Sword Coast Legends Developer n-Space Closes Down After 21 Years

Thanks for the update. I really had hopes for this game but the more I found out about it the less I was interested. I loved the idea of a live DM running a digital game. I hope this doesn't damper future work on that kind of idea.

 

[Reinhart]

The developer of Sword Coast Legends, n-Space, is shutting its doors for good. Publisher Digital Expremes says "We are deeply saddened by the closing of n-Space. Staying alive as a mid-sized independent developer in the games industry is no small feat. Their passion for creating games never faltered and their dedicated team has ended on the high note of completing the console version of Sword Coast Legends. We are working hard with them to realize as much as we can for their team during this difficult time and encourage players to keep an eye on the official website for more details on the launch of Sword Coast Legends on Xbox One and PlayStation 4."

Sword Coast Legends was not received well by the gaming public, or by D&D fans (it is trending at only 20.5% here on EN World). The following was posted by SCL artist Ben Leary.

We can be certain that the commercial failure of Sword Coast Legends is a major factor in this. What isn't certain is the fate of the products and content that their publisher Digital Extremes promised. Digital Extremes claims that they are still planning on releasing Sword Coast Legends for both Playstation 4 and Xbox One. One can only assume that they must be contractually obligated to do so at this point, otherwise why not put this mess behind them? Hopefully this means they'll continue to run the servers necessary to run SCL as a multiplayer game. Unfortunately Digital Extremes did not mention any intent to complete the promised expansions of Community Packet 3 and Rage of Demons.

The impact this has on Wizards of the Coast and D&D seems minimal, of course. But I can't help but remember that Sword Coast Legends and its Rage of Demons DLC was the recompense that WotC gave their customers last Gen Con. Those I.O.U's seem pretty worthless now.

From here.

 

[JeffB]

Hate to hear about folks losing their jobs, but very glad I did not buy into this.

 

[EthanSental]

I guess I need to log into my account and make sure I have all the DLC for it.
I agree with darjr - hopefully someone picks up the ball and fine tunes the idea of a live DM running a digital game...if there's enough interest for it to make it commercially successful.

 

[Mirtek]

Wasn't RoD sold as part of some versions of SCL?

Those customers should better file their claims quickly.

 

[Jester David]

The last minute nature of this always surprises me.
Given the announcement only mentions the console version (which was apparently finished but not distributed), Rage of Demons is unfinished (they just started giving out Beta keys) and now there's good odds it will never will be finished. But they were filming Twitch streams, still talking about Rage of Demons, and giving out said keys last Thursday when they absolutely had to know this was coming. It's one thing to keep the new quiet, it's another to act like everything is fine.

Of course, this is a company that "announced" its closure via it's publisher, and artist's post, and the community manager's goodbye post on the forums. They haven't made their own announcement yet. Their website even still lists "Sword Coast Legends" as "upcoming". Their official Twitter channel has been silent since mid-2015, and their Facebook's last post was Halloween pictures.

 

[Reinhart]

Rage of Demons eventually became a promised update for all PC owners of Sword Coast Legends. Unfortunately, RoD was already expected to be released by now. After delaying the release of Community Packet 3, n-Space promised that CP3 would be available after the release of the console versions and Rage of Demons. Digital Extremes seems content on fulfilling the release of the console game. That means they are likely contracting another studio to complete the project. Considering that most of the assets for Rage of Demons seem completed and it was also listed for console release, there may be hope for that DLC. I would not get my hopes up for the Community Packet 3 which promised to allow DMs and module creators the ability to actually edit maps and create interactive NPC dialog.

 

[Kramodlog]

If D&D's financial vitality did not depend on SCL's revenues, than all is fine for 5e.

I do not think they made that mistake twice.

 

[ZeshinX]

Digital Extremes would be foolish to even bother spending any time or money on SCL at this point. It was a dead game after only a month...releasing the console version will not suddenly raise nSpace from the dead and will only cost DE money.

I hope those who lost their jobs find new work elsewhere in short order, but I won't say I'm sorry SCL failed as spectacularly hard as it has.

 

[Jester David]

I would not get my hopes up for the Community Packet 3 which promised to allow DMs and module creators the ability to actually edit maps and create interactive NPC dialog.

Aka make the DM tools actually functional as DM tools.
CP3 was supposed to be out in December. I imagine it's delay was likely moving people off that project and quietly packing up shop while they completed their contractual obligations.

 

[Reinhart]

Digital Extremes would be foolish to even bother spending any time or money on SCL at this point. It was a dead game after only a month...releasing the console version will not suddenly raise nSpace from the dead and will only cost DE money.

I hope those who lost their jobs find new work elsewhere in short order, but I won't say I'm sorry SCL failed as spectacularly hard as it has.

I think that the economic calculus on this decision is that releasing SCL on console will cost less than breaking a contract with both Sony and Microsoft at this point. And perhaps there's some consideration for "goodwill" and their reputation with both customers and distributors.

