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Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online coming to Xbox Live Arcade later this year
One in six people in China have played Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online -- the free-to-play 2D action PC MMORPG claimed over 200 million registered users even before its launch in North America, at one point seeing 2.2 million concurrent users. And now Nexon is reaching out for another audience entirely: It's announced that DFO is coming to Xbox Live later in 2011, published by none other than Microsoft Games Studios. The console version will be jointly developed by Nexon and Korean developer Softmax, and the game's original developer, Neople, will direct the project. There's no word on whether it will be free-to-play or microtransaction-based on Xbox Live Arcade or not -- the original game, like all of Nexon's titles, is supported by sales of in-game items, from gear and potions to XP boosts. Joystiq has contacted Nexon to find out more, and we'll let you know what we hear. This announcement could be huge -- a free-to-play MMO hit on consoles, especially in the west, would have big ramifications for the gaming industry at large. Update: "Nothing has been determined yet" about the model for this one, we're told. Nexon says it's too early in the process to talk about exactly how this version of the game will work.
GDC 2011: Nexon's future is so bright, it's gotta wear shades
Not only are Nexon's revenues on the way up with no sign of slowing, but the company's famed "Nexon iNitiative" is already producing hearty results. Unlike the Dharma Initiative, the Nexon iNitiative is a force for good, as the company is funding promising indie developers and their pet projects. Last year, Antic Entertainment and one2tribe both received a chunk of the $1 million funding to make games that would be published worldwide by Nexon, and a similar program is underway for 2011. At GDC we sat down with Nexon America CEO Daniel Kim to talk about the future direction of the company. Nexon's in its 17th year and considers itself the most accomplished global provider of online games. Whether or not you agree with that statement, the fact that the company has over 30 titles under its belt in over 71 countries is impressive, and that's not even looking at the way Nexon casually drops how many hundreds of millions of players check out its titles daily. Interesting Nexon tidbit: The name comes from the company's philosophy, to look for the "next online" trend. Now you have something to say during awkward silences at dinner parties. Hit the jump to hear about some of the future projects and developments of this online pioneer, including MapleStory and Dragon Nest!
Dungeon Fighter Online readies a new awakening
What's better than a free-to-play side-scrolling beat 'em up MMO from Nexon? A free-to-play side-scrolling beat 'em up from Nexon that makes us forget about the dreadful Nic Cage vehicle Season of the Witch, currently burning itself at the stake in a few remaining multiplexes. Nexon's season of the Witch, on the other hand, is the latest class "awakening" for Dungeon Fighter Online, and it's coming to your PC on January 26th in the form of the Act VII: Witching Hour update. As you've no doubt surmised by now, the content patch brings a new Witch subclass to the table, a Mage derivative who specializes in alchemy and "makes battle decisions based on probability," according to a Nexon press release. The new patch also features a high-level Hellkarium weapon quest as well as a new dungeon called the Screaming Cavern. The Cavern is home to Giant Nugol, a massive worm that guards the level 54 instance as if her life depended on it. Check out the brief teaser video after the break, then head to the official website for more info.
The Perfect Ten: The movers and shakers of 2010
Even though MMOs are the products of great teams of talented workers -- from sound artists to writers -- it's inevitable that a few of the people behind the curtain step out into the limelight. It's a smart move, really; it provides a personal face for people to associate with the game, it keeps messages consistent, and it draws any potential hate onto one person instead of the team at large. It stands to reason that these public figures end up being some of the major movers and shakers in the industry because of their high-profile positions. From CEOs to community managers, these are the people with power to make decisions, the voice to change opinions, and the personalities to inspire millions. Oh, that last sentence is pure poetry. Let's re-read it again, shall we? So in our last Perfect Ten of the year, I've asked the Massively team to compile a list of the 10 biggest MMO movers and shakers of this year. All of these people now owe us cupcakes of gratitude. (Legal Disclaimer: This does not signify a binding cupcake-blogger contract.)
Dungeon Fighter Online announces Act VI: Kiss of the Gun
Girls with guns may be a bit of a videogame stereotype at this point, but Nexon America is nonetheless offering up its own version of the archetype in its latest Dungeon Fighter Online update. The side-scrolling action MMO recently added Act VI: Kiss of the Gun to its content repertoire, the primary feature of which is the Female Gunner character class update. Gunners feature special new awakening skills and equipment for their various subclasses including blade-equipped revolvers, electromagnetic fields, and a Gatling gun-wielding mech warrior. Act VI also offers up a new explorable area called Empyrean, which is under constant attack from a faction of vagrants known as the Kartel. Finally, Nexon is giving away free holiday-themed items just for logging in. Gifts include double XP potions, skill resets, and in-game currency.
