Exclusive: Details and Image From New Gameforge Browser-based Star Trek Games

Today German game maker Gameforge announced they have signed a worldwide licensing agreement to publish free-to-play casual browser games based the Star Trek franchise. TrekMovie spoke exclusively to an executive producer from Gameforge to get the first details on the new Star Trek games. We also have the first look at concept art. Check it all out below.

 

Exclusive details on 2 new Star Trek Games

Gameforge is the largest independent global provider of online games and a leader in the growing field of Internet browser-based games. All Gameforge games (including their planned Star Trek titles) are free-to-play (F2P) games, which also offer additional special features which players can optionally buy.

TrekMovie spoke exclusively to Gameforge executive producer Ralf Adam, who revealed more details about their upcoming Star trek titles. Adam says that in 2011 Gameforge will launch their first two Star Trek titles, one being a browser game and the other is a "social media game." The Gameforge license covers all of the ‘classic’ Star Trek franchise of six TV series (including TAS) and first ten feature films (Star Trek: The Motion Picture through to Star Trek: Nemesis).

Adam outlined plans for Gameforge’s first two Star Trek games:

The first two games will be set in very different universes – one in Star Trek: The Original Series and one roughly in the timeline of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. They will also be very different games in terms of overall style and tone, game design and structure; the social media game won’t be a lighter version of the browser game. They are entirely different, and each is developed with the specific
characteristics of the platform in mind.

The browser game will feature space combat and exploration with RPG elements, while the social network game will be more light-hearted and specifically designed for the uniqueness of the networks – strong emphasis on community, customization and exploration. It will also be more light-hearted in style and tone than the browser game. We are currently still in pre-production so once we have finished this stage, we will have more details on the specific feature sets.


Exclusive: concept art from first Gameforge Star Trek game

As noted before, Gameforge makes free-to-play games, which include optional paid add-ons. Adam explained how this works in more detail:

Gameforge has been developing and publishing free-to-play (F2P) games for more than 6 years now. F2P means that you can play the entire game for free and never have to spend a dime if you don’t want to. In fact the majority of our players worldwide enjoy our games entirely for free. Purchases are fully optional and can be special items to individualize your game character or items which will give you time advantages and will help you level up faster – so called “convenience features.” When developing our F2P games, we already weave the monetization into the game design, to make
sure it all fits. Our philosophy is that you can play the entire game for free and purchases only give you a more individual character and time advantages – never actual gameplay advantages. Our games are also developed as long-term projects and continuously get content and design updates. For example, the first game Gameforge was founded on, OGame, is still running today and still fascinates millions of people. We have been extremely successful with this model for 6 years now – more than 100 million registered users worldwide and currently 20 games online (browser-, client- based and social media games).

More about Gameforge

Located in Karlsruhe, Germany, Gameforge offers 20 games in more than 50 languages and more than 100 million registered users worldwide. This video press kit gives you an overview of the company and how their games work. 

And here are a couple of screenshots from Gameforge games:


Screenshot from "Warpfire"


Screenshot from "O Game"

More information on Gameforge available at gameforge.de. Plus check out the portal for all their games at www.MMOGAME.COM.

 

33 Comments
oldest
newest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

They are fast with the milking with the newly alive franchise…

I figure this will be used by most of the guys (and gals) on here to bash STO

STO is awesome… this, on the other hand, will fail miserably

Aw, 2, why you gotta be that way? No reason these can’t succeed, too.

And I’m a fan of STO. Played it WAY too much this weekend. Thinking I’m going to need to hide the keys to the starship for a while.

#2. Who knows. Free games do well, especially ones built for social media sites.

I hear ya number 3… I’m just a little caustiously cynical.

And as for the STO weekend, I’ve been leveling up my Klingon ready for the season 2 patch and Im thinking that perhaps I was a little too harsh in the beginning, I’m enjoying being a Klink far more then being a Fed :-D

Apologies Anthony, after reading what I put up I realise I have come across a jerk. I didnt mean to turn this into an STO thing, if anything I just pointed out that somewhere way down this thread there will inevitably be the comparison.

I am not trolling, I have never trolled on these forums and never intend to. I do mean that :)

I hope when they say it takes place in the Original Series timeline, it actually means the Original Television series and not the original series movies.

Let’s just hope these games perform better then that non-functional abortion called STO or “Trek in name only”.

We’ve been in a trek game drought for the last 5-7 years, with a host of lousy developers like Bethesda and Cryptic, let’s hope someone else can take the ball and run with it… properly.

These look fun, but I am still hoping Ubisoft or someone jumps into the Trek Universe and delivers a great platform game. Filled with puzzles, action, and fun like Assasin’s Creed II or Naughty Dog’s Uncharted franchise.

