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Apple announces an Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers
The program is part of Apple's $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative.
Apple's first reality TV series is 'Planet of the Apps'
As rumoured earlier this year, It looks like Apple's getting in on the TV-content game. Online applications are now being accepted for Apple's first ever original series Planet of the Apps. As the punny title suggests, the show will give app developers (yes, including you), a chance feature in the reality show. Applications must be received before August 26 if you want a chance of being selected, though.
Blizzard has begun selling Heroes of the Storm Founder's Packs
If there's any company in the world that could launch a new MOBA title without needing to sell founder's packs, it would probably be Blizzard. But we'll never know beyond the dark realms of speculation, of course, because sales have already started on the founder's packs for Heroes of the Storm. And yes, that pack includes access to the current closed beta, if its $39.99 price tag didn't already create that implication in your mind. Aside from beta access, the pack includes three heroes: Tyrande, Diablo, and Raynor, each with an alternate skin. Diablo gets to look fishy, Tyrande gets to look like a Blood Elf, and Raynor takes all of that high-powered armor off (which seems like a bad idea on a battlefield, but I guess that's why I'm not a space marine). You also get a mechanical golden wolf mount to ride around on the battlefield and 2500 gold for the game, which is more than enough money to buy anything that costs less than 2500 gold. Check out the pack trailer just past the break. [Thanks to Siphaed, deathandtexas, and Vincynt for the tip!]
ArcheAge brings two new head start servers online
ArcheAge responded to "burgeoning" player populations during the head start period by releasing a pair of new servers today. North America gets the Inoch server while Europe is graced with Aier. Since everyone is in a mad scramble to secure housing plots right now, a fresh server might be your ticket to a primo location. [Thanks to Stephen for the tip!]
Path of Exile unveils more of the Hall of the Grandmasters
Is your character in Path of Exile the greatest of all time? Do throngs of people spontaneously assemble around her to sing Eye of the Tiger when she's just walking down the hall to the kitchen? More specifically, did you purchase the Grandmaster Founder Pack for the game? Then you can be immortalized in the Hall of the Grandmasters, a unique map canonizing player characters whilst pitting everyone against these champions. The development team has recently posted screenshots of the map still under development in addition to some planning details. Players will be able to challenge specific hallways within the Hall of the Grandmasters, which pit players against several random grandmasters who must be beaten to continue onward. This allows the developers to continue expanding as more grandmasters are added in the future. Check out the full thread for more details and preview shots of the map under development. The team has also posted two new skill effect microtransactions; the videos showing them in action are below.
Entropy lets players fight over star systems
Forget fighting over small patches of dirt in some fantasy arena; Entropy now lets you conquer entire star systems. The space sim launched its first major update today called Hostile Takeover. The core feature of the patch is a three-faction PvP system that allows players to fight over, conquer, and protect outlying star systems from their enemies. Factions must destabalize an enemy system in order to cause a crisis -- a limited window of opportunity to swoop in and cripple the enemy's space station. If this is done, then the system changes hands. "With support for up to a hundred players in the same match, we expect some truly epic battles," said Artplant Producer Jack Wulff. Entropy is currently available through Steam Early Access.
Space MMO Entropy hits Steam's Early Access
Norwegian game studio Artplant, responsible for Battlestar Galactica Online, has announced another new space MMO entitled Entropy. The persistant, open-universe game is available through Steam's Early Access program and features dynamic trading and space combat in a sandbox world. The game currently sells for $19.99, but Founders packs ($99.99) are available for those looking to get in on the game early with a little more ooph. All wealth and XP progressions from this early access period will remain through to launch. You can check the game out on its Steam page for more screenshots and an impressive gameplay video. [Source: Artplant press release]
Infinite Crisis announces the new Founders program
Some people aren't necessarily instantly on board with the idea of a MOBA featuring DC Comics characters. But if Infinite Crisis had you hooked right from the premise, you can go ahead and put your money where your mouth is as of today. The game has just launched its Founders program, a chance for future players to buy now and enjoy the benefits later... like many other free-to-play titles have done recently. Three packages are available for purchase now, with all three unlocking immediate beta access, early access to Coast City, and an exclusive icon for use in-game and on the forums. The $20 package also includes 800 Crisis Coins (in-game microtransaction money) and 3 Champion unlocks. $50 gets you 3200 Crisis Coins, 6 unlocks, and an exclusive Gaslight Batman costume. And $100 gets you 8600 Crisis Coins, 12 unlocks, an exclusive costume for both Gaslight Batman and regular Batman, and early access to the next map addition. To help up the hype, the game has also released a trailer detailing the Coast City map, which is embedded just past the break.
The Soapbox: The soft launch scam
Back in the golden days of video games, there was no such thing as a soft launch. Nintendo didn't send out test copies of Super Mario World to special "backers," and Sega didn't ship half-finished Sonic games with promises of further content updates. Games, for the most part, were played only after they were finished, printed, packaged, and shipped. Even on PC, beta testing was more of an earned honor exclusive to players that showed dedication to a title and its community. Here in these modern times of Internets and always-ons, however, things are different. It would seem as though developers need only make enough game content to shoot a reasonably convincing trailer before the publishing team can begin collecting money by slapping a "BETA" sticker on the webpage and offering fans early access. Over the last few years soft launches have become increasingly common -- especially for creators of online games. The line between "in testing" and "done" is becoming blurred, and publishers are reaping the benefits while players suffer.
