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End of Nations Warfront 03: Interrogation edition
It's time for another episode of End of Nations Warfront, and this week, Cole Marshall takes players' questions from last week's warfront and interrogates Community Manager Myll_Erik, also known as Lance James. James answers players' questions as best as he can, speaking on PvP tournaments, tutorial videos, and life at the Trion Worlds offices. He also discusses the challenges of being a CM and details how the forums will be handled when the trash talk begins. For the full video, just click on past the cut and have a look for yourself.
End of Nations' Warfront 02 details large-scale battles, new comic
In this week's End of Nations Warfront, Cole Marshall takes a close look End of Nations' massive scale and the new End of Nations comics from DC. It even gives the community an opportunity to interrogate Community Manager Myll_Erik. Players are given a glimpse at the large-scale battles of End of Nations as Marshall talks about massive, planet-wide battles. He then announces the release of End of Nations #1 from DC Comics. The issue can be bought in stores or online at Comixology, and readers can pick up a small teaser issue, End of Nations #0, for free online. To top it off, the community is given the opportunity to "interrogate" Community Manager Myll_Erik. So head on over to the game's official Facebook page and interrogate away, but first, click on past the cut for the full video.
End of Nations kicks off the Warfront series with beta signups
Trion Worlds is currently known first and foremost for RIFT, but that's not the only game the studio is working at. End of Nations, the upcoming MMORTS, has been quiet for a while, but the development team is kicking things back into motion with the launch of the "Warfront" webcast, designed to highlight news and updates about the game. And it kicks off with an appropriately exciting piece of news for fans of the game -- beta signups are now available. Fans will need to sign up for the End of Nations newsletter before being eligible to sign up for beta testing, but that likely won't deter anyone who's followed the game this far. There's also an announcement of new previews to be found on the game's official Facebook page, with the usual social media request that you head over and throw out a "Like." While the video is fairly short, most fans have probably absconded as soon as they heard they could sign up for beta -- but if you'd like to see the full webcast first, jump on past the break. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
End of Nations unveils warfare screenshots
The End of Nations is upon us! Well, not really, but Trion Worlds has revealed a new batch of screenshots focusing on -- what else -- mass warfare. The screens give players a glimpse of the maps of which they'll be vying for control. Also on display are many of the units available to the game's three factions, including tanks, artillery, scouting vehicles, and more. For all of the freshly pressed screenshots, just click on through the gallery below. [Source: Trion Worlds press release] %Gallery-96732%
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.
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.
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]
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]
MMO impressions from Eurogamer Expo 2011
Some of the industry's biggest names were at Eurogamer Expo last week, including BioWare, NCsoft and Trion Worlds. I was on the floor at the expo to get some hands-on experience with several upcoming MMOs and countless singleplayer games. Guild Wars 2 and Star Wars: The Old Republic stole the show, with hands-on gameplay sessions and in-depth developer talks. BioWare also made the bold move of announcing SWTOR's official release date during its talk at the convention. In addition to promoting the heck out of RIFT, Trion showed off upcoming MMORTS End of Nations with a hands-on demo and encouraged attendees to sign up to the End of Nations newsletter. RIFT and World of Tanks were both playable on the show floor for the entire weekend, but nothing new was being shown. Hack-and-slash adventure RPG Dark Souls and the beautifully zen Journey both demonstrated incredibly innovative multiplayer aspects that I'll likely cover in my weekly Not So Massively column, but neither falls neatly into the MMO box. OnLive had a spectacular showing at the expo, giving away free home consoles to every attendee and demonstrating the system's surprisingly lag-free gameplay on the floor. We discovered that although there are no MMOs in OnLive's current lineup, this isn't due to technical infeasibility, so we may yet see MMOs launched on the service. Skip past the cut for my in-depth hands-on impressions of Guild Wars 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic and End of Nations from Eurogamer Expo 2011.
This Week In MMO: Conspiracy edition
It's a new week; It's a new theme song for This Week In MMO. As you know, every week, Gamebreaker.TV hosts a round-table discussion about the latest news in MMOs, inviting different hosts from different media outlets to share their opinions and speculation. This week, everyone's favorite host, Gary "Bing Bong" Gannon, is joined by Mike "the Chinhawk" B and Jason "Red Shirt" Winter. It would not be an episode of TWIMMO if everyone didn't get tinfoil-hat hair. Starting with speculation revolving around the Star Wars: The Old Republic release-date announcement, two of the panel members were convinced that it was directly related to the Diablo 3 2012-pushback announcement. But that's not the only pushback that had our panelists theorizing. According to Gannon, End of Nations may be feeling the SWTOR pressure, too. The Trion Worlds MMO RTS was recently pushed back to 2012 as well. Keep your aluminum brain-barrier intact because our hosts also believe it is possible that CCP's World of Darkness MMO may be going free-to-play. All of this, plus the biggest question on everyone's mind is answered: Could there be a Kim Kardashian MMO and would there be an oiler profession? Check out the full episode of This Week In MMO after the break!
End of Nations not launching in 2011, aiming for 2012
If the end of the world happens in 2012, then End of Nations might be the cause. Or effect. Or just an innocent bystander. In any case, Trion Worlds' MMORTS has moved its projected release window from late 2011 to sometime next year. The news came at this past weekend's Eurogamer Expo 2011, where Trion demoed the game live to an excited crowd. The studio also showed off some of the in-game store options that players have to pick from, including unit colors and skins. End of Nations will be free-to-play with these optional microtransactions, but Trion promises that there will be no way for players to "pay to win." Trion was mum when asked about End of Nations' beta at the expo. The studio announced last month that the title would be going free-to-play from the get-go, a move that it hopes will draw in prospective armchair generals by the droves.
