EA Mythic next for job losses

QA and customer service staff set to go, says report.

Following the dropping of Pandemic Brisbane, it looks like the next EA studio in line for job cuts is Warhammer Online dev EA Mythic.

Click here to read the full article:

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=206209?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS

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Joystiq interview: NCsoft talks about updating City of Heroes, keeping it relevant

Reposted from Joystiq

It's been more than four years since MMO faithful were asked to put on skin-tight suits and defend the bustling metropolis of Paragon City in City of Heroes. Since that time, however, numerous other titles have emerged with their bid for players' massively multiplayer affections, from recent efforts like Warhammer Online to the juggernaut that is Blizzard's World of Warcraft.

Of course, the now wholly NCsoft-owned super powered MMO has released updates of its own to keep from becoming stale, including everything from the libertine City of Villains to this week's latest addition, dubbed Issue 13. We recently caged Matt "Positron" Miller, and spoke to the senior designer for NCsoft NorCal at length about the unluckily numbered update, as well as a number of other topics, including the availability of City of Heroes on the Mac and the superhero MMO's relevancy in today's overcrowded market.

Joystiq interview: NCsoft talks about updating City of Heroes, keeping it relevant originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/0GcihkfYDdo/

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Warhammer: Age of Reckoning goes gold

EA firing up servers on September 18.

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is all finished and on course for the big September kick-off. Click here to read the full article

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=196008?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS

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WoW is a Dirty Word

Most of the Rock, Paper, Shotgun guys recently posted their thoughts on the Warhammer Online closed beta; they were descended upon by WAR supporters (some rabid, some a little more even-tempered) for drawing more comparisons between WoW and WAR. After this little display of MMO chest thumping, Alec Meer put up a thoughtful piece on why it is that WoW has become a dirty word, both in and out of the industry, and why people are so quick to leap to vociferous defense of their games:

MMOs aren't like other games. They're closer to a lifestyle choice, for a lot of people defining how their spare time is spent, how their lives are lived. So if you criticise the game, you criticise the player. God knows there are plenty of non-MMO games that people treat as though they're bound to their very souls - witness the pile-on for Eurogamer's MGS4 review, or even the outrage about various RPS writers being down on Stalker: Clear Sky - but it's even worse with MMOs. Telling a WAR player that his game is similar to WoW is like telling a goth that he's emo. No-one wants to be told they're not unique and interesting, to be dismissed as a stereotype they're not.

WAR is not WoW. But it is a lot like it in a number of crucial ways, and for one essential reason: money. I suspect Mythic and EA aren't too concerned about the comparison themselves - they might disagree with the sweeping generalisation, but if they didn't want to be compared they would have gone for an entirely different interface and art approach. Saying WAR is like WoW is not the same as saying it's a bad or a lazy game, but unfortunately there are guys who do intentionally make the comparison unfavourably, and that's perhaps understandably made a lot of WAR fans very touchy.

Personally, I'm fascinated by the fan communities generated by MMOs, popular ones and not -- not being much of an MMO player, I find 'people watching' to be more entertaining than the game in a lot of cases. I don't have the patience to wade through the original comment thread, but I'm pretty sure I could rattle off the general reaction with little prompting. Meer's thoughts, however, are deserving of a read.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/385290879/wow-is-a-dirty-word

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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/

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/

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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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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EA Confirms Next KOTOR Is MMO

[Reposted from Kotaku]

As EA confirmed today, the next Knights of the Old Republic is going to be a MMO. From Portfolio.com: "We've got two of the most compelling MMOs in the industry in development," said Riccitiello. The first title, based on the Warhammer property, will launch soon. "And the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about in partnership with Lucas, coming out of BioWare, which is, I think, quite possibly the most anticipated game, full stop, for the industry at the point when we get closer to telling you about it."
Does Riccitiello mean the oft rumored Knights of the Old Republic Online? "Yes," he said.
Watch out World of Warcraft, you just might have some serious competition here.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/338459353/yep-next-kotor-is-mmo

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Warhammer Not Expected to Rival World of Warcraft

[reposted from Joystiq]

Serving as the CEO for a high-profile game publisher means having responsibilities beyond just attending the occasional meeting or PR function. Many gaming industry executives also find themselves moonlighting as Flavor Flav-esque hype men (and women) for their company's blockbuster releases. Then again, some leaders take a different approaching to promoting their big titles, replacing boisterous claims with cautious, realistic optimism. Then there's a third group of leaders, who etch their upcoming games into their flesh.

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello fits neatly into group number two, as his comments to a group of investors concerning EA Mythic's upcoming Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning demonstrates. Riccitiello plainly stated that "Warhammer Online [will be] a strong entry in the MMORPG space," but will not "rival WoW." We appreciate Riccitiello's candor, but with Warhammer out of the running, we're beginning to wonder what it will take for a title to knock Blizzard's billion-dollar baby from its position atop the crest of the MMO dogpile.

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/317600278/

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EA Online Reaching For 60% of Asia in 5 Years

[reposted from Joystiq]

After showing considerable interest in conquering Asia, Electronic Arts has been noticeably mum of late regarding its plans for the region, lurking like a rogue in the shadows, as if waiting to club the market on the back of the head with a fat bag of cash. Now EA has admitted as much, with EA Asia's vice president Chris Thompson telling Reuters that the company looks for the region to comprise some 15 to 20 percent of its total business by 2012. Compare this to the meager 5 percent of EA's wallet it's responsible for today. Key to this expected growth is the Asian market's love affair with playing games online. According to Thompson, while online gaming represents a respectable 10-15 percent of the company's Asian footprint today, "five years from now, that the online portion of our business could be representing somewhere plus or minus around 60 pct of our business." Mama always said if you're gonna set a goal, make it lofty, though with Hellgate: London finding some rare success in Korea and Warhammer Online waiting in the wings, maybe there's method to EA's infatuation with Asia after all.

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/314631210/

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