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GDC 2012: A look at Dark Legends with Spacetime Studios
Life, death, and a return from the grave: That sums up the life of a vampire, but it also sums up the journey of Spacetime Studios. What do the two have in common? The studio's upcoming title called Dark Legends. At GDC 2012 this week, Massively had a chance to talk with Gary Gattis, CEO of Spacetime Studios, and we got a first-hand look at how the company successfully created a game in which people can play together on laptops, tablets, phones, and virtually any mobile device available.
Spacetime Studios' games hit 100 million play sessions
Spacetime Studios has hit a pretty crazy milestone, even in the ever-more-massive world of iOS and mobile gaming. The company's MMOs on the iPhone, Android, and Chrome platforms have hit a total of 100 million play sessions, which means people have loaded up and logged into Spacetime's titles more than 100 million times. They're not just checking them out, either: Spacetime says their players are in the game for 25.2 hours a month, which is twice as much as the average gamer plays total. Pretty amazing. I've said this before, too, but Spacetime really has done all of this way under the radar. The company was originally set to make full MMOs for PC, but after running out of funding, had to spin its scope back down to the mobile platforms. That hasn't stopped Spacetime from creating full massively multiplayer online games, though, first with Pocket Legends, then with Star Legends, and now the company is planning a vampire-themed take on the forumla with Dark Legends. Spacetime has seen some serious growth, and I'd guess it's far from over. We'll be talking to the company at next month's GDC conference, so stay tuned for more from them then. Show full PR text Spacetime's Legends Mobile MMO Franchise Surpasses 100 Million Play Sessions AUSTIN, Texas – Feb. 9, 2012 – Spacetime Studios' mobile MMOs Pocket Legends and Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles have been played more than 100 million times. Spacetime players spend about twice the number of hours playing Legends titles than the average gamer spends across all mobile games each month. Users with iPhones play games for 14.7 hours per month while Android users play around 9.3 hours per month according to Nielsen research. The average Spacetime player spends 25.2 hours per month playing Legends titles alone. Since the inception of Spacetime Studios, the primary focus has been to bring the immersive MMO experience traditionally found on the PC to the mobile world in meaningful, bite-sized play sessions. "MMO games by their nature are more engaging and involved than most genres, but making that work in the mobile world is very delicate balancing act," said Cinco Barnes, Chief Vision Officer and co-founder, Spacetime Studios. "With each launch of a Legends title we make it our mission to innovate and it has become the largest, most successful mobile MMO franchise in the world." Spacetime Studios has continually expanded the Legends franchise since the advent of Pocket Legends and its rich fantasy world in 2010. The second title and sci-fi adventure, Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles was made commercially available in 2011. The third entry in the franchise, vampire-themed Dark Legends, will be released in the first quarter of 2012.
Spacetime's Dark Legends mobile vampire MMO available Q1 2012
We've reported previously on Spacetime Studios' new Dark Legends vampire MMO, but today we've got a launch window for you. The game will be available in the first quarter of 2012, and it represents the latest entry in the company's mobile Legends series which includes Pocket Legends and Star Legends. Dark Legends features new gameplay tweaks, including more action via charge attacks and the ability to drain foes. There's also more of a focus on narrative thanks to something Spacetime calls an "interactive storybook" made from both missions and cutscenes. More info will be released at this year's Game Developer's Conference in early March. [Source: Spacetime Studios press release]
Star Legends adds new Crusade of Chaos campaign, Winter Festival
If you're looking for some new mobile MMO content to fill out your holiday week, Spacetime Studios has added a new campaign to its Star Legends title. The Crusade of Chaos, Part I will send you adventuring to the planet Volaria in search of its missing governor. The update features new legendary gear, new bosses, and a bonus capture-the-flag map. Crusade of Chaos is intended for players between level 35 and 40. Star Legends' Winter Festival is also ongoing, and it boasts "holiday trees, snowflakes, a robo reindeer, and a new dungeon with some icy cool loot," according to the latest Spacetime email blast. Sound good? Then take a look at the Winter Festival preview video that we've embedded for you after the break. [Source: Spacetime press release]
Rise and Shiny recap: Pocket Legends and Star Legends
This week my job was a bit harder than it usually is. This week I had to revisit Pocket Legends and Star Legends, the entirety of the Spacetime Studios lineup, in order to catch the updates and differences since both games were recently adapted to play within the Chrome browser. See, the device that you play an MMO on does make a difference. While I haven't found many players who have an issue with moving up to a finer machine with a larger screen, I almost always receive a few comments in any of my mobile MMO columns about the lack of fun involved with playing anything on a screen that will fit in your hand. While I understand the difficulty in downgrading your monitor size, the mobile market's reception of Pocket Legends surprised even the developer. People are playing it, for many hours, on screens that are very small. But now we have the ability to play it in our browser. Does it make a difference in the experience? Click past the cut and I'll let you know.
