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Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes is shutting down next month
Mythic's experiment in turning Warhammer Online into a microtransaction-flush MOBA has failed. The studio announced that Wrath of Heroes will be closing on March 29th. Wrath of Heroes went into open beta in late 2011 and never officially released. Producer James Casey wraps things up with a few bittersweet memories: "I think we created something special and I would not trade the time creating it or playing it (on all those Friday Fight Fests and anonymously almost every day) for anything." While players' gems will not be refunded, Mythic is planning to release "work in progress" heroes at a quick pace and discounted rate up to the game's shutdown. Additionally, players who purchased and had gems between the first of the year and today will be treated to a free month subscription and a chest of goodies in WAR. [Thanks to Etaew for the tip!]
Four years of WAR: An interview with Mythic's James Casey
To celebrate Warhammer Online's fourth anniversary this week, we got in touch with EA Mythic Producer James Casey to talk about the past, present, and future of WAAAGH! Massively: Four years is a sizable length of time in any MMO's life. How does it feel to hit that mark? James Casey: It feels great to have been able to have support from the Warhammer and gaming community for the last four years. That support has allowed us to continue bringing them the thrilling Realm vs. Realm combat and engrossing worlds that they have come to expect from Mythic and Games Workshop. To your point about four years being a sizable length of time for an MMO, I will say that as a studio, we actually have a stable of MMOs that have been around for a damn respectable amount of time. From Ultima Online hitting its amazing 15th anniversary this year to Dark Age of Camelot having already broken that fabled 10-year mark, we've had a remarkable run in the MMO space, and I think that I can speak for everyone who has come and gone or still remains in saying a heartfelt thanks to all of our fans and customers over all the years. We owe that track record to them, and we hope that as we continue to evolve and develop as a studio and across our products, we can provide more of that sense of community in all of our offerings.
New interview talks Warhammer Online and Wrath of Heroes synergy
Warhammer Online fans can be forgiven if they took to scratching their heads in puzzlement as BioWare-Mythic announced the Wrath of Heroes MOBA at last summer's Gamescom convention. After all, here was a new fantasy title that was brazen enough to borrow the IP and arguably the best gameplay mechanic (scenarios) from an existing MMO that's still alive and kicking. The distinction between the two games is up for discussion in a new Warhammer Online interview at Stratics. "There is no direct link currently between your WAR and WOH characters. That being said, we plan on giving WAR subscribers benefits in WOH," explains producer James Casey. "We are also looking at other ways to connect them and have the benefits go both ways." The interview also touches on the next WAR update (currently slated for the PTS next month), as well as the fact that the devs are considering a level-cap increase on the game's endless trial offering.
Warhammer Online producer's letter mentions crafting additions
While we here at Massively are swamped with GDC-related news tidbits, life outside the annual conference does indeed go on. BioWare-Mythic's Warhammer Online is one such title that keeps on keeping on, and the latest producer's letter is up on the game's official website for your perusal. If you'd rather we peruse it for you, well, keep reading. Producer James Casey has a fair bit to say, and he starts things off with a mention of the new communication initiative that is ongoing in the Developer's Corner section of the WAR forums. Casey also touches on the upcoming tweaks to Grovod Caverns, a new live event called Sigmar Tide (currently scheduled for this summer), and a few proposed additions to crafting that are intended to "introduce new mechanics and flesh out the offerings available" for artisans throughout the realm.
Warhammer Online producer's letter hints at major forthcoming features
The first Warhammer Online producer's letter of 2011 is hot off the virtual presses, and Bioware-Mythic's RvR title has a few changes in store for the upcoming year. First and foremost, Carrie Gouskos has given way to James Casey when it comes to authoring the producer's letter, and Casey states that Gouskos is "still working on WAR, but is looking at a different aspect of the game. This new focus will be revealed in due time." As far as WAR itself, 2011 will see what Casey calls major features in each of its numbered patches. These features include the expansion of existing areas "as well as new concepts to the Warhammer Online experience." No concrete details are forthcoming as of yet, but Casey does hint at further reveals in upcoming producer's letters. Finally, the letter takes a brief look at WAR's live events, upcoming account entitlements, and the ongoing issues with server population. Casey doesn't commit to any news on server merges but does state that "we are actively discussing our plans for lower population servers."
GameX 2009: 1.3.2 decision making, streaming client, and unlimited trials for Warhammer Online
We saw the Warhammer Online booth at GameX, and we wagggggghed ourselves right into a video interview with James Casey and Matt Shaw from Mythic Entertainment that pulled no punches. We wanted to know what was going on behind the scenes with their decision making in patch 1.3.2, shooting James and Matt the hard questions.Why were fortresses pulled from the endgame? Why choose 1.3.2 for performance fixes and not fix these things earlier? While we interrogated, Matt and James were also happy to tell us about the new stuff for WAR, including the new-user experience added in 1.3.2, the awesome unlimited trial that starts today, and the new streaming client option that trial users will receive.So for the answers to some burning WAR questions, jump with us after the break and check out our video interview!
Warhammer Online immortalizing top players in stone
We play massively multiplayer online games for many reasons. For some it's the social aspects of MMO gaming that edge out your standard console multiplayer experience, while others like to explore, collect, or otherwise rack up achievements. Achiever-types have had things to like about Warhammer Online through its Tome of Knowledge which stands as a personal record of what you've done in the game, but Mythic Entertainment is implementing a way to immortalize your deeds in stone. Well, as literally as possible within a game. December's patch 1.1 will add a third dimension to the game's leaderboard system, where the top ten players will see statues of their avatars in WAR's cities, adorned with their names. Warhammer Online's Content Design Lead, James Casey, has written a developer blog about the concept as well as the blood, sweat, and tears committed to the project behind-the-scenes. Despite the fact you'd envision statues in a game as being -- by definition -- unchanging, WAR's statues will be a dynamic aspect of the game experience. Just because you've got that esteemed status right now doesn't mean someone else isn't going to topple you from that pedestal later on. Have a look at Casey's "Player Statues" dev diary for more about how the best of the best will be able to see their achievements set in stone. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out our Warhammer guides: Massively's Character Creation Guide and our WoW Player's Guide to Warhammer. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
