Orson Scott Card helps shape 'Firefall' game

(All rights reserved - Red 5 Studios)

Sci-fi writer Orson Scott Card is part of the team behind online multiplayer Firefall, according to company boss and ex- World of Warcraft man Mark Kern.

"Story is really important to Firefall," he explained. "We're going to be working with a very strong science-fiction writer to help shape the universe of Firefall."

Red 5 Studios approached Orson to ask for his involvement in their massively multiplayer online game.

"Since I think the game they're developing is a great one, the story that they're developing is exciting, I was delighted to be a part of it," he told Firefall's Developer Diary.

"It's not Mad Max, it's not the world ended - well, the world did end but we're maintaing our high technology... we just happen to have a whole bunch of extremely dangerous monsters coming at us that need shooting."

Firefall, which can trace its legacy back to the PC game Starsiege: Tribes, will be up against Tribes: Ascend come the late 2011 free-to-play launch.

Another iconic online shooter, Planetside, is preparing to re-enter the fray, pending a July 8 announcement from Sony regarding Planetside 2.