one-year-anniversary
Latest
Marvel Heroes celebrates its first anniversary
Marvel Heroes turns one year old today and it's throwing itself a fabulous birthday party. Don't worry: You're all invited as well. Gazillion is handing out an anniversary gift per day per account for players level 30 or higher who log in and talk to a special NPC. In addition, the team has toggled the server to boost XP, RIF, SIF, and cosmic chest rewards by 50%. Marvel Heroes has big plans coming up later this month, including achievements, login rewards, the Silver Surfer, and a special surprise.
Forsaken World turns one, gives you gifts
Forsaken World is gearing up to blow out some birthday candles, and Perfect World Entertainment has given us the scoop on the title's first anniversary celebration. Players who visit the anniversary website will receive "a lavish prize package of in-game items that may include an exclusive mount or rare pet." The new site also highlights the upcoming Nightfall expansion, which includes flying mounts, new dungeons and bosses, and new explorable areas. Nightfall also boasts a new soul virtue system that allows for a bit of skill customization and character differentiation. [Source: Perfect World press release]
RIFT celebrates its first year by looking back... and looking beyond
It's been a tremendous first year for the RIFT team, and as the devs embark on year two for the game, they have taken a moment to look at the progress the title has made and where they intend to take it from here. "We built a really good foundation," Technical Design Director Peter Ju said, "and now we're just going to keep expanding it, expanding it, expanding it." Apart from the expected proud testimonies from RIFT's developers, a new anniversary video shines some light on the development process. Ever wonder how Trion Worlds can pump out updates in such rapid succession? One of the reasons is that the tech is structured so that every dev can run -- and experiment upon -- a server on his or her own computer. The team is excited about a brand-new 20-man raid that includes a dragon made entirely of treasure, not to mention a zone that's composed entirely of a city. A brief shot of a marker board suggests that the team is mulling over trapping and fishing professions as well as a possible mentoring system. You can get pumped up for RIFT with this video after the jump!
Trion launches RIFT's Carnival of the Ascended anniversary events
It's hard to believe that RIFT is a year old, but it is, and Trion has taken the wraps off a substantial world event to celebrate. The Carnival of the Ascended kicked off yesterday, with festivities that include four weeks of bonus XP, various minigames and rare reward opportunities, and "hours of new solo, group, raid, PvP, crafting gameplay, and more event quests than ever before," according to Trion. RIFT is a high fantasy MMORPG that features two opposing factions, dynamic quest content, and a customizable class system. More info on the one-year anniversary event, including images of many of the reward items, can be found at the official RIFT website.
Year One: A look back at DCUO on its first anniversary
Given the popularity of Batman, Superman, and the rest of the DC Comics license, you'd think an MMO based in and around Gotham City and Metropolis would be nothing short of wildly successful. If anything, though, DC Universe Online (as well as dearly departed Sony Online Entertainment titles like Star Wars Galaxies and The Matrix Online) has proved that big-name IPs are not a surefire recipe for an MMO blockbuster. While DCUO has picked up a head of steam over the past couple of months, it took a free-to-play business model conversion to help the superhero title achieve success in its rookie year.
Grudge match: RIFT faction rivalry heating up for one-year anniversary
Worried that RIFT's Guardians and Defiants are less age-old enemies and more goofy odd couple roommates bumbling around to a laugh track? If faction chumminess concerns you, you'll be glad to hear that Trion Worlds is planning to escalate tensions between the two sides that will forever change the feel of the game. Trion said that it's already deep into the planning stages of heating up the conflict between the game's two sides, which is planned for next spring. The current Fae Yule festival is meant to be a quiet moment before everything explodes; a peace that is soon to be shattered. Design Director Hal Hanlin puts a date on the upcoming Factionopalypse: "We're planning to drive a wedge between the factions for the game's one-year anniversary." This puts the date of the event in early March 2012. Currently, while the two factions don't necessarily get along, they both are working toward the same goal of repelling the invading planar forces. It's just that they use different approaches and philosophies as they truck along.
Perpetuum expansion launches December 1st, anniversary tourney this weekend
Perpetuum's latest expansion is rapidly approaching, and Avatar Creations has pumped out a good bit of info to make sure sci-fi sandbox fans are aware of all the goings-on in its maiden MMORPG. The Intrusion 2.0 patch hits tomorrow and brings with it substantial improvements to the mission and rendering engine systems, a new robot, and new conquerable outpost mechanics. Prior to the expansion, outpost conflict was fairly random, but now thanks to a concept called stability that lets corporations gradually increase their influence over a given facility, Avatar is allowing enterprising players to get a lot of more mileage out of the system as they build their empires across the planet Nia. As we reported last week, the devs are also hosting a tournament to celebrate the game's one-year anniversary, and you can read Avatar's description of the events after the break.
Some Assembly Required: Happy birthday Perpetuum!
Welcome back to Some Assembly Required, dear readers. This week marks something of a milestone for Perpetuum, the sci-fi sandbox set in the distant future on a far-flung planet known as Nia. Yes, the mech-based MMORPG has survived its first year (without a free-to-play conversion crutch!), and more than that, it's even grown a little bit. That's no small feat for an indie title in today's overcrowded MMO marketplace, never mind a niche sandbox that's been called a ground-based EVE Online. Join me after the break for a recap of Perpetuum's first 12 months.
