Paradox Interactive (the Crusader Kings people, not the Conan/Mutant Chronicles ones) buy the White Wolf properties [Merged x10]

[Andreas Rayne]

Please tell me my Kickstarters are secure.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/10/29/paradox-white-wolf/

[CHILL]

I hope OPP gets to continue a relationship with the new IP owners. There could be other benefits, perhaps OPP could get Paradox to create PC games for the properties OPP owns outright, like Aeon

[nofather]

I myself think it makes perfect sense, it just has some massiv challenges to overcome however. Also we cannot even start to guess they'll make a MMO, being an independent studio with a tighter budget than CCP (or so it seems) I'd say it's more likely we get a RPG or some other kind of single player adventure with maybe multiplayer elements? Or maybe a multiplayer focused game. And although a MMO still makes a lot of sense from what the fans want, the MMO market is actually in a pretty bad shape, so we shall see about it.

I was saying that an MMO would probably not be a good route to go.

'Thank you, VladALUCARD, for killing those 12 rats. Here is 5 Vitae, now choose the rest of your reward: Black Silk Gloves, Black Lace Gloves, or Black Leather gloves.'

A big thing about what makes these games good is that they're not scripted for a large crowd, they're personalized stories. And even though MMOs have come some distance from the above scenario, it's still the core of the game, and even EVE starts out with it.

When I said multiplayer I was referring to not massive multiplayer, just the networked or online with a few friends or strangers games you can set up. The setting practically begs for single player games. But we'll see. At least they'll do more with it than CCP. I just hope the licensing doesn't change anything, we finally got on board with calling the second edition books actual second edition books.

[Murder-of-Crows]

Those are very different situations. D&D is practically synonymous with tabletop RPGs in the public consciousness, and even with that stellar brand recognition, WotC only barely manages to keep the brand above water, which is primarily due to merchandising and side-products like Attack Wing and the various board games. Paizo cornered the market to disenfranchised D&D fans.

You are basically describing the new business model of White Wolf: use the brand to sell computer games, but keep the RPG alive for easy recognition. The press releases talk about Vampire: The Masquerade as the second largest role-playing game. That is an indication of future direction. Presumably, Paradox paid tens of millions Swedish Krona for White Wolf. That most likely equates to around 5 million USD. That kind of money cannot be recuperated by role-playing games. You need computer games for that. The RPG and LARP branches will most likely be used like WotC is using D&D 5e.

[nofather]

That kind of money cannot be recuperated by role-playing games.

That kind of money isn't always going to be recuperated. CCP didn't do anything but license it to OP and sell it to Paradox.

[Herbert_West]

Okay, I have no desire to shift through 12 pages.

Has there been any official statement from OP on:

• retaining the licence
• changes in the publishing model
• the axing or not of oWOD/nWOD

[UrbicaMortis]

I'm definitely cautious about that 'one world of darkness' line but I like Paradox, so i'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Very hyped for a possible successor to bloodlines from Obsidian. I'd also like a WoD paradox game.

I like nWoD more but realistically any game will be cWoD. My ideal game would be a vampire game in the style of crusader kings 2, the map shrunk down to a city and the character interactions and internecine politics expanded on.

[BigDamnHero]

Okay, I have no desire to shift through 12 pages.

Has there been any official statement from OP on:

• retaining the licence
• changes in the publishing model
• the axing or not of oWOD/nWOD

No, all of those remain unanswered, almost everything here is speculation.

[legopaidi]

I personally think that the "one world of darkness" is actually the merging of the various splats (Vampires, Werewolves, etc) into one coherent setting. They may still actually be separate gamelines but whatever metaplot will be shared. For that to happen there's got to be a metaplot revamp. That sounds more like the cWOD right?

What this means for the metaplot-free nWOD I cannot tell...I do hope it will continue to exist separately as an "alternative edition" (because let's face it, a single nWOD line with everything in it is like a supernatural horror funhouse) in the hands of OPP but I'm very concerned...From a business standpoint 2 separate editions don't really make sense if you have plans for "world domination". Even D&D has cut down on gameworlds heavily (there's just Forgotten Realms left).

We should make sure to be vocal about this - "we" being the "hardcore" rpg fans- and make Paradox understand that the hobby is still very niche and that plans to make it bigger through video games or whatever will not work if they alienate the existing fanbase. Opening up to new fans is VERY good but that can only be done hand in hand with respect to the old ones.

Best wishes to OPP!

[nofather]

Okay, I have no desire to shift through 12 pages.

Has there been any official statement from OP on:

• retaining the licence
• changes in the publishing model
• the axing or not of oWOD/nWOD

I'm particularly interested in any word of

• human sacrifice
• dogs and cats living together

[Almarck]

You are basically describing the new business model of White Wolf: use the brand to sell computer games, but keep the RPG alive for easy recognition. The press releases talk about Vampire: The Masquerade as the second largest role-playing game. That is an indication of future direction. Presumably, Paradox paid tens of millions Swedish Krona for White Wolf. That most likely equates to around 5 million USD. That kind of money cannot be recuperated by role-playing games. You need computer games for that. The RPG and LARP branches will most likely be used like WotC is using D&D 5e.

Hm, here's an interesting thought; would the computer games be "Vampire the Masquerade" or "World of Darkness"? Because while obvious VtM is big, having a WoD (either old or new) branding for the computer game opens up a whole lot of options for a game developer; specifically, having a whole lot more creative freedom and liberty to have more than just vampires.

I imagine should Paradox go down the latter route, they would cherry pick from both Old and New, create hybrids mashing up everything together, or make something new entirely. They would heavily lean towards OWoD, largely for familiar lore.

Of course, this is assuming they do RPG games at all. Paradox, to me, has always largely been around Grand Strategy.

[Grunt]

Just something from twitter

Obsidian @Obsidian 1 Std.

Vor 1 Stunde
So it seems like something was bought by @PdxInteractive and people want us to look into making a game? Hmmm..

[Murder-of-Crows]

That kind of money isn't always going to be recuperated. CCP didn't do anything but license it to OP and sell it to Paradox.

CCP did a heck of a lot more. They started to develop an MMO based on the property. That's a huge investment. Consider that at one time about 40-50 employees have been working on the game. That's conservatively estimated around 2-2.5 million USD personnel cost each year. The staff was only ramped down around 2013. So we are talking 10 million USD investment with no return on investment except through licensing fees. That's a huge amount of losses.

[nofather]

CCP did a heck of a lot more. They started to develop an MMO based on the property. That's a huge investment. Consider that at one time about 40-50 employees have been working on the game. That's conservatively estimated around 2-2.5 million USD personnel cost each year. The staff was only ramped down around 2013. So we are talking 10 million USD investment with no return on investment except through licensing fees. That's a huge amount of losses.

True, I meant 'do anything' to successfully recuperate their original investment. They seem uninterested in making single or few-player games, however. Paradox likely wouldn't be held back by the same issue.

[The Laughing Stranger]

Von Aether over on Reddit said nothing should change there, at least in the short term. See here: https://www.reddit.com/r/WhiteWolfRPG/comments/3qp530/paradox_buys_white_wolf_including_world_of/