Crate Entertainment Interview

Crate Entertainment’s Arthur Bruno chats with Edge Online about the closing of Iron Lore and the newly formed team’s upcoming action RPG, Black Legion.

How far along is Black Legion? Is there anything you can talk about regarding the game’s premise, gameplay, online options, platforms, etc.?

Black Legion is still in the early stages of development but we have an early prototype of the skill control system and multiplayer combat that is already rather fun. Before we can begin production on the project though, we need to secure additional funding. So right now our efforts are primarily focused on that. There seems to be a good amount of interest in our project, so I hope that we’ll be able to sign a deal and move forward with development quickly.

So, yes, the game will have multiplayer and it is one of the major focuses of the project, not merely a tacked on side-feature. To us, the most exciting advancement of this console generation has been the robust online services that allow players to meet or friends to easily jump in games with one another and have a shared gameplay experience. We want to fully leverage this capability by providing both the cooperative, social experience of playing through the story campaign with friends and the intense competition of player vs. player.

In terms of the core gameplay, although Black Legion will have a different camera perspective and more dynamic combat, it is somewhat of a spiritual successor to Titan Quest and still very much an RPG. The core mechanics are the customization and advancement of your character by means of a flexible class skill system similar to Titan Quest’s and, of course, addictive loot collection. We learned a lot from our experience on Titan Quest and I’m confident that we’ll be able to make these mechanics even better this time around.

We’re not ready to go too far into the story at this point but Black Legion takes place in the dramatic fictional world where war is eternal and the human race has been driven to the brink of extinction. The ancient fort-city of Tybern has become the final bastion of human civilization, holding out against the terrible power of an otherworldly god bent on reshaping creation.

Players will begin the game as a soldier in the Black Legion, an army created in desperation by conscripting criminals, orphans and the outcasts of society. From humble beginnings, players must rise up to lead Tybernia through this time of ultimate conflict.