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Interview confirms World of Darkness dev team, predicts DUST 514 sales
When CCP Games laid off 20% of its worldwide staff back in October of last year, the World of Darkness dev team bore the brunt of the cuts while DUST 514 continued on course for its launch later this year. In an interview over at TenTonHammer today, CCP's new Chief Marketing Officer, David Reid, joined CEO Hilmar Petursson to discuss the development of both games. Hilmar reveals that a team of 60 developers are currently working on WoD, and that DUST 514 will be playable at this year's EVE Online fanfest event in March. Despite acknowledging that the entire PlayStation Network comprises a total of 60 million users, Reid asserts that DUST will bring "tens of millions of people that play shooters on PSN into the New Eden universe," going on to make the bold statement that "EVE could be the biggest game in the world at the end of 2012" as a result. Reid also claims that "EVE Online is the only game in the West that has shown consecutive growth year after year," a statement that's sure to upset RuneScape developer Jagex and others. The statement also comes with a slightly bitter note as this year EVE may have lost its record of continual subscription growth during the summer drama.
Sony, CCP 'negotiating PS3 virtual item policy' for DUST 514
DUST 514 is somewhat revolutionary in that it's attempting to tie together two separate games (on two separate platforms) that take place in the same fictional universe. CCP is also innovating on the backend according to a new article at Develop. The upcoming EVE Online MMOFPS tie-in will establish universal PlayStation Network microtransaction rules according to CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson. Petursson told Develop that the ongoing CCP/Sony negotiations will ultimately result in the establishment of price tiers for virtual items as well as the revenue split between Sony and third-party devs. CCP is also exploring retail options for DUST 514, despite early reports that the title would only be available as a digital download. Finally, Petursson tells Develop that the PlayStation Vita version of DUST will "give people access to more asynchronous parts of the game." While he doesn't commit one way or the other, it's possible that the portable version of the game will connect to both the PlayStation 3 and PC versions via EVE's universal ISK currency.
Ex-Trion SVP David Reid joins CCP for DUST 514
CCP's newest hire is none other than David Reid, formerly of Trion Worlds and NCsoft. Reid steps into the role of chief marketing officer for DUST 514, and Gamasutra reports that he'll also shape the publicity strategy for CCP's upcoming World of Darkness title. Reid helped launch Trion's RIFT MMO in 2011, and was instrumental in the development of its "we're not in Azeroth anymore" campaign. "We had a great launch with RIFT and I have nothing bad to say about it," Reid explains. "But I have kept my eye on CCP for a very long time."
EVE Evolved: Resurrecting faction warfare
I think it's safe to say that most EVE Online players have never tried their hands at faction warfare, the state-sponsored bloodbath that pits Minmatar and Gallente pilots against their Amarr and Caldari rivals. When the system launched almost four years ago during 2008's Empyrean Age expansion, it was an immediate and colossal success. CCP ran news stories leading up to the expansion to show the growing tensions between the four nations, with several videos highlighting major flashpoints like the Malkalen incident. The stage was set for the war to end all wars, and players were brought to the front lines to die for their nations. Faction warfare was originally designed to be a stepping stone for empire-dwellers who wanted to get into nullsec and to give fleet-based PvP to pilots without nullsec contacts. The first few months saw some spectacular action, with fleets of over a hundred rookie pilots happily smashing each other to bits. For over a year, faction warfare provided practically instant-action PvP on any scale you could want, from solo roaming and small gang warfare to full-on fleet battles with several capital ships. Unfortunately, CCP didn't iterate on the feature, so after a year with broken capture mechanics and no real purpose or reward for fighting, faction warfare began to grind to a halt. In this week's EVE Evolved, I speculate on how faction warfare could possibly be resurrected.
