Dungeon Keeper 3
| Dungeon Keeper 3: War for the Overworld | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Bullfrog Productions |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Designer(s) | Ernest W. Adams Nick Ricks Zy Nicholson Nick Goldsworthy[1] |
| Series | Dungeon Keeper series |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | Cancelled |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy, god game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer[1] |
Dungeon Keeper 3: War for the Overworld[1] is a cancelled PC strategy game developed by Bullfrog Productions for Microsoft Windows. Dungeon Keeper 3 was set to be the next installment in the Dungeon Keeper franchise. Players were charged with managing evil creatures in an underground dungeon and protecting it against the stereotypical righteous and godly adventurers that conventionally appear in role-playing video games. The series won praise from reviewers for its innovative design and devilish humor. The sequel to Dungeon Keeper 2, it was set to lead the player to do battle in the surface realm of the goodly heroes. A short trailer for the game is included in Dungeon Keeper 2,[2] which shows the horned reaper reaching the surface world.
History
High-level conceptualisation and design documentation formally began after the release of Dungeon Keeper 2 in June 1999, with a small design team drawn from the same development staff. Game designer and scriptwriter Zy Nicholson resigned from the studio in late 1999 and was replaced on the project by Ernest W. Adams. Though never officially announced by publisher EA, development was acknowledged by a website update from the DK3 team in early February 2000.[3][4] Development was cancelled in March 2000,[1] though it was not until August[5][6] of the same year that Bullfrog Productions revealed that the game had been cancelled. At the time, Bullfrog's website explained that it had cancelled production to work on other projects:
A third episode of the Dungeon Keeper saga was underway, but opportunities to develop new intellectual properties on new platforms such as PlayStation 2 have meant that DK3 has been put on hold. There are currently no plans for another Dungeon Keeper game, however it remains an important franchise and there may be opportunities for us to pursue that direction in the future.[7]
The projects that provoked Dungeon Keeper 3's cancellation were EA's Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings games.[1] Though there are no plans for developing any new Dungeon Keeper games at the moment, the Bullfrog statement points out that this is always a possibility for the future.
Improvements in the economy and multiplayer aspects of the game were planned, and a new race was conceptualised. In addition, the new race, as well as the goodly heroes, were designed to be playable.
Information about the cancelled game
According to his resume, Ernest Adams has been working on Dungeon Keeper 3. Here is what he says about it :
" Dungeon Keeper 3. DK3 was an outdoor version of Dungeon Keeper with castle construction and unique hero characters. A new race was also introduced. Gameplay was a form of "role-playing strategy" incorporating both warfare and character management." [8]
Fan community development
Although EA no longer continue the Dungeon Keeper franchise, a few updated patches have been made by fans updating Dungeon Keeper 2 to version 1.8. [9]
War for the Overworld
On 29 November 2012 game developer Subterranean Games started a Kickstarter campaign [10] for the creation of War for the Overworld, as a spiritual successor of the Dungeon Keeper series.
“War for the Overworld is shaping up to be a great God Game that brings back fond memories of both creating and playing Dungeon Keeper 2. I wish the team the best of British in bringing their creation to life.” – David Amor, Chief Creative Officer at Relentless, ex-Bullfrog Productions[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b c d e Ernest W. Adams (August 2006). "Dungeon Keeper 3: War for the Overworld". PC Games That Weren't. Archived from the original on 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
- ^ "10 cancelled games we wish had been released - Dungeon Keeper 3". MSN Games UK. 2011-03-29. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ^ IGN Staff (2000-02-08). "The Demon's Out Of The Bag". IGN. Retrieved 2006-12-21.
- ^ "Dungeon Keeper III". Electronic Arts. Archived from the original on March 10, 2000. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; March 11, 2000 suggested (help) - ^ IGN Staff (2000-08-01). "Dungeon Keeper 3 Stuck in the Corner". IGN. Retrieved 2006-12-21.
- ^ Sam Parker (2000-08-02). "Dungeon Keeper 3 Cancelled". GameSpot. Retrieved 2006-12-21.
- ^ "Development On Dungeon Keeper 3 Has Ceased". Electronic Arts. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; August 16, 2000 suggested (help) - ^ http://www.designersnotebook.com/Resume/resume.htm
- ^ http://www.patches-scrolls.de/dungeon_keeper2.php
- ^ http://kck.st/YaLXcH