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Worms dev Team17 reveals new IP 'Flockers'
Worms developer Team17 revealed at the PlayStation Open Day in Royal Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, Englandthat that a new intellectual property named Flockers is in the works. The developer is expected to officially reveal the game next week, according to Develop. "This is the most important game we've worked on in over a decade," Team17 Managing Director Debbie Bestwick said, perhaps alluding to the fact that Flockers will be the first new IP for the developer in more than ten years. Team17 is best known for its long-running Worms series, which will see the addition of Worms: Battlegrounds this year on PS4 and Xbox One. Team17 is also in the process of positioning itself as a publisher for the first time in nearly two decades, as it will fund the development of Just a Pixel's stealthy PC game Light and prison breakout sim The Escapists. [Image: Team17]
The Daily Grind: Would you buy a spinoff game based on an MMO?
It's not really fair to call Hearthstone purely a spinoff of World of Warcraft, since World of Warcraft itself is a spinoff of the original RTS games, but it's close enough for consideration. Nor is it the only game to have an odd sort of related spinoff game; City of Heroes had some HeroClix figures, Star Wars Galaxies had a card game, Final Fantasy XI has had characters show up in a number of crossover video games and card games, and so forth. For some people, the whole point of playing an MMO is that you aren't playing a board game or a card game or whatever else the spinoff focuses upon. But there's also a certain appeal in playing with characters and locations you recognize from the online game you play extensively. So would you buy a spinoff game based off an MMO? Have you done so in the past? If so, what sort of game would you want to play? 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!
US phone companies to explore replacing all phone numbers with IP addresses
Voice-over-IP (VoIP) is nothing new, of course, but so far it's been regarded merely as an add-on to America's regular, analog-based copper and cellular voice networks -- networks that are currently maintained as a matter of legal requirement. The FCC isn't necessarily such a stickler for tradition, however, as it is now encouraging phone networks to explore what would happen if VoIP replaced everything else. In other words, how would the system cope if the only phone numbers were Internet Protocol addresses; if even emergency calls were transmitted over the web; and if remote rural communities became dependent on VoIP, with no other type of network as a backup? Companies that want to participate in the experiment have until late February to submit their ideas, with approvals expected to be granted as early as March -- but don't fear, the tests will only be permitted in "discrete geographic areas or situations," which is the FCC's way of politely reminding telecom providers not to get ahead of themselves.
European carriers and Google Fiber are leading the IPv6 charge
The advanced IPv6 standard reached the internet well over a year ago. But who's really using it? Mostly Europeans, if you ask Akamai. The content delivery firm is now tracking IPv6 adoption as of its latest State of the Internet report, and it found that European nations represented seven of the top ten countries using IPv6 in the third quarter of 2013. The US was more modest in embracing IPv6 with 4.2 percent of all traffic relying on the newer technology, while Asia was relatively slow on the uptake. Adoption varies widely from provider to provider, though. More than half of Google Fiber's traffic was based around the protocol, while more established companies like Deutsche Telekom and Time Warner Cable still leaned heavily on old-fashioned IPv4. There are a handful of other revelations in the report. Denial of service attacks dropped for the first time since the end of 2012, with China passing Indonesia to once more become the biggest source of incursions. Broadband speeds were also clearly on the way up -- Akamai notes that use of high-speed internet access (over 10Mbps) jumped 31 percent quarter-to-quarter to to hit 19 percent worldwide. These increases primarily came from South Korea, the Netherlands and other countries that already have high average internet speeds. Not that Americans can complain too much. The US mostly kept pace with a typical internet speed of 9.8Mbps, or enough to make it the eighth fastest country on Earth.
Lord of the Rings Online renews license through 2017
Turbine has secured the license for Lord of the Rings Online -- for a few more years, at least. Community Manager Rick Heaton confirmed the license renewal on the official forums today: "I just wanted to drop in and address the concerns surrounding the license, again. We have said as far back as July of 2013, we plan to support LotRO for many years to come. I really want to be as clear as possible on this subject to avoid any further confusion or misunderstanding. The license was renewed." For more on the issue of LotRO and the license to Tolkien's works, you can check out last year's Road to Mordor column on the subject.