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."
Neverwinter reveals pre-order packs, beta weekend dates
Neverwinter's closed beta is closer than you might think, as Cryptic has just posted the dates of the three weekend events coming up. The beta weekends begin on February 8th, with successive ones starting March 8th and March 22nd, and will be available to residents of North America and Europe to those lucky enough to be accepted. To tempt people into shedding some cash up front, Cryptic is prepared to dangle guaranteed beta invites to those who purchase a $60 or $200 pre-order Founder's Pack. In addition to the closed beta access, the $60 version contains a head-start to the open beta, a title, an armored horse mount, a mask, and a direwolf companion. The $200 pack has an even longer open beta head start, an exclusive Menzoberranzan Renegade playable race, a closed beta code for a friend, a spider mount, a panther companion, and priority access to the game. Alternatively, Cryptic's offering a $20 basic pack that will not contain a closed beta key, but will give players a few in-game items and 12 additional inventory slots. [Thanks to Paul for the tip!]
Report: Freeverse co-founders leave the company
Freeverse is a classic name in the Mac gaming field: The New York-based developer was one of the world's biggest indie Mac game developers since long before the App Store existed or the iPhone was announced, releasing big titles like Wingnuts, Horde of Orcs and more. When the iPhone and its apps arrived, Freeverse got caught up in that same market, and was eventually acquired by mobile gaming startup Ngmoco, which itself was later acquired by a giant Japanese social gaming network. Freeverse was one of the biggest pillars of Mac gaming back in the day, and had some of the best early hits on the App Store. Now, the book on that chapter of Apple's gaming history is finally being closed. Touch Arcade is reporting that founders Ian and Colin Lynch Smith have left the company they started, essentially ending Freeverse as we once knew it. Unfortunately, there's no clear source for the news, but if this departure is true, then there's really nothing left of Freeverse but the name. Chief Engineer Mark Levin has also tweeted that he's left the company for the last time. That's too bad. We'll stay tuned to see what the founders may be up to in the future (ngmoco, unfortunately, has been focusing on some less-than-impressive Android titles lately, so there's not a lot of interest there for us iOS gamers). Hopefully this isn't the last we'll hear of Freeverse's impressive legacy.
MechWarrior Online developer blog discusses beta stages and launching
The term "open beta" has kind of been kicked around in the world of free-to-play MMOs, with several games entering open beta and essentially remaining there for eternity. MechWarrior Online's latest developer blog leads off by describing this problem, pointing out that terms like "launch" and "beta" don't have the same meaning when applied to a free-to-play game. But the game is still progressing toward open testing and a launched state, and the timeline for both is outlined in the blog. Starting on August 7th, all Founders will have full access to the closed beta, complete with currency to purchase items. All funds spent on purchasing items during closed beta will be refunded with each major patch and refunded again when the game switches to open beta. If you still haven't quite grabbed the Founder's Package yet, you've still got some time, as the package is being extended past the initial cut-off date of August 7th. For more details on the testing schedule and what's next for the game, look through the full rundown of the testing phases and the road to launch.
RIFT's offers limited-time subscription discounts
Getting into the RIFT groove and certain you'll be sticking it out for a while to come? Then there's a way you could be saving some money as well by signing up for one of Trion Worlds' new subscription plans during the "Summer of Savings" period that began this month. By committing to three, six or 12-month subscriptions, players can enjoy RIFT for a substantially lower monthly cost than the standard $14.99 fee. The three-month option comes out to be $12.29 per month, the six-month is $10.29, and the annual option is $8.99. It's interesting to note that these prices are close to those set by Trion for pre-order founders. A player using founder's pricing can pay $59.94 for a six-month subscription while a Summer of Savings customer will shell out $61.74 for the same service. As with founder's pricing, players can lock in these discounted rates -- as long as they stay subscribed to the game. The small print informs us that if a promotional subscriber discontinues service and then re-ups later on, he or she will have to revert to standard pricing.
Trion extends RIFT's Founder Pricing options
Trion Worlds has great news for RIFT fans who plan on playing the game for months at a time. The company is extending the availability window of its Founder's Pricing options for a further two weeks. The deal was originally slated to expire on March 15th, but subscribers can still select $9.99 six-month and $11.99 three-month plans if the purchase is made by March 31st. The discount pricing is valid as long as you maintain an active subscription, and your payment method will be charged on a recurring basis as per MMO industry norms. RIFT is a high-fantasy MMORPG featuring an ever-changing landscape, a unique Ascended Soul class system, and the ability to fight as a Guardian protector or a technomagical Defiant.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Pre-launch checklist
I'll just come out and say it: The month or so right before the launch of a highly anticipated MMO is simultaneously ecstasy and agony, full of love and loathing. The waiting sucks, but the anticipation is delicious. The enthusiasm from the community is electric, but the heated emotions can be toxic. The discussion is fascinating, but the know-it-alls are annoying. Personally, I kind of wish we could be at launch-plus-one month right now, just so that the frenzy of insane opinions will have died down and we can just, y'know, play the game without feeling as though we were in the middle of a verbal rugby match. Like any MMO, RIFT's going to have its positives and negatives, but I feel that this launch is going to be something we haven't seen in a long time: a solid, stable MMO that offers up a complete package. That pleases the Justin. Since I can't whip out my magic remote control and fast-forward to April, I propose we do the next best thing. Let's open up our imaginary quest logs and run down a checklist of seven "To Dos" and a few "To Don'ts" to help us prepare for RIFT's release. Planning can be fun! Shut up, it can be!
