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Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms releases its first trailer
We know a little bit about the game, but up until now, nothing has actually been seen of the upcoming Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms. But the wait is now over, as a trailer for the browser-based game has been unveiled to show off some of what players can expect when the game finally goes live. And if you're hoping for the opportunity to cross swords with rival houses in a massive political battle... well, that does seem to be on the plate. There's admittedly not too much that can be displayed via a trailer running under a minute long. But the trailer does show off the graphics and some hints of the combat, which looks to be very much a matter of skill. Check out the full trailer just past the break, and keep your eyes open for more information as the game ramps up for more reveals at San Diego Comic-Con. [Update: George R.R. Martin himself has also posted the video and the original press release. He notes that he'll be at SDCC checking out the game at the Dark Horse booth.]
Drakensang raises Atlantis update from the deeps
Drakensang Online welcomes the citizens of Atlantis to its game world today. The hack-and-slash MMO pushed its largest update ever to the live servers, and it's so big that the ocean itself could not contain it. That's what we call "hyperbole" in the biz. The Atlantis update is a wonder to behold. It includes a new continent with eight areas, 100 additional quests, and plenty of challenges for experienced players to tackle. The city itself is in ruins following its downfall by the giant snake Gorga. The update also includes a revamped world map that should help adventurers find their way. In related news, Bigpoint claims that over eight million players have registered for Drakensang Online. [Source: Bigpoint press release]
Game of Thrones MMO subtitled 'Seven Kingdoms'
The free-to-play, browser-based Game of Thrones MMO from Bigpoint has finally picked up a title. The Unity-powered MMO will now be known as Game of Thrones: Seven Kingdoms.The game is set take place right at the beginning of the series, as King Robert Baratheon is killed and the entire kingdom of Westeros falls into chaos. Bigpoint is working to craft the game with Norwegian studio Artplant, which also helped create Bigpoint's Battlestar Galactica Online.Few gameplay details have been revealed, apart from that fact that "players are challenged to form alliances through Player vs. Player (PvP), Siege combat and politics to control Westeros." More details should become clear at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con, where the first gameplay trailer will debut.%Gallery-159672%
Game of Thrones MMO announces full name, upcoming trailer
The upcoming MMO by Bigpoint now has a full name: Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms. Producer Max Pfaff is relieved to have this major step out of the way: "Selecting a game's title can be quite an arduous process, especially in the free-to-play space where games must be easily discoverable by players around the world. By selecting Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms, we're confident that we've chosen an identifiable name that will resonate with the global community of diehard Thrones fans." The project, which is being developed with HBO's cooperation, is set to make its grand entrance at this year's Comic-Con. It's there that the studio will show an exclusive game trailer, which promises to show the Seven Kingdoms' visual aesthetic and gameplay. If you haven't already, definitely check out our interview with Bigpoint about Seven Kingdoms from this year's GDC! [Source: Bigpoint press release]
The Soapbox: The death of AAA
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. I think we're all pretty familiar with the tragic story of 38 Studios by now. If not, take some time to familiarize yourself with it. Essentially it is a tale of massive dreams, botched plans, and hundreds of job losses. I'm not yet sure exactly what went wrong, but I have a feeling that the lackluster response to the studio's stand-alone title might be to blame on top of the poor performance in the high-end of the company. Either way, I have seen many comments exclaiming the end of the big-budget title or at least more trepidation from governments that feel the need to get into a game (no pun intended) they were unfamiliar with. If we could take a poll of the several million "AAA" MMO players in North America, it's my bet that most of them simply go from one title to the other. The RIFT players who are now enjoying Star Wars: The Old Republic came from World of Warcraft, and before that (if they played MMOs before WoW) they might have been City of Heroes fans and EverQuest players before that. For a long time, large studios held all of the players. Then, AAA started rolling down the steep hill to where it is now.
Universal Monsters Online is a thing
MOBAs seem to be the hot new thing, with games like the indie SmashMuck Champions following in the footsteps of heavy-hitters such as League of Legends and Dota 2. Now we can add another one to the list, as Bigpoint Games has announced an in-development MOBA centered around some unlikely champions: classic Universal Studios movie monsters. That's right: In the upcoming Universal Monsters Online, players will be able to go head-to-head with one another as iconic movie monsters, including Dracula, the Wolf-Man, Frankenstein's monster (and his bride), and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Gameplay details are scarce, but if you happen to be in the game's target demographic of classic-horror-movie-buff-slash-MOBA-gamer, head on over to the game's official site and have a gander.
