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Envision Entertainment rises from the ashes of EA Phenomic
The recent cancellation of Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances also sank developer EA Phenomic, but from that mouldering corpse springs a new studio, Envision Entertainment. Don't confuse Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances with that other C&C game EA recently canceled. Though both scrapped projects caused their studios to collapse, Tiberium Alliances was slated for release as a free-to-play title, whereas the game in development at the now-defunct Victory Studios was a more traditional strategy game. Back to Envision: According to GI.biz, the fledgling company boasts a staff of 25, including former EA Phenomic vice president Dirk Ringe. While GI claims that Envision has "several" projects in the works, the nascent studio has yet to publicly reveal anything of substance.
EA shutting BattleForge down in October after four years of service
Free-to-play RTS BattleForge will shut down on October 31. An update on the game's official site notes that those with a remaining balance of in-game currency are "encouraged to spend it" before it is unavailable to play. BattleForge's developer, EA Phenomic, closed in July, resulting in 60 layoffs. The game first launched in an open beta phase in March 2009, prior to receiving a price drop and subsequently a free to play edition.
Command & Conquer F2P developer EA Phenomic closed
EA's in-house real-time strategy developer, EA Phenomic, has been closed and its 60 employees laid off, GamesIndustry International reports. The studio most recently developed EA's free-to-play, browser-based RTS Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances. Purchased by EA in 2004, it was originally founded in 1997 as Phenomic Game Development. "As part of EA's realignment in recent weeks, we have announced internally a small adjustment to some development staff to better focus our teams against priority growth areas," an EA representative told GamesIndustry International. "The decision to let people go is not something we take lightly and we are working to ensure that impacted employees are treated fairly and with respect for their contributions to EA, and with assistance to find other job opportunities." Thus far, this internal restructuring initiative has been responsible for around 900 lost jobs, including layoffs in LA and Montreal, as well as the closure of PopCap Dublin and the reported shuttering of BioWare's San Francisco component.
EA's Lord of Ultima browser-based MMO officially launches next week
EA's latest attempt to rejuvenate the Ultima franchise, the browser-based MMORTS Lord of Ultima, will exit open beta and go fully live on Tuesday, April 20. The game breaks from the franchise's usual norm of medieval vigilante heroism, and places you in the fur-lined boots of an up-and-coming ruler, who must build his kingdom through trade, diplomacy and neighborly acts of sabotage. If you're curious how the game operates, you can check out some gameplay clips from the beta on YouTube. Or, alternatively, you could just hop into the beta yourself. Or you could just be patient -- it's coming out in a week. Can't you wait a single week? Geez.
EA announces BattleForge collectible trading card game for Fall '08
EA announced today that its German studio, EA Phenomic, is working on Battleforge, a "fantasy online real-time strategy ... collectible trading card" game. The game will release this fall and allow players to win, trade and buy virtual cards to create the "ultimate deck."Basically, it sounds like Magic: The Gathering (but totally virtual) at the moment. We'll have to wait and see what the price details are for Battleforg -- not to mention its micro transaction details, if any.
