The first Freelancer was a space trading and combat simulation game developed by Digital Anvil and published by Microsoft, released in March 2003 for PC. The game allowed players to pilot a starfighter and visit many star systems. They can engage in combat with other starfighters to protect traders or engage in piracy themselves. A sequel, Freelancer 2, was in development by Digital Anvil / Microsoft Game Studio for XBOX 360. Codenamed “Project Lonestar“, the game was cancelled when Microsoft closed the studio in 2006.
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What a shame. I loved the original. It was actually the first PC game i bought for myself… (Im only playing console) And still to this date i have not purchased more than 5 PC games ever i think.
It was really fun, especially with the nice mods Freelancer had like Discovery. Too bad there aren’t any more games like it. Instead we get crap like Project Sylpheed on consoles which isn’t even similar at all.
I never played Freelancer, but when i found out about the cancelled sequel, i became really interested in the game. Sooner or later, i’ll try it. The concept is really interesting and this could have been a wonderful game. Shame on whoever decided to cancel it… even if they had their good reasons.
it’s a shame really i loved the first one i think microsoft should make a second freelancer set in the same place just diffrent story i mean like at the end of the first freelancer left me wondering if a second freelancer would come out
I don’t know if it will do any good but there are pensions being brought up all over the place to have the game made. If Microsoft sees a big enough interest from fans they will have no choice but to finish the project.
I dont have much faith in petitions, if you remember the ones from Starmen.net (with huge numbers) about the Mother series, they never had any effect :(
I only just found out that they cancelled a sequel after thinking it would be cool if they made one. it looked really good and i loved the original so much the disc broke i had so many mods on it!!!
what a shame it’s cancelled….
It’s also to bad for microsoft, cus my guess is thousands of people would buy this and microsoft would make an incredible load of money!
(trust me telling developers they’ll make alot of money if they finish a project like this hopefully will work!) XD
:(( sory to hear that:( freelancer was and it is the best game i ever played!my opinion is that the microsoft will gonna create the freelancer 2 afterall bcs i navigate over the internet and there are manny people like me who want a game just like this<a unic game like freelancer.I was played freelancer with interes bcs the subject was something new and verry diferent from what i played before:) and i liked alot.P.S. sry about my english
Its a real shame…. i too thought that a sequel would be released after the way the first freelancer ended. And i was so looking foward to it too. Freelancer is the best game i ever played and it would be a real disappointment to all of its fans which im sure are many, if a sequel is not made for it. Pls pls pls make a freelancer 2……
Really Shame. Fantastic game and nice story! Best space game ever. I bought Freelancer in 2002 it was amaizing and still is! I still play Discovery mod online.
It is a fact and a big Shame, that there is no other better futuristic Space Rp Game Than Freelancer, throug past 8 Years.
Its Amaizing
I have been playing the game since it went on the shelves and still buy and share copies wherever I find them. Microsoft Corp. believe because sales really sucked that it was not a popular game. In fact the publicity for the game and advertisement was done terribly. I didn’t know the game existed until I was rumaging the shelves at Best Buy. The game has a massive cult following, and Microsoft is too stupid to understand the animal they have created. The closing of Digital Anvil was incredibly unwise. I want FREELANCER 2, and I WANT IT NOW!
The first Game was excellent! To upgrade your ship, the exciting missions, and the difficulty good, a bit raising with the missions. I’m so sad, that no second part will be developed. I’ve tried some of the other Games playing in the space, which are meant in Freelancers german Wikipedia Article, but they are, out of graphics, worse.
there must be another reasons because i dont understand why they are not developing freelancer 2 after the first game’s success. Stop thinking about money microsoft, just make freelancer 2, do us a favor.
Maybe they canceled it because they wanted to wait until a new DirectX would be made to benefit form better graphics?Or next generation gaming consoles? I dunno.
I am writing little 3D games using Microsoft’s game development kit. Maybe I will gather up some friends and we can write the sequel one day. It’s the bare basics of graphics as I see, but an interesting game.
Shouldn’t be that hard. Like maybe just 5 years of programming? I hope they will make it soon.
I found out about the game through one of the games soundtrack creators, Andrew Sega. He was one of those who made the soundtrack for Unreal Tournament
OW MY GOD…they was making it..why did they caNCEL IT? XOO!!!!!!!!!……………………. hey people search in google for freelancer 2 and show microsoft games…how LOVED is this game ……take i from forums and things likle that………WE WANT FL 2 BEFORE 2010/5/1 !!!!
