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Super Hero Squad Online showcases Gladiator Hulk
Hail, emperor, we who are about to SMASH salute you! Gazillion Entertainment announced today that a new warrior has entered the Super Hero Squad Online Colosseum. Gladiator Hulk (who was actually introduced in the Asgard update) looks smashing (ah ha ha) in his gladiator's armor and is ready to dominate the arenas and smash some skulls. In addition to introducing the new combatant, Gazillion says that the game has been updated with extra missions for players to come, see, and conquer. For a look at Gladiator Hulk in action, you can check out the gallery below or jump on past the cut for a trailer showcasing Hulkimus Maximus going Roman on some unfortunate souls. And of course, to join the fray you can click on over to the Super Hero Squad Online official site. %Gallery-93313%
Global Chat: All about the controversy edition
Welcome to this week's Global Chat! We love hearing what you have to say at Massively, and we love it even more when we can share the best comments with all of our readers. Massively staffers will be contributing some of their favorite comments every week, so keep an eye out every Sunday for more Global Chat! Wouldn't it be boring if we all agreed with one another all the time? The general consensus is usually "yes," and I've got to agree. Global Chat this week is all about differing opinions, so follow along after the jump to see a few of those opinions, then hit the comment button and add your own!
Gazillion's David Brevik on Marvel Universe Online, story, and changing the perception of MMOs
A new interview with Gazillion's president and CEO David Brevik is up on Gamasutra today. The interview focuses mostly on the ongoing development of Marvel Universe Online (though Gamasutra tries to pull a fast one to get a tip on Jumpgate Evolution, to no avail) and has shades of BioWare in the discussion of the "Holy Grail" of story in MMOs. As the interview points out, Brevik is familiar with the ups and downs of the industry, having been involved in the hugely successful Diablo II and the failed (and soon-to-be relaunched) Hellgate: London. A persistent theme of the interview is figuring out how to change the way that MMOs are viewed and how to prove that an MMORPG can be more than a DikuMUD clone. In addition, Brevik talks about the philosophy behind making MUO ostensibly the first free-to-play (from launch) Western AAA MMORPG as well as how the studio is planning to bring the epic overarching stories that Marvel comics are known for to the world of MUO. For the full interview, head on over to Gamasutra.
Super Hero Squad Online releases Asgard, screenshots, trailer
As we announced recently, Super Hero Squad Online is making the most of the release of the new Thor film by adding the Norse god and his homeland of Asgard to the free-to-play MMORPG. Now, thanks to a press release from Gazillion Entertainment, we have a wealth of new information regarding these new additions. Players will be able to take on the roles of Thor -- in both his classic and ultimate incarnations -- Valkyrie, and Gladiator Hulk. After assuming control of any of these new heroes -- or any of the old ones as well, for that matter -- players can now take off to the mythical land of Asgard, home of the Norse Gods. From there, Gazillion says players can "discover the World's Tree and other landmarks in Asgard or battle through two brand new missions", known as The Gods of Thunder and Freezer Burn. If you're looking for a peek at SHSO's Asgard expansion before you log in to see it for yourself, check out the gallery below and hammer your way past the cut for an action-packed trailer. There's Thor, there's Asgard, there's Loki, there are frost giants, there's... hacky-sack! Don't miss it, lest you incur the wrath of the god of thunder. %Gallery-93313%
The Daily Grind: Do you think Marvel Universe is an MMO?
So Gazillion is working on an adult-oriented Marvel game that's been described in some quarters as an MMO. One small catch, though, is that Marvel Universe Online won't be allowing players to create their own characters. While the final product remains to be seen, MMORPG fans are rightly skeptical. Aside from the obvious questions like "are there even enough Marvel superheroes to fill one MMO server" and "how many Spider-Men/Wolverines/Hulks will be visible at any given time," there are many warning bells echoing in gamers' heads. The biggest question in my mind is whether or not MUO should even be called an MMO. Its primary competition, DC Universe Online, attempted to stretch the boundaries of the genre by delivering a multiplayer console brawler with a (semi-functional) chat box -- but at least it still allowed for personalization. Marvel Universe Online is taking the feature-regression theme found in current-gen titles one step further by eliminating the ability for players to actually make a character. Today's Daily Grind offers two questions for your early-morning consideration. Do you think Marvel Universe Online is an MMO, and if so, what has happened to MMO design such that we're now to the point that character customization is simply another item for the scrap heap (along with crafting, housing, etc.)? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Super Hero Squad Online launches with a new trailer!
