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The challenges of storytelling in EVE Online's player-driven setting
MMO storylines finding their way into books is becoming increasingly common, but typically it's the fantasy titles we see in print. Guild Wars, Warhammer Online, and of course World of Warcraft all have their lore fleshed out in paperback form. But sci-fi lends itself well to novelization as well, and in the MMO scene as it exists today, EVE Online is a prime example. The game's far-future setting of New Eden is known for its sweeping warfare between vast empires, republics, and federations, but the game's lore has also shown there's a lot happening on a much smaller level. That sweeping warfare was the focus of the first EVE Online novel, The Empyrean Age written by Tony Gonzales, and this was tied in with the storyline events leading up to all-out war between the game's races. However, EVE's creators CCP Games will be showing a different side to the game with the second novel, The Burning Life, written by Hjalti Danielsson.
LEGO Universe not clicking together in 2009
We've got bad news for all the LEGO maniacs out there, who've been looking forward to LEGO Universe in 2009. They're going to have to wait a bit longer for NetDevil's take on massively multiplayer LEGO play, according to Kotaku's Brian Crecente, who reports that LEGO Universe may not even see a 2010 release date. Despite the economic troubles many MMO developers are coping with these days, this news about LEGO Universe is not necessarily a bad thing. Kotaku spoke with the director of business development for the LEGO group, Mark Hansen, who said, "Within the company we have made a strategic decision within LEGO to make a delay of LEGO Universe. It will not be coming out in 2009. The reason is, we have a luxury right now, the business is going good. We have products that are not digital, the physical products, with them going so well we don't want to take focus away from them."
Take-Two Interactive considering subs and microtransactions for top titles
Subscriptions have been the bread and butter of MMOs since the days of Ultima Online, but subs may be coming to some popular standalone PC titles from Take-Two Interactive, presumably the Grand Theft Auto franchise and BioShock. Brian Crecente of Kotaku reports that "at the BMO Capital Markets conference, Take-Two head honcho Strauss Zelnick seemed very up on the idea of downloadable content, micro-transactions and even... subscriptions." This falls in line with their business model of periodically offering downloadable content to either extend the storyline of a game, or to simply offer varied gameplay experiences. Downloadable content and microtransactions could solve some of the issues game publishers have with their titles being re-sold, allowing them to have a continuous revenue stream, and perhaps dissuading many consumers from reselling that game in the first place. Regular content refreshes could ensure that these games don't go stale and end up relegated to a dusty bookshelf. Zelnick implied that this business model, should it come to be, would likely only affect Take-Two's biggest titles. This implies changes to the business models for Grand Theft Auto and BioShock, although the words "Midnight Club Online" also seem apt. But do you feel that adding the trappings of the MMO business model, namely subs and microtransactions, would enhance your experience with a standalone title, both as a gamer and as a consumer? Are more MMO-like PC games a good thing, or are you more of an MMO purist?
Today's hottest game video: PS3 son
Kotaku created today's most watched YouTube game video. Brian Crecente stuck his five-year-old son, Tristan, in front of the PS3's upcoming Ridge Racer, dropped a Sixaxis controller into his hands, and pushed record. What follows is almost as precious as the recordings of a kid's first steps. (Reports are unconfirmed that Crecente had to erase that bipedal milestone to capture this moment.)What does the young gamer thing of the controller? He doesn't quite say, never breaking his gamer's haze to give an interview; he's most concerned with ridges and racing, probably in that order. See the video after the break.
