NCsoft announced on Monday that Auto Assault will be shut down forever on September 1st, 2007. Despite its underwhelming launch in early in 2006, and its continuing struggle to find a place amongst its bigger, badder NCsoft siblings, I'll admit that this news still came as a shock to me. And it's not just because I worked on the game in the past and deep down I always hoped it'd make it; I think it's the fact that because I'm a game designer, it's never good news to hear about a game being cancelled. But it's a great reality check -- really reminds me about the challenge designers face when aiming to create a successful MMOG, and there's a lot more involved than simply whether or not it's a good game. There have been other failures before Auto Assault, and sadly, there will be many after it as well.
Goodbye, old friend. I'll always remember you.
I've been doing some reflection over the last couple of days... When I was offered a position on the Auto Assault team back in 2005, I knew it wasn't my dream job, but I took it without hesitation, confident that the experience would help me grow as a designer. In terms of design, I entered the AA production process very late -- most important design decisions had been made; pipelines were in place, and the impact I could have on the game seemed minimal. But as the weeks passed, I grew to love working on it, regardless. Maybe it's just that I love games, and I love the industry that I work in, but I think it's more than that. I saw, and still see something redeeming in Auto Assault. No game is without both faults and strong points, and this game is no different. Auto Assault tends to get singled out, yet the problems it may have are no worse than lots of other games out there. And I think that's why I still defend it to this day, and I probably always will.
It always made me smile when I read or heard a positive comment about AA. Because they were so few and far between, they had a much bigger impact on me -- such a contrast to the harsh criticisms I became used to hearing. Websites, magazines, friends, there are a few out there that have always tried to cast AA in a positive light, and I'm very appreciative of these rare acts of kindness. So shines a good deed in a weary game designer's world.
Auto Assault wasn't my baby, my dream. But I know that it was something special for so many of the hard-working folks at NetDevil -- the investment, dedication, and enthusiasm were obvious while I was there. And because of this, I wanted it to succeed just as badly as they did. It's definitely disappointing to hear that has to end this way, and there's not much to say other than that I wish things had gone differently for this game.
When I think back on that time, I'm amazed by all I was able to learn while working on the game, and the opportunities I was afforded by the awesome guys at ND. I gained so much more than I ever could have dreamed, and I'll always be grateful. Auto Assault is one of the things that has made me the designer I am today, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I always thought that that game had so much potential! I think that the concept will come back up at some point, and when it does it will be full blown "twisted metal" style gameplay - and like I said when I played AA, that game could be HUGE!
Mark my words, I speaketh the thruth!