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The Game Archaeologist: How Hellgate survived being Flagshipped
It seems that it really wasn't too long ago that I was filling in the time between night classes by boning up on video game news. I was drinking up all of the hot up-and-comers, such as Age of Conan and Warhammer Online, when I caught word that the maker of Diablo was trying to do the same thing again, only more online, in 3-D, and with a cool modern-day/futuristic/horror vibe. There's no better way to put it than to say that from the start, Hellgate: London looked all kinds of cool. Oh sure, you can scoff now with your perfect 20/20 hindsight, but I'm betting that more than a few of you thought the same with me around that time. Diablo but with guns and an online persistence -- how could we not be intrigued? One of my most vivid memories was being torn between the idea of buying a lifetime subscription deal for $150 (again, this was before the free-to-play era, but also before the era of us spending the same money on alpha access. I'm just saying that you can't judge me.). I didn't buy the lifetime sub, if you were wondering, but I did play. I even enjoyed Hellgate: London for a month or so, although something about it never quite clicked with me. It was only after I bailed that I watched with horror that one of the most infamous chapters of video game disasters took place. It's kind of like when you look at pictures of an earthquake and say to anyone near, "I was just standing there a week ago..." From its giddy heights of pre-launch hype to the crash simply known as being "Flagshipped" to its subsequent resurrections (yes, plural), Hellgate is a fascinating tale of a good idea, a terrible launch, corporate scapegoating, and improbable survival.
PAX Prime 2014: Marvel Heroes is the industry's surprise success story
Meeting with Marvel Heroes' David Brevik at PAX Prime confirmed what I have been observing over the past year or so: This game has quietly and steadily become one of the bigger success stories in the online gaming industry. Brevik told me that the Marvel Heroes playerbase continues to grow, boasting four times as many players as it had nine months ago. What did Brevik attribute to the game's meteoric rise? The promotions and sheer mountain of new content that the team's been adding certainly helped, but he said that it really came down to terrific community relations. Brevik streams the game four nights a week and talks to the community members as though they were part of his family.
The Stream Team: Family MMO night with the Super Hero Squad Online devs
Super Hero Squad Online has been a favorite for several of Massively's writers, Larry Everett being one of them. Today, Larry and his son, Zach, will show off the new SHSO Recharged. And for extra fun, they've invited the developers along. (Maybe they'll have free stuff for you!) Join us at 7:00 p.m. to find out just how awesome this family MMO is for both kids and adults. Game: Super Hero Squad Online Hosts: Larry Everett, Zach, and the Gazillion devs Date: Tuesday, July 29th, 2014 Time: 7:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below.
Marvel Heroes' Brevik thanks community, touts anniversary infographic
Marvel Heroes creator David Brevik has published a thank-you post to gamers who have made the superheroic online ARPG a success over its first year. He lauds the game's community for its unflagging support, and he also lists quite a number of improvements made over the past 12 months as well as a list of very recent and upcoming tweaks. Oh yeah, and there's one of those spiffy infographics, too! Click past the cut to have a look.
Marvel Heroes compensates for early access delay
Gazillion is looking to make amends with early adopters of Marvel Heroes who possibly experienced severe connection issues this past week. The studio laid out a plan to compensate those who had purchased a founders pack and expected to get in on the action prior to the game's official launch. Ultimate pack purchasers will receive 2,000 Gs of store currency and a cosmetic pet, while premium pack purchasers will get 1,000 Gs and a pet. The currency will be delivered to those players starting on June 7th, although the pet may be a little later in coming, as the team hasn't decided on what it is just yet. "As you may know, we had issues that delayed our initial launch of Marvel Heroes," CEO David Brevik wrote. "We take our commitment to you very seriously, and that's why we had our team working around the clock to bring the game to you as fast as possible. However, a promise is a promise, and we were late -- so we're going to compensate those of you who were affected by that delay."
