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A nearly complete list of MMO companies on Twitter
Not surprisingly, when a complete list of videogame companies and developers on Twitter is compiled, MMO devs and companies take up a large chunk of the list. We would expect nothing less from such online socially-orientated companies.The list -- created by Sam "QforQ" Houston, community manager GamerDNA -- is a great resource for anyone looking to keep up to date with companies like SOE, BioWare, NCsoft, 38 Studios, ArenaNet, Blizzard, Carbine Studios, FunCom, CCP Games, Flying Lab Software, Mythic Entertainment and many more. It's an impressive list, although being Massively meant we had to double-check it for missing links. As such, we found that there was no Cryptic Studios love in there. So, for the sake of completion, we've gone ahead and provided the link for any fans of Champions Online or Star Trek Online.
Top industry CEOs weigh in on the cell phone MMO debate
After a recent Game Power Panel at this year's CES, GameCyte caught up with a few MMO big-wigs to ask the burning question: can the MMO experience extend to mobile phones? From Turbine to Gaia Online, the companies' CEOs all had differing views.Dr. Lars Buttler of Trion World Network, and Jim Crowley of Turbine both agreed that the mobile phone is not really the place for a full-blown multiplayer experience. Although they did essentially agree with others like Brett Close of 38 Studios in the thinking that there are certainly extensions of an MMO that can be achieved through a cell. Checking the auction house, training skills or even reading quest text could all be done on-the-go. Check out the entire post over at GameCyte for some more opinions on mobile MMOs.
Ask Massively: Is this all there is?
If, like me, you are seeking a break from your Wrath of the Lich King addiction, join me for another weekly installment of Ask Massively. If you are one of the two people on the Internet who play something other than World of Warcraft, feel free to look in as well. It is only a matter of time before you decide to join us in Azeroth/Outland/Northrend.(note: Please read this with a heavy helping of tolerance for snark and sarcasm. If you think replying to this with "HEY! THERE ARE OTHER GAMES BESIDES WoW, YOU KNOW!" is a good idea, You should pay more attention.)Our question this week comes from someone who has reached a state of profound ennui.Dear Ask Massively, I can't seem to find a game I want to play anymore. Call it boredom, or getting a life or even getting old... But the fact remains, I am losing interest in mmo games. It isn't that I don't want to play games, I just don't seem to get the thrill I used to from them. I think we all remember some special moment when we felt that welling up of pride, or an audible "wow" escaped our lips when we saw something that amazed us. I don't have those feelings anymore, every game I play seems to be a copy of a copy of a copy.. The only thing that changes is the landscape and the names of the mobs.. I was hoping that you could give some suggestions as to a MMORPG that have something different to offer. Something beyond fedexing the 10 rats I just killed so I can be told to kill this guy back where I started for 80 levels. Tharkis
38 Studios challenges college students to create games
College students in the United States and Canada with an interest in entering the MMO industry, this one is for you. 38 Studios -- creators of the forthcoming 'Copernicus' MMO -- are inviting aspiring game artists, designers, and programmers to enter their contest, the 2nd Annual Massachusetts Game Challenge. The contest announcement states: "If you are enrolled in college you can win thousands of dollars in prizes by developing a compelling video game featuring our company mascot, Munch. Roll solo or pool your talents into groups of two or three for ultimate game creation results." First prize in the contest brings $1500 per team member, while second prize earns $1000 per team member. Third prize winners get $500 per team member. Beyond the prize money, the 38 Studios game challenge is a chance to get your work recognized by people in the industry. See the FAQ for the 2nd Annual Massachusetts Game Challenge for more details and take a look at last year's winning submissions for a better idea of what 38 Studios is looking for. If you're interested in learning more, be sure to check out the announcement page for the 38 Studios game challenge. The submission deadline is March 2, 2009.
