Dungeon Keeper 3
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| Dungeon Keeper 3: War for the Overworld | |
|---|---|
 Dungeon Keeper 3 trailer screenshot |
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| Developer(s) | Bullfrog Productions |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Designer(s) | Ernest W. Adams
Nick Ricks Nick Goldsworthy[1] |
| Series | Dungeon Keeper series |
| Release date(s) | Cancelled |
| Genre(s) | RTS/God |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer[1] |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
Dungeon Keeper 3: War for the Overworld[1] was a cancelled IBM PC strategy game developed by Bullfrog Productions for Microsoft Windows. Dungeon Keeper 3 was set to be the next installment in the Dungeon Keeper franchise where the slogan It's good to be bad set the series apart from conventional games. Players were charged with managing evil creatures in an underground dungeon and protecting it against the stereotypical righteous and goodly adventurers that conventionally appear in role-playing games. The series won praise from reviewers for its innovative design and devilish humor. The sequel to Dungeon Keeper 2, it was set to lead the player to do battle in the surface realm of the goodly heroes. A short trailer for the game is included in Dungeon Keeper 2, which shows Horny the horned reaper reaching the surface world.
High-level conceptual designs began around November 1999 and the project was announced in early February 2000[2]. No programmers or artists were ever involved in the project, however, and it was cancelled in March 2000[1]. It was not until August[3][4] the same year that Bullfrog Productions revealed that the game had been cancelled. At the time, Bullfrog's website explained that it had cancelled production to work on other projects:
A third episode of the Dungeon Keeper saga was underway, but opportunities to develop new intellectual properties on new platforms such as PlayStation 2 have meant that DK3 has been put on hold.
There are currently no plans for another Dungeon Keeper game, however it remains an important franchise and there may be opportunities for us to pursue that direction in the future.
Though there are no plans for developing any new Dungeon Keeper games at the moment, the Bullfrog statement points out that this is always a possibility for the future.
Improvements in the economy and multiplayer aspects of the game were planned, and a new race was conceptualised. In addition, the new race, as well as the goodly heroes, were designed to be playable. The innovative nature of the Dungeon Keeper series proved to be its downfall, as the project showed to be a higher risk than other titles that could be developed. In addition, the game was branded as being too similar in nature to the upcoming Black and White [1]. Like the Dungeon Keeper series, Black & White was founded by the renowned game designer Peter Molyneux. Both games were a mix of real-time strategy and God genres and as with the Dungeon Keeper series, Black & White allowed the player to become the villain. The similarity between the two projects influenced Electronic Arts' decision to cancel the project to pursue less risky games such as the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings franchises.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e PC Games That Weren't interview with Dungeon Keeper 3 lead developer [1] Retrieved on December 21, 2006.
- ^ IGN article on Dungeon Keeper 3 announcement [2] Retrieved on December 21, 2006.
- ^ IGN article on Dungeon Keeper 3 cancellation [3] Retrieved on December 21, 2006.
- ^ Gamespot article on Dungeon Keeper 3 cancellation [4] Retrieved on December 21, 2006.
