Tabletop publisher Fantasy Flight Games has opened a digital studio
No need to make more cupboard space
If you’re even just a little bit familiar with tabletop gaming, you’ve probably heard of Fantasy Flight Games. It’s the publisher behind titans like Star Wars: Armada and Android: Netrunner, and over the years it’s absolutely bled me dry with its elaborate and very expensive games. And now it’s moving into our neck of the woods, establishing its own digital development studio: Fantasy Flight Interactive.
This isn’t the publisher’s first digital venture. Some of its games, like XCOM: The Board Game, include app integration, and it’s also created some video game adaptations of its board games, like Elder Sign: Omens. It will continue to release these types of tabletop-video-game hybrids, while Fantasy Flight Interactive will focus on more expansive projects.
Ex-Irrational studio director and Human Head CEO Tim Gerritsen is heading up the team. He’s been involved with Human Head’s unreleased version of Prey, BioShock Infinite and Rune, which was also converted into a tabletop game.
Fantasy Flight Interactive’s website is devoid of information aside from the press release at the moment, and we don’t know what they’re working on, so it’s time to start speculating and constructing a wish list.
Android: Netrunner. Please. Not a CCG, because I simply don’t think any CCG could be better than the tabletop version, but rather something set in the Netrunner universe, with different mechanics. Running a team of anarchist hackers, managing a corrupt conglomerate, there are a lot of directions it could go in. I really do just want to see more of that world, though.
OK, this next one will never happen, but a boy can dream. Star Wars: Armada The Video Game. Let’s forget for a moment that EA has the Star Wars license until the 2020s and hasn’t exactly treated it kindly. I’m thinking of Star Wars: Empire At War’s space sections, Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock and Battlefleet Gothic: Armada -- big capital ships colliding and battering each other in the uncaring void. Shivers!
I can’t speculate alone, so share all of your hopes and dreams (specifically about Fantasy Flight Interactive, but if you want to share other hopes and dreams I’m open to it) in the comments.
[Arkham Horror please - ed]