Sunday, August 24, 2008

Study: Gold Farming Employs 400,000

[reposted from Kotaku]

Manchester University have published another study looking at developing nations where the poor earn money by gold farming or powerlevelling in MMOs. The estimate is half a million people do the work for pay, a supermajority of them in China. Of the online toilers, 400,000 are involved in gold farming, the rest powerlevelling and other services.

The study's author admits that precise estimates are not possible because of the underground nature of the activity. But it's at least a $500 million global industry as of now, with organized crime snaking its tendrils into the business.

The growth is entirely predictable and not really a new phenomenon, when you think about it. "When you get people with more money than time and time than money the two will find a way to meet," said Stephen Davis, of game security firm Secure Play.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/372869009/study-gold-farming-employs-400000

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150+ Youth-Oriented Virtual Worlds Now Live or in Development

A new study highlights the growth and competitiveness of virtual worlds targeted at kids and teens.

http://feeds.ign.com/~r/ignfeeds/games/~3/372101943/902075p1.html


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Saturday, August 23, 2008

Square To Revise "'Lets Make FFXI Bosses Unkillable In Under 24 Hours With A Minimum Of Two Vomiting Players" Policy [Final Fantasy XI]

After one of the world's best Final Fantasy XI guilds had to throw in the towel after a marathon 18 hour plus battle left them exhausted, physically ill and -- most importantly -- non-victorious, Questions Were Asked.

Clearly concerned that their customers might be in danger of A) doing themselves a mischief and B) not having fun anymore, Square Enix has responded with a series of changes to the MMO "to prevent such battles from exceeding a certain predetermined length of time"

In a post to the official site entitled "Regarding Specific Notorious Monsters" Square has announced that the major league bosses Pandemonium Warden, Absolute Virtue and Jailer of Love (all of whom would make excellent Emo album titles) and their associated pets will be modified in the game's September update.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/372169595/square-to-revise-lets-make-ffxi-bosses-unkillable-in-under-24-hours-with-a-minimum-of-two-vomiting-players-policy


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Stargate Worlds Beta Signup Lottery For mmolecule Members [Stargate Worlds]

[reposted from Kotaku]

Anyone itching to try out Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's Stargate Worlds MMORPG could do worse than get themselves over to mmolecule.com.

The MMO knowledgebase is holding an exclusive Stargate Worlds Beta Key Giveaway, open to its members.

Just sign up with the site (new members aren't excluded, don't fret) and then sit back -- nervously fingering your James Spader action figure is optional -- until September 20th, when 200 names will be drawn from the inverted pseudo-Egyptian headdress and each awarded one Beta signup key.

If by some chance you are also a member of a Stargate Worlds Command (a gaming clan, in other words) and host a website in mmolecule's Guild Services Open Beta (a sort of clan-management service) you will get a second chance to win.

mmolecule Launches Stargate Worlds Beta Key Giveaway [mmolecule]

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/371960545/stargate-worlds-beta-signup-lottery-for-mmolecule-members


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Friday, August 22, 2008

Warhammer Online cinematic trailer

[reposted from joystiq]

There's a war going on. No, we're not talking about the one between the Armies of Order and the Armies of Destruction depicted in the recently released cinematic trailer for EA's upcoming MMO Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Nope, we're talking about the war being waged on blogs and in forums over which fantasy MMO-themed video is better: this one or the Wrath of the Lich King opening. Since it's a war, you all have to watch both and pick a side. Apathy is not a choice!

Download it in high-def from BigDownload at http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/21/warhammer-online-cinematic-trailer/

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/371313390/

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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Anatomy of a disaster: Flagship Studios founder speaks

[reposted from Joystiq]

Flagship Studios' founder Bill Roper recently spoke with 1Up about how the Hellgate London developer ended up becoming another cautionary tale for young developers out there. Roper explains that the revenue model on Hellgate was broken and much of the money coming in went into keeping the game online, instead of expanding content like it should have.

