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The Daily Grind: What game has the brightest future?
It's easy to be cynical and pessimistic about MMOs. At Massively, we know that very well, since hardly a week goes by without some bit of bad news coming out of a major studio. But there's also a time and a place to be optimistic, to look over the horizon and say that a game is doing well -- that what's around the corner is a good omen, not just another harbinger of doom. Today's question is simple. What game, in your opinion, has the brightest future? Are you psyched about the options in EVE Online? Thrilled at the thought of Final Fantasy XIV's re-release? Even just excited to keep playing World of Warcraft? There's no reason to disparage anything else. Today, we just want to know what game you think has the brightest future and why. Let's be optimists for a little while. Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
PlayOn now available for iPad with Wi-Fi and 3G
Good news for all PlayOn users who own an iPad. Engadget is reporting that as of this week, joining the iPhone and iPod touch, PlayOn has released a much anticipated software update allowing you to stream content to your iPad, too. With the power of Safari and HTML5, you can now watch streaming content from such providers as Hulu, Netflix, Comedy Central, ABC, CBS, MTV and ESPN3 (and many more) over Wi-Fi and 3G by visiting PlayOn's web based app. To harness the streaming power of PlayOn you need a running version of Windows (to get it setup) as well as a subscription to PlayOn's Premium service. If you haven't used PlayOn before, or you're not sure it's what you're looking for, PlayOn offers a free 14 day trial so you can try before you buy. [Via Engadget]
Funcom Games Canada hires new CEO and plans to expand
2009 wasn't the best year to be in the business of making games, to the point where some of us weren't expecting good news like a major publisher hiring new people -- but it's happening. And it's not a small hiring push, either, aiming in the 100-150 range. That's the latest news from Funcom, whose recently opened Canadian studio has appointed a new CEO for the division. Miguel Caron is going to be in charge of building up the staff of Funcom Games Canada, as well as overseeing the studio during the development of The Secret World -- according to Ragnar Tornquist, the Montreal-based expansion will play a key role in the game's development. Even if you aren't looking forward to The Secret World, however, it's excellent to have news of a company not facing security trouble, layoffs, or shutdowns. Although the timeframe for the expected hirings is a year and a half, that's still a lot of work being generated by Funcom, which is a boon to both their existing games and their newfound plans of focusing on the casual gaming market. Let's hope this kicks off a trend of more positive news for the industry this year. We certainly need it.
The Daily Grind: Do you prefer good news or bad?
Today we're going to be a little bit meta for our discussion topic of the day and ask a very simple question with larger meanings: do you consider yourself on the positive or negative side of the fence? When you see news on the site, do you prefer the good news and the uplifting stories, or would you rather see things with a bit more bite to them? Certainly the negative can be a fair bit more entertaining, and if there's a game you don't like (which many of you seem to have) it's kind of nice to feel vindicated in your dislike. Positive news, on the other hand, can only bolster morale if you're a fan of the game in question -- but you get a lot more fuel out of that than a thin shot of schadenfreude. So. All things being equal, if we post a story about Game X, which you neither play nor have any strong opinions about -- are you happier if it's good news or bad news? And as a point tied to that, do you generally consider yourself to be a more positive person or a negative one?
