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Bigpoint's DarkOrbit Reloaded launches
Fans of the original browser-based Dark Orbit that launched seven years ago are in for a treat today: Bigpoint announced the release of Dark Orbit Reloaded. The space MMO's new iteration has a new UI, a redesigned game entry (including bonuses for newcomers), over 200 new missions, an epic storyline, new maps, and new faction characters. Taking advantage of newer technology, Dark Orbit Reloaded also boasts high-resolution graphics as well as has other features in the works for players to look forward to. Check out the official trailer below. [Source: Bigpoint press release]
Civilization Online is 60% done
XLGAMES' Civilization Online is 60% completed, Jake Song said in a recent interview. Song said that the multiplayer online version of the classic Civilization series is more than halfway done in preparation for its open beta. He also announced that testing should commence in the first half of this year. One interesting tidbit that came out of the interview was a classification of Civilization Online as a more casual spin on the series that won't require as much time invested as the single-player variants. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Innogames TV shows off games and updates galore
It may still be January, but InnoGames has released its February episode of InnoGamesTV. Various titles were highlighted throughout the 16-minute show. Devs shared details about Forge of Empires' latest Modern Era update that captures the spirit of the 1950s and puts it in the far east, the upcoming Grepolis Heroes feature for mobile app, and The West's update that raises the level cap to 150 and opens up the middle of the map. On top of that, you can also see a team of CMs face off against the devs in the upcoming Tribal Wars 2 strategy game and hear more about the beta server and the spring game. Check out the match and hear all the details about all of these titles in the video below.
Stronghold Kingdoms update brings warfare to Europe
The MMORTS Stronghold Kingdoms is bringing war to medieval Europe! With the upcoming European Warfare update, Firefly Studios is opening up the largest game world to date, complete with 32 different countries each having its own political structure and ruled by its own player king. Players can also band together and seize control of large portions or even the whole of Europe, bringing the likes of Bulgaria, Austria, Sweden, Ireland, and Russia all under the rule of one house. But future emperors should be cautious of spreading their forces too thin and risking it all as they defend themselves from all sides. To get in on the action, visit the official site and download the game for free. The war commences at 10 a.m EST on February 13th, 2014.
The Soapbox: Stop ganking, you ganking gankers
For me, player vs. player interaction is a necessary component of any online game. The urge to engage with skilled human opponents is the reason I spent countless hours defending flags in World of Warcraft and likely the main motivating factor in my slide away from traditional MMOs and toward MOBAs like Dota 2 and Blizzard Entertainment's upcoming Heroes of the Storm. Simply put, I like a good fight. I especially like a good fight when it occurs unscripted and out in the wilds of the world. If you catch me unaware while I'm grinding out one of TERA's BAMs or plucking gold from an ore vein in Aion, I'll be more than happy to cross swords (or trade frostbolts) with you. Winning or losing isn't important to me; the constant threat of attack heightens my enjoyment of and connection to the game's universe. Unfortunately, open world PvP doesn't attract exclusively those people interested in fair fights. And in the games that make it possible, a certain small segment of players is working hard to ruin everyone else's good time. I speak, of course, of gankers.
Riot claims 27 million daily players for League of Legends
It's no secret that Riot Games's League of Legends is the biggest MOBA on the block, but just how big might come as something of a surprise. Riot has revealed that the League playerbase has now reached 27 million players daily. Player concurrency hits about 7.5 million players during high-traffic hours; for comparison, Valve's Dota 2, which most would consider League's primary competitor, sees about seven million players per month. The high numbers have done wonders for Riot's pocketbook, helping League to generate over $624 million in revenue in 2013.
Blade Hunter beta gets big content update
The side-scroller Blade Hunter, which started beta a little over a month ago, just received a large content update that brought UI improvements, new game systems, mounts, quest lines, cosmetic options, and a raised level cap to the action MMO. Players can boost their stats with elemental companions called sprites starting at level 39, and higher level characters can equip more sprites. Additionally, players at any level can nab a pair of wings through either in-game challenges, crafting item recipes, or Diamond recharge bonuses; however, only level 80s can upgrade and personalize wings beyond the standard buff. If faster travel is more your speed, combat mounts are now available in a variety of types, from horses to dragons. You can ride that mount to the Citadel, a new instance unlocked at level 79 that promises a challenge that puts even Nightmare Mode to shame. [Source: R2Games press release]
Microtransactions: The good, the bad, and the ugly
News surfaced last week, thanks to the Blizzard Jobs Directory, that the company is seeking microtransaction specialists. While it's highly likely that these potential new recruits will not be set to work exclusively on Blizzard's only sub game, it seems only logical that they will examine the current offerings. As Sarah Pine mentioned, while WoW is currently running from a sub-based model, it will be interesting to see what the future holds. Over the weekend, I played a good number of hours of a game called Warframe. The movement was great, combat was fluid, it's one of the only games I've played lately that has that instantaneous feel you get from WoW. But the microtransaction and grinding methods that upgrades were behind were pretty sub-optimal. Yes, you could go into this largely PvE-based game and grind out the materials to get an upgrade. But the quantities required to achieve even a low-level upgrade seemed huge, let alone those required to unlock high-end ones, or other classes to play outside the basic three. And it's inspired me to think about WoW, and its transactions. What's bad, what's good, and where does WoW's current system fall in the grand scheme of microtransactions?
