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EVE Evolved: Ten years of EVE Online
Tomorrow marks a huge milestone in MMO history as sci-fi sandbox EVE Online officially turns ten years old. Released by a tiny icelandic development studio whose only previous release was a board game featuring Reykjavik's favourite cross-dressing mayor, EVE has slowly grown over the past decade to become one of the industry's biggest and most stable subscription titles. Following 2011's monoclegate scandal that led to around 8% of players quitting and CCP Games shedding 20% of its employees, this year saw EVE Online climb to new heights as it regained the playerbase's confidence and smashed the 500,000 subscriber barrier. As a special side-note, the EVE Evolved column also turned five years old last week; it has now officially been running for over half of EVE's lifetime. The past year has been remarkably successful for CCP, with both of the year's EVE expansions being extremely well received and console MMOFPS DUST 514 finally starting to take shape. The Inferno and Retribution expansions fixed a staggering number of small issues that were broken in the game while also making big changes to bounty-hunting, piracy, and PvP across the board. We also saw huge emergent events like the Battle of Asakai, a $6,000 ship kill, and the five trillion ISK faction warfare exploit this year. With DUST 514 officially launching in just over a week on May 14th and players fired up about the upcoming Odyssey expansion, the future's looking bright for EVE Online as it heads into its second decade. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look back at some of year's top EVE stories, stories that touched real life, and what the future holds for EVE's second decade.
Rubin: Vigil's new IP meant 'even more risk' for potential buyers
Despite many of its major brands and studios being snatched up during this week's auction, several of THQ's intellectual properties remain unclaimed, their respective studios dissolving as a result. Among those unclaimed properties is the Darksiders franchise, which failed to garner any bids during the auction proceedings."Having just finished a product, Vigil was farthest from release of their next game," THQ president Jason Rubin told Game Informer. "We were not able to garner any interest from buyers, despite a herculean effort. Additionally, they were working on a new IP, which meant even more risk for a buyer."Vigil's new IP, codenamed Crawler, was a show-stopper by all internal accounts: "When the teams got together recently to show each other their titles, Crawler dropped the most jaws," Rubin said. "It is a fantastic idea, and truly unique. The fact that nobody bid for the team and title is a travesty. It makes no sense to me."Darksiders will be sold (along with THQ's other remaining properties) in the coming weeks, though what that process entails remains unknown.
Darksiders 2 comes a knockin' with TV ad
"Beyond Earth, beyond Hell, Death is our final salvation." What does that even mean? Can we get a theology professor in here to explain that?
Darksiders 2 rides in with two-minute in-engine trailer
Death's arrival is only a few weeks away on August 14. Putting live-action trailers aside, here's what the game will look like when it rides into retail.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Bigger on the inside
I think that storytelling is where we see one of the most significant changes between Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2. It isn't that the original story sucked, necessarily; it's just that it was woefully single-dimensional and unchanging. Each Guild Wars campaign has slightly different starting quests for each profession, but you're eventually caught up by the current, and everyone goes whooshing along to the culmination. Factions spiced things up a little by allowing you to choose whether you wanted to befriend the Kurzicks or Luxons first (although there wasn't really any permanence to that choice, as you could still effectively follow both routes -- and had to, eventually, if you wanted to unlock the associated Protector and Guardian titles). Nightfall got a little more daring by making you choose between companions and ultimately story paths. Even better, you had to finish the campaign before you could undo the illusion of permanence. Guild Wars 2 is way beyond that.
Darksiders 2: Death in the shadow of the colossus
Darksiders 2's Death is apparently not good at the maths. A man runs at 10MPH. A horse can trot at 30MPH. A colossus lumbers along faster than both. Don't kill the colossus, Death! Put out a picnic near the back of one of its shoulders and casually relax to your destination.
