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Warframe registers 10 million space-ninjas, adopts space-pets



Warframe has surpassed 10 million registered users, according to a recent press release, and developer Digital Extremes is celebrating the free-to-play game about exoskeletal space ninjas' success with a new patch. Dubbed simply "Update 14," the update revamps several areas of the game while adding to others. Highlights include:

  • An overhauled user interface

  • Pets

  • New Warframe, Mirage - a trickster-style character who can create copies of herself to fool enemies

  • Pets

  • New weapons

  • Seriously, did we mention pets? Because there are pets now. Look, we're not sure you understand, so feel free to check out the behind-the-scenes video above to see what we're talking about. They're like little bat-wolf-bears! So cute!

While Update 14 is already available for PC users, Digital Extremes notes that PS4 players will have to wait "a few more weeks" to get their hands on the patch, as the revamped UI requires additional tweaking to work with the DualShock 4. It's not clear if Update 14 will be applied before or after Warframe makes its way to Xbox One later this year.

[Image: Digital Extremes]

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WARFRAME FOCUSES ON IMMERSION WITH MASSIVE NEW UPDATE

Update Comes on Heels of Reaching 10M Registered in 14 Months

London, ON – July 21, 2014 – Digital Extremes continues to lead the charge in driving AAA quality into the Free-to-Play market today with the release of a massive new update for its hit sci-fi action game, Warframe®. The new PC update titled – Update 14: The Mad Cephalon focuses on simplifying the new user experience and immersing the player further into the universe of Warframe. This includes a completely redesigned user-interface introducing players to their new player ship, The Liset; an exciting new Quest system starting with Vor's Prize; arrival of the highly anticipated pet companions, The Kubrow; and, the unveiling of a new Warframe – Mirage, the master of illusion; plus, so much more.

"We're putting the 'B' back in Beta with this update," joked Steve Sinclair, creative director at Digital Extremes. "Seriously though, we need a new word for Beta. It just doesn't fully encompass the evolutionary process that games like Warframe go through over their lifetime. Getting endless feedback from our players along with our own ambitions for the game makes us continually work to improve it. Sometimes that means re-working major foundational components to the game like the new-player experience. This entire experience has been a game changer for us -- direct player connection -- tap into it, nurture it, know what to take from it and a game can become more than you ever imagined it to be."

The community-driven interactive approach to development has paid off for the team as Warframe has just reached 10 million registered users worldwide on PC and PS4™ in just over a year into its Open Beta. The Kickstarter-style development and community passion for the game has helped it become the most downloaded game on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and will release on Xbox One later this summer.

Primary highlights of this impressive update include:

NEW PLAYER EXPERIENCE – Immerse yourself into the re-imagined user interface and menus aboard your personal spacecraft, The Liset. A meaningful Quest walks new players through Warframe, providing essential information on gameplay, lore, game modes and menus and introduces players to Ordis, the ship's Cephalon, a guiding voice on The Liset.
PET COMPANIONS – A new Quest unlocks a Genetic Foundry used for breeding biological specimens on your ship! Breed a Kubrow by collecting a Kubrow egg and incubating it in the Genetic Foundry. Different Kubrow personality types have different combat and non-combat abilities. Make your Kubrow more combat effective by caring for it and equipping powerful link mods. Create genetic imprints of your Kubrow that you can trade with fellow Tenno and combine to create your perfect pet!
NEW WARFRAME – A master of illusion, Mirage confounds the enemy in a spectacle of style and power. MIRAGE's powers include:
Hall of Mirrors - Mirage creates an entourage of doppelgangers to distract and confuse the enemy.
Sleight of Hand - A natural prankster, Mirage booby-traps nearby objects.
Eclipse - Standing in light, Mirage becomes the main attraction, dealing heavy damage. While the shadows make Mirage difficult to track and even harder to hurt.
Prism - Fires an energy orb that shoots lasers in all directions. Activating again detonates the orb, blinding nearby foes.
QUESTS – Explore re-playable Quests with unlockable difficulty selection. This new Warframe experience opens with the debut Quest, Vor's Prize.
NEW DARK SECTORS CONFLICTS – Introducing a new player-versus-player game mode to replace the existing Dark Sectors Solar Rails conflict game mode. Choose which Clan or Alliance you wish to support and play the role of Attacker or Defender on a multi-staged objective mission! Up to four human players per side, with empty player slots auto-filled by Spectres.
NEW WEAPONS
AKZANI – The choice weapons of Mirage, these fast-firing dual pistols deliver a deadly performance.
SILVA AND AEGIS – a Sword and Board style weapon created from the concept of the community Melee Design Contest Winner – SilverBones.
EXPANDED GAME MODES – The Infested have overtaken Eris. Hive Sabotage, Exterminate, and Survival Game Modes now available!
Update 14 was released on PC and can be downloaded for free at www.warframe.com. PS4™ players will get their hands on it in a few more weeks as the new user experience requires additional development for controller support.

About Digital Extremes

Founded in 1993 by James Schmalz, Digital Extremes ranks as one of the world's top independent development studios in the interactive entertainment industry. The Canadian-based developer has a rich history in developing some of the industry's top first-person shooter and action games. Originating with the co-creation of Epic Games' multi-million unit selling Unreal® franchise including Unreal, Unreal Tournament – and all its iterations -- and continuing with such hits as Dark Sector®, BioShock® for the PlayStation®3 and the multi-player campaign of BioShock 2. More recently, Digital Extremes earned critical acclaim for the development of first-person shooter, The Darkness® II, based on the comic book series of the same name and the use of its proprietary technology, the Evolution Engine™. The studio is currently developing and publishing the Free-To-Play action game, Warframe® available now on PC and PS4™. For more information about Digital Extremes, visit the company website at www.digitalextremes.com. To sign up for Warframe, visit www.warframe.com.