9dragons
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9Dragons roundhouse-kicks into North American launch
It's been a long, winding road for martial arts MMO 9Dragons. The game was dropped by GamersFirst, then picked up once more by GamesCampus. Then, GamersFirst pulled something miraculous and brought players' old characters back to life in time for the transition. Now, after some trials and tribulations, the game has gone live. According to a press release from GamesCampus, the game is officially launched and all account transfers initiated prior to 9 p.m. PDT on Tuesday are finalized. Other players who wish to transfer their previous accounts can do so at any time, and those transfers will be finalized with the next Tuesday evening's maintenance. To celebrate the game's launch, the game is hosting a series of events beginning now and lasting until October 13th. All 9Dragons players, be they new or old, will receive a premium gift package that includes a Hat Trading Card and a Special Epithet. There are also a few in-game events, such as a special game-wide buff and a quest that will reward players with event-only prizes. To get in on all the House of Flying Daggers-style action, just head over to the 9Dragons official site and sign up. [Source: GamesCampus press release]
GamesCampus to take over 9Dragons in September
Free-to-play MMO publisher GamesCampus announced today that it will be taking control of martial arts MMO 9Dragons' North American operation. The game is currently provided by GamersFirst, but GamesCampus will begin its run with the game on September 20th. GamesCampus has stated that it will allow any player with an account in good standing to transfer his or her character, complete with any purchased items, as long as players opt-in by September 15th. The GamesCampus launch of 9Dragons will introduce the new region of Tibet, which will include additional content for each faction. So remember, 9Dragons players, if you want to keep your precious accounts intact, opt-in with GamesCampus prior to September 15th, and be ready to jump into Tibet on the 20th.
One Shots: Self-improvement
Our One Shots image today comes to us from Allan, a 9Dragons fan. 9Dragons isn't a game we hear a lot from, but it's still going strong, and as you can see from today's image, it has a lot worth appreciating visually: In this screenshot, you see my character performing a self-buff ability, while in the background, the statue of Da Yu lies peacefully. Are you ready to show off your favorite free-to-play title? Even better, are you looking forward to hearing about next week's theme? Beginning next Monday we'll be focusing on player housing, so start showing off your character's digs! We've still got room for more free-to-play screenshots as well as player housing, so send a screenshot to us at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll show it off here on One Shots and give you the thanks! %Gallery-112285%
GamersFirst's predictions for the video games industry in 2011
While end-of-the-year predictions are quite commonplace amongst game industry bloggers and journalists, it's a bit rarer to see prognostications coming from game-makers and executives. GamersFirst bucks that trend with a press release outlining its forecast for online gaming in 2011. Unsurprisingly, the free-to-play publisher sees its preferred business model "taking over the video game market," as well as a massive shift to mobile gaming and digital distribution. Closer to home, GamersFirst senior vice president Rahul Sandil says that 2011 will be a banner year for the company that recently acquired 9Dragons and APB. "We are poised to make noteworthy contributions to the future of F2P online games. We look forward to expanding client-based and web browser F2P MMOs throughout Turkey, Europe, South and North America," he says. Check out the full list of GamersFirst industry predictions after the break.
GamersFirst rezzes Acclaim 9Dragons characters
Where's a good cleric when you need one? Apparently they're at the GamersFirst offices, performing the herculean task of reanimating thousands of 9Dragons characters left for dead when Acclaim (the title's original publisher) pulled the plug on the martial arts MMORPG this past summer. If you're a former 9Dragons player and you submitted a character request earlier this year, you can now claim your rebuilt level 80 avatar at the official GamersFirst website. "We are excited to finally be able to offer character restoration options for the 9Dragons community. We want players to know that we appreciate their support during our transition. We have spent a large amount of time and effort processing and improving the template characters to get players back into the game without having to redo all their hard work from before," said David Demers, 9Dragons Associate Producer.
GamesCampus announces Legend of Edda beta and 9Dragons European publishing acquisition
Free-to-play publisher GamesCampus has had a busy week, first with its announcement of the closed beta test for the forthcoming Legend of Edda MMORPG, and most recently with its acquisition of 9Dragons for the European market. Legend of Edda, loosely based on the Greek mythology surrounding Olympus and the Titans, boasts a dynamic storyline that centers around factional conflict as well as PvP and RvR combat. GamesCampus describes Legend of Edda as a title with "hardcore PvP, endless customization, an art style all its own, and much more." The initial closed beta phase will run from September 30th through October 11th. Speaking of PvP, 9Dragons, recently orphaned by the demise of its publisher Acclaim, has been targeted by GamesCampus for a European release. The kung fu fighting MMORPG, set during the Ming dynasty and featuring clan-based PvP as well as extensive PvE options, will be published in Germany and France beginning in November. News of the European launch comes shortly after GamersFirst announced its intention to publish 9Dragons in America. Be sure to check out the Legend of Edda teaser trailer after the jump.
