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Raph Koster on why MMOs should be free
The Rock, Paper, Shotgun interview recently posted with noted Massive designer Raph Koster starts off "Raph Koster knows a thing or two about MMOs". That's a bit of an understatement. Looking at Raph's CV is like stepping back through some of the most important moments in the online gaming genre. Most of them, as has been the norm in the USA, are subscription titles.Raph thinks that's quickly going to be an artifact of the past, as already there are more free-to-play games than flat-fee-per-month titles. He believes that big budget games are going to start to get the hint and offer tiered services, free-to-play special clients, and other ways to get an 'in' on those particular worlds.Ultimately I think that's one of the most important points he makes in this discussion. MMO developers (in the West at least) have always seemed to be resistant to the idea of 'just get everybody you can in there'. That seems counter-intuitive to me, because more than anything else butts in the seats are what makes a Massive environment seem truly alive.The rest of the interview is equally thought-provoking with discussion of the concept behind Metaplace, the misuse of the web by game developers, and the conceptual skeleton used by designers to make these games in the first place.
A CES interview with SOE CEO John Smedley (pt. 1)
At CES last week we had a chance to check out several of the newest titles in the works or on offer from Sony Online Entertainment. The Agency, Free Realms, and Legends of Norrath are three substantial departures from the company's big-budget fantasy past. Last week we brought you links to the company's full video presentation on The Agency. Today Dan O'Halloran has firsthand impressions of what the free-to-play kids title FreeRealms will offer.While we were in Las Vegas we had a chance to sit down with SOE's Chief Executive Officer, John Smedley, about these departures. Our chat focused on the economic changes the company is making in response to the shifting face of MMO gaming. He had some fascinating things to say on the subject of microtransactions and RMT, and unveiled a new community outreach program that will tie in to Free Realms called "Share the Wealth".Let's say you have your own website. You come to our site, fill out a form pretty much the same as the one for our Station Exchange service with a Social Security number, and give us your PayPal account information. You cut and paste some JavaScript to your site, and now you have a banner ad for Free Realms on your site. We are tracking every customer you give us, and once a month we'll give you somewhere between 5-10% of all the revenue from every customer you send us. That's as long as they are playing the game.Check out the full discussion on that subject below, and come back later today for the rest of the interview. Mr. Smedley offers us a sneak peek at big plans for subscriber's to SOE's Station Access pass.
Games Radar lists five things MMOs are doing wrong
The following slipped through the cracks a few days ago, but like Lewis Black we're going back to it because it's worth a look. Games Radar ran a feature called "Saying no to the MMO," listing five evils embedded in the genre's culture and design that have really got to go.Read it for yourself, of course, but the five things include gold farming, elitist endgame content, unhealthy addiction, drab action-bar-and-auto-attack-based combat, and the continual bleeding of players' pockets via monthly fees and microtransactions.The genre needs an infusion of fresh ideas to progress, but Games Radar's list is controversial. For example, a lot of people like the elitist endgame content. But maybe raiding games don't need to go away; maybe there should be new (or old) types of MMOs with different philosophies, and maybe those MMOs could co-exist with the EverQuestian standards. It's food for thought.
Maple Story invites retailers into the game world
Hot on the heels of the announcement that Nexon's MapleStory would be invading 7-11s, the company has passed on word that retailers are now being invited into the game world. In a twist that sounds almost too hilarious to be true, Nexon is going to be sending Maple players to virtual versions of the mega-retailers on themed quests that will promote both the retailers and the availability of Nexon Game Cards in these stores. The special quests will prompt users to complete various tasks and visit any of these chains to earn their own virtual Nexon Game Card, which will provide Maple Points, the in-game currency of MapleStory. "We're now able to provide a new and unique avenue for major businesses to reach consumers," said John H. Chi, CEO and president of Nexon America. "Nexon creates the exclusive, branded content, retailers receive a powerful, direct line of communication and our players get a new, rewarding gameplay experience. High visibility through new content and interactive rewards makes it a win for everyone!"While this may seem something like a joke, this is definitely news worth taking seriously. Best Buy and Target don't just hand around their brands to anybody; it's a testament to Maplestory's growing cachet here in the US that this partnership is going forward. For more on Nexon's virtual sales practices, Min Kim's keynote at this year's Austin Games Conference might be helpful. Next Generation has a close look at the American approach to Nexon's business model. The technical term? Microtransactions.