Marvel Heroes early access is live, Gazillion 'looking into' compensation
Stow those pitchforks, Marvel Heroes fans; your early access is finally, er, accessible! The Gazillion team has been slaving away trying to squash a few last minute bugs that held up the game's May 28th debut for purchasers of the Founder's Pack, but as of last night everything seems to be shipshape. CEO David Brevik apologized for the delay in a post on the official MH website, and he also said that the firm is "looking into granting compensation for those who were unable to play yesterday." You might also want to read through the Early Game Access FAQ.
Gazillion finds 'serious issues' with Marvel Heroes, delays early access launch
Those of you with Marvel Heroes Founder's Packs might be wondering why you can't log in to the game, given that it's May 28th and given that May 28th was supposed to mark the beginning of the game's early access phase. As it turns out, Gazillion found some "serious issues" that left it unable to kick things off when it originally intended. CEO David Brevik spills the beans via a post on the MH community blog, saying that the dev team has been working for 96 hours straight to correct the problem. Brevik also says that the process "is nearly complete" and that "we will not leave this studio until you can play the game. We hope this will be a in a matter of hours."
Marvel Heroes prepares for the end at the beginning
With early access to Marvel Heroes coming on May 28th and the actual launch a few days later on June 4th, the Gazillion team is on super-high alert. CEO David Brevik talked with us about the final additions that the team is putting in place, saying that most of the features are complete at this point. Brevik most wanted to talk about Marvel Heroes' endgame. Interestingly enough, the main PvE story will take your character only about halfway to the level 60 cap. After that, Gazillion expects players to fully rely on a robust endgame to finish the journey. The endgame is made up of three primary PvE activities (in addition to PvP): daily missions, group challenges, and survival challenges. Daily missions, which can be soloed or done in a group, are unlocked in a chain. The five-man group challenges only have a single entry at this point, although there are several variations on that challenge. Then the survival challenges can take groups of 10 to 15 players and pit them against waves of increasingly difficult foes. Difficulty for these wave battles can be lowered by grabbing shards and defeating enemies, and depending on how well your team performs, the boss could be a pushover or insanely tough. Gazillion is placing a premium on randomness and variety to keep things fresh, so don't expect all similar-looking mobs to actually be the same! Read on for all of the last-minute changes that players will encounter when they take on their superhero personae next month!
Hands-on with Marvel Heroes' combat, events, and crafting
This has been a hard year on mice. Diablo III, Torchlight 2, Path of Exile, and now another click-fest is in the works: Marvel Heroes. This new free-to-play addition to the isometric family will put you in the shoes of classic heroes such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Storm, Wolverine, and many more from the Marvel roster. Just when my index finger was starting to forgive me! To better understand how much danger my mouse and finger were in, I traveled down to Gazillion Entertainment for some hands-on time with a few of my favorite comic wonders. Is Marvel Heroes is bringing more than just tights to the table?
Brushing up on Marvel Heroes' super-sized beta update
While we've had several occasions to check out Marvel Heroes' journey through the beta process, Gazillion Entertainment wanted us to know that our previous glimpses are now obsolete. The makers of this superhero action-RPG have implemented a major beta update that has virtually transformed the look, feel, and function of the game. We spoke with Gazillion about the update, which clearly is a major step toward a finalized release version. The most obvious change to Marvel Heroes is a revamp of its user interface. The UI has been streamlined and modernized, with a crisper look and more color overall. The placeholder minimap has been scrapped and replaced with a new radar that functions in perspective, a friends list is now in place, and new arrow icons float around the edges of your screen to direct you to nearby events. And since loot is quite vital to the appeal of the game, the devs made sure to color-code all of the icons so that telling item rarity is an instant and effortless process. There are a few more surprises that were announced today, so hit the jump and we'll walk you through them!
