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World of Tanks 8.7 update rolls into Europe today
Two weeks ago we brought you news of World of Tank's upcoming 8.7 update. Today, European players logging in will get to experience the new branch of British self-propelled guns, the new winter map of Severogorsk, and other visual revamps and post-World War II prototypes. North American players will gain access on July 29th and Korean players will have access on August 1st. Want to scope out the Birch Gun, Bishop, FV3805, Loyd Gun Carriage, Sexton II, and more? Check out the various new machines and the new zone in the gallery below. Then catch the update trailer after the break. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]%Gallery-194567%
Wargaming CEO: Current Xbox certification process "unacceptable" for free-to-play
Wargaming.net is something of an expert when it comes to free-to-play game design. The studio's World of Tanks is one of the biggest F2P titles in the world, boasting over 60 million registered users and holding the world record for player concurrency. This population is likely to expand when World of Tanks launches on the Xbox 360 later this summer. There's just one hitch: According to Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi, Microsoft's current certification process is not very friendly to free-to-play games. Here's Kislyi speaking with Polygon about the struggles the studio faced in bringing World of Tanks to Xbox Live: One of the biggest challenges with Microsoft was the frequency of updates because the QA process and certification process takes an extremely long time. Totally unacceptable for a meaningful free-to-play. We are working with them to do quicker updates. Kislyi noted that Wargaming is trying to help Microsoft streamline the certification process, but that there is quite a bit of work on the tech and admin sides that needs to be done. As for whether any of this will result in meaningful changes for developers looking to launch on Microsoft's current or future console, Kislyi noted, "We will see." This isn't the first time Kislyi has talked about frustrations with Microsoft. A few weeks ago, he expressed his unhappiness with the fact that World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition players will need an Xbox Live Gold account to get online with the game.
Remanum announces impending shutdown
The idea of an MMO centered entirely around establishing a trading empire is unique, as are games set in the time of ancient Rome instead of a more traditional European fantasy. But Remanum had certain problems, problems that the developers didn't see a way to change without massive rewrites. In a letter released to the community, the game director admits that without any further options, the team is going to shut down Remanum in the near future. Development and bug fixing have already stopped. On September 16th, all servers except for the most recently opened server will be taken offline, with the newest server allowed to run a bit longer. Players can transfer to the last server starting now if they want to keep playing as long as possible. While this is a German server, support will be offered for all languages until the final shutdown, and any gold purchased on other servers will be transferred to this last bastion. [Thanks to Arachnella for the tip!]
Earn your wings at World of Warplanes flight school
If you've been interested in jumping into World of Warplanes now that it's in open beta but didn't want to take off into battle unprepared, we've got just the thing for you. Wargaming is offering a video training series to help new pilots get familiar with the game. In this first installment, players get an overview of all aspects of the game, from training missions to upgrades to research and development. Post-battle statistics and performance tracking are also highlighted. While the first lesson is broad in scope, future ones will delve into more complex strategies to immerse players even more. Watch this first tutorial after the break. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks update introduces post-war prototypes
Will World of Tanks ever run out of new hardware and locations to add? It doesn't seem likely at the pace that Wargaming.net keeps introducing them to the game. The Russian studio is preparing yet another update that will contain a new map, new vehicles, and even a few post-war prototypes. Update 8.7 is bringing out the artillery -- the British artillery, to be exact. Several new self-propelled guns will be shipped from England with love, including the Sexton, Bishop, and Crusader. The team also put in a few SPGs that never made it to actual production following the war, such as the top-tier Conqueror gun carriage. Players will have a new map to explore and ravage: Russia's Belogorsk-19. Just rolls off the tongue, does it not? [Source: Wargaming.net]
Korean players protest a flag in World of Warships
When you're dealing with a global market, sometimes it's the most innocuous elements that cause a problem. World of Warships, cousin to both World of Tanks and World of Warplanes, included something that made several Korean gamers very angry: A flag. Specifically, the Rising Sun flag on several Japanese ships. From Wargaming.net's perspective, since the game is meant to have players at the helm of ships used by the major armies involved in World War II, including a period-appropriate decoration was perfectly reasonable. However, to several players in the region, the Rising Sun flag is seen as a reminder of Japanese military expansion and aggression, which is still a sensitive topic in many regions. The company's representatives posted on the official forums that the flag will be removed from the game, with the added clarification that the team is trying to be as sensitive as possible to cultural differences. The game is currently in testing and is due for general release later this year.
