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Player Consequences: Closing Time
If you look into the history of modern MMOs, you will notice that most games in the genre are still up and running. In over ten years only a handful have failed and been taken offline by their publishers. That's not to say every MMO has had outstanding success. It's just that the minimum cost to keep these game worlds running is actually quite small. As long as current subscriptions can maintain the servers and minimal support staff, there is no real reason to take a MMO offline. In fact, most game publishers realize that shuttering a MMO is a little bit of a public relations nightmare. It's much better to keep a game running as long as there are any players willing to pay for it.This doesn't seem to apply in cases where a publisher is worried about a MMO negatively affecting the reputation of another product or license. One particular example of this was The Sims Online, which had been slowly losing subscribers since its launch in 2002. How EA managed to make an under-performing MMO out of one of the bestselling video game franchises in history, I will never know. EA eventually attempted to revive the game by renaming it to EA-land earlier this year. However, it seemed that the renaming was just an attempt to dissociate the MMO from the Sims brand name since they canceled it a few weeks later.
Auto Assault sputters to a halt in August
Fans of Auto Assault will [insert a thing you do in Auto Assault here] for the last time on August 31, as the game finally runs out of gas and pulls on to the shoulder to wait for a AAA truck that will never arrive. If you've already paid for months of play beyond that point, NCsoft says you'll have your cash refunded.Yes, it's sad for the game's few fans, but you could hardly call it unexpected. While we all thought the idea of tooling around in a Mad Max-esque world sounded like fun, the game never really seemed to get any traction, if you'll forgive the unintentional pun. Farewell, Auto Assault, we barely knew ye. ... And most of us didn't know you at all.[Via CVG]
Auto Assault soundtrack now free, game still pay-to-play
In a somewhat baffling last ditch effort to attract attention to its dying MMO, NCsoft has posted a free download of Auto Assault's soundtrack on the game's official website. It's unclear if this offering of the magnum opus is meant to inspire the meager player base to stick with it, or if it's just merely a "we're sorry, this is the best we can do" gift.Is it time to open up Auto Assault to free subscriptions? Or is it even too late for that ... ?See also:Auto Assault gets first big update -- silence ensuesAuto Assault now grasping at straws[Thanks, Eric; via Digital Battle]
Auto Assault now grasping at straws
In perhaps Auto Assault's final attempt at building any semblance of a community base, the folks at NCsoft will merge the sparse populations of their varied servers onto one magnificent pleasure palace of dullness tomorrow; apparently that big update from last month didn't quite do the job. It's hard not to feel slightly sorry for this MMO -- they got spunk, you gotta give them that -- but, in the end, it looks like it's just not gonna work out. It's not you AA, it's me, honestly.
NCsoft Austin shows 70 workers the door [update 1]
Perhaps fueled by the disappointing performance of Auto Assault and other MMOs under NCsoft's control, the company has confirmed that they have indeed made a round of cuts to their Austin office -- 70 employees have been pink slipped. According to a statement on the company's Lineage II boards:"NCsoft's Austin business has announced an immediate restructuring within its organization that included the difficult task of reducing members of its workforce. ... the company sees a slowdown in its launch pattern and the need to streamline its business. For this reason, NCsoft has reduced its 300 person workforce in Austin by approximately 70 people to accommodate this change. This decision has no impact on the schedules of any projects currently in development and service to NCsoft's current games will continue without interruption."While some have blamed the subscription numbers of AA and City of Heroes/Villains, an NCsoft rep assured GameSpot that those rumors were false. A rep said the figures shown were incorrect, and "not just barely wrong, but all wrong." NCsoft's Guild Wars may be enjoying some real success, but it seems the others may be holding the company back. Who knows how this will affect their upcoming venture Tabula Rasa, but considering this recent news, it can't be all positive.[via MMORPG.com][Update 1: The Austin chapter of the International Game Developer's Association (IGDA) is looking to help any recently laid-off game designers. They write, "There are plenty of employers around town who would like to snatch you up as soon as possible because of your previous work experience. We'll be displaying the resumes on our website along with an announcement of this opportunity for other employers around town."Interested? Stop by their website and see what they need from you.]
Auto Assault gets first big update -- silence ensues
For the dozen or so people who actually play the ambitious MMORPG Auto Assault, they're going to be in for quite a treat today. NCsoft has announced that their sputtering MMO has just implemented its first big update. Additions include: "Über" Missions – Nothing says "Über" like seeing the few high-level cars actually still playing, struggling for supremacy. Faction Chat – Now you can talk to the other guy who plays AA. Character Re-Spec – Because retooling characters is probably the most exciting thing you'll do in this game. Mission Compare – Also compare how desperate you are to start a group. Loot Linking – Maybe a little WoW magic dust will rub off. New Missions – There's gotta be something to do while waiting for people to actually sign up and play. Auto Assault had so much promise and it's just a shame that more people aren't actually in the game. Last time I was in the world it resembled something of a ghost town with little more than a couple other players passing me by here and there. It's good to see developers trying to be different, so let's hope AA's eventual demise doesn't discourage them from doing so in the future. For those of you who play, what do you think of this update? Can it give AA the jump it needs?