FAST NOW HURRY./WHY CANCELED AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
this is a lay, that images and video are from another game..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jds9PGvgtNs&feature=related
Blackstar
i dont think so looks way different. :( i want fl2
freelancer, is the first and only of its kind. it has concepts used in eve online but also much different concepts used in games like freespace, the threat, wing commander, etc. if i was to bet what the best time for a sequel or atleast another game with a similar engine, I WOULD SAY THE TIME IS NOW. So, Dark Anvil, Microsoft or anyone from the orginal project crew, please act on my words and release something. With eve online going strong and star trek being released, long time FL fans WILL return. and with new concepts/ controls added, new fans will be created.
http://www.petitiononline.com/FLPet/petition.html
I WANNA CRY CUZ CANCELLED
It’s better for microsoft to complete freeluncer 2 no one can trust microsoft again for buying a game in parts and then in no resons the other part was Cancelled (to all people who loves freeluncer story)
if they won’t complete it {freeluncer 2} never buy any parts games from microsoft or that will call spendding money in nothing and our times too so we must do someting it’s really a good game.we must found a solve for this problem .So please respond .and don’t forget Microsoft ((WE ARE THE CUSTOMERS YOU MAKE WHAT WE WANT AND WE BUY WHAT YOU MAKE)) I mean it’s a customer Comfortable in the frist.Thanks
I’ve had my freelancer game for years and it is the one game I have played over and over without getting bored. I now have a 360 and I have been waiting patiently for a sequel for years. It is one of the most interesting and fun games I have ever played. If there is some way we could get hold of a microsoft employee in the design department to speak to them about continuing to make the game for the 360. It’s one of the only reason I bought a 360, to play freelancer 2.
I’ve been playing Freelancer since it came out. Of all the games I’ve had on my computers, I still play freelancer, to this day… I think it’s the only game out there (PC) that has just so many options, outcomes, planets and star-systems to visit that you can just get lost in the game. I know I do… As I reflect on the technology of the time back on 2003, Freelancer was a pretty advanced ‘first person’ game. As 2008 approached I knew a “Freelancer 2” would be just an awesome game to play from a stand point of Graphics, PhysX & DDR. I’ve literally been on the edge of my seat waiting for someone to figure out that this game today would make a company a lot of money..! There is a Freelancer following that they must not be aware of if they were stupid enough to cancel production… (Sigh) and now I’m teased and tortured by looking at some of these graphics from an ACTUAL Freelancer 2 build. Foolish to cancel that. Just foolish!!
For thouse that dont beleave and anyone that has more intrest http://deanmccall.com/game.htm
im a member of Shattered Worlds War Torn & play heavly on the server. and it is a huge shame to see that Freelancer 2 was so close to being released & than just cancel a great game such as Freelancer. that makes no sense. this game is bigger than any other game.
which is why some company should rethink this & pick this back up with the devteam that was working on this & give the game the rightfull end we all need. which is to say. a never ending world of Freelancer.
we want Freelancer 2. we demand Freelancer 2 – The Wars Of Sirius.
I still have the first Freelancer installed on my PC and i play it from time to time. The only space combat/adventure-game i got hooked on since Freelancer is Mass Effect. Unfortunately ME does not let us have intense combat in space with ships or any form of trading. I really hope that they reconsider and release Freelancer 2.
This is one of the few space shooters that I own, and I absolutely love it!
I definately agree. The story had a good little spin on it; and with the last statement made definately sounded like a sequel was going to be in the works. Bummer that it was originally intended for X360, though. If they did make it for the PC, I’d definately jump on it.
I would also hope that it would work similar to the Elder Scroll saga (keep the character, level, goodies, etc); if not, then it’d be another freelancer a generation or two down from Trent.
Just to respond to a comment I saw above, while Freelancer was a great game (played it a bit myself) it was hardly the only one of it’s kind. There are other space trading games out there with storylines, one of the notable ones being a game called Elite and Elite II. Now those were revolutionary – Freelancer is like a modern update to the Elite series.
That doesn’t take away from how cool it is though. Honestly I don’t get why they would cancel this, it certainly would have given the 360 a title that had the potential to be a system seller.
Thats a shame most of us military really get into it over here i was showing some of the joes freelancer and they bought the original starlancer and freelancer on ebay cause they thought it was amazing i hope u all reconsider halo great and so is the COD but its time for something new a flying game that even people who aint in to sims like but u all make the millions we just make u rich with ideals
I have freelancer on my computer right now, and i just beat it… btw, does anyone know where to get mods for it?
Shame… It was a great phun playing FL.
Shame on you M$! There are not so many things that make ppl like you, and FL2 was one of them.
One of my favorites ever.
Sad that the followup was cancelled, this game really had a unique appeal.
Even with dated graphics, the game had a beautiful serenity when you were drifting through a nebula and a deep sense of mystery due to the massive scope of the universe.
