Huxley finds brave new publisher

NHN distributing PC edition of Webzen's long-awaited MMOFPS in North America, Europe later this year; publisher also has first-look deal for 360 version.

Webzen first debuted Huxley to great fanfare during the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo. At that time, the game garnered its fair share of attention thanks to the promise of addictive first-person shooter combat made even more so by massively multiplayer online role-playing game sensibilities.

However, though the MMOFPS was initially slated for release on the Xbox 360 and PC in 2006, development has taken far longer than Webzen initially anticipated. Details on how Huxley has been shaping up have been few and far between since GameSpot was given its last look at the game--way back in March 2007.

That information dam may soon break, however, as NHN USA has announced that it has picked up the rights to publish Huxley in North America and Western Europe. NHN USA expects to release the PC edition of the game through its online portal ijji.com in late 2008. The company did not elaborate on its plans for a traditional retail release of the game.

NHN USA currently only has the rights to distribute the PC game. However, a Webzen representative has confirmed for GameSpot that NHN USA has also secured first-look rights to publish the Xbox 360 version. As previously announced, Webzen plans to launch the Xbox 360 edition at least six months after its PC counterpart.

118 Comments

  • GaRdYbOy

    Posted Jun 17, 2009 7:21 am PT

    No Love for the Ps3

  • MAR71N

    Posted May 20, 2009 10:20 am PT

    Hope it comes out soon... I'v been waiting 4agessssssssss

  • bumbro8521

    Posted May 9, 2009 1:21 pm PT

    about time ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?

  • RockonGOW

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 3:47 am PT

    Just tell us when it's coming out Xbox (if it is). i realy want to play this with my mates.

  • why9090909090

    Posted Jan 7, 2009 9:41 am PT

    Lets face it, just put CANCELLED instead of TBA

  • Stevedoood

    Posted Dec 28, 2008 12:14 pm PT

    when is this game coming out? I REALLY WANNA PLAY IT

  • godlegend

    Posted Dec 15, 2008 7:54 pm PT

    just please dont make this like tabula rasa in any way that game sucked awfully

  • godlegend

    Posted Dec 15, 2008 7:52 pm PT

    If this game even contains a third of the aspects that made Planetside the best MMO ever made, then this game will be quite amazing. Unfortunantly I keep hearing words like, quest, and NPC's, which make me want to kick myself in the balls over and over again. The only two MMO's I play is EVE online mainly, and then some Pirates of the burning sea, because they are better than non mmo's of course sine they are an mmo, but I dont have to necesarrily deal with bullsh1t quest and NPC's, and I can capture territory and achieve an objective. Especially in EVE, in my opinion Planetside was the best game ever made, followed b EVE online, then Battlefield 2.

  • sammyboy83

    Posted Dec 8, 2008 2:54 pm PT

    Ok, heres the deal.

    I hate this game....and I haven't even been able to play it. Webzen need to pull their heads out and figure out how to host a website in more than just F****** korean. Sorry, not going to learn korean so I can learn more about this game. So little information exists about when this damn thing is going to come out, its gonna be released and no ones gonna know. Piss poor job to everyone involved.

  • EXxile

    Posted Dec 5, 2008 5:35 am PT

    @moush31:

    You seriously complaining about $4.17/month? $4.17 equals what? You skipping that Subway meal once a month? Actually, Subway is even more expensive than that. For $4.17 a month, its completely worth it. I would much rather pay the low amount of money a month to get way better service and way better features. Ignorance blinds so many.

  • BikerPunk

    Posted Oct 28, 2008 12:37 pm PT

    moush - doesnt understand maintenance costs.

    sucks to be you. the real world is harsh, you will learn young padewan.

  • imrlybord7

    Posted Oct 2, 2008 8:17 pm PT

    5 bucks a month? Try $4.17 a month.

  • moush31

    Posted Sep 29, 2008 11:17 pm PT

    @ThAdEa82
    That means the real problem is with the crappy live fees. Why should they still be charging after the 360 has been out for so many years? It's because fools like you still pay 5 bucks a month.