THQ executive explains WAR40K's new non-MMO direction
For those curious about the fate of Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online, Ripten recently interviewed THQ executive Danny Bilson regarding the game's future. You'll recall that late last month, THQ announced that DMO would shed its MMO skin and reinvent itself as a single-player title. Bilson says that much of what makes the game unique will remain intact, and most importantly, WAR40K "is still sitting with the people who invented it five years ago, and honestly, they are incredibly excited about the new direction." While you wouldn't expect anything less than positive spin from a bigwig whose company has seen better days, the interview still manages to make the new title sound pretty intriguing. "If you liked Space Marine, you're gonna love this thing. It's much deeper. Space Marine was designed as a console experience. This one has tremendous multiplayer gameplay, and there is a lot going on in this game that's spectacular," Bilson says.
The MMO Report: Shut up about Mass Effect edition
This week on The MMO Report, Casey tells everyone to stop whining about Mass Effect 3's ending, laments the loss of the "online" part of Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online, touches on the World of Darkness keynote, and outlines The Secret World's preorder plans. He also reveals the identity of one of TERA's key voice actors: Michael Hogan (of Battlestar Galactica fame), who will play Samael in the final game. Finally, he pulls one measly letter from the mailbag and debates which class he represents in TERA. Enjoy the full MMO Report after the cut!
WAR40K devs laid off, game will no longer be an MMO
The on-again off-again saga of Warhammer 40K is apparently off again, at least in regard to the title's future as an MMORPG. In early February we reported on some rumored THQ financial trouble, but the company later pooh-poohed the concerns and said that WAR40K was still on track. Today, though, our sister site reports that Dark Millennium Online will axe the online portion of its lengthy moniker and the company will be producing the title as a single-player game going forward. A substantial number of jobs have also been cut, with 79 Vigil Games employees and 39 Relic Entertainment employees receiving pink slips.
Darksiders 2 introduces Death's swiss army scythe
Have you ever wondered what Death, the dude, is really like? Who hasn't? Thankfully, the Darksiders 2 devs at Vigil Games prepared this intro video for us, full of sincere remarks about a mythical horsemen of the apocalypse and how he acts in their upcoming game.
The MMO Report: Shut up, that's why edition
Why does The MMO Report cover Minecraft? "Shut up, that's why," says Casey with a smile. In addition to chronicling Minecraft's newest FarmVille-esque update, the Beard meanders through the Dark Millennium Online cancellation rumors, The Secret World's Illuminati trailer, and TERA's upcoming May release date ("your cue to start claiming it's better than WoW, internet"). Finally, Casey touches on the patch delays suffered by Star Wars: The Old Republic, excusing the tardiness by suggesting the promised dates are more like guidelines, and besides, "Only a Sith deals in absolutes." All this and a quick dip into Uncle Casey's Mailbag can be found in the full HD video behind the cut.
Darksiders 2's latest tease gets up close and personal with Death
There's a possibility that the Darksiders 2 tease above is actually referencing Skeletor and/or Glenn Danzig, but we're pretty sure it's that other horseman of the apocalypse, Death. Either way, we're gonna go listen to the Misfits and watch Masters of the Universe for a bit. Just in case.
Warhammer 40K planning multiple payment options
Despite being one of THQ's biggest projects, the upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online won't be hemmed in with a single subscription option. Instead, the company said that it is investigating a wide range of possible payment options to be as flexible as possible for players all over the world. Speaking at a recent earnings call, CEO Brian Farrell addressed what model WAR40K would adopt. "What we've done is make the business model within Dark Millennium Online flexible so we can use different business models in different territories and exploit the game on a worldwide basis," he said. "We will have not just one business model, like subscriptions. There will be other monetisation mechanisms in the game... The team there is being very thoughtful about how we maximise monetisation in this game." Seeing as how WAR40K is costing the company over $50 million to create, it seems wise to offer multiple options in order to draw in the largest amount of players possible. The title is being developed by Vigil Games and is slated to release in 2013.
THQ releases flood of new details for Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online
If you're a fan of Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online, you are likely pretty happy to have a launch date. You're also probably anxious for details about the game itself, which have been in short supply until now. We've got good news for you though: THQ has released a huge list of data on design, gameplay, classes and races, and much more. The information ranges from all-encompassing, such as talk of art style and who is involved in development, to very specific, such as a party size of five, raid size of 50, and level cap of 60. There's plenty more for eager fans: dual-wielding pistols and melee weapons (including chain swords), classes with three specialties, a crashed space hulk ripe for exploration, and much more. Strategy Informer has the complete summary, so head over there for your full Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online fix! [Thanks to Merketh for the tip!]
