R.A. Salvatore Explains Death and Resurrection in Project Copernicus

Two of the core creators behind the now canceled Project Copernicus, the Kingdoms of Amalur based MMO, have offered details on how the title would have handled the familiar experience of dying and then getting resurrected somewhere else in the game world to continue playing.

R.A. Salvatore, who is the man who was supposed to create the narrative for Copernicus, has told the audience at DragonCon that, “In an MMO the fact that you have to accept is that when you die you come back. Because if you spend $100 million making an MMO and people die and they stay dead, then you’ve lost $99.9 million in a hurry.”

Project Copernicus would have explained death and resurrection via the Well of Souls, a technology that’s also featured in Kingdoms of Amalur, which has been perfected and now grants almost everyone a sort of immortality.

Salvatoare also planned to create stories that dealt with the consequences that death cheating would have had on the game world.

He added, “What does it do to the leader of a church whose entire power base is predicated on promising you an afterlife? What about the old lady whose lost her husband and children. Does she want to live forever? Does she want to go through the Well of Souls? What about the emotions of the last people that lost a spouse, mother, husband, child or best friend before the Wells became active?”

Kingdom of Reckoning lead designer Ian Frazier also talked about how the team planned to include a number of death-linked mechanics that would set Project Copernicus apart from other MMOs.

The new game was canceled when 38 Studios failed to make loan payments and the state of Rhode Island took control of its assets.

The intellectual properties that the company held will probably be sold in order for the state to recuperate some of the money it invested.