A New Planescape: Torment

[Tigranes]

So, for the first time since PS:T's release, there is real, concrete indication of a new Torment in some kind of spiritual-successor form. (All news is shamelessly copied from or obtained through the Codex.)

 

Colin McComb worked on Planescape: Torment, and is currently a writer for inXile's Wasteland 2. His blog has recently featured discussions of what a new Torment game would look like, in a language that suggested this was not mere speculation:

http://colinmccomb.com/?p=157

http://colinmccomb.c...157#comment-115

 

We now note that the US Patent Office shows 'Torment', which has always been copyrighted separately from the Planescape setting, is currently owned by 'Roxy Friday' as of May 2012 - an entity that has previously been attributed concretely to Brian Fargo and inXile. Planescape remains the property of Wizards of the Coast, and of course has been officially dead and shelved for years.

http://tsdr.uspto.go...pe=statusSearch

 

So, it seems almost certain that there is something going on, and that it will involve McComb and Fargo at least, if not Avellone and others. Now, because every single freaking thread about BG3 or PST2 is full of "OMG BHAALSPAWN STORY IS OVA" / "OMG NAMELESS ONE STORY IS OVA" etc and we are all sick of it, let's say it right here: there's about 0.01% chance that it would be a direct sequel, and for good reason. Colin McComb himself says:

As far as I'm concerned, MCA told a complete and beautiful story. If Chris wants to add sequels, that's his prerogative. If I added direct sequels, that would be fan fiction. I *like* that the question of what happens to his companions after the game has ended remains unanswered. Adding more details cheapens the impact of the original, and the unanswered questions about the companions makes their stories more powerful.

 

That's why Chris and I have both said that we would not be involved in sequels; we don't need to wrap up every loose end. Spiritual successors, yes - there are Torment stories that are untold. But not sequels, at least not right away (the last clause is just in case Chris discovers a new story he wants to tell with those companions).

 

So why do I want to use Torment? Because it was a deeply personal, philosophically engaging story that was not tied to the fate of the world - it *is* the end of the world for some characters, and it can sweep across the depths of infinity, but it remained a story about one man and the impact he had on those around him. Using Torment in the title tells you what kind of game it is. It's a specific story about a specific kind of person, a thematic link.

 

For the people who insist the game be a Planescape game, I have two points:

1. As I said, WotC does not appear to be interested in licensing Planescape.

2. Anyway, countless people told us that a Planescape game would never succeed, because it was "too weird." We just had to tell them to trust us - we had it handled. As you've seen, we did.

 

I'm not going to ask you to trust me just yet (I enjoy not having feces flung at me), but I will ask that you keep an open mind until you see what I'm thinking.

 

Finally, Brian Fargo has just confirmed that there is something here, though he can't give details yet - so it's not hallucination. All in all, no real details about who, how, and what, but it seems almost certain that something is in the works, and it is proximately involved with the people originally at Interplay and/or directly working on the original PST. Good enough for me.

Edited December 2, 2012 by Tigranes

[BruceVC]

Interesting, nice find. I'll be watching this one.

 

I have a confession to make and I hope I don't get judged too harshly, but I haven't played PS:T yet

 

But I have bought it on GOG so its just a matter of time

[Nonek]

Torment should remain untouched as the gem that it is (I wouldn't even want a supposedly enhanced edition re Baldurs Gate to be released,) but a stylistically exuberant, philosophically thought provoking and deeply personal games made by the Black Isle/AD&D stalwarts is something that i'd kickstart without hesitation. Following the release of Wasteland/Eternity might be an ideal time for such a project to gain funding and notice, though one has to pity Mr Avellones writing arm faced with such herculean labours.

[Labadal]

Sounds good, but I'll remain catiously optimistic. My hopes are that this turns out great, and with the right people onboard, it could be.

[Malekith]

I just hope that inXile cooperates with Obsidian.I can't imagine Torment without Avellone. And if Fargo does a Torment game while Obsidian does its own Torment spiritual succesor with Avellone they will just get into one anothers way

[AwesomeOcelot]

My guess, new IP RPG that's styled after Torment with Torment in the title.