End of Nations to end nations in 2012
2012 is right around the corner, you guys, and as if global pandemics and earth-shattering astronomical events weren't enough to look forward to, Trion has told Eurogamer that we should all expect an End of Nations as well. Originally slated for a 2011 release, Trion's free-to-play meta-MMO/RTS is now set to launch sometime before the end of the world in 2012. This news follows an exhibition of the title at Eurogamer Expo 2011, where Trion also stated that items purchased through microtransactions will be relegated to cosmetic duty, as the title is not "pay to win."
End of Nations' Executive Producer discusses F2P model, buying power
With each game that announces a free-to-play business model, the same concerns immediately arise in the minds of the game's fans. Will the game allow players to pay for convenience, or will it allow them to pay to win? David Luehmann, Executive Producer of upcoming MMORTS End of Nations, addressed that very concern in a recent interview. What did he have to say? He was quick to put players' anxiety to rest, claiming that the game "will not be selling pay-to-win items that give one player a significant gameplay advantage over another" and adding that most cash-shop items will also be purchasable using in-game currency. But why go the free-to-play route to begin with? According to Luehmann, the team realized that in a game such as End of Nations, which is focused on large-scale multiplayer warfare, the game's fun factor will be directly tied to the number of players battling it out at any given time. As such, the team wants to "minimize the barrier to entry and maximize the fun." Of course, the game also features an optional subscription option. Luehmann is quick to note, however, that just like the item shop, subscriptions will not provide players with a gameplay advantage. It will instead yield "significant value and convenience extras." The full interview also includes a few details on the game itself, so if you're interested in Petroglyph's upcoming MMORTS, head on over to Gamefront for the full interview.
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.
Gamescom 2011: Get an eyeful of Trion's promo reel
One of the cool parts of visiting any video game convention is to check out all of the trailers blasting over each booth. A good trailer not only raises goosebumps but conveys crucial information about the game in a short span of time: the game's tone, genre, playstyle, graphics, lore, and ability to have a bad-ass hero fall from a great height to land on one knee with a fist on the ground. We've gotten ahold of some of the visual goodies Trion Worlds has been showing at its booth this week at Gamescom, highlighting both RIFT and End of Nations. The promo reel, which you can watch after the jump, begins with a combination of RIFT's cinematics and in-game footage. Then, around the 10-minute mark, the video shifts focus to the upcoming free-to-play End of Nations, ending with an interview with some of the devs. Unfortunately for non-German speakers, all but the interview may be linguistically inaccessible to your ears, but you should be able to follow along just fine. We also have several new official RIFT screenshots to show you, just in case you haven't gotten enough of this rip-roaring title! %Gallery-101448%
New End of Nations trailer goes meta
You can't fight here, this is the war room! Wait, you can? Nevermind, carry on. Today we have a new trailer from Gamescom highlighting Trion Worlds' End of Nation's metagame. The developers are careful to note that anyone can contribute to their nation's war effort, whether you're a green novice or a hardened veteran. The trailer also takes some time to highlight the different types of battle maps available to players, from the standard PvP map to the monumental mega maps, which feature up to 50 players on the map, each will a full army. The battles raging on each of these maps will determine which faction controls the territory, and each territory grants its controlling faction a different advantage. It's up to the players to decide which territory would most benefit their faction's current needs, and then to bring the firepower and capture the territory. For the full trailer, blast your way past the cut.
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.
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.
Trion's End of Nations MMORTS will be free-to-play
Sure, you'd like to play Trion's upcoming MMO/RTS mashup called End of Nations, but you're not sure if you want to pony up for the retail box, and then shell out another few bucks a month for a subscription. That's a lot to spend on a game you might not like, right? Good news for you, then: Trion has announced that End of Nations will be a free-to-play title. Free players, according to the official website, will get access to "the entire game," including co-op, the metagame, and the huge multiplayer games as well. The company will offer an optional subscription that will feature "a significant amount of value and convenience extras," though exactly what those are Trion hasn't yet said. But the company does emphasize that winning the game will be built around "strategy and skill," not paying the most money. There will also be an in-game store with "a wide selection" of more customization and convenience items. And no credit card will be required for the actual game -- everything will be purchasable either with in-game wealth or Trion Credits (which can be bought with real currency). Stay tuned for more hands-on with the game from Gamescom next week.
Bombshell: End of Nations to be free-to-play
Conquering the world just got a lot more affordable, as Trion Worlds announced that its MMORTS End of Nations will be released as a top-notch free-to-play title. This decision means that players can not only obtain a copy of the client for free, but play through the solo, co-op, and the persistent-world multiplayer conquest modes as well. Trion's Dave Luehmann hopes this will give End of Nations a competitive advantage when it launches: "Being able to offer a premium game such as End of Nations for free sets us apart in this industry. At Trion, we strive to innovate online gaming while emphasizing the delivery of the best core gameplay experience available. Our decision to release End of Nations as a AAA free–to-play title is guided by these principles." Trion will be offering an optional subscription package and a game store to enhance players' experience. The store will sell customization and convenience items, and Trion has clearly stated that it will not be selling "pay-to-win items" through it. During our hands-on impressions from last year, we noted that the title was probably not best suited for a monthly subscription, so it's good to see Trion freeing the game from that business model. End of Nations will be available to players at this month's Gamescom.
