Might & Magic I - Matt Chat 366: Jon Van Caneghem

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Matt chats with Jon - here we go:

Matt Chat 366: Jon Van Caneghem on Might and Magic



Here it is, the episode you've all been waiting for! CRPG maestro Jon Van Caneghem is back to talk about the games that made him famous: Might and Magic and Heroes of Might and Magic. We also talk about Might and Magic Online and the possibility of his acquiring the rights from Ubisoft and making a new Might and Magic game.
More information.
 
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Hmm..... two separate interviews (Matt Chat and Celestial Heaven) with JVC within a few days, each concerning Might and Magic and each one teasing or hinting at JVC's desire to return to the franchise. Coincidence, or does this mean something?

Yeah I know, pure conspiracy theory at this point, but I agree with Drithius that a JVC-helmed M&M would be a perfect way to conclude the series at this point.
 
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Clouds of xeen was the first game that really got me hooked into rpgs.
I played the original ultima in the early 80s, and most of the gold box games, but might and magic had a certain charm to it. I loved the artwork, the music and seemly unlimited number of goodies you could find. Playing world of xeen was, and still is, the best gaming experience of my life.
 
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Something tells me that if he did return to Might and Magic, he would turn it into a MMO. And i would not be interested in that. They are great single player games. Why change?
 
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I would love to see a Might and Magic MMO or a single player game or a Heroes game. I would love to see JVC get the Might and Magic rights back and maybe we would get all three games. The creator of one of the best crpg's and creator of one of the best turn based strategy games. I would be grateful for any of those games.

Great job on that Matt Chat Mr. Barton.
 
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M&M 1 and 2 got me hooked on RPGs and gaming generally. JVC is something of a hero to me, and it was great to see this video. The video seemed fairly candid, too, and not the usual PR fluff we see. I have to say, I don't share his MMO vision, and his post-NWC career hasn't interested me, but JVC's NWC games were consistant "high points" for me, and for that I'm really thankful :) Good luck to him!
 
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M&M 1, which I bought soon after release, is what first got me hooked on RPG's too. M&M 4-8 are some of the best RPG experiences I ever had. Probably the only thing that eclipsed them for me was the Ultimas. M&M X was a good game but somehow failed to fully capture the classic M&M experience, I think maybe because it wasn't big and open enough.
 
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Hmm….. two separate interviews (Matt Chat and Celestial Heaven) with JVC within a few days, each concerning Might and Magic and each one teasing or hinting at JVC's desire to return to the franchise. Coincidence, or does this mean something?
Don't know about this interview (have to watch it yet) but the Celestial Heavens one was very related to the worldwide release of his lastest game, the mobile game Creature Quest.

It would be great that JVC got the rigts for M&M back, but I don't think that's going to happen. Ubisoft would probably sit on the franchise just to let it die rather than that, as other big companies do.

More likely would be that he would create a spiritual succesor franchise and made games for it. With croudfunding possibilities I think it would be quite easy for him and a relatively low risk endeavour. But that doesn't seem probably either given his last record, and the fact that he has not shown any interest in doing something alike.

I have to say, I don't share his MMO vision, and his post-NWC career hasn't interested me
That's because practically every game he partipated in after the NWC times has been cancelled or he left before anything was published. Now he is working in mobile games and seem to be enjoying the small team mood in his studio. Even in the last M&M and Heroes games he had a really low profile, more inclined to enjoy his hobby of racing cars, which he still does apparently.

So all in all I wouldn't be very optimistic about his future games or franchises, though if he was really motivated I have no doubt he could produce some amazing games.
 
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I would love to play a modernized Might & Magic VII!!! Same addicting game play with updated visuals and world simulation!!!
 
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Insightful video, really happy that Matt did this one. JVC's jovial energy and engaging personality really comes through.

I've many fond memories of Might & Magic. I recall picking up the first two games for C64 in a second hand pawnshop entitled "EzyTrader" back in the early 90's. The boxes, the manuals and graph paper booklets, they were all wonderfully preserved. Spent a good proportion of summer evenings in '95 with these games. I still need to beat the second game though, otherwise I've completed them all.

I remember showing one of my Bard's Tale mates the early parts of the first game to illustrate the similarities. In the first combat encounter, my party got mashed rather savagely. When a character falls in this game, a taunting little jingle plays. When my friend heard this sound, all hilarity ensued and we literally couldn't stop belly laughing for several minutes. Ahh, great times! :)

I'd love to see Matt do an interview with D.W Bradley if he hasn't already; although if reports and reputation are accurate, this might be a bit challenging to achieve.
 
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