  • alkaline_DnB

    Posted Sep 28, 2008 1:02 pm PT

    I'll be surprised if this games gets released by mid to late '09...not even kidding.

    I dunno, the concept sounds great and the game looks fantastic, but it seems like a huge pill to swallow...especially for the 360 hardware and servers...hope I'm completely wrong tho.

  • f1tz

    Posted Sep 15, 2008 5:56 pm PT

    This game's certainly been 'just around the corner' for a very long time. Initially I was intrigued by a MMOFPS RPG, & indeed the concept, trailers, & demos all looked impressive. In order for Huxley to fulfil the potential the public's been promised, it will have to blow every other online FPS out of the water.
    Perhaps the greatest concern is the development time, & whether it will be dated before it's even released (if it is ever released). Online FPS have been too similar & formulaic for a decade: They just churn out the same games with different names. If Huxley can achieve that vital balance of immersion, complexity, & narrative of a MMO with the coordination & reflex skills of a FPS they will have a worthy next generation title.

    I for one hope it lives up to our expectations, otherwise I might as well go back to playing Medal of Honor...

  • Un4givingAsault

    Posted Sep 11, 2008 5:51 pm PT

    i don't see why people get so mad about paying for live service, its the best out their and i doubt PS3 network could support MMO's with their free network

  • ThAdEa82

    Posted Aug 27, 2008 9:49 am PT

    I pay Microsoft $50 a year for Live...I will let them pick up the tab for MMO fees or I will refuse to buy this game

  • thegrimrepar

    Posted Aug 23, 2008 8:05 pm PT

    I am a bit worried about a possible release through ijji.com. Don't get me wrong, I like ijji because you can get quite a bit for free, but they don't exactly host the best games ever.

  • djwood84

    Posted Aug 23, 2008 7:10 pm PT

    Firstly I bet this will carry a monthly fee... I can damn near guarantee it.

    Seconly, and I hate to sound negative, it seems to me something isn't working right, and this game is either going to feel horribly dated or massively broken. 18 months (maybe not that long)without any new info says, to me, that there are problems.

    I really hope I'm wrong, a different player in the MMO game would be a very welcome change.

  • stra6es

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 8:14 am PT

    I want this game to come out but It seems more like a myth than reality. I think everybody thats a fan of first person shooters should want this to come out and be what they say it is going to be.

  • xgraderx

    Posted Aug 9, 2008 2:13 pm PT

    Hurry up with this game already.

  • patcoolchenko

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 11:52 am PT

    Sounds like it could be a cool game, but if they try to charge me ontop of live to play MMO then I most likely won't buy.

  • JuGgAlO_4_LyFe

    Posted Jul 18, 2008 4:26 pm PT

    They just need more info about the game released.
    HI NIKKI LOLOLOLOL!!11!

  • ThAdEa82

    Posted Jul 18, 2008 7:54 am PT

    I already pay for using xbox live...Im not paying more for MMO

  • pryst

    Posted Jul 2, 2008 7:03 am PT

    about time

  • Headhunter159

    Posted Jun 26, 2008 10:18 am PT

    Its a cool idea, I hope they manage to pull it off.

  • Jim_The_Rebel

    Posted Jun 10, 2008 11:20 pm PT

    MMOFPS sounds like a really cool idea!

  • SpideR_CentS

    Posted Jun 8, 2008 8:30 am PT

    Guy below me - MMO means Massive Multiplayer Online. Nothing to do with Role Playing.

  • subrosian

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 7:30 am PT

    I don't know why people keep saying "MMO" when they mean "a game with RPG elements". The fact is, they removed the RPG elements completely from Huxley already. Instead the "advancement" system is identical to Cod4's now.

    You aren't going to find an "epic gun" or legendary armor - you can't develop a bunch of skills so that you can have homing sniper shots or something - really, this is not a game where there's a great deal of point to "leveling up" anymore.

