It aint happinin (Fred now works at Ubisoft! LBA3 to have different style...*gasp*)

[Axx]

Its christmas eve today? And im working on UNI projects here in Saudi (on vacation, i carried my pc, and not one change of cloth, bought them all over here) So its clear to me, i cant finish the site i was working on. www.twinsensjourney.net

I told everybody the news wasnt that big, i only stayed shut about it to wait for some confirmation from fred.

So whats happening, well when me and fred met in france, he told me he was to start work on a large project with a big publisher. He refused to mention the name, as understandably they were still in negotiations. I asked him if it was Ubisoft, 2 weeks (or more?) i got a confirmation from Fred. For the next year fred will be working on this project. On both occassions fred has promised LBA3 is planned for production after this project. He feels the time is right, the action adventure genre is making a comeback.

I dont have time to discuss everything now, so ill highlight some facts in brief points

• LBA3 to enter production in a year/year and a half
  Fred works with UBISOFT, team assigned to him by UBISOFT
  Fred is creative director on project
  team is set in UbiSoft Montpellier offices not Lyon
  
  Hello Ahmad,
  
  Thank you, I took a quick look and will again, but i don't think I really attend conferences at the rigth time.
  
  Did I tell you i'm now working on a big project at UbiSoft ? This pushes again LBA3 start further in time, but some (secret) events gave me a good feeling that it will be the right time !
  
  best regards,
  Fred.
  
  Thats the news regarding LBA3. We disscussed quite a bit about how LBA3 might actually turn out, how ready the market is for it, and how Frederick plans to make some changes to LBA3 that might upset some fans, and excite others, namely redesigning twinsens look, and that of the characters to update them for modern audiances (I was on his side on the subject, but we both agreed a wind waker effect was not good)
  
  Most of the day was a personal disscussion, id like to highlight that while i always wanted to bring something for the community back with me, this was a personal invitation, so im sorry if some people got the impression i was on a LBA news expedition, i was not, i was on a vacation! As a matter of fact i spent most of the 3 days exploring Lyon on foot, funiculaire, and taxi, tasting exotic foods (usually not cooked :s) enjoying the culture, the birthplace of lba.
  
  I visited the offices LBA was created in, there is no more adeline there, and most of the people in the building have little clue what nocliche/adeline is. It is situated in a general office area, round the back of a big modern office building. I entered the building that was staff only, everybody was trying to kick us out, we posed as photographers Was funny, took 2 hours to locate it with Darkflame on the line from the uk (thanks dude)
  
  I visited the offices of Little-Worlds studio. Quite nice, pretty small, 4 main rooms. Theres one that houses the offices of chanfray and chomard, theres another where we spent most of the time, the walls were decorated with posters from the days of nocliche, some lba things aswell. We met the LBA tester, seb, yael, fred, chanfray, chomard, sebs sister, and some other people from the original lba team, got lba postcards, 2 signed by the whole team.
  
  went for lunch after that with seb,yael, raynal. Coincindentlly didier, chomard and some unidentified lady were having lunch in that same resturant on the next table. We ate scallop, and thats when we talked bout ideas for lba3, seb jokingly pulled out a notepad and pen to take notes. Then we had creme caramel.
  
  We went to oldcity, walked around talking about some misc things, like the price of car insurance in the uk. We had a drink at some cafe, were we talked bout next gen consoles.
  
  Ill probably post a full article (which i becan working on) sometime in the future, along with some more pics of lyon (beutifull city)
  
  Sorry for the delay, but yeah enjoy

[ChaosFish]

How about that.

Finally real good news, I'm actually in a shocked state right now

All I can think of is I hope Fred didn't forget about the official LBA3 forum he promised us!

Million thankyou's for keeping us informed Axx

[CrazyBee]

Ah. I just got home from a 1 hour walk in the middle of nowhere. Like in the very darkest woods of Denmark. It's almost 8 o' clock in the morning here in dear Scandinavia. My entire body is freezing like shit. I was actually just about to fall asleep. But, but, but. Then the evil and egocentric part of dear old Jakob o' Denmark started to arise. Therefore I thought "Hey. Let's go check on the Magicball Network Forums, and see if someone's already posted a birthday thread for me. :D!"

No birthday threads, but! Something very nice though. This thread, yes. I found this one, whuhu. Anyway. Long story short, (Which seems a bit too late already. ^___^) this news seems very great for the MBN community and all of LBA fans in general, yes. Also, dear Axx, it sounds like a really, really, really nice vacation. It sounds very much like you've had a nice, decent and extremely cozy time down there in Lyon. I'm looking forward to see pictures. :D

By the way; Good work posing as photographers. *thumbsup*

[earnolmartin]

WoW! This is great news! I can't wait...

Thanks for all that info!