EVE Evolved: Development on EVE in 2012
Following the summer drama that came to be known as monoclegate, the past six months have been challenging for EVE Online's players and developers alike. When players learned that cash-shop clothing was priced higher than its real-life equivalent, the quirky story of the $80 monocle swept across gaming blogs like wildfire. The story's tone soon turned a great deal more sinister with the leak of an internal company newsletter titled Greed is Good, and a second leaked memo from CCP's CEO added more fuel to the flames. Ultimately, players spoke with their wallets; subscriptions fell by at least 8%, and with no financial backup plan, CCP was forced to lay off 20% of its staff worldwide. The staff members who remained were faced with the task of turning things around, and with the feature-packed Crucible expansion, they did so spectacularly. In just a few short months, hundreds of high-profile features, graphical overhauls, and quality of life improvements breathed new life into a neglected universe. I think most players recognise that this has been a genuine turn-around from within CCP, but some are still skeptical that the company has really reformed. The question on everyone's mind is whether CCP can really keep up this quality of development in the coming year as it delivers two full expansions and integrates EVE with DUST 514. Perhaps nobody is better qualified to assess that than CSM delegate and former CCP game designer Mark "Seleene" Heard, who recently attended the December CSM summit and witnessed first-hand the aftermath of monoclegate and Crucible's development. In this week's EVE Evolved, I delve into Mark's CSM Summit report to find out how development at CCP has changed, what we can expect in 2012, and how monocle-gate has affected CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson.
Global Chat: January 1-7, 2012
We love hearing what the Massively community has to say. What better way to salute the smartest reader opinions and posts than by sharing them in a weekly column? Join us every Sunday morning for Global Chat, where we do just that! This week we've got a poke at the lighter side of game bugs, some thoughts on development costs and how they affect us in the end, and some compliments (we always love those). Ready to see what they are? Click past the cut and let's get started!
EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514
Last week, EVE Online developer CCP Games officially started accepting beta signups for its upcoming MMOFPS DUST 514. This first phase of closed beta tests will be open only to active EVE Online subscribers, giving us an early opportunity to contribute feedback to the game's development ahead of console players. I think that's important because it's our universe that the game will take place in -- literally. DUST 514 players will be connecting to EVE Online's supercluster, so gameplay between the two titles will be intimately linked in realtime. With the new game's release date set for the summer 2012, EVE players can expect the next big expansion to focus heavily on planetary control and the DUST 514 link. The past month has been flush with new information on DUST's customisable vehicles, drop suits, infantry weapons and more. We've even had a look under the hood at the server architecture that will keep the planet-bound battles fast and furious without lagging out the EVE players smashing each other to bits in orbit. In this week's EVE Evolved, I gather together all the key information on DUST 514 released this month and discuss what it means for EVE Online players.
This Week in MMO: Thrones vs. Sith edition
How does a smackdown featuring Game of Thrones vs. Star Wars grab you? This Week in MMO examines the fallout from BioWare's recent disclosure of what Star Wars: The Old Republic might have been, and Gary Gannon and crew have some interesting insights (as well as a clear affinity for a galaxy far, far away). Mike B. and Mike Schaffnit join Gannon for his weekly dive into the MMO news headlines, and in addition to the SWTOR monster, the trio also talks up DUST 514 and its chances of success as a PlayStation 3 exclusive. PlanetSide 2's new trailer also gets a mention, as does EverQuest II's nifty new dungeon maker toolset. Head to Gamebreaker.TV for the complete episode.
The Firing Line: American aircraft and a real-life shooter
What's happening, shooter fans? Hopefully everyone's getting ready for a long holiday weekend filled with family, food, and gaming (of course). Several interesting online shooter nuggets came across my desk this week, including a deeper look at World of Warplanes, a Firefall beta clarification, and some sexy new DUST 514 details. Also, would you believe a real-life -- and real, live -- online FPS featuring actual locations?