Uncharted Waters Online launches 2nd Age expansion
Uncharted Waters Online relaunched under a new publisher a scant two months ago, and now the historically based sea-faring game has a new expansion. OGPlanet announced the release of 2nd Age, which adds plenty of new content for virtual sailors to enjoy. In UWO: 2nd Age, players can manipulate the flow of time and trigger different historical events with the new World Clock, take on new missions and adventures, embark on treasure hunts for rare relics, and combine forces to take on the new boss Ganador, Ruler of the Sea. New ships, modeled off of historical vessels, were also added: England's Privateer 'Sir Francis Drake'; the French Royal family's 'Crown'; and the Lubeck Merchant's Guardian ship 'Eagle'. Additionally, players can influence who wins the election for the next Roman Emperor. Before setting sail, get in the mood of 2nd Age with the official cinematic trailer below. [Source: OGPlanet press release]
Sneak a peek at Warhammer 40K: Eternal Crusade's early prototype
Behaviour Interactive's upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade is currently in extremely early alpha and scheduled for a 2015 launch. However, footage has snuck out revealing the game's "proof of concept" demo. The video, while brief, gives us the first real glimpse at what Behaviour has planned for this next entry in the Warhammer franchise. Check out the prototype after the break.
Star Trek Online adds small craft arena PvP
Fans of flying around in small spaceships and shooting at other, equally small spaceships are due for a treat in Star Trek Online. Cryptic Studios has just unveiled a new PvP arena mode for the game that focuses on pitched small craft combat. Due to the popularity of small craft PvP via community events and Star Trek Online's private PvP queue, the development team designed to go ahead and implement an official queue into the game. The arena is available to level 50 players and takes place in the Cracked Planetoid map. Each match lasts until one team earns 15 kills. Expertise and energy credits will be awarded to all teams, as will credit toward daily arena missions. To be eligible, you must select a default small craft at the nearest shipyard. Small craft PvP is set to launch with Season 8.5 on January 30th, 2014. You can check it out now on the STO test server.
The waiting game: Hands-on with Clash of Clans
Before November 2013, I had never heard of Supercell's Clash of Clans. I'm not much of a mobile gamer, choosing mostly to use my iPad as a machine through which to stream Firefly episodes while I do the dishes or sweep up the immense piles of dog fur created by my ancient German shepherd. But a Thanksgiving holiday spent with friends obsessed with the game piqued my curiosity, as did the fact that Clash of Clans had helped Supercell earn roughly $2.4 million per day through most of 2013. So, a bit begrudgingly, I joined my friends in a clan. And raided goblin villages. And built myself a nice little town. But mostly what I did was wait.
World of Tanks sets new concurrency record of 1.1 million tanks tanking
Wargaming.net's World of Tanks has again broken its own world record for player concurrency, hosting 1.1 million players simultaneously on the game's Russian cluster. This new total handily defeats the previously reported record of 190,541 online players set in March of 2013, though Wargaming.net did note in its press release that average concurrency has been hovering near the 900,000 mark "for the past few months." According to the studio, which now boasts offices in Chicago, Baltimore, Seattle, Austin, Paris, Kiev, Tokyo, and more, World of Tanks has over 75 million players. The press release was not specific on whether these are active players or simply registered accounts. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
Take a peek at MechWarrior Online's UI 2.0 upgrade
Piranha Games recently conducted a public test of the changes it is planning for MechWarrior Online's UI 2.0 upgrade, and No Guts No Galaxy's Phil Langenberg managed to snag a lengthy video of the new UI in action. According to Piranha, UI 2.0 is "a complete rework of the existing UI" designed to streamline mech customization and MWO's social features. The redesign is set for release February 4th. Check out the VOD of the stream after the break to get a closer look, with commentary, of what MWO will look like post-2.0.