Warhammer 40K Dark Millennium Online launch date revealed
Purge the heretics! Warhammer 40,000 Dark Millennium Online has received a launch date. The game's page on THQ's official site marks the game down for release on March 31st, 2013. That's all the news we've got for now, but keep your eye out for more information in the (grim darkness of the) future! [Thanks to Andru for the tip!]
Darksiders 2 video shows "God"-like combat skill
He may be named "Death," and the last Darksiders game may have starred "War," but the first combat gameplay from Darksiders 2 certainly reminds us of another mythological god of war. Watch as Death wields his "dual scythes," juggling opponents and pulverizing them in the process! It's almost as if he's got dual blades ... attached with chains to his arms ... okay, it's basically like the combat in the God of War series. There -- we said it. Head over to Game Informer and take a peek for yourself!
E3 2011: New Dark Millennium Online teaser sighted in the wild
The first E3 tidbit on THQ's Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online is officially loose on the interwebs, and it takes the form of a short teaser video. When we say short, we mean short (as in, less than a minute in length -- 10 seconds of which are given over to company logos). Since the footage is heavily stylized, it's hard to tell exactly what is gameplay and what is cinematic. In any event, it all looks pretty cool, and fans looking forward to Vigil's take on the dark and dystopian far-future setting will be left wanting a bit more. The video also plays it coy when it comes to WAR40K's release date, opting for a cryptic "coming soon" tag when all the pyrotechnics have died down. Have a look after the cut and let us know what you think. [Thanks to Alluvian for the tip!] Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 6-9, bringing you all the best news from E3 2011. Whether you're dying to know more about Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered!
Darksiders 2 darkens the cover of July's Game Informer
Darksiders 2 is featured on the July issue of Game Informer, along with new protagonist Death -- brother of the first game's anti-hero, War. Their uniformly grim appearance, you'll recall, is due to the fact they're a pair of horsemen of the apocalypse. Game Informer also claims that the sequel will "deliver a richer experience," including new (and more) NPCs, a "detailed loot system" and some fresh new dungeons to explore. More specifically, Death will be traveling through "the world of Abyss," doing exactly the opposite of what you'd expect a guy named "Death" to be doing: trying to restore humankind. Head over to Game Informer for a full image depicting the double-scythe-wielding star.
THQ spending approximately $50 million on WAR40K MMO
If you're wondering how many users it's going to take for THQ's forthcoming Warhammer 40K-based sci-fi MMORPG to be successful, you can keep wondering. THQ executive vice president and chief financial officer Paul Pucino did speak briefly about the budget of Dark Millennium Online, however, while addressing a Wedbush Morgan conference on March 9th. Pucino said the title will cost "somewhere in the area of $50 million or so to get these games to market, certainly in that range for Dark Millennium." Pucino was asked about desired subscriber numbers for WAR40K, which is being developed by Vigil Games, but declined to offer any details. "We haven't gotten specific yet, we're a couple of years away here from release and certainly as we get closer we'll give some specifics with regards to break-even or target users," he said.
New WAR40K trailer introduces first playable race
reddit_url='http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/20/new-war40k-trailer-introduces-first-playable-race/'; reddit_target='gaming' Tweet var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/New_WAR40K_Online_trailer_introduces_first_playable_race'; The Warhammer 40K crew has released a new trailer introducing the game's first playable race: The Imperium of Man. "After centuries of exile, the Imperium of Man has returned to the Sargos sector," begins the trailer video. The planet Sanctum is the stronghold for man, and the humans are holding it against a host of enemies eager to take it back. As always, while it's fun to hear all about a new playable race, it's even better to see it. With that in mind, the developers have put together a lineup of detailed new screenshots and a trailer video to introduce the race to players. Follow along after the jump to check them out! %Gallery-100006%