World of Tanks celebrates July 4th via a big tank tournament
Tomorrow is the fourth of July, and if you're not aware, in the United States that date is kind of a big deal. So the staff behind World of Tanks decided that the best way to celebrate America's independence day is by having a bunch of armored vehicles take potshots at one another for big prizes. A tournament is running through the weekend for Tier III through Tier X tanks, with a big package of microtransaction cash going to the winning teams. All teams will be paired up into groups, fight other teams in the same group, and be scored according to victory or loss. Battles will be limited to 10 minutes maximum. The big winners will be the teams with the highest score after the dust settles. If this sounds like it's your sort of celebration, there's still time to gather your team and register; if you'd rather just play the game, there are also plenty of promotions running over the holiday weekend just the same. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Warplanes takes to the skies in open beta
Virtual pilots who've been waiting for their chance to climb in the cockpit of historical warbirds for some aerial acrobatics and dogfights will find the hanger door opened wide now. Wargaming announced that World of Warplanes launched into open beta today in North America and Russia and will launch in Europe on July 4th. Pilots can choose from 1930s to 1950s era planes from Japan, the Soviet Union, Germany, and the United States to engage in 15v15 PvP matches. The open beta brings some new additions to the game, including a new tutorial, a real-time tactical feedback system, consumables, crew and crew skills, and various types of ammunition. Players who participated in closed beta will receive special prizes. The Unified Premium Account, which allows players from either World of Tanks or World of Warplanes to purchase one premium account for both titles, will launch in the later stages of open beta. [Source: Wargaming press release]%Gallery-130862%
Wargaming CEO wants to teach Microsoft a thing or two about payment models
Why is World of Tanks jumping to the console? Because if you can't bring a gamer to a game, you take the game to the gamer. That's the basic philosophy Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi shared in a recent interview with Games Industry International. He stated: We are an entertainment company and we have to cater to our players whatever they use. If you want to play World of Tanks on console, we have to make is possible for you. People have been playing with their console for seven years, so we shouldn't be trying to make them suddenly play on PC. We take the game to them. These people won't spend $1500 on a cool gaming PC for World of Tanks." Kislyi expressed unhappiness with the fact that players will have to purchase an XBox Live Gold Membership in order to play WoT on the 360; he'd rather add significant numbers of non-gold members who would monetize occasionally than force a pay wall on players. Kislyi also shared more thoughts on the integration of free-to-play and consoles in general, including the fact that Wargaming stands ready to advise Microsoft on how to embrace different payment models. You can read all the details in the full interview.
World of Tanks staggers release of artillery-laden Update 8.6
Artillery fans in Europe waiting for World of Tank's update 8.6 can start enjoying the all the goodies that this patch brings today, from the new artillery units to the new Korean-based Sacred Valley battle arena. Other areas of the globe, however, will have a longer wait before they can participate in the patch; it will go live in Southeast Asia on June 20th, followed by the American release on June 25th, and then finally hit South Korea on July 4th. Also included in this update are new SPGs that boost that line to Tier X and the A33 Excelsior, a new premium British tank. Take a look at the vehicles in the renderings, screenshots, and artwork in the gallery below. And in case you missed the teaser trailer for this update, we've tucked it behind the break for you!%Gallery-191798% [Source: Wargaming press release]
E3 2013: World of Tanks is blasting its way to the 360
Good news, tank fans! World of Tanks is heading to the Xbox 360 soon. Wargaming.net's partnership with Microsoft has been a huge milestone for both companies, as there hasn't been a large library of F2P games to grace the console's life. Although it's particularly late in the game's life to see World of Tanks hit the console market, transition to a controller-based system has actually been a good thing for the game. At this year's E3, Massively talked with Wargaming's Jeremy Monroe a bit about the company's growth, World of Tanks on the 360, and future plans for game releases.
Paradox Interactive drops Salem; Seatribe to continue development
If a game has spent a year in beta with no launch in sight, good things are not generally around the corner. So it goes for Salem, the early-America-themed permadeath sandbox MMO. Paradox Interactive has decided to separate from the title altogether, leaving all costs and work associated with the game in the hands of the two-man development team at Seatribe. The split will be final on July 8th, with a slow phase-out in place until then. According to the official announcement, both Paradox Interactive and Seatribe feel that this decision is for the health of the game now and in the future, and there are no immediate plans for a shutdown or anything of the sort. Players will be given a discount coupon for Paradox Interactive's online store and a free bundle of Salem's microtransaction currency. What happens with the game after the handover is complete remains to be seen. [Thanks to Chrysillis for the tip!]
