Ladies and gentlemen, let me present with you today, an extremely wishful theory as to what Blizzards new franchise is.
ARCANUM 2!
And here is why!
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura was originally developed by Troika Games, a subsidary of Sierra Entertainment. After the immense success Arcanum had, people were hungry for a sequel. In 2000, Tim Cain announced plans for Troika Games to develop a sequel to Arcanum. These plans never saw the light of day, as Troika Games shut down in 2005.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Troika Games was founded by three people, Tim Cain, Leonard Boyarsky, and Jason Anderson. Yes, Leonard Boyarsky, lead world designer for Blizzard Entertainment was also a lead publiser on Arcanum, and an owner of the company that developed it.
I shall continue.
In September of 2006, only a year after Troika Games' shutdown, Leonard Boyarsky (who was now working for Sierra Entertainment) announced that Troika had infact been working on a sequel to Arcanum, the sequel had the working title of "Journey to the centre of Arcanum", and was planned to run on Valve's "Source" Engine. However after bickering between Sierra and Valve, Sierra shelved the project.
July 9th, 2008. The date that Activision and Vivendi Games merged to become Activision Blizzard. Vivendi Games now start to sell off and close studios that operate inside Sierra Entertainment, some of these studios include Massive Entertainment, High Moon Studios, Radical Entertainment and Swordfish Studios.
Soonafter, Sierra announce they will no longer be operating as a medium, merely as a name, and are now Defunct.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Sierra Entertainment owned the licensing to the Arcanum franchise at the time of the merger with Activison and Vivendi Games (Blizzard).
THE CORE OF THE THEORY:
Leonard Boyarsky is one of the three founders of Troika Games, they develop "Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura", earning 8.8 million dollars, hundreds of high ratings, and a legendary name.
After Troika Games closes, Leonard Boyarsky pushes to idea with Sierra and Valve, trying to get the sequel "Journey to the Centre of Arcanum" to take flight, it fails.
Leonard Boyarsky moves on to Blizzard Entertainment, becomes lead world developer for (the at the time secret) title "Diablo III".
Activison and Blizzard merge, Activision are now legally sharing the rights and licensing to the Arcanum franchise with Blizzard Entertainment. Leonard Boyarsky takes the big wigs of ActiBlizzard by the scruffs of the neck, and drags them to the basement, where he pulls out the Arcanum file. Big wigs see a small time developer that made big money off a game, that went down with a legendary reputation, suddenly, Blizzard have a brand new franchise to work with, that they know they can get peoples attention with, for the following reasons:
A. Arcanum is legendary
B. Blizzard have formed an empire on top of World of Warcraft.
TLDR:
Old Idea is found.
Turned into franchise (possibly MMO)
People go nuts for it.
???
PROFIT!
Thankyou ladies and gentlemen for OCN for reading this ridiculous, insane, and EXTREMELY wishful theory as to why and how blizzard may be working on an Arcanum sequel.
ARCANUM 2!
And here is why!
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura was originally developed by Troika Games, a subsidary of Sierra Entertainment. After the immense success Arcanum had, people were hungry for a sequel. In 2000, Tim Cain announced plans for Troika Games to develop a sequel to Arcanum. These plans never saw the light of day, as Troika Games shut down in 2005.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Troika Games was founded by three people, Tim Cain, Leonard Boyarsky, and Jason Anderson. Yes, Leonard Boyarsky, lead world designer for Blizzard Entertainment was also a lead publiser on Arcanum, and an owner of the company that developed it.
I shall continue.
In September of 2006, only a year after Troika Games' shutdown, Leonard Boyarsky (who was now working for Sierra Entertainment) announced that Troika had infact been working on a sequel to Arcanum, the sequel had the working title of "Journey to the centre of Arcanum", and was planned to run on Valve's "Source" Engine. However after bickering between Sierra and Valve, Sierra shelved the project.
July 9th, 2008. The date that Activision and Vivendi Games merged to become Activision Blizzard. Vivendi Games now start to sell off and close studios that operate inside Sierra Entertainment, some of these studios include Massive Entertainment, High Moon Studios, Radical Entertainment and Swordfish Studios.
Soonafter, Sierra announce they will no longer be operating as a medium, merely as a name, and are now Defunct.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Sierra Entertainment owned the licensing to the Arcanum franchise at the time of the merger with Activison and Vivendi Games (Blizzard).
THE CORE OF THE THEORY:
Leonard Boyarsky is one of the three founders of Troika Games, they develop "Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura", earning 8.8 million dollars, hundreds of high ratings, and a legendary name.
After Troika Games closes, Leonard Boyarsky pushes to idea with Sierra and Valve, trying to get the sequel "Journey to the Centre of Arcanum" to take flight, it fails.
Leonard Boyarsky moves on to Blizzard Entertainment, becomes lead world developer for (the at the time secret) title "Diablo III".
Activison and Blizzard merge, Activision are now legally sharing the rights and licensing to the Arcanum franchise with Blizzard Entertainment. Leonard Boyarsky takes the big wigs of ActiBlizzard by the scruffs of the neck, and drags them to the basement, where he pulls out the Arcanum file. Big wigs see a small time developer that made big money off a game, that went down with a legendary reputation, suddenly, Blizzard have a brand new franchise to work with, that they know they can get peoples attention with, for the following reasons:
A. Arcanum is legendary
B. Blizzard have formed an empire on top of World of Warcraft.
TLDR:
Old Idea is found.
Turned into franchise (possibly MMO)
People go nuts for it.
???
PROFIT!
Thankyou ladies and gentlemen for OCN for reading this ridiculous, insane, and EXTREMELY wishful theory as to why and how blizzard may be working on an Arcanum sequel.
