Duuuude! You have no idea how cool this is.
Red Eagle Entertainment announced today that they are developing an MMO based on the Wheel of Time series of novels, by the late Robert Jordan. Also in the works is a live-action movie based on the first book in the series, The Eye of the World, and several stand alone console games. In fact, looking at the line up of products, it almost seems as if Red Eagle Entertainment was created specifically for bringing this wonderful series of books into other media.
Los Angeles, Calif- Nov 12, 2008 Red Eagle Games is bursting on to the digital- entertainment scene, launching its new Los Angeles based videogame publishing studio with the rights to one of the most popular and beloved fantasy epics of all times-Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series.
A Wheel of Time feature-film production is planned with Red Eagle Entertainment's executives Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon as producers, and now Red Eagle is unveiling plans to bring Jordan's fantasy universe to life via two distinct lines of interactive entertainment.
A line of stand-alone Wheel of Time games is planned for release on all major videogame platforms, including consoles, personal computers, handheld systems and wireless devices. In addition, Red Eagle will launch and operate a massively multiplayer online role-playing game encompassing the themes, characters and world of the Wheel of Time novels.
If you have not read the Wheel of Time series, it's strongly recommended that you do. In terms of modern fantasy writing, it's the closest thing there is to the Holy Grail, next to J. R. R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings, of course. Despite it's unfinished status (due to the untimely death of the author), it seems prime to become an MMO mainly because Mr. Jordan succeeded not only in telling a story, but in creating a world. It's always better to become part of a world than part of a story.
Full press release follows:
Complete Console Line-Up and MMORPG Based on Robert Jordan's Fantasy Series in the Works
Los Angeles, Calif- Nov 12, 2008 Red Eagle Games is bursting on to the digital- entertainment scene, launching its new Los Angeles based videogame publishing studio with the rights to one of the most popular and beloved fantasy epics of all times-Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series.
A Wheel of Time feature-film production is planned with Red Eagle Entertainment's executives Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon as producers, and now Red Eagle is unveiling plans to bring Jordan's fantasy universe to life via two distinct lines of interactive entertainment.
A line of stand-alone Wheel of Time games is planned for release on all major videogame platforms, including consoles, personal computers, handheld systems and wireless devices. In addition, Red Eagle will launch and operate a massively multiplayer online role-playing game encompassing the themes, characters and world of the Wheel of Time novels.The rich details of Jordan's meticulously crafted series have captivated readers since 1990, when The Eye of the World, the first book in the series, was published. Eleven additional books, including one prequel, have since been added to the series and have consistently appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List with the last four of his novels in the series debuting at No. 1. Jordan passed away in 2007 at the age of 58, but a final book, A Memory of Light, will be finished by fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson using notes and a partial draft left withJordan's wife and editor, Harriet Rigney, and is expected to be published in fall 2009 by Tor Books.
"I am confident in Red Eagle Games' ability to capture the timeless appeal of The Wheel of Time story as they adapt its characters and themes into this new electronic medium," Rigney said. "I expect fans of the series will be delighted by these new interactive additions to the Wheel of Time universe."
Jordan's wildly popular books have been translated into 24 languages, and have sold about 44 million copies worldwide. In addition, the series has a vast global on-line community of tens of thousands of dedicated fan Web sites.
"There are few properties as well-loved and influential as Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series," said Rick Selvage, chairman and president of Red Eagle Entertainment. "The Wheel of Time books have captured the imagination of millions of readers around the world, and we expect our interactive recreations of Jordan's complex universe to garner a similar level of devotion and enthusiasm."
About Red Eagle Entertainment
Red Eagle Entertainment is a Malibu production company with a focus on adapting Robert Jordan's celebrated fantasy epic "The Wheel of Time" into high-quality filmed entertainment and interactive video games. Founded in 2003 by Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon, Red Eagle Entertainment is producing a live-action motion picture based upon the "The Eye of the World," the first novel in The Wheel of Time series. In addition, Red Eagle Entertainment is the driving force behind the recent launch of Red Eagle Games, a new video game studio undertaking the transformation of Jordan's literary masterpiece into video games for the personal computer, game consoles, mobile and wireless devices, and online play.
