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Runic Announces Torchlight II
by Leigh Alexander [PC, Console/PC]
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August 4, 2010
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On the heels of acclaim for its successful Diablo-like PC action RPG Torchlight from 2009, developer Runic Games reveals it's creating a sequel, a move it calls " the logical next step for us given the phenomenal enthusiasm of gamers petitioning us for multiplayer."
Cooperative multiplayer is just one of the elements Torchlight II will add, alongside new character classes, an "expansive" overworld, new enemies, quests and dungeons. When the game launches in spring 2011 (initially as a digital download, Runic says), the company promises to offer the game at "a low price point" and include matchmaking for free, continuing the focus on accessibility that helped the studio succeed with Torchlight, which launched at $20.
"We’re so proud of everything Torchlight accomplished, and we feel that Torchlight II will not only give the fans everything they’ve asked for, but far surpass its predecessor in terms of fun, balance, customization, story, and just being a great game to play with your friends," says Runic Games CEO Max Schafer.
Just after Runic announced that Torchlight sold 500,000 units in its first six months on sale, the game's publisher, Perfect World, bought an $8.4 million majority stake in Runic Games -- alongside the studio's revelation that it would be developing an MMO set in Torchlight's universe. According to today's announcement, Torchlight II is an entirely separate project, and that the MMO is still in the works.
"We still are going to make the MMO, but it became apparent that Torchlight II was the logical next step for us given the phenomenal enthusiasm of gamers petitioning us for multiplayer," Schafer says.
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I'll take co-op over MMO most days of the week.
Probably at the point when someone makes a generic genre name stick. These games used to be called "action RPGs" but now that phrase tends to refer to things like Mass Effect 2, and many gamers would likely be confused if it were used on its own to describe a game like this. I agree with you that it's a bit silly this entire category is still almost solely compared to one game, but there doesn't seem to be another accepted term.
The lack of closed servers seemed to kill all enthusiasm for Titan Quest multiplayer, but hosting closed servers isn't exactly a cheap proposition...it'll be interesting to see how fans respond to peer-to-peer matchmaking in Torchlight 2, then, since characters will all be stored locally.
Chris is right though, you have to make the label stick. I think the most generic term for diablo-clone is "Hack and Slash RPG".
:D