EVE Online's third novel dropping ship in January
CCP's Tony Gonzales is set to unveil his latest EVE Online novel, titled EVE: Templar One, this January 3rd. But for Gonzales, it is a bittersweet moment, as it marks his final contribution to the game world: "EVE: Templar One is a labor of love that began in 2009. For now, it is my last contribution to EVE's fiction as I was amongst the casualties of the recent difficult times CCP endured." EVE: Templar One should prove of particular interest to DUST 514 followers, as the novel reveals the backstory of the immortal soldiers who will make up the game. Gonzales also says that it will follow up on the events of his previous book, EVE: The Empyrean Age. Readers who want to beef up on the lore of both games will appreciate the explanations of how the immortals work and some of the many mysteries that have popped up in the EVE universe. Gonzales concludes the announcement of the novel's impending release with heartfelt appreciation to fans: "Your support over the years has been overwhelming, and I'll never forget it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything." Currently the novel is available for pre-order through Amazon.com.
Closed beta sign-ups begin for DUST 514
The time has come! CCP has announced earlier today that sign-ups are now open for DUST 514's closed beta. Dubbed Mordu's Private Trials, this closed beta test is currently only open to active EVE Online subscribers, and is only available on the Playstation 3, as the game will be exclusive to that platform. If you're an active EVE Online subscriber and you'd like to sign up, head on over to the sign-up page for your chance.
CCP reveals DUST 514 dropsuits
CCP returns with its weekly DUST 514 announcement via the PlayStation blog. This time around, the company gives us a sneak peek at some of the dropsuits available in its upcoming EVE Online MMOFPS sidequel. What's a dropsuit? Well, aside from the latest in sexy sci-fi outerwear, it's also standard equipment for New Eden infantry types and it comes "in a variety of shapes and sizes, each with a unique slot configuration, powergrid, and CPU that inform [customization decisions]." Slot types include light, heavy, sidearm, high, low, equipment, and grenade, and CCP mentions that dropsuits will define your role on DUST's battlefields (as will your choices for the aforementioned slots). Head to the official PlayStation blog for a bit more info as well as a selection of Caldari and Amarr dropsuit images.
The Firing Line: Gravity-defying gameplay edition
Hullo shooter fans, and welcome back to Massively's weekly dose of pew pew news and views. The past seven days were quiet ones for three of the The Firing Line's "big four" MMO shooters, as newsmakers on the PlanetSide 2, Global Agenda, and Firefall dev teams were all silent. Thankfully there were a couple of cool DUST 514 tidbits to chew on, but before we get to those, I'd like to call your attention to some interesting Tribes: Ascend, APB: Reloaded, and CrimeCraft news that you may have missed.
DUST 514 dev blog shows off guns, lots of guns
First-person shooters are nothing without guns -- lots of 'em -- and CCP's upcoming DUST 514 is no exception. Today the company has released a new PlayStation blog update that zeroes in on a handful of infantry weapons in the far-future sci-fi opus. Said weapons are broken down into light, heavy, and sidearm classes, with one example of each detailed. Light weapons are the most common, and they fulfill multiple roles for short- and medium-range applications. They also come in four variants, each of which allows gamers to select a playstyle that features a number of trade-offs (lower fire rates for increased accuracy, etc.). Heavy weapons are more specialized, and are only available to players skilled enough to use heavy dropsuits. Sidearms are generally used as backup weapons, but they're still deadly in the right hands. Finally, today's entry continues the DUST tradition of showing off factional equipment variants, so head to the PlayStation blog to get a glimpse of some Amarr, Gallente, and Caldari weaponry.
DUST 514 vehicle fitting screens examined
If you haven't managed to snag a spot in the DUST 514 beta, you'll want to have a look at a fan site known as DUST 514 Base. The site posted a detailed look at the game's vehicle fitting interface over the weekend, and it gives a good rundown on many of the options in store for the planet-based mercenaries of New Eden. If you're an EVE Online veteran, the fitting screens will seem somewhat familiar. If not, at least you can get a leg up on what is likely to be one of the more complex console FPS UIs in the business. The blog entry contains a fair bit of speculation in terms of the numbers presented on the UI, and there are also plenty of high-quality images augmenting the text. Hit the links below for more info.