Why virtual thefts matter
Real thefts occur in the real world all the time - we know that, and our respective justice systems have long since evolved to deal with them. When it comes down to virtual theft (characters, gold, or items) whether actually taken from an account or replicated by use of an exploit - most people don't really think it matters. It's not happening in the physical world, right? So it shouldn't, right? Well, it does, and here's why.
NHL 2K8 charges $5 to unlock feature already on game
2K Sports released the 2K Reelmaker add-on for NHL 2K8 yesterday at 400 MS Points ($5 USD); the program allows a variety of video recording and playback options for the game. According to 1UP, the download for this feature is a puny 108K, which means consumers are paying to unlock a feature that is already on the game's disc. We are not amused.If a feature is already on a disc, it should be accessible. Essentially 2K Sports is charging consumers more money for something they already bought, selling them a key to a door they already own. At least the ridiculous COG tag videos were something you actually downloaded from the marketplace, it may have been wasteful, but it was content not already on the Gears of War disc. We hope 2K doesn't become the new EA of the Xbox marketplace, nobody likes that.
Austin GDC: Live at the Minho Kim keynote
If you haven't heard of Minho Kim, I'll forgive you -- I hadn't heard of him either until the name showed up in the list of keynote presentations at the Austin Game Developers Conference. Kim is Nexon America's director of game operations, and while Nexon hasn't made a big impact in North American markets, their free-to-play, micro-transaction driven online games (the best known of which is probably MapleStory) are a hit in Asia and Europe. Kim's keynote launches the final day of the conference with a discussion of micro-transactions. Joystiq is on-site waiting for festivities to begin, so keep reading for a play-by-play.
Want Ninja Gaiden Sigma expansions? Get your wallet ready
Tecmo have recently announced a number of expansions for Ninja Gaiden Sigma being released before the end of the year. In Japan, at least. The first expansion, available in Japan at the end of the month, will include a survival mode in which you must fight back a tidal wave of enemies with limited health. The second expansion will be available in September and will include a new time attack mode. Finally (for now) Rachel will get to play out the survival mode when the third expansion is released in October. There is currently no word on when they will be available in America or Europe. But these expansions won't be free. It may be the case that you'll have to part with a number of shiny cents (and, potentially, even several dollars) if you want these extra nuggets of gameplay. The first expansion will cost the Japanese 315 yen (about $3), but since when did these prices translate directly over from region to region? Is this something you're likely to hand over money for?
Remote Play reveals unique features for Mainichi Issyo [Update]
For PSP owners itching to test out the game-playing capabilities of Remote Play (made possible from the last firmware upgrade), you'll want to go here for a walkthrough on setting up a Japan PlayStation Network account for your PS3. Mainichi Issyo has been (and still is) only available through the Japanese PlayStation Store. As reported during the firmware 3.50 release, the Remote Play functionality will allow Mainichi Issyo gamers to "interact with Toro the cat" through any available internet access point. New details unveil the game's unique ability to complete microtransactions through the PlayStation Store in-game, instead of dumping you out to the PSP built-in browser. Feel free to have yourself a look-see. We'll be sure to update you with our in-depth impressions on Remote Play, as promised.[Update: Changed the wording of the post to reflect the newly unveiled features within Mainichi Issyo, using Remote Play. The post title changed to reflect the description of these new in-game features.]
Reminder: Global servers, DLC for Resistance coming June 7th
Aside from being an inexhaustible source of adorable cat pictures, the internet is responsible for allowing gamers to reach across their geographical borders, embrace a foreign culture... and then shoot it in the face. It's a noble use of technology, one that has until now been somewhat restricted in Insomniac's Resistance: Fall of Man. A new downloadable update meant to demolish regional restrictions and implement global multiplayer was initially due by the end of May, but was shifted to this Thursday. Greg Philips of SCEA told CVG last week, "The reason for the delay is we (SCEA) needed a little extra time to get the global servers locked in and ready for thousands of players to come knocking. We would rather have a short delay and continue to deliver on our over the top, online experience." Apart from enabling men from all countries to fall, the update will introduce new multiplayer maps for purchase and "other enhancements" to the PS3's Chimera-blasting launch title. You'll be sure to see us online -- unless we're hiding around a corner with that lovely Bullseye gun. [Via PS3 Fanboy]
Valve not charging for downloadable content
Despite the rise of micro-transactions and pay-per-download content in the PC and console worlds, Valve recently announce it has no intention of charging for downloadables in games such as Counter-Strike and Team Fortress 2. Designer Robin Walker explains their logic that gives Valve a big gold star in our book: "You buy the product, you get the content ... We make more money because more people buy it, not because we try and nickel-and-dime the same customers." Micro-transactions were innocent at first, but when we had to pay for horse armor in Oblivion and tutorials in Madden, the line had to be drawn. Kudos to Valve for a step in the "don't make the customers angry" (i.e. "right") direction.
