Miscellaneous
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Turbine hires Rolston, game industry veterans for high-level positions
Turbine wants you to know that it has hired a smattering of industry veterans to complement its existing Boston-based development team. Notables include former Elder Scrolls and Kingdoms of Amalur lead Ken Rolston, who steps into Turbine's Director of Design role. Mortal Kombat veteran Alan Villani is Turbine's new VP of Technology and responsible for driving "online engagement and monetization." Former Zynga manager Jai Singh has signed on to oversee Turbine's "online operations hosting and computing infrastructure, technical support, and network operations." Finally, Demetrius Comes, formerly of Petroglyph, is now Turbine's Executive Director of Engineering. [Source: Turbine press release]
Initial 38 Studios auction brings in $180K
Hey look, it's more 38 Studios news, sort of. The Verge reports on the first of three auctions designed to sell off assets of the shuttered development firm, which took place earlier this week in Timonium, Maryland. Why Maryland? Because up for bid were a bunch of items from former Maryland-based 38 subsidiary Big Huge Games. The highest-value item was an animation suit that fetched $9,500. The second auction is scheduled for next Tuesday at 38's former offices in Rhode Island. The third auction, which will feature the firm's intellectual property, will take place in approximately three months.
The Daily Grind: What old game would you play as an MMO?
Making old games into MMOs is a tricky business. It may sound good on paper, but execution is another matter. In an ideal world, I'd love to see Sundog: Frozen Legacy repurposed as an MMO. For one thing, it was the first computer game I ever played. For another, it had a nifty Firefly feel to it a couple of decades prior to Firefly. Finally, there simply aren't many hard sci-fi MMOs out there that blend space combat with trading and planetary action. What about you, morning crew? What old game would you play as an MMO? 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!
The Daily Grind: Has F2P made your MMO habit more expensive?
Two years ago I used to have fewer than five line-items in my Quicken budget for MMORPGs. I maintained three or four monthly subs more often than not, and it was easy to keep track of how much I spent as well as determine whether or not it was worth it to continue doing so based on playtime, enjoyment, and various other factors. Nowadays I'm more likely to have a dozen MMORPG-related line-items every month on account of cash shops and the fact that flat-fee payments no longer include all of a given game's content. In a nutshell, playing multiple MMOs has gotten more expensive for me with the transition to free-to-play. What about you, morning crew? Assuming you keep a careful watch on your gaming expenditures, has free-to-play helped or hurt your bottom line? 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!
Smedley: 'People who don't play games have no business in this business'
Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley is a die-hard gamer. This isn't news if you've followed SOE for more than a few minutes, as Smed has always been outspoken about what he's playing and why. He's also renowned among game journos for being a fun interview, usually to the consternation of his PR handlers. Case in point is a new sit-down with Edge, ostensibly to promote SOE's upcoming PlanetSide 2 MMOFPS (we say ostensibly because the actual content of the interview is being parceled out in future installments). For part one, Smed rips into clueless industry executives, saying that "people [who] don't play games have no business in this business. It should be the gamers-only club, I think. I can't stand people [who] don't know what they're talking about when it comes to playing these things."
Help your favorite game win the GDC Online Audience Award
GDC Online is coming up fast, and now's your chance to get in on the voting action for the conference's annual Audience Award. Starting today and running through September 14th, fans can vote for their favorite persistent online game and cheer for it as the winner is announced at the show in Austin, Texas on October 10th. Past winners have included League of Legends and Wizard101, and voters may pick from "any currently operