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What happened to Gatheryn?
We've recently received a tip-off to a lack of communication from the developers of the social steampunk MMO, Gatheryn, in recent months, signaling what could be the collapse of the game. The website is still up and running, but the closed beta signup page has vanished, the download game link is broken, and the game's servers are down for the count. Players are asking for assistance or information on what's going on with the game on the beta forums, but things are very, very silent. The current forum rumor (must have forum access to read link) is that Mindfuse Games has run out of funding and is shutting down the game, but that rumor has been posted by a forum account that only has one post and does not possess a developer tag, making the rumor extremely unverified. We have contacted Mindfuse Games for comment, but have yet to receive a response. [Thanks for the tip, Torsten!]
Gatheryn invites all to open beta
If you've had your sights set on seeing what the world of Gatheryn has to offer you, then wait no longer as open beta is here.If you're looking to download the world of Elymia, then look no further than the download and registration page. The game is a pretty modest download while the registration is brief and easy (exactly how a good registration should be.) With little muss and fuss, you'll soon find yourself logging in and seeing what the steampunk world has to offer you!Bugs can be reported on the main site, while there are discussions going on in the forums. Forum registration is separate, so don't forget to go register there too while you're downloading the client!
Gatheryn approaches open beta, offers registration page and client download
If you've been looking forward to the casual steampunk world of Gatheryn, then you don't have much longer to wait. MindFuse Games has recently updated their main page for the game, offering everyone the chance to register their accounts and download the game's client in preparation for the upcoming open beta.Open beta hasn't been given a set launch time as of yet, but all interested parties should take the time to sign up for the forums, as forum members will be notified of open beta via an e-mail blast.Gatheryn is, as we've covered before, a steampunk-ish Free Realms-esque game where you get to play mini-games to advance your character in the game. Lucky for you we got to sit down with Isa Anne Stamos, MindFuse's game studio director, to find out more about the game and even took a look at one of the game's beta updates. You're totally welcome.
Massively Exclusive Interview: MindFuse's Isa Anne Stamos on Gatheryn
With the oversaturation of fantasy in the MMO genre, we've been patiently waiting to get our hands on the steampunk victorian coolness of Gatheryn. An indie title currently under development by Mindfuse, Gatheryn seems to be part virtual world and part mini-game laden MMO, much like Free Realms. Considering how wildly popular Free Realms has become in a short period, many eyes are now turning to Gatheryn to see if the combination of casual minigames in a fun, unique MMO/VW setting can strike gold again. Massively's very own Managing Editor, Shawn Schuster sat down recently with Isa Anne Stamos, Game Studio Director for MindFuse, to find out some more about the future of this retro-feel title.Massively: We first took a look at Gatheryn at GDC earlier this year, and liked what we saw so far. Can you describe some of the major feature changes or updates to the game since then? Isa Anne Stamos, MindFuse: Generally, we've been focusing on building out the early stages of the Gatheryn experience – adjusting the layout of the city, adding variations to character customization, and creating a deep casual gaming experience that players can enjoy the minute they enter Gatheryn. Specifically, we just added a Player Health feature that measures your avatar's fatigue and gives us some creative options for healing items and quests. We're also filling in a lot of the quests and minigames – we've probably added a few since you saw us at GDC. We're also working hard to build up the community tools because we rely heavily on them to communicate with our beta users - they're crucial to getting player feedback in these early stages of development.
Gathryn incorporates new engine technology
The World of Gatheryn, an MMO which, despite its name, is not about mining nodes and chopping wood, has just announced its implementation of the Simultronics HeroEngine for this upcoming Victorian-age MMO.In a statement by Joseph Walters, Lead Designer and Chief Executive Officer of MindFuse Games, we get an explanation of why these "off-site" engines are becoming so popular for smaller MMO developers like MindFuse, "The engine enables our team to spend time creating the experience instead of recreating the already-proven type of server side MMOG technology that Simutronics has built so effectively."Be sure to check out more information on the Gatheryn MMO, as well as what this Simultronics HeroEngine has to offer.
MindFuse gets $1M in funding for a Victorian MMO
For all of you Elf and lightning bolt haters out there, MindFuse may have found a solution to your MMO blues. As was recently announced, the game developer has secured $1 million USD in convertible note funding from Keiretsu Forum angel investors for an MMO project they're currently working on. What project is that, you might ask? According to the MindFuse website, they're developing a Victorian-themed MMO entitled The World of Gatheryn.The game is described as "a massive multi-player world of adventure, mystery and romance." It's said to include interactive games and puzzles, with "new adventures appearing with each successful solution." So is this what we've been waiting for? It's not high fantasy. It's not cheesy sci-fi. Can a Victorian Age MMO work for those looking for something different? Take a tour through the website and check out the gorgeous screenshots, gameplay explanation and storyline entry for yourself, and let us know what you think.