    They've also removed the non-battlefield segments, in that now there's not a divide between "low level" and "high level" areas. They went over all of this last year - basically, Huxley will be like a watered-down CoD4 multiplayer, where you pay $15 a month so you can have the 50 vs. 50 or 100 vs 100 battles.

    However, even that's not guaranteed to make the cut - so at this point we're hoping that in late 2009 a game comes out started in 2004 ~ 2005 that allows "massive multiplayer" FPS action?

    Does anyone just, not see this happening at all? Certainly not on the 360, because who on the 360 is going to pay $15 a month to play an FPS? "But it's massive" is not going to be enough in the end of 2009 when there will have been lord-knows how many even-better FPS than the ones already out on the system - I just can't help but say "oh really?" at any prediction of a Huxley that 360 fans would want to play.

  • Wicked_Spades

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 12:44 pm PT

    Going with NHN was a stupid decision. I don't like NHN's ijji.com portal because ijji has a horrible customer service and they only update their games for business purposes rather than needed purposes. NHN is a thumbs down.

    Huxley's previous titles aren't great but SUN is a huge game in Japan. Although they don't do great with minor titles, Webzen has the potential of releasing a good game. As long as this publisher doesn't ruin it...

  • Dwarden

    Posted Jun 4, 2008 11:51 am PT

    i wonder why was so hard to put this MMO on STEAM which i find it now enough reliable even for MMOs (typical example is working EvE-online distribution)

    for some reason i don't find ijji any special or useful for me as user ...

    guess 18 million users on STEAM are 'ignoreable' (sometimes i wonder why investors not raise questions like why ignore such big market)

  • weewaag1234

    Posted Jun 4, 2008 4:53 am PT

    I was dissapointed with the more recent vids, seems like they UT'd it up, which is indeed bad I mean for a came like this who would want combat to devolve into a left,right, dodgefest, with double jumping galore?

    While all that is fine and good for UT, seeing those tactics in an ingame video really lowered my hopes for a GOOD mmofps for a change, something reminicent t Halo combat, or planetside would be very nice. Not not something like seven hundred pound men bristling with muscle preforming tricky mid air manuvers.

  • ottumatic

    Posted Jun 4, 2008 4:01 am PT

    Webzen has quite an ill reputation among the online community of it's previously released titles. I don't really look forward to this release for that. But lets hope I'm too hasty in making my judgement on them.

  • puppiemaster

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 7:31 pm PT

    was probably pushed back cause its rubbish, lets hope the extra time has helped

  • cooldude03

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 6:57 pm PT

    I thought originally Microsoft was publishing Huxley. Oh well, I haven't heard anything about this game for awhile, I'm glad it's finally making some news.

  • davidwwone

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 3:33 pm PT

    when first saw this game it looked cool but i had completely forgotten about it!

  • majinvegeta2525

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 2:48 pm PT

    Huxley for the pc is going to be free to play i dont know how it will be on the 360

  • Hokkie

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 12:49 pm PT

    They already have two "MMO" FPS games you can play with just XBL subscriptions: Shadowrun & Quake Wars.

    yeah, those games are TRUELY "mmo" fps....NOT, the only MMOFPS out there are Planetside....thats it, plane and simple.

    As for a monthly fee, its been stated that if you dont want to pay the monthly fee you'll get to play the entire single player campaign (full fledged, not a FPS with "kill quests"). and if you pay, then you can do 100v100 PvP matches, play with over 5000 people on a single server. And from a recent article....the 360 version will differ from the PC version, which by no means means "lacking"

    http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/8836/huxleyic6.jpg

  • greendisk

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 12:21 pm PT

    I think they should make a doors of perception game, that would be more my kind off thing

  • gozalo

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 12:12 pm PT

    I had forgotten about this game.

  • jaredcrazy3232

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 11:02 am PT

    well if they want mass distribution through digital means they better talk to VALVe. steam is the way to go for the PC.

