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Defiance beefs up its TV cast with big-name stars
Next month the pilot for Syfy's Defiance will commence filming, and the station has announced several additional cast members joining lead star Grant Bowler in the sci-fi post-apocalyptic series. As the show and Trion World's upcoming MMO will share the same world and influence one another, it's quite possible that gamers could be running into virtual versions of these characters. Four new actors have been announced for the show. The first is Julie Benz (Dexter, Angel), who will be playing Mayor Amanda Rosewater, a leader of a small mining town. Stephanie Leonidas (MirrorMask) is Irisa, an alien warrior who's adopted by the lead's character and raised as his bodyguard and daughter. Finally, Tony Curran (Gladiator, Blade II) and Jaime Murray (Warehouse 13, Dexter) are coming on as an alien husband-and-wife team fleeing the destruction of their home world. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
Justin Olivetti03.14.2012
RIFT revenues reached $100 million in 2011, Trion secures new funding
How successful is RIFT? That's hard to say without knowing how much it cost, but it's safe to assume that Trion executives are smiling after the game generated $100 million in revenue in only 10 months. CEO Lars Buttler told Reuters that the company is still considering an initial public stock offering, and it has also secured an additional $85 million in funding as it readies RIFT for the South Korean and Chinese gaming markets later this year. Trion is also developing an MMO shooter called Defiance and an MMORTS known as End of Nations.
Jef Reahard01.19.2012
Syfy announces star of the Defiance TV series
By now, we're sure you're all familiar with Trion Worlds and Syfy's collaborative effort, Defiance, which aims to be the first MMO to directly interact with a running television series. Well, every TV show needs a star, and Defiance is no exception. In a press release today, Syfy announced that New Zealander Grant Bowler has agreed to play Defiance's starring role. North American audiences would best know Bowler from his role as Connor Owens on Ugly Betty or as -- we wish we could make this stuff up -- Cooter, "the leader of the werewolf biker gang in the HBO series True Blood." In Defiance, Bowler will play the role of Jeb Nolan, "the law keeper in a bustling frontier boomtown that is one of the new world's few oases of civility and inclusion." Having lost both his wife and his child in the conflict with the aliens, Nolan became a lone wanderer, which eventually brought him to the town where he works to keep the peace. Hopefully this new addition to the cast indicates that the TV series -- and by extension, the MMO -- is beginning to gear up for production. [Source: Syfy press release]
Matt Daniel01.17.2012
Tiny Speck and Trion Worlds make gaming headlines in 2011
Trion Worlds and Tiny Speck are two MMO studios that have made waves in 2011 with their ambitious plans and potential profit margins, according to the Wall Street Journal. The publication's article examines how these companies are running contrary to Zynga's model by producing top-tier content without trying to nickle-and-dime customers. Trion's story is seen as one of high risk and higher rewards, especially considering that it was bringing in no revenue before last March while developing three titles. "RIFT has had tremendous success -- the commercial results are just astounding -- but we've got two more big games coming... There is no joy in Mudville," said Trion's David Reid. The article notes that once a MMO breaks even, the profit margin can be as high as 70%. Trion is reportedly adding 100 new people to the team in the first part of 2012, which will put this studio in giant-sized territory: 520 employees in total. Tiny Speck may not be as large, with just 41 employees, but the team is growing due to Glitch's success. Even though the potential to make money is there, co-founder Eric Costello says that the team puts in long hours as primarily a labor of love: "The game industry is famous for running their employees into the ground, and we definitely don't want to do that, but we've also found that building a game is a lot harder than we thought it would be."
Justin Olivetti12.19.2011
The Firing Line: Aiming to misbehave
Hello folks, and welcome to my Christmas list (well, the Massively portion of it, at any rate). For this week's edition of The Firing Line, I decided to take a look at a few of the more obscure titles coming down the development pike. Now, when I say obscure, I don't necessarily mean shoe-string budget indie productions. The games I've got for you after the cut feature a cross-section of both big IPs and big-name development studios, but for whatever reason, they're still a bit under the radar when compared to the likes of PlanetSide 2, DUST 514, and Firefall. Turn the page to read about four online shooters you should be excited about. There might even be some video involved if you play your cards right.
