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Piranha: MechWarrior's F2P model not pay-to-win
Concerned about the free-to-play nature of the newly announced MechWarrior Online title? You shouldn't be, according to the latest Piranha Games dev blog. The big wall o' text comes courtesy of one Bryan Ekman, who says that the new battle mech game will definitely not be pay-to-win. "One of our core pillars is role warfare and [it] is designed to, well –- level the playing field –- another concept from our original design. We're doing away with the arms race and making battle mechs of all shapes and sizes have a purpose and role on the battlefield," Ekman says. Why should players spend any money, then? That's not as clear, though the blog does touch on the usual F2P bullet points of convenience and acquisition speed. Get out your PR decoder rings and head to the official MechWarrior Online website for more info. [Update: A second blog post outlines the team's reveal plans in the coming weeks. Thanks to nimzy for the tip!]
KingsIsle teasing new Wizard101 content
Our friends at KingsIsle Entertainment have tipped us off to an exciting bit of news regarding Wizard101. Unfortunately we don't know quite what that news is just yet. Why the posting then? Well, that's where you lot come in. Take a look at the image above and put on your thinking caps. KingsIsle let slip the fact that this picture is the first in a series of three to be released over the next week or so, and there's some sort of message hidden in each image. As we understand it, all three will be needed to decipher the full message, which ultimately has something to do with some "mysterious upcoming new content." [Source: KingsIsle press release]
SOE releases second PlanetSide 2 short story
Sony Online Entertainment is kicking the publicity machine for PlanetSide 2 into high gear lately. The only problem is that all the PR has nothing to do with the actual game. Yes, shooters can have lore (Global Agenda has quite an extensive backstory, for example), and SOE seems determined to keep its Forgelight-powered MMOFPS in the news without revealing much more about the mechanics. The latest salvo comes courtesy of celebrated comic scribe Marv Wolfman, who is busily creating PlanetSide 2's factional history via a series of short story vignettes. Today's reveal, the second in a series, centers on characters from the Vanu Sovereignty, some of whom buy into the faction's zealotry. "Today we have declared our Sovereignty, a Vanu Sovereignty. Only one force can live on Auraxis, and it must be us," one of them declares. You can read the full text at the official PlanetSide 2 website, and don't forget to check out our exclusive Wolfman interview from earlier this week.
HTC invades Belgian train stations with miniature Android army
The master of bizarre marketing ploys, HTC, has employed a more militant approach to its latest PR stunt. In a move apparently aimed at promoting the launch of a bunch of new Android phones (specifically the Flyer, Sensation, Incredible S, Desire S, and Wildfire S), the outfit meticulously filled railway stations in Antwerp, Brussels, and Namur with varied configurations of the little green monsters. While the stunt's grabbed our attention, we're happy the bantam buggers weren't there to greet us at the outset of our morning commute. More pictures await you at the source link below.
E3 2011: GamersFirst talks Fallen Earth and F2P
Last week the devs at Icarus Studios dropped the first hints of their collaboration with noted free-to-play developer GamersFirst. Despite a lot of speculation and anticipation (fueled in part by the fact that the Fallen Earth website went offline for a few hours for updates), no free-to-play announcement was forthcoming. Yesterday at the annual E3 convention in Los Angeles, our own Rubi Bayer managed to corner GamersFirst's Darek Connole to ask him what the heck is going on in terms of wasteland business models and future development considerations. Is Fallen Earth's cash shop expanding? Is the game going free-to-play? GamersFirst remains coy on both subjects, but you can check out the full interview after the cut for more details.
BBC assembles experts to comment on Sony crisis
The fact that it's been one of the worst couple of weeks for Sony -- and its customers -- cannot be disputed. However, the future of this crisis, which started a couple of weeks ago when Sony's network was hacked and user information was stolen, is anybody's guess. As such, BBC News assembled a panel of four industry experts to comment on the situation and speculate where Sony might go from here. Richard Merrin, a PR director, said that Sony demonstrated both the worst and best ways to respond to a crisis: "In the first instance, Sony waited ten days before telling users what was happening, which is a classic error in terms of communications. It knocked consumer [confidence] and damaged Sony's reputation. But with the second incident, it has acted extremely quickly and seems to be following the four golden rules in crisis PR -- to be open, honest, transparent and fast." "In terms of PR, I think Sony can turn it around," said ComputerandVideoGames.com's Tim Ingham. "Consumers are often quickly outraged by this sort of wobble from a global corporation -- but we tend to have short memories if we're not personally damaged by a given incident." The security expert, Sophos' Graham Cluley, said this doesn't change how users should protect themselves: "People need to be more careful with their passwords and make sure that they have different passwords for different online accounts." You can read the rest of the comments at BBC News.
