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Star Wars Outlaws gets a new trailer and a release date of August 30
Ubisoft just dropped another trailer for its upcoming open world Star Wars game. The new trailer focuses on the story for Star Wars Outlaws.
Native Instruments’ Massive X software synth is finally here
When Native Instruments first released the virtual synth Massive in 2007, it quickly took the music production world by storm. Producers loved the three oscillator wavetable synth plugin -- with its wave-scanning algorithms and 1,300 presets -- for its vast options. The soft synth went on to define EDM as we know it today, for better or worse. Now, the company has released the widely anticipated successor to Massive, which it's deeming Massive X.
The Division's PC experience won't suffer because of consoles
Ubisoft Massive says that PC gamers looking forward to its Division shooter won't be sacrificing any presentation quality because of their console counterparts. "Obviously we want to make a game that looks the best it can on its respective format, so Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC," Massive's Martin Hulberg told Open World Games. "We address every console, every platform as its own version, so we try to stay away from the thing where you go for the least common denominator and everybody suffers for it," Hulberg explained.
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Ubisoft Reflections involved with The Division development
The Division, the third-person, open-world shooter set in a Tom Clancy universe, is in co-development by Massive Entertainment and Driver: San Francisco developer Ubisoft Reflections. Develop reported the partnership from an interview with Reflections' Managing Director, Pauline Jacquey. Jacquey estimated that "about 40 percent" of Reflections is currently working on The Division, adding that the team is involved with "all of the game's systems: main characters, enemies, RPG pillars, building Manhattan, online components and so on." Jacquey added that Reflections started working on The Division a few months ago. The partnership reveal follows last month's rumor that development "has barely started" on The Division, with the same source describing a 2014 release date as "laughable." [Image: Ubisoft]
Ubisoft shows off Snowdrop engine with help from Tom Clancy's 'The Division'
Ubisoft's showing off a new trailer for Tom Clancy's The Division, and it's a stunner. Sure, we don't hit every gaming trailer that comes across our radar, but this one certainly piqued our interest, as its good looks owe a lot to the new Snowdrop engine -- as the French game company puts it succinctly in today's blog post, "good luck taking [that Ferrari] for a test drive without an engine inside." The game got some face time at E3, alongside the company's eagerly anticipated hacker title Watch Dogs, and now Ubisoft is ready to spill a few more beans about what's under the hood, in conjunction with Spike's VGX awards. The game's developer, Massive, is talking up the engine's real-time workflow for testing and evaluating features, film-inspired lighting techniques and destruction effects that differ based on physical forces. Beyond that, Massive's not saying a lot, but the trailer below does a fair amount of speaking for itself.
The Think Tank: How do you define 'massive'?
I was passing out Massively t-shirts at a fan event a few year back when an arguably large man told the crowd that he probably shouldn't be wearing a shirt with the word "massive" on it. We all got a chuckle, but I don't think I would have defined him as massive before he made that comment. We asked for your opinions on the definition of the word "massive" as it pertains to massively multiplayer games, and the answers were both interesting and varied. So I thought it'd be a good idea to see what the Massively staff thinks of that debatable word. Follow along after the jump to see what we call massive.
The Daily Grind: How would you define 'massive'?
In our editorial Soapbox this week, a Massively writer suggested that MMO players have a difficult time agreeing on what constitutes an MMO at least in part because of fundamental confusion over the term "massive." I've always thought the word too relative to be useful; I like the idea of playing alongside thousands of fellow geeks, but very few of the MMOs and MMORPGs I've played since the dawn of the genre ever actually put more than a few dozen people on my screen at a time, and those that tried anyway usually lacked the tech to pull it off without extreme lag. Most MMOs, even single-shard EVE Online, are divided in some way, be it over shards or server boundaries or layered zone instancing or dungeon instances or phasing or even lobbies, and it just doesn't make much difference unless the economy is tanked as a result. A game that isn't massive but feels massive is more an MMO to me than one that's technically massive but plays like a single-player title -- "massive" seems a happy illusion at best and a double-standardish proxy for "old-school" at worst. But many gamers are convinced they know exactly where the line in the sand must be drawn between the massives and the nots. So today, let's assume you, the readers, get to decide for the genre what "massive" means. How many people does it entail -- and how and where and in what numbers precisely must they interact -- for a game to be "massive" enough to merit the term MMO? And how many old school MMORPGs would fit that definition? 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!