MMOs nominated for Game Developer's Choice Awards
The nominees for the Game Developers Choice Online awards have been announced, and MMOs made more than a respectable showing. The nominees are separated into new and ongoing categories, and awards are given in eight different categories including best community relations, best audio, best visual arts, and several more. Seven of the eight categories carried at least one familiar MMO title, such as Champions Online, LOVE, Free Realms, Guild Wars, EVE Online, Dungeon Fighter Online, and of course World of Warcraft. The awards ceremony will take place during GDC Online in October. The full event runs from October 5th - 8th, with awards being presented on the 7th.
E3 2010: Dragon Nest hands-on
Dragon Nest couldn't be more different from Vindictus, Nexon's other new title. Where Vindictus is all about "elegant brutality," Nexon describes Dragon Nest as "kinetic and beautiful." And though both games are lovely in their own way, Dragon Nest's style is more typical of what you'd expect from Nexon: The art is stylized, with a bit of an anime feel to it. Gameplay felt a surprising amount like Nexon's 2-D classic arcade-style MMO, Dungeon Fighter Online, though DN is fully 3-D and much more like what you'd expect of an MMO. But like DFO, DN's combat is fast-paced, full of flashy animations, and just a lot of fun. With every game we see from Nexon, it's clear that they're taking everything they've learned from previous development and adding it to their latest project. Though we haven't seen everything the game has to offer, Dragon Nest may be their most polished game yet. %Gallery-95665%
Nexon sharing E3 videos with fans
Nexon is celebrating its first time exhibiting at E3 by sharing the event with fans. Daniel Chin, community and content manager, explains that they want the fans to be a part of things: "We've got some of the best fans in the gaming industry and we didn't want them to feel left out of E3, which is an industry-only show, so we're going to hang out at the booth and shoot some of the exciting stuff going on during Nexon's first E3 experience." The videos will feature gameplay, interviews, audience response, and more to give fans a taste of everything going on with Nexon at E3. They'll be posted on the Facebook pages for Dungeon Fighter Online and Vindictus, as well as the YouTube channels for both games. The first video -- a sneak peek at setup -- is available now, and many more are on the way.
Dungeon Fighter Online launches in North America
Nexon's MMORPBEUG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Beat 'Em Up Game) has finally made its way to North American hearts, minds and internets. After racking up more than 200 million players overseas, the free-to-play, genre-defying Dungeon Fighter Online is now available to download at no cost through Nexon America's site. If you're curious how an MMORPBEUG actually works, you can check out a whole gaggle of trailers over on the game's YouTube channel. Basically, it handles like Final Fight, only with a Diablo-esque user interface, and a Ragnarok-inspired art design, and World of Warcraft-esque character specialization trees. Yeah, it's all over the place.
Launch day arrives for Dungeon Fighter Online
Dungeon Fighter Online, Nexon's latest free-to-play offering, has been gearing up for launch for a while now, adding new content and revealing skill progression along the way. Launch day is finally here, complete with a shiny new gameplay trailer. The team at Nexon is pleased with Dungeon Fighter Online's polish and overall style at launch, according to Nexon America CEO Daniel Kim: "Dungeon Fighter Online is a free-to-play homage to everything we have always loved about gaming. This motherlode of a game with its classic graphics, arcade-style action and hardcore RPG leveling system sets the bar high for other free-to-play online games." Follow along after the jump for the newest trailer, and check out the DFO site for all the latest game additions.
Dungeon Fighter Online previews class awakenings
When Nexon isn't busy buying up smaller companies by the truckload, they've been putting quite a bit of effort into making Dungeon Fighter Online the best game it can be. The sidescrolling brawler format as an MMO is itself fairly unique, but it's sweetened a little with a trailer showing off the next three "Awakenings" for subclasses. At level 18, characters pick their subclass, and that subclass can "Awaken" into a more powerful form at level 48. Soul Reapers, Hellcats, and Machinists are on display in this trailer, each showcasing wonderfully animated attacks of devastating potential. The Hellcat is the Awakened form of the Brawler, focusing on melee-heavy area damage from all appearances. Machinists come from Mechanics, working with an army of mechanical servants, and Soul Reapers are magical swordsmen derived from Soul Benders. If the trailer lights you on fire, of course, and you can't wait another minute to start playing Dungeon Fighter Online, you're in luck. The game's official launch is on June 9th, but the beta is going on straight until then and characters will not be wiped. Take a look at the trailer (with the pre-Awakening class names rather than the post-Awakening names) past the cut, and see if it doesn't prove a bit awakening all by itself.
