fasa-interactive posts

2007 saw the release of Shadowrun, a multiplayer-only first person shooter from Microsoft's now defunct FASA Interactive that was very loosely based on the pen-and-paper RPG. While an interesting if flawed game on its own terms, many Shadowrun fans would have preferred a PC game that was closer to its roots. Now some early demo work from an earlier version of the Shadowrun game has popped up on the Internet.

The info comes from the personal site of Robert Olson, currently working at Mad Doc Software but who previously worked at FASA Interactive on an earlier version of the Shadowrun game. Without revealing too many details, the demo that he was a part of seems to be much closer to the spirit of the pen-and-paper game than the version that was actually released. You can see a lengthy movie that apparently comes from the early Shadowrun demo after the jump.

In 1999 Microsoft bought FASA Interactive and incorporated the game company resposible for MechWarrior, Crimson Skies and other games into their Redmond, Washington campus. Now, in a new chat with Gamesindustry.biz, FASA's creator Jordan Wiseman says that move was the beginning of the end, saying, "I don't think the studio ever really had a chance. It was destroyed right in the beginning."

The studio created a number of games for Microsoft including new Mechwarrior games, the Crimson Skies PC and Xbox games and finally the Shadowrun FPS game before shutting the studio down in 2007. Wiseman says that the move cause the team to be absorbed into Microsoft's culture. Wiseman recently announced plans to revamp the Mechwarrior franchise but adds, "we're operating under some pretty tight restrictions of the licence that make publishing the games kind of challenging.."

Last month the PC game community got a big surprise when it was revealed that a new Mechwarrior game is in the works. The game rights to the property are currently owned by Smith and Tinker who also own the game rights to other former FASA Interactive games. In a new chat with GameSpot, FASA and Smith and Tinker founder Jordon Wiseman hints that another FASA property, Crimson Skies, could get its own game revival

Crimson Skies imagines an alternate 1930's where flying planes, rather than driving cars, is the main mode of personal transportation. A PC game from Microsoft was released in 2000 and an Xbox title came out in 2003. Wiseman states, "I think Crimson Skies is something we'd love to get some energy around, and we have some devious plans--we'll see if those materialize."

Don't look for a revival of Shadowrun anytime soon, though. The cyberpunk-themed RPG was transformed into a multiplayer FPS by Microsoft in 2007 that failed to attract an audience. Wiseman states, "Shadowrun was recently...not treated well...shall we say, so the thought was let a little time pass before approaching that one again." In the meantime Smith and Tinker just launched their first original PC game, a Pokemon-like online collectible card themed game called Nanovor.

The current economic situation is affecting everyone and now rumors are flying that Microsoft could be making job cuts as well. MarketWatch is reporting that rumors of cutbacks are being fueled partially by a web site created by anonymous person who claims to be a Microsoft employee. According to the site Microsoft plans to lay off as much as 10 percent of their team sometime in mid-January..

However, others have speculated that Microsoft will not lay off anyone but simply reorganize and slow down plans for new products. Microsoft's game division has already taken cuts in the past two years, shutting down their FASA Interactive studio in 2007 and earlier this year announcing that their Dallas based Ensemble Studios will close their doors in early 2009. Naturally Microsoft would not comment on the rumors.