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The Digital Continuum: Fantasy's upcoming vacation
Is the MMO fantasy genre finally ready to relax and take its long overdue vacation? It does seem to be the case, as nearly all of the highly anticipated titles in the coming years are exceptionally not high fantasy or even really general fantasy. So while the sun is setting on the age of fantasy, a new dawn appears to be rising elsewhere. With it comes a tidal wave of new genres into the industry, some new and others a bit more familiar. Don't believe or agree with me? Keep reading and maybe you'll change your mind.
The Daily Grind: Will The Old Republic break new ground?
Yesterday evening, you may have noticed a disturbance in the MMO blogosphere. It was as if a million voices cried out "awesome" at once at the announcement of Bioware and Lucas Arts' new MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. It appears that Bioware and Lucas Arts are setting the standards fairly high in terms of development, too. From initial reports, players will be able to affect the world, not just in little "kill-ten-rats" fashion, but broad changes. Apparently NPC companions can turn on you and betray you, and so very much more that set heads spinning here at the Massively virtual offices. Of course, as time wore on, we started to see rumblings of "cartoony" equally met with "but it's Bioware - they do awesome storylines" then rebutted with "but they don't know about MMOs, having never put one out." The commentary has truly run the gamut since last night. As such, this morning we thought we'd ask -- are you excited about the confirmation of the long-suspected Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO, or no? What are you intrigued by, or not so thrilled about after reading all the news? Bioware has finally unveiled Star Wars: The Old Republic, their new MMO! Massively's got you covered on all the details -- from liveblogging the announcement to screenshot galleries and more. Join us in the Galaxy far, far away!
Star Wars MMO announced as The Old Republic
We've waited for it for a long time, we knew it was coming: BioWare has announced the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic-inspired MMO at last: the title is Star Wars: The Old Republic! Commence rejoicing with Ewoks and Gungans in the streets!A huge amount of information is SWTOR is already hitting the internet like a tsunami -- there's a preview at IGN, a video interview with Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk at GameSpot, screenshots at Eurogamer -- this is just the beginning, folks! We're in for a fine, fine day for Sci-Fi nerds! Check out the GameSpot vid behind the jump!%Gallery-35034%%Gallery-35033%%Gallery-35036% Bioware has finally unveiled Star Wars: The Old Republic, their new MMO! Massively's got you covered on all the details -- from liveblogging the announcement to screenshot galleries and more. Join us in the Galaxy far, far away!
LucasArts and BioWare confirm impending announcement
LucasArts and BioWare have invited members of the press to attend an event later this month at which the two companies will finally officially announce the game they've been working on together. They did not say what the game is, of course -- then how could they officially announce it at the event? Obviously we're suspicious that it will be the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic MMO (or just Star Wars: The Old Republic, as the rumored title goes).EA's John Riccitiello already confirmed the existence of that game under the table way back at E3, and other tidbits of news have only supported it since then. But hey, we suppose it could be something else. It was suggested in the Massively offices that maybe LucasArts bought the rights to He-Man, and it is in fact a He-Man MMO. Or maybe GI Joe. Yeah, we're a-stretchin'. More likely: a Willow game.According to Worlds in Motion, the invitation says it's "the game that's been rumored about for years." Uh-huh. The announcement will come October 21st, so hold your horses. Or your speeders. Whatever.
The Daily Grind: What do you want in the KotOR MMO?
LucasArts' Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has sold like, a bajazillion copies since it launched a couple weeks ago. The Star Wars franchise definitely sells video games, even when they get lukewarm reviews. But we're not going to talk about sales today. We're going to talk about quality.Since this site is about MMOs, and since we're going on about Star Wars, you've probably guessed that today's Daily Grind is about the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic MMO in development at BioWare's Austin studio. We want to know: what do you think the KotOR MMO needs in order to achieve greatness? It can't just be World of Warcraft with lightsabers and sociopathic droids. It needs to be radical.So what's it gonna take? What are you expecting -- nay, demanding -- from BioWare in perhaps the most hotly anticipated MMO since WoW or possibly of all time?
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.
Top 10 things we all want in a KotOR MMO
The Knights of the Old Republic MMO concept has been laid out there, despite no "official" announcement, and excitement is brewing everywhere. What would this MMO bring to the table? How would they successfully create another Star Wars-based online world and make it at least competitive in today's crowded MMO market? Enter IGN's "Top 10 Things We Want in a KOTOR MMO" list. This list was compiled by the folks on IGN's PC Team to let us know what they think would make the game exciting and successful. Some of the features they've cited include space combat comparable to TIE Fighter, player-run territories (planets?) and no over-saturation of Jedis. Check out the complete list at their site for more, and let us know what you'd add to that list.
