Did Jon Shafer give a hint about Colonization 2?

[Nilaf]

This is a section of the chat log from the "after party" with Firaxis' Jon Shafer last week.
I believe (hope) it's a hint that they're working on Col II. What do you guys think?

(Guest740) Jon, dont forget someday...COLONIZATION TWO !!
(Virote) How much would the civ3 source code cost?
(Red_Door) Thank you all
(OverloadUT) One of the changes mentioned earlier is the ability to see what has happened while it wasn't your turn in a hotseat game. Is Pitboss getting the same treatment or will I need to add that feature to Civstats?
(DesertWolf) FXS_JonShafer: well its not directly civ related but do you know if Steve Ogden will continue with his podcasts?
(Red_Door) Virote> How much would the civ3 source code cost?
(Atl) Thank you farixas for this chat
(Red_Door) Virote> How much would the civ3 source code cost?
(remko) thanks was fun
(SL) Will there be Ur-Quan in the expansion? If not, why?
(+FXS_JonShafer) I like Colonization

 

[Louis XXIV]

I don't think he was serious. Something tells me that Trip wouldn't give away big information just like that.

 

[King Flevance]

Well, technically he didn't give away any information. Blizzard has been teasing Diablo fans all year but it is suspected (although not official) that their news of Diablos sequel being in production will be announced this year to start the hype.

 

[Jerrymander]

Ur-Quan in the expansion would rock. <3 SL

 

[ainwood]

In that he said he liked colonization? He probably likes some other games, too.

 

[Psyringe]

This is a section of the chat log from the "after party" with Firaxis' Jon Shafer last week.
I believe (hope) it's a hint that they're working on Col II. What do you guys think?

(Guest740) Jon, dont forget someday...COLONIZATION TWO !!
(...)
(+FXS_JonShafer) I like Colonization

Honestly, seeing a hint here is wishful thinking on your part. Jon likes SMAC too, that doesn't mean they are making a sequel (unfortunately ). He probably likes many other games as well. He may even like a movie or too - but that doesn't mean that Firaxis is making sequels to them.

That said, it is of course possible that Col2 is one of Firaxis' unannounced products. You just can't tell anything from Jon's response in the chat. However, I'm not sure about the legal situation of Colonization - Brian Reynolds made that game, he might still hold copyrights?

 

[Nilaf]

Well, I realize of course that it's impossible to know anything based on this quote. But allow me to put forward some more info that gives (a tiny bit of) more weigth to my question ...

-If you look at the full transcript of the after party you'll see that it's very chaotic, and that it's very few of the questions that Jon answers. However, he chooses to comment on this..
-He adds a smiley face at the end of his sentence (got lost when i pasted it in here).
-I'm pretty sure that Firaxis aquired the rights to Col a couple of years ago, at the same time as they got the rights to "Pirates".

Pretty convincing, huh?

 

[King Flevance]

I still wouldn't say it is enough to go on personally. But I thought a while back somebody had posted something along these lines that hinted at a Colonization 2. Of course, wishful thinking can be a pain in the ass at times too. To me, inconclusive.
This is just very subtle hints at best. If they do own the rights, it is very possible they plan on working on it in the future. But I wouldn't suspect work has began yet.

 

[Psyringe]

Pretty convincing, huh?

Hrmm, let me change my convinced-o-meter ... *knocks it* ... *shakes it* ... nope, sorry. Still not convinced.

Here's why:

-If you look at the full transcript of the after party you'll see that it's very chaotic, and that it's very few of the questions that Jon answers. However, he chooses to comment on this..

He couldn't answer most of the questions because they dealt with BtS details he wasn't allowed to unveil. Actually, one could easily turn your argument around and claim that Jon's answer were an indication that Firaxis is *not* working on Col2. The reasoning would go this way:

- Jon didn't answer questions about things he wasn't allowed to unveil
- Jon wouldn't be allowed to talk about any unannounced projects either
- But Jon did choose to reply to the Col2 question
- Hence, it's unlikely that Firaxis is secretly working on Col2

It's not terribly convincing imho, but it's on the same validity level as your argument.

-He adds a smiley face at the end of his sentence (got lost when i pasted it in here).

I'd be *very* reluctant to interpret anything into a smilie that follows a sentence which begins with "I like". More to the point, I don't see why the explanation "This was done to indicate a subtle hint that he wasn't actually allowed to give away" should be more convincing than the alternative "The smilie simply shows Jon's feelings towards Colonization".

Sorry, I still think you're reading way to much into it.

 

[Gaius Octavius]

Ah, I don't see that it really matters. Jeckel and several others are busy working on converting Colonization into a Civ 4 mod, so it won't make any difference--we'll have it either way.

 

[Nilaf]

OK, not so classy but here goes:
What did I say!!

Fantastic news about col. Let's just hope that it won't be to simplified..

 

[T.A JONES]

OK, not so classy but here goes:
What did I say!!

Fantastic news about col. Let's just hope that it won't be to simplified..

Ya that was impressive. Nice!
Ok there ya be, intuition skills recognized
Hey King Flevance mentined someone else was buzzin about this before your clue rang.
He wasn't quick to dismiss it ether Good job to both you.