casual-mmo
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Blizzard job listing mentions 'product placement' within its next MMO
When details of Blizzard's upcoming casual MMO, code-named Titan, are incredibly scarce due to the developer's ironclad secrecy, it falls to enterprising fans to ferret out any scraps of information that may exist. One such player on the NeoGAF forums was combing through a Blizzard job posting for a Franchise Development Producer and noted an interesting line that indicated the studio could be mulling over the idea of in-game ads for its next MMO. The line in question specifies that one of the duties of the position is to "work with major consumer brands to facilitate product placement and licensing within the world of Blizzard Entertainment's next-gen MMO that enhances the gameplay experience." Whether this is a sign that we'll be seeing billboards for Skittles while we raid or that players will be able to get endorsements and decorate their outfits a la NASCAR cars is anyone's guess. It's important to note that the rest of this position entails a number of efforts to promote Blizzard's "next-gen MMO" outside of the tight-knit gaming sphere, including comics, action figures, and short movies.
Blizzard's Titan a 'casual' MMO
In case you were worried about a lack of new and accessible MMOs coming down the pike over the next couple of years, the king of casual is riding to the rescue. At least, that's what an analyst at Sterne Agee hinted at on Gamasutra recently. Arvind Bhatia is quoted on the game industry website as saying that Blizzard's product pipeline includes "expansion packs for StarCraft and World of Warcraft, a new Diablo game, [and] a new casual MMO." That casual MMO is of course Titan, the secretive WoW followup that has reportedly gobbled up Blizzard's most experienced designers. While no one outside of Blizzard has any inkling as to Titan's setting, mechanics, or target audience, Bhatia's prediction makes a certain amount of sense given the realities of the MMO marketplace and the costs inherent in developing and marketing AAA titles. Head to Gamasutra for the full report.
New Zork game no longer an MMO
If you've been following along with the site, you may remember a story we ran on a brand new Zork game, and the press release that told us that it was to be a casual MMO. In fact, we believe the exact sentence was "designed to provide gamers with a casual MMO game they can play on their laptop, desktop or Apple iPhone (in school, work or on the bus)."It now appears that the game is no longer an MMO at all, but a "casual persistent online adventure."ShackNews has gotten the information straight from Jolt's CEO, Dylan Collins, that Legends of Zork will be a casual adventure that will "sneak into your soul" and not an online MMO. Looks like we're back to having daydreams about black screens and white text again.
FusionFall announces subscription model with free-to-play areas
Cartoon Network's eagerly anticipated first entry into the MMO genre, FusionFall, is set to launch next Wednesday. For those who have checked out the Preview currently going on, and may have been wondering just what kind of pricing Cartoon Network would be implementing, you need wonder no longer. Today we got word that the powers that be at Cartoon Network have decided to run it as a subscription based model, but with a very solid free-to-play portion. Free-to-play members will have access to all areas in the Future Zone, which includes quite a few of the Cartoon Network favorites, such as The Kids Next Door, The Powerpuff Girls, and Samurai Jack to name a few. The paid membership offers not only the Future Zone, but the rest of the game's many areas. In addition, traveling to these areas will unlock additional cool things for your character, such as different gear, new nanos (pets), and more. Paid subscription accounts will cost a very reasonable $5.95 per month, offering full access for one account. For those who have lots of kids who don't want to share an account - or want to check out this game for themselves - Cartoon Network also offers a family plan: at $9.95 per month, you can have four paid accounts to enjoy all the content that FusionFall has to offer.
Whirled and deviantART announce design contest winners
Three Rings, the developer of the Flash-based casual MMO Whirled, has just announced the winners in their new "Design your Whirled" art contest. In conjunction with deviantART, the largest online social network for artists, this contest challenged members to create the best individual or multiple rooms for the game. Because of the success of this first contest, Three Rings has already announced that they're accepting entries for the second contest of the same name. The top winner was awarded a new 15-inch Macbook Pro and one year subscription to deviantART, while the second and third place winners were awarded Wacom tablets and other deviantART subscriptions. You can view the winning entries by visiting the main Whirled site, and register your own entry for the next contest at the Whirled wiki.
Be a sheep or a wolf in Secondhand Lands
Little Bo Peep and Little Red Riding Hood have had a score to settle for decades, and now you get the chance to help them do it in Callipygian Games's Secondhand Lands. Choose to play as either a sheep for Bo Peep or a wolf for Little Red in this casual MMO designed for "the disillusioned 'Mega-MMO' veteran who wants more interaction with the developers in their gaming experience."This game is in closed beta and is being distributed by Pixel Mine, with a release date of Fall of this year. Check out the site; there's a little webtoy that lets you trick out your wolf or sheep with stylin' gear. That should be enough to tide anyone over until the actual game hits.
Gaia Online borrows a trick from Willy Wonka
Gaia Online, the virtual community that boasts over 5 million players, will be present at this year's New York Comic-Con, from April 18th to the 20th. They're encouraging both existing members and people who've never played before to drop by their booth and take a chance at winning a golden ticket, good for early entrance to the beta test of their upcoming casual MMO, as yet unnamed.They're also offering other prizes, such as an in-game Angelic Halo, Gold cards (worth varying amounts of Gaia currency), and a limited-edition ring for use in the MMO to attendees of the Gaia Panel at 5:00PM on Saturday, April 19th. Full information at their site.If they manage to convert their existing playerbase to their MMO, they could be seen as a serious contender for size, right out of the gate. We'll keep our eyes open and our ears to the ground for more info on this as it gets released.[Source]