LucasArts looking for PC and console MMO testers
If you somehow still weren't convinced -- or in denial -- about the reality of a KOTOR MMO, here's some further proof of the matter. It's very compelling evidence but what's most interesting about the job requirements is this bit, "Strong familiarity and experience with gaming consoles, and Windows based PC's." Should we be expecting to hear the eventual announcement of an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 KOTOR MMO? Seems like.The good side of this news is you could meet the criteria LucasArts has set for a tester and be one of the first people to play the game. The bad news is that a new single-player KOTOR seems unlikely to be in anyone's current future. So if you're not initially sold on a massively multiplayer KOTOR, hopefully BioWare will actually own up to their claim of trying something different and change your mind in the long-run.
The Daily Grind: The MMO you're most looking forward to
There are so many upcoming MMOs to anticipate, we honestly can't say which one we're looking forward to most. Champions Online looks like good fun (with a good sense of humor!), DC Universe Online has us wowed with its array of super powers (that thing where you can freeze someone in a block of ice and throw them around? We're led to understand it never gets old.), Wrath of the Lich King is sure to turn our attention back to Blizzard (we may or may not have the beta client open as we type -- we'd never admit it if we did), Warhammer Online is just around the corner, Star Trek Online calls to the inner geek in all of us, and Knights of the Old Republic Online (or whatever it might be called) is a siren's song to any geeks not falling head over heels for STO. We're in such a state of giddiness over upcoming games, we can't quite determine which one we're most excited about -- and that's where you come in. Which of the many new titles out there are you most looking forward to?
The Digital Continuum: Five KOTOR MMO Jedi counter-measures
With the less-than-grandiose announcement that Electronic Arts, BioWare and Lucas Arts are working together on a KOTOR MMO, I've found myself pondering the game that until now was nothing but a rumor. Granted, I already thought about the game quite a lot even before it was the now more official affair.There are no two ways about it. Star Wars as an MMO presents developers with a tough issue: how to deal with the Jedi class. I still think that one of the many mistakes with Star Wars Galaxies was setting it during the original trilogy, where Jedi were almost non-existent. I got the draw of the setting, but for an MMO it really didn't cater to the fervent desire to roll a Obi-wanna be character. Yet I also feel like it's a mistake making Jedi readily available without presenting players with other options that are equally appealing. Neo-futuristic-magical-samurai with energy swords aren't a hard sale for most players choosing which class they want to play. Thankfully, BioWare seems to have chosen itself a wonderfully powerful loop-hole: Knights of the Old Republic.
KOTOR MMO confirmed by Electronic Arts
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/KOTOR_MMO_confirmed_by_Electronic_Arts'; We've had plenty of speculation -- lots and lots of it -- but now we've got confirmation from Electronic Arts chief executive John Riccitiello that Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is indeed getting a massively multiplayer online iteration. Portfolio.com has the story. The article quotes Riccitiello as saying, "... the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about -- in partnership with Lucas, coming out of BioWare, which is, I think, quite possibly the most anticipated game, full stop, for the industry at the point when we get closer to telling you about it." When directly asked if this was confirmation of Knights of the Old Republic Online, the executive said simply, "yes".You can commence the freaking out now.
EA: LucasArts and BioWare building KOTOR MMO
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/LucasArts_and_BioWare_building_KOTOR_MMO'; Portfolio.com just published a short excerpt of its interview with EA boss John Riccitiello who tells the site that it's "got two of the most compelling MMOs in the industry in development" including "the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about -- in partnership with Lucas, coming out of BioWare." One doesn't need to connect too many dots to arrive at the conclusion that BioWare is returning to the Star Wars universe with a Knights of the Old Republic MMO.Of course, this product has been rumored for ... well, for a long time. Separately confirming a BioWare / LucasArts collaboration and a BioWare MMO project lead to certain obvious conclusions and countless other rumors and leaks seemed to do everything but confirm (and some denied) the project's existence. Though it would appear Riccitiello wasn't quite ready to put a name on that project – it's Portfolio.com connecting those dots – by referencing that this is the game that "people are dying for us to talk to them about" he clearly seems to be pointing to KOTOR.[Update: We've just spoken with N. Evan Van Zelfden, the writer of the report, who told us that when asked specifically if this game was "KOTOR Online", Riccitiello responded unequivocally, "Yes." So, there you have it – sounds like we can take off our skeptical glasses.]