Jef Reahard12.16.2011
The Perfect Ten: The upcoming long-shots
In coming up with a follow-up list to my previous Upcoming MMO Contenders list, I found myself almost paralyzed by more choices than I could shake a wireless mouse at. Pointing at the sure bets is one thing, but narrowing down a field of dozens and dozens of interesting -- yet more far-flung -- prospects is far more difficult. It's one thing to have a good idea; it's another to say whether or not this game will actually make it to launch, and if it does, that it'll pull the idea off well. That said, I've lost some hair and two pounds sweating out this list, and I feel sleeker for it. Today's Perfect Ten is all about the long-shots, the titles that may not have the huge budget, big name studios, or anything solid to show for it, but could still become contenders in their own right if everything is played just right. Deep breath -- let's give it a go!
Justin Olivetti12.15.2011
Trion Worlds may go public following RIFT's success
Want to own a piece of your favorite MMO studio? If you're a fan of Trion Worlds, then you may yet get your chance. The company announced that it is mulling over a decision to put the company on the market with an IPO. CEO Lars Buttler says that it's just a matter of time at this point: "As we build scale and become more profitable, [an IPO] is clearly on our horizon at some point. We've had a lot of bankers coming to us recently. We keep all of our options open at this point. We definitely have enough substance and enough skill to be a public company at the right time." Trion has been doing well for itself lately, as it's doubled its staff in 2011 and raised $100 million from investments since 2007. RIFT's success has helped to convince the company that an IPO is a solid move. "RIFT is vastly profitable. It is profitable every single week and every single month," Buttler said. RIFT isn't Trion's only project, as the company is working on End of Nations, Defiance, and the Red Door publishing platform.
Justin Olivetti10.25.2011
Trion CEO: RIFT has the 'most dynamic gameplay ever' and is a 'serious competitor' for WoW
It's no secret that RIFT was one of the more successful MMORPGs launched in 2011. That said, is it making much of a dent in World of Warcraft's genre-dwarfing armor? Trion CEO Lars Buttler thinks so, and he recently told Industry Gamers that RIFT "is the most serious competitor [WoW] ever had." Thanks to RIFT's success and the recently announced Red Door development and social networking platform, Buttler sees Trion as uniquely positioned to make headway in the post-WoW MMO marketplace despite the specter of Star Wars: The Old Republic looming on the horizon. "I'm actually extremely excited about what's happening in our space. When we started five years ago, there was only WoW. Now there's RIFT as an absolute serious contender, with the most dynamic gameplay ever. Then there's Star Wars, then there's End of Nations coming. Then there's Defiance coming [...] so we're not afraid at all. We actually look forward to it with great excitement. It makes our point," Buttler says.
Jef Reahard10.07.2011
Trion announces Red Door publishing and development platform
Trion is the latest development firm to try its hand at a large-scale publishing platform, according to a new company press release issued this morning. The beast is called Red Door, and it "will consist of a consumer platform and a full-scale publishing and development platform based on the proprietary technology fueling Trion's games." What games are those, you might ask? Well there's RIFT, of course, and the company is also developing End of Nations and Defiance. Red Door aims to allow third-parties to build and run games of similar scope via "fast real-time updates and versatile monetization models." Trion CEO Lars Buttler says that the company's goal is to "revolutionize premium games and help the industry realize its potential in the connected era." [Source: Trion press release]
Jef Reahard10.06.2011
Trion Worlds treks to NYCC with a trio of games
Trion Worlds has three gaming worlds up its sleeve right now, and it aims to talk about all of them at this year's New York Comic Con. In fact, the company has announced that several of its developers will participate in a panel "to discuss the future of [its] online gaming portfolio." RIFT junkies can look forward to a chat with Design Producer Hal Hanlin and Lore Lead Morgan Lockhart about the studio's upcoming plans for the fantasy MMO, while MMORTS fans will get their PvE and PvP on with Senior Producer Chris Lena from End of Nations. And attendees looking for their shooter fix won't be left out: Rob Hill, Senior Producer for Defiance, will be on hand to cover the MMOFPS and its integration with the Syfy show. The panel takes places on Friday, October 14th, from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. EDT in room 1A24. Tickets for the con are still available on the official NYCC website. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
Bree Royce10.04.2011
Massively's guide to PAX 2011
What can be said about PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington that hasn't been said already? Everyone knows that it is the largest public gaming event in North America. Attendance totaled 67,600 last year, not including press and exhibitors. And this year, even more gamers will descend on the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. The latest and greatest games -- released and unreleased -- will be available for public consumption. Developers will mill around the showroom floor, answering your questions. Not to mention that no one will look at you funny because you play video games! This year, MMORPGs really stand out in the crowd. Seattle native NCsoft has a huge presence at the convention, borrowing a theater just to showcase its games. BioWare comes armed with its heavy-hitter, Star Wars: The Old Republic. And free-to-play titles like Firefall, Lord of the Rings Online, and Wakfu promise to strut their stuff at this year's PAX. Punch past the break as Massively outlines the must-see booths for MMO fans. And don't forget the panels, including a couple of MMO spotlights for PAX Dev, the gathering of fans and developers at Sheraton Seattle Hotel on the 24th and 25th.