[LadyCrimson]

I have a confession to make and I hope I don't get judged too harshly, but I haven't played PS:T yet

Me either. I did buy it way back when (the disc is still around somewhere) but when I fired it up then, for some reason I couldn't get into it. I was probably expecting something different, or was still too into another game at the same time....whatever the reason, I never went back. I kept meaning to but y'know how it goes sometimes.

 

But I find this news interesting....at this point in my life I'd definitely like more options re: RPG's that at least feel a bit more classical, so to speak, so anything that may lead in that direction I'll be keeping an eye on.

[Majek]

Why is Planescape in the topic title if it doesn't have anything to do with it?

Edited December 2, 2012 by Majek

[LadyCrimson]

Why is Planescape in the topic title if it doesn't have anything to do with it?

Maybe because "The Creators of PST and Others Hint At A New Game That Might Be A Spiritual Successor to Planescape Torment" makes for a rather long forum thread title?

[Azure79]

Interesting, nice find. I'll be watching this one.

 

I have a confession to make and I hope I don't get judged too harshly, but I haven't played PS:T yet

 

But I have bought it on GOG so its just a matter of time

 

It's ok. I've never played System Shock 2.

 

Good news to me. I'm all for a deep engaging RPG that tells a personal story.

Edited December 3, 2012 by Azure79

[Tigranes]

Because 'A New Torment' sounds like a Twilight fan-fiction title.

[LadyCrimson]

Because 'A New Torment' sounds like a Twilight fan-fiction title.

Haha!

[entrerix]

spiritual successor eh? not set in Sigil?

 

leaves me wondering which elements they would focus on re-creating

[mr insomniac]

spiritual successor eh? not set in Sigil?

 

leaves me wondering which elements they would focus on re-creating

Reading that quote it seems like getting the licensing for the Planescape setting isn't going to happen. A shame. I'd love another game in the planescape setting.

[HoonDing]

Torment 2 should take place on Athas.

[pmp10]

Planescape would probably be the biggest name (short of baldurs gate) they could use to fund pretty much any project.

But I'm a little bit worried about what the makers of 'Demon forge' could do with the IP.

With all the kickstarters floating about there is already a lot of name cheapening and it would be sad to see Torment suffer similar fate.

[C2B]

Are you working at InXile now then?

 

Yes! I was contracting at inXile in November, but have recently joined full time as a project director. It’s great to be involved in RPGs again and I love the route inXile is taking – making games directly for the players. It allows us to explore ideas and gameplay that many, including us, are passionate about, but that aren’t mainstream enough for the big publishers (with Wasteland 2 as an obvious example =) ).

 

I’ll be leading the development of the next game. The writers are finishing up their roles on WL2 and we want to keep that talented group together. Also, by the time WL2 is completed next fall, we’ll want preproduction done for the next game so that the development team can rollover to it (after a well-deserved break, of course!). You need different size teams at various points in a project, and having multiple projects in development is important to allow you to keep your team together. So it’s time to plan for what’s next!

 

Shame that means he's not coming back to Obsidian

 

On the other hand it's good if InXile gets more talent.

[WorstUsernameEver]

But I'm a little bit worried about what the makers of 'Demon forge' could do with the IP.

 

It's not "the makers of Demon Forge", though, McComb more or less made it clear that it would be the same writing team that worked on Wasteland 2. Theoretically, that's a pretty good team, but I'd wait to see the results in Wasteland 2 before trusting them with making a Torment-like.

[Katphood]

Interesting news. They will most probably hire Chris Avellone again if they decide to make another Planescape game.

Edited December 3, 2012 by Astiaks

[C2B]

Interesting news. They will most probably hire Chris Avellone again if they decide to make another Planescape game.

 

He's working on P:E though and probably takes on a bigger role there than he did on W2. Not to mention other possible projects.

 

So, I don't think that's a given.

[Brother None]

He's working on P:E though and probably takes on a bigger role there than he did on W2. Not to mention other possible projects.

 

So, I don't think that's a given.

 

Indeed it is not.

 

 

 

"As you may recall, Chris [Avellone] mentioned his ideas for a spiritual successor to Torment with some frequency over the summer. This stemmed (at least in part) from discussions he and I were having about the possibility of resurrecting the IP, and this led to my reaching out to Wizards of the Coast. That did not yield fruit, but it did get the two of us talking about what we'd like to see in any regard, and we both agreed that Planescape was not the best route for us to take anyway, due to the mechanical issues and editorial oversight WotC would want.

