MMO Roundup: Last week on Massively

Star Trek Online's producer: "In hindsight, it was pretty darn risky"
Star Trek Online hit some pretty major windfalls, even disregarding the fact that it's built on a popular intellectual property with legions of dedicated fans. It launched during a timeframe when there were no other major releases scheduled, came out not too long after a very popular movie in the franchise, and caught a lot of exposure with its open beta. And as executive producer Craig Zinkievich points out in a new interview, the entire operation relied not just on hard work, but also on luck.

Champions Online expansion is now free
A lot of upset has been swirling around the Champions Online community lately. Much of it has been due to the announcement of a paid zone expansion and implementation of a "Kitchen Sink" patch that was pushed out too soon. In an effort to heal wounds and correct mistakes, Cryptichas released a new State of the Game targeted at addressing player concerns.

Warhammer Online reveals new Scenario structure
People were not happy with the first version of Warhammer Online's plan to streamline the game's Scenarios to create a better structure. They were so not happy, in fact, that Mythic Entertainment decided it was better form to pull their original plans, wipe the slate clean, and start over with a clearer picture. And it seems to have worked, as Andy Belford has announced the revised plan for the scenarios as a whole. The result is a slightly larger list, but one with a bit more variety between tiers and a clearer picture of what the development team wanted to accomplish.

Funcom shows off Rise of the Godslayer's Gateway to Khitai
As the release of the Age of Conan expansion Rise of the Godslayer draws nearer, Funcom continues giving us peeks into some of the zones we'll see when it arrives. This time we're moving out of the grasslands we saw a few weeks ago, back to the Gateway to Khitai. Those living within its confines have the protection of soldiers and sorcerers as well as their great wall. They have no need to worry about those outside and their squabbles.

Runes of Magic Chapter III to arrive in May
The kingdom of Dalanis is in an uproar, with a young king on the throne and a horde of schemers behind it. As players arrive to try and sort things out, they'll find a wealth of new content and features, beginning with a new level cap of 60. Players level 55 and over will learn the history of the ancient kingdom as they explore hundreds of new quests, beginning with the area of Thunderhoof Hills.

New Aion account services offer big changes
Aion is following in the footsteps of fellow NCsoft title Guild Wars, adding features very similar to those offered with the fourth birthday update. Aion fans can now purchase items through Account Services and make changes to their character's name, appearance, or even the gender. Legion name changes are available as well.

Building The Secret World: An interview with Ragnar Tornquist
The latest dose of information is an interview with Funcom's Ragnar Tornquist. He spent some time with Gamasutra recently, and their interview tells all about building a cozy little corner of hell in Kingsmouth. The discussion ran the gamut from fantasy genre oversaturation to the creation of a game set in the real world.

EA fiscal report slots APB for potential Q3 2010 release
It looks like urban crime title All Points Bulletin is planned for fiscal Q2 2011, which sounds like a long time, but the word "fiscal" is important here. "Q2 2011 fiscal" equals approximately "Q3 2010" (between July 1, 2010 and September 30, 2010) for the rest of us, so it's not as bad as it sounds. Still, this is a change from previous rumors that the game could launch in March of 2010.