Larry Everett08.25.2011
Defiance drops in new screenshots, artwork
Hot off the press from Gamescom 2011, we bring you a new round of screenshots from the upcoming collaboration between Trion Worlds and SyFy, Defiance. For those of you not up to speed on what exactly Defiance is aiming to be, here's a crash-course. Defiance is set to be the first-ever collaborative effort between an MMO and a TV-show, with actions occurring in each influencing the story of the other. Players will be put in the shoes of the citizens of San Francisco Bay Area, while the TV show takes place in and around St. Louis. Earth is under attack by a mysterious breed of aliens who are looking to terraform Earth until it suits their own needs, and of course this means that all humans must die. Humanity isn't just going to take that sitting down, though, and it's up to players to fight off the alien hordes and reclaim their planet. Savvy? Great. Now hit the gallery below (and if you're new to the Defiance scene, go check out the trailer) for some new screenshots of this innovative title and prepare yourself to fight for the planet. That, or die trying. %Gallery-131087%
Matt Daniel08.18.2011
Massively's guide to Gamescom 2011
If you've never been to Gamescom before, let's simply put it this way: It's big. Really, really big. Forget most any convention you've attended; this is likely to be even bigger. Billing itself as the world's largest games event, Gamescom sees well over a quarter-million fans, journalists and exhibitors crowd into the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany to check out hundreds of games and companies. Due to its size and worldwide prominence, Gamescom is a significant event for anyone following the MMO genre (and video games in general). There are plenty of MMO studios gearing up to share first looks, exclusive reveals, detailed Q&A sessions, and exciting hands-on demos for attendees. Naturally, Massively will be paying close attention to all of the news coming out of Gamescom this week. For those attending the convention or merely looking to keep abreast of all of the games, studios, and information forthcoming, we've compiled a guide to the hottest tickets at Gamescom as well as a comprehensive exhibitor list of MMO studios after the break.
Justin Olivetti08.16.2011
Trion's David Reid: 'New era' of premium games inevitable
It's a brutal, cutthroat world in the MMO industry, Trion Worlds' David Reid admits, and he thinks that companies that can't adapt to the rapidly changing scene need to get out of the pool so others can swim. Talking to a crowd at GDC Europe, Reid spoke on an inevitable "new era" of premium games that are being fashioned in the forges of increased competition, challenging business models, higher development costs, and lower social interaction. "It's a lot harder to make your money back in the premium games space than it used to be," he said. Reid used Trion's approach as an example of how MMO studios need to be at the top of their game when developing games, including "AAA ambition and polish, massive scale, persistence, and customization." RIFT, which he cites as having over a million customers and holding the number two spot in the West, made sure that high-quality visuals were a key part of the experience, but also that the team was willing to listen to player feedback when preparing future content. He also pointed to End of Nation's free-to-play model and Defiance's synergy with the Syfy TV show as ways to captivate player interest and stay on top of the game.