Nexon reports last year's revenue up 56 percent
The free-to-play model is increasingly popular in the MMO industry, and the powers that be at Nexon say there's a good reason for that -- in their case, at any rate. The free-to-play publisher has announced its revenues for last year, and it was very good news: "...worldwide revenues increased 56 percent last year, growing from 450.8 billion won [359.7 million USD] in 2008, to 703.6 billion won [561.4 million USD] in 2009. Additionally, Nexon America posted a 31 percent increase in revenues in 2009, as for the first time, non-Korean contributions accounted for the majority of Nexon's global revenue." Nexon's CEO, Daniel Kim, says that their handling of the free-to-play model as applied to "very outstanding games" is responsible for their success: "Here at home, we have been able to fend off the tough times and continue growing our revenues while adding more and more players to our games. Going forward, Vindictus, Dragon Nest and Dungeon Fighter Online represent the next generation of free to play games that should appeal directly to gamers in North America."
Dungeon Fighter Online scheduled for June 9th launch
The folks at Nexon have been gearing up for the launch of Dungeon Fighter Online, adding classes and expanding features such as the Awakening system, but now we've finally got a launch date: June 9th. There will be no character wipe, so beta testers can jump right in upon release without losing progress. Launch will bring some new features to the game for both new and experienced players to enjoy, starting with the Female Gunner. This new character class can advance the familiar Launcher, Mechanic, Ranger and Spitfire subclasses, but for each one she has access to brand new specialized skills. Players will also see some brand new content and items with the addition of Hell Dungeons. Hell Dungeons are much more dangerous areas that offer access to the new Epic Items. Interested? Make sure you are there on June 9th to see it all firsthand!
Dungeon Fighter Online launches guild system, adds sub-classes
Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online has launched its new Awakening update, bringing with it eight new sub-classes as well as the ability for players to join a guild. The guild system kicks off with several incentives, including a reduced initiation fee (payable via Dungeon Fighter's in-game currency), double Guild XP, and prizes for the first five guilds that reach level five. Leveling up your new guild is as easy as rolling through dungeons with your mates. The rewards include monster transformation potions and Noble Warrior Potions which recover health and mana points. The winning guilds will be announced on May 26, so grab your friends and start earning those guild levels. In addition to the guild contest, Dungeon Fighter Online also features a promotional event for the new Awakening classes. Avatars created during the launch event will receive double the normal number of life tokens, as well as a class advancement gift appropriate to any of the newly introduced sub-classes. Also, players choosing one of the new sub-classes (Asura, Battle Mage, Berserker, Elementalist, Launcher, Nen Master, Spitfire and Striker) will grant bonus XP to any groups they join. Head on over to the official Dungeon Fighter Online web site for full details.
Dungeon Fighter Online introduces "Awakening" subclass options
If you've been enjoying the Dungeon Fighter Online beta, you'll be happy to hear that the game is expanding a bit more. Nexon has announced the addition of "Awakening," a quest series that promises to let players "heighten their fighting senses" through more specialized fighting styles. Players will be given the option to choose a subclass at level 18. Once they reach level 48, the Awakening quest line opens the door to refine that subclass into a super subclass. Each advancement will unlock one new active and passive skill, advancing that subclass and increasing its power. The newest DFO Magazine offers a great look into this new feature, giving a description of active and passive skills. Even better, tips are included for each class, giving you a little head start on using your skills more effectively. This update will arrive April 28th, so take a look at the overview to be ready for your Awakening!