Marvel Heroes shows off the beginning of gameplay in a new video
Looking forward to Marvel Heroes? Want a chance to pit your own impressions against the Massively impressions from earlier in the week? Unfortunately, if you're not in the beta, you're not going to be able to get a hands-on experience with the game for a while longer. But the team at Gazillion Entertainment did the next best thing by posting a new video wherein president David Brevik walks you through the earliest parts of the game. Brevik starts off by explaining a bit more about the game for those unfamiliar with its premise, and then dives right into the tutorial mission. Along the way he demonstrates power leveling, hero switching, discovery missions, and all of the combat action you can shake a Marvel-branded stick at. So if you haven't gotten your hands on the game but still want to see what it looks like in action, jump past the break to see the opening play.
Super Hero Squad Online tops four million registered players
If big numbers and dubious milestones are your passion, then have we got a post for you! Gazillion announced that its Super Hero Squad Online just crossed the four million player line. Of course, these are registered players, so that includes actual players of the title and anyone who just signed up on the website. Gazillion President David Brevik popped the celebratory cork anyway: "Breaking four million registered users is a tremendous achievement for Super Hero Squad Online and for Gazillion Entertainment. We love the passion that our players have shown for the game, and we are excited to continue to put out new and exciting content for them to enjoy." The studio is working hard to expand the overall service of the game, including a redesigned website that will allow European players to access North American servers. [Source: Gazillion press release]
Marvel Heroes assures fans that it's 'completely free'
Worried that you'll hit a content wall in Marvel Heroes and be unable to progress without taking out your wallet? Rest easy today, gentle player, for this is not to be. Gazillion President David Brevik said that he dislikes the vagaries of the free-to-play label and assured players that Marvel Heroes is going to be as up-front with its business model as possible. "We aren't just a little bit free," Brevik said. "We're completely free. All the content is free and there are others things that you can buy to enhance your experience but they are completely optional. This isn't a nickel and dime experience we're creating." Brevik admitted that the team had to take liberties with the Marvel IP to make it all work as an MMO but has faith that it will be received well by fans after the Avengers movie this past summer. Marvel Heroes is currently accepting closed beta signups.
Marvel Heroes chief: 'It's very Diablo-like'
Gazillion founder David Brevik opened up in an interview at Comic-Con, talking about Marvel Heroes' strong suits (pun intended). When asked about how this title will keep players coming back for more, Brevik said "It's very Diablo-like: random levels and lots of items that drop. It's very addictive gameplay, as well as lots of endgame content that we haven't talked about yet." Brevik also discussed the game's story, which pits players against a nefarious plot by Doctor Doom. The key parts of the story will be told in over an hour's worth of motion comics. The team is strongly leaning on the Marvel IP to draw in fans and is relying on well-known heroes and classic locations to make geeks happy. When asked why players will not be allowed to make their own superheroes but instead will be forced to play one of Marvel's pre-existing characters, Brevik said that the game's system is just more compelling. While he admits that there could be 20 Spideys all in the same area, he points out that players have the option of switching their active character or choosing a different costume. You can watch the full video after the jump!
Hands-on with Marvel Heroes
Earlier this week, Gazillion Entertainment invited the press to participate in a hands-on demo of its upcoming MMO, Marvel Heroes. Massively sent freelancer Emil Vazquez to try the game out and tell us what he thought. I went into the Marvel Heroes demo fully expecting the game to reflect the design influence of David Brevik, the esteemed co-founder of Blizzard North (of Diablo and Diablo II fame) and now Gazillion's president. In that, I wasn't disappointed. Though the game proudly touts a stable of MMO buzzwords -- grouping, instances, shared worlds -- it's easy to see Marvel Heroes as a sort of spiritual successor to Diablo, and Brevik's influence shines through. It might be massively multiplayer, but it's a loot-based brawler at heart. And it's going to be free-to-play.