Justin Olivetti08.16.2011
Trion details RIFT, End of Nations, and Defiance plans for Gamescom
Trion is one of many MMO companies gearing up for a big showing at this month's Gamescom, and a new interview with Adam Gershowitz, David Luehmann, and Rob Hill lets fans in on what they can expect regarding the world of Telara. For starters, there will be a lot of lip service given to RIFT's "Endgame for All" initiative, specifically the new Chronicle instances coming with the 1.5 patch. Gershowitz also mentions the Hammerknell weekend warfront and says its a way for Trion to "spice up the normal warfront grind" via new gameplay and additional rewards. Said new gameplay takes the form of a new mode called escalation, which is essentially the Telaran equivalent of capture-the-flag. The interview also touches on Trion's End of Nations and Defiance titles, both of which will also be featured at Gamescom (though it's worth noting that Defiance will be restricted to industry previewers as Trion says the title "isn't quite ready for its player debut").
Jef Reahard08.10.2011
Ask Massively: Sort of like literary criticism edition
For those of you not familiar with Irish literature and the nonsensical ditherings of some more famous examples of same, you might not realize that today is Bloomsday, a day celebrating the novel Ulysses. If you've never read Ulysses, you're in for a treat... if your idea of a treat is a phone-book sized tome whose plot leaps and bounds like an inert lump of granite. It's a heartwarming tale of a man's growth into boyhood, a boy's growth into surrogate sonhood, and an author's growth into the sort of man who would submit Finnegan's Wake as a serious literary work with a straight face. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, it's time for this week's edition of Ask Massively. And today's questions aren't going to lie down and take it, since we're fielding questions about Defiance as well as the sometime-this-year-probably release of Star Wars: The Old Republic. As always, if you've got a question you want answered next week, you can send it along to ask@massively.com or aim it toward the comment field.
Eliot Lefebvre06.16.2011
Defiance bringing MMO third-person shooting to PC, 360 and PS3
For as many games as we physically play at E3, we hear as many ambitious, high-concept pitches for games that are still quite a ways out. One presentation at Trion Worlds for the upcoming Defiance is about as ambitious as they come. Ready? Deep breath: Defiance is an MMORPG/third-person shooter set to launch simultaneously on PS3, PC and 360 that's being created in conjunction with the SyFy network which will develop and launch a TV series of the same name, the events of which will bleed into the game and vice versa. ...Yeah, it's a mouthful.
Justin McElroy06.10.2011
E3 2011: Trion Worlds talks Defiance
Straight from E3, we have some brand-new information on the upcoming project Defiance from Trion Worlds and Syfy. Three members of Trion Worlds got up on stage to demo the game and answer questions from the audience (which included our own Rubi Bayer), and there's a wealth of new information to cover, so let's dive in, shall we? Follow on past the cut for all the Defiance goodness you could ask for.
Matt Daniel06.08.2011
The Daily Grind: Do cross-media tie-ins interest you?
Trion Worlds is taking on a big new project with Defiance, linking a television show's ongoing plot developments with an MMO. In many ways, this seems like an ideal mix -- players who care about the ongoing story can enjoy the show, and the rest of the time you can just play the game without being shoehorned into a developer's pre-scripted story. On the other hand, this also means that you know your player character is unlikely to be a major player in the game's storyline. You'll just be some guy (or girl) without any sort of major impact. City of Heroes tried a similar tack with the comic book that launched with the game, showcasing several player characters in each issue and trying to marry an ongoing story with an MMO structure. Do you like the idea of tying together passive and active entertainment in this way? Are you excited to see how Defiance manages it? Or do you want your MMO's story contained within the MMO itself rather than tied to the needs of a television series? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Eliot Lefebvre06.08.2011
E3 2011: Trion updates official Defiance site with teaser trailer
We've known that Defiance would be getting its first serious showing this year at E3, but it looks like the team at Trion Worlds couldn't wait quite that long to show the fans the interesting stuff just around the corner. The official site has already been updated with a brand-new teaser trailer showing off the barest glimpse of what players will be able to expect... and judging by the ruined landscape within the trailer, we can report that this looks to be a very different post-apocalyptic take than other offerings in the genre. E3 will also see more information about the corresponding television series, which will be written be Rockne S. O'Bannnon of seaQuest DSV and Farscape fame. Billed not only as the first fully persistent online shooter but the first time that a game and a television show will be co-existing at the same time, Defiance could prove an interesting look at what can be done with MMOs. Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 6-9, bringing you all the best news from E3 2011. Whether you're dying to know more about Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered!
Eliot Lefebvre06.06.2011