Spacetime announces industry-first cross-platform implementation
If you've ever wondered about the feasibility of cross-platform MMOs, Spacetime Studios is here to tell you that it's a reality. The company announced an industry first earlier today when it removed the barriers between players who use different devices and operating systems. The company's Pocket Legends and Star Legends mobile MMOs share a single global server, and access to said server is now open to users of desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. "There have always been technical walls between players on different platforms," said CEO Gary Gattis. "Now, people are free to play on the device they choose with anyone, anywhere, anytime, whether they are at home or on-the-go." [Source: Spacetime press release]
The Daily Grind: Do you play any mobile MMOs?
A guildie of mine and I were discussing phones this week, and we came to the joint conclusion that for us, mobile gaming, especially the mobile MMO market, is no draw at all when it comes to our phone selection. Unlike Beau, who writes Massively's mobile gaming column, MMObility, I don't relish the thought of playing any serious MMO while peering at a tiny screen or trying to make a character run around with an awkward swipe of my finger. I'll play a little single-player time-waster to, well, waste time, but deep gaming is reserved for a big comfy chair and a jumbo-sized screen. I certainly wouldn't tailor a phone or slate purchase around gaming. And yet the mobile gaming market is exploding, so someone out there must be playing these wee little MMOs, like Pocket Legends, shown in tablet form in the above screenshot. In fact, these games might just be the perfect snack while you're trying to surreptitiously get your game on at family holiday events or while waiting in an endless shopping line. So are you a mobile MMO gamer? And if so, what mobile MMOs do you play? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Pocket Legends goes under the big top with Nuri's Hallows
Pocket Legends, the pint-sized popular MMO with charm and quirkiness to spare, is enlisting players for a stint at the circus. While some of us may indeed qualify to join the sideshow freaks, Spacetime Studios is hoping that adventurers will instead help lift the curse of an unfortunate traveling circus. With the recently released Nuri's Hallows campaign pack, players can now push up to level 60 as they investigate the cursed circus and its fascinating inhabitants. Amidst fighting the Strongman or navigating the twisted passageways of the House of Pain, there's tons of new loot to be found. Best of all, Spacetime is offering this campaign for free. Pocket Legends is available on iOS devices, and you can watch the trailer for Nuri's Hallows after the jump. Remember, kids, all the best things in life come after the jump!
Sci-fi MMO Star Legends launches on the Android OS
Spacetime Studios, creator of the mobile MMO Pocket Legends, stepped into the science fiction realm with the launch of its latest MMO Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles. Feeding off the frenzy of the mobile platform, Star Legends debuted on the Android OS first and can be downloaded at the Android Market or VCAST. Chief Vision Officer Cinco Barnes commented on why the publisher chose to launch on Android first in a recent press release: "When we launched Pocket Legends on Android we were blown away by the response from the community. Android has since become the leading revenue driver and our primary focus. It is so easy to publish apps on their Market that it became a no-brainer for us to flip the standard mobile game strategy on its head and launch on Android before any other OS." Star Legends boasts hours of gameplay -- via wi-fi, Edge, 3G, or 4G connections on Android 2.0 and above mobile devices -- with three customizable classes, character progression, guilds, and chat. These items, Spacetime says, are usually reserved for PC MMOs. Screenshots of this innovative game are displayed below, and the brief trailer for the game is tucked behind the break! %Gallery-23010%
Rise and Shiny recap: Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles
Spacetime Studios, makers of the current heavyweight champion of the mobile world Pocket Legends, has expanded its lineup by adding Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles. I was more excited about this title than almost any other that was announced this year -- and for good reason. Pocket Legends proved that a real mobile MMO complete with a persistent world, real-time chat and multiplayer interaction is possible. Over this last year the developers have added on a lot of new options and kept the game moving forward. If their new game was going to follow the same patch as Pocket Legends, then more power to Spacetime. At the same time, would they be able to overcome or improve some of the basic issues that comes with mobile gaming? And what exactly was the goal of making a second mobile MMO if a lot of your core design would remain the same... and a lot of your players would as well? Click past the cut and I'll tell you what I found this week!
