue to support NWN long past the point most games are no longer profitable.

That said, Bioware just released another cool module called Infinite Dungeons. The description is basically the same as the title:

Infinite Dungeons provides randomly generated adventures for characters of every level. Play with your friends or compete against your adversaries. If you dare, you can play alone. In the end, it all comes down to one question: Are you brave enough?

It goes for 8 bucks, which is a bit steep, but we like a bit of Nethack in our NWN. FLORIAN ECKHARDT

NWN Infinite Dungeons

What's cool about this patch is that it is the kind of ongoing product support that can only be feasible when a company is continuing to make money off of a product. In this case, NWN's Premium Modules, which offered additional single-player adventures to gamers for the price of a few bucks.

Bioware is the company Bethesda should be emulating with its Oblivion micro-content. Premium NWN modules are excellent investments, giving numerous hours of additional gameplay and professional quality polish for a relatively insignificant (but still profitable!) price. Plus, it funds continuous improvements on a still loved but technically obsolete product. Good job, Bioware!

NWN 1.67 Patch [Bioware]

With the help of a game designer, the school created the fictional town of Harperville and then created a train derailment and toxic spill. The idea was that the students would go in and try to interview the gawkers. If they were too rude or asked the wrong questions, they don't come away with the full store or are shunned entirely. Just like real life.

Unfortunately, the early build had some issues and whenever the reporter approached the crowd they were immediately attacked and torn to pieces. Again, just like real life.

Teaching Journalism With Neverwinter Nights [Opposable Thumbs]

Hiring with resumes is so old fashioned. Clickable Culture points out that Canadian developer BioWare is using a contest to find new talent. How? Using the Aurora Toolset and Neverwinter Nights contest (and job) applicants will create a unique, brief story. From the entries, three will be picked by "recognized leaders in community module development" and the other five will be selected via community vote at NWVault. Finally, BioWare's big bosses check out the submissions and interview contest winners accordingly. Complete details and rules over here.

BioWare Recruiting Via Neverwinter Contest [Clickable Culture]
The Contest that Might Become Your Career [BioWare]