Get organized in Dungeon Fighter Online
Dungeon Fighter Online isn't for everyone, but it's not trying to be. There are elements it has and others it omits that wouldn't fit in any other game. But the lack of a decent guild system has still been a keenly felt omission from this hybrid brawler-MMORPG. So it's good news for players that a new event is taking place in-game right now before the game launches its guild system on April 28th. While the system isn't in place yet, there's unsurprisingly an official guild recruitment page to help players organize themselves early. Unlike many games, guilds in Dungeon Fighter Online will provide buffs and other benefits to members beyond simple companionship, a preview of which is available during the in-game event. Players will also get a taste of the new Selectable Avatar Items, a new offering in the cash shop that gives the freedom to choose specific stats and styles for their Avatar. While the items are only available for a limited time in-game, being able to have fine control over what you're using is generally well worth the trade. Though the game's official launch isn't until June, it's still in an open beta, so anyone interested can start getting together for fun and profit
This week on the MMO Report
This week's MMO report features two more guest stars. Last week's coffee-thieving werewolf is gone, replaced by two (admittedly adorable) World of Warcraft pets. You'll find your weekly dose of Massively love just after the 2:00 mark, so let's look at the news! Casey covered the infamous Mythic billing glitch from last week, pointing out that one unfortunate player was hit with over $1,000 in charges. Dungeon Fighter Online -- which the G4 team got to play with at last year's PAX -- and its crazy player numbers got a look as well. Korea's gaming curfew, the newest SWTOR planet, and the Halo MMO got their fair share of news coverage as well, and the show wrapped up with a look at some reader mail. Follow along after the jump for a look at the MMO Report, here for your viewing pleasure every Thursday night. Don't forget to visit our friends at G4TV as well!
Korea to impose gaming curfew to curb minors' playtime
The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced two new policies aimed at stifling so-called video game addiction among the country's youth. Dubbed the "nighttime shutdown," users ages 19 and under of certain online games will be required to select one of three mandatory six-hour blackout periods set for the middle of the night, during which a user would be barred form online access to the particular game. The blackouts will be instituted for a number of popular online games, such as Maple Story, in the second half of this year. Additionally, testing of a second, "slowdown" policy has already begun, affecting four popular pastimes, including Dungeon Fighter Online (pictured above). The system is said to "drastically" reduce the internet speed of any underage user logged into a policed game for an unspecified but "lengthy" play session, according to The Korea Herald. Eventually, this dys-functionality will be rolled into 19 RPG titles, representing 79 percent of Korea's online game market. Some affected game companies have questioned why equally popular MMOs, such as Lineage, have not been marked for regulation. (Good question.) For years, South Korea has identified and sought treatments for "game addiction," which continues to be a major headline generator in the country and abroad. Critics of the new playtime enforcement policies believe that underage players will inevitably find ways to get around the shutdowns and slowdowns, suggesting that even unprecedented government intervention is not a reliable solution. That is, until the government sends its army of guys with bats to your door. [Via Massively]
Dungeon Fighter Online hits 197,000,000 registered players
No -- that's not a typo in the title. We didn't get attacked by a swarm of ninjas who knocked us out on the "0" button or anything like that. Nexon has announced that Dungeon Fighter Online has hit a worldwide total of 197 million registered players since launching in South Korea in 2005. To put it another way, put a penny in your hand and then imagine 196,999,999 more of them. That's a lot. The amazing thing is that DFO hasn't technically launched yet in North America, which should push this number far higher. What's a few million between gamers? The 2.5D game -- which is a crossbreed of a side-scroller beat-em-up and an RPG -- has grown by leaps and bounds in the NA beta, as Nexon has adjusted the level curve and added new content in preparation for the June launch. Nexon had a few other impressive numbers to sling about as well. Up to this point, players have killed more than 1.6 billion monsters, invaded over 25 million dungeons and engaged in PvP arena combat over 28 million times. Does this make DFO one of the world's most populated games? If you want to see the evidence for yourself, head over to DFO's site, sign up for the beta (there's no wipe going from beta to launch) and add to their hefty statistics.
Dungeon Fighter Online raises the Threshold of Power
Threshold of Power, the newest addition to Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online has been released. This game update gives players a wealth of new areas to check out, and raises the game's level cap to 50. Of course, no fighting-style game would be complete without a variety of new moves, either. Add to that the 2x experience and item drops going on this weekend, and you can see why now is a good time to check out Dungeon Fighter Online if you're at all intrigued by the idea of an MMO based on old-school arcade fighting games. Thankfully, Nexon has sent out a video that shows off all the shiny new attacks off for those of us who aren't level 50. With moves as varied as giant energy dragons, on down to a very funny attack called 'Neil, the Sniper,' the video we've embedded for you behind the break is chock full of funky Dungeon Fighter Online craziness. We've also managed to make off with a bunch of screenshots showcasing the new areas and attacks from Threshold of Power, so be sure to check it out! %Gallery-84242%