New URLs stoke rumors of Last of Us film adaptation
Few planned film adaptations of video games ever make it off the ground, but new domains registered by Sony indicate that the company is at least working toward a big-screen version of Naughty Dog's apocalyptic hit The Last of Us. GameSpot recently discovered the two domains, TheLastOfUsMovie.net and TheLastOfUs-Movie.com, despite Sony taking pains to obfuscate these sites. Instead of registering the domains through Sony or one of its many subsidiaries, the two URLs were registered by a corporation called MarkMonitor which grabs websites like these for clients who would prefer that their name stay out of the same media spotlight we're now shining at them. That said, it's possible that Sony is acquiring these URLs as a way to protect any future plans it may or may not have to make a Last of Us film. Corporations plan these things long in advance, and there's any number of reasons why a company might want to lock down valuable intellectual property. On the other hand, The Last of Us was one of the best games of 2013, has sold more than three million units in half a year, and generated more critical hyperbole than most publishers could ever hope for. With all that built-in momentum, Sony just needs to find a talented, young lead to play Ellie. Maybe that girl from Juno is available.
38 Studios asset auction may be delayed due to high demand
When companies die, their assets are sold to make back whatever money can be recovered. That's normal. But you wouldn't expect a great deal of interest in the intellectual property of a company that had worked on only two games and actually released just one of them. Apparently that expectation would be wrong; Richard Land, the attorney in charge of selling off 38 Studios' holdings, has requested that the IP auction be delayed due to greater interest than expected. For those of you who had forgotten the details, here's a recap: The sale of these assets are part of an attempt by the state of Rhode Island to recover some of the enormous losses when 38 Studios went bankrupt following a $75 million loan from the state. The auction was originally scheduled to take place November 13th to the 14th. What parties are interested in the IP remains to be seen, as do the offers that have supposedly been put on the table.
Leaderboard: Which of these IPs would make the best MMO?
Let's talk about IP-based MMOs. There are a few currently available. There are a couple that are no longer available. There are probably some that I'm forgetting. The point I'm getting to, though, is that there are some fairly well-known IPs that haven't crossed over to the land of kill-10-rats, faction grinds, and endless character progression. Maybe your favorite IP has already been made into an MMO. Maybe it hasn't. Maybe you hate the idea of IPs or IP-based MMOs in general. Regardless, you should click past the cut and participate in this week's poll. Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Square Enix 'Collective' partners with Indiegogo, opens older Eidos IP
Square Enix is partnering with Indiegogo for a indie development curation program it's calling Square Enix Collective. The platform allows creators to post their ideas to Square Enix's community, garnering votes over the course of 28 days. Project pitches are evaluated by Square Enix, and providing the community approves the idea, can then be taken to Indiegogo to potentially raise funds for development. Square Enix stays in touch through each game's development process, assisting in distribution once the game is ready. The publisher says that while submitting a pitch costs nothing for creators, they "will need to accept some terms and conditions" when placing their ideas in front of Square Enix's community. Square Enix also added that creators "could have the chance to work with some of the older Eidos IP from our back-catalogue," indicating that its own properties are on the table for prospective designers to toy with. Square Enix will have more information on the program's requirements and submission guidelines at November's GDC Next even in Los Angeles. Now don't go submitting a new Timesplitters game all at once, everyone.