[Quetch]

such great news but so sad LBA3 will come later than I expected ... I mean it will start production in 2009 now I guess

[bunnyrabbot02]

Great news!

[xesf]

Wow, with Ubisoft? Seams a really nice choice to work on LBA3, especially because the succeed BG&E.

Was funny, took 2 hours to locate it with Darkflame on the line from the uk (thanks dude)

Hmmmm... I supposed you need to thank to Google Earth too

got lba postcards, 2 signed by the whole team

Next time don't forgot to take one for me too

[Cyberg-Ares]

Supposedly great news (?)

Axx, can you tell us what position Fred has in that job? It seems a little strange that he should be done with it in a year already? Or have they been working on it longer so we can expect screenshots soon?

I do wonder what changes we are talking about here. I hope it isn't like Rayman 1 --> Rayman 2, because the Rayman series lost its' soul there. Makes you wonder really, are we purely talking superficial (looks and graphics) or style (light-hearted --> very serious). I don't think a graphical change will bother me. LBA would still be LBA. Zelda was still Zelda after cell-shading.

[elmuerte]

Originally Posted by Axx

We disscussed quite a bit about how LBA3 might actually turn out, how ready the market is for it, and how Frederick plans to make some changes to LBA3 that might upset some fans, and excite others, namely redesigning twinsens look, and that of the characters to update them for modern audiances (I was on his side on the subject, but we both agreed a wind waker effect was not good)

Not going wind waker like is a relief. As for changes to Twinsen's looks... I guess tunics are not very apealing. A bit more shirt+pants look could fit (like Avatar (The Last Airbender) could work for both).

The most upsetting thing he could change in LBA3 would be to limit the freedom of movement (e.g. change it to linear levels) and change the world's style (but then you would get a different game I guess).

[Jasiek]

Originally Posted by El_Muerte

The most upsetting thing he could change in LBA3 would be to limit the freedom of movement (e.g. change it to linear levels) and change the world's style (but then you would get a different game I guess).

I remember Fred being very impressed with BG&E, so I guess the "general" world will be free and open but the "dungeons" will be linear - and that's exactly like LBA1,2 were made right?

[schitzn]

Posted by Cyberg-Ares

Axx, can you tell us what position Fred has in that job?

Posted by Axx

Fred is creative director on project

Good news, lets home Ubisoft doesn't get some merger that closes them down before all the good stuff happens.

Big Project : This is interesting. I guess Fred can not reveal the details of what this may be, point being, he may be not allowed to disclose its LBA3 until it reaches closer to completion, or maybe its a completely offside project instead, which if sucessfully, will allow Fred to present the LBA3 concept to Ubisoft for possible production.

Now, how do we keep track of what this mysterious project is?

[elmuerte]

easy... simply follow whatever news comes from UBIsoft Montpellier
that shouldn't be too difficult

[talkalot]

MBN's christmas present!

Thanks Axx, all good.

[Kobold]

Great news

Originally Posted by Quetch

I mean it will start production in 2009 now I guess

2008 according to Fred.

[morshem]

OMGH LBA 3 NEWS OMG!!!!!!!!!11111111111............. Not.


Sorry, but I really don't hold my breath when I hear that. Wake me up when something real will happen.

[Kobold]

It's not LBA 3 news.
It's new Fred Raynal project news.

[Cyberg-Ares]

Right, and creative director means...? Total control? Is this Fred's own game then, or a game he has been assigned?

[Echomote]

OMFG MORE UBISOFT GOODNESS!

I only just started playing beyond good + evil, and I've had it for years.

Any chance for any concept leaks on Twinsen in the future?

[haz0r]

Awesome news!

[Big Dave]

Originally Posted by morshem

OMGH LBA 3 NEWS OMG!!!!!!!!!11111111111............. Not.


Sorry, but I really don't hold my breath when I hear that. Wake me up when something real will happen.

Don't be so negetive man!!!
Thanks for keeping us up to date Axx. You really made my christmas with that news!!!

[Cyberg-Ares]

Originally Posted by FireBall2K

Sadly that's the truth and morshem's right.

Well at least we can be quite sure that we're gonna get the Ubisoft thing, which for me, is like "Hey, maybe I ain't getting a sequel to Princess Mononoke, but I am getting another Miyazaki film" (Yes I am comparing Fred to Miyazaki, because they both deserve it).

[Kyuubu]

I, too, think it's great news... Even better since i'm in Montpellier right now

[Koypiout]

I was here. 10 years of waiting.
And Ubisoft Montpellier is the IDEAL choice!!! It is the studio which Michel Ancel has recently worked with. They made BG&E, King Kong and Rayman Raving Rabbids.

[Echomote]

so what's happening to http://www.twinsensjourney.net/ then ?

[Lewi-G]

Hmm I wonder if LBA3 will take advantage of the wii remote?