Todd McFarlane talks about 38 Studios and Copernicus
Massively has been watching what's happening with 38 Studios and their upcoming MMO codenamed 'Copernicus' -- and the most recent bit of info we turned up comes through today's interview at Gamasutra by Christian Nutt. Gamasutra has interviewed 38 Studios Executive Art Director Todd McFarlane, well-known to most of us for his work in the comics industry and for the numerous offerings of McFarlane Toys.Indeed, a fair amount of the Gamasutra interview focuses on McFarlane Toys and its success in the action figure industry, but McFarlane spoke a bit about 38 Studios and its MMO project as well. He touched upon how 38 Studios hopes to differentiate their game from what's presently offered: "But the question is, can we make ours feel better than the other guys? And the stuff that I'm seeing relative to what's out there in the open market, the answer is absolutely, right now." While McFarlane doesn't exactly spill details on what we can really expect from Copernicus, he does offer up some hints as to what 38 Studios is doing, and more importantly, why they're taking a different approach to the MMO space than some of their competitors. For more info on Copernicus, or just to read up on what a comics legend is doing these days, check out the full interview with Todd McFarlane over at Gamasutra.
Ask Massively: Wrath vs All Comers
Never let it be said that Ask Massively doesn't give everyone a chance to be heard. We believe that everyone should have a voice, and it is in the interest of providing that voice that we bring you the following question.Dear MassivelyI am SO SICK of all of the coverage of Wrath of the Lich King! I demand that someone at Massively write about something that isn't World of Warcraft related this week. Non-WoW players aren't interested in an expansion for a game that they don't even play. Someone throw me a freakin' bone here!Sarah P.Someone hasn't been paying attention, have they...
The Daily Grind: Does hype turn you away from new games?
When you hear about a game that promises to be the best thing since World of Warcraft, do you die a little bit inside? When you hear about the newest superpower developer hired by Curt Schilling for his Copernicus project at 38 Studios, do you find yourself screaming at your RSS feed? You may not be alone.Often times, over-hyping a game can easily become its downfall. Yesterday's The Daily Grind touched on this very subject in regards to one of the most widely-hyped games in recent years: Warhammer Online. While the hype certainly didn't hurt the highly successful launch of WAR, the hype backlash may have come back to sting the game a month after launch, according to some recent polls. So where's that happy medium? Developers need to inform and advertise to get any respectable retail sales figures, but with MMOs it's much more than selling that box. You want to make sure your customers are satisfied with your product for a long time. Tell us some examples of games that you think reached that happy medium between a successful advertising campaign and delivery of promised game features.
38 Studios hires two more industry heavyweights
The long list of exceptional talent at 38 Studios continues to grow as Curt Schilling's masterpiece comes together. The two most recent additions include Director of Audio Aubrey Hodges and Senior UI Designer Irena Pereira.Hodges is best known for his work on King's Quest and is credited as among the first to use MIDI in a video game and the first to use sound effects in an online game. Pereira comes from Blizzard, where she mainly worked on the interface design and development for WoW's The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King. 38 Studios President and CEO, Brett Close, comments on the acquisition, "38 Studios has been able to attract phenomenal talent, and these hires continue that trend. Smart interface design and rich audio are key components of the 38 Studios product vision, and Irena and Aubrey have extensive records of exceptional success in these areas."
38 Studios hires World of Warcraft UI, King's Quest music vets
When filling the ranks at his game development brainchild, 38 Studios, it makes sense that MMO-fan Curt Schilling would look to his pastime of choice. The company announced that it has hired former Blizzard UI maestro, Irena Pereira, as 38 Studios' senior UI designer, bringing her interface grinding expertise not only with World of Warcraft, but The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King to the fledgling company as well. Additionally, when setting the mood in its secretive MMO project codenamed Copernicus, the dev will look to the musical styling of newly hired composer and sound designer, Aubrey Hodges, whose familiar tunes can be heard in such adventure game greats as King's Quest, Space Quest, Quest for Glory and Conquests of the Longbow. Hodges is credited as one of the chief pioneers of in-game MIDI music, and also helped make us jump with his ambient tracks heard in both Doom and Quake. Both Pereira and Hodges are just the latest seasoned vets to join 38 Studios, following the hiring of former Everquest designer Travis McGeathy and THQ artist Thom Ang, making us all the more curious just what the company is working on behind that curtain.