….or maybe infinity ward or dice to come in and make elite force 3 set during the destiny book series ……

Stil fair play to the guys … i will def give the games a try lol ..

Looks cool, it is always nice to try anything thats for free (and lets face it, there aint much nowadays which is free!).

Star Trek Armada is still IMO the best trek game

@13 Mark

I agree 100%!

@13: Ohh man that was a fun game. You hit my nostalgia button… ;)

Some more great Trek games are the first two Starfleet Command games (for those that want to get their Wrath of Khan on), and the Elite Force first person shooters. Good times.

this game already looks to be shaping up better then STO

Who has time to play such encompasing games like this? I have a life and I have no idea how i would be able to play a game that would require lots of time…. guess im not a gamer

I’ll certainly be giving them a bash, good luck to Gameforge :)

Oh and STO is ‘okay’ could have done with staying in development for another year to build some decent exploration missions. It certainly isn’t rubbish but by no means is it the trek game that trekkies wanted. IMO.

as a employee for many gameforge games I can assure you all gf will not disappoint you.

taking on star trek was a dream when i started ogame 5 years ago lol

oh well I’m literally on top of the world :D

@9:
Hey, Bethesda is an excellent developer. They didn’t develop ST: Legacy; Mad Doc did, and Bethesda Softworks published it. It was revealed a couple of months ago that Bethesda’s in-house team considered doing a high-quality, single-player Star Trek RPG. “It might have been,” as Whittier said.

This has potential, but I worry that it’s just going to end up giving us a Shuttlecraft, then telling us to work to upgrade our ship to a Runabout, or pay $5 for a Constitute Class. Or $8 for a Galaxy. Or $10 for a Defiant. Or $20 for an Enterprise-J, and so on.

#2
You were right. Someone here thinks that this will be better than STO.

As far as STO goes, it is turning into a good game. I’m starting to see it as part of the Trek universe. It is also about to get one hell of an add-on which should put it on the fast track to becoming one of the best Trek games ever. I mean Cryptic has been doing a good job as is keeping the servers running at optimum power.

#21
I wouldn’t go as far as shuttlecraft. Maybe NX-01 and then you’d have to start paying for better ships.

There is room for both. What I see is lots of choices in to what trek you want to play. TOS ortng. Exploration or combat. You pick the timeline. And your role playing story. Bothe games and something for everyone. Less or no bashing. More dic if you please. Make your choices, play and have fun

Not all of us can play STO due to OS requirements.

Yay! Looks fun! Can’t wait! Free is awsome!

What more can I say?

*sigh* still waiting on a proper Sid Meier-esque sequel to BOTF…. (Yeah, I have Supremacy etc and it’s great for a fan effort but still…)

I guess we’ll have to wait until 2012 to get a game based exclusively in the new universe.

Nothing will ever get close to Klingon Academy. That one was outstanding! Perhaps they could make another game like that. I also liked Generations, it was my very first game ;)

Ok Anthony I seem to have missed the point here, which of the two Trek eras will be the browser game based on?

Sigh… I miss the days when you could just buy a game and play the frakking game without worrying about paying in order to advance to better levels and better equipment…games used to be about earning better stuff as rewards for completing levels and stuff…thats part of why the economy is so bad these days; these companies are nickel-and-diming us into the poorhouses :| The companies, be they game companies, or cell phone companies, or oil companies, tend to act more like the Ferengi: Caveat Emptor…Let the buyer beware…namely they greedily suck every cent out of the people and they care nothing of the safety or well-being of the people, but rather for only the almighty profit… THIS IS NOT TROLLING…maybe a little rambly, but my POINT is if this game is going to be pay-as-you-go, I will be very skeptical of it… I WANT NEW XBOX OR PS3 STAR TREK GAMES!!! MAYBE EVEN A NEW QUALITY STAR TREK IPHONE/IPAD APP GAME!!! LOL!!!

Browser/Network games? yuck

Would make Star Trek DAC look like a “quality” game….

STO is the way to go at the moment, it really does have the potential to become what trek fans want it to, because cryptic is/trying to put it exactly what fans/customers want in there

To Quote a certain Romulan conspirator…

“Mr. President, I don’t know what to believe…”

I Love STO. I am also glad to see this take place in either the TOS, or TNG Era.

What do I want? Give STO more NOTABLE characters. lets see the Enterprise E. lets run a mission with Captain Data. Lets have a New Frontiers, or Titan Television Series.

But, Thats just what I personally want. STO is awesome, this has the Potential to be awesome as well. I say kudos to them, for trying something in another market.

anyway, I am just going to go back to lurking.

FINALLY someone is making a TOS-era game!! It’s about time!!