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The Decline of Looking GlassShattered GlasJust as Dark Project 2 [Thief] climbed up in the charts the vultures are hovering over Looking GlassGameStar analyzes why one of the best developement studios had to close down.If the world was a place of justice, all games of Looking Glass would get sales up in the millions and their programers would drive Ferraris. But in the real world, the noble designers have to write applications: When a planned takeover by Eidos failed, management finally pulled the plug on march 23th 2000. There was just no more money for office costs and the salaries of roundabout 70 employess, Looking glass was bust.But wait a minute, that can't be right. System Shock 2 was one of the most loudest cheered games of 1999.Dark Project 2 [Thief 2] has just sneaked up into the GameStar charts with a rating of 86. So why go the lights out at Looking Glass of all places, while schlunz-producers can survive?Terra tragedyThe beginning of the end were two major flops in the season 1996/97, from which Looking Glass never recovered.Programmer Marc LeBlanc said it in a open letter to the fans: "Remember Terra Nova and British Open Gold? They almost killed us". The tactical 3-D action game Terra Nova and the golf simulation British Open caused high developement costs, but sold miserable. Looking Glass self-published the million eaters and therefore had to bear the full financial risk all alone.In order to survive after this double-flop, the branch in Austin was closed. A large part of the affected employees (among them Warren Spector) found shelter at Ion Storm to start work on Deus Ex there.This staff reducement put the next game called Dark Project [Thief] in danger, that was released at the end of 1998 after some shifts in the release date- and saved Looking Glass from bankruptcy for now. But that was just a drop in the bucket.System Shock 2, though euphorically praised by trade press, couln't get in its developement costs, Flight Unlimited proved as a flop, too.Bursted projectsAs a carrier of hope, the 1999 spy game Deep Cover was concepted, almost like some kind of Dark Project [Thief] in a modern scenario. The program was supposed to be made in cooperation with Irrational Games (System Shock 2).But Looking Glass struggled to find a publisher for this game. When after almost a year a potenial publisher was found (rumour has it that it was Microsoft) who was willing to finance developement, Irrational Games had committed to do a Playstation-2 game called The Lost. Head of design for Dark Project [Thief] Tim Stellmach remembers the precarious situation: "When Irrational Games pulled out of the Deep Cover project, the publisher pulled out as well, together with a lot of calculated advances. This put Looking Glass into a very bad position concerning liquidity."The tailspined Attack Squad by Jane's proved to be another nail in the coffin. More then two years a team at Looking Glass worked on the military flight simulation originally named Fligh Combat as a working title. Electronic Arts got in as a publisher, but after some delays, changes in design and the overall decline of the simluation market, the game crashed.Alone at the altarAfter so much flops, pitchs and spans, a takeover by Eidos was the the last straw for Looking Glass.But negotiations entered the critical phase in a unfavorable point in time. Various Problems, from the generally cooling down PC market to the black money hole Ion Storm had emptied Eidos petty cash. Tim Stellmach: Because of financial problems eidos considered itsekf incapable to finish the deal. The bride Looking Glass was left alone at the altar, as they say in Business Jargon."The decline of such an renowned developement studio is a shame for the whole industry. With Ultima Underworld or the Dark Project titles Looking Glass had proven, that challenging game content and good sales figures don't have to exclude each other. But eventually the company fell victim to its own mistakes. Rob Fermier, programmer of System Shock 2, meanwhile working at Ensemble Studios (Age of Empires) expressed himself critically: "I think, that we nailed the gameplay- and production quality elements pretty well at Looking Glass. But it had to take Dark Project [Thief] to get us a grasp of accessibility. And in our most dramatic cases, Terra Nova and British Open Champion Golf, a 1000% absence of marketing hacked the games down." Gaming legacyThe Fate of the Dark Project-series is not not sealed. Interested companies can buy the naming rights from the bankrupt's estate- a step that's worth considering for Eidos for sure. But Eidos has goten into financial stumbling and is looking for a buyer. The future of System Shock and Ultima Underworld however is in the hands of Eelectronic Arts. Considering the rampant evaporation disease that is going on there, the outlook for sequels is eminently gloomy. weak consolation for the mourning fan community: the legacy of Looking Glass is living on at other company, as Warren Spector's newest caper Deus Ex proves. Other looking Glass veterans are looking for work- Inerested employer can read the resume of programmer Marc LeBlanc on his homepage http://world.std.com/*mahk/resume.html. And on ttlg.com you can find daily updated news about the company and its former employees.
KICKSTARTER!!!! Create a kickstarter and raise the funds, I have faith that people would help the cause! System Shock and System Shock 2 are the greatest games ever produced, great story, dialogue, action, etc. WE WANT SS3!!!
George Borkowski, a lawyer for Star and Meadowbrook, and a partner at Freeman, Freeman & Smiley LLP, made it seem simpler. In an e-mail, he claimed that Star owns all the rights to System Shock 2, including the trademark, and that EA’s rights reverted back to Looking Glass years ago.“Star Insurance Company is open to the idea of developing a sequel to System Shock 2,” Borkowski said in an e-mail.
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