E308: BioWare says there is no KOTOR MMO (wink)
We just saw BioWare show off their new Dragon Age: Origins here at E3, and while that singleplayer game looks great (imagine a Mass Effect game set in the world of Baldur's Gate), we did spring the requisite massively multiplayer question on them for you. At the very end of the Q&A session with developer Dan Tudge after the demo, the PR rep told us there was just "time for one more question," and we threw it out there: "So, how's the Knights of the Old Republic MMO coming?"There was silence in the room for a moment. Tudge quietly said, "I... have no idea what you're talking about," and then everyone laughed as the PR rep nervously said, "Good answer." Tudge added, "You're asking me that in front of my boss?" And so we revised the question: Dragon Age has a very MMO-style design -- there's a minimap in the upper right, party portraits in the upper left, and a bar with icons for skills across the bottom. Does BioWare really want to make an MMO? "The interface looked like Baldur's Gate to me," said Tudge cooly. "The real question is, how much of the MMOs did Baldur's Gate influence?"Touché. But we left the press conference with a smile, a special secret that we'll share with you now. As much as Tudge was thrown off by the question, as much as the PR flack was aghast that we asked it, we did leave with this satisfactory piece of information: they didn't, in point of fact, deny. Did you enjoy this? Check out all of our E3 coverage as the week rolls forward!
New Lucasfilm trademarks sound suspiciously KotOR MMO-like
Lucasfilm has registered a number of new trademarks, including Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Old Republic, Star Wars Legends, and Star Wars Sagas. This news is interesting as is, but it gets really juicy when you read the type of patent and its description: "Entertainment services provided on-line by means of global and local area networks, namely, providing interactive computer game software, interactive video game software and interactive computer games and interactive video games, all on-line by means of global and local area networks ... "That sounds awfully MMO-like, doesn't it? It's not even remotely conclusive though. It could be another kind of multiplayer, or it could even be some kind of web-based community service connected to a single-player game; the patent description suggests that it's also for news and "fan club services."That said, it could be the fabled, BioWare Austin-developed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic MMO. We suppose it all depends on just how badly you want to believe![Via Kotaku]
BioWare MMO release window revealed, KotOR rumors persist
Total Video Games has a new scoop about BioWare's mysterious MMO project. The site reports that Electronic Arts' CEO told investors that his company is funding an MMO in Austin. Of course, that's a no brainer. Since BioWare is owned by EA now, we assumed that much. But he want on to say that the MMO is slated for a release in "the fiscal 2010/2011." That means it's coming between April 2010 and March 2011. It'll be a long wait; how sad! That's not all, though.There's also the rumor that will not -- cannot die. An alleged disgruntled ex-LucasArts employee (the "ex" bit because of the recent layoffs) e-mailed gaming blog Kotaku saying that one of the projects "in the pipeline" at LucasArts is Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3. That alone is no surprise, since LucasArts and BioWare announced a new collaboration months ago, but ... he also said that KotOR 3 is an MMO. Oh noes! Not that rumor again! Well, anyway, we're sure our very intelligent readers know to take with a kilogram of salt the paraphrased words of an alleged disgruntled former employee. Right?
Muzyka: BioWare MMO is innovative, polished like WoW
Gamasutra spoke at length with BioWare head honcho Ray Muzyka about living under the EA banner, and his company's vision for its up-and-coming MMO. He assured Gamasutra that the unique identity of BioWare has been preserved despite EA's acquisition, and pointed out studios like DICE and Criterion as other EA acquisition success stories. He noted also that BioWare now has non-mandatory access to all the tools and technologies of the EA family. Of the Austin studio's mysterious MMO project, he said: "It's going to feel like a BioWare game. It's going to have the best of breed of MMO features, and some new innovations that when we reveal them, hopefully they'll be impactful for people." As we learned a while back, he has a positive opinion about World of Warcraft and Blizzard. "I think they've done a great job," he said. "But the fact that people want to play that kind of game is an opportunity to really deliver that level of polish and quality, and innovate in a few key areas, while they continue to innovate in a few key areas, too."Still no word on what those innovations are. Keep on guessing!