YouPlayorWePay opens up a new month, plans to add EU realms soon
We haven't heard much from the folks at You Play or We Pay lately, but maybe that's a good thing for them -- after all the noise from their initial launch, it seems like things have calmed down over there. They're giving out "Compensation Credits," it looks like they've started running a few ads, and it seems like they've finally settled on a model that works for everyone -- both the founders of the site and the people who sign up for compensation. While we heard the first month of slots filled up pretty fast, the second month seems to be going a little slower -- they've still got about half the slots for March still available as of this writing. But as you can see from the picture, they're promising some real items in exchange for those Compensation Credits. With 150 slots in March and about 100 credits given out last month, you may be waiting over a year to save up the credits to buy a 30-day game card, but the site is working the way they planned: you can sign up for free and eventually get something back for your realm's downtime.And they're planning on expanding soon -- the site reports that by the 15th of March, English EU players will be able to sign up for compensation on their realms' downtime as well. This site caused a lot of controversy when it first opened up, but we have to give it to them: it looks like they've worked out a way to do what they want to do.
Valentine's Day event in Hello Kitty Online open to everyone
The day will eventually come when the world burns itself out and society as we know it collapses. In the final days, tin foil hat theorists will suggest many reasons for humanity's demise, ranging from Skynet to MMO addiction and everything in between. Regardless of how or why it happens, once we're gone, the cockroaches will evolve into a global hivemind and inherit the earth as nature always intended. All they will know of their simian Mountain Dew-guzzling predecessors of the ancient world is one thing: they apparently worshipped a cute little animal with an off-kilter pink bow, the cat-goddess Hello Kitty. The day they encounter her is the day they will know their new master, and labor to rebuild the world in her image.It's true -- well, not the apocalypse bit -- Hello Kitty will remain an enduring aspect of our times, if the past 35 years of her reign as a cultural symbol is any indicator. The world's ultimate iconic character from Sanrio has adorned 'all our stuff' since 1974. Perhaps more than ever, kids (and quite a few adults) are absolutely in love with Hello Kitty. The estimated USD 1 billion per year she's worth confirms she's hardwired into our pop culture consciousness, a fact which isn't lost on the game industry. We've already seen a legacy of Hello Kitty games spanning multiple iterations of consoles and handhelds, as well as PC releases. Hello Kitty's involvement with gaming is about to enter a whole new era though, with her introduction to the world of massively multiplayer online games through Hello Kitty Online.
Hello Kitty Online Founder's Beta opening Oct 8th
"Hahaha I pwnedz0rz j00!""You cheated. Your class is overpowered. If I had my [insert popular class here], you wouldn't have a chance""STFU newb, go play Hello Kitty Online"It may have become the butt of as many jokes as Chuck Norris, but Hello Kitty Online might actually prove to be a major contender in the MMO space. Sure it probably won't compete on the same level with something like Warhammer Online, but in the ever-increasing niche MMO market, it has the possibility to become a hit online game.On October 8th at 22:00 EST, the HKO Founder's Beta will begin, opening the game to many more players than the previous beta that's been going on for months. To find out more information on becoming a Founder (which operates much like a special pre-order program for when the game launches), you can check out the Founders FAQ or the game's FAQ itself. They even get bonus points for offering a Torrent version of their beta download!
Hello Kitty Online Founder's Beta announced
Collector's Editions, in-game exclusives, and headstarts aren't limited to hotly-anticipated MMOs in the fantasy genre. More casual MMOs are now offering additional incentives and benefits to gamers who are devoted to their given IP. A case-in-point is Hello Kitty Online and their newly-announced Founder's offer. The Hello Kitty Online Founder's Beta will allow those selected to play the game ahead of launch while participating in special in-game events. Here's how to become a Founder in two easy steps:1. Sign up for a SanrioTown.com account.2. Using your SanrioTown account, send a BLANK email to hkofounder@hellokitty.com.That's it. Founders should have some new things to look forward to from Hello Kitty Online, according to the official site: "an improved interface, new monsters, new maps, new items, and the opening of London and Paris. The Founders' Beta will also introduce gameplay changes such as an improved skill system, pet systems and team-play oriented enhancements." If you're curious about this title, either for yourself or for one of the little people in your life, don't wait too long to become a Founder -- this stage of beta testing begins on October 8th. If you're thinking about giving it a shot, be sure to check out the full details in the Hello Kitty Online News and Update page. [Via MMORPG]