Roper also admits the quality of the title wasn't great. He blames the PC market for being "lousy last year" and concedes Flagship didn't have unlimited money to hold on to Hellgate any longer. He also confesses that the company overreached trying to make "an MMO and an RPG and a shooter," attempting to please everyone and (obviously) satisfying very few at the end. Roper explains the Flagship Studios disaster in 1Up's interview in detail -- definitely worth a read for any aspiring studio head.

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/369055073/

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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Free Realms MMO Coming to Playstation 3 [Playstation 3]

[reposted from Kotaku]

Sony Online Entertainment's experimental blending of social network service with massively multiplayer online role-playing game, FreeRealms, is coming to the Playstation 3 as well as the PC, Sony Computer Entertainment of Europe announced today.

FreeRealms joins DC Universe Online and The Agency as the first massively multiplayer online role playing games coming out of a new arrangement between SCEE and SOE.

Under the new agreement, SCEE will publish and distribute three MMOs developed by SOE for PS3 throughout the PAL territories. In addition, SCEE will also publish DC Universe and The Agency on behalf of SOE in the PAL territories.

"This is an opportunity for SCEE and SOE to bring the best online experiences from PC gaming to the PLAYSTATION 3 universe, the result of which will certainly benefit PlayStation fans," said David Reeves, President, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe


Massive Multiplayer Online Gaming arrives on PLAYSTATION®3 with DC Universe™, The Agency™ and FreeRealms™

Leipzig Games Convention, August 2008: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced today that SCEE has joined forces with Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) – developer of groundbreaking online Massive Multiplayer Online (MMOs) games including the wildly popular EverQuest® — in an arrangement that will bring a whole new dimension to PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) gaming.

Under the new agreement, SCEE will publish and distribute three MMOs developed by SOE for PS3 throughout the PAL territories. In addition, SCEE will also publish DC Universe and The Agency on behalf of SOE in the PAL territories. The new arrangement allows SCEE to benefit from SOE's experience in a different area of video gaming publishing, one which opens up a whole host of possibilities for PS3.

The games included in the agreement are The Agency (PS3), a fast-paced, action shooter set in an present day online persistent world of bullets, bomb blasts, and betrayal; DC Universe Online (PS3 and PC), an action-focused super-hero game in a fully realized DC Universe Online; and Free Realms (PS3), a vibrant new world for younger players with an exciting mix of reality and fantasy.

"This is an opportunity for SCEE and SOE to bring the best online experiences from PC gaming to the PLAYSTATION 3 universe, the result of which will certainly benefit PlayStation fans," said David Reeves, President, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.


Here's a look at the three forthcoming titles.

DC Universe™ Online (PS3 and PC): Explore one of the greatest fictional universes in history: the world of DC comics. Create your own hero or villain and run loose across famous DC locations such as Gotham City or Metropolis, alongside legendary characters of good and evil including Superman, Batman, Huntress, Joker, Wonder Woman and Green Arrow in scenarios written by DC writers and in an art style overseen by renowned DC artist Jim Lee.

The Agency™ (PS3): Get your target in your sights with this dark, gritty, online action PS3 shooter, a persistent world of spies, mercenaries and double dealing for aspiring agents everywhere. As you rise thorugh the ranks as a spy through the various missions and in-depth story mode, you can build your own spy faction, recruiting new members to your cause.

FreeRealms™ (PS3 and PC): An all new social networking service and massively multiplayer online role-playing game in one, FreeRealms gives players freedom across a world where exploration and spell casting is as much a part of life as decorating your house or growing a vegetable garden. You chose how you live your life in FreeRealms from day to day – be a wizard one day, play with your virtual pets the next.