Perpetuum planning tourney, treasure hunt for first anniversary
Perpetuum turns one year old this week, and the devs at Avatar Creations are celebrating in style. A new blog entry brings word of an anniversary weekend complete with a competitive PvP tournament and a not-so-competitive treasure hunt. The tourney happens on the weekend of December 3rd, and it's open only to corporations (few solo players could afford the 10 million NIC entry fee anyway). In terms of format, the event is a 16-team ladder elimination affair, and the first 16 corporations to mail in their registration fee will be accepted (the deadline is November 27th). If your group isn't up for bloodletting and robotic mayhem, you can join in the PvE treasure hunt and obtain plenty of loot rewards for your trouble. Check out the official Perpetuum website for more details and the full list of tourney rules.
FFXIV takes to YouTube Live for its one-year anniversary [Updated]
Lights... camera... internet connection... aaand action! To celebrate Final Fantasy XIV's first anniversary, Square-Enix's Naoki Yoshida will be taking the stage for a live edition of the Producer's Letter. This event will happen on October 4th at 8:00 p.m. a.m. EDT on YouTube Live. Yoshida will use the time to field player questions from around the world and will also talk about the future of the title as it heads into its second year of operation. Final Fantasy XIV will celebrate its first anniversary on September 30th. For Massively's musings on where the game's been and where it's going, make sure to check out this past week's Mog Log for the full skinny!
Clone Wars Adventures announces eight million users, upcoming content
The other day, we announced Clone Wars Adventures' one-year anniversary celebration. However, it seems more celebration is in order. According to a press release today, the game is also celebrating over eight million registered players. On top of that, the press release gives us a sneak peek at upcoming content. The television series' fourth season will begin tomorrow, September 16th, and will focus on Mon Calamari, the home planet of everyone's favorite Admiral. As such, the game will feature content such as Mission on Iceberg 3, which presents a storyline that sets the stage for the TV Series. In addition, the game will be adding a minigame called Aquatic Assault, which puts players in the boots of the famous Nautolan Jedi Kit Fisto as he pilots his Diver Propulsion Vehicle against waves of Aqua Droids, Quarren, and Karkaradon. The game's one-year anniversary celebration is going on now. To get in on the festivities, head on over to the game's official site and sign up. [Source: SOE Press release]
Land of Chaos Online celebrates first anniversary with free stuff
Like presents? If so, Alaplaya is betting you'll like Land of Chaos Online, not to mention the one-year anniversary party that's going on right now. The festivities run through August 30th and include special anniversary gifts for all players as well as free hero cards from the AP shop. LOCO blends action, real-time strategy, and traditional MMORPG progression together with third-person shooter elements and a matchmaking format similar to Defense of the Ancients. The formula is apparently working pretty well, as the game has attracted over 530,000 registered players in the past year, according to a new press release. More info on the game is available at the official website, and you can also download the client and start playing for free.
Star Vault releases Mortal Online Dawn features list, new videos
Mortal Online's first expansion was announced a while ago now, and players are still waiting on the mammoth patch to make it to the game's live server. Star Vault is no doubt anxious to placate its ravenous PvP-centric customer base, and the company has released a lengthy changelog on the game's official forums. The listing outlines many of the features forthcoming in the Dawn expansion, but as post author (and Star Vault CEO) Henrik Nystrom writes: "This note may not be final." It's probably a good representation though. As such, let's take a quick look at what Dawn brings to the table. We've got new mechanics including the gene system, task/transport system, and housing friend system. We've also got new mail functionality, dynamic mounts, alchemy and cooking, and a load of bug fixes that we haven't the space to list. You can check out the full changelog on the Mortal forums, and be sure to watch the one-year anniversary and Dawn preview videos after the cut.
Global Agenda: Year one retrospective and interview
What a difference a year makes, eh? Round about February of 2010, Hi-Rez Studios was an unknown indie developer gearing up to unleash a newfangled "spy-fi" shooter on an unsuspecting populace. Fast forward 12 months and Global Agenda has morphed from a relatively standard Team Fortress-style kill-'em-all to an actual MMO. Killing is still the order of the day, as few MMOs are so completely focused on fast-paced bloodletting, but Global Agenda has added an impressive amount of bulk over the past year, with more on the way. Hi-Rez also managed to successfully change the game's business model in 2010 and ultimately ended up molding Global Agenda into one of our favorite MMOs. Suit up, grab your crescent jetpacks, and fly past the cut for a few reasons why as well as a look at the game's evolution to date. There's even an interview with Hi-Rez's Todd Harris on page two!
NCsoft's Stites talks Aion anniversary
NCsoft's Lance Stites has weighed in on the one-year anniversary of Aion. Stites, Executive Vice President of Game Operations and Production, has quite a lot to say about the land of Atreia and the eternal war between its winged denizens. From thoughts on the launch-day server queues that were enraging prospective players this time last year, to the free content updates featured in version 1.9 and the more recent Assault on Balaurea, Stites summarizes a year of tweaks in a post over at AionOnline. In addition to his mini-retrospective, Stites also hints at the future, which includes "new western-specific events, continuing refinement to drop rates and experience, a 64-bit client to make performance better than ever and expanded pet functionality." Finally, he mentions the special one-year anniversary presents available to active players via the in-game survey system, as well as the unique Aqua Griffo pet gifted to loyal subscribers who've stuck with the game since launch.
