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Mojang card game 'Scrolls' reborn as 'Caller's Bane'
When Scrolls was hit by a Bethesda lawsuit and its online servers died an ugly death, the future of Mojang's collectible card game was looking rather grim. But Scrolls is still alive, and it's just been rebranded as 'Caller's Bane'. Unlike before, it now costs nothing to play.
Mojang retires its card battle game, offers one more year of playtime
Mojang means Minecraft. But that's not the only thing the Microsoft-owned developer tinkers away at. Scrolls was another project: an online card-based battle game that's available across PC, Mac and tablets. Unfortunately, the title has reached the end of its life, with the developer announcing that it will discontinue work on the game. It doesn't offer up a particular reason for the quiet ending, but we've reached out to see if there was any particular reason -- the developer claimed a legal victory against Bethesda in being able to name the game "Scrolls" in the first place, but was bound from naming any sequels similarly. Mojang promises that it'll keep the servers running for another year, so that's twelve more months to tackle the latest update and levels, which were released only last month. Update: A Mojang spokesperson told us: "The launch of the 'Scrolls' beta was a great success. Tens of thousands of players battled daily, and many of them remain active today. Unfortunately, the game has reached a point where it can no longer sustain continuous development."
Scrolls shuffles out of beta, cuts price to $5
Minecraft developer Mojang launched its latest game, Scrolls, in full today. Scrolls is now available on PC, Mac and Android tablets, with an iPad version expected to arrive "some time in the new year." The card hoarding game pits players against one another on a hexagonal battlefield, earning gold and acquiring spells, enchantments and other strategy-boosting goodies. Scrolls entered open beta in June 2013 for $20, though the developer officially dropped the price of the full game to $5. It announced plans to shift the game's price in September, affirming that those who already bought the game will receive the $20 shard package, giving those players the ability to purchase decks, avatars and new scrolls without any additional cost. Mojang also began offering a free trial version of Scrolls today on all three platforms, for those interested in checking the strategy game out firsthand. [Image: Mojang]
Final release version of Scrolls set to unfurl in November
Mojang's card battle game Scrolls has existed in an open beta state since June, but it's nearly time to release the final version, according to a statement made by the developer to Touch Arcade. Er ... maybe. "The guesstimate is late November," Mojang's Owen Hill told Touch Arcade. "But we're not going to release it until it's ready, if you know what I mean." Mojang recently announced a price drop for the PC version of the game, from $20 to $5, to keep it competitive with other products on mobile platforms. However, when the game launches on iOS, players will be able to download the game for free and play several games as a "dummy" user. A $5 in-app purchase will unlock the full game. And for those concerned about corporate overlords imposing their will onto a smaller company, Hill told Touch Arcade that he doesn't expect Microsoft's recent acquisition of Mojang to impact their future plans regarding Scrolls. "There's a good chance that the only effect is that we'll have to add a Microsoft logo to the launcher or something." [Image: Mojang]
Mojang drops price, doles out freebies for Scrolls tablet launch
Scrolls, Mojang's - or is it Microsoft's? - card battle game, will see a price drop of more than 75 percent when it launches this fall, the developer announced on its blog this week. This means that the normally $21 game will drop to $5, regardless of platform. If you've already dropped a Jackson and Washington on the game, that might sound like bad news - but there are several upsides. First, those who have already purchased the game will receive the $20 shard package, which allows players to purchase new scrolls, pre-constructed decks and player avatars, free of charge. Also, not only will the price be the same across platforms, but so will gameplay; Scrolls players on tablets will be able to compete with those on PC and Mac, as well as have their collections and progress transfer from one version to the other. "Our current price of $21 isn't feasible for tablets," Owen Hill of Mojang wrote. "As you probably already know, games are cheap on those things. Free-to-play would be an option, but we're not keen on the way that that form of monetisation can affect gameplay." [Image: Mojang]
Mojang's Scrolls in the works for iPad
Scrolls - the other game by Mojang - is on its way to iPad, courtesy of Boulder Dash XL 3D and Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet dev Ludosity. The collectible card game makes sense for a touchscreen experience, but as for what might be unique to that experience, we'll have to wait and see. Mojang said it'll have more news on the tablet port "soon." The Minecraft studio also plans to deal out a few tweaks to Scrolls, including a visually clearer ranking system, and some audio and visual additions to give duels a bit more pizzazz. There are also revamped, "snappier" tutorials in the works, as well as a new demo. [Image: Mojang]
Wings Over Atreia: Aion's Black Cloud Marketplace evolves to let you play more your way
Those of you who know me a bit know that I am not really a fan of cash shops. In fact, I don't sit in the cheer section for free-to-play at all; I am a die-hard subscription gal. But I know free-to-play and cash shops are a very entrenched and popular part of our gaming culture now (though I do celebrate when F2P games turn to subs!) and as an avid gamer, I can't avoid them. However, I also feel that there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to do both F2P and cash shops. The former, Aion already nailed on the head with the Truly Free model where all content is actually free to all players. The latter... well, in my opinion the Black Cloud Marketplace had definite room for improvement. As it turns out, some of those improvements are happening now. And according to Associate Product Manager Sean Orlikowski, those changes represent a permanent new direction for the Marketplace. We're going to delve into those improvements and how they might affect the grand scheme of Aion right here in this edition of Wings Over Atreia.