Previously on MV TV: The week of June 2nd
So how did you survive E3? Did you get everything that you wanted this year? No? Well, that's OK; there's always next year. In the meantime, be sure to check out all of our E3 coverage in case you missed anything. I know I missed a lot, and I work here! It's easy to forget that the hardcore office-monkies like yours truly stayed behind and continued on as normal. That means we still streamed our favorite titles for you to watch! So what did you miss? Here are some of the highlights! Mike decided to check out planetary action in EVE Online. We're not sure whether this meant asking a big green orb out on a date, but it sounds interesting! Next, he made a couple of runs through Drakensang Online, stomping newbie PvPers left and right. What a meanie! I jumped into a couple of games for your entertainment, including RuneScape. I wanted to show how the new Runespan worked, and I think I achieved my goal. Lastly I attempted to start a treehouse project in Free Realms, building it up slowly until I had a nice platform to continue from. If you've ever wondered what blank lots were used for in the charming social MMO, check it out past the break!
Previously on MV TV: The week of May 12th
What a week of livestreaming! We've got quite the variety and tons of hours of video to watch. What's that? You had to work and missed half of the cool streams we showed? Don't worry! I gather all of the best streams from the week's collection and list them for you right here. Still, you need to bookmark our livestream page so you can see which videos are going to be shown during the week, but if you miss any, you can check out the recap here. That's why we do it. This week we had a lot to offer. First we had good old Mike jumping into EVE Online for some space action, then into TERA for some scantily clad combat! He then explores some of the great browser-based game Drakensang Online. MJ brought a ton of goodies to the streaming table, goodies like a run-through in EverQuest II, some base-jumping in City of Heroes, a bit of hardcore survival in Xsyon, and a flight around the beautiful lands of Aion. I rounded out the end by streaming some BatMUD, a cool MUD that has been around since many of you have been in diapers! Click past the cut and grab some popcorn. Keep the butter light but add some salt. Thanks.
Battlestar Galactica Online inches toward 10M players, hands out swag for anniversary
Battlestar Galactica Online has quietly but surely expanded its reach across the cosmos, netting nearly 10 million registered players as the title hits its first anniversary. To celebrate the dual achievement, Bigpoint is dishing out goodies to all of its players over the next week. From today through May 6th, Bigpoint is handing out in-game gifts and bonuses to players. Players need to log in each day to grab these prizes, however. In addition to distributing freebies, BSGO is increasing the daily merit cap and offering special deals for its item shop. Bigpoint CEO Heiko Hubertz sees Battlestar Galactica Online's first year as both a success and the beginning of a great run: "We are thrilled with the tremendous growth of BSGO and how the game has performed over the past year. We're excited to move forward with this momentum, celebrate our achievements, and reward all of our players in the community who helped us get to this point." [Source: Bigpoint press release]
Drakensang Online compares itself to Diablo III and Torchlight II
Bigpoint Games is painting Drakensang Online as the Rocky Balboa of isometric hack-'n'-slash MMOs, and it's stepping into the ring with the upcoming title contenders and swinging away. The company released a comparison chart to show how its scrappy underdog is actually head and shoulders above the developing competition. According to the comparison chart, Drakensang takes the lead by offering all that its competition has and more. When you've got a game that was developed in less than two years, is free-to-play, and is a full-fledged MMO, why would you ever want to sample the fruits of Blizzard's and Runic Games' trees? Will Drakensang nip hard enough at Diablo III's heels to hobble the mighty demon as it releases next month? Time will tell, but you can check out our impressions of Drakensang when Mike plays it for you live on Massively TV this Wednesday evening! [Source: Bigpoint Games press release]
The Soapbox: If you want to sell special items, just do it already
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. I've argued before about the merits of being an honest cash-shop salesperson. You have to be upfront, blunt, and willing to take some heat. Bigpoint is one of my favorite examples of a cash-shop dependent developer simply because it says what it means and means what it says. It sells items, sometimes powerful items, in several different titles. Granted, the studio usually offers a way to get those same items through in-game means, but that doesn't make for as good a story. We reported on Bigpoint a while ago when its reps essentially said that if a developer is going to make an effort to sell in-game items, it should do it the right way by making those items have a significant impact on the game by being either powerful or desirable. I cannot agree more. Bigpoint is a car lot that sells beautiful luxury automobiles. It also sells junkers and even gives out a lot of cars for free, but its charity once again does not make for a good dramatic write-up. I tend to think that if you you are going to make a cash-shop, depending on the style of game, of course, you as a developer have got to consider just what sort of impact you want that cash-shop to have on your players, and you can't be afraid to push your idea from the beginning. But just get on with it.