DC Universe Online, The Agency and FreeRealms are the first massively multiplayer online role playing games to result from the arrangement between SCEE and SOE – a partnership that will bring gamers together across the world.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/370161577/free-realms-mmo-coming-to-playstation-3

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Monday, August 18, 2008

Sony Fan Faire drops debut trailers for Everquest and EQII expansions

At Sony Online Entertainment's Fan Faire event in Las Vegas, expansions to two of the MMO developer's major titles, Everquest and Everquest II, were revealed and dated

EQ will be planting Seeds of Destruction on October 21, while EQII players will find themselves embarking on The Shadow Odyssey November 18. Shortly thereafter, SOE revealed a teaser trailer for each expansion. We debated about which one to feature on the main page, and ultimately decided upon the expansion for the game that hasn't been out for a hojillion years The Shadow Odyssey's teaser shows off some of the rather uninviting locales featured in the update, and not much else. The Seeds of Destruction trailer previews the new mercenary system, and flaunts a number of new areas which will be added to the title. Pretty impressive from a game that, if it were a human being, would be entering the fourth grade this Fall, where it would slowly begin to develop funny feelings towards its classmate, Asheron's Call.

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/366739423/

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Warhammer Online open beta starts Sept. 7

[reposted from Joystiq]

If you can't wait to get your hands on Warhammer Online, EA announced today that an open beta for the game will kick off Sept. 7, giving you a whole 11 days to play before the general populace sullies it on Sept. 18.

So, how do you get in? Just pre-order the game with one of EA's "select retail partners." (We don't know who they are yet, but even money says GameStop is one of them.) Also, those who are already in the closed beta will automagically be invited. So, are you getting in on the ground floor? Or have you been burned one too many times by start-up MMOs?

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/368201864/

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Saturday, August 16, 2008

SOE announces EverQuest: Seeds of Destruction and EQII: The Shadow Odyssey

Filed under: PC, Online, RPGs, MMO
At their annual Fan Faire, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) CEO John Smedley has revealed new expansions for EverQuest and EverQuest II. For EQ players, The Seeds of Destructions offers a new level cap (85), 20 new zones, a new mercenary systems, and all fourteen previous expansions in one box. EQII: The Shadow Odyssey will feature brand new zones, some revisits of the original EQ dungeons, a bump in the number of achievements you can get (up to 200), new deities, new quests and a new loot system that lets you pick your loot rewards.

Our MMO-obsessed colleagues at Massively have interviews with the EverQuest design team and EQII Senior Producer Bruce Ferguson about the expansions. All Fan Faire attendees will receive both games for free and will be able to participate in the SoD and TSO betas when they begin on August 19 and September 2, respectively.

Seeds of Destruction will come out October 21, while The Shadow Odyssey is scheduled for November 18. Stay tuned to Massively all week for more Fan Faire coverage.

Gallery: EverQuest: Seeds of Destruction Announcement

Gallery: EverQuest 2: The Shadow Odyssey Announcement

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http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/366148255/

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Thursday, August 14, 2008

WoW Gold Site Advertises With Gnome Corpses [Gold Farmers]

In the cutthroat world of World of Warcraft gold sales, a company has to try pretty hard to stand out, especially in the face of companies like IGE. I suppose we at least have to give MMOInn.com credit for originality following the herd. A reader name Joe logged into Ironforge this morning to be greeted by the company's website spelled out in dead gnomes. While his pictures didn't capture the full name, heading over to MMOInn I found the above pic, proudly presented at the top of their website.

A quick search of the WoW Armory to cross-reference names reveals that this took place on Dunemaul, a server no doubt very proud of the entrepreneurial spirit displayed here. A quick search of MMOInn reveals that their prices, for those so inclined, suck compared to IGE's, but hey - nice dead gnome sculpture.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/364868388/wow-gold-site-advertises-with-gnome-corpses

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Rumor: NCsoft to shutter Austin studio, reassign Tabula Rasa to Guild Wars dev

Filed under: PC, RPGs, MMO, Business

Hot on the heels of news that Midway would be laying off approximately 90 employees from its Austin location comes a tip from a reliable source that NCsoft Austin (a.k.a. NCsoft North America) is on the verge of eliminating all of its development staff. The studio is currently home to the teams behind Tabula Rasa and Dungeon Runners, the latter of which will "be closed," according to our source. We've been told that only customer support staff will continue to operate out of the branch.