Playdom kills off almost all Acclaim games
In a move that no adoption agency would ever endorse, Playdom has basically killed off Acclaim just a few months after acquiring it, as Gamasutra reports. Acclaim's site says that all of its online games have been shut down as of August 26 and unused "Acclaim Coins" are being refunded. A couple of games, Kogamu and RockFREE, will continue to live on under the Playdom banner. Playdom was bought a month ago by Disney which apparently had little interest in continuing to support Acclaim titles like 9Dragons. Though we can't claim to be big fans of any of their MMOs -- and can't really say we know anyone who fits that description -- it does seem kind of a jarring way to leave consumers.
Acclaim shuts down all games and main site
It looks like Acclaim is going the way of the dinosaur. Things have been increasingly uncertain for Acclaim titles since Playdom acquired Acclaim back in May, and visitors to Acclaim's site yesterday were met with a bare-bones message: "We regret to inform you that all Acclaim games will no longer be in service effective August 26, 2010." Other than a few instructions on refunds for Acclaim coins and an invitation to check out Playdom's Facebook games, the site is blank. The company's former games aren't all completely gone; 9Dragons was recently picked up by GamersFirst, but the publisher itself seems to be gone for good. [Thanks to CowMooFlage for the tip!]
This week on The MMO Report
Casey, accompanied by a pair of shiny new awards, stepped up again this week to deliver The MMO Report. Warhammer 40K: Dark Millenium Online and the Imperium of Man were up first, with Casey highlighting the announcement of the game's first playable race and the new trailer. Next in line was Cataclysm and the peek at skill trees and more that Blizzard gave fans last week. "Okay, all right, we get it. You guys wanted an update on Guild Wars 2." Casey's next story was a response to reader feedback requesting all the news from Gamescom, and he provided an overview of where things stand in the game's goals for the time being. Finally, The MMO Report wrapped up with an account of 9Dragons' switch in publishers. As always, follow along after the jump for the video, and check out The MMO Report every week on G4TV.
GamersFirst acquires 9Dragons from Acclaim
Acclaim currently holds the license to publish free-to-play MMO 9Dragons, but that will be changing very soon. The license expires in September, and GamersFirst has stepped in to pick it up. The core game will remain familiar to players, but GamersFirst will be adding some new features and content for players of all levels. There will be a dedicated tutorial map for new players, a new high-level dungeon, new Kung Fu patterns, and more for players to explore on both the PvE and PvP sides. GamersFirst is working to make the transition a smooth one, and current players will find all of their characters and items unaffected by the change. The GamersFirst site will have a launch date for this move very soon. For now, follow along after the jump for a look at two brand-new trailers for 9Dragons.
The European connection in 9Dragons
Acclaim's martial arts MMORPG 9Dragons is about to gain some more European fans, with the launch of Bardo Euro -- their new European server. Bardo Euro promises to offer the European playerbase an improved game experience with better connections all around.Apparently the players have been calling for a European 9Dragons server for some time; Acclaim is delivering on their promises to improve the game and is holding a number of special events to celebrate the launch: 30% off sale: All items in the 9Dragons Item Mall will be 30% off for 3 days only. June 6-8. Bonus exp rate events: Earn 2 times experience points by playing on the Bardo server. June 3-9. Monster spawn event: High level monsters will invade Bardo. June 3-5, 6, 8-9. VGM/GM PvP event: Test your martial arts skills battling against Acclaim VGM and GM staff. June 3-6, 8-9. Fireworks in Bardo: To celebrate the official launch of the European server, fireworks will light up the sky at random times from May 30 to June 8 on the Bardo server. If you're in Europe, why not give 9Dragons a shot? Roll yourself a Shaolin or Wu-Tang badass and see if you can take down a GM or two in martial arts combat. Via Warcry
Acclaim & IGA link up for six-game ad deal
Acclaim and in-game advertising firm IGA Worldwide have agreed to terms on a deal that will place advertisements in six of the publisher's MMOs. According to Acclaim CEO Howard Marks, the IGA partnership will allow the company to continue to offer its online games for free.Under the terms, ads are set to appear in 2Moons, 9Dragons, DANCE, BOTS, and two additional titles yet to be announced.See also: In-game ads put devs in control
Martial arts MMO 9Dragons coming soon
Acclaim and Indy21 are bringing some Jade Empire-style martial arts action to the PC at the end of the year with the MMORPG 9Dragons -- not to be confused with the abysmal Drake of the 99 Dragons. You'll be able to choose from nine different factions representing diverse fighting techniques such as Shaolin and Wu-Tang.IGN has two movies demonstrating the Lu-Lin fighting style, and there is additional media at Acclaim's 9Dragons web site.