Ubisoft's Massive subsidiary working on AAA MMO
Ubisoft is working on a AAA MMO according to the internet sleuths at PlayStation Lifestyle. The site unearthed a mention of the top secret project in the LinkedIn profile of Massive Entertainment's Marc Cartwright as well as a call out for a lead level designer on Massive's own website. No platform details have been forthcoming, nor has any mention of an IP, setting, or general subject matter. Fan speculation has centered on Ubisoft's uber-successful Assassin's Creed franchise as well as new critical darling (and Massive project) Far Cry 3.
Visualized CES Edition: Behringer's iNuke Boom speaker dock, a 10,000-watt altar for your iPod
No word on whether it goes to eleven. Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.
The largest battle ever held in EVE Online is going on right now
reddit_url = "http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/30/the-largest-battle-ever-held-in-eve-online-is-going-on-right-now/"; reddit_target="gaming"; Tweet While many of us haven't actively taken part in EVE Online's territorial warfare, news routinely surfaces of the massive alliance wars that take place in the game's lawless nullsec regions. As the number of players subscribed to EVE increases, so too does the size of the average nullsec fleet. Since there's no disadvantage to bringing additional pilots, each side in a heated war will try to bring as many people as it can physically get to attend. At a certain point, however, the server hardware strains under the weight of hundreds or thousands of players, and lag sets in. The point at which this happens has been rising over the years as CCP performs server upgrades, with previous expansions seeing fights as large as 500-1000 per side with quite manageable lag. A landmark battle is currently raging in the system of LXQ2-T, with thousands of pilots fighting for control of the system. The number of players in the system peaked at over 3,110 pilots, with alliances from the Northern Coalition political conglomeration facing off against the Russian power block from the drone regions. Lag began to set in at around the 2,400-player mark, with pilots facing several-minute delays on warp commands and module activations. Several pilots have launched live video streams of the event, though much of the action has ceased for the moment as the server begins to recover from a severe clash with the lag monster.
Massive ad tech to be rolled into Microsoft first-party business
Microsoft has confirmed the reported closure of its Massive in-game ad company and the dissolution of the brand name. Posting on the Microsoft Advertising Blog, corporate ad VP Rik van der Kooi explained that the Massive technology would be integrated into Microsoft's first-party ad business, "focusing initially on gaming," including the Xbox Live and MSN Games properties. He added, "This also means that Microsoft will wind-down Massive's third-party in-game ad business and sunset the Massive brand name at year-end." Microsoft purchased Massive Inc. in 2006 for between $200 and $400 million. Last year, the business suffered significant layoffs despite recording soaring revenues. Microsoft will retain a Massive skeleton crew to wrap up ad campaigns running through the end of 2010. "We will make the wind-down process as seamless as possible for them," Kooi said -- for the clients, that is. No word yet on whether any Massive employees will be transferred to the first-party ad division.
Report: Microsoft shutting down Massive in-game marketing firm
Adweek reports that inside sources at Microsoft have confirmed that Massive Inc., a Microsoft-owned advertising firm with a focus on in-game marketing, will be shut down by its parent company before the end of the month. The reasons for Massive's waning business are apparently twofold: Apparently, Microsoft favors advertising directly on the Xbox Live dashboard, as the company keeps all of the ad revenue, while Massive must split its revenue with publishers. In addition, sources told Adweek that EA's recent decision to keep in-game ads in-house stripped Massive of some of its largest clients. The price at which Microsoft purchased Massive Inc. in 2006 is estimated to be between $200 million and $400 million, both of which are a great deal of money. The firm faced its fair share of hardships last year, when its parent company laid off more than one quarter of its staff. We've contacted Microsoft for a comment on the report. Update: A Microsoft spokesperson responded to our query with a boilerplate "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation."