Top 10 MIA MMOs of 2007 - part 2
The MMO landscape for next year is already looking extremely promising for all parties involved. Even in their unfinished state, games like Age of Conan, Pirates of the Burning Sea, and Warhammer Online already appear like industry trend-setters, and its only a matter of months before we're finally able to sink our collective teeth into fresh, new, massively multiplayer meat. But as we all well know, the excitement doesn't stop with those familiar names.We return once more to deliver the part two of our list of the Top 10 MIA MMOs of 2007 -- those games which we know exist somewhere out there in the ether, but which we know ... well, basically nothing about. If you missed part 1 of the list which was posted last week, make sure to go back and read over it before proceeding any further. That way, you can know for sure whether or not we skipped that big game that you're looking forward to -- and the ensuing hate mail can, at the very least, be properly informed.
BioWare likes WoW but thinks it can do better
GameInformer published an interview with BioWare President Greg Zeschuk and CEO Ray Muzyka in its December 2007 issue. Most of the questions in the interview focused on the EA acquisition, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age, but one did probe for information on the (KotOR?) MMO in development at BioWare's Austin studio.Both Zeschuk and Muzyka admitted to being players and fans of World of Warcraft, but expressed dissatisfaction with the way that making progress in the game is so time-consuming that "it's almost like having another job." They said they are thinking about ways to make the genre more accessible and easier to "pick up and play and have fun.""We certainly like the games," said Muzyka, "but the staying power hasn't been as strong. They totally enthrall a certain set of people, but we thought about how to make it an experience where you don't have to have a massive investment of itme."Blizzard had similar aspirations with World of Warcraft, and it succeeded in its goal; WoW is far more accessible than previous entries in the genre. Can BioWare expand the appeal of MMOs even further?
Bioware seeking you to write their MMO
The latest Penny Arcade comic (which, for the record, also features a little hiring humor) has a news update that will probably be super interesting to those of you thinking about a career writing videogames, specifically MMOs. Daniel Erickson, the lead writer over at Bioware Austin, is looking for people from all walks of life to come help him write the new Bioware MMO.Erickson says that it's the biggest project Bioware has ever done (ever), and that he expects the story to take the efforts of "a double digit writing staff working for years" to get done right. Additionally, he says that many of their greatest writers have come from weird career places, and so whether you're working the fry line at Dairy Queen or finishing up your own indie RPG, Bioware is willing to check out your work and see if you'd join them. There's more deets on their website-- basically, besides the normal job application stuff, they want you to create dialogue inside a Neverwinter Nights scenario, and make it good. There is one drawback, however-- if you do get the job, don't forget that you'd be working for EA.Even if you're not applying, this little letter (reprinted after the break) is interesting-- they ask specifically for "Baldur's Gate 2, Planescape Torment, Neverwinter Nights" style game dialogue. Does that mean that this isn't the KotOR MMO we've all been expecting? Is Bioware putting together a Forgotten Realms MMO? If so, I call Entreri!
MMOGology: The next big thing
I remember the excitement I felt back in 2001 when World of Warcraft (WoW) was announced. I greedily read early previews as new details were released in magazines like PC Gamer and Computer Gaming World (now Games for Windows). I savored each scrap of gameplay information and every gorgeous screenshot. It seemed so different, visually and conceptually, than all the other MMOGs I had played to that point. Yes, Blizzard was taking tried and true gameplay techniques from Everquest, Dark Age of Camelot, and other popular MMOGs at the time, but it was keeping the fun concepts and removing the painful ones. It was a somewhat foreign concept at the time to focus on making the fun factor the focus of the game. Some people will undoubtedly argue with me, but running naked while avoiding agro on a twenty minute corpse run in Everquest was not my idea of fun. Blizzard's game was also the only MMOG I knew of that promised it wouldn't discourage casual and solo play. Apparently I wasn't the only one excited about World of Warcraft. Six years after WoW was initially announced, and on the eve of its three year launch anniversary, WoW has somewhere between eight and nine million subscribers. WoW is clearly the current king of the massively multiplayer mountain; at least in terms of populatiry. With one expansion under its belt, another set for release in 2008, and constant upgrades along the way, it's clear that WoW has a lot left to give. But there's always one thing you can count on when you're the king of the mountain; you'll always have a challenger aiming to steal your crown. Inevitably it will happen. Something will replace the WoW so many of us MMOG players know and love. It might be another Blizzard creation, a WoW 2.0 or a World of StarCraft. Or it might be something entirely different by another developer. It's a question that will continue to be asked until WoW is finally replaced. What will be the Next Big MMOG?