Come back to Fallen Earth for $4.99, get a free respec
Former subscribers to Icarus Studios' Fallen Earth received a welcome surprise in their inboxes this past week, as the North Carolina-based developer sent out a special subscription offer to help celebrate the title's upcoming anniversary. Former denizens of the wasteland can return to a full month of gameplay for $4.99, with the regular subscription fee of $14.99 recurring after 30 days. Returnees can also look forward to a free character respec courtesy of the Pristine Recombinant Injector that will appear in their in-game mailboxes upon account re-activation. If you've been away from the game for awhile, Icarus says there's no better time to check things out, as it has several anniversary events planned for residents of the Grand Canyon province.
One full year of being a Champion
If you read about Champions Online in its first days, you would not have thought of it as a triple-A title. The game was full of bugs, the community management was not the best, and it just seemed like the devs were intent on shoveling out more broken stuff that barely worked. I think that, in particular, the first three or four months were the worst. If you were to go back in time and ask me about whether or not I thought CO would make it to its first anniversary, my response would have been: "Maybe, but it'll be bleeding subs if it even makes it that far." Since then, a lot of things have changed. I talked about the first six months of CO, but it's been a full year since that painful launch day patch. I'm not sure I'm even playing the same game anymore.
Champions Online looks to its one-year anniversary and beyond
It might be hard to believe at times, but it's true: on September 1st, Champions Online will hit the one-year mark. The development team has been fairly quiet of late, but judging by the latest State of the Game address, it's just been focusing on several updates and improvements. The Summer Update, with several new costume pieces, bug fixes, and visual treats, is scheduled to go live on Monday, but there are even better things coming around the bend, including the game's second adventure pack. Dubbed the Demonflame and aimed at a late September release, the newest adventure is meant to incorporate several pieces of feedback from the Serpent Lantern adventure. The goal is to make the adventure less repetitive and easier to follow from point to point for all players. Beyond that, the team has a long list of issues they're looking into and planning to work on, starting with pet improvements and stretching to scaling instances and better difficulty slider integration. Champions Online fans should take a look at the full update, and while the first year has had ups and downs, the future seems to be on the upswing. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for our one one-year retrospective of the game around the anniversary, which should be coming right around the first of the month. [Thanks Clinton and Faryon for the tip!]
Happy first birthday Free Realms!
As the song goes -- It's Your World -- and one year later, the team at Sony Online Entertainment have shown that to be true by adding requested content like pets, mounts, player housing, and games like soccer and pirate ship battles! Now, one year after initial launch, Free Realms has crossed the 10 million registered player mark, and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon as they prepare to head into their second awesome year. By way of thanking their community for incredible growth -- and fun -- in the last year, the team behind Free Realms plans to celebrate by throwing a series of parties all day today! Starting at 9 AM Pacific and going until 5 PM Pacific time, various SOE employees will log in to the game for a series of games of "Ambassador Hide and Seek" wherein one employee will hide, and another will emcee the party and give players hints as to where they can find that particular Ambassador. SOE has also opened up the option to pick up Station Cash through PayPal and SMS (text message), making it even easier than before. In addition, they're adding new items to the store like tints for the beetle pet, and offering other items on sale like the Red Balloon Animal pet. If that's not enough, they've additionally given us 10 codes for Station Cash Cards worth 1000 Station Cash each ($10 USD value each). If you'd like to get your hands on one of these, simply leave a comment (only one per person) to this post before 8am ET April 30th, 2010 telling us your favorite addition to Free Realms in the last year. We'll select 10 random winners from the comments tomorrow morning. Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. You find the complete Joystiq network contest rules here. There's also a shiny new "yearbook" video touching on some of the fun events of the last year that we've embedded behind the break for you. It's been one heck of a year, and we here at Massively would like to wish the Free Realms team many more years of fantastic fun! [Edit: Comments are now closed. Winners will be contacted soon.]
Looking ahead to WAR's second year
Although we've seen celebrations for some time now, with the Wild Hunt event and a couple of special scenario weekends, Warhammer Online's actual birthday came and went at the end of last week. Executive Producer Jeff Hickman took the opportunity to sum up some of the things that the development team will be focusing on, moving forward into year two: "In addition to the four new careers, numerous Live Events, the medallion system, Keep upgrades, city siege improvements, and other new features, we're now turning our focus to improving balance, performance, and the Tier 4 game play experience."Also on the cards for improvement is the "new-player experience", an area that many MMOs have fine-tuned later in their life with excellent results. The birthday celebrations haven't quite wrapped up yet either, with the "Isha's Sorrow" event taking place over the coming weekend in the Temple of Isha scenario. It may have been a bit of a rocky first year for Warhammer Online, but we'll hold out hope for year two. Happy Birthday WAR!
