Behind the Scenes: Selling Privateer Online (September 14, 2005)

[Bandit LOAF]

Before Origin could develop Privateer Online in the late 1990s, they had to sell it to Electronic Arts. Alert readers are already familiar with the Privateer Online Design Layout (available in our Document Archive) submitted to the corporate office to explain how the game would work. To go alongside this document, the team also created a multimedia website to help sell the game. Thanks to an anonymous donor, you can now find that site here. The best part? The site features several never-seen-before preliminary ship renderings from the lost game!

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The first couple shots appear to be a modular Vaktoth. The Crusader and Aurora, heavy fighters in the Border Worlds and Confed arsenal, are pictured next, and if you look closely, the last shot even has a swarm of Piranhas and Devastators.

Origin has an extreme edge over the competition with its strong properties like Wing Commander and Ultima. While most companies are struggling to create these properties AND communities from the ground up, Origin has several properties that fit perfectly in a persistent world environment. Each of these properties has an established loyal fan base and history that has been adored by fans for years. The next Origin property to go online? Wing Commander: Privateer.

With all that said Privateer with the strong universe backing and proven Wing Commander history proves to be the most extensive, entertaining and encompassing space based Online community in gaming history. PERIOD.

There's a ton of detailed information buried in the Privateer Online site, so make sure you check out all the various sections and links. Don't miss the areas describing how the game might control in flight, how players could interact and how ship components would combine to create over half a million different combinations. Potential sectors and systems are also diagrammed in detail. You can find a brief article describing the circumstances around Privateer Online's cancellation here.

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Original update published on September 14, 2005

 

[Kosch]

wow thanks for making that available, you learn something new everyday. Makes a great read and gives me that warm fuzzy feeling!

Kosch

 

[Aplha 1-1]

Hey interesting stuff, any chance that somebody here knows if the guys behind this went with Chris Roberts to work on Starlancer? The designs very close between games.

 

[AD]

Hey interesting stuff, any chance that somebody here knows if the guys behind this went with Chris Roberts to work on Starlancer? The designs very close between games.

Not likely... considering they list Freelancer as something they are competing with

 

[ChrisReid]

Hey interesting stuff, any chance that somebody here knows if the guys behind this went with Chris Roberts to work on Starlancer? The designs very close between games.

You have to look at the timing of everything. Roberts left Origin long before people started working on this Privateer Online stuff. The POL and Starlancer stuff was developed nearly simultaneously, so there was no personnel overlap. Chris Roberts was also working on Freelancer and the WC Movie, and didn't really have anything to do with Starlancer's development.

 

[d3r3k]

Man, those shots are beautiful.

 

[ChrisReid]

Man, those shots are beautiful.

Yeah, we've posted dozens of screenshots and concept images from every up and coming space sim in the last couple years, and nothing comes close to how cool those would have been

 

[Mekt-Hakkikt]

Hi everybody!

Just saw the news and wow, PO and Priv3 really look good from the pictures. Tons of informations on that site, really interesting what could have been.
Playing as a Kilrathi privateer, that would have been extremely nice (poor Kilrathi getting thrown out by evil Terran corporations!). This game would probably have brought me into playing online games...
But they wouldn't have left the Steltek and Black Lance alone it seems.

Well, hope dies last, maybe the projects are going to be revisited some time.