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MMO Roundup: Last week on Massively
Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. EVE Online player loses tiny ship worth over $6,000 EVE Online is well known for its sandbox gameplay and ruthless citizens, with monumental kills and record-breaking scams popping up year after year. Earlier this week, player "stewie Zanjoahir" reportedly lost over 213,000,000,000 ISK when he tried to transport a huge cache of valuable blueprints in a tiny, unfitted frigate. Through EVE's currency conversion, that's worth about $6,422.50 US. League of Legends finals get some serious viewership If you're a League of Legends fan, odds are good you know all about the championships that took place recently. If you're not, however, you might be wondering whether or not this was really a big deal or just something the fans are fixated on. Turns out that it was kind of a big deal after all, as Riot Games has revealed that the live coverage of the finals was watched by over 8 million individuals, including more than 2 million from Korea. Massively's hands-on with The Elder Scrolls Online he Elder Scrolls Online has caused quite a clamor since it was first revealed back in May. MMO gamers are deeply divided about TESO, and some vocal potential players are most displeased to see the venerable sandbox world of Tamriel being reduced to yet another themepark MMO experience, but is that actually the case? Massively takes the game hands-on to find out! Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Guild Wars 2 launches, City of Heroes closes, and more
Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. City of Heroes to sunset before the end of the year NCsoft is closing Paragon Studios due to a "realignment of company focus and publishing support," according to a blurb just posted on the City of Heroes website. Community manager Andy Belford says that the superhero MMO will shut down before the end of the year, and recurring billing will be discontinued immediately. Up close and personal with Torchlight II Torchlight II is marching toward its September 20th launch date and Massively was given an opportunity to take the game hands-on at PAX Prime this past weekend. Hop over to Massively to see their impressions of the latest clickfest to come your way. A critical look at Guild Wars 2 ArenaNet's Guild Wars 2 launched recently and the game hit 400,000 concurrent users before the game even officially launched -- all 400,000 of those players coming from the pre-order head start event. Just about everyone agrees that it's a good game, but it isn't without its problems. Massively's Matt Daniel takes a look at the game with a critical eye. BioWare's Matt Bromberg discusses converting Star Wars: The Old Republic to free-to-play If you missed some of the analyst predictions flying around after Star Wars: The Old Republic announced it was converting to a free-to-play model, they were... zealous, to say the least. But general manager Matt Bromberg doesn't seem to share those opinions. When asked in a recent interview whether the conversion will make the game more money in the long run, Bromberg replied in extremely uncertain terms: "I don't know." Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Guild Wars 2, stolen Torchlight assets, and more
Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Guild Wars 2's Sanctum of Rall shard named after late gamer What's in a server name? Quite a lot if you're talking about Guild Wars 2's Sanctum of Rall shard. Roger "Oldroar" Rall passed away last fall, but his name will live on when ArenaNet launches its fantasy opus on Aug. 28. Rall was a member of the Gaiscioch gaming community and was renowned for his calm battlefield leadership in Warhammer Online and RIFT. The War Z zombie MMO coming soon So how does a hardcore, post-apocalyptic zombie sandbox experience grab you? No, we don't mean DayZ (although that one's pretty cool too). There's a new kid on this particular genre block, and it's an MMO called The War Z. It's brought to you by Hammerpoint Interactive and Arktos. Torchlight assets allegedly stolen by Chinese MMO There are times when things in one game seem eerily similar to another game, and then there are times when the items are actually the same. While watching the announcement video for the Chinese MMO Armed Heroes Online, Runic Games President Travis Baldree noticed that many of the assets used in that game seemed to come directly from Torchlight. A look at Guild Wars 2's Sylvari cinematic ArenaNet has released numerous trailers and cinematics highlighting the various races of Guild Wars 2, but as the man assembling MMO Roundup, I have decided to highlight my personal favorite Guild Wars 2 race: the gorgeous plant folk, the Sylvari. There's nothing cooler than plant people. That's a fact. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Politics, cosplay, and The Secret World
Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. MMO subscriber numbers have peaked, says industry analyst Industry analyst Michael Pachter has a history of blowing hot air, but when he speaks, others listen. Pachter is back with a few more controversial remarks concerning the growth -- or lack of it -- in the MMO market. Speaking at the Evolve Conference, Pachter said, "It looks to me as though the MMO market is as big as it's ever going to be -- as far as subscription MMOs." TERA guild farms itself for political gain, playerbase outraged TERA's endgame political system features something called a Vanarch, a player-elected representative. Vanarchs can impose taxes, toggle PvP on or off, and generally meddle in the affairs of other players. En Masse recently adjusted the system to allow Vanarchs to rise to power through guild-vs.-guild combat. In doing so, it cleared the way for mega-guilds to split in two and farm their way to political office. Amazing amateur MMO cosplay While many facets of geek and video game culture are adequately represented in the cosplay community, MMORPG cosplayers can be a little harder to find. Is it truly underrepresented, or is it simply harder to find? Check out Massively's top 10 amateur MMORPG cosplay. The Secret World's launch and future The Secret World, the modern day urban fantasy MMO from Funcom, launched very recently. Massively had an opportunity to sit down with The Secret World's creative director Ragnar Tornquist and discuss the game's present and future. Massively Speaking Episode 208: Invest in copper Massively Speaking, Massively's MMO podcast, returns this week with hosts Justin Olivetti and Bree Royce. Topics include Funcom, City of Heroes, Vanguard, TERA, and Guild Wars 2. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Wizard myths, free-to-play, and dirty ISK
Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Five Diablo III wizard myths tested and debunked Diablo III is still a new game, and players are still picking apart the fine mechanics of their favorite classes. In this guide, Massively puts five popular wizard myths to the test and discovers the inner workings of Energy Armour, Hydra, Blizzard, Critical Mass, and other abilities. EA's Peter Moore: Free-to-play is 'inevitable' The writing is on the wall, and the hens are laying eggs of prophecy: Free-to-play is the inevitable future of all video games. This comes from EA COO Peter Moore, who thinks we'll be seeing the free-product-plus-microtransaction business model trump the up-front cost of a retail box. Read the full interview for further details. EVE players abuse faction warfare to produce trillions of ISK If there's one constant in the EVE Online universe, it's that the players can never be underestimated and every care must be taken to make sure systems can't be abused in unintended ways. Recently, five EVE players revealed how they'd generated five trillion ISK, EVE's in-game currency, using game mechanics introduced in the Inferno expansion. Blade & Soul takes over the top spot in Korea, dethroning Diablo III Just a few short days ago, Blade & Soul opened its doors to players for the Korean open beta test, clocking an impressive wave of users and a third place finish in popularity behind Diablo III and League of Legends. Now the new fantasy MMO has leapfrogged over both games to claim the number one spot. Massively Speaking episode 206 Massively Speaking, Massively's MMO podcast, tackles numerous upcoming MMO expansions this week. Bree returns with her acerbic charm, and Justin's bouncing with the desire to relay everything in a giant show tunes number. The MMO news train stops for nobody, so hop aboard and pull that whistle! Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Diablo 3 tips, Hamill returns as the Joker, and more
Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Five top tips for your first few days of Diablo III Most of us are hip-deep in Diablo III already, but if you're one of the holdouts waiting for a rainy day to get started with the game, you might want to store these tips somewhere precious. ArenaNet: Guild Wars 2 a 'reaction' to sluggish MMO design Do you believe that the MMO genre has been stuck in a rut over the past few years? So does Christopher Lye, the global brand director for ArenaNet, who publicly denounced the post-World of Warcraft trend in the industry as stagnant. DCUO's Last Laugh features Hamill as the Joker Sony Online Entertainment is bringing out the big guns for its next DC Universe Online content patch. The Joker is set to return for The Last Laugh, and fortunately for everyone, his voiceover duties will be handled by none other than Mark Hamill. EVE talks smack about Diablo III's login woes EVE Online is letting the trash-talk fly at the newly launched Diablo III by displaying the message "37...3007...315300." It's code for "Play EVE. Servers are up, login is fine" on the game's login screen. This, of course, is making reference to the myriad error codes that Diablo III players experienced over the course of the game's launch. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: RIFT in China, SWTOR hip hop, and more
Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. RIFT in China: "Biggest game deal ever" for a Western MMO How big is RIFT? Big enough to attract one of China's heavyweight MMO houses, apparently. Trion has announced a partnership with publishing giant Shanda that will bring RIFT to the Chinese gaming market. Trion is flexing its muscles -- and broadening its horizons -- on the strength of a banner year that included a hefty influx of investment capital as well as RIFT's $100 million revenue windfall. Full SWTOR-themed hip hop album released If the one thing missing from your life has been music to show the world how much you love Star Wars: The Old Republic, rejoice! Your wait has come to an end. Richie Branson, who put out his first SWTOR-themed song late last year, has released Cold Republic Episode I: The Empire Likes Rap, which has the peculiar honor of being the world's first SWTOR mix tape. League of Legends reveals Nautilus, its newest champion Riot Games adds a new champion to League of Legends' growing roster every few weeks to keep the game fresh, and this week Riot revealed the game's next champion, Nautilus, the Titan of the Depths. Nautilus is a tank with a unique initiation ability: He throws his massive anchor toward a target, and then drags himself toward the anchor. Watch The Old Republic's Guild Summit from home Maybe you want to head down to the first guild summit for Star Wars: The Old Republic but just can't quite fit a trip to Austin into your budget at the moment. Good news: Portions of the event will be available via livestream for those who can't attend in person. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: SWTOR nets 1.7 million subscribers
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Star Wars: The Old Republic has 1.7 million active subscribers EA has reported sales of more than 2 million units of The Old Republic, with about 1.7 million subscribers. The publisher reported much better sales than expected for the December quarter, largely thanks to the runaway sales of the new MMO title. EverQuest goes free-to-play When EverQuest II made the transition to free-to-play across all servers, many gamers wondered whether its sibling EverQuest would follow. Last week, the speculation has become reality. EverQuest will officially go free-to-play in March, which also is the month that the game first launched back in 1999. Dutch Supreme Court declares RuneScape theft a real-world crime Is stealing a virtual good deserving of a real-world criminal sentence? According to a recent ruling by the Dutch Supreme Court, the answer is "yes." The court recently upheld a ruling of a criminal case in which teens attacked another youth and forced him at knifepoint to relinquish his possessions in RuneScape, including an in-game amulet and knife. Want to be Massively's next Guild Wars columnist? Are you a passionate Guild Wars fan? Do you know everything there is to know about the game? Are you more excited about Guild Wars 2 than Mists of Pandaria? Can you meet deadlines and follow instructions? Then head over to Massively! Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Guild Wars 2 beta on the horizon
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. The Old Republic previews future content updates BioWare released a new video detailing the content slated for the game in the coming months. Director James Ohlen lays out several new additions planned for the near future, several of which are features players had been asking for. Diablo III senior producer leaves Blizzard Blizzard's Steve Parker dropped a bit of a bomb via Twitter recently. The Diablo III senior producer is leaving the project and the company for reasons unknown. "I'm no longer working at Blizzard or on D3," Parker wrote. "I've had a great five years there and those guys are going to kill it with Diablo." Guild Wars 2 confirmed for 2012, public beta coming ArenaNet founder and president Mike O'Brien rocked the Guild Wars 2 community very recently announcing 2012 as the official launch year for the game. Guild Wars 2 recently finished up a very small closed beta test, and now ArenaNet is planning to start opening the testing doors wider very quickly. RIFT revenues reached $100 million in 2011 How successful is RIFT? That's hard to say without knowing how much it cost, but it's safe to assume that Trion executives are smiling after the game generated $100 million in revenue in only 10 months. The game is aiming to launch in China and South Korea later this year. The latest MOBA news Move over MMOs -- MOBAs and ARPGs are all the rage these days. Catch up on the latest news from your favorite not-quite-massive games such as League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, and Diablo III. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Cataclysm linearity and The Old Republic's innovation
