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Civilization Online not currently planned for North America
You might be tremendously excited about Civilization Online right now, especially if you read our interview with Jake Song yesterday. But if you live in North America, it's time to crank that excitement down to a dull interest because XLGAMES and 2K Games are not currently looking at a release in the region. 2K Games PR Manager Brian Roundy delivered the bad news: "Civilization Online is developed by South Korea-based XL Games in partnership with 2K, and will be available first in Korea. No release date has been set. There are no plans for a North American release at this time." This doesn't mean all hope is lost, of course. It might be that the studios are holding their cards close to their chest or that they don't want to commit until they see how it performs in Korea. But if you were camping in front of a retail store (why?) for this release in America, you should probably go home for now.
Massively Exclusive: Jake Song introduces Civilization Online
You might have heard about a little project called Civilization Online, a new MMO in development based on the popular Civilization series of turn-based strategy games. You also might have heard that XL Games CEO Jake Song, of ArcheAge and Lineage fame, is overseeing the project as Executive Producer. But chances are, that's really all you have heard. Until now, that is. We had the opportunity to sit down with Song, XL Games Senior VP Jung Hwan Kim, and Producer Garrett Bittner from 2K Games to get the scoop on the project. Follow along for all the juicy details about building up civilizations in a new open world environment, including crafting, PvP, and more!%Gallery-195539%
Lost Continent: Should we worry about ArcheAge's crafting?
It finally happened. XLGAMES did something to ArcheAge that I really don't like, and while I'll stop short of labeling it a deal-breaker, it's definitely made me think about the game in a different light. To be fair to the company, this particular gameplay tweak was made to the Korean version several months ago, so it's a) not a certainty for the American version and b) not exactly breaking news. It was breaking news to me when I read a recent high-level review of the title, though, because I'd been purposely steering clear of the Korean release in order to more fully enjoy myself when the game finally lands on U.S. soil.
Lost Continent: ArcheAge needs a business model, too
Massively's Eliot Lefebvre recently speculated on what WildStar's business model might look like, and even if you're not a huge fan of the upcoming sci-fantasy opus, it's worth a read. It's also a column topic worth stealing, and I'm going to do just that this week and apply it to ArcheAge. Like WildStar, ArcheAge is largely an enigma when it comes to its western business model. Unlike Carbine, though, Trion Worlds -- AA's western publisher -- has plenty of experience with all three of the major MMO models currently in use.
Lost Continent: About that ArcheAge automobile
I owe ArcheAge an apology. A couple of weeks ago, when XLGAMES released a trailer featuring steampunk-powered hot rods and an impromptu beachfront drag race, my kneejerk reaction was a boisterous what-the-funk! After I watched the clip a second time, I realized not only that the cars fit neatly into the world that Jake Song and company have created but that they tickled my fancy in the same way that numerous other elements in the game have done over the years.
Lost Continent: An ArcheAge community guide
Is it me, or has ArcheAge been a long time coming? I don't think it's me because it was three years and thousands of posts ago that Massively introduced ArcheAge to western gamers. Heck, it was six years ago that Jake Song and company started building XLGAMES' upcoming sandpark. And it's been two years -- two years! -- since I first got my hands on the game's seemingly endless closed beta. Now, though, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Trion recently and famously signed on to publish ArcheAge in the West, and despite the silence following the announcement, I'm still optimistic about a beta before the end of the year. Even if it that doesn't happen, we've still got plenty to talk about, which is why I'm taking the wraps off Massively's newest game-specific column. Join me after the cut for the traditional first-issue community roundup.
ArcheAge may be F2P in China
ArcheAge launched with a subscription model in its native Korea, but XLGAMES founder Jake Song says that a free-to-play model may be better for the title's Chinese release. Song's comments came as he attended a recent awards ceremony, according to MMO Culture, but there is no official word from the company as of yet. Similarly, no plans have been announced for ArcheAge's Western business model. The game is being published by Trion in America. [Thanks Dengar!]
XL teases fans with another impressive ArcheAge trailer
Ready for a new ArcheAge trailer? XLGAMES is in a coy mood, and the four-minute clip is a doozy that shows off everything from crafting and gathering to a giant kraken beast to some sort of player wedding. There are also glimpses of the game's crime and punishment system as well as the typically scrumptious shots of sailing ships and underwater exploration. ArcheAge creator Jake Song starts the clip off with a brief introductory spiel, and if any of you fine commenters are fluent in Korean, we'd love to know what he says!