Substantial Scrolls update adds new modes next month
A substantial update for Scrolls, the collectible card game from Minecraft developer Mojang, is in the works and slated to drop sometime next month. The patch will extend customization options, add a new mode called Judgment, toss in some spectator tools and top it all off with over 40 new Scrolls to unfurl. In Judgment, players create a deck of cards (or Scrolls) from a randomized set and engage in five different competitive matches. Based on your performance over those five matches, you'll then receive a corresponding reward. The mode is designed to level the playing field between expert and more novice spellcasters. Spectator mode allows players to watch their friends matches. Scrolls launched its premium beta back in June. Interested parties looking to buy into the beta can currently access the game for $20 through the game's official site.
PSA: Scrolls open beta begins today, buy in for $20
Scrolls is available in open beta today, for $20 – also known as £13 or €15, depending on where your banks are located. Scrolls is a digital, collectible card game from Mojang, the people behind Minecraft. And, just like Minecraft, buying Scrolls during the open beta gives players all subsequent game updates for free. In its current form, Scrolls isn't feature-complete, but it includes a deck builder, 25 trials, trading, profiles, the store, and quick, challenge and ranked matches. Scrolls has an in-game currency, gold, and real-money currency, shards, though Mojang promises shards are "completely optional, and will never be required to stay competitive." Check out Scrolls for PC and Mac via the game's official site.
Mojang's Scrolls launches in open beta today, $20 gets you access
Mojang's best known for the indie blockbuster Minecraft, but today heralds the launch of the open beta for its new game, Scrolls. It's been a long time coming, and the title itself was the focus of a courtroom squabble, as much as Notch would've liked to hash out the early roadblock in a rocket-filled arena. While it's admittedly not "feature complete," you can test your card-battling skills in casual and ranked online match-ups. The card trading forum is up and running, as is the in-game store for bolstering your deck using gold earned through triumph, and "shards" purchased with real dough. You can tweak your deck using the builder and 25 trials are available off the bat to school you in strategy. Access to the open beta will cost you $20, £13 or 15 euros, but really, you're buying the full game early, as all future updates will be free to beta adopters. The purchase page isn't live just yet, but it'll be available to download for PC and Mac at some point today. Hit the source link to brush up on the mechanics if you can't wait to attack the trials, or check out the trailer below for a quick fix.
Scrolls goes on sale next week with open beta
Scrolls, the next venture from Minecraft creator Mojang, rolls into open beta next week, over two years after it was first announced. The digital collectible card game will be purchasable for PC and Mac on June 3, and unravels at a price of $20/€15/£13. Yes, those are cute little fluffy bunnies in the launch trailer, waiting to be decimated by a giant barrage of projectiles. One of the Scrolls alpha challenges sees you square up against a barrage of bunnies, whose scroll description reads "they're not so cute anymore, when your crops are gone." Still, poor bunnies... couldn't things just be settled amicably?