Future development of Tabula Rasa will reportedly be handed over to Seattle-based Guild Wars creator Arena.net, with Massively reporting that the title may meet a similar fate as Dungeon Runners if it "fails to turn the tide of subscribers and expectations." It has also learned that any future collaboration between NCsoft and Tabula Rasa principals Richard and Robert Garriot will be "limited in scope," due to a souring of relations with the Korean management team over their title's lackluster performance.

With regard to City of Heroes, a source at NCsoft's Bay Area studio confirmed with us that its development staff will be completely unaffected by the events transpiring in Austin, saying that the title's status is "sound." Further to this, the source echoed Massively's report that only the Austin studio is being affected, with remaining development proceeding normally in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Korea.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/363337180/

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Monday, August 11, 2008

Preserving MMOs

[reposted from Kotaku]

Preservation of 'new media' has gotten some attention in recent months — a lot of venerable collections are moving to figure out the best ways to preserve games and gaming media in an archival setting, while building useful collections for the future. The University of Texas at Austin was recently awarded over $250,000 to study the collection and preservation of MMOs. In addition to the obvious bits of preservation problems — software and the like — the project is also pretty broad in scope, including an oral history component, as the project head Megan Winget explained:

"I'd like to conduct in-depth interviews with all types of people involved in the creation process, from programmers and testers to visual artists and music composers, as well as game developers, producers and visionaries ....
Another part of my research is to collect oral histories from gamers and game developers regarding their experiences playing games, specifically during "epochal" moments, like when Lord British was assassinated in Ultima Online. Some people also happened to record those moments, and it would be very interesting to collect those artifacts for the cultural record."

I'll be curious to see how this project develops, since it could potentially be very influential in how other collections begin organizing and preserving new media and video games more specifically. The idea of oral history is a particularly good one - the historian in me is glad people are working on things like this now, as opposed to scrambling when it's almost too late.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/361264565/preserving-mmos-an-archivists-challenge

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Sunday, August 10, 2008

Associated Press reveals new Star Trek Online details

[reposter form Joystiq]

We're just hours away from Cryptic's world reveal of Star Trek Online during the Star Trek Experience event in Las Vegas, but those wishing to jump the phaser on all the hubbub would be wise to read http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ikj6V-CYYWISldz8cmkiJ9avC11QD92E92UG0.

In said interview, a number of intriguing details about the MMO are revealed -- chief among these include word that players will be able to choose an alien species to play as, or create their own, in an uncharacteristic show of disregard for Star Trek canon. New players will then captain their own Starfleet or Klingon ship, the size and crew of which will grow as the player progresses. Players will also be able to leave their ships to explore planets in true Trek fashion.

Don't expect to see many familiar, pointy-eared faces on your travels, however -- Emmert explained that the game takes place "a few generations" after the last Star Trek film. It seems your best bet of running into Shatner in an MMO is to continue searching World of Warcraft for a shaman with unusual vocalized pauses.

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/361223267/

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Saturday, August 09, 2008

Cryptic Exec: What's In/Not In Star Trek Online [Star Trek Online]

[reposted from Kotaku]

Cryptic flacked its upcoming gameplay debut (and webcast) to the Associated Press, and the wire was a taker. Yesterday, the AP moved an interview with Jack Emmert, Cryptic's chief creative officer, and he gives gamers an idea of what to expect, what not to expect, and a little of how the deal went down when they acquired the title from Perpetual Entertainment.

Or, well, the license, because there is nothing developed by Perpetual that's going into the game. "We took no assets," Emmert said. "There was nothing to be had, to be honest. We're building everything from the ground up."

