Turbine Reveals Move Into Console MMOG Development

It probably won't be Dungeons & Dragons Online, but Turbine has confirmed that it is hard at work on a console-based MMOG.

In an interview with Crispy Gamer, Turbine Communications Director Adam Mersky said the company is currently developing an MMOG for consoles, although he refused to confirm or deny the rumor that the game in question is Dungeons & Dragons Online. Interviewer James Fudge, however, wrote that his conversation with Mersky left him with the "distinct impression" that the game in question is not DDO, adding, "It is pretty obvious that the company's focus is not on reworking a title that is already maintaining a steady following."

Turbine has been bolstering its ranks in preparation for the leap into console development since January, Mersky said, and while some of the $40 million in financing the company recently announced is expected to help drive that expansion, he claimed the company would not rush headlong into the console market, but would instead take the necessary time to create a "solid and stable" product.

Rumors of changes to the Dungeons & Dragons Online pricing model intended to make it more palatable for console gamers were also dismissed by Mersky. He said that while pricing for some games in Turbine's stable may be broken up into different packages based on play styles and usage, no changes were planned for DDO fees.

An official announcement regarding Turbine's entry into the console MMOG game will come later this year, although not at E3, which the company has declined to attend. It will, however, make appearances at more gamer-friendly events including the Penny Arcade Expo and GenCon. Crispy Gamer's conversation with Adam Mersky of Turbine can be read in full here.