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Fallen Earth adds another distribution point with RealGames
When it comes to creating your own MMO, there are tons of things to think about: storyline, coding the project, what engine to use, writing out all the game's text, play-testing, bug testing, supporting a community and so much more. That's why we're really not surprised to see Icarus Studios & Fallen Earth, LLC embracing the heavy use of digital distribution as a method of getting Fallen Earth out to the public. Add to that their connection to partners like Steam, Direct2Drive and now RealGaming -- part of the RealNetworks group. It's not only cost-effective, but it additionally gets their game out in front of people who may not have seen their indie post-apocalyptic MMO otherwise. Along with their connection to RealNetworks comes a tie to 650 partner sites such as GameStop, PC Gamer, and GameRiot. While it's unlikely we'll ever see Fallen Earth trial CDs roaming counter-tops in the wild, it's nice to know that if they ever get the urge to do so, the partnership that could help make that happen is now there. There's always more room in the apocalypse for fresh new clones!
65% fewer Arena teams in Season 5
Roma Victor over at Gameriot had an eye-opening entry recently that gives some hard numbers to a phenomenon that I'm sure a lot of players have known for a while... fewer people are playing Arenas lately. A lot fewer. About 65% fewer. He perused the Season 5 ArenaJunkies title calculator which allows players to see the cutoff for titles according to Battlegroup and compared the numbers to Season 4 -- a season already notable for having low participation due to its proximity to Wrath of the Lich King and steeper ratings requirements on gear.The numbers were, as Roma Victor put it, "not pretty". Actually, the numbers were downright ugly. Take, for example, the cutoffs for the Bloodlust Battlegroup, the notorious BG9 where Arena participation has historically been intense. Last season, the top 235 teams in 2v2, top 92 in 3v3, and top 27 in 5v5 brackets were eligible to earn the Gladiator title. This season, those numbers dropped to 93, 36, and 8 respectively. That's a whopping decline in participation across the board in the most active Battlegroup in the US! ArenaJunkies also has numbers from Europe, Korea, and Taiwan and all of them show the same thing -- there are fewer players participating in Arenas than probably ever.
Help a WoW machinimator win an HP Blackbird!
Ian Beckman, a popular WoW machinimator otherwise known as UncleTom, is very close to winning himself a brand new computer. GameRiot issued a call for filmmakers to insert the industrial-strength gaming PC, the HP Blackbird, into their favorite game. The winning entry will receive a machine that's supposedly worth $8,000 USD! His entry, Serious Business, was highlighted on WoW Moviewatch last week.Ian is known for the European Machinima Fest nominated, Azerothian Super Villains - Episode 3, among other things. He is currently in the lead position, but to ensure our love, he has provided us with an Ask a Ninja spoof, Ask an Assassin. Voting ends on December 27th, at 10pm EST, so vote for Serious Business while you can!
WoW Moviewatch: Serious Business
When two teens decide to hack into the Blackbird Human Computer War Network, they have no idea what they're in for. Meanwhile, in Azeroth, the government finds out that they're under attack. Against the advice of an underling, the head of state declares war.This is obvious nod to the 1983 classic, "War Games," but it's still quite enjoyable. Beckman Movie Productions made the Machinima for the GameRiot "Dawn of the Blackbird Machinima Contest." The submission deadline is today and you can vote for your favorite movie until the 27th.[Via Warcraftmovies.com]Previously on Moviewatch...
Utgarde Keep video
Blizzard strictly forbade any video or pictures of live gameplay during BlizzCon, so for fear of not being able to cover the whole thing for you guys, I stayed away from breaking that rule. But apparently Gameriot was not so rule-abiding, and they grabbed some shaky footage of the first dungeon we'll see in Northrend, Utgarde Keep.They played the same parts I did on my walkthrough, including the gigantic furnace walls, new Vrykul race, a few "proto-drakes," and the first boss, the Warlock who summons some big Vrykul skellys throughout the fight. There's not a lot new to hear about if you've been reading everything so far, but if you weren't able to make it to BlizzCon, it'll be your first chance to see everything from Northrend's first 5man on video.[ via Curse ]