Gamasutra examines a PlayStation brand in crisis
Hard as it may be to recall, at the turn of the century, "PlayStation" had replaced "Nintendo" as the colloquialism for "video game," and the PS2 was beginning its unprecedented run of 150 million units shipped. The brand was nothing short of "awe-inspiring," as Gamasutra business editor Colin Campbell recounts in a recent editorial. But a decade later, "the PlayStation brand is in gentle decline," observes Campbell. "And the events of the past week could accelerate that decline into something more serious." In his thorough assessment of Sony's "predictably pitiful" response to the current crisis, Campbell poses a most distressing possibility. Imagine if, in a year's time, we were to look back and reflect: "'It just kinda went away, didn't it? Sony entirely laid the blame on the hackers, launched a lot of legal flak, refused to take any responsibility, offered the minimum clarity and token recompense. But no-one cares any more. At least they've encrypted my personal data now.'" Could we really settle for that? While Campbell lays out an otherwise convincing ideal game plan for Sony to follow -- where is KB on this one, really? -- he's also suggesting that, aside from unavoidable short-term costs, the crisis could blow over for the company. It would seem, then, that in order to prevent such a sorry (non) response from Sony, video game media and consumers alike will have to act and not just react. Now that we've changed our passwords and checked our credit reports, what next? Do we just sit back and hope a freebie is coming our way? Is that how little it takes for us to forgive and forget? Or can we continue to push Sony for a respectful response -- and, if that fails, take our business elsewhere? The video game community at large doesn't have to clean up Sony's mess, but we owe it to ourselves and each other to ensure Sony does the job right. Otherwise, we risk continuing to be treated as uninvolved, adolescent basement-dwellers. The hackers among us shouldn't be the only ones to teach Sony a lesson.
Marvel MMO announcing its writer this Thursday
Wakey wakey, Marvel MMO fans: Your favorite company has a big announcement lined up for later this week. It's so big, apparently, that today the legendary comic book publisher released an announcement about its upcoming announcement. On Thursday, April 28th, Marvel will be unveiling... drumroll please... the writer of its upcoming comic book-flavored MMORPG. Who could it possibly be? Is Marvel going to talk about the actual game at some point? Inquiring minds want to know the answers to these and other burning questions, and a blurb on the company's website promises some dialogue after the big info drop. "We'll be taking your questions via Twitter, Facebook and the liveblog below once the action has begun," says the site. There's also a brief preview video featuring Marvel.com's editorial director, which will be replaced by a live video stream of Thursday's event. Check in with Massively later this week as our own Bree Royce reports from the Marvel shindig in San Francisco.
The Daily Grind: If you could ask a dev any question and get a straight answer, what would it be?
Today, let's pretend like marketing, public relations, and corporate secrecy don't exist, shall we? And while we're dreaming up crazy scenarios, let's imagine that you got to sit down with an MMO developer of your choice and ask him or her one direct question. The catch? That dev would have to give you a direct, straight answer without any hedging, PR-speak, or "no comments." What would that question be and to whom would you address it? Would you want to know the top secret release date for The Old Republic or Guild Wars 2? Would you uncover the very real truth behind shady scandals of the past? Would you want to know what the devs say about players amongst each other? Or would you want to know their favorite pies? Today you get one question. Today is your... destiny! 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!
Apple reportedly hires top UK gaming PR execs from Nintendo and Activision
As you may have noticed, Apple has been more serious about gaming lately that it was even during its Pippin-fueled haze in the mid-1990s, and it's now offering yet more evidence of just how invested it is with a pair of new hires. While the company isn't confirming the move just yet, MCV is reporting that Apple has snatched up Nintendo UK's former head of communications, Rob Saunders, who just left the big N last week and will apparently be focusing on PR for iOS apps at Apple. What's more, he'll reportedly be joined at Apple by former Activision PR director Nick Grange, who's said to be focusing specifically on the iPad -- which, as we've seen, can be a pretty versatile gaming device in its own right.
Kevin Butler account accidentally retweets PS3 exploit
Oh, Kevin Butler. You seemed so perfect -- exactly the kind of PR icon that Sony needed, always saying and doing exactly the right thing for the company's image. You were always so in the know, always on top of the public pulse. Until Tuesday night, that is, when the Kevin Butler account on Twitter replied to what it thought was a random series of letters and numbers with a Battleship joke. Unfortunately, that code turned out to be the key once used to hack the PS3 through a USB dongle. In essence, the great KB helped to spread exactly the sort of information his company's been fighting to keep secret in court. Of course, the tweet was quickly deleted. It wasn't that severe a leak anyway, since Sony's already fixed the exploit that it used and that key isn't the one being contested in the ongoing lawsuit. The real damage here is to KB's reputation. After deleting the tweet, whichever PR person runs the account quickly dived into a relatively harmless attempt to start a "#gamingis" trend. What, no snarky comeback or humorous braggadocio, KB? And here we thought he was the Vice President of Knowing What's Up.
