Back on Tuesday, we reported on the news that Fawkes Games – which in the past has picked up multiple discarded Gamigo MMORPGs – is unsunsetting and reviving the 2013 Trion Worlds “transmedia synergy” MMO Defiance, with a target date of April 18th. Fawkes has now followed that announcement up with an FAQ meant to address some of the outstanding questions about the surprise reveal. Most notably:
- Fawkes did not get the database, meaning players will be starting over from scratch with new Fawkes accounts through the Fawkes launcher (a Steam version may come later, but it will not include your old DLC purchases).
- Fawkes doesn’t own Defiance outright; it’s merely licensing the game. It does not appear Gamigo is involved beyond that.
- The studio means to launch the final version of the game with most of its content, though some will be “enhanced” and other bits will be removed, including new Arkfalls, weapons, and classes, depending on uptake; “DLCs that included some controversial weapons” is specifically mentioned.
- At launch, the game will support Windows PC clients, with console being a possibility if PC goes well. “Porting to next gen consoles isn’t out of the plans either – it all depends on the community’s response to the revival.” Controller support may be added later too.
- Servers will be located in North America initially.
- Expect a large-scale test (with a wipe) before launch.
Multiple people in our own comments wondered about the game’s monetization. The game will remain F2P with microtransaction. “We are an indie studio, with a solid foundation for operating games cost effectively,” Fawkes says. “We also don’t have major corporate financial boundaries to meet.”
Finally, the devs say they don’t know how often they’ll be pushing out updates, as they’re “starting small” and focusing on “stabilizing the game” for a launch; in fact, development in general sounds predicated on player interest.
“Our long-term vision will depend on the community’s response to the revival. If the game proves successful, we would love to expand it with new content, features, and potentially even new platforms. We are committed to revive the game and bring back, for the years to come, the place for friends and good memories that Defiance was, but we can’t promise we will commit to increasing our headcount to bring big content updates or major changes – that’s entirely [tied] to the game’s financial performance and community’s involvement.”
