General Discussion

Red Eagle Games has announced in a press release that they are making a full line of video games based on Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, including an MMORPG "encompassing the themes, characters and world of the Wheel of Time novels."

Los Angeles, Calif- Nov 12, 2008 Red Eagle Games is bursting on to the digital- entertainment scene, launching its new Los Angeles based videogame publishing studio with the rights to one of the most popular and beloved fantasy epics of all times-Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series.

A Wheel of Time feature-film production is planned with Red Eagle Entertainment's executives Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon as producers, and now Red Eagle is unveiling plans to bring Jordan's fantasy universe to life via two distinct lines of interactive entertainment.

A line of stand-alone Wheel of Time games is planned for release on all major videogame platforms, including consoles, personal computers, handheld systems and wireless devices. In addition, Red Eagle will launch and operate a massively multiplayer online role-playing game encompassing the themes, characters and world of the Wheel of Time novels.

The rich details of Jordan's meticulously crafted series have captivated readers since 1990, when The Eye of the World, the first book in the series, was published. Eleven additional books, including one prequel, have since been added to the series and have consistently appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List with the last four of his novels in the series debuting at No. 1. Jordan passed away in 2007 at the age of 58, but a final book, A Memory of Light, will be finished by fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson using notes and a partial draft left withJordan's wife and editor, Harriet Rigney, and is expected to be published in fall 2009 by Tor Books.

"I am confident in Red Eagle Games' ability to capture the timeless appeal of The Wheel of Time story as they adapt its characters and themes into this new electronic medium," Rigney said. "I expect fans of the series will be delighted by these new interactive additions to the Wheel of Time universe."

Jordan's wildly popular books have been translated into 24 languages, and have sold about 44 million copies worldwide. In addition, the series has a vast global on-line community of tens of thousands of dedicated fan Web sites.

"There are few properties as well-loved and influential as Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series," said Rick Selvage, chairman and president of Red Eagle Entertainment. "The Wheel of Time books have captured the imagination of millions of readers around the world, and we expect our interactive recreations of Jordan's complex universe to garner a similar level of devotion and enthusiasm."

Read more here.

Let me preface this comment with sadly I have never read any of the Wheel of Time books (though I have always heard only good things about them)...but do we really need another epic fantasy MMORPG?

I don't think so.

Originally posted by AlienShirt

Let me preface this comment with sadly I have never read any of the Wheel of TIme books...but do we really need another epic fantasy MMORPG?

I don't think so.

If it's Wheel of Time, then yes... yes we do.

I just hope they have two lists... one for your friends, and one to keep notes on every NPC you meet...

Yay! But I was hoping for a Sword of Truth MMO... :(

Very nice.  Big fan of the books and didn't really expect anything to happen after Jordan died, so this is pleasant news.

I'm thrilled and frightened to hear this!! The time for other forms of media to use this series is looong overdue. I just wish RJ was still around to be involved in there production as I'm concerned about how they will be interpreted.

Hurray, I predict my favorite book series to be raped by watered-down theme park game designing.  This is fucking horrible.

We probably have about 5-10% chance it won't be a theme park game.

Robert Jordan: Tolkien's heir...

He will be missed.

Regardless of what happens to these movies and these games... I will always love the series.

No one can ever truly emulate or recreate the world Robert Jordan had envisioned... He gave us just a small taste with the lives of Rand, Perrin, and Matt...

But I wish the film and game developers my best and ask them to do one thing: Do your best. 

I care not if the game is a themepark MMO, a sandbox MMO, or a MUD.

If you do your best, with the desire to show respect and consideration to the memory and legacy Robert Jordan left behind...

We will see it in your products.

Good Luck.

I had the chance to meet Robert Jordan at a book signing for book 10. I am soooo excited to see this and hope to heck this MMO will be good. I love this series (and yes it would be cool if they Made a Sword of Truth MMO also, but at least there is a tv series for that :P)

There is no way that a Wheel of Time MMO will be good. The Wheel of Time universe is inherently unbalanced since channelers grossly out-power regular folks far beyond the degree to which "mages" in other Intellectual Properties do. There is no way to implement Jordan's version of "magic" (aka the "Source") in a manner that's functional for balanced gameplay while at the same time being true to Jordan's concepts.

There are only two possibilities: betray Jordan's universe and make a balanced game, or be true to his u