Emmert also assures us Sunday will be a bonafide gameplay reveal. "You're going to see the actual game working and functioning," said Emmert. "This isn't renders. This isn't concept art. Everything that people will see on Sunday is going to be taken right from 'Star Trek Online' as it stands today, so hardened people should know that a release date might be closer than they think."

If you don't want to read the whole thing, here are the high points:
• The game will be set a few generations following the last Star Trek film, so no Kirk, Picard or other familiar faces in the game.
• "There might be a ship called Enterprise flying around, but it's probably not the same ship anymore," Emmert said. Worlds and galactic locations familiar to fans will also be in the game.
• Characters can be created from existing Star Trek races, or new alien species can be invented altogether.
• "There's going to be tons of space to investigate," says Emmert "We have a great system for exploration, which will allow for almost infinite possibilities."

Star Trek Online is Ready to Beam Up [Associated Press, via Blue's News

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/360551148/cryptic-exec-whats-innot-in-star-trek-online

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WoW Celebrates Olympics with New Tabard, Pet

I love the"Sooty theDragon" comment! -Haiken

[reposted from Kotaku]

So I am playing World of Warcraft last night and my more PVP-oriented guildies start linking these Competitor's Tabards that are showing up in their mailboxes after they finish playing in the battlegrounds. No one has any idea what is going on, and then this morning I see a story over at MMO Champion explaining that the tabard is part of WoW's Olympic event, which is the only reason I know the Olympics have started.

From now until August 25th, anyone who participates in a full battleground will receive the nifty ring-themed tabard. The pet, modeled after Olympic dragon mascot Sooty the Air Pollution Dragon, who I just made up, is randomly awarded to players who are on the winning team of a battleground. Being a hordie on the Ysera server, I will never, ever get one.

Olympic Tabard & Pet, WotLK Class Changes [MMO Champion - Thanks Kurt!]

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/359463515/wow-celebrates-the-olympics-+-new-tabard-pet

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Star Trek Online Debut Webcast This Sunday [Star Trek Online]

[reposted from Kotaku]

The big gameplay reveal of Cryptic's Star Trek Online is taking place this Sunday in Las Vegas, with a special guest appearance from Spock, who portrays Leonard Nimoy in real life. If you, like me, have spent several hours sitting in the corner curled up in a ball crying because you couldn't be there, dry those tears! The Star Trek Online website has updated today with info on the simultaneous live webcast of the event. It kicks off at 1:30 PM Pacific on Sunday afternoon, so you might want to pencil that stardate down on your...starcalendars?

Sure, it'll be in a small window and you won't be able to physically touch Mr. Spock, but think how much nicer your house smells compared to the event! Come to think of it, if I wanted to smell unwashed Trek fans I just wouldn't shower for a couple days. Bad smells are better when they're yours.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/359638342/star-trek-online-debut-webcast-this-sunday

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Friday, August 08, 2008

More Details On New Company Of Heroes Online [Company Of Heroes Online]

