Master of Magic - Legacy

Legacy

Due to Master of Magic's impact on the fantasy "turn-based strategy" genre, the Age of Wonders series, considered almost identical in terms of gameplay, has received comparisons in reviews of the latter; however, it is believed that the games are significantly different, an opinion also shared by Lennart Sas, the lead designer for Age of Wonders. Other series that have been also compared to Master of Magic, including Dominions series from Illwinter Game Design.

As of October 2011, a sequel to Master of Magic has yet to be produced; however, in 1997, Microprose released a Master of Magic "Jr." scenario, using the Civilization II engine, as part of the Civ II: Fantastic Worlds expansion for Civilization II. During the same year, Steve Barcia stated that Master of Magic II would be complete by spring 1998, with new features, spells, monsters and a spell designer included; however, Simtex was closed down in the same year. Microprose revealed that it would be developing the sequel on its own, but this plan was canceled when the company's financial situation deteriorated in 2000. Despite the later emergence of games that resemble Master of Magic (such as the Age of Wonders series), reviewers like Kyle Ackerman and GameSpot editor, Andrew Park, have stated that the game's essence has not yet been re-captured.

Further prospects of a sequel surfaced with the announcement that companies, Quicksilver Software and Stardock, had obtained the rights to undertake such a venture. These companies were unable to reach an accord with Atari's, as the latter negotiated complete control of the software's marketing. Game Informer claimed in its November 2007 issue that Stardock aimed to release a remake of Master of Magic in 2009. However, a Stardock employee, Aaron Rister, clarified in the company's own forums that Game Informer was a mistaken reference to Elemental: War of Magic, a 2010 game.