The distant planets, tons factions and histories, and hazardous systems really made freelancer feel alive.
All the original needs is some updated voice acting and a few navigation improvements.
Sometimes I would log on to the Discovery Mod and make friends with people from around the world. It was awesome to fly to a sector and know your buddy would be there hunting down pirates or mining, etc.
The story behind the universe was also very unique, its a shame the whole thing was abandoned.
If they’d make a game with the same features (not eve, that game is not the same), I’d gladly buy it.
WHY THE FUCK MICRASOFT CANCELED IT?
I have played hundreds of games in my lifetime and Freelancer maintains a solid position in my top 10 favorites of all time. I have been waiting and waiting for a sequel for years and damn it they need to make one. There are already enough other reasons to hate microsoft.
Well microsoft should consider this :( … i mean it was the game that introduced me to space sims… it’s still the best… Microsoft even changed some stuff in the original one … otherwise the story was different and so was the gameplay… If they still dont make it then its tym i started it on my own >:|
jo echt schade :( bloedes microsoft!! :*(
it’s in my top 5 pc games of all time… shaking off modern day competition without a sweat… thats how good it is… what a vision it was to create a game like that… I’ve read developing the game for 1 console (pc) costs 10-15 million $, if no one does anything about it in about 10 years I’m going to hire a team of developers and do it myself… and actually graphics in freelancer are beautiful… I agree with all that Eric said above… pure brilliance!
If developers don’t “do too much” on the sequel it might become worldwide best seller $$$$$$$$$$$$, you have to keep in mind Freelancer had humans as residents of universe and not zillion species of funny talking/ridiculous looking aliens (like pretty much all other space combat simulations), NASA is currently researching ways to see if Mars would be good to colonize it, what would be better for billions of people stuck on earth than to play Freelancer 2? global euphoria!
Great game but good that they cancelled it. Some stories doesn’t need a sequel. However, they could do a update of the Original Freelancer and rerelease it with new graphics and better polish.
I remember bugging my parents to buy me freelancer for christmas and how excited i was when i got it. This game stands firm in my top two favourite PC games of all time. I currently play WoW and it pales in comparison. the sheer scope and depth of this game just had me in awe and all i ever wanted was a sequel. I would love to see someone like bungie or bioware take this up for digital anvil and run with it. the politics, the drama, the story, the intrigue. was truly an epic space opera. I will forever ask for a sequel and forever remember the true beauty of one of the best PC games of all time
If it were to be created, would it need to be in two disks because it would be so massive? Just thinking out loud cause the freelancer universe was so large.
I had hope…until I read Cancelled.
Be damned Microsoft, this could be the space sim two times greater than any of the X series. The graphics it could offer aren’t to be seen in any of the space sims of the present time. Even the gameplay is unique for this genre. Be your souls rotten in Nurgle’s lair.
if you want it, just call around the other studios, and ask them to buy the project from MS……
Kinda glad it was cancelled, Xbox would have ruined it.
Bring back freelancer
MICROSOFT PLEASE DEVELOP FREELANCER 2 !!!!
Searching 4 a game like freelancer, cant find, search 4 freelancer 2 and release——fuck
@ MS: Don’t forget the PC gamers ffs!
MICROSOFT Y U CANCEL BEST GAME EVER?
WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY????????????????????????
WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY THEY CANCELLED FREELANCER2????!?!?!?! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?????
freelancer was the first PC game i ever played. played it online for about 3 years. it has left me yarning for more. every game i have played since hasent had the same quality of adventure. WoW only kept me intrested for a couple years. half of which i was just droning through. i have tried all kinds of space games since, non have the same interface or first person feel. and they arnt as user friendly. freelancer is my favorite game. i only hope something comes out that will be just as fun and interactive…… and before freelancer is reality…..
I know – now – why such a game had to become history. It is just to normal game. No ghosts, creepy monsters, headshots, alien creatures, sixlegged godknowswhat, blood all over the screen, heads and limbs ripped off, just a nice, smooth game. Look at other games and find out am i right. It is normal, decent ride and we are not supposed to be normal and to have normal fun. So, freelancer had to go…Sorry folks…
Be smart about this Microsoft! You have the chance to earn big bucks by making us happy!
All you have to do is bring back the ppl who worked Freelancer, release some teaser trailer a year before you release it to get us hyped up so that we’ll tell our friends and get them hooked. They might get their friends hooked, and then you release it and get millions. Not only freelancer fans will buy this, the new batch of gamers out there will find this awesome too!
So, get up, make this game, prove all the Microsoft haters wrong, earn millions and GIVE US FREELANCER 2!!!!!!!!