Friendly free stuff reminder: Aegis Wing on XBLA
Poor Aegis Wing totally got lost in the crowd. Seriously, if it had released during any other week it would have actually made a little splash. The free game (for North America at least) was the creation of a few Microsoft interns with the help of Carbonated Games (UNO, Hexic) and is actually a fairly enjoyable side-scrolling space shooter. Just make sure to play it with friends.Even if you aren't going to play it right now, go download it! It's free! Even if you have no intentions of playing it, go download it ... it's free! Heaven forbid that we actually get something free on Xbox Live and Microsoft ends up seeing that people will pay and download COG tag videos more than they'll download free stuff. If you don't download it for yourself, at least download it for your fellow gamers.%Gallery-3115%
Kongregate announces achievements and microtransactions for online Flash games
Flash gaming community Kongregate recently announced a few Xbox Live-ish upgrades to be rolled out over the next few months. Starting today, time-limited achievements will be available for select games. The current challenge for The Fancy Pants Adventure requires you to collect five trophies within the game and rewards you with a collectible Rumiko card. Gather cards to participate in the site-wide multiplayer game Kongregate will unveil in a few weeks.And coming this summer: microtransactions! Developers are working with Kongregate to weave this into their titles to allow in-game purchases. One use for this system will be unlocking extended versions of games for just a few pennies per level. Most of the microtransaction earnings are paid to the game's programmer, adding incentive for developers to hop on the unlockable-content bandwagon.Kongregate is setting itself up to be the most developer-friendly Flash community on the web. It's an easy hook for developers, but will the casual gamer get pulled in by microtransactions and collecting achievements?
GDC 07: "You can buy a better sunset"
Microtransactions are going to be huge in Sony's upcoming Home. The service, which will be included in a future required firmware upgrade, will rake in the dough through three "revenue channels": Object/item sales, such as new furniture. Games/premium items Advertising/B2B: in-game ads and other sponsorships may become common. The revenue from Home will cover the cost of moderation and upkeep of servers, undoubtedly. However, one wonders if the "democratization" of this virtual economy is going too far. Buying a virtual couch is novel in certain ways, but where will the trend stop? Harrison, during the blogger's meeting, noted that "you can buy a better view, you can buy a better sunset."
New Lumines Live! content out next Wednesday
When Lumines Live! emerged in October of last year, it ran headlong into a pack of outraged gamers who felt that the game's fragmented content and costs introduced an unwelcome element to the Xbox Live Marketplace -- a roving pickpocket you bump into between fruit stalls. New downloadable content is a touchy subject then, but it appears that next week's Live! offerings are a bit less backward and a bit less, well ... Evil!Three new packs will be available this coming Wednesday, the first of which contains the Heavenly Star skin. Perhaps the fact that it will be free to Gold subscribers until February 21 is to be interpreted as a sign of atonement. The other two, namely the VS CPU pack and the Puzzle/Mission pack fill up the gaping holes in the base download, each costing a not entirely outrageous 100 points ($1.25) each. That lasts until February 21, after which the price goes up to a thoroughly questionable 300 points ($3.75). Why raise the price after a month? The Gamerscore Blog labels these as "special promotional prices," which really just comes across as a temporary and thinly-veiled apology cringed out by the marketing department. So, why retract the apology then? The quest for more money seems tied to the obvious answer, but that's only if you felt that Lumines Live! got microtransactions completely wrong in the first place. All things considered, the game makes for a balanced example of what's wrong and what's right in the world of pint-sized payments:
The Hollywood Reporter on Rob Pardo
I've got to admit, parts of this Hollywood Reporter interview feels like a rehash of Pardo's keynote at the Austin Game Conference back in September. New and interesting tidbits include an officially increased subscription count at 8 million worldwide and an interesting discussion of microtransactions. Pardo tells us that while such microtransactions might work for some games (he uses the possibility of extra songs in Guitar Hero as an example), it doesn't work for MMO's, or at least not World of Warcraft:What's fun about "WoW' is going into a dungeon and completing a particular quest and then being rewarded with a really cool item that your character can wear to show the other players that you've accomplished something. If you could suddenly buy that item, it would really cheapen that idea of accomplishment.[Via Joystiq]
The XBL microtransaction tracker
Microtransactions or: Death by a thousand paper cuts. Sure, it all seemed so innocent at first, but then we started having Oblivion horse armor, Kameo Uno decks and now EA's Need for Speed: Carbon shows up exploiting the system to its full and most disgusting potential -- oh wait, EA already did that charging for Madden tutorials. And how many are willing to pay and feed this exploitation?A group of writers at GamerFeast created a microtransaction tracker and started keeping tabs. Guess who's the top offender? (The list after the break) They've also broken everything down in spreadsheet form to review with a fine tooth comb, if you wish. It's a great resource and know we'll be checking back in again soon.
