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Red vs Blue creator Rooster Teeth acquired by Fullscreen
Online content creator network Fullscreen has acquired Rooster Teeth, the wildly popular group behind the Red vs Blue machinima series and dozens of other videos that have attracted millions of views on YouTube. In a blog post, Rooster Teeth creative director Michael "Burnie" Burns explains the situation and assures fans that this partnership will mean good things for the group. "The strength of Rooster Teeth's and Fullscreen's combined resources will mean we can stay not just competitive in this exploding digital marketplace, but that we can continue to drive the direction of the industry," Burns writes, before thanking the fans and promising that the acquisition will result in even better content from Rooster Teeth in the future. Neither Fullscreen nor Rooster Teeth have disclosed the full details of this partnership, but Games Industry reports that Matt Hullum will remain CEO and that Michael Burns will continue in his role as creative director. [Image: Fullscreen]
Red vs. Blue season 10 premieres tomorrow
We can barely believe we just wrote that headline. When we watched the first few episodes of Red vs. Blue in 2003, we thought they were pretty hilarious, but that the show would fade like so many other online parodies do. And now we're writing about the show's tenth season. Thanks for making us feel old and wrong, Rooster Teeth.Season 10 of Red vs. Blue kicks off tomorrow, May 28, and features the vocal talents of Elijah Wood as an AI program called Sigma. This season will complete the Project Freelancer story line, as shown in the above, mature-language-filled trailer.
Halo 4 awakens Master Chief on November 6
Microsoft and 343 Industries announced this morning that Halo 4 will launch worldwide on Tuesday, November 6. The news comes one day after teasy tweets from Microsoft's Major Nelson indicated some form of collaboration between Microsoft and everyone's favorite freakishly tall late night host, Conan O'Brien, which sparked rumors of a potential launch date reveal.Microsoft studios corporate VP Phil Spencer offered lofty goals alongside the launch date announce. "With Halo 4 leading the charge, we're confident 2012 will be the most successful year in Xbox history," Spencer said. He also pointed out that Halo 4 is just the beginning of Microsoft's renewed relationship with the Chief. "We are beginning a new saga with Halo 4 and embarking on a journey that will encompass the next decade of Halo games and experiences." Just no more cat helmets, Phil. That's all we ask.Additionally, Halo 4 will appear in some form on tonight's episode of "Conan," which Microsoft described as nothing more than a "special segment."Update: Red vs Blue created the charming short above to announce Halo 4's release date. Enjoy!
EVE Evolved: Emergence in the sandbox
We often hear about the amazing things players get up to in EVE Online, from full-scale political wars and massive heists to collaborative business ventures and high-profile kills. While we can all enjoy these tales of high-powered exploits from afar, they can be difficult to relate to the actual game experience. Most of us will never be the puppet master pulling the strings of alliance warfare or the mastermind of some great theft, but we don't have to be. Smaller examples of emergent and opportunistic gameplay exist all over EVE in the daily play of thousands of individuals. I've always thought of EVE less as a game and more as a giant social sandbox with spaceships -- a story about what people do when left alone in each other's company. Players naturally take on roles for which they have a strong aptitude, crafting completely new gameplay styles for themselves in the process. The entrepreneurs among us spy opportunities never imagined by the game's developers, tech-savvy individuals sell web-services, and artists craft propaganda for recruitment or a war on their enemy's morale. Countless players carve their own game out of the EVE universe, and there's no reason you can't be one of them. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at some of the unique gameplay experiences players have engineered for themselves over the years and the community that makes EVE what it is.
Inside the mouth of Rooster Teeth
You know Rooster Teeth from Red vs. Blue, but have you ever wanted to check out the interior of their sweet offices? Inconspicuously located above a coffee shop in Austin, Texas, we got a sneak peek at the place where all the magic happens during SXSW. That one shot of all of the different controllers? That's that heart and soul of the show, while the recording studio is a glamorously converted women's restroom. Oh, and for you Achievement Hunter fans out there? That comes to you from underneath the Rock 'em Sock 'em robots. Rooster Teeth will be showing off some of that magic as they bring a big change to the next season of Red vs. Blue, and we promised to keep our mouths shut after they gave us a sneak peek. But suffice it to say, it's packed with even more awesome hilariousness. Burnie Burns and the Rooster Teeth team toured us around their digs, although they're moving to a new studio soon. They'll be premiering parts of the new episode at PAX East this weekend, after which we can reveal said seekruts. %Gallery-88596%
Final Halo: Legends sneak peek hits Waypoint Jan. 2
Microsoft has dropped (though not from orbit) word that January 2, 2010 will see the 24-hour-only debut of Halo: Legends episode "Origins" on Xbox Live's Halo Waypoint. The episode, created by Japan's Studio 4°C, is basically a recap of events leading up to the Halo trilogy as we know it, including the Forerunners going toe-to-fleshy-thing with the Flood more than 100,000 years before the events of the first game. Hey, it is called "Origins." Also announced today is a special three-part Red vs. Blue holiday feature that will be accessible via Waypoint between December 24 (that's tomorrow!) and December 26 (that's Saturday!). Halo: Legends arrives on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and digital download formats February 16 (a Tuesday!).