Mojang's Scrolls beta unravels at 'end of April'
Minecraft developer Mojang is targeting a late April release for an early PC beta of its next game, Scrolls. Speaking to Polygon in an interview, studio co-founder and game designer Jakob Porser said, "We'll release it early at a discount. With the help from our community, we'll take the game to the next level and see what we want to do and what they expect out of the game and you can work around that."The digital collectible card game is due on Mac shortly after, and a Linux release is being considered too. The news follows Blizzard's PAX East announcement of its own free-to-play digital CCG, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. Porser, however, is philosophical about how that announcement impacts upon Scrolls."In the end the consumer gets multiple choices and we have to step our game to try and make the best possible product, the best possible game we can," he told Polygon. "If Blizzard makes the better game, then all credit to them and we need to move on to something else."
Gold Capped: How to make gold as an enchanter
"Every" week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Basil "Euripides" Berntsen and Fox Van Allen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Check out Basil's re-reboot of Call To Auction, and email Basil with your questions, comments, or hate mail! Enchanting can be a very good way to make gold. Every time someone gets an upgrade, the first thing they do is see whether there's an enchant they could put on it, and if so, either have someone enchant it in a trade window, or buy a scroll from the AH. The first thing you'll need to know if you're going to get into the scroll market is that it's not a good idea to use the default interface. You will face challenges that it is simply not equipped to handle. Chiefly: Knowing whether a scroll is profitable Knowing whether you already have scrolls made and for sale
Mojang's Scrolls moves into closed alpha
As reported by the official blog, Mojang has declared its upcoming Minecraft follow-up, Scrolls, to now be in closed alpha. Just like Minecraft, the game is will roll out one piece at a time, first in this testing phase, with more features to come after the official release. In the current alpha, players can build up their deck of scrolls and fight against an AI opponent, or play random matches in multiplayer.It sounds basic, but Mojang wants to iron out the core gameplay before adding any more complexity. The closed alpha will use "quite a modest number" of players to begin with, and eventually grow into a full open beta.
Minecraft studio's rolling launch of 'Scrolls' nearing 'closed alpha' release, paid beta to follow
Mojang's "paid beta" model wasn't a Minecraft-exclusive, and the Swedish studio is implementing the same structure with its next game – Scrolls. Company co-founder Jakob Porser detailed how that'll play out for Scrolls on the game's fancy new website, where he said, "We are rapidly approaching the closed alpha of Scrolls."Said closed alpha will "be far from a feature complete version of the game," Porser said, but it does feature "multiplayer matches, single player matches vs AI, and the Deck Builder, where you can build your decks out of the 100+ scrolls that currently exist in the game." As development continues, the closed alpha will enter open beta and thusly be open for purchase. Porser promised "a reduced price ... with some added benefits" for beta buyers, but stopped short of revealing what those benefits are. Golden scrolls? Super thick scrolls?Of course, that beta won't be feature complete either, and Porser said the game will eventually include a full single-player world for battling (over various scrolls), as well as an auction house, character customization, and questing. And considering how this all worked out last time, it might not be the worst idea to get in on Scrolls early.Wanna see how the game looks before you buy into anything? Have a look at the new trailer above.%Gallery-159032%
Mojang can't use 'Scrolls' in any sequels to 'Scrolls,' lawsuit dictates
Notch seems to be happy with the outcome of Mojang's legal tussle with Bethesda, which allows Mojang to use Scrolls as the title of a coming game that looks and plays nothing like anything in the Elder Scrolls series. Bethesda retains the trademark for "Scrolls," but Mojang can use it for its title, a result that had Notch beaming -- but as with all legal battles, it's not that simple.After the celebratory "Yaaaay! <3" Notch tweeted, "The actual document I signed was like a billion pages, so at least we know a bunch of lawyers got rich. Good, wouldn't want them to starve." Within those billion-odd pages comes an interesting deal that prohibits Mojang from using "Scrolls" in the title of any sequels to Scrolls:"ZeniMax has licensed the 'Scrolls' mark to Mojang to be used solely in conjunction with its existing Scrolls digital card game and any add-on material it makes to that game," a Bethesda statement reads. "The terms of the settlement bar Mojang from using the Scrolls mark for any sequel to the current card game, or any other video game."Either Notch doesn't plan on making more than one iteration of Scrolls, or the subsequent titles will be called "Reams," "Parchments" or "Ancient Paper that One Rolls Up and can Unravel to Read From, Such as a Decree."