The Perfect Ten: The upcoming contenders
While I'm on board the Star Wars: The Old Republic train (at least until SOE's Star Wars: The New Republic comes out in 2014 and forces SWTOR to shut down), I can certainly sympathize with the frustration that non-fans are feeling right about now. There are few things more annoying than not being into the latest craze -- or hating it outright -- and yet being unable to escape it. So I'm here to say to you today that, like World of Warcraft, SWTOR isn't the be-all, end-all of the MMO field. It's a part of it, but just one part, and there are many, many others in the works as we speak. Mama always told me never to put all your eggs in one basket anyway, so I'm spreading my eggcitement across many cyber-nests. This is the bone I'm throwing to all of you this week: a list of 10 Midichlorian-free MMOs that have me -- and should have you -- extremely buzzed about their development. In putting together this list, I realized that there are so many promising prospects that I divided them into two groups. This week I'm presenting the strongest contenders that should make it to launch with a solid product, while next time I'll list promising prospects that may be more of a long shot. I'm 47% confident that I will not forget your most-anticipated title.
Vehicles to play a large role in DUST 514 battles
The PlayStation blog has been updated with a new blurb on DUST 514, and vehicle freaks will be happy to note that we now have a better understanding of how rolling armor works in CCP's EVE-based MMO shooter. CCP says that vehicles "play a large role" on DUST's battlefields, with heavy armor units delivering long-range concussive attacks "while lighter units emphasize speed and flexibility." Vehicles are also highly configurable, and players will be given a choice of armaments drawn directly from EVE Online's weapon classes. Finally, the new blog entry gives us a glimpse of various vehicle aesthetics, and long-time New Eden fans will be pleased to note that the selection has a familiar factional feel (though duty compels us to complain about the lack of a Minmatar entry).
DUST 514 community manager CCP Shadow steps down
In February of last year, Massively writer James Egan joined developer CCP Games as a community representative for EVE Online under the name CCP Shadow. He went on to become the community manager for upcoming MMOFPS DUST 514 and an integral part of CCP's customer relations department. In a lengthy post on EVE's off-topic forum, James let everyone know today that he will be leaving CCP at the end of this month. His replacement as DUST 514 community manager has already been picked from the existing team, and James will be taking a much-needed break before deciding whether to return to writing or take a new career direction. In the forum thread, James remembers the good times he's had over the years thanks to the EVE Online community, both as a writer for Massively and as a community representative for CCP. While he wasn't part of the recent 20% staff layoffs, he relates that many of his friends were. While James will no longer be present under the name CCP Shadow, he will still be playing EVE Online on his normal character with the goal of killing everyone in sight. Everyone here at Massively would like him the best of luck in whatever career he decides to pursue.
The Firing Line: All the shooter news that's fit to print
Welcome back to The Firing Line, folks. I'm still putting out a few flames from last week's how-dare-you-call-this-an-MMO smackdown, and rather than fuel that particular fire by telling you that I've been playing a lot of World of Tanks (oh, did I say that?), I figured I'd take a high-level look at what's been happening with a few of the larger MMO shooters (and quasi-MMO shooters) over the last couple of weeks. Despite my best efforts, we're still stuck with lore updates and insignificant PR when it comes to PlanetSide 2, though we did snag a few new screenshots recently. Things have also been quiet when it comes to Global Agenda and a few of my other favorite titles. Not to worry, though. Hi-Rez is moving right along with its Tribes: Ascend beta, and you can read about that and more in my news roundup after the break.
The Firing Line: Defining the MMO shooter
Hello shooter fans, and welcome back to Massively's Firing Line. Last week's inaugural column hit the ground running with a visit to Hi-Rez Studios and a preview of the company's new Tribes: Ascend title. This week I'd like to pull back a little bit and lay the groundwork for some of the things we'll be talking about over time. When I talk about MMO shooters with friends and colleagues, one of the first things mentioned is the definition of the term. Everyone knows what a shooter is (or at least what he thinks it is), and everyone knows what an MMO is (although thanks to MOBAs and the social networking explosion, the definition of the latter grows murkier by the day). Can we all agree on the definition of an MMO shooter, though? Probably not, and to be honest, that's perfectly OK.