Free for All: So, what does "MMORPG" mean?
As a reader of Massively, you should have a pretty good idea what MMORPG means. Not just what it stands for, but what it feels like, looks like, and behaves like. The problem is, despite common definitions, the games keep coming in different shapes and sizes -- and from all over the world. While I receive many comments about the Western coverage that Massively features, I would only be doing half my job if I reported on only the latest half a dozen games to break the multi-million-dollar budget mark in America. The world is a smaller place, especially now. And across the world there are MMORPGs that are being played and enjoyed in many different ways. There are PvP games, games that place players into instance after instance with only a handful of other players, all while offering the potential to hang out with thousands of other people. Is an instanced combat game still an MMO? How about a game like Mabinogi, which maintains a persistent world, but is broken into several invisible channels for players to skip in to and out of? This is impossible, but I think I will try to define exactly what MMO means -- now, in this current market.
EA shifting ad sales in-house starting with Madden NFL 11
EA's been keen on in-game advertising since 2006, and, two years ago, signed a pretty big deal with in-game ad provider Massive. Apparently, though, EA won't be re-upping that agreement. As Mediaweek reports, the publisher has instead decided to take it upon itself to coordinate in-game ad sales starting with Madden NFL 11. Elizabeth Harz from EA's global media sales division says it's basically a situation in which EA is cutting out the middle man. "Fundamentally, [EA sales execs] are talking about these gaming audiences everyday already," meaning that EA is already discussing who's playing and what products would best target those audiences.On its own, EA can create more diverse and specific advertising packages, with increased ability to personalize packages based on the potential advertisers' targeted demographic. Exciting stuff, we know. [Via Game Politics]
Splinter Cell Conviction to feature in-game advertising during torture scenes
Imagine this: you're playing one of Splinter Cell Conviction's many "choose your own torture" sequences, as described by Ubisoft's Jeffrey Dickstein. As you're slamming a terrorist's face into a urinal, you might ask yourself, "is this the new Degree deodorant I should buy?" (Seriously, these are his words.) This is actually the pitch Ubisoft delivered at Microsoft Advertising's Gaming Upfront presentation in New York this evening. In-game advertising is rapidly growing, but has typically been relegated to sports and racing games. Splinter Cell Conviction breaks convention by being neither. Expect both static and video ads to appear throughout the environment -- including during the game's lengthy torture sequences. Perhaps they should take it one step further: Sam Fisher should grab a Coca-Cola bottle, smash it, and use the broken glass to kill a guy. Talk about refreshing! In addition, Ubisoft showed potential advertisers the "heat maps" they created whilst developing the game. These maps highlight likely places players will go while playing. Advertisers will be able to place their ads in high-density areas, in order to ensure maximum exposure to their brands while in the game world. Considering Splinter Cell is a stealth game, don't be too surprised to see ads inside of the conveniently accessible (not to mention remarkably roomy!) air ducts.