 

[Dopkalfar]

If D&D's financial vitality did not depend on SCL's revenues, than all is fine for 5e.

I do not think they made that mistake twice.

Hasbro HAS made the same mistake twice.

They promised digital tools for D&D - that Codename: Morningstar thing. Those guys had plans to produce a digital marketplace for DMs to trade their own content (just like we have with DM's Guild) but mediated by a cross-platform app that also served as digital books for your D&D content (just like Fantasy Grounds has now).

Either Morningstar did not get the licensing support from WotC that would let them monetize the app, or they bit off more than they could chew contractually; so they fell out with WotC and tried to branch out on their own. Seems like n-space also had one or both of the same problems.

Hasbro's agenda with D&D is very clear: The core RPG is not their business model. They made a system designed to focus on the core brand of Dungeons and Dragons to keep their hard core tabletop gaming base active, but they plan to make all their profit by licensing the IP.

This business model is great for companies that play on nostalgia or geek culture without selling to the relatively small niche of actual D&D players. TV, video games, movies, merchandise, etc. can all be made D&D-related without being limited to the core of people who currently play D&D. This is the greater market for geek stuff.

This business model is not great for companies that want to use the IP to develop new innovative ways to actually play D&D. Their market is much smaller - if you're not playing D&D because of job/kids/life/etc. you probably had no need for Morningstar and no interest in running D&D as a DM through SCL. No more than you needed a copy of the Monster Manual.

So when expectations shifted for SCL to make it more of a DM tool (niche) than a D&D video game (greater market), they had to spend a lot of money for a little market. Not a good business move.

That's my theory anyway.

 

[Zaran]

Especially when the DM tool was so limited. I'm one of those who wanted a video game that made me feel like I was playing D&D when I couldn't play with my normal group. This game failed on every level for me. I wanted an awesome D&D simulator that I could make characters and play through a story without needing friends to play with. That is something I did with Balder's Gate and Neverwinter Nights. I feel sorry for N-Space but if they didn't intend on making Balder's Gate 3 they shouldn't have said that's what their goal was.

 

[darjr]

They might not have a choice.

 

[Morrus]

I just wanted a toolset and persistent world mod support like NWN (1) had. Heck, if NWN 1 still had persistent world server services around and mods which made it use 5E rules, I'd happily still use it.

 

[ZeshinX]

I think that the economic calculus on this decision is that releasing SCL on console will cost less than breaking a contract with both Sony and Microsoft at this point. And perhaps there's some consideration for "goodwill" and their reputation with both customers and distributors.

I suspect that's the case. Though I'm a little leary about the "goodwill" element. I find it decidedly not too good to release something that is, for all intents and purposes, dead before you even receive it...unless there is a giant sticker or label or online warning that indicates this is sold "as is" with no real support (beyond perhaps token efforts).

Whatever efforts are put into it at this point, to me at any rate, are wasted (beyond contractual obligations). Better to hold hat in hand and apologize and move on than to limp pathetically forward for another month or so.

 

[DMZ2112]

This is unfortunate. Sword Coast Legends is its own animal in the library of D&D video games, and it's one I've had a lot of fun with. I'm genuinely disappointed that N-Space won't get the chance to make further improvements to the dungeon master tools. They are the one place where the game really does fall flat. I would have liked to see updates to the other game modes as well but they are not as necessary.

I really like SCL. The Dungeon Crawl mode is the most fun I've had with a multiplayer video game in a long time. Despite the streamlined rules and cooldowns the game feels like playing D&D to me, which is something Baldur's Gate never achieved. Neverwinter Nights is definitely the holy grail of the genre but it required so much work to engage that I never found it worthwhile.

SCL is a medium between the playability of BG and the customizability of NN and it has the potential for far more mass-market appeal than either title. I agree that the biggest mistake N-Space made was not calling more attention to what SCL is and what it is not (e.g., BG3).

I would have liked to see it marketed toward the Leage of Legends crowd. My friends and I have plenty of fun in the game with four players and a dungeon master, without using the much-maligned tools. Dungeon Crawl mode, and the casual multiplayer with depth that it represents, was and still is the selling point of this game. I don't know of any other title that brings this style of play to the table.

 

[Zaukrie]

It was doomed, imo, when it was clear it was not using D&D rules.

 

[neobolts]

Picked up SCL on Steam sale. As I had a full gaming plate, I was waiting on the expanded DM tools update before joining in. Sounds like I waited on something that will never happen now.

 

[ShadowCat5]

Hate to hear about folks losing their jobs, but very glad I did not buy into this.

Yep +1

I made a mistake in buying SCL. I really wanted 5E in a format similar to Baldur's Gate PC was for AD&D. This game was not that. Sad that the best FR game is still that old. Neverwinter Nights 2 and Temple of Elemental Evil were good iterations of 3/3.5 but lacked a certain charisma and charm that the older games had-like good NPC's.

If I had waited for a 75% steam sale, it would not have stung as much. Still an ok dungeon crawler, but not a D&D 5E game.

...on to Dragonspear.....