Shadowrun Finds a New Home

After the disastrous Xbox Shadowrun title and the closing of FASA Studios, it's not surprising to see Microsoft pushing the rights to videogames made in the Shadowrun IP off to greener pastures. Their new place of residence, though, is a bit of a pleasant shock: a new company founded by Jordan 'Zapper' Weisman. Gamasutra reports: "FASA, WizKids and 42 Entertainment founder Jordan Weisman has announced, via the website of his newest venture-backed startup Smith & Tinker, that he has licensed the 'electronic entertainment' rights to his MechWarrior, Shadowrun and Crimson Skies properties back from Microsoft ... It is unclear as of yet what form Weisman's plans for these franchises might take. But given the transmedia nature of his recent ventures, and job advertisements asking for experts with Web 2.0 and online game expertise, online world/MMO elements to the company's projects seem likely." Simon Carless has a few extra comments on the news over at GameSetWatch.

Not to be confused with

[seebs]

Not the same as "Smith and Tinker's", who make a really nice word-bubble art program. (This is a surprisingly hard job to get software to do well -- I like their program.)

http://www.smithandtinkers.com/ [smithandtinkers.com]

It's a Video Game?

[wilder_card]

Hey, I remember when Shadowrun came out -- as a role-playing game (i.e. books, pencils, paper and dice). Great concept. Somehow I missed the transition to electronics completely. I'm not getting old, am I?

They mean the Shadowrun *Video Game*

[Qbertino]

To all the confused Shadowrunners out there: They don't actually mean Shadowrun [wikipedia.org], but some sad and sorry (repreated?) attempt to make a computer game of it.

I still got Shadowrun btw. (2nd Edition I think). Gosh, were those rules crappy and incoherent. And gosh did we have fun with that RPG. ... I'm actually gonna go over to my RPG folder now and flipp through some old characters ... Ahhh, the memories :-) .

To all you out there who've never played an RPG (I mean the real ones, Pen & Paper): If you come across Shadowrun in an RPG store or somewhere else: Buy it. The rules are mostly totally braindead, but the entire setting, it's lighthearted, frictionless approach to RPGing and the RPG sessions it leads to are pure fun. And a RPG newbie can pick them up in ten minutes. Roleplaying is an ideal way to have fun with your friends and get away from the screen once in a while. And Shadowrun's a far better alternative than D&D imho.