38 Studios head Curt Schilling stumps for Senator McCain
Tomorrow is election day here in the United States. On the eve of the candidates' final battle, Senator McCain is making some of his last appearances on the campaign trail with well-known former Red Sox player Curt Schilling. Well known as a phenomenal pitcher, Schilling is best known to those of us in the MMO world as an enthusiastic World of Warcraft player and head of the 38 Studios development house. Schilling is also a supporter of the Republic party generally, a fact we noted in a story about MMO-industry political contributions back in early October.Schilling has even been known to get into verbal debates with fellow players over political issues in forums like that run by the Fires of Heaven guild. As reported by the Boston Globe, Schilling provided a sort of centrist voice at his campaign appearances. Casting aside some of the more serious accusations made against Senator Obama over the last few months, Schilling primarily stated he had questions about the Illinois politician's judgement. You can check out the Globe piece for full details.Regardless of your political affiliations, even MMO players have to vote. Make sure to hit the polls tomorrow, gamers.[Via GamePolitics]
38 Studios' CEO explains the Azeroth Advisor purchase
38 Studios, the Boston-based MMO development company started by Curt Schilling, is working on a brand new, highly-publicized MMO project, code-named Copernicus. What does this have to do with World of Warcraft and the Azeroth Advisor newsletter? That's what we're trying to figure out.In a recent interview with WoW Insider, the company's CEO, Brett Close, discussed the reasoning behind 38 Studios' purchase of the Azeroth Advisor and how they plan to use it in the future. According to Close, it's not an elaborate scheme to close down their competition by buying out their fansites and tools, but instead, they realize that in order to let the genre thrive, they need to work together. WoW's success ultimately means 38 Studios' success, and the success of other MMO developers. Plus, they plan to use the proprietary technology behind the Azeroth Advisor for other unnamed future projects.
WoW Insider interviews 38 Studios' Brett Close about Azeroth Advisor
Last week we reported that 38 Studios, a company working on its own MMO property, had picked up the Azeroth Advisor, a custom newsletter directed towards players of World of Warcraft. At the time, we were slightly confused -- why would another gaming company want to purchase a guide written to promote and help players of a competitor's game? To get the answer, we went straight to the top, and sat down to talk with Brett Close, CEO of 38 Studios, about the reasons behind his company's purchase of the Azeroth Advisor and the technology behind it.Last week, Curt Schilling, the company's founder, spoke on The Instance podcast about the buyout (that took place in May of this year), and what Mentor Media's newsletter and technology had to offer 38 Studios, so we asked Close about that, including how they planned to extend the custom newsletters to games that didn't have WoW's Armory and why they want to support players of a competitor's MMO. And we also talked about the fact that the newsletter is going free and why they decided to start giving it away.The conversation with 38 Studios' CEO starts right after the break.
38 Studios acquires MMO newsletter tailored to player characters
As time moves on, we're slowly getting more information about MMO developer 38 Studios and their plans. 38 Studios, which brings together Red Sox pitcher (and MMO fan) Curt Schilling, comic book creator Todd McFarlane, and author R.A. Salvatore, is known to be developing a fantasy-MMO codenamed "Copernicus." When it comes to news regarding this game studio, we're primarily interested in Copernicus here at Massively, but our sister site WoW Insider turned up something else interesting involving 38 Studios. It turns out that they've acquired Mentor Media, creators of a custom World of Warcraft newsletter called Azeroth Advisor, which offers personalized information about WoW as it pertains to your own character. Could this be a sign of what's to come with Copernicus, and would you appreciate a customized newsletter offered in tandem with your MMO of choice?
38 Studios buys WoW newsletter
Here's a strange little story -- 38 Studios is the MMO/entertainment company owned by baseball player Curt Schilling (who is himself a very big WoW fan). They're working on a secret project codenamed Copernicus (which our sister site Massively has been covering closely), but apparently they have other interests as well -- they've picked up a company called Mentor Media, whose main product is the Azeroth Advisor, a custom newsletter about World of Warcraft.I don't know if we've ever mentioned Azeroth Advisor on the site before -- they claim to send you a custom newsletter (for a fee) built around your own personal character, but most of the information and guides you can actually get from them are pretty much equivalent to what you'd find here on WoW Insider (or less helpful, if we may say so ourselves see update below*). Still, for casual players who just can't get enough information (and who don't want to browse our WoW insider Directory to find guides for your specific class), it might give you something else to read.But what's strangest about this is why 38 Studios, a company working on its own MMO, has chosen to pick up a company that produces an unofficial newsletter about World of Warcraft. It's like Bioware buying World of Matticus (not that Matt is for sale or anything like that). Maybe they eventually have plans to have Mentor Media start producing content about Copernicus, or maybe Curt Schilling just found the guides really helpful and figured he'd like to own the company that made them. Stay tuned for a possible interview with 38 Studios to see if we can figure out the reasons behind the purchase.Update: I let my obvious bias for our site show a little too much there -- Azeroth Advisor provides a valuable service to some players, and they work hard to do so. I apologize for hinting otherwise. Stay tuned for an interview to learn more about the site and the people behind it.Update2: The guys at The Instance actually asked Curt about all of this (including this very post), and he told them a lot of the reasons why they picked Mentor Media up, including that the newsletter is going free within the week, that they see the platform of delivering customizable newsletters as expanding even beyond the gaming market, and that Mentor is seeking writers for all kinds of content, including even other games.