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Blizzard thinks Cataclysm was too linear Designing MMOs is often the art of shepherding players in a given direction while at the same time giving them a sense of freedom. World of Warcraft's most recent expansion, Cataclysm, has frequently been accused of giving players nowhere to go but a series of rails -- and according to a recent response from a community manager, Blizzard agrees. James Ohlen hits back against critics, defends SWTOR's innovation Star Wars: The Old Republic Game Director James Ohlen isn't surprised that the game's received the flak it has from a segment of reviews and fans. In a candid interview with Eurogamer, Ohlen addresses both the issues of being a "big target" for critics and the claims that SWTOR's lacking innovation. Blizzard kills Diablo III's RMT to appease South Korea Blizzard Entertainment made waves last year when it announced that Diablo III would be supporting real-money trading (RMT) through its in-game auction house system. While it proved to be a divisive topic among fans, apparently it was too much with the South Korean rating board, which sees such activities as potentially violating the country's anti-gambling rules. TERA launching May 1 in North America En Masse Entertainment is launching its long-awaited TERA MMO on May 1 in North America. A posting on the game's website confirms the date, and it also mentions both standard and collector's edition offerings, the contents of which will be revealed in February. In the meantime, En Masse is accepting beta applications, and the company also promises "lots more in store" for the month of January. Massively Speaking Episode 181 Massively Speaking, Massively's MMO podcast, is back this week with special guest Shawn Schuster! He's so handsome and charming. Anyway, Shawn joins Rubi and Justin this week to discuss the week in MMO news. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Diablo III heading to a console near you
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Diablo III heading to a gaming console near you Though Blizzard has made numerous statements that it was "seriously considering" a console version of the title, CM Bashiok tweeted today that the upcoming Diablo III would be making the jump to consoles, giving us our first official confirmation. Massively takes on SOPA Unless you've been living under a rock, chances are you've heard of SOPA and PIPA. The Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act are two radical pieces of copyright legislation currently being pushed through the U.S. legislature. Although the stated intent of the new legislation is to provide companies with additional tools with which to combat piracy, the bill's loose wording has raised some serious alarm bells. SWTOR's 1.1 patch adds anti-aliasing, level 50 Flashpoint Star Wars: The Old Republic's next big update is live on the game's public test shard. BioWare says that the 1.1 patch is chock full of bug fixes and is "the first of many content updates" for the sci-fi MMO. Bethesda and Interplay settle Fallout MMO lawsuits, Interplay's rights revoked Bethesda and Interplay have been embroiled in a legal battle for quite some time now, arguing over whether or not Interplay had the rights to create a Fallout MMO. Well, that lawsuit has finally been settled and it appears that Bethesda has come out on top. Dr. Greg Zeschuk talks about the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic It's been just about a month since Star Wars: The Old Republic began its early access period, throwing open the doors for players all around the world. But the release wasn't just an interesting point for the many players anticipating the game -- after all, it had been BioWare's big project for many years. In a recent interview, Dr. Greg Zeschuk discusses his thoughts on the game at launch and a look back at what could have gone differently. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Massively's Best of 2011 Awards and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Massively's Best of 2011 Awards 2011 was an interesting year for MMOs. Some of the most anticipated games were launched, one of the strongest MMO communities was left in the cold, and a seemingly untouchable indie developer quickly realized that it needs to listen to its players more than anything else. As is the tradition this time of the year, Massively has laid out its favorite moments of 2011 for you. BioWare: Mac version of Star Wars: The Old Republic is something it's "looking at next" BioWare label leads Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk are quite dedicated to their fans. At least that's a recurring theme for them when talking about their company's moves in new directions, to which both repeatedly referred during a recent interview in midtown Manhattan. "We know there's a big Mac audience of BioWare fans ... we know that's an important and large audience. And we want to serve that audience." Bethesda vs. Interplay case finally settled War. War never changes. And neither, it appeared, would the long-running legal dispute between Bethesda and Interplay over the rights to the Fallout IP. For years, it seems, we've been reporting on this courtroom tug-o'-war between the companies which has kept the fate of Fallout Online in limbo. Well it looks like it is finally over, one way or another. An administrator on the Fallout fan site Duck and Cover says that a settlement has been reached although the details have yet to emerge to the public. Nexon takes Mabinogi offline indefinitely due to "malicious activity" Nexon has since resolved the issue, but if you were looking to play a little Mabinogi on New Year's Day, you were out of luck. The game was taken down Jan. 1 and stayed down for 40 hours. It wasn't the first time this has happened to Mabinogi, and it may not be the last. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: The Old Republic exceeds 1 million subscribers