TERA interview attempts to decipher "westernization"
Uh oh, it's time for the W-word again. Last week's entry in the TERA Race and Class series purported to explain En Masse Entertainment's definition of westernization. The vaguely worded nature of the press release raised more questions than answers, though, and the folks over at ZAM recently caught up with En Masse producer Brian Knox in an attempt to put some meat on the westernization bones. Knox's insights steered clear of specifics, instead focusing on a general definition as En Masse sees it. "Westernization refers to our process of adapting a game to fit the Western market. In some cases, text localization and new marketing assets are all that are needed. Other times, specific game mechanics and features require tweaking for the market," he says. So what exactly does that mean for TERA? It's anyone's guess at this point, and it could be as simple as text translations or as complex as class differences or a softened XP grind. We'll keep our eyes peeled for more details.
PBS launches free iOS app for watching full-length video
PBS has just announced its own app for iPhone and iPod touch, and from the looks of it, it's a doozy (if you're super into PBS, that is). That's right, the free PBS app will allow you to watch full-length PBS productions on your device -- including its popular news programs like FRONTLINE and the PBS Newshour. You won't be able to watch everything that PBS offers just yet, but the app also has a built-in calendar which should be super useful if you happen to structure your entire life around PBS programming like we know some of our avid readers do. PBS developed the app with help from Bottle Rocket Apps, and adds this to its other apps currently available, the Antiques Roadshow game app and the PBS for iPad app. This one's available right this second in iTunes and it's free. Full press release is after the break. [Thanks, Jake]
Lenovo adds G and B Series IdeaPads to its cornucopia of laptop offerings
Lenovo has just announced about 20 new laptops, including the G and B series IdeaPads. First on offer, the G Series includes the G770, G570, G470, G575 and the G4575, ranging in size from 14, 15 and 17 inchers. All models boast up to Intel Core i7 CPUs with AMD Radeon HD 6370 graphics with up to 1GB of VRAM, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, and an up to 750GB HDD. Other options include Blu-ray and a choice of Windows 7 operating systems. Each model features USB 2.0 inputs, Bluetooth, 802.11n WiFi, a 5-in-1 card reader, HDMI out and a 2 megapixel webcam. The G Series laptops weigh in at around 4 pounds. The B Series laptops -- the B470 and the B570 -- boast up to an Intel Core i5 CPU (the new second generation version) and 14- and 15.6-inch, 16:9 displays, respectively. They also pack up to 8GB of DDR3 SDRAM and an up to 1TB HDD. They also come with WiFi and 3G, DVD or Blu-ray options, and a 0.3 megapixel webcam. We don't have pricing or availability for the G Series IdeaPad as of now, but the B Series will be available starting in April with a base price of $499.99. Full press release is after the break. %Gallery-112396%
Lenovo busts out S Series netbooks just in time for CES
Lenovo has just made it rain laptops over here (literally -- we got hit in the head a few times) with the addition of 18 new IdeaPads to its lineup. First up, the S Series netbooks include the IdeaPad S205 and the S100. The S205 boasts up to and AMD dual-core E-350 CPU, an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768 resolution) 16:9 widescreen panel, up to 8GB of DDR3 SDRAM, and an up to 750GB HDD. It also packs Bluetooth and 802.11b/g/n WiFi, HDMI out, USB 2.0 and a 6-in-1 card reader, plus optional 3G. The smaller netbook on offer is the 10.1-inch IdeaPad S100. It has choice of processors up to a dual-core Intel Atom N570, Integrated Intel GMA 3150 graphics, up to 2GB of DDR3 memory, and an up to 320GB HDD. The S100 also boasts Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, USB 2.0 connectors, 2 megapixel webcam, and a 2-in-1 card reader. Both the IdeaPad S205 and S100 weigh in at about 2.2 pounds, and will be available starting in March for the base price of $329. Full press release is after the break. %Gallery-112379%
FTC makes ruling in iTunes review case
The Federal Trade Commission, of all things, has laid down a ruling in the strange case of Reverb Communications' iTunes reviews. We didn't get to this story the first time around, but a PR firm named Reverb Communications (disclaimer: I've attended their press events here in LA) was accused a while back of asking its staff to leave positive iTunes reviews on some of their clients' App Store titles. This wasn't just a request to have the staff try out and review client games -- they had an "internal user reviews" process, in which employees of the firm were paid specifically to leave positive reviews -- "not over the top" were their words -- on iTunes and online message boards. Now, the Federal Trade Commission, ruling under the recent regulations for endorsements online, has decided to settle the case. No money is changing hands, but Reverb and its executive have been asked to remove all of the reviews posted. You can read more about the agreement on the FTC's website. The FTC says that anyone endorsing a product online "should disclose the material connection the reviewer shares with the seller of the product or service," and that Reverb didn't do that. For its part, Reverb and executive Tracy Snitker would like to brush the accusations off. "Rather than continuing to spend time and money arguing, and laying off employees to fight what we believed was a frivolous matter, we settled this case and ended the discussion," she told the New York Times. But this ruling seems more important than that -- it's the FTC's first enforcement of the Internet review guidelines, and so we'll have to see what kinds of precedents this case sets.