Black Ops MMOs: Games in development under the radar
Our colleagues over at Big Download have listed several PC games in development that they call "Black Ops" projects. The idea is that these games are operating out of sight, under the radar; nobody knows what's going on. It's all very hush hush and mysterious. The game industry and secrecy go hand in hand, after all.We're bringing this up because there are a bunch of MMOs in the list. In fact, they pretty much dominate it. Titles mentioned include the KotOR MMO, the Red 5 Studios project, 38 Studios' Copernicus, ZeniMax Online Studios' MMO (which is possibly Elder Scrolls-based), and of course Blizzard's mysterious "Next-Gen MMO." Interesting stuff. Head over to Big Download to find out what's up on the down low.
AGDC08: Joystiq goes one-on-one with 38 Studios CEO Brett Close
Massively's big-sister site Joystiq.com was down in Austin for AGDC last week as well, and they made great use of their time. Kevin Kelly sat down with the CEO of 38 Studios, Brett Close, for a one-on-one chat about the MMO industry and 38's future plans. With the unveil of the R.A. Salvatore IP still a number of months away, their discussion focuses primarily on Copernicus in generalities.Join Kelly and Close for an in-depth appraisal of how 38 Studios works, Curt Schilling's involvement in the day-to-day workings in the company, and how the other two 'big names' at the company fit into their master scheme. Gallery: 38 Studios' Copernicus MMO
AGDC: Interview with Brett Close, CEO of Curt Schilling's 38 Studios
It's no secret that baseballer Curt Schilling is a huge MMO fan, but you might not know much about his 38 Studios game development company, formed with artist Todd McFarlane and fantasy writer R.A. Salvatore. They've been working on a massive MMO code-named Copernicus, which they haven't said too much about yet. This week at Austin GDC, Vivox announced that it would be providing the voice application inside the game, and five pieces of key concept art were released at Comic-Con earlier this summer.We sat down with CEO Brett Close in Austin to find out what we could about Copernicus, and what's in store for the new company. Check out the full interview after the break.%Gallery-32294%
Vivox to provide voice services for 38 Studios' upcoming MMO
Announced today at the Austin Game Developers Conference, Vivox has struck a deal with 38 Studios to provide all of their voice services for the studio's upcoming MMO. You may remember 38 Studios as the powerhouse that employs such rockstar names as Curt Schilling, R.A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane. Their current MMO project, codenamed Copernicus, will use the same in-game voice technology of EVE Online, Second Life and upcoming titles from SOE, Icarus Studios and NCsoft.Check out the complete press release after the jump for more information on how Vivox plans to work with 38 Studios, and what 38 Studios says about the collaboration.
Comic-Con 08: 38 Studios interview reveals IP announcement next year!
Last week we sat down with two representatives from 38 Studios, one of the highest profile of the stealth MMO developers. Headed by the triad of Curt Schilling, R.A. Salvatore, and Todd McFarlane, the studio is deep in the midst of content creation and is entirely under the radar. So under the radar we don't even know what the name of their game is ... just the code name for the project, floridly called "Copernicus."Massively and WoW Insider's Dan O'Halloran spoke with Chief Marketing Officer Mary Kirchoff and newly-hired Director of Art Thom Ang. Though they couldn't share a lot of substantial insights with us, we did walk away with some great news: the studio will be annoucing their game title's name and launching a game-specific site around this time next year.
More shots of Comic-Con 08
Now that we're all recovering from Comic-Con 2008, it's nice to sit back and check out some of the pictures from the event in the comfort of our own homes (or offices). Following up on some pictures we grabbed ourselves, Gamebunny.com has a few of their own that you might enjoy.In these shots, you'll see a bit of the DC Universe camp, as well as Stargate Worlds' pimped out bus. There's also a few shots of Funcom's Erling Ellingsen showing off some Age of Conan, and more from NCsoft, Blizzard and 38 Studios.