Jake Song: 'We're working on the English version' of ArcheAge
Last summer XLGAMES COO Suk Woo Choi told Massively in no uncertain terms that the firm was "definitely going to service ArcheAge in Europe and America." He didn't know the details at the time, though, and XL has been completely silent on the matter of localization since. Yesterday company founder and ArcheAge creator Jake Song took to Twitter to reassure fans that a western version of the game is still cooking. "OBT [open beta test] will be in Korean only," Song wrote. "We're working on the English version." While there are no dates involved, it's more confirmation that western sandbox fans will indeed be getting their hands on ArcheAge at some point.
XLGAMES developing Civilization Online for Asia
ArcheAge may be foremost on the minds of MMO fans when they hear about XLGAMES, but as we reported last summer, the company is also working with Take-Two Interactive to bring Civilization Online to fruition. Unfortunately there's no word yet on when (or if) the title will be available in the West. Take-Two's latest press blurb says that Civilization Online is being built exclusively as a connected experience and exclusively for Asia. XL CEO and Lineage/ArcheAge guru Jake Song is overseeing a team of "more than 100" developers working on the project.
ArcheAge to feature extensive maritime gameplay, housing
Fan site ArcheAge Source has unearthed a new interview with ArcheAge creator Jake Song. The translation from the original Korean is a little rough, but there are still plenty of fascinating nuggets awaiting the patient reader. The forthcoming beta phase will see the existing game world "complemented by huge expanses of ocean." This isn't just for show, as Song says that eventually "oceans will allow players to find new employment, for example extraction, preparation, and delivery of seafood." Sea battles are also mentioned, as are "player-built maritime residences." How this relates to the previously announced underwater gameplay isn't clear, nor is it a given that we'll see all of this in CBT5, but ArcheAge's sprawling open world certainly looks to be putting the "massively" back into massively multiplayer. There's more to the interview, including bits on action combat and a clarification on Song's previous remarks regarding console games. Hit the link below for the full translation. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
ArcheAge evaluates CBT4 and revs up for CBT5
After 95 days of intense testing, ArcheAge has put an end to the game's fourth closed beta and is evaluating the results in preparation for the next round. XLGAME's Jake Song said to the press that over 2,000 pieces of feedback were gathered from the event and most all of them were directly addressed by the team. ArcheAge's fourth closed beta test expanded the game significantly. Three land regions, four sea zones, siege warfare, pirates, an auction house, the Kraken, and the new Hariharan race were added for players to try out. The team also improved the look of the Ferre race and clarity during character creation. During the event, XLGAMES incorporated a Footprint system into the game that would "mark" a trespasser who attempted to steal another player's resources, such as cutting down trees. One new feature was removed, however. The team had a combustible liquor barrel in the game but yanked it when griefers threw it into the middle of a wedding ceremony and killed everyone. As the devs put a wrap on closed beta four, Jake Song says that they're hard at work preparing for the fifth test. Before that happens, however, the team will attempt to fix many of the bugs that popped up during the last test, improve client downloading speeds, and incorporate instant dungeons and housing improvements.
XLGAMES' Jake Song not interested in consoles
ArcheAge guru Jake Song weighed in on the future of console games at Seoul's SoGang University yesterday. The XLGAMES founder and Lineage creator was part of a public discussion called "Get All the Game Maniacs Together," and he responded with an emphatic "no" when asked if he plans to develop for consoles. "[The Korean gaming industry] was able to set up such [a] wonderful environment for online games 15 years ago. So why should we go into the outdated market while so many overseas developers are suffering from learning our online games development experience," he said. Song explained that the console business model relies on selling third-party software, and he also hinted at the fact that mobile software is both cheaper and comparable to its console counterpart in terms of quality.
ArcheAge CBT4 extended to March 11th, 'if not later'
Those of you having fun in ArcheAge's fourth closed beta test will be happy to know that the party isn't stopping just yet. XLGAMES has announced a two-week extension for CBT4, ostensibly to subject the recently introduced siege system to more player-driven tests. Fan site ArcheAge Online says that "the beta will continue on until at least March 11th, if not later." ArcheAge is a fantasy title that seeks to meld the best parts of both sandbox and themepark design conventions. The game is the brainchild of Lineage creator Jake Song, and you can check out Massively's impressions of the beta via our CBT3 recap.