Earlier today we reported about Marvel Universe Online, but there is more good news coming out of Marvel Studios and Gazillion Entertainment. Super Hero Squad Online has officially opened its doors to the public. It is time to hero up and start creating your own fabulous force of freedom fighters. The kid-in-adult-size-shoes Jay Minn, creative director for SHSO, invites you to join in the fun. As he says in the launch press release, "Where else can you fight Doctor Doom, wall crawl up the Baxter Building, go flying with your friends, and collect a scratching post for Wolverine? We've built an awesome Super Hero theme park, so come and play!" Grab your Captain America shield, your Iron Man suit, and Thor's hammer and watch this teaser video after the break. And if that inspires you to create your own team of Marvel superheroes, fly over to HeroUp.com to start playing! Nuff said!
Marvel Universe Online will be free-to-play, penned by Bendis
Move over, Batman: After a few false starts, Marvel's finally poised to become the next big MMO superhero thing. Thursday evening, I attended Gazillion Entertainment and Marvel's live San Francisco reveal of Marvel Universe Online's head writer, the jovial Brian Michael Bendis. Joining Brian for a lively Q&A panel were Gazillion President and COO David Brevik, VP and Studio Head for Secret Identity (fka Gargantuan) Jeff Lind, and VP of Games at Marvel TQ Jefferson. Brian's involvement in the game's story wasn't the only announcement the panelists had in store for attendees -- they almost casually confessed that players will slip into the spandex of iconic Marvel characters and that the game will be free-to-play, making it perhaps the first Western triple-A title to be designed for such a model from the ground up. Because I knew you'd be disappointed if I didn't, I dutifully asked an amused Jeff Lind about PvP, housing, crafting, voice acting, character customization, travel powers, advancement, and all those other goodies, but as you can probably guess, the devs aren't in a position to talk about sweeping systems just yet -- they want to "retain the ability to change [their] minds." So manage thy expectations accordingly! Fortunately, both Jeff and Brian were willing to chat about story, tie-ins, and MUO's niche in an increasingly crowded superhero MMO field, so hit the break for their thoughts and my round-up of the hot topics from the panel.
Account creation opens wide for Super Hero Squad Online
Shh... don't say "open beta" around these superheroes, but it looks as though Super Hero Squad Online may be doing the next best thing. The ultra-cute, ultra-powerful Marvel MMO is now accepting accounts from everyone -- even that supervillain down the street. Previously, you needed a beta code to get a sneak peek at the game, but it looks as though that barrier's been smashed by lil' Hulk. Super Hero Squad Online also has moved its secret website lair to www.HeroUp.com, which is where you'll need to go to create your own preview account. Currently, all players are assigned a silver-level membership, which limits you to four heroes, although gold-level memberships are on the way. Along with the website move and open accounts, SHSO has added additional heroes (such as War Machine and Silver Surfer), new daily missions, a tutorial, and improved safe chat. Gazillion says that the game is up and running 24/7 now, so you have plenty of time to see what's what!
LEGO Universe on sale for $9.99
Have you seen the prices for LEGO brick,s these days? Some parents have had to choose between purchasing their child a Harry Potter Hogwarts set or paying the mortgage that month -- and Harry Potter usually wins. Fortunately, you can get your virtual LEGOs on for cheap: LEGO Universe is on sale for $9.99 in the official LEGO store. You'll want to note that this is a physical copy of the game, not a digital download. The purchase also includes the first month of play, which certainly lowers the barrier of entry. This promotion is a limited time offer, although the company didn't put an exact end date on it. This follows LEGO Universe's transition from Gazillion to the LEGO Group. Newcomers to the game will certainly want to check out the cooperative community events that highlight this MMO's unique strengths.
Cryptic boss leaves for Gazillion
First at Sony Online Entertainment, then at Cryptic Studios, and now at Gazillion Entertainment, John Needham has seen a lot of massively multiplayer worlds in his time. The much experienced exec is now at the helm of Gazillion Entertainment in order to work on "converting all of its major games to the free-to-play business model." The plan, Needham says, "is where the secret sauce is for the industry." Gazillion most recently launched Lego Universe, which was then immediately sold to the Lego Group (along with the dev team at NetDevil). The publisher's next game is Fortune Online, which is currently in closed beta.
Former Cryptic boss named CEO of Gazillion Entertainment
Gaming executive John Needham wasn't out of work for very long, and in fact has traded one CEO position for another. Gazillion Entertainment has announced that the former Cryptic bossman will head up the studio as it looks to expand on its free-to-play browser-based MMO offerings. Needham, who has also held down a high-level position at Sony Online Entertainment, joins former Blizzard executive David Brevik at Gazillion, while company founder Rob Hutter steps into the chairman position. "I believe that in the near future, rich console-quality games will be delivered through the browser," Needham said via press release. "We're going to create browser-centric, free-to-play games that set a new standard for quality and deliver a deep, compelling experience."
