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The Old Republic cracks open the files on the galaxy's most notorious figures
Sometimes it feels as though the Sith and Jedi get boiled down to two primary emotions: scowly and smug. It kind of makes it hard to root for one side or the other when that's all there is. Happily, Team BioWare's decided to graduate past these stereotypes as they flesh out the complex leaders in the struggle for intergalactic domination. Three new biographies have been posted on The Old Republic's website, representing the three main factions of the game: Darth Malgus for the Sith, Mandalore for the Independents, and General Garza for the Republic. You may remember Darth Malgus as the seething bad guy from the Deceived trailer, and it turns out that he's now the star of his own book as well: Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived. The novel -- which just received a first look over at StarWars.com -- promises to reveal insights into just why Malgus led the assault to sack the Jedi temple on Coruscant. More exciting than these biographies are the introduction of a brand-new section of TOR's Holonet: Inhabitants! This page covers droids, creatures and humanoids that players will encounter on a regular basis in the game, and currently has six records to choose from: the Gundark, the AR-34 Enforcer Droid, Gormak, Trandoshan, Salky Hounds, and the X2-C3 Imperial Astromech. Each of the records is accompanied by a description and a trio of screen shots to enjoy. It's a lot to absorb in one sitting, so head on over to The Old Republic to check out these new Biographies and Inhabitants!
Prognosticating the future of MMOs
Barring Ouija boards, magical leprechauns and time-traveling DeLoreans, it's pretty much impossible to predict the future -- but that doesn't stop people from trying, no sir. In a recent "The State of the MMO in 2010" over at Eurogamer, Jim Rossignol chats with Paul Barnett (EA Mythic), Colin Dwan (Fallen Earth) and Torfi Frans Olafsson (EVE Online) in an attempt to pin down where MMOs stand as of now, and where they're likely to go. The article begins by stating that the defining line surrounding what is and is not a MMO has become blurred, and will only become more so in the future. Whether we like it or not, different payment models, server types and even genres (such as sports MMOs) have broadened the definition of the genre. Many folks are worried that F2P titles and "quasi-MMOs" like FarmVille may trigger the end of traditional subscription-based MMOs.
Ultima Online shake-up: incoming developer layoffs, team restructuring and relocation imminent
Ultima Online recently celebrated its 10 year birthday and even launched a shiny new expansion titled Kingdom Reborn that received mixed reviews. The celebration is soon to end with heads rolling as many Ultima Online developers will be pushed into the unemployment line after John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts, sent out a Dear John letter -- tasking every studio and company under EA's conglomeration to make the necessary cutbacks to adjust resources accordingly against rising costs. (EA corporate raid gathering: "Fools, prepare the chopping block!") Chris Rabideau, Ultima Online Producer, posted on the Ultima Online Herald that the Ultima Online team will be moving from its current station located at EA's headquarters outside of San Francisco, CA to EA Mythic's studios located in Fairfax, VA. Rabideau claims that development on the game will continue as planned and the move will have very little impact in the short term on the game and community . Nowhere in his letter to the community does he acknowledge any lay-offs, but an anonymous source has come forward claiming he is and is clearly devastated. (I can not confirm or deny this source). "There is nothing to lose for me to post this and I admit I feel bitter, so why not let you know the truth? Alot of the UO team was laid off today including me and all of QA. We were escorted out of the building and not even allowed to email our goodbye email to everyone else. They even had managers watching us the whole time like we had done something wrong. Most of the engineers are already working on Warhammer. Most of the rest of the UO team is not going to Virginia. Only one person is moving fore sure and maybe one or two more are considering it too. Thats it. Almost all of the famous devs are not going. Almost everyone on the list posted earlier by someone is not going to Virginia for sure. Early December is when everyone who does not move to Virginia is laid off too. I hope that something I did for UO is something that you found fun. We really did try to do our best. Maybe I will see you all in another not EA game soon!" Business as usual, but you know it's that stinky EA business. While it's plausible Ultima Online will benefit from this move later down the road; thanks to more resources available under one roof, all the UO and DAOC devs doing quality assurance on Warhammer: Age of Reckoning, that sort of thing. One thing is certain and that is you can't replace a dedicated developer who worked on the project for years and poured everything they had and expect the same results from their replacement or non-replacement in some cases. I guess we can expect a skeleton crew for UO from here on out. Do you think these corporate lay-offs stem from Electronic Arts spending 600 plus million dollars to purchase Bioware?