City of Heroes announces Guest Author Program for Mission Architect
No doubt it's Champions Online that seems to be getting the superhero MMO headlines of late in the gaming press, both for the new title's release and for some of the issues they've had in relation to that launch. But competition is generally a good thing from a gamer's perspective, and City of Heroes is also stepping up their game, particularly in regards to the Mission Architect. When the devs introduced the Mission Architect to City of Heroes, it was their first step towards embracing player-generated content and adding new dimensions to the game experience. They've announced that the next step with Mission Architect is to have a Guest Author Program where "comic book notables try their hand at mission design." NCsoft says the program will "invite influential writers and aspiring game or story designers" to collaborate with the City of Heroes devs and bring these missions into the game.
Red vs. Blue pimps Halo 3: ODST at GameStop
The team at Rooster Teeth is in promo mode, releasing the second (of four) special episodes of Red vs. Blue to celebrate the upcoming release of Halo 3: ODST for GameStop. The videos follow everyone's favorite clueless Spartans as they prepare for the arrival of new competition -- the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers -- by previewing the "non-Spartan class" soldiers in action.What's expected to be video of humans getting picked apart by the enemy turns into a showcase of the ODST group decimating Covenant forces. Looks like the ODST aren't going to be the pushovers the RvB Spartans had hoped for. Poor guys, they just can't catch a break. Check out episode two of the four part arc after the jump.
PAX 08: Red vs. Blue goes animated
Earlier yesterday, the Rooster Teeth crew held a rather interesting reveal, unveiling their latest Red vs. Blue project and it has gone animated. Yup, RvB has moved on from its machinima roots and jumped into the world of Japanese anime complete with vivid imagery and pretty colors. It's still the good old Rooster Teeth humor we've all come to know and love ... just animated with some dancing Grunts. Off-screen footage embedded above.[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
RvB launches achievement website, achievables unlocked!
Our Red vs. Blue pals over at RoosterTeeth.com just launched a new section of their website dedicated to those who suffer from borderline achievement unlocking OCD. Achievement Hunter is the site's name and achievement news, lists, discussion and unlocking strategy is the site's game. Check out the website itself and the announcement PSA "Small Rewards" (embedded above) featuring familiar faces from the RvB gang including Caboose. He unlocks his own "achievables" ... we can't explain, you'll just have to watch. BLEEP-BLOOP! BLEEP-BLOOP! BLEEP-BLOOP!
Cinemassively: Happy 4th of July
On this 232nd day marking Independence in the United States, we wanted to feature some of the patriotic videos created in MMOs. They range from quick videos showing off fireworks in platforms such as Second Life, Everquest, and World of Warcraft, to artistic videos set to Bruce Springsteen, all the way to silly safety tips from the Red vs. Blue boys. As you're planning your real life festivities this year, considering taking some time to pop into your favorite game to get in on some of the action. Happy 4th of July!If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.Check out more videos after the jump!
Video: Red vs Blue vs the Internet
In lieu of Episode 5 of Red vs Blue Reconstruction -- it's coming next week -- Rooster Teeth has instead posted a new public service announcement video. The subject: thing's never heard on an internet forum. Having been around for over two years now, we can tell you that we've seen plenty of strange, wonderful, bizarre and downright awful things written in our comment threads. We can also safely say that we're fairly certain that RvB is right on the money with this video. We've never seen comments like these before. Give it a look if you're an avid internet user (we get the feeling you probably are).
Video: RvB Reconstruction episode 4
Try as we might, we can't seem to keep it in our heads that there's a new Red vs Blue: Reconstruction episode every Monday. So, again, we bring you a belated episode. In case you happen to be counting, this would be episode 4. This episode continues agent Washington's search for members of the old Blue team. Once again, expect another old-school RvB character to make his debut performance. Enjoy (warning: the video is technically NSFW thanks to some salty language).How do you think the new series is measuring up so far?