Pirates of the Burning Sea unfolds 2013 road map
Portalus Games Lead Programmer Hamled has apologized to players for "the lack of discernible progress and substantive information" in Pirates of the Burning Sea as of late. To make it up to fans, Hamled has posted an extensive development road map for 2013. In descending order of priority, the dev mentions the following projects for the team: getting out the 2.12 update, completing the transition from Flying Lab Software, bringing back up needed hardware infrastructure, rebuilding the account system, providing localization services, creating a dedicated game installer, and redesigning the official website. "I will be working on many of these tasks in parallel because we can't afford to wait until each one is completely finished before moving on to the next," Hamled stated.
E3 2013: World of Warplanes soars into open beta on July 2nd
After last week's initial open beta details for Wargaming.net's World of Warplanes, today we get a date for that open beta. Beginning on July 2nd, players will not only join the public testing but see several new features, including "in-game tactical tips to help pilots learn the ropes of aerial combat, the implementation of crews and crew skills, access to consumables and premium ammo, a brand-new tutorial, [and] two new in-game maps." For more information on joining the open beta, head on over to the North American or European World of Warplanes websites and check out the brand-new E3 trailer after the jump. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
E3 2013: World of Tanks hits Xbox 360 this summer
E3 has only just begun, but we've already received some pretty big news on the MMO front: Wargaming.net has announced that its absurdly popular free-to-play bash 'em up, World of Tanks, will be launching on the Xbox 360 this summer. The Xbox 360 version of the game has been "tuned specifically" for the console and will feature 15-on-15 matches. World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition will remain free-to-play, as long as you're an Xbox Gold subscriber. The E3 trailer is behind the cut.
Some Assembly Required: Three games that need player-generated content
At times over the last half decade, I've felt as if the MMORPG genre lost sight of itself. It seemed that all any gamemaker wanted to do was emulate a certain wildly successful outlier, and this in turn threw a wet blanket over the sandbox play, emergent design, and player-generated content that separates MMOs from run-of-the-mill video games. The last year or so has seen the collective industry start to wake up from that bad dream, as there are now a half dozen really promising sandbox or sandpark titles in development, several of which are backed by millions of dollars and major studios. What about the current crop of games, though? Is it a stretch to imagine a few of them, even the unapologetically linear ones, expanding their horizons with a little bit of player-generated content?
Wargaming.net celebrates 60 million registered tank drivers
There's no doubt about it: People love tanks. Wargaming.net today announced that its flagship title, World of Tanks, now boasts over 60 million registered players. The company also confirmed that World of Tanks, which holds a Guinness world record for single-server player concurrency, will be on display at E3 next week at the Wargaming.net booth. To commemorate the achievement (and stoke the E3 flames, no doubt), Wargaming.net has released a brand-new cinematic trailer for World of Tanks, similar in style to the one for World of Warships that breached earlier this week. Hit the break to check it out. And if you want to see one of Wargaming.net's games in action, don't forget to tune in to tonight's World of Warplanes stream at 6 p.m. EDT on Massively TV. [Source: Wargaming.net Press Release]
The Daily Grind: Do you aim for beta tester rewards?
So, World of Warplanes is apparently gearing up for open beta, and I'm kicking myself for sitting on an alpha tester account that I've had for over a year. Why? Well because Wargaming.net is going to be giving away some sort of spiffy exclusive aircraft to beta testers. The catch is that you need to log 700 beta battles to qualify, and even if I were to somehow average 10 per day, it would take me... let's see, 700, divide by 10... 70! days to get there. Now, free-to-play open betas do tend to go on for-frickin'-ever, so maybe I have a chance. In any case, The Daily Grind isn't about my first world problems, it's about you and yours. So, do you aim for beta tester rewards, or do you just try to do your part to make the game better? 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!
World of Warplanes open beta detailed
Excited to fly around in a vintage military plane or practice your mid-air hi-5? Wargaming.net has announced the first open beta phase for the upcoming World of Warplanes. This beta will not only wipe the current closed beta achievements, planes, credits, and gold, but it will also come in two stages. Stage One will see the implementation of a new Token currency system, and Stage Two will convert all Tokens to Credits in yet another wipe. If you're interested in testing out the game before release, head on over to the official site for more info.
World of Warships debuts cinematic trailer
In preparation for next week's E3 showing, Wargaming.net has released a brand new cinematic for its naval MMO, World of Warships. This is the first time the game will be shown at E3, and attendees will have the opportunity to participate in "intense naval engagements and deadly aircraft strafing runs." You can bet that Massively will be on hand to give our thoughts on this newest offering from Wargaming, so check back next week for more. [Source: Wargaming press release]