I am glad it was canceled. I loved Freelancer but the thought of the whole series being ruined by being on Shitbox (oh the horror of being dumbed down by someone like BioWare or Bungie for teens) makes me shudder.
Good thing this game series was born and then died on a immortal platform like PC, where to this day it can be played (since I just finished few quests an hour ago on Windows 7..) instead of ChildBox 360 or something where it would die the moment ChildBox 720 was announced.
Too bad. I loved the first one. Of course Microsoft probably knew this and cancelled it because I am such a nuisance for them. And they hate me. Sorry guys. :\
Seriously though, one of my favorite space flight games ever. The other favorite happens to be the Freespace games, another one that died sadly.
The X games are very similar to Freelancer though. You can take on jobs defending stations from pirates, smuggle goods, or help transports. Different story but a lot of stuff is basically the same.
And the comment above, shut the fuck up. Honestly, I can’t stand the Xbox. But not because of some bullshit like you. There are some great games for the Xbox. And holy fuckin shit… Talk trash on Bioware again and I will eat your fucking limbs. I swear. Besides that the game was still being developed by the original Freelancer creators dipshit. So it wasn’t going to be “dumbed down for teens.” Ever play Mass Effect or Dragon Age? Great games. Tell me how they are dumbed down?Bungie I can’t really say much for as I’m not really into Halo too much.
Too bad. I loved the first one. Of course Microsoft probably knew this and cancelled it because I am such a nuisance for them. And they hate me. Sorry guys. :\
Seriously though, one of my favorite space flight games ever. The other favorite happens to be the Freespace games, another one that died sadly.
The X games are very similar to Freelancer though. You can take on jobs defending stations from pirates, smuggle goods, or help transports. Different story but a lot of stuff is basically the same.
And the comment above, shut the fuck up. Honestly, I can’t stand the Xbox. But not because of some bullshit like you. There are some great games for the Xbox. And holy fuckin shit… Talk trash on Bioware again and I will eat your fucking limbs. I swear. Besides that the game was still being developed by the original Freelancer creators dipshit. So it wasn’t going to be “dumbed down for teens.” Ever play Mass Effect or Dragon Age? Great games. Tell me how they are dumbed down?Bungie I can’t really say much for as I’m not really into Halo too much.
And whoever said that its concepts were put into Freespace is retarded too. Do you fucking know when Freespace was made? Before 2003. If you even know why that’s important then maybe you aren’t as stupid as I thought.
The original was a blast. It had an engaging story, huge environment (complete with hidden systems and factions), and some great visuals (space, nebula, weapons). You could fly fighters and freighters as a mercenary, trader, or pirate. The only thing that kept it from being one of the best games ever was the simplicity. You flew with the mouse, didn’t do much maneuvering, the enemy AI had no intelligence, the weapons were similar, and all the objects in the system were in the orbital plane- so much for space being 3d!
Damn, i bought the game in 2003 and i’m still playing the game! seriously it is one of the most wonderfull smoke some weed ultra space game ever! Good story too! maybe some microsoft geek is reading these comments??!! i hope so i will give 100 euro’s for the sequel!
Flencer…..from holland!
Necro’n threads since 2008 ya! but really Galaxy on fire HD was a big let down, has about as much depth of gameplay as StarWolves. X3 is getting boring, X Rebirth is taking too long to release and Miner Wars is just a sad Descent clone(3axis fps more than a space sim). So I started playing Freespace2 again but I don’t like the mission system and can’t find any real free roam mods for it. So I guess I’ll play some Freelancer to pass the time, much like Farcry 2, it’s not about finishing the game it’s about random acts of violence to pass the time.
This is disappointing. First Microsoft blew it with advertising the first one, kind of sweeping it under the rug after it’s release, so it never really saw it’s full sales potential. Then they cancel it’s squeal for Xbox which it would have fit more better on than PC. My hope is that they’ll start working on it again for the Xbox Next (whatever they’re going to call it) and hopefully bring out an enhanced port of the original as well. Maybe that’s where they could start, to judge interest. Release an enhanced version for current systems with updated graphics, cleaned code, and squashed bugs. We could only hope. There never has been anything quite like it.
And again Microsoft show they do not have a clue. There is a very solid and financial worthy fan base for Freelancer, i have the money and the means but not the need to buy a xbox 360 or one.
If they would release a new version for the xbox one only! i would buy a xbox, freelancer has that much power over me and i know for a fact many others would too. As always its money that stands at the foundation of these choices and this for one i just cannot understand.
14 years since the launch of Freelancer… it is still one of the best games of this genre and I occasionaly play it, from time to time.
However nowadays we have something better (at least in terms of immersion) – Elite: Dangerous and still-developing Star Citizen (produced by Chris Roberts again).
But the old legends never die…