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. BioWare stages SWTOR freeze mob event in New York City's Times Square If you happened to be walking around Times Square on the night of Dec. 20, you may have witnessed one of the more unique MMO launch day promotions in recent memory. BioWare enlisted the help of Darth Malgus and a cadre of heavily armored Jedi (or at least, their cosplay equivalents) to stage a Star Wars: The Old Republic freeze mob event complete with lightsabers and bewildered onlookers. Over one percent of League of Legends players have been banned When your game has over 15 million registered players, it can be tough to to handle antisocial behavior amongst your playerbase. This problem is usually handled by hiring a massive roster of GMs, but League of Legends approaches things a little differently with its Tribunal system. BioWare hints at new SWTOR content, tops 1 million players Star Wars: The Old Republic is less than a week old, and many players are already wondering if and when BioWare is going to add new content. Yes, there are some 50s on the servers already, and James Ohlen has penned a post on the game's official website that should excite those who have already rushed through the game's content. Trion Worlds customer database hacked, "no evidence" credit card info stolen Trion Worlds has become the latest in a long string of MMO studio security breaches this year, as the company reported an intrusion into its customer database. At risk of compromise were customers' user names, passwords, birthdates, email and billing addresses, and partial credit card info. However, the company states that "there is no evidence" that full credit card numbers were stolen at this time. Massively Interview: Guild Wars 2 game designer discuss the Mesmer Now that The Old Republic has launched, Guild Wars 2 is next on the list of most anticipated MMO titles. ArenaNet recently announced its final class, the Mesmer. Massively sat down with one of the game designers to discuss both the class and the game in general. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
Massively's Star Wars: The Old Republic launch guide
On Tuesday afternoons, we typically link all of you to our sister site Massively's top stories of the week from all across the MMORPG genre via MMO Roundup. This week will be different. Outside of World of Warcraft, there's only one other MMO anybody wants to hear about this week. Star Wars: The Old Republic's prerelease head start begins today, and Massively has absolutely everything you need to go into the opening days of the game well prepared. If you'll be playing The Old Republic, head over to Massively's TOR launch guide for class information, dungeon flashpoint walk-throughs, and anything else you might want. If you're strictly a World of Warcraft player, you may want to take a look anyway. WoW can always learn from other games, and as a player, it never hurts to stay informed.
MMO Roundup: The Old Republic's beta pulls 2 million players
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Star Wars: The Old Republic beta test attracts 2 million players It's no secret that Star Wars: The Old Republic is one of the most highly anticipated MMORPGs in recent memory, and the game's recently concluded public testing phase confirms the hype. The game's publisher, EA, announced that the SWTOR test phase drew in over 2 million players, and of those 2 million, 750,000 unique players jumped into the game over the Thanksgiving weekend alone. Diablo III game designers talk Inferno difficulty and twinking Diablo III has a lot of expectations to live up to, several of which are discussed in a recent PC Gamer interview with Wyatt Cheng and Andrew Chambers. Both designers discuss the challenge level of the new Inferno difficulty, which is aimed at max-level characters in good gear who have already completed the Hell difficulty level. They confirm that while it's meant to be brutal, it can be played and beaten solo -- although having a friend won't hurt. Neverwinter tempts your lust for glory with its first teaser trailer Like any good Dungeons & Dragons session, Neverwinter's maiden trailer begins in a fantasy tavern, where locals and adventurers are mingling and swapping stories. Everyone is curious about a pitched battle that happened the