MMObility: Utilizing Windows 8 to help with MMO chores
Not so long ago, I told you about my acquisition of an Inspiron Duo netbook, a 10-inch device that was not only a small laptop but also a touchscreen tablet device. It is a very sturdy device, and the flip-around screen works well. The main problem with the device was that it came with Windows 7 while only sporting a dual core processor and two gigs of RAM. The other main issue was that the 10-inch screen has a 1366x768-pixel resolution, meaning that it was often uncomfortable to read on it or play games unless I zoomed in. Recently Microsoft released the Windows 8 public preview, so I downloaded it after reading that it was really geared for tablet or touchcreen devices. Sure enough, the same 10-inch netbook that was not getting a lot of use around here suddenly became faster and much more friendly to the eyes. It's perfect timing, as well, especially since I will be starting my "chores" experiment in which I see whether scheduling my gameplay each day will help me with an issue I have been having.
GDC 2012: Bigpoint discusses the Game of Thrones MMO
The Game is coming. It had to be said. And for fans of George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, that one little phrase elicits some powerful and mixed emotions: excitement (to actually wander about Westeros) and dread (will it actually be Westeros?). There was even a collective cringe among some Massively staff when the announcement was made that Game of Thrones was becoming an MMORPG. Could such a complex world translate well into the virtual realm? It made the transition to television pretty well in HBO's series, but a free-to-play browser-based MMO is a whole other beast. We're pleased to say that fans of the books and the series can breathe a little easier and even look forward to the upcoming title becuse it's going to be gritty, it's going to be gory, and power will shift like the winds across the Dothraki Sea. Massively was able to sit down with Jorgen Tharaldsen (Producer at Artplant), Alan Dunton (Public Relations Director at Bigpoint), and Rob Ollett (Executive Producer at Bigpoint) to discuss details about what's coming.
Bigpoint's A Game of Thrones MMO to debut at GDC 2012
Brace yourselves; GDC is coming. And with it comes the first ever public demonstration of Bigpoint's upcoming MMO title based on George R.R. Martin's hit fantasy series, A Game of Thrones. For the first time ever, players will be able to get a look at the world of Westeros brought to life in all its browser-based glory. Bigpoint CEO and founder Heiko Hubertz is understandably optimistic about the title, stating that the devs "intend to build a game that resonates intimately with its diehard community of followers, while also creating an authentic gaming experience that attracts newcomers to the franchise." So if you're heading to GDC 2012 and you want to take a look, just make a trip on over to Bigpoint's booth and see for yourself. What's that? You're not going to GDC this year? Well, then it's a good thing we're going for you! You can look for more info from our impressions coming later next week. Andremember: When you play the game of thrones, you win or you corpse run. [Source: Bigpoint press release]
Bigpoint goes live with Pirate Storm
Pirate Storm: Death or Glory, a free (you guessed it!) pirate-themed game from Bigpoint, is now live! Hop into the game to act out all your piratical dreams: fighting sea beasties, swash-buckling with the most fearsome of foes, and pursuing that whimsical mistress, fortune. Pirate Storm has been launched worldwide and is available in more than 24 languages. It's designed to be beginner-friendly while retaining exciting and challenging missions. Bigpoint's team isn't a stranger to making pirate games -- Seafight and Kultan are other titles it's put out in the same genre -- but the company appears to be taking special pride in this new title. The game world boasts12 different maps spread across three regions, customizable ships and armors, and all the interactive fun of buddy lists, groups, and a guild system. So what's your delay? Those sea serpents are waiting. [Source: Bigpoint press release]
Bigpoint teases Battlestar Galactica Online carrier ships
Bigpoint has let us know that it's about to kick off what it calls "space trials" for some new carrier-class ships in Battlestar Galactica Online. The craft will be visible on the Kobol beta server today in both Colonial and Cylon variants. Carriers function as support and supply vessels and can also serve as mobile outposts with repair and recharge capabilities. What's that? You say you want to pilot one of these shiny new vessels? Well, this is Bigpoint, so you'll need to enter a lottery via the community forum for your chance to jump in the cockpit of BSGO's latest and greatest. If you're not up for that, the ships will be available to all players on all servers after the completion of the trial period at the end of this month. You'll need to be level 40 (and in possession of nearly 500,000 in-game cubits) to get one for yourself.