Fortune Online video dev diary details classes
Judging by a new (and slickly produced) dev diary video, Gazillion is spending a fair bit of money on its new Fortune Online MMORPG. The video features a mixture of in-game footage as well as commentary from producer Ricardo Mendoza, design director Adam Maxwell, and senior content designer Chris Holtorf. Most of the discussion is focused on two of the game's classes, the Master of Arms and the Disciple of the Dragon, which belong to the Warrior and Guardian archetypes respectively. What's an archetype? "Fortune Online has several classes that you can choose from but we've done something to sort of simplify it for more casual players. We've boiled them down into very basic archetypes," Maxwell explains. Check out the full video after the cut.
Gazillion press release clarifies Netdevil layoff rumors
The NetDevil/LEGO Universe brouhaha that unfolded earlier this morning is officially official thanks to a press release just published by Gazillion Entertainment. Gazillion has formally agreed to sell its development stake in the LEGO Universe MMO to the LEGO Group (the game's publisher and custodian of the world-famous toy brand). Most of the LEGO devs, formerly employed by NetDevil (a Gazillion subsidiary), have received employment offers from the LEGO Group and will continue iterating on the game from the company's Louisville, Colorado studio. Gazillion is re-focusing its ongoing development efforts into browser games, according to President and COO David Brevik. "The transition of members of our team to the LEGO Group enables us to focus completely on internally-published, free-to-play game businesses," he said.
Lego Group purchases Lego Universe and dev team from Gazillion
The Lego Group has acquired Lego Universe -- and most of the NetDevil developers who were part of the project. A Gazillion representative explained to Joystiq that before Gazillion's acquisition of NetDevil, NetDevil had already begun Lego Universe as a work-for-hire project, and now Lego has bought the rights from Gazillion for Lego Universe itself. "The transition of members of our team to the Lego Group allows us to conclude the work-for-hire segment of NetDevil's business and lets us expand our internally-published, free-to-play game businesses," said David Brevik, President and COO of Gazillion. "We're proud of the Lego Universe game that our team built, and we are certain that it has a bright future." Gazillion notes there was a "minor staff reduction" at NetDevil, but that most of the staff was retained by Lego. Lego System A/S is expected to take over the space that NetDevil is currently occupying, and the remaining non-Lego-aligned NetDevil staffers are moving to a new building. NetDevil is currently working on Fortune Online, with Gazillion unable to comment on the status of Jumpgate Evolution due to the current legal entanglement. Update: Following up on NetDevil's "minor staff reduction," a Gazillion rep told us: "Less than a quarter of the Lego Universe team was let go with the transition." We weren't able to obtain NetDevil's prior or current head count, but we were told that 40 people are working on the Fortune Online project, which is the studio's key focus.
NetDevil lays off large portion of its staff [Updated]
When it comes to game development, it's somewhat common to see a layoff or realignment of development team members shortly after the release of a title. However, it appears that NetDevil's most recent round of layoffs came as a complete surprise to its employees. After all, the company's most recent release, LEGO Universe, is well past that initial post-launch phase, having gone live back in October 2010, and both Jumpgate Evolution and Fortune Online are (at least supposedly) under development currently at the studio. There are jobs posted on the hiring page, as well. However, it appears that the developer, owned by Gazillion Entertainment, is on shaky ground as of this morning, according to rumors. The truly horrible thing about this isn't that some developers were laid off -- it's how the affected employees found out. It appears that some of the NetDevil employees were notified that they were going to be laid off via Facebook postings before they were officially contacted by the company, according to a blog posting by Toby Cochran, who worked as a character/creature animator on LEGO Universe. Apparently an image showing a tombstone with the inscription "NetDevil R.I.P. Oct 1997-Feb 2011" started making the rounds on social networking sites shortly thereafter, indicating a far bleaker picture than just that of layoffs. We've reached out to NetDevil and Gazillion Entertainment for comment on the rumors and what, if anything, it will mean for the development of Jumpgate Evolution and Fortune Online. We'll be sure to update this post as soon as we have further information. In the meantime, we hope that all the talented, hard-working NetDevil employees who were affected are able to land fabulous new well-paying spots elsewhere, continuing to do what they love. [Update: We received the following statement from NetDevil: "The transition of members of our team to the LEGO Group allows us to conclude the work-for-hire segment of NetDevil's business and lets us expand our internally-published, free-to-play game businesses based on our own properties and licensed properties. Gazillion is wholly focused on developing, operating, and publishing the next generation of browser-delivered games," said David Brevik, President and COO. "We're proud of the LEGO Universe game that our team built, and we are certain that it has a bright future."]