<p><img src="http://kotaku.com/assets/images/kotaku/2008/08/coh.jpg" class="postimg center" style="display:block;" />Well. This one well and truly slipped by us during E3. Seems that while everyone was busy devouring the gaming news coming out of LA, in China the wraps were being taken off Company of Heroes Online, THQ's attempt at pushing the RTS game onto the Asian online markets. While THQ have <a href="http://kotaku.com/374925/germany-defeated-company-of-heroes-heads-for-china">spoken briefly about the project before</a> (which is being launched in conjunction with Shanda), this is the first time we've seen any real details on the game, which will take the core CoH experience (minus the Opposing Fronts content) and tailor it towards online gaming.</p> <p>It'll be free to play, with microtransactions paying the game's way, while gameplay changes include persistent online characters that you can level up and carry across battles. Those "hero" units will also have charged "super powers", to go along with a newly revamped commander tree that has 48 separate abilities/powers. THQ have just opened a Chinese office to help launch the game, with a Korean version to follow, and a Western version to follow after <em>that</em> (there's already a playable English-language build, apparently).</p> <p><a href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/38377">Company of Heroes Headed to China as F2P Game - Exclusive ChinaJoy Interview</a> [Ten Ton Hammer]<br> <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=19718">THQ Adds China Office For Company Of Heroes Online, Local Partnerships</a> [Gamasutra]</p> <br style="clear: both;"/>
<img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=0ca42e1cbfafddd474aa0de07acce644" height="1" width="1"/>
<img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=0ca42e1cbfafddd474aa0de07acce644" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>
<p><a href="http://feeds.gawker.com/~a/kotaku/full?a=98uFCK"><img src="http://feeds.gawker.com/~a/kotaku/full?i=98uFCK" border="0"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/kotaku/full?a=OJ9PHK"><img src="http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/kotaku/full?i=OJ9PHK" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/kotaku/full?a=3MltEK"><img src="http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/kotaku/full?i=3MltEK" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/kotaku/full?a=p8k3pk"><img src="http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/kotaku/full?i=p8k3pk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/kotaku/full?a=2Ub0zk"><img src="http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/kotaku/full?i=2Ub0zk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~4/359205536" height="1" width="1"/>

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/359205536/more-details-on-new-company-of-heroes-online

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Thursday, August 07, 2008

Wizard101 Enters Open Beta

[reposted from Kotaku]

KingIsle entertainment has announced the launch of the open beta for their family-friendly MMO Wizard101, which combines magical adventures with card-based spellcasting battles to create something that seems to have attracted a larger following than they originally expected. Never underestimate the power of rabid card-game fans.

"We more than doubled our anticipated beta audience for Wizard101," said KingsIsle CEO Elie Akilian. "It turns out that the solid game mechanics and whimsical fantasy environment appeal even beyond the tween audience. We've had a great response from testers that included everyone from grandmas who play with a grandchild sitting in their lap to twenty-something traditional gamers." Not to mention thirty-something traditional gamers! Anyone and everyone can head over to www.wizard101.com right now, download the client, and start getting completely thrashed by children half your age. It'll be awesome.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/357736194/wizard101-enters-open-beta

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WAR to be waged on Sept. 18

[reposted from joystiq]

We were a bit concerned when Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (or WAR, on the streets) had its release date changed from the comfortingly specific "Sept. 23" to the vague and unsettling "Sept. 08." Little did we know, that change was just a chrysalis from which a new, just as specific but even earlier date could emerge: Sept. 18.

EA would also like you to start referring to Sept. 18 as the "Day of Reckoning," and that's fine, if you want to help drum up some extra interest among friends or family. Just do us a favor and put the kibosh on that when you go out into public, OK?

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/357430320/

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Blizzard Resorts to Bounties for Recruiting

[reposted from Joystiq]

When we try to convince people to play World of Warcraft, it's usually because we despise them and want their real world lives to crumble around them as they try to convince themselves that their new sword is so much better than their last one. But be careful: Thanks to Blizzard's new recruiting push, others' motives for trying to rope you in may not be so pure. Those who invite friends to the game and persuade them to pay for two months up front will get a free Zhevra mount, the ability to summon their referred friends and triple experience when they're questing together, up to level 60.

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/357540311/

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Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Warhammer Online released September 18

Subscription details inside.
Mythic Entertainment has confirmed that Warhammer Online is definitely on its way in September.

Click here to read the full article

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=194735?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS

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Spock to unveil Star Trek Online

Nimoy to show off first gameplay footage at convention.
Leonard I am Spock / I am not Spock Nimoy will present the first footage of the new Star Trek Online game at the Official Star Trek Convention this year.