Seen at E3: A message to MMOs
No beating about the bush from this MMO. Directly attacking your competitors may not be nice, but with a MMO cliché that's so ingrained in the genre, sometimes you have to be bold to succeed.Unless, of course, they had a lapse of concentration while typing Mr. Presley's name.
Ad critic: Auto Assault MMORPG
This edition of our ad critic series is coming to you a day late. Sorry about that. All the excitement over Nintendo's big announcement has left us with little capacity to discuss anything else. Now that the hubbub's died down a wee bit, we ask you to focus your critical energies on this ad for NCSoft's Auto Assault MMORPG found on the back cover of the May 2006 edition of Computer Gaming World. (Click the thumbnail to view a high-res scan of the ad.) Does this advert work? How would you compare the quality of the concept and execution to other gaming ads? We already spy a bit of a mistake in this ad. Can you spot it? Also, what's with the Dell logo? Finally, for those of you who've played the game, does this ad capture what's best about the game, from your perspective (in other words, is there a disconnect between advert and experience)? See also: Ad Critic: Oblivion , Ad Critic: Tomb Raider, Ad Critic: Hitman.
Apocalyptic Auto Assault competition
Are you prepared for an apocalypse? That's the question asked by this promotional site for upcoming car-combat MMO Auto Assault, and like other promotions before it, there's a competition involved. By taking photos or video of your apocalypse prevention methods, you could win copies of the game and 6-month subscriptions.Hopefully there will be a gallery of submissions available later, to demonstrate whether this attempt at viral marketing works or not. It's an interesting premise, but the disaster-prevention-spoof theme might prove too realistic for some people.[Via Broken Toys]
Massive Magazine planned for MMOG coverage this fall
The folks behind Computer Games Magazine have just announced that they'll be starting up a new publication this fall dedicated completely to the purview of massively multiplayer online (MMO) games.Massive Magazine is touted as the first print mag of its kind, packaged together with "a free DVD packed with MMO demos and games" when it launches for "a three-month run on September 19, 2006" and then begins as "a stand-alone quarterly publication by January 2007."We can only assume that theglobe.com guys 'n' gals will provide extensive coverage of other MMO genres besides the typical RPG grinds, such as FPS (Huxley), driving (Auto Assault), and puzzle (Puzzle Pirates) themed games. A digital version via Zinio.com is also planned.[Thanks, JamesO and Jonathan]See also: WBIE's original fanzine plans for The Matrix Online More genre-breaking MMOs The year in Second Life [from embedded journalist Wagner James Au]
Massive Auto Assault in-game ads announced
Several Joystiq readers are anticipating NCsoft's upcoming cliché-busting MMO Auto Assault, but this news might come as a shock. NCsoft have teamed up with in-game advertising firm Massive Incorporated, who will be bringing "real-life advertising" into the post-apocalyptic world of Auto Assault.While NCsoft's Dorothy Ferguson seems confident that the ads will fit within the game environment, the futuristic feel of the game doesn't immediately strike us as a suitable setting for modern-day adverts. No word has been released yet on this partnership's effect on pricing; it may drive the monthly subscription cost down, but don't bet on it.For those interested in experiencing the world of Auto Assault ad-free, there's an open beta (US link) (European link) this weekend, marking the final phase of beta for non-preorder customers.
Massively multiplayer games branch out
There may be some exciting-looking original games coming to a platform near you this year, but what about that clichéd of genres, the massively multiplayer game? When you think of MMOs, three things spring to mind: elves, dwarves and monthly subscriptions, and the success of World of Warcraft hasn't helped defeat any of these stereotypes.Today's Wall Street Journal features a piece looking at MMOs that are venturing into non-traditional waters, focusing on two examples in particular. Firstly, NCsoft's upcoming title Auto Assault manages to shatter almost every MMO cliché--it's set in a post-apocalyptic world and most combat takes place in heavily armoured vehicles with big guns attached. No cloth-wearing spellcasters in sight.Secondly, Sony Online Entertainment will be testing out new revenue models later this year with a free-to-play title that uses micropayments to attract customers' cash. Not much information has been released by SOE on this strategy, but games like Anarchy Online have seen increased users since becoming free to play.