Study finds that Red beats Blue in online games
According to a study recently published in the journal Cyberpsychology & Behavior, the eternal battle of Red vs Blue just got a little more interesting. According to the study, which analyzed matches of Unreal Tournament 2004, the red team is more likely to win than the blue team in online games. In fact, the red team won 55% of the time in the 1347 matches that were studied. We'd like to think it's because the Red team has Sarge leading them to victory, but according to Mihai Moldovan, a neuroscientist who worked on the study, the real reason is "most likely that the color red may act as a psychological distractor for men, possibly because men flush and turn red when they're angry."When reached for comment, Epic VP Mark Rein stated that red and blue are an entrenched part of the Unreal Tournament series saying, "We don't anticipate any immediate changes to team colors."[Thanks, Bowie. Via 7th Columnist]
Oh hey, two more Reconstruction episodes are up
It's been a while since there was a regular Red vs Blue episode to look forward to, so we hope you'll forgive us for missing not one, but two of the latest episodes in the new series, Reconstruction. For those who haven't seen the new episodes, we can now safely tell you that Reconstruction is, in fact, a comedy. The first episode had us wondering, but the second and third confirm that RvB is sticking with what it does best. All we know so far is that Agent Washington is searching for someone. For the sake of not spoiling anything, we'll leave it at that. Find episode two above and episode three after the break.
Red vs Blue: Reconstruction episode one is go
Having teased the new series early last month, Rooster Teeth has finally launched the new offshoot of Red vs Blue, Reconstruction. The first episode, entitled "Reconstructed," is now available, with future episodes planned every Monday. The first episode eschews the traditional humor found in the Red vs Blue series in favor of some rather extensive exposition. From the looks of things though, we're expecting a return to form in episode two. Sharp-eyed viewers will notice that the video takes a dip into the Halo 2 engine near the end of the episode, and several characters from original series are mentioned as well. Whatever happens, you can bet we'll be keeping an eye out for episode two next week.[Via Joystiq]
New Red vs. Blue series, Reconstruction, debuts
It's been nearly a year since the Red vs. Bluniverse said its goodbyes, only occasionally popping up to help promote a map pack or the like. But now (as promised last month) the series has returned with Red vs. Blue Reconstruction. And it's exactly the Red vs. Blue you've always loved! ... Except for the fact that it's not particularly funny.No, Burnie and crew haven't let their talents become dulled from too many rounds of Grifball, they seem to be trying for a more serious approach this time ... or maybe it's just all set up for a big episode 2 punchline. Either way, we're on board for the new episodes coming on Mondays this summer.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Rooster Teeth announces new series
Internet phenomenon Rooster Teeth, creators of the hit series Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles, have announced a new series titled Red vs. Blue: Reconstruction. The only information available on the new series is the release of a teaser trailer that appears to change the focus of the RT group from comedy to suspense. However, when the nature of the Halo 3-set series was questioned in the teaser's comments Rooster Teeth front-man Burnie Burns told fans, "Don't let appearances fool you."The teaser follows two recovery agents at Outpost 17-B "Valhalla" as they sweep a barricaded base after a suspected incident. A voice-over reads a letter from the director of Project Freelancer in respect to a request made from the chairman of the Oversight Sub-committee for an investigation into the Outpost's deserted status. We don't want to ruin the entire trailer but let's just say that Reconstruction has definitely piqued our interest.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
April Fools' in Stargate Worlds
view original : close The dev team for Stargate Worlds has decided to change the direction of the in-game armor. Apparently, this decision was based on how much everyone loved the human body armor seen in the SGW trailer. Due to that overwhelming love fest... all races will now have the same exact armor. SGW Creative Director Chris Klug is ecstatic about the decision: "We'll have a lot more time to work on other ideas, such as Asgard golf." Oh fun... golf. Technical Director Demetrius Comes said, "It's going to so be much easier to code now that we will have only one kind of armor for all player characters." Senior Marketing Manager Kevin Balentine chimed in with: "I don't think it's necessary to distinguish the different races by different armor sets." It seems there are other ways to distinguish species on the battlefield. In fact, they're painting the bad guys red and the good guys blue (see the above pic). Balentine, obviously stuck far too long with only his marketing companion cube as company, doesn't think that's ever been tried before. Nope... not ever.
Get double XP from some Halo 3 playlists
If you've been looking for an excuse to jump back into Halo 3 after your dalliances with Call of Duty 4, this may just be it: This weekend, you'll be getting double XP points if you win a game of Grifball, a game variation created by Burnie Burns of RvB fame. The game will be a social playlist from now until March 10 at noon. Also, Grifball is being treated like a tournament hopper with prizes available. At noon on March 20 the next double XP playlist will be activated: Team SWAT, which takes away radar and shields and adds health. So, is this enough to get you back to playing Halo 3? Or did you never slack off to begin with?