First Impressions: Fortune Online
You know, there is no shortage of "Diablo clones" out there. We've all played them, and we've probably enjoyed many. It's safe to say that "Diablo-esque" is a real word with real meaning -- something you can say to your gaming buddy and he'll know exactly what you mean. However, as with any other genre, it's very easy for it to become repetitive and boring. The initial thrill of the game or style that inspired the movement tends to pass away if developers continue to regurgitate it in the hopes of profiting from gamer nostalgia. In some cases, it works pretty well. Torchlight, for example, is a lot of fun and easy enough to play -- as evidenced by the success of the game. The fact that it was really nothing new didn't stop us from having a lot of fun with it. The tales of an online version tantalize us, but wouldn't it be nice if we could play a Diablo-esque game that truly offers MMO benefits? It's possible that we can with Fortune Online. I was asked to spend some time with the beta to see how it's going. Is it really a good choice for fans of top-down dungeon grinding? Click past the cut to see what I thought. %Gallery-115609%
LEGO Universe releases Crux Prime update
Pirates or ninjas? That is the age-old question. As of today we know where the LEGO Universe team stands thanks to the new Crux Prime update. LEGO's Ninjago line is the star of NetDevil's latest content patch, and players can participate in a new storyline that involves the search for Sensei Wu. It seems the reclusive Wu is a master of Spinjitzu, the only skill that can stand up to the hordes of skeleton enemies descending on Crux Prime. The patch contains a substantial amount of new content including over 100 missions and achievements, over 100 new pieces of gear, and four rare armor sets to collect. Finally, the Crux Prime update brings multiplayer team functionality to the fight against The Maelstrom, and groups of up to four friends can join forces to save the Nexus Tower and do battle to protect the Imagination Nexus. Get a glimpse of the new Crux Prime trailer after the cut.
Gazillion's 'Fortune Online' is Diablo-esque, closed beta begins
Gazillion Entertainment had an announcement one-two punch with Fortune Online today, not only revealing the game, but also the start of its closed beta. The multiplayer browser-based, free-to-play dungeon crawler looks to be the latest game that's happy as sin to dole out that Diablo fix while Blizzard's sequel takes the hellishly long road to market. Company COO David Brevik, who was part of the team that made the original Diablo and Hellgate: London, says that Fortune Online is a great example of Gazillion's focus on free-to-play, console-quality games for browsers. Check out a video of the Flash-based title after the break, which is looking like a decent descent into familiar loot-obsessed dungeon exploration. Head on over to FortuneOnline.com if you're interested in testing out the beta.%Gallery-115608%
Gazillion and Netdevil's Fortune Online closed beta mystery
One of the things we love to do here at Massively is to point you to interesting MMO games on the horizon -- especially when it comes to signing up for beta testing! We figure since nerds of a feather flock together, you'd probably enjoy finding out about new games just as much as we do. That's why we admit being to a bit flummoxed by this one. You see, Gazillion Entertainment and Netdevil have just launched the website for their new browser-based game, Fortune Online, which currently offers only a login page or a sign-up for a closed beta spot. However, since you need a code to sign up, you can't currently get further into the site than this page, leaving us to look at its shiny graphics and wonder... what gaming goodness lies beneath? Thankfully, Gazillion Entertainment sent us a pile of screenshots and a video to give us an idea of what the game will be like. Created to play in "any browser released in this century," Fortune Online is a lush, isometric, Diablo-esque action game offering the ability to play with friends in a persistent world. Even more interesting is that the game is flash-based, which will spare us from enormous downloads and give players the ability to jump in from just about any computer they can get access to. The game is also designed to allow ease in inviting friends to play with you. To top it all off? Fortune Online will be free-to-play! So while we wait for open beta, check out the gallery of screenshots below and the action-packed video behind the break! Or, you know, you can go look at the shiny site and click expectantly on the buttons like we did. %Gallery-115609%
Former Blizzard executive named president of Gazillion Entertainment
What's left to do for the man who created Blizzard's seminal Diablo series? A promotion to president and COO of a major gaming company is probably near the top of the list, and Gazillion Entertainment has done just that with former Blizzard North president David Brevik. Prior to assuming his new duties, Brevik served as the project leader for Gazillion's upcoming Marvel Universe title, and also was responsible for lead design and lead programming aspects of both Diablo and Diablo II during his tenure at Blizzard. Brevik dropped a hint as to one possible future for online gaming (as well as Gazillion's focus going forward) in a company press release detailing his appointment. "Gazillion is committed to developing top-tier online games. The future will be defined by console-quality games in the web browser, and we believe we can make this a reality today," he said.