Bethesda and Mojang settle, Scrolls will keep its name
Everything's coming up Notch. The Swedish indie game rockstar has so much money he's giving it away, presented several GDC panels to adoring throngs, and has even sparked a fashion trend (Notch hats were the accessory at GDC). And now he's settled with Bethesda over the use of the name "Scrolls".Notch tweeted today that the two companies had settled, adding "Yaaaay! <3" Mojang had been locked in a court case with Bethesda, who claimed that the title of the upcoming game was too close to the "Elder Scrolls" series name. Notch later tweeted details of the agreement: "The settlement is that we give them the trademark," he said, "get to keep the name, and won't make an Elder Scrolls competitor using the name." Not that it was likely to in the first place.
Wings Over Atreia: Too much of a good thing
Seriously NCsoft, enough is enough! Now, I know that in the not-even-too-distant past, I openly admitted how much I liked the shiny surveys that popped up occasionally in Aion. Whether they were during events or just out of the blue, the surveys were like a random present just because. And who doesn't like presents? Sometimes you would know what you were getting; other times it would be a complete surprise. I love clicking that little icon and being rewarded with dyes, pets, emotion cards, and other assorted relatively harmless fluff. Yes, I also hoarded the platinum medals and ancient crowns that sprang up infrequently with a near maniacal glee. But there reaches a point when you really can have too much of a good thing (sadly, much like decadent cheesecake) and actually encounter negative repercussions. Last week I mentioned that the leveling rewards, at least under level 25, got to be a little much. But that doesn't compare to the glut of goods available to every player who logged in during the month of October. I was initially appreciative of getting a few of the "October Special" (stacks of multiple scrolls and power shards). However, the surveys got out of hand before long. Click past the cut for (no, not a free gift!) Wings over Atreia's look at how over-gifting can actually be damaging to Aion.
Scrolls not free-to-play, shares elements with F2P titles
According to Mojang's Markus "Notch" Persson, the studio's upcoming Scrolls will not be a free-to-play title, though it will utilize concepts seen in free-to-play titles. Persson told Gamasutra, "The idea is that you can play for free after the initial payment, which includes a lifetime subscription of new scrolls at regular intervals," adding that more free scrolls can be earned by doing things like participating in tournaments. Of course, players can also buy additional scrolls, should they desire. Persson's comments to Gamasutra came after a blog post in which he revealed his distaste for the term "free to play." Wrote Persson, "The reason anyone switches to 'free to play' is to make more money," saying that free-to-play titles are designed primarily to get players "hooked," ultimately creating "a game that's designed more like a slot machine than Half-Life 2. The words "free to play" are misleading, he wrote, saying that "we should call it 'as expensive as you want it to be' or something."
2 Player Productions also crafting Scrolls documentary, first part now available
When they're not busy producing work for Penny Arcade or working on development house documentaries, the folks from 2 Player Productions are also slicing off choice cuts of tape regarding the legally embattled next game from Mojang Specifications: Scrolls. The documentary group's website recently revealed the first of several pieces that make up the entire Scrolls doc, featuring interviews and footage from inside the studio. As expected, Mojang co-founder and Minecraft lead Markus "Notch" Persson makes a few appearances, but the focus instead falls on Scrolls lead Jakob Porser, who 2 Player describes as "long-time friend of Markus "Notch" Persson and co-founder of the company." The first clip, seen above, delves into the germination of the project, the team, and eventually the legal battle brought forth by Bethesda regarding the name, Scrolls. Especially interesting, Porser notes during the clip that "Minecraft isn't just a great game, it's a Cinderella story," when asked whether he thinks Mojang will be able to overcome its first game's success with future projects. "Even if we do the world's best game after Minecraft, it's not gonna be a Cinderella story," he admits. But perhaps a well-publicized legal battle with a monolithic corporation will help, we imagine.
