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Working As Intended: The MMOs we lost in 2014
Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote about how Vanguard's early stumbles foreshadowed the changing MMORPG industry. In January 2007, when Vanguard lurched its way to launch, the genre was barely a decade old; it was booming, and it had never suffered hardship on a massive scale. In the west, we'd seen only three "major" MMOs sunset (Motor City Online, Earth and Beyond, and Asheron's Call 2), and only one MMO, Anarchy Online, had "gone F2P," though we hadn't yet thought to call it yet because it was such a rare and new thing. In fact, it wasn't until 2008's first big wave of AAA, post-World of Warcraft MMOs launched and mostly flopped that MMORPG players gave much thought to the future of the genre and how WoW had reshaped (and possibly broken) it. Maybe not even then. Here in 2015, sunsets are commonplace, and the vast majority of modern MMOs have adopted some sort of subscriptionless model. Last year, we lost more than a dozen MMOs, including Vanguard itself, all of them wiped from the face of the earth (at least until someone decides to resurrect them), and several more under development were canceled, leading to concern among industry watchers like those of us who pen for Massively. Let's try to get some perspective and revisit the MMOs we lost in 2014.
Legend of Edda is returning September 24th
You could be completely forgiven for thinking that Legend of Edda had breathed its last when the game shut down at the beginning of this year. It was cute, but it just couldn't sustain itself. But the game is getting another lease on life starting on September 24th, when the game opens up under new publisher JC Planet. The opening will not feature any wipes or resets, apparently skipping public testing in favor of moving straight to launch. Numerous launch events are planned, including bonuses for registering your account before the start of service and for reaching level 20 quickly after the 24th rolls around. If you'd always meant to take a look at the game but never quite managed to, you'll be getting another shot at it in just a little while, hopefully without the issues that made it shut its doors back in January. [Thanks to Evan for the tip!]
Legend of Edda closes its doors for good January 22nd
If you'd always meant to check out the cute free-to-play title Legend of Edda but never quite got around to it, you're almost out of luck. GamesCampus has announced that the game is shutting down on January 22nd, 2014. Citing hacking attempts, gold purchasing, and game crashes that created an unstable gaming environment, the studio said "there is no way to continue providing support to the game financially." Legend of Edda closed down temporarily between 2011 and 2012 in order to overhaul and improve the game; unfortunately, this time the closure will be permanent. GamesCampus is currently in the process of working out compensation packages for all players who have been active for the past three months. [Thanks to Mehighlow for the tip!]
First impressions of Heroes of the Obelisk
Heroes of the Obelisk might look familiar, probably because its developers are the same folks who brought us Luna Online and Legend of Edda. I really enjoy its art style, one that puts us in control of Chibi-style, juvenile characters. The backgrounds are pretty, and there are some nice modern bells and whistles like distance blur and glow effects. As is normally the case with an Anime-based game that comes to us from the East, the game looks like a carbon copy of other titles, at least at first glance. The details make all of the difference, however, and there are a few things in this title that manage to just barely keep it out of "clone" territory. I do take issue with the fact that the developers refer to it as a hack-and-slash title, though. Heroes of the Obelisk is not what you think of when you think of action combat. Games like Vindictus, Neverwinter, and Dungeons and Dragons Online are action-based gaming. Heroes of the Obelisk is standard, class-based, hotbar-mashing combat.
Legend of Edda going dark until 2012 due to revamp
Legend of Edda, the free-to-play title from GamesCampus, is temporarily closing its doors to the gaming public on August 26th until early next year. This isn't because of a dying population or financial difficulty, but rather to overhaul and relaunch the game with a much-improved version. According to a letter left on the website, EU's EYASoft developed a superior version of the game that went into open beta in Europe. Apparently this version was both so good and so incompatible with the North American version that GamesCampus decided to halt progress on the current edition of Legend of Edda in favor for the new and improved one. "Unfortunately," the letter says, "because of the extreme differences between the US version and the new version, it is impossible to update the US servers to the new game." To compensate Legend of Edda fans, GamesCampus is creating compensation packages to refund in-game currency and encourage players to try out on of the studio's other titles. We covered Legend of Edda earlier this year in our Rise and Shiny column.
GamesCampus announces Legend of Edda Chapter 2: Return of the God
Hey Legend of Edda fans, are you ready for new maps, new dungeons, new skills, and upgraded third job classes? Hopefully you are, because GamesCampus is giving you all that and more on April 27th. Legend of Edda's Chapter 2: Return of the God update is right around the corner, and GamesCampus is upping the ante in terms of features and content. Upon reaching level 40, players will be able to select a third job class from a list that includes Templars, Champions, Shadow Runners, Scouts, Bishops, and Necromancers. Speaking of levels, we've learned that the cap is being raised from 40 to 54, and new skills are available as a result. In fact, a new guild skill system allows for experience and drop-rate boosts for all members. Legend of Edda's world is expanding as well, with four new open-world maps and three new dungeon instances arriving on patch day. Finally, GamesCampus is tweaking several under-the-hood features including the addition of camera rotation functionality, custom keymapping, a mail system, and various itemization adjustments. You can learn more about Legend of Edda at its official website.
Rise and Shiny recap: Legend of Edda
Legend of Edda is a bright and shiny new game from Games Campus. It pits your character against uncountable, endless hordes of all types of monsters and even other players. According to my on-again-off-again education about Anime (I consulted those weird teens that sit in the Barnes and Noble reading Manga) the artstyle of the game is called "Chibi," the Japanese word for "little people." I was sure to ask if the word could be offensive, in the same way that calling any little person a "midget" could be. I have been assured that it is not used in such ways. Still, I hesitate to say that the game is cute. It is, but not just cute. It speaks to that same area of us that enjoys Domo, or that relishes in YouTube videos of puppies barking in their sleep. It's not just cute -- it's something deeper than that. I love how tough everything seems, how every character has such a low center of gravity. The standard top-down view is perfect for such a world. But, what about the grind? How about the PvP?
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.