Bigpoint surpasses 250 million registered users
The folks at Bigpoint must be feeling quite nice about themselves about now, as a new press release from the company has announced that the studio's games now have a total of 250 million registered users worldwide. Heiko Hubertz, CEO and founder of the browser-focused MMORPG developer, is quite pleased with the development, claiming that "since 2002, [Bigpoint has] strived to bring high-quality games and experiences to the widest possible audience... and we're not done." The press release goes on to make the bold claims that "Bigpoint introduced the concept of F2P games" and that "over the past decade, Bigpoint has radically improved the quality of... online games." The statement conclues that "the company is planning a series of new launches in 2012, including new titles that leverage world-class Hollywood intellectual property." We already know that Bigpoint is the studio behind the upcoming MMOs based on A Game of Thrones and The Mummy, but what else does the studio have up its sleeve? We'll just have to wait to find out. [Source: Bigpoint press release]
Bigpoint and gPotato join forces, host contest to celebrate
Two of the big players in the F2P MMO industry, publisher gPotato and Battlestar Galactica Online developer Bigpoint, have teamed up with one another in order to bring Bigpoint's browser-based titles to gPotato's ever-expanding library of titles. Bigpoint titles such as BSGO and more will be available at gPotato's game portal site, and in order to celebrate the arrival of the new games, gPotato is giving away $900 US in prizes. Ten Facebook fans will receive $50 in gPotato currency just for telling the folks at gPotato which new browser titles are their favorites. Five others will win a SUMO beanbag chair or a Razer mouse. For the full details, check out the link below and head on over to gPotato's official site to try the new game selections for yourself. [Source: gPotato press release]
The Soapbox: Bigpoint's cash-shop policies and why they are OK
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. I have been tasked with explaining to Massively readers why I am OK with Bigpoint's very public policy on selling "advantages." I imagine that this will not be an easy task. After all, we gamers aren't much different than the rest of humanity in the way we tend to care about things that have little or no effect on us. We all have an opinion on "selling power," but I think it's high time that someone attempts to explain why it really isn't always power that Bigpoint is selling -- and why it would be fair even if it were. I will attempt to stick to the specific topic of Bigpoint's policies, but much of what I say will probably apply to any game developer that sells practically anything for real world money. Yes, I am talking about those wonderful collector's editions and favorite cash-shop mounts. They all fall under the same category that Bigpoint's ships or special drones do. Click past the cut and I'll explain why.
BioWare: SWTOR could've been a Game of Thrones MMO
The Force may be with BioWare, but it might interest you to know that the Canadian RPG giant wasn't married to the Star Wars IP when it began discussing its initial foray into the MMO space. According to an article at PC Gamer, everything from the Lord of the Rings, to the Dark Tower, to A Song of Ice and Fire was on the table when the team began drawing up its design documents. "If we were going to do a Game of Thrones MMO, what kind of rules and what kind of gameplay elements would really bring that world to life? Each [design document] had that, but we always focused on the story at the fore," says BioWare's James Ohlen. Ultimately, the devs forsook Westeros for the fertile setting they helped create in the Knights of the Old Republic series, and George R. R. Martin fans are left to ponder the differences between a huge BioWare production and a Bigpoint browser title.