 

 

"The Project: Eternity Kickstarter took them in a different direction than a direct successor. I told Chris that I would not work on a Torment successor without his approval. We talked about it for a bit, and he told me that he was entirely comfortable with me moving forward on a Torment game without him, and he gave me his explicit blessing to do it.

 

"Right now he's incredibly involved with Project: Eternity, and I do not want to distract him from a project that is incredibly important to his company. With that said, I would be happy - no, wait, overjoyed - to have him on board in any capacity whatsoever.""The Project: Eternity Kickstarter took them in a different direction than a direct successor. I told Chris that I would not work on a Torment successor without his approval. We talked about it for a bit, and he told me that he was entirely comfortable with me moving forward on a Torment game without him, and he gave me his explicit blessing to do it.

[Keyrock]

I'd be much happier is this waited until Chris Avellone could be a part of it, but even if he's not, one way or another this needs to happen. The greatest RPG ever made needs a sequel. Kickstarter is already making many of my seemingly impossible dreams come true, this would be the ultimate dream come true (whether Kickstarted or not).

Edited December 3, 2012 by Keyrock

[Starwars]

Uuuugh... Is it really necessary to dig up these old licenses? PS:T was a great game, it stood alone and works fine. Making a "Torment spiritual sequel" without the Planescape setting, and Chris' involvement, is just... why bother?! For the love of god, can't we get something new without having to attach old licenses to it? What's the point? Just make a new goddamn game without resorting to using an old name to get some quick cash in.

 

I'll be the first one to admit that I'm fairly nostalgia-driven regarding a lot of older games but please... Let us move forward. Create something new.

 

I completely understand why the devs feel safer in doing the name-dropping thing, even for new IPs such as Project Eternity with its IE connections, it's a safer bet to get some money. But it's so tiring to see these projects constantly having to make throw-backs to old fan favorites. It's the same kind of annoyance I have with the rest of the industry with its sequels and half-sequels... Just that some of the kickstarter projects just go back a few more years for the games they want to create sequels for.

 

Thank god that there are actually a few companies who want to create new things, without having to constantly name-drop and connect their games to older ones like some... I don't know. Insecure, teenaged kid developer.

[Malekith]

Uuuugh... Is it really necessary to dig up these old licenses? PS:T was a great game, it stood alone and works fine. Making a "Torment spiritual sequel" without the Planescape setting, and Chris' involvement, is just... why bother?! For the love of god, can't we get something new without having to attach old licenses to it? What's the point? Just make a new goddamn game without resorting to using an old name to get some quick cash in.

 

I'll be the first one to admit that I'm fairly nostalgia-driven regarding a lot of older games but please... Let us move forward. Create something new.

 

I completely understand why the devs feel safer in doing the name-dropping thing, even for new IPs such as Project Eternity with its IE connections, it's a safer bet to get some money. But it's so tiring to see these projects constantly having to make throw-backs to old fan favorites. It's the same kind of annoyance I have with the rest of the industry with its sequels and half-sequels... Just that some of the kickstarter projects just go back a few more years for the games they want to create sequels for.

 

Thank god that there are actually a few companies who want to create new things, without having to constantly name-drop and connect their games to older ones like some... I don't know. Insecure, teenaged kid developer.

Generally these new things don't make as much money as these with an old IP or Spiritual succesor of old IPs

[Brother None]

uuugh... Is it really necessary to dig up these old licenses? PS:T was a great game, it stood alone and works fine. Making a "Torment spiritual sequel" without the Planescape setting, and Chris' involvement, is just... why bother?! For the love of god, can't we get something new without having to attach old licenses to it? What's the point? Just make a new goddamn game without resorting to using an old name to get some quick cash in.

 

You're asking for originality yet objecting to it having a new setting? This game will be thematically tied to Torment, but have a whole new setting and characters. Seems pretty original to me! Hell, the whole idea of having a franchise like Torment be a thematic one rather than one defined by setting or a single story is pretty novel. I can see why one would object to it, but I hardly think it's a despicable idea, or "cash in". This isn't PS:T:EE, haha.