Led by mobile and free-to-play, U.S. digital sales see big gains in 2013
The digital games market is still on the rise, generating $11.7 billion in sales in 2013. According to market research firm SuperData, this total marks an 11% increase over digital sales in 2012. SuperData noted that Christmas and New Year's occurring in the middle of the week may have helped spiked end-of-year numbers; December 2013 saw a 36% increase in digital sales compared to December 2012. Mobile titles claimed the largest percentage of the digital pie, representing $3.6 billion in sales. Free-to-play titles were up 45% year-on-year to $2.9 billion. Perhaps most interesting for MMO players is the fact that F2P MMO offerings from games like World of Warcraft and Star Wars: The Old Republic landed in the top ten, though the top three free-to-play earners in 2013 were CrossFire, League of Legends, and Dungeon Fighter Online. Data used by the firm is gathered by collecting digital transaction data directly from developers and publishers. [Thanks to Hagu for the tip!]
Blizzard looking to expand microtransactions?
An article over at Gamespot has recently brought to attention the fact that Blizzard is seeking both a manager and a director for a new unit within the company: "Microtransaction Strategy". For those of you paying attention to ongoing trends in the video game industry, this in particular might pique your interest. As we all well know, 2013 was a landmark year in terms of new titles for Blizzard with Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, and their announced MOBA, Heroes of the Storm. Both of these games are going to be free-to-play, which means that they'll be relying on microtransactions to generate cash flow. With World of Warcraft being one of the few remaining MMOs that still charges a monthly subscription fee, I think it's fair to say that Blizzard hasn't been at the forefront of microtransaction-driven financing, despite the existence (and success) of WoW's purchasable pets, mounts, and transmog gear. However, the establishment of both the Microtransaction Strategy team and job openings therein point to some development along that front. It will be interesting to see what other types of microtransaction offers become available in Blizzard games in the future.
World of Warcraft introduces Iron Skyreaver mount
Have you ever wanted to fly around on a two-headed dragon with freaking jet turbines strapped to it? If so, you're scaring us, but you're also in luck because World of Warcraft has just unveiled its latest cash-shop sparklepony, the Iron Skyreaver. This fierce, armored chimera steed will let you explore the lands of Azeroth in style, and the twin afterburners on its back ensure a swift journey while doubling as Gnome-roasters in a pinch, so that's a win-win. If you'd like to see the new mount in action before you shell out your hard-earned cash, just click on past the cut to check out the Iron Skyreaver's announcement video.
Choose My Adventure: So long, Allods Online
Choose My Adventure, in my mind, is as much an investigation as it is a voter-led romp through a particular title. There's a reason each writer who takes on a CMA limits the voting pool to games he or she hasn't previously experienced in-depth; it's always more interesting to discover and explore than it is to travel across well-beaten paths. Writing and playing for Choose My Adventure almost always involves being surprised, either for the better or for the worse. When the community chose Allods Online as the subject of this edition of Choose My Adventure, I was skeptical. The game looks, on the surface, like another cheap World of Warcraft knock-off designed to siphon a few players away from Blizzard's enormous subscription MMO with promises of free gameplay and some sci-fi/steampunk tweaks. What I discovered over the last five weeks, however, is a solid, charming traditional MMO that is hindered at almost every turn by the incompetence or greed (I can't be sure which) of its publisher.
Greg Street is now lead game designer at Riot Games
Greg Street, also known as Ghostcrawler, was the lead systems designer for World of Warcraft for much of the fantasy MMO's life. When he left Blizzard late last year, the rumor mill exploded with speculation on where (and why) one of WoW's most familiar and visible developers might be going. As of today, the mystery appears to be solved. Information on Street's LinkedIn profile, supported by several industry sources, indicates that he is now working as lead game designer at Riot Games, known for the massively popular League of Legends. Street has yet to confirm the move via Twitter or any other official channel.
The Soapbox: Launching with a subscription is still a good idea
The massively multiplayer online game industry is constantly changing, but one thing about it never will so long as capitalism stands: MMOs have ongoing costs, and those costs are passed on to the end user. Exactly how they're passed on is one of the things that has been changing, but new methods don't mean old methods don't have their place. New isn't good because it's new. New is good because it can provide solutions to old problems. When an old method is seen as the source of a problem actually caused by something unrelated, shoving a new method in there can just create new problems. So why all the wailing and gnashing of teeth over games trying out a subscription before they move onto other models? And why all the wailing and gnashing of teeth in retaliation to this opinion?