Pocket Legends teams up with Sony for Xperia PLAY event
Spacetime Studios and Sony recently teamed up to put on a unique event inside Spacetime's Pocket Legends mobile MMO. A new press release touts the "world's first in-game mobile flash mob," which happened during this month's E3 convention in Los Angeles. Pocket Legends players took part in a "Find the Droid" competition in which an Android mascot would make its way through the game world while enterprising players gave chase. The promotion was designed to draw attention to the new Sony Xperia PLAY platform, and Spacetime gave away more than 11,000 themed vanity items during the course of the event. Pocket Legends, the world's largest mobile MMO in terms of downloads (4 million and counting), will be expanding to the Android-powered Xperia PLAY later this summer.
E3 2011: Spacetime Studios on the Legends franchise
Blackstar has a new name to capitalize on the Legends brand -- it's now known as Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles. At this year's E3, we caught up with Spacetime Studios' Fernando Blanco to see how the revived project (as well as the company's hit Pocket Legends) is coming along. Star Legends is only a month away from launch, and Spacetime hopes that the Pocket Legends fever will spread to its sci-fi brother. The name's been changed to communicate the studio's intent to provide an ongoing story rather than a one-shot experience. The game will launch with the first 20 levels of content, but Spacetime has grand plans to expand this much further. Blanco gave us some of the backstory to the game: In the far future, humans are exploring the cosmos and have stumbled upon a resource-rich area. Corporations, as they are wont to do, have swooped in to exert their dominance but have come across hostile aliens in the process. War breaks out, invasions start popping up all over the place, and you're called in to clean up the mess -- and make a quick buck in the process. Hit the jump to hear more about Star Legends' classes and gameplay!
Spacetime adds Sandstone Caves to Pocket Legends, extends free content offer
Free stuff is the rallying cry of Spacetime Studios, developer of the renowned Pocket Legends mobile MMORPG. Last month we told you about the game's anniversary promotion, which featured free access to a boat-load of content zones including Balefort Castle, the Fathom Crypts, and the Alien Oasis Trilogy. Today we're happy to report that Spacetime has donned its generosity hat and is making these (and a few other) areas free forever. But wait, there's more! Spacetime is also introducing a brand-new Pocket Legends zone called the Sandstone Caves. The caves are "littered with precious stones -- and the broken bones of the foolish who have tried to take them." If that's not a dare, we don't know what is, and you'll want to level your character up a bit to ensure she's fit to challenge the 20 - 25 zone. You can learn more about the Sandstone Caves, free content, and Pocket Legends itself at the game's official website.
Pocket Legends declares war on high prices, celebrates 1-year anniversary
Pocket Legends is ready to blow out some birthday candles, and players of the portable MMORPG are standing by to take the cake. Spacetime Studios is giving away all of the game's premium areas beginning on April 19th, which means that new and existing players get full access to Balefort Castle, Fathom Crypts, The Lost Expedition, and more -- all free of charge. Players can level to the cap and freely enjoy all of Pocket Legends' zones through Monday, May 4th. This adds up to hundreds of hours of free content, and Spacetime is also decorating each in-game town with cakes, streamers, and balloons -- as well as handing out in-game party hats to everyone. If that's not enough for you, Spacetime's Cinco Barnes is starring in a YouTube short extolling the virtues of the upcoming free content bonanza. Check it out after the cut.
Pocket Legends adds in all new content
Having met the challenge of packing a whole bunch of fun into a pocket-sized portable experience, the team at Spacetime Studios has turned to stuffing even more fun into its mobile MMO, Pocket Legends. The newest patch has been released and offers much-needed fixes and updates to the game as well as an exciting new area for players to adventure through. In patch 1.7, players are treated to a new area called Oasis Towne. This area offers up a host of new quests for players to do including all new daily quests, fun new areas to roam in like a museum, and all-new armor sets for players. For more details, head over to the Pocket Legends site, read up on the patch notes, and join the discussion.