The Perfect Ten: The upcoming contenders
While I'm on board the Star Wars: The Old Republic train (at least until SOE's Star Wars: The New Republic comes out in 2014 and forces SWTOR to shut down), I can certainly sympathize with the frustration that non-fans are feeling right about now. There are few things more annoying than not being into the latest craze -- or hating it outright -- and yet being unable to escape it. So I'm here to say to you today that, like World of Warcraft, SWTOR isn't the be-all, end-all of the MMO field. It's a part of it, but just one part, and there are many, many others in the works as we speak. Mama always told me never to put all your eggs in one basket anyway, so I'm spreading my eggcitement across many cyber-nests. This is the bone I'm throwing to all of you this week: a list of 10 Midichlorian-free MMOs that have me -- and should have you -- extremely buzzed about their development. In putting together this list, I realized that there are so many promising prospects that I divided them into two groups. This week I'm presenting the strongest contenders that should make it to launch with a solid product, while next time I'll list promising prospects that may be more of a long shot. I'm 47% confident that I will not forget your most-anticipated title.
ArcheAge CBT4 will feature new continent, playable race
ArcheAge's fourth Korean closed beta phase is less than a month away, and the testing window is shaping up to be both longer (80 days) and more far-reaching than any of the previous three periods. In advance of the CBT4 kickoff, MMO Culture has released a new interview with XLGAMES head honcho Jake Song that was conducted at last week's G-Star convention in Korea. Song says the main goal of CBT4 is twofold: There is some bug-squashing and optimization left over from CBT3, and testing of the game's new continent should begin in earnest. While Song says that players will be able to occupy portions of the new landmass from the start, they should not expect castle siege functionality right away, as it's still possible that sieging may not make the CBT4 cut. There's also a bit of info about the new playable race (the Hariharan) and a few other tidbits.
Massively Exclusive: ArcheAge's Jake Song on consensual PvP, inflation, and more
ArcheAge news has been a bit sporadic of late, and it's also been quite some time since we talked to the devs or took a spin through one of the game's closed beta phases. Like many of you, we're dying to know more about XL Games' forthcoming fantasy sandpark, so we went straight to the source to see if we could drum up anything new. Lead designer Jake Song was kind enough to field a few of our burning questions, and we're pleased to present you with another Massively ArcheAge exclusive that touches on everything from localization and story to consensual PvP and item decay. Join us after the break for that and more.
New ArcheAge trailer and mobile app at ChinaJoy; Song charts MMO generations
The ArcheAge news floodgates have opened this morning, thanks largely to XL Games' showing at the ChinaJoy Digital Entertainment Expo in Shanghai. First up is an iOS mobile application reveal, and the program will allow players to view character details and message their ArcheAge pals (with more functionality on the way according to an article at MMO Culture). The fan site also has an interesting look at XL founder Jake Song's ChinaJoy speech which outlines the differences between first-, second-, and third-generation MMORPGs. Song charts the evolution of MMO gameplay from the "unorganized freedom" of early titles to the passive playground style popularized by World of Warcraft, and says that third-gen titles like ArcheAge will provide the best of both worlds by re-introducting player creativity and removing restrictions while maintaining a high degree of polish. Finally, XL has created a new trailer for ChinaJoy, and the clip features the usual stunning scenery as well as a few new wrinkles (hang-gliding and castle construction!). Check it out after the break.
XLGames making Civilization MMO
Get ready, Civilization fans, as your favorite franchise is heading to MMO-land (and no, we're not talking about the Civ World Facebook game). A couple of months ago we told you about XLGames' partnership with Take-Two Interactive, as well as the fact that XL would be making an existing Take-Two property into an MMORPG. This morning, various Asian gaming websites confirmed that said property is the venerable Civilization series that began way back in 1991. Details on the new game are sparse, but Google Translate versions of the news articles indicate that XL has begun "large-scale recruitment of MMORPG developers [...] including server [programmers], client programmers, artists, planners, project managers, story designers, [and] mission designers." Prior to its involvement with the Civilization franchise, XLGames was known exclusively for ArcheAge, a fantasy sandbox MMO that is currently undergoing closed beta testing in Korea. [Thanks to Mark for the tip!]
ArcheAge video shows six minutes of scenery
ArcheAge fans have been aching for news updates since the close of the title's latest Korean beta last May. XL Games is presumably hard at work processing feedback and adding functionality, as we haven't heard a peep from Jake Song's dev team in quite some time. Fortunately, our friends at AAPortal are parceling out various bits of video footage captured during CBT3. Last week we got a look at an ArcheAge cityscape by way of a parkour clip, and today we're treated to a six-minute montage of the game's stunning scenery. The footage takes us on a journey across tranquil meadows, arid deserts, and rocky shorelines, and even along for the ride as a player chases an airship (and later boards it, leading to some spectacular high-altitude nighttime vistas). Head past the cut to check it out, and mosey on over to AAportal for the source post.