Massive sees 'double-digit' in-game ad revenue growth in 2009
On the Microsoft Advertising Blog, J.J. Richards, head of Massive Incorporated, decided to dispel some rumors surrounding the in-game ad industry. Specifically, Richards noted that the in-game ad industry is "thriving." He adds that in fiscal 2009 Massive has seen "double-digit year-on-year revenue growth in the face of one of the worst economic crises of the last century," and that the company has surpassed its first quarter sales target by over 100 percent. Richards spends the rest of the post explaining that in-game ads work, are easy to implement and, the kicker, gamers actually like them. He notes that all ads are placed with an eye toward realism, saying that "gamer satisfaction" is paramount and that all ads go through testing before being added to a game. Furthermore, he suggests that ads actually enhance the experience, contributing to realistic immersion. Regardless of your feelings toward game ads, one thing is clear: They aren't going anywhere. Massive has already announced a fairly, well, massive lineup for this fall. Let's just hope Massive keeps the ads unobtrusive, unlike some other in-game ad companies. [Via Edge]
Massive announces fall in-game ad lineup
Microsoft's in-game ad company, Massive, has announced that it will be providing ads for several major publishers this fall, namely THQ, EA and Activision. Massive will supply ads for EA's sports lineup -- including Madden NFL 10 -- and Need for Speed: Shift. For Activision, the company will provide ads for the many upcoming Hero games, including Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero and Band Hero, as well as Tony Hawk Ride and Blur. There will also be ads in THQ's MX vs ATV Reflex as well as its smash hit UFC 2009: Undisputed. Also, expect ads in Ubisoft's Splinter Cell: Conviction -- projected on the walls, perhaps -- when it launches next year. Perhaps most important of all, Massive will be the exclusive provider of advertisements on Blizzard's revamped Battle.Net when it launches alongside StarCraft II. That's not much of a leap, as the company is the sole provider for the current Battle.Net as well. Still, we're just guessing that there will be more than a few eyeballs pointed at Blizzard's online playground whenever StarCraft II graces the world with its presence. [Via Edge]
Epic Games Korea opens to work closely with local devs
Epic Games has opened a new subsidiary in Seoul, Korea, with plans to provide licensing services and support resources to development teams using its Unreal Engine. Epic Games Korea will be led by Ray Park, formerly the business and strategy development manager for Microsoft's in-game advertising company, Massive, Inc.While Epic Games has provided its Unreal Engine to teams in the territory for over five years, Park states the opening of a Korean subsidiary signifies Epic's "desire to collaborate more closely with the [local] game development community." Jay Wilbur, Epic Games' vice president of business development, noted Epic Games Korea would serve as "a hub for Unreal Engine access, knowledge and support in the Korean marketplace."Rumors of developer Silicon Knights moving to Korea in search of the support it claims to have never received from Epic Games could not be confirmed ... because we made it up for the sake of a bad joke. [Image Credit: Nanopaprika]
Microsoft lays off 28 percent of Massive
It seems as though the reports coming in this morning regarding Microsoft layoffs at its in-game advertising department, Massive, were more than a tad overstated. A Microsoft spokesperson, as well as Cassandra Nuttall, head of marketing at Massive, confirmed to us this afternoon that, "In total, the Massive business unit will see a headcount reduction of 28 percent." Earlier today we reported that a variety of outlets, relying on "anonymous sources," were told that the layoffs at Massive were as high as 75 percent. "While yesterday's job eliminations included full-time employees who work for Massive," the spokesperson told us, "the reports of a 75 percent workforce reduction are inaccurate." Citing the "global economic downturn" for the staff cuts, Ms. Nuttall also insures us that the company "foresee[s] no disruption whatsoever [in its] current relationships with global, blue chip brands and leading game publishers." To those of you laid off, we wish you the best in the coming months.
Microsoft continues layoffs, Massive allegedly hit the worst [update]
According to multiple reports this morning, the second round of Microsoft layoffs has affected Microsoft's in-game advertising arm, Massive. Apparently as much as 75 percent of the staff has been cut, according to anonymous sources at VentureBeat. "As part of the plan we announced in January to reduce costs and increase efficiencies, today we are eliminating additional positions across several areas of the company ... Microsoft is not breaking out layoff figures by divisions," a rep for Microsoft told Gamasutra. We've contacted Massive and Microsoft for confirmation of the layoff numbers and will update this story when we hear more. If you were affected by the layoffs and want to speak with us (anonymously or otherwise), please feel free to shoot us an email.Update: Microsoft and Massive have responded to our emails and corrected reports from this morning.Source 1 - GamasutraSource 2 - VentureBeatSource 3 - BigDownload
