Any plans to dip into other former talent from LoK and SR?

[klokwerkaos]

Just curious if any of the prior talent in the older series has been tapped already or if that's being avoided for various reasons (I'm guessing stuff like avoiding copyright issues since we're all aware of the copyright issues that caused the games so much trouble over the years I think, current budget for team size, and similar constraints).

Obviously not everyone is available, can, or would want to, but I think having some folks that helped make the previous game(s) great would be a great repository since they already know the baseline tone in and out. Obviously the product identity is different and will likely end up being much more than LoK was given the design intent and modern tech, but it might be worth looking at.

I'm mostly just asking due to "what is the state/policy" since I'm sure Dennis has a whole career's worth of folks that would love to jump on a project to create something wonderful pending the game is funded appropriately.

I'm also curious if Apocalypse is completely independently funded by Mr Dyack, or if there are other publishing concerns.

Admittedly I'm most excited for the concept of it being independently funded so that the creative constraints aren't dictated as much by generating exponentially increasing quarterly outputs for shareholders and game quality ends up suffering as a result.

I would say if that's the case, we might be seeing a trend within the game development community considering Dreamhaven is founded on the principals of "lets get the corpo influence out and make great games and tell great stories". (paraphrased)

 

[Denis Dyack]

We are in discussion with many people from Silicon Knights who have asked to join Apocalypse, so many former colleagues will likely be back working on Deadhaus Sonata. @Cat2D is one of the first people to join us firmly from SK, and we could not be happier! As far as IP goes (story and content from other games), we may add content from previous games we own the IP for. We do not own the IP for Legacy of Kain, so you will not see any direct integration there.

We are completely independent - this is why it is important to please spread the word about us!

 

[klokwerkaos]

Thanks so much for the reply. I've begun sewing seeds by putting this out there in some key spots that it's likely to resonate.

I can't do too much in regards to aggressive campaigns though until there is more substance and the game is closer to demo though, without risking people forgetting about the project before that time. Once there is more substantially fleshed systems and wow factor on the site up front, rest assured I'll be dripping the news across feeds

Seeing this project succeed is something I'm very dedicated to already

I'm super excited to know you're dipping into other pools of prior talent

 

[Siiron]

We are in discussion with many people from Silicon Knights who have asked to join Apocalypse, so many former colleagues will likely be back working on Deadhaus Sonata. @Cat2D is one of the first people to join us firmly from SK, and we could not be happier! As far as IP goes (story and content from other games), we may add content from previous games we own the IP for. We do not own the IP for Legacy of Kain, so you will not see any direct integration there.

We are completely independent - this is why it is important to please spread the word about us!

Sorry to 'necro' a question..but we are all undead here.

Is it not possible for you to ever challenge the IP License? I know you were director on Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen so I understand that means you may not have 'created' the world of Nosgoth, but would it not be possible for you to challenge the copywrites on such things? We've been seeing this a lot in the entertainment industry with movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and even Hellraiser.

A Nosgoth expansion pack would be awesome as some future DLC in say 2028!

 

[Denis Dyack]

Sorry to 'necro' a question..but we are all undead here.

Is it not possible for you to ever challenge the IP License? I know you were director on Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen so I understand that means you may not have 'created' the world of Nosgoth, but would it not be possible for you to challenge the copywrites on such things? We've been seeing this a lot in the entertainment industry with movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and even Hellraiser.

A Nosgoth expansion pack would be awesome as some future DLC in say 2028!

No worries about the necro. I DID create the world of Nosgoth, but this is not what always determines the ownership of IP. This is a complex issue with a long history. Rather than fighting with other groups in the industry, we would more likely work with them and do something mutually beneficial for us all. Kain will always have a special place in my heart, and if there is ever a way to bring things over or work on the IP again sometime, we will give it our best try.

 

[Varik Keldun]

Sorry to 'necro' a question..but we are all undead here.

Is it not possible for you to ever challenge the IP License? I know you were director on Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen so I understand that means you may not have 'created' the world of Nosgoth, but would it not be possible for you to challenge the copywrites on such things? We've been seeing this a lot in the entertainment industry with movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and even Hellraiser.

A Nosgoth expansion pack would be awesome as some future DLC in say 2028!

He (Denis) created the world of Nosgoth.

There was already legal stuff for the IP - it went to Crystal Dynamics, who was purchased by Eidos, who was purchased by Square Enix.


(not fast enough with the reply... Denis = Too quick!)

 

[Siiron]

No worries about the necro. I DID create the world of Nosgoth, but this is not what always determines the ownership of IP. This is a complex issue with a long history. Rather than fighting with other groups in the industry, we would more likely work with them and do something mutually beneficial for us all. Kain will always have a special place in my heart, and if there is ever a way to bring things over or work on the IP again sometime, we will give it our best try.

I thought you had created Nosgoth, but I didn't want to say so incorrectly, so I hope you take no offense to that! Blood Omen was the game that launched me in to adventure RPG games, so it holds a super high status in my "all time" list. It's the one game I advocate for the most when people talk about remastering a genre defining game.

I can understand this completely, I've read bits and pieces of the legal fight that went down and it's really a shame that Edios won (IMO). Square did nothing with the IP, other than showing how dedicated the fan base really was when they released Nosgoth back in 2013 (Despite the silliness to it, it was fun to jump back into the role of Kain's children!). But it's great to hear that you would welcome the idea of bringing even a bit of that title over to join the Deadhaus world. I only hope the powers that be at Square can one day understand the love and labor of this project, and the love of lore so many of us share for Legacy of Kain.


Thank you, Denis, and your team for all the hard work you guys are putting in. I cannot state how excited I am to see this world take off!

 

[Denis Dyack]

My pleasure, and no offense taken. Thanks for the kind words about Blood Omen. BTW: Edios didn't win the case, they were not involved in it at all. Crystal Dynamics and Silicon Knights settled the case (neither party won), and the details cannot be disclosed. After this, we (SK) went on to do Eternal Darkness. Most things out there about the legal dispute are inaccurate, as much of many other things revolving around the game and its history.

Apocalypse is here with Deadhaus Sonata to speak with a voice that has been lost with games such as Blood Omen, Eternal Darkness, and many other games of its like. It is time to turn back to those days but with a fresh modern eye and we look forward to your feedback.