GDC 2011: Spacetime pontificates on pocket MMOs
Although portable MMOs seem like the next logical step in enabling our online gaming addiction, remarkably few titles have graced the field as yet. Of the select few, Spacetime Studio's Pocket Legends heads the pack in style and popularity. It appeals to a wide range of players because the basic game is free; the developer charges players only for expansions and other item shop goodies. Cinco Barnes took the opportunity to speak at GDC about how Spacetime sorted out the complex issues surrounding portable MMOs, how the studio came up with the payment structure, and what the team learned as it goes forward with its next MMO, Blackstar. Pocket Legends' roots go back to 2005 when Spacetime Studios took some seed money from NCsoft and began work on a large-space sci-fi MMO for PCs. While the project went bust and NCsoft pulled funding, Spacetime came away with the technology it developed if not the deep pockets to compete in the field. By 2009, the company became enamoured with the iPhone as a gaming device and decided to take the tools it had developed to create a unique game for that platform.
Spacetime Studios gearing up to release new Blackstar mobile MMO
Spacetime Studios, makers of the famed Pocket Legends mobile MMORPG, has officially announced the impending release of its long-in-development Blackstar, a story-intensive sci-fi yarn previously set to be published by NCsoft. The game has survived a number of hiccups including developer layoffs and a period of limbo prior to Spacetime's acquisition of the IP, and is now being prepped for a Q2 2011 release on both Android and iOS devices. Blackstar tells the story of a far-future conflict between a coalition of aliens (and their necro-cyborg allies) and the futuristic humans of the United Colonies Defense Force. The title features a 3D, real-time, persistent MMO world with three character classes, customizable skills and thousands of items to collect and equip. The game is powered by the Spacetime Engine, and looks to bring mobile MMO polish and production design to a new level. "We were able to nurture the IP to its maximum potential through years of development -- a luxury never before seen in mobile gaming. If you ever dreamed of a fully-featured sci-fi MMO that you can take anywhere, look for the first chapter of the Blackstar saga soon," says Spacetime CEO Gary Gattis. Have a look at the game's official website for more info, and also check out some pre-production video footage after the cut.
Pocket Legends update brings new content, increased level cap
Pocket Legends, the popular mobile device MMO, has been growing in popularity for the past few months, and Spacetime is working to keep up with that increased popularity. The company has released a new update for Pocket Legends, one that brings new content, an increased level cap, and an impressive list of improvements. Players can work toward the new level cap of 50 by checking out the five new PvE maps, two new PvP maps, and new bosses in Alien Oasis 3: Trials of the Galactic Overlord. Alien Oasis 3 will be available to players for 20 platinum, and you can see all the current patch notes on the Pocket Legends forum. Finally, follow along after the jump for a preview trailer of the new content!
Spacetime announces cross-platform mobile play, prepares to license game engine
Spacetime Studios, the makers of the wildly successful Pocket Legends MMO, has just announced a new influx of funding that will enable continued development on the Spacetime Engine and licensing of said development platform to other game makers beginning in 2011. Gamasutra reports that Spacetime is also claiming an industry first for Pocket Legends in terms of the ability for players on Windows PC, Android, and iOS systems to play on the same shared servers. "Providing players, no matter where they are, with a single deep, seamless 3D MMO gaming experience on multiple devices has been a dream of ours since the company was founded. We feel we're at the forefront of a whole new market for MMO game developers," said Spacetime CEO Gary Gattis.
Blackstar briefly resurfaces, flaunts more concept art
It's been a while since we heard from Spacetime Studios and their science-fantasy epic, Blackstar. Rest assured, however, that the company is still chugging along fruitfully with their game, despite earlier hiccups in the development process.Their latest blog is short, sweet, and to the point -- Blackstar concept art. Normally we don't all hyped up about a few pieces of concept art, but Blackstar has always been the exception to the rule. Spacetime's concept art team has developed a look to the game that really resonates for simple concept art. While the images that were posted this time around aren't anything high resolution, they still offer that same bold artistic style that all of B* has shown up to this point.So, all in all, Blackstar is still on track. They're in stealth mode right now and are keeping their game close to their chest, but we can handle stealth mode when they continually produce quality like this.