night before on a bridge, but only one mysterious figure is able to tell them the truth. Richard Garriott predicts the death of consoles as a gaming medium Considering his influence on the realm of MMOs, many gamers would argue that it's hard to dismiss Richard Garriott's thoughts on development out of hand. A recent interview with the man includes him predicting the fall of traditional console gaming in favor of portable devices, and the end of MMOs as a major market share compared to social and casual games. Massively Speaking Episode 177 Massively Speaking returns this week with hosts Justin and Rubi discussing the week's MMO news, including Glitch's unlaunching, Lineage II's move to F2P, EVE Online's Crucible update, Justin's love for Bobby Kotick, and much more. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Kitties, galaxies, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Blizzard introduces RMT loophole in World of Warcraft You've seen our take on the Guardian Cub and Blizzard's sanctioned RMT (and you're likely to see more of it soon.) Now check out what Massively thinks about the Kitty Economy! Ten things to do in Star Wars Galaxies before it's gone When SOE announced that Star Wars Galaxies would be sunsetted by the end of the year, many players despaired. They gave up. They saw their long years (eight years!) of play turn to dust. But others looked on the impending closure as incentive to do all those things they'd been putting off. Check out the top ten things you must do before SWG's closure. Gazillion's president says MMOs are in a rut "I think MMOs in general are in a rut. It's still mainly WoW clones. A lot of people have done these games, but it's been that same kind of gameplay, and that doesn't mean that's what it has to be," says Gazillion's David Brevik, who was also co-found of Blizzard North. Devs reminisce on Dark Age of Camelot's 10th birthday Dark Age of Camelot turns 10 this week, and if that doesn't make you feel old, well, you're probably not very old (and while we're at it, kindly remove yourself from our lawn). At any rate, Scott Jennings waxes nostalgic about the fantasy RvR title on his personal blog by posting a remembrance from original Mythic producer Matt Firor. Massively Speaking Episode 168 Massively Speaking, Massively's MMO podcast, is back as Shawn and Rubi rant about the week's craziness. Topics include DC Universe Online, APB: Reloaded, Star War: The Old Republic, and Blizzard's next-gen MMO. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Titan, why you gotta hurt me like this?
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Blizzard's not talking about its unannounced MMO at BlizzCon this year Remember that one time when Blizzard accidentally leaked some info stating that it's working on a new MMO (codenamed Titan), and we all got excited? And then BlizzCon happened, and we all thought the studio would tell us more, but it didn't? And then remember when that happened the next year, too? Well, it's happening again this year. BioWare founders: We make the decisions, not EA BioWare has a message for critical fans who blame the company's perceived inadequacies on its corporate overlords at Electronic Arts. "I always chuckle because we are EA, we're BioWare -- we're both, and we still have huge autonomy in terms of what we do," cofounder Greg Zeschuk recently told Eurogamer. MMO impressions from Eurogamer Expo 2011 Some of the industry's biggest names were at Eurogamer Expo last week, including BioWare, NCsoft and Trion Worlds. Massively's Brendain Drain was on the floor at the expo to get some hands-on experience with several upcoming MMOs, including Guild Wars 2 and The Old Republic. Not So Massively: Eurogamer Expo 2011 edition Not So Massively, Massively's weekly column for not-quite-MMO multiplayer games, covers all the latest and great not-so-massive Eurogamer news: League of Legends, Dark Souls, Diablo 3, and more. Star Wars: The Old Republic accidentally taunts potential testers What's the worst thing that can happen when you're waiting for a chance to play a highly anticipated game? Being inadvertently taunted about the fact that you aren't in the beta. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: SWTOR launch date, Guild Wars 2 gameplay, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. BioWare announces launch date for Star Wars: The Old Republic At the 2011 Eurogamer Expo keynote address, BioWare co-founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic will officially launch on Dec. 20, 2011, for North America and Dec. 22, 2011, for Europe. Head over to Massively to find out how much you'll be paying. Guild Wars 2 Necromancer, Thief gameplay videos captured at Eurogamer Expo If you're a Guild Wars 2 fan who couldn't make the trip to London for this weekend's Eurogamer Expo, Cynical Brit's TotalBiscuit has the next best thing. A series of gameplay videos shot live at the event, and all told, the three clips clock in at just under an hour of footage. The videos feature both Norn Thief PVP and high-level