  • joeblofromidaho

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 10:58 am PT

    This game should come with a free trial worth a month or so. After ther free trial is up it had better be the best game I have ever played in order to commit to another payment on top of XBL. That is all for now.

  • uberjannie

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 10:39 am PT

    noooo!
    Not microtransactions!!! This made me cry like a little baby :/

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 9:30 am PT

    Sure there are things to worry about, but this (as well as other upcoming MMO's) are bringing something new to the table and pushing for a more action-packed MMO's. I think its great and I hope that it does well because it will convince more publishers that investing in these types of ventures can be worth the cost. Sony has The Agency, Microsoft has Huxley. Both games have my attention. Now they need to execute as well as they hype.

  • jknight5422

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 9:30 am PT

    It looks like all your questions can be answered here:
    http://www.huxleygame.com/huxley_faq.php

    It looks like the "level up" feature allows you to unlock new weapons..but I can do this in COD4 already without having to pay a monthly fee.

    About this comment:

    "3. They water it down to cater to the console crowd. Not to bust your stones, but it tends to be that the console gaming crowd attracts a lower age group. Parents would rather buy a $400 system that requires no skill to use, than spend $2000 on a device you can get a degree in."
    ----HORSE

    You don't need to spend $2k on a PC, you can get what you need for $700...Although you may not play Huxley with it, but this game looks set to be a failure.

    Lastly, from the FAQ, I can't believe they claim this game is based on Aldous Huxley's Brave New World...did they actually read the book? This game has nothing to do with that book or the TV-based movie with Leonard Nimoy!! In BNW, everyone is getting high & having sex all the time, that's all people do in BNW, not kill each other. If it is based on BNW, will they have escalator tennis? I read the book in high school many years back.

  • H0RSE

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 8:47 am PT

    things I'm worried about:

    1. They won't balance out the fps and mmo aspects of the game.

    2. It's being developed by a Korean team, and Koreans things differently in their games than Americans. (ex. Koreans prefer a point and click method of movement, whereas North Americans prefer WASD keys.)

    3. They water it down to cater to the console crowd. Not to bust your stones, but it tends to be that the console gaming crowd attracts a lower age group. Parents would rather buy a $400 system that requires no skill to use, than spend $2000 on a device you can get a degree in.

    4. The PC and console versions will differ too greatly. Like how Quake Wars, I hear, sucks on console. But on PC it's pretty descent. (8.5 pc review, 6.5 console review) 5. It will have too heavy pvp and light pve. A game like this is aching for pvp, and probably too much of it. If you like pvp, thats great. I save my pvp for shooters. When it comes to mmo's/rpgs, I like working in groups and questing.....with swords OR guns, doesn't matter.

    6. Features like forming parties or trading, or forming a guild (if it has guilds) will be cumbersome. Skills will be lacking, not in depth enough.

    7. They will make it too party dependent. I like to solo...I hope the developers do also.

    in all fairness to the console version, you guys are slated to get it 6 months after PC. So your version will most likely be released patched.

    Oh, and if its a true MMO with guns...then a monthly fee would be required. I know it sucks and its a pain in the ass, but how do you expect them to pay for servers and keep the game patched, etc. It sucks double for xbox because you have to pay for XBL also. Maybe they could work out something with you XBL payment helping pay for it (doubt it) But look at it this way, WoW has a high monthly fee.....but the game is addicting, so people pay it, and it's dominating the market. So, if the game is good enough, the payment won't be as hard on your wallet.

  • siiixon

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 8:23 am PT

    MMOFPS is not weird what so ever, i have waited years for this to happen, in genaral i did not like MMO because they usualy just stupid and boring like WOW, or really really bad quality like PLANET SIDE... no one in they right mind can enjoy such low budget game, but now the world of MMO start to open up to quality Project Torque (MMOOR) and BF-Heroes and Huxley are VERY promising

  • jazilla

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 8:06 am PT

    Brave New World is a good book. An MMOFPS about it seems weird. But, really, you should read the book. It's amazing.

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