The MMO Report: Marvel Heroes edition
The title of this week's installment of The MMO Report isn't meant to be catchy; it's meant to make it clear that the show is exactly what it says on the tin. Host Casey Schreiner is joined by Gazillion Entertainment president David Brevik to talk about the upcoming Marvel Heroes for the entirety of the show as well as show off a bit of footage from the game's various trailers. If that sounds interesting to you, then you're in for a treat. Brevik explains that while players will be forced to choose from an existing roster of heroes, the game does offer several ways to differentiate between them through different costumes and different power selections. He also explains that he wants the game to feel similar to Diablo II in gameplay, with the MMO aspects changing the play environment rather than the core gameplay. Check out the episode just past the cut, and stay tuned each week for a new installment of The MMO Report from G4TV and Massively.
Marvel Heroes outlined in debut dev diary
Gazillion Entertainment's President and COO, David Brevik, used Marvel Heroes' first dev diary to tout some features of the upcoming free-to-play title. Marvel Heroes claims to combine Diablo-esque action with an MMO world stocked with Marvel personalities and locations. Players will be able to choose from the best characters that Marvel has to offer, which Brevik pointed out means that characters will have backstories and relationships with other characters which will make them that much more engaging. These familiar heroes will be running through well-known Marvel environments, but Brevik says that there is an element of randomness that will keep the spirit of adventure and discovery alive. The game comes with all the best parts of the Marvel universe: Multiple suits for characters allow players to choose between iconic looks, the story itself is being shaped by comic book legend Brian Michael Bendis, and motion comics illustrated by Marvel artists bring the story to life. If you're the type that needs to see to believe, there's good news: Marvel Heroes will be playable at the Marvel Booth (#2329) at Comic-Con International: San Diego. According to a Gazillion press release, fans in attendance will be able to play as one of four Marvel heroes and wade into Mutant Town to face off against Magneto. Marvel will be holding other events during the con, with plans for contests, giveaways, and a games panel where new Marvel Heroes characters and content will be revealed. To hear the big man himself, head below the drop to check out the dev diary video.
The Soapbox: Applying Neal Stephenson's Innovation Starvation to MMOs
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. You've probably heard of Neal Stephenson. The celebrated sci-fi author recently released his 13th novel, Reamde, and while it treads a little closer to traditional thriller territory than some of his more cerebral efforts, it still packs a futurist punch (and even led the author to comment on MMOs, virtual worlds, and World of Warcraft in a recent interview). In addition to speculative fiction, Stephenson is also prone to the occasional essay, the latest of which found its way onto the intarwebs a few weeks ago. While not directly related to the gaming or massively multiplayer industries, the piece does feature some interesting observations about the stagnant creative culture to be found in contemporary corporate America, and Stephenson also offers plenty of food for thought that can be applied to the current state of the MMO space.
Global Chat: All about the controversy edition
Welcome to this week's Global Chat! We love hearing what you have to say at Massively, and we love it even more when we can share the best comments with all of our readers. Massively staffers will be contributing some of their favorite comments every week, so keep an eye out every Sunday for more Global Chat! Wouldn't it be boring if we all agreed with one another all the time? The general consensus is usually "yes," and I've got to agree. Global Chat this week is all about differing opinions, so follow along after the jump to see a few of those opinions, then hit the comment button and add your own!
Gazillion's David Brevik on Marvel Universe Online, story, and changing the perception of MMOs
A new interview with Gazillion's president and CEO David Brevik is up on Gamasutra today. The interview focuses mostly on the ongoing development of Marvel Universe Online (though Gamasutra tries to pull a fast one to get a tip on Jumpgate Evolution, to no avail) and has shades of BioWare in the discussion of the "Holy Grail" of story in MMOs. As the interview points out, Brevik is familiar with the ups and downs of the industry, having been involved in the hugely successful Diablo II and the failed (and soon-to-be relaunched) Hellgate: London. A persistent theme of the interview is figuring out how to change the way that MMOs are viewed and how to prove that an MMORPG can be more than a DikuMUD clone. In addition, Brevik talks about the philosophy behind making MUO ostensibly the first free-to-play (from launch) Western AAA MMORPG as well as how the studio is planning to bring the epic overarching stories that Marvel comics are known for to the world of MUO. For the full interview, head on over to Gamasutra.