EA working on new IPs to avoid 'life support' scenario
EA is working on an indeterminate number of new intellectual properties, EA Games executive VP Patrick Söderlund told MVCUK. "We have six to eight completely new IPs in the works," Söderlund said. "The day we stop making new IP is when we go onto life support." EA's definition of a "new IP," however, may be a bit more liberal than what that term implies at first blush. "We are working on a new Mirror's Edge game, and although that's not a new IP, it is a revival done in a new way," Söderlund said. "We are developing Star Wars: Battlefront, which to us is a new IP, even though it isn't technically." So by "new," EA doesn't necessarily mean new new, but rather new-ish, or new enough, perhaps. In any case, it does make us wonder what that other handful of fresh IPs are all about. The sky is practically the limit! In fact, there are so many incalculable variables to consider when predicting that sort of thing that we're just going to stop thinking about it. Ah, that's better.
More Atari IP auction winners announced, Stardock plans Star Control reboot
A few more pieces from Atari's intellectual property catalog, which has been on clearance sale for a little while now, have new owners. Of note is the Total Annihilation and Master of Orion franchises being picked up by World of Tanks developer Wargaming World Limited, while the Star Control series is now in the hands of Galactic Civilizations developer Stardock. "We're very excited to publish a new Star Control game. We are inclined to go with an XCOM-like reboot using Star Control 2 as a major source of inspiration," said Brad Wardell, president and CEO of Stardock to Joystiq. "By rebooting the series á la XCOM, we can bring a new generation of gamers into a fun, silly space adventure. We hope to involve as many of the original designers and developers of the series, along with the fan base. It's important to us that Star Control remain true to its origins as much as is possible." Wargaming has yet to respond to our request about its plans. We've placed the list of the latest Atari IP winners after the break. The winning bids were not disclosed.
HTC and Sony prevail over patent troll WiLAN
A federal jury has just taken a bite out of patent licensing firm WiLAN's business plan, ruling that HTC, Sony, Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson didn't infringe any of the four patents it sued them over. The latter two companies fended off three wireless base station claims, while Sony and HTC defended a fourth involving handset technology. HTC said it believed that WiLAN "exaggerated the scope of its patent" to extract royalties, while a spokesman for Alcatel-Lucent said it believed the company "was stretching the boundaries of its patents" -- all of which were invalidated by the court. WiLAN has been fighting such battles on numerous fronts for many years, including one reported to have resulted in a large settlement with Intel. Though it said it was disappointed by the decision, the IP firm still has pending litigation against Time Warner and Comcast, among others. Those cable firms may be hoping a White House patent reform bill will be tabled sooner rather than later.
The Perfect Ten: Franchises that would make great MMOs
Any MMO player worth his or her salt has a binder full of ideas for games, usually based on a favorite book, television, or movie franchise. We've talked about it before. We've discussed whether or not it's a good idea to even have IP-driven MMOs. But you know what we've never done? We've never consulted me. I'm hurt, to be honest. I know that I'm just one of millions of MMO players, but I have a binder too! It's a vintage Trapper Keeper with a wizard on the cover who is dashing among abstract geometric shapes. My mom thought it was cool and my friends think it's totally rad. Inside are the secrets to hit MMOs that studios are just too scared to make but would be bigger than World of Warcraft if someone would just take the chance. I know it. Today I'm going to open up that binder and shove my ideas in your face. And then, knowing how these things go, I will raise up every geek voice against my picks in the comments section. Bring it on. My wizard can handle all of you.
Outcast creators purchase IP from Atari
The founders of Appeal, the development studio responsible for 1999's sci-fi action game, Outcast, have purchased the intellectual property rights for that brand from holding company Atari, formerly known as Infogrames Entertainment. The original Appeal employees involved, Yann Robert, Franck Sauer and Yves Grolet, are starting a "revival of the franchise" according to the announcement of the rights acquisition – specifics as to what that means were not given. Outcast designer Bruno Bonnell's name was also not mentioned in the press release. Outcast concerns one Cutter Slade, an ex-Navy SEAL operative tasked with escorting a team of scientists into an alternate dimension, so that they may locate and recover a US government probe that is in danger of causing a black hole. All of this takes place in the distant future year of 2007, but here in 2013 the game itself can be purchased on GOG for $3.
