Back in 2008 MMO developer Spacetime Studios saved its stylish space MMO The Blackstar Chronicles from oblivion after publisher NCsoft cancelled the project. Three years later and Blackstar is still on the way; just a little bit smaller than expected.
In 2008 I was enthralled by the distinctive character designs for Spacetime Studio's Wing Commander-meets-Descent massively multiplayer online science fiction epic The Blackstar Chronicles. In development for several years' prior, publisher NCsoft had recently canned the title (taking a substantial financial hit in the process) and passed the property rights back to the developer.
Then the game dropped off the face of the earth, until now.
Now simply called Blackstar, Spacetime Studios is releasing the game later this year as an MMO for Android and IOS devices. Spacetime will leverage Blackstar's long development cycle with the success they've seen with their first mobile MMO, Pocket Legends, to create the online mobile science fiction experience.
"Blackstar's production design and overall polish will be unmatched in mobile gaming," says Gary Gattis, CEO, Spacetime Studios. "We were able to nurture the IP to its maximum potential through years of development – a luxury never before seen in Mobile gaming. If you ever dreamed of a fully-featured sci-fi MMO that you can take anywhere, look for the first chapter of the Blackstar saga soon."
Players will participate in epic battles between the arcane Scorn, necro-cyborg Riven, futuristic humans, and the humans' robotic sidekicks, the Mode. The game will be playable over 3G, 4G, and WiFi.
It's nice the see Blackstar in action again, though I was still hoping for a full-fledged PC title. Who knows, maybe a successful iPhone and Android game will lead to bigger and better things?