See Mafia 2 and get ... a haircut
We, as it turns out, are in a race with PR to the end of civilization. It goes a little like this: they keep coming up with more obstinately dumb ways to promote games and, since we too are dumb, we fall for it and write about it. Then they get dumber and we have to write about it harder. And so on. So we're going to do our part and tell you that 2K Games is offering free haircuts to gamers in the UK to entice them to check out Mafia II (full details after the jump). But we do so with the understanding that we're propagating a cycle that terminates with "Hurl Your Feces at Halo 4 as You Screech in Delight" in the not-too-distant future. So, sorry. For that. (P.S. The title of the press release literally includes the phrase "Invite You To Become A Mane Man." We didn't add that.)
Apple posts video showing antenna issue on Nokia N97 mini
Apple hasn't traditionally been a company that calls out its competition by name, but that's not the case with this Antennagate campaign -- it's posted a video and added information to its page calling out the Nokia N97 mini for suffering from the same issues the iPhone 4 is getting complaints about. In the video above, you can clearly see that yes, holding the Nokia phone by its antenna will cause the signal bars to drop. Honestly, though, I'm not really sure what Apple is trying to say with this page and these phone comparisons. Yes, Apple, you win -- your phone is just as bad as everyone else's? Don't get me wrong -- I haven't picked up an iPhone 4 yet, but only because I haven't been able to find one. The reception issues don't really bother me. Still, I think it's the wrong tack for Apple to take just putting their phone alongside everyone else's and saying this is an industry-wide issue. I bought my original iPhone (and will buy the iPhone 4) because it's better than everyone else's, and it's weird to see Apple apparently trying to convince me otherwise. [via Engadget]
Frogster responds to TERA fan backlash
The recent announcement by Bluehole Studios and Frogster Online Gaming that the latter had secured the European publishing rights to TERA brought about something akin to an outcry from portions of the forthcoming fantasy MMORPG's community. While it wasn't quite millions of voices crying out in terror (and then being suddenly silenced), there were a few indignant threads on the various TERA fan sites. Why the brouhaha? Apparently some fans have experienced everything from perceived shoddy customer service, to forum "censorship," to the wanton slaughter of helpless kittens in previous Frogster-published titles (the largest of which is free-to-play behemoth Runes of Magic). Frogster director of product management Daniel Ulrich has since extended an olive branch in the form of a post on the official TERA forums, laying out the first of what will be several rounds of Q&A posts over the next few days. Check out the thread for some answers to your burning TERA questions, including free-to-play vs. pay-to-play, support team specifics, and server hardware.
Crisis expert says Apple gets a C on iPhone 4 PR
Hilarious Taiwanese videos aside, just how did Apple do with last week's touchy press conference? Patrick Kerley, a communications strategist for a firm in Washington, DC, tells Computerworld that Apple actually did very well -- only it might have been too late already. He said that Jobs was very on message at last week's press conference, and that walking on stage and telling everyone that all phones have reception issues was actually a brilliant move. Seth Weintraub of Fortune agrees -- while he doesn't think that Apple and other cellphone makers actually share the same problems, he does say that Jobs' reframing of the reception issue was so effective that other cellphone companies actually sent out their own press releases on Friday, responding to Apple and becoming part of the issue. On the other hand, Kerley says that while the press conference did its job, Apple should have stepped up sooner with a statement about the iPhone 4's reception -- just staying back from the issue allowed others like Consumer Reports to step up and fill the informational void. While there was a risk of responding too soon and making a problem even bigger than it should be, Kerley believes Apple gets a C on the issue overall, and that it should have come out with a "We're working on it" statement way before it did. Of course, this is all PR analysis about spin -- the best case scenario is that there shouldn't have been a problem in the first place. Hopefully, with the refunds available and the free bumpers shipping, everyone's iPhones will receive and send calls freely, and we can all get back to our favorite pastime: waiting for the next version to be announced.