Rift widens between Silver and Gold XBLA memberships
Xbox Live's Major Nelson announced on Wednesday that the newest Gears of War trailer was available online ... to Gold subscribers only. This marks the first time that exclusive XBL content has been delayed (not denied) for the free Silver members, and it's just the tip of the iceberg. Nelson commented on his blog entry after mixed reaction from readers, "So here is the deal ... Silver members WILL get access to this ... probably in about a week. This is going to happen more and more (Gold getting things before Silver) so you may want to think about upgrading if you want all the latest and greatest trailers, demos etc."It's not really a big deal at this point, because the trailer was available online within seconds of appearing on the XBLM. The real problem starts when Gold members start getting demos and downloadable game content before Silver members do; perhaps, eventually, the Silver members won't get them at all. Microsoft will find themselves treading a fine line between how much a Silver member will put up with not having, and how much a Gold member needs to feel justified in paying the cost for their features. It's important to note that this trailer is most likely a trial run by Microsoft (through Major Nelson) to see how things go, since it's not even true "exclusive" content. Nelson (can we just call him Larry, already?) admits that this is the same commercial played last week at X06 Canada. So where's the real super exclusive platinum fanboy stuff, eh?The point is that Microsoft is finally treating the Gold level like what it is supposed to be, a step above the Silver membership. Silver members don't pay for anything; it's a free service meant to provide an "introduction" to XBL. Gold members pay for additional features and, with it, they expect some perks to be delivered. While it's limited to trailers right now, expect to see it expand to demos, downloadable content, and anything else Microsoft can think about leveraging for more subscribers to make the jump up to the next tier while their model for microtransactions seems to be falling apart with the inmates running the asylum.And just because we love you, check out that Gears trailer after the jump in SD, or click here for the HD version.[Thanks, E.J.]
Major Nelson on G4: microtransactions "are about choice"
Last night on G4's Attack of the Show, host Kevin Pereira held a debate between Major Nelson and 1UP's Andrew Pfister on the much-discussed topic of microtransactions. During the segment, entitled The Loop, Major Nelson pressed that it is "about choice," while Pfister spoke for the gaming community when he said that "it doesn't appear that anybody is in control of the situation." With the recent Godfather and Lumines debacles, we're inclined to agree.Unfortunately, the segment's lead-in was awkward and the debate was way too short for either side to make an argument, but what we heard was engaging. Please, G4, give The Loop its own half-hour time slot; we'd watch it. Continue reading for the video.
Major Nelson talks microtransations on G4
Major Nelson was featured on Attack of the Show last night. During "The Loop," Major Nelson discussed microtransactions with Kevin Pereira and Andrew Pfister, producer of 1UP Yours. The segment was too short, which is regrettable because it was actually very good. In fact, we'd love to see "The Loop" made into its own show. Naturally, Lumines was brought up. It was declared dishonest by Andrew, whereas Major Nelson reminded the audience that "it's about choice." They also briefly touched on EA's recent Godfather scandal. If you haven't heard, EA is charging 360 users for cheats. What's scary is that the cheats you can buy on Marketplace are available as cheat codes in the Xbox version. In other words EA actually removed the cheat codes from the 360 version just so they could make consumers pay for them. Unfortunately, the commentators just aren't given enough time to properly debate the issue. Here's hoping G4 sees the potential in this segment and gives "The Loop" some more air time. Watch the video after the break.
