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Outspark closes, gamigo acquires Fiesta Online
Free-to-play publisher Outspark has officially closed its doors, but its Fiesta Online MMO will live on thanks to an acquisition by gamigo. Outspark CEO Philip Yun says that "a substantial part of the team has joined gamigo, and will work from gamigo's San Francisco office to manage and support the games." A press release on gamigo's website also mentions that the firm will be moving its New York-based North American office to San Francisco.
Fiesta Online whips up a creamy browser version
With a current playerbase of over five million users, you'd think that Outspark would be plenty happy with Fiesta Online as it is. However, the publisher has decided that there are more steps it could be taking to widen the accessibility for this free-to-play title, and as such, the devs are preparing a new version of Fiesta Online that you can play in your browser. Coming this winter, the Fiesta Online browser edition will access the full game that current players experience. Players will be able to log onto either the browser or standard client and interact in the same game. Outspark says that this is only the first part of greater changes coming to the game. Outspark CEO Philip Yun says this is all about giving its customers more choice: "With such a large fan following we hear plenty of opinions on what players want. In preparation for more content coming in the future, we wanted to provide old and new players more ways to enjoy and play their favorite MMO." [Source: Outspark press release]
Luvinia Online leaps into launch
Following a short period in open beta, Outspark's Luvinia Online has ponied up and released to throngs of adoring fans today. If riding giant bunnies and beating up on steroid chickens in a colorful fantasy environment sounds up your alley, today might be a great day for your gaming schedule. Outspark's Philip Yun announced that the level cap has been increased to 78, and he welcomed all of the game's supporters: "We had a great open beta and everything is coming along as expected for this exceptional MMORPG. We thank all of the players that helped out with the closed and open betas and are happy that we can finally bring the full experience of Luvinia Online to our large and eager player base." Unlike many MMO launches, Luvinia's launch won't wipe players' beta characters but will instead roll them onto the live servers instead. With Luvinia's launch comes the opening of the in-game store, which will try to tempt players with costumes, mounts, and XP boosts in order to finance this free-to-play title. [Source: Outspark press release] %Gallery-126599%
Luvinia Online begins closed beta signups, releases teaser trailer
Outspark announced today that beta sign-ups for its upcoming free-to-play fantasy MMO Luvinia Online have begun. The game is already live and "highly successful" in China, and Outspark hopes to duplicate that success in the west. Philip Yun, Outspark's COO, claims the game is "a big labor of love," and touts it as an "action-packed 3D MMORPG [that] is brimming with all the monsters, allies, and challenges that you expect from an Outspark title." The game itself seems to be more or less standard fantasy fare; "The world of Luvinia beckons players into a realm where humans, orcs, gnomes and dwarves once co-existed in peace; however, destiny never stands still," claims the press release. Information on the game's mechanics is sparse, but we do know that there are three class archetypes -- Warrior, Rogue, and Mage -- with "12 subclasses for specialization." Presumably, this means four subclasses for each archetype -- but you never know! Some archetypes get all the love. The game also boasts both underwater and interstellar travel, with "over 50 cities to visit and 130+ maps to explore." If your interest is piqued, you can head past the cut for a short teaser trailer, then sign up for the closed beta at the official site.
Holier than thou: Divine Souls adds the Priest
It figures that in a game called Divine Souls, sooner or later the team would include clergy. Outspark's action RPG has expanded its class roster to include the Priest, who's an interesting mix of lethal intent and compassionate healing. The Priest is equipped with a deadly Soul Scythe, with which he culls the heathens as he works his way through the land. That's not all he brings to battle; the Priest is also well-versed in healing, lightning and poison magics. Outspark's Philip Yun hopes that the Priest will be embraced by the playerbase: "We've designed Divine Souls from the beginning to offer the most action-packed and exciting combat gameplay available online. We're constantly working to improve our games and offer players more exciting characters, weapons and other premium content. The Priest class will be especially compelling for players who want to try a different edge to our PvP battles." Hit the jump to see Divine Souls' Priest in action!
