Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

LEGO

While there wasn’t anything new to be announced about the LEGO MMO, we did ask Scott whether they were using any sort of current MMO or game as a basis for the sort of gameplay the hope to achieve in their upcoming title. “At first, it was really hard to pin anything down because we have such an open canvas to work with,” Scott said. “So much of our first little bit of time spent with LEGO was just brainstorming.”

Scott smiled at us before he went into his next comment. “We do have a grasp of what our game is now…but we can’t tell you.”

Although NetDevil can't divulge any concrete info on LEGO yet, we sure hope they do something with the Bionicle line.

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing NetDevil, at this point, is determining what they should include in the game to make it entertaining, yet leave out of the game to insure the safety and privacy of the young children who will play the LEGO MMO.

One game that is looked upon by the NetDevil crew for guidance is the LEGO Star Wars series. Both Peter and Scott agreed that LEGO Star Wars had the right amount of fun and flavor to make it the incredibly successful game it was. “However,” Scott added. “it set the bar pretty high for whatever we do with the LEGO MMO. People will want an online version of LEGO Star Wars. We just hope we can live up to that.”

For NetDevil, the LEGO agreement has been the first time they’ve ever had to deal with an outside IP to work from. Our next question revolved around how the relationship between LEGO and NetDevil has worked thus far. “We got a good one,” Scott said. “It’s not like we’re working with Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or Marvel – LEGO is really, really open. They don’t have any rules that we have to think about or background content that we are forced to include. Like we said before, it’s pretty much a blank slate. Our only limitations are that it has to be safe for kids and we need to be able to match the LEGO look.”

“It’s really the exact opposite of most licensing deals,” Peter added. “Instead of getting a fanbase that says we MUST include X villain or Y hero, we have a group of fans who strives for creativity and yearns for an open-type of world. There’s no LEGO-man that we need to worry about.”

Another game that Scott brought up was Neverwinter Nights. While the comparison may seem strange at first, Scott explained his reasoning very well. “With NWN, the developers had a fanbase who expected a world based in D&D. However, they also created this community of players who build their own modules and their own stories,” Scott said. “It’s really amazing what they were able to do with that, and we really want to figure out a way to do that with the LEGO MMO.”

“We’re not trying to make a Second Life type game,” he added. “We want a quality game behind the open world, but we also want to give users the freedom that can be found in a game like Neverwinter Nights.”

Other NetDevil Topics

The NetDevil Logo

After moving to their new digs in Louisville, Colo., and with so many new products to push, NetDevil is planning on holding an open house type event in late June. Ten Ton Hammer will definitely be in attendance, trying our best to hold our own in a Warmonger tournament and checking out the latest info on Jumpgate, LEGO, and Auto Assault.

Scott, Hermann, and Grace all assured me that the festivities will be enormous and fun will be had by all. That is, unless they meet me in a Warmonger deathmatch and I drop a building on their heads. I love blowing stuff up, and all of NetDevil’s games certainly fit that mold.

However, NetDevil hopes to eventually leave that stereotype – “the company that blows shit up” – behind. “We’ve had a lot of people tell us that,” Scott said. “But we really want to be known as the company that takes risks, is creative, and tries new things.” And knowing the guys at NetDevil, that will eventually become their reputation and more - they will be the company that tried new things, was creative, took risks, and - eventually - was successful. 

Make sure you check out the rest of Ten Ton Hammer's OGDC coverage!