KoA: Reckoning - Sequel Snippets

We know from the Amalur forums before everything exploded that Big Huge Games had started pre-production on KoA: Reckoning 2, so this post at Joystiq about the potential sequel comes as no surprise. That said, they do have some developer comments that are an interesting read:

Elements tested for the sequel were higher graphics quality across the board, no loading screens between zones, expanded and improved combat animations, fewer branching quests and greater effect on the world by players.    

Not sure they'd want fewer branching quests, but there you go. On the money question:

Former BHG employees repeatedly tell Joystiq that 38 Rhode Island did give info and guidance about the Amalur IP, but it didn't produce any assets for Reckoning. In terms of the day-to-day work, the Rhode Island team "didn't work on it at all."

"Reckoning was developed with EA publishing money, NOT Rhode Island tax dollars," a former BHG employee told us. "It had nothing to do with the $50 million dollars from RI. That money went directly to the MMO project."