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Shadow Cities closing down October 7
First announced in 2010, Shadow Cities was set to be a completely new experience in MMO gaming. The location-based mobile game secured millions in investment capital and had a promising showing at GDC 2011. But all of that wasn't enough to keep the game afloat almost three years later. Finnish developer Grey Area has announced that they will be closing down Shadow Cities on October 7 of this year. The game has already been removed from the iTunes App Store as of today and it will not accept new Mana Potion purchases. [Source: Grey Area release]
MMObility: Real-life location games for your daily walks
I've been having a lot of fun with Parallel Kingdom lately. It's a location-based MMO brought to us by PerBlue, one that offers a layer of reality thanks to the fact that it is built on top of the real-world map. You can claim your real-life block, help other members of your city, and trade with other players from all over the world. It's actually a pretty simple design, but it helps to give the game a sense of realism. Parallel Kingdom isn't the only location-based game out there, though. I thought it might be cool to take a look at some of the other titles to see what the competition has to offer. So far I have only found a few that are stepping up in quality. Read on to see what I think of the rest!
Shadow Cities launches on iOS App Store
Technomages, today is your day! Rise up and cast off the fetters of boring society to claim your kingdom! All it takes is one free download of Shadow Cities, which has finally arrived at the Apple App Store. Taking the best parts of real world alternate reality games (ARGs) and MMOs, Shadow Cities casts you in the role of a mage who is fighting dark forces while simultaneously striving to control chunks of territory. Instead of staying home, players are tasked with traveling physically to different places around their neighborhoods to cast spells against other players and NPCs. Players can join one of two factions that struggle for ultimate domination amid an unsuspecting populace. Shadow Cities hit the top of the charts in Finland when it was released there, and Grey Area hopes that it will do the same worldwide. If you'd like to learn more about this immersive title, make sure to read up on our Shadow Cities tour from GDC!
GDC 2011: Grey Area's Shadow Cities redefines mobile MMORPGs and immersion
How does being the main character in a techno-cyberpunk fantasy MMORPG grab you? And when we say "you," we really mean you, as opposed to a digital avatar or a pre-made character archetype. While we're at it, how does playing said MMORPG in the real world, specifically your home town and any cities you may visit, sound? If you answered "pretty freaking awesome" like we did, keep reading. We sat down with the guys from Grey Area at last week's GDC to talk about the firm's slick new location-based iPhone MMO called Shadow Cities. We came away with the feeling that while many MMO companies talk a good game when it comes to innovation and driving the genre forward, this small Finnish startup is actually walking the walk.
iPhone MMO Shadow Cities raises $2.5 million in investments
As smartphones become increasingly ubiquitous, it's inevitable that we'll start seeing unique uses of the technology involved -- something we're already seeing with Shadow Cities. The iPhone MMO is rather unique, tracking your location and putting you into an active battle with creatures placed on the GPS-enabled map. It's an innovative concept, a sort of game-oriented FourSquare, and one that's apparently intrigued investors enough to pony up big money to the tune of $2.5 million. This infusion of funding ties into plans to release the game in the US soon, as developer Grey Area has currently only released the game in its native Finland. Players will focus on taking dominion over the streets and completing quests, with the game itself following the free-to-play model complete with cash shop. Shadow Cities is certainly a novel product, and we'll be taking the time to chat with the studio about the game's development and future at GDC next week.
Grey Area announces Shadow Cities, first location-based iPhone MMO
Searching for a new MMORPG for your iPhone? Look no further than the platform's first location-based massively multiplayer title, Shadow Cities, courtesy of Finnish developer Grey Area. Virtual World News checks in with some interesting information about the game, including the fact that the it tracks your location via OpenStreetMap and creates a game world based on your city before populating it with various enemies. Gameplay consists of exploring, hunting down rogue spirits, and obtaining new spells as you level. Casting spells is accomplished by drawing rune-like shapes on the iPhone's screen, and players can also join one of two factions and battle other players in the same area of the game world. The game is slated to be released in late 2010, and you can sign up for an email notification on the official Grey Area website. You can also view a brief teaser trailer after the cut.