Click here to read the full article

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=194717?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS

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NCSoft summons its chi for martial arts MMO

Reposted from Joystiq

Forgoing super heroes and knights in shining armor, NCSoft is turning to martial arts and Korean mythology for its latest MMO entry, Blade and Soul. The game is being built on Unreal Engine 3, and while it's currently planned for release only in Korea, its visual style and unique gameplay could help it get a foothold in the States.
From the looks of the first video, the game appears to draw heavy influences from Capcom's online hack-'n-slasher, Monster Hunter, working in character designs which seem like they could have been created for the PS2 action title Bujingai. Interactive environments are also part of the mix. In other words, it's definitely not the MMO equivalent of Jade Empire, but maybe BioWare will get to that after its so-not-a-secret KOTOR MMO

[Via Massively]

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Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Hell hath no Fury, neither does anyone else now

reposted from Joystiq

Auran's reportedly $13.2 million PvP-based MMO disaster Fury will shut down within the next 48 hours. The official Fury forums announced those handling the game could not find a way to keep the servers running, so both the game servers and Fury forums will shut down imminently.

We're not exactly sure who was running Fury, as developer Auran shut down late last year after the game failed to catch on. Obviously, we know this comes as a shock to the handful out there still playing Fury, but there's whole worlds of MMO titles out there to explore. We know it's hard, but it's best to accept it and move on.

[Via Massively]

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/356643513/

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Fatal1ty: Pro Gamers Are Like Rock N Roll Stars

reposted from Kotaku

In a breathless Christian Science Monitor article about pro-gaming (no doubt inspired by the proximity of the World Cyber Games to the Olympics), Gloria Goodale breaks the news to their readers that people actually get paid money to play video games competitively.

She even warns readers not to snicker, seeing that ESPN broadcasts the even less athletic pro poker tourneys. It doesn't take long for the article to enter familiar territory, pinning the hopes of pro gaming on Johnathan ""Fatal1ty" Wendel, who wraps up the shortish story with this doozie of a quote:

"It's the same way with the big rock-'n'-roll stars," he says. "You think it's all glitz and glamour, but it's a lot of time on the road, away from your family, sleeping in strange places. It's fun for now, but it's also a lot of work." But, he adds with a sly smile, "nobody can say video games are a waste of time anymore. I'm living proof of that."

Sly smile? Yikes!

While I understand this was meant to be more of a gee-whiz article, it would have been nice to really dig into the world of pro-gaming and dredge up some sort of conclusion about the likelihood of its success. What about DISH Network's pro-gaming efforts?

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/355682668/fatal1ty-pro-gamers-are-like-rock-n-roll-stars


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Srtategy Guide for Virtual World Investors

[reposted from GameDaily]

Strategy Analytics announced that it will be releasing "Defining the Total Economic Return from Virtual Worlds Applications." This guide is designed to help companies better plan their virtual worlds investments in order to receive larger returns.

"Virtual Worlds have witnessed considerable growth among consumers, but companies have lacked the economic justification, metrics, and process to guide investments," said Harvey Cohen, President of Strategy Analytics and chief architect of the study, while adding "Virtual worlds can serve as a strategic catalyst for penetrating youthful markets as well as a checkpoint for demonstrating a company's focus on innovation."

"Companies will require more specific measurement tools in order to continue their investments in virtual worlds," commented Barry Gilbert, Vice President and Research Director of the Strategy Analytics Virtual World Strategies program. "Multi-billion dollar global brand companies looking to target the global youth market should be investing a minimum of one percent of their advertising and promotional budget in virtual worlds."

A recent report said that over $150 million had been invested in virtual worlds during the second quarter of 2008.

http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/strategy-analytics-releases-guide-on-virtual-world-investments/?biz=1

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Monday, August 04, 2008

LucasArts advertising for MMO testers

Just announce KOTOR Online already, chaps.
LucasArts has advertised for a QA Online Tester working out of the Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco, which just confuses the heck out of us.

Click here to read the full article

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=194607?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS

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Sunday, August 03, 2008

New North American development studio hiring help for Mythos, Hellgate: London

[reposted from Joystiq]

Following the closure of Flagship Studios, the fate of their two intellectual properties, Mythos and Hellgate: London, seemed cloudy at best. Immediately after Flagship let go of nearly all of their staff, HanbitSoft (a large investor in Flagship) claimed to have possession of the two titles. Shortly thereafter, Flagship exec Bill Roper announced that his company still clung to life, as well as to all their technology and IPs, much to HanbitSoft's chagrin. Two weeks ago, Namco-Bandai reportedly picked up Hellgate, though the game's page on Namco's site mysteriously vanished a week later.

However, a recent help wanted ad posted by T3 Entertainment, the Korean developers of casual music game Audition Online (and major stockholders for HanbitSoft), might put an end to the confusion. The ad calls for developers for a new San Francisco-based studio who wish to "passionately continue development of Hellgate: London and Mythos, along with other new games." As much as we'd love to believe that Mythos will reach North America, we're not quite sure if this dispute has truly been settled, or if another developer has simply entered the IP melee.

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/354699193/

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Friday, August 01, 2008

NCSoft New Projects

Three new projects have been announced by NCSoft at the company's 'Media Day 2008' from its HQ in Seoul. Metal Black and Blade & Soul will be MMORPGs.

http://www.totalvideogames.com/news/NCSoft_Announces_Three_New_Projects_13593_0_0.htm

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Blizzard's Next Game Could Be More Successful Than WoW [Interview]

[reposted from Kotaku]

Blizzard's team doesn't care for the term "killer app," used to describe a program or product &mdash; in this case, a certain MMO - that single-handedly shaped the market around its platform. In fact, when we asked about World of Warcraft's unshakable hold on the massively multiplayer biz, game director Jeffrey Kaplan was humble.
"I don't believe that WoW is untouchable," he said. "I completely believe that a game could come out and be more successful than WoW. I'm hoping that we're working on it right now."
Designing and developing any MMO, Kaplan said, simply distills down to a series of choices. "I think a lot of other companies have had great opportunities to do what WoW has done... usually for whatever reason, they miss the mark."
"I actually feel really bad, a lot of times, when new MMOs come out and don't do really well, because I'm not thinking of it from a business perspective. I know what it's like to be a developer on a team that you believe in on a game that you just love, and for some reason, you don't get enough time, or someone makes a bad decision... everybody's making a lot of small choices, and when those go wrong, your game ends up not successful."
Diablo III lead designer Jay Wilson believes that one can really focus on one MMO at a time, because of the time demand. He said he played Age of Conan for a couple of months, played Lord of the Rings Online a lot, and still goes back to City of Heroes every now and then. He thinks the key to MMO success is "not making choices based upon being different, but making choices based upon what's good for your game."
"If there was an MMO out there that had a tone different from WoW but was executed as well, I actually think there could be a huge audience for that. When I get disappointed, it's because I don't see that level of execution."
Another key factor for global success, said Blizzard's associate PR manager Bob Colayco, is that it takes a lot of time to develop the infrastructure to support a global audience. Players in any country around the world can receive service and support on WoW in their native language and the localizations are meticulous, he said, which contributes to the retention of a broad userbase.
But will Blizzard's next project be the game that finally tops WoW's global success?
"I believe it can be," Kaplan said. "The same challenge is on us. Are we going to make the right decisions? I don't believe that just because we made WoW, we're guaranteed on the next MMO that we make to have the same success." He also said that at launch, WoW was not what it is today- it's taken the game a five to six-year development cycle, plus two years on Burning Crusade and a year and a half on Lich King. Similarly, StarCraft 2 is renowned, he said, for its "perfect game balance" - but it didn't launch that way, the team recalled.
"I really believe you're only as good as your last game. I really think you gave to prove it every time," said Kaplan.
And is the bar especially high for Blizzard? "Yeah, for sure."
Said Wilson, "The only thing we get for free is faith that we'll follow up on any problems. Anything else, we have to earn."

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/352076271/blizzards-next-game-could-be-more-successful-than-wow

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