Sylvari Necromancer shenanigans. Informal RMT study looks at microtransaction effects across multiple titles Wondering whether microtransactions in western games are as harmless as publishers would have you believe? BitGamer was as well, and as such, the website has conducted an informal study of RMT and its effects across seven different titles. Ultimately the piece reaches the familiar conclusion that RMT is here to stay and that it's OK as long as the implementation avoids the dreaded pay-to-win stigma. League of Legends: Dominion launches The big day has arrived for League of Legends fans, as League of Legends: Dominion officially launched yesterday following a short beta period. Developers promised a 2011 release for the new game mode, but it's doubtful anyone expected release before the end of September. Dominion turns standard MOBA gameplay on its head by introducing capture points, super-powerful creeps and buff-giving relics. Massively Speaking Episode 166 Massively Speaking, Massively's MMO podcast, returns this week as Shawn and Rubi discuss the week's MMO news. Topics include Dan Stahl's exit from Star Trek Online, Asura week wrapup, World of Darkness info, an exclusive interview with John Smedley about DCUO's move to free-to-play, and much more! Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: SWTOR watching WoW, the Smuggler, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Star Wars: The Old Republic is keeping a close eye on World of Warcraft It probably comes as no real surprise to learn that Electronic Arts is studying WoW when it comes to SWTOR's upcoming launch -- but not in the way you might think. The company isn't concerned as much with the mechanical side of the equation, but with the question of what happens post-launch and how to increase player retention. Bigpoint says game publishers should sell in-game advantages In case you were wondering where browser MMO specialist Bigpoint stands on the issue of selling in-game advantages, a new interview with the company's chief games officer leaves little to the imagination. "[...] if they want to pay, don't just offer hats -- offer them something that will help them." Diablo 3 faces competition as it enters closed beta Blizzard confirmed that the public beta for Diablo 3 is due to begin very soon. The friends and family portion of the closed beta official began this week, and Blizzard has surprisingly opted not to put an NDA on those involved. Videos of gameplay have begun to surface on YouTube, expanding on last week's brief leaked footage with some real, first-hand game experience. SWTOR shows us how to level like a Smuggler Star Wars: The Old Republic showed off the armor progression of the game's Smuggler class in last week's Friday community update. The two-and-a-half-minute video displays not only the class's awesome armor, but also some never-before-seen gameplay elements of the class. Massively Speaking Episode 164: Dragon*Con 2011 Massively Speaking Episode 164 returns this week as Shawn is joined by Jef Reahard and MJ Guthrie to discuss their experiences at Dragon*Con 2011 last weekend. Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to shawn@massively.com. They may just read your email on the air! Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer, in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Diablo 3 leaks, Fallen Earth F2P, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Diablo 3's beta leaks An ex-employee at Blizzard allegedly leaked footage and screenshots of the beta client this week, giving us a brief first look at character creation and the login system, along with another look at the game in action. Head over to Massively for the video to get a sneak peek at the current state of the Diablo 3 friends and family beta that will undoubtedly soon open to the public. SWTOR launch date hinges on fan beta reaction Speculation about Star Wars The Old Republic's launch date is reaching a fever pitch lately, with fans hanging on every word from BioWare and Electronic Arts staffers and chomping at the bit to experience the title's September beta weekends. The latest release-related blurb comes courtesy of EA bigwig Frank Gibeau, who told CVG that while EA-BioWare does have a date in mind, fan reaction to the beta will ultimately tell the tale. Fallen Earth set to go free-to-play on Oct. 12 GamersFirst has released a new dev blog announcing an Oct. 12 free-to-play conversion date for its post-apocalyptic MMO Fallen Earth, details of a "mostly-finalized structure of free accounts and Premium Subscriptions," and appreciation gifts for veterans. Massively Speaking Episode 163 Massively Speaking, Massively's MMO podcast, is back this week with your hosts Shawn and Rubi bringing you the latest MMO news and word back from PAX Prime. Topics include Wurm Online's new PVE server, Star Wars Galaxies' player-driven ending, The Secret World's and Star Wars: The Old Republic's upcoming betas, and more! Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer, in their own weekly roundup.