Samsung opens US-based patent beachhead focused on display tech
Smartphone patent disputes may get all the glory, but display battles can be no less pitched. To that end, Samsung launched a US IP company in March sans fanfare called Intellectual Keystone Technology (IKP) to "trade and develop" OLED and LCD patents, according to The Korea Times. A spokesman said the company opened the office as a way to smooth innovation, but also warned that it intends to use it "to protect our intellectual property by strengthening our patent-related business." So far, it's already shored up Samsung's portfolio by purchasing display tech from Seiko Epson -- after all, it never hurts to have as many cards up your sleeve as you can when things get ugly.
Rhode Island selling 38 Studios' game assets
Do you have a few million on you and a desire to preserve some gaming history? Then pick up the phone and call Rhode Island, as the state is getting ready to sell 38 Studios' assets, including its games. The state is looking to recoup some of it $130 million debt that it fell into once 38 Studios went belly-up. One of Rhode Island's lawyers says there "is interest" in the studio's assets, including concept art, design documents, and computer software. The sale of 38 Studios' IP includes the Amalur franchise, which encompassed the Project Copernicus MMO. The state is also set to begin a lawsuit this week against former 38 Studios execs, including founder Curt Schilling. The suit claims that the executives did not inform the state when they knew that the studio would have a hard time keeping afloat financially. Schilling has asked the judge to dismiss the suit.
World of Tanks vs. Project Tank: Is there IP infringement?
Browser-based Project Tank from Gamebox is under fire this week from the makers of World of Tanks for alleged copyright infringement. Beginning with a report to Facebook regarding the Project Tank FB page (which is where the game is playable), Wargaming is also looking to shut down the game itself, citing intellectual property violations. Gamebox is currently looking to reinstate its Facebook page while fighting the accusations. In an official statement released by Gamebox, the studio claims that, while they are fans of World of Tanks, no ill intention is there. "We sincerely hope Wargaming not to continuously consider us as a 'threat' to its user group, since PT and WOT are different in many ways and don't compete with each other at any platform," the statement says. We've included gameplay videos from both games just after the cut below so you can judge for yourself if you think this IP dispute is warranted or not. [Source: Gamebox press release and several tipsters]
Apple reaches smartphone patent licensing deal, agrees to pay Japanese company $10 million for rights
You can't normally read about IP and the mobile industry without coming across two endlessly warring tech companies -- especially when Apple is involved. But today marks a different sort of patent exchange for Cupertino: a cooperative one. Japan-based Access Corporation, a mobile software provider, has agreed to license its patent portfolio -- acquired from its purchase of PalmSource (yes, that's the company behind Palm OS) -- to Apple, in a deal valued at about 1 billion Yen (roughly $10 million USD). It's not the first deal of this kind for Access' smartphone IP. Back in 2010, Microsoft entered into a similar arrangement that gave it the rights to the same portfolio. The lesson here, kids? Money, it solves everything.
The Daily Grind: Do you play multiple IP-based MMOs simultaneously?
Ahem, take two on today's Daily Grind. IP-based MMOs are something of a rarity these days, but the major ones seem to come in pairs more often than not. Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV were running concurrently and will be again when the latter finishes its Realm Reborn reboot. EverQuest and EverQuest II have also been playable simultaneously for over eight years now, leading to a dilemma for franchise fans who are long on nostalgia but short on time. So, how about it Massively readers? Can you play two MMOs based on the same IP simultaneously, or do you stick with one or the other? 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!
The Daily Grind: What would get you to try a genre you don't like?
I don't particularly like MOBAs. PvP in general doesn't do it for me, and e-sports are closer to unintentional comedy than to actual sports that I play and watch. That said, I'll very likely play Infinite Crisis at some point simply because I'm a fan of DC Comics. Yeah, I'm a sucker for certain IPs, and marrying one of them to various game genres guarantees that I'll give you my money. I suspect that I'm not alone here, otherwise companies like Turbine would spend more time developing original products. What about you, Massively folk? If not IPs, is there anything else that would make you try a game in a genre that you dislike? 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!
