Kotaku: shadowbane

Shadowbane Goes Into The Shadows

AJ Glasser — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:30:00 MDT

After a successful six-year run, MMORPG Shadowbane will shut down on May 1 according to publisher Ubisoft.

Shadowbane is known to MMO devotees as a bastion of player-versus-player gameplay. I seem to remember sieges also being a big draw to bloodthirsty gamers. Ubisoft bought the game's developer, Wolfpack Studios, back in 2004 and closed the studio two years later – making Shadowbane a free-to-play game thereafter.

Here's part of the blurb posted to the game's site by Ubisoft:

We come to you now with regret and sadness, but also happiness and pride.. Regret and sadness that it has finally come to this, and as of May 1, 2009 the Shadowbane servers will be powered down once and for all. Yet happiness that it lasted so very long, and pride to be able to stand before such a passionate community to thank you for your undying support and unwavering loyalty to Shadowbane.

MMORPG Shadowbane to Shutter After Six Years [Gamasutra]

New MMO From Shadowbane Creators

Mike Fahey — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 13:40:55 MST

Stray Bullet Games, a game development studio founded by key developers from Shadowbane creators Wolfpack Studios, has announced that they are working on a brand new massively multiplayer online game. They will be using an undisclosed 3rd party game engine to create the as-of-yet unnamed game, which will feature a completely original setting and theme.

Mike Madden, the Creative Director, had more to say about the design process for the new project. "We have two guiding principles: Rely upon the familiar and Be bold . . . In setting, systems and game play, we want to build on a firm foundation of features that are familiar and comfortable to MMO players, making the game as inviting and accessible as possible. We see no need to innovate in areas MMOs already do well."

I'm all for incorporating successful aspects of other games, as long as the setting is rich, immersive, and contains as many of those giant monkey things from the concept art above as will fit on the server. I also have to respect the ballsiness of any company that openly admits being responsible for Shadowbane. Michael Fahey

Taking Aim at the Future! [Stray Bullet Games via Eurogamer]

Shadowbane Devs Get Canned

brownlee — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 09:40:36 MST

Well, bad news for anyone who took us up on our recent post inviting you to download Shadowbane for free. Guess what! Shadowbane going free was just the precursor to the entire development team, Wolfbane Studios, being canned and the game being cancelled. Or, as Shadowbane community Ashen Temper puts it:

I wasn't going to post this initially but I figure the word is already out (I've already seen it on a few webzines as well as a multitude of forums). Yes, the rumor is true: I am looking for a new job. No, I did not get fired. Nor am I the only one looking for a job. We were recently informed that as of mid-May 2006, the doors of Wolfpack Studios will be closing. Ubisoft, our parent company, will be refocusing their efforts on the console market with the new fiscal year, what with the new systems coming to market such as the X-box 360, PS3, and the Nintendo GO! (or so the rumors call it lately). This is not an unheard of practice; many game publishing companies tend to put a majority of their efforts into development of games for new systems. It is best to strike when the iron is hot, as the saying goes.
What does this mean for Shadowbane? Truth be told, I really don't know. I wish I did because I don't only work on the game, I play it too. Once I do know something and can officially state as much, I'll let you all know.

Great! Ever wondered what it was like to play an MMORPG during the last stages of entropy? Why not give Shadowbane a shot. After all, it's free. Playing now could be an excellent inside look at what the end of the real world will look like!

Wolfpack Closed Down [Ashen Temper]

Shadowbane Now Free, Still Terrible

brownlee — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 12:40:52 MST

Shadowbane — perhaps having reached the dawning revelation of its own obsolescence within the throes of its MMORPG mid-life crisis — have decided to fling aside any hope of future revenue and open their doors to all gamers too impoverished to just buy World of Warcraft already.

If you'd like to give the PVP-focused MMORPG a whirl, go to UBI.com and create an account. Then download the client from the likes of Fileplanet.

The news that Shadowbane was going free was preceded by a great deal of billing problems for customers, which begs the question whether or not their billing system simply gave up the ghost and it ceased to be practical to actually fix it. That said, if you're looking for a free MMORPG to whittle away the time with, Shadowbane might — but probably isn't — the game you've been waiting for.

Become A Hero... For Free! [Ubi.com]