And here's Origin's response to the PC Gamer Article, from an Ultima Forum...
I did read the article now, btw.. and I can see why you are all upset. As I explained on the official boards, it *is* true that Origin is pursuing a focus of online games currently, for both the Ultima and WC series. However, the standalone market for these two brands has been very successful in the past, and to say that a singleplayer game for either of these properties will never be made again just isn't true.The fact is that the multi-player online market is very exciting right now. Origin has some really good experience with it (made some advances, and made some mistakes). There's a fantastic opportunity for this company to pursue this type of game right now. So, for the time being, the focus is on multi-player games for both Ultima and WC.
However, it just doesn't make any sense to say that there will never be another single player Ultima or Wing Commander after the proven successes in that market. Never say never, you know. :)
Hope this helps, at least a little, cheers, Carly aka LadyMOI
Here's the actual PC Gamer article itself...
As we were researching this month's cover story on Jane's World War and US Air Force, we uncovered some very interesting news regarding the future of both the Jane's Combat Simulations line of games as well as a new direction for Origin's evergreen series', Wing Commander and Ultima.According to Origin, all future gaming in the Wing Commander and Ultima worlds (after the pending release of Ultima: Ascension) will take place in an online, persistent universe, similar to the company's already established Ultima Online world.
One of the motivating factors for this move seems to be simple business sense; Ultima Online has proven to be quite a cash cow for the company, raking in close to $1 million dollars per month. Origin feels that this is the future of interactive entertainment, and as such, has assigned Andy Hollis, executive producer of the Jane's line, to concentrate on developing the new Wing Commnader online universe after he completes his work on Jane's A-10 (see our cover story). Hollis' entire entire Austin, TX, Skunkworks team will be getting out of the hard-core simulation field to devote its talents to the new venture.
We had a chance to ask Hollis about this new direction for both him and his company. We did have some converns about this changing of the guard, however, in the past, Hollis' team focused on single-vehicle sims that really nailed the realism, while Paul Graco's Baltimore, MD, team produced less heavyweight, multiple aircraft sims. Does this mean that the hard-core sims will die away now that Hollis has flown the Jane's coop? According to Hollis, not at all. "Remember, Paul has overseen production of hard-core products before, like 688 (I) Hunter/Killer, as well as those of a survey nature," he says. "Also, it is the same creative leadership within the team itself that ultimately dictates the feel of the game. Rest assured that the Baltimore Skunkworks team will carry on its traditions and grow from there."
We wondered if one of the reasons for this move was because Hollis had become burnt out working on the hard-core simulation titles that he has become known for.
"I'll never tire of doing hard-core sims," says Hollis. "That said, there is not much opportunity for growth in that type of product when compared to other alternatives. Yes, you can get even more hard-core, but that's only interesting
According to EB Online the best of all possible computer stores won't be getting the Wing Commander figures until April 1st. That's a turnoff...
I was flipping channels last night (there is nothing on TV Friday at 8) and chanced to run accross the Wing Commander ad on Nickelodeon. Maybe they are trying to appeal to another audience... on a related note, this was the first time I'd seen the commercial on a really big TV, and it looked even better than before!
This years StellarCon, a science fiction convention in North Carolina, will feature guest William Forstchen. If anybody out there is heading to StellarCon next month, be sure to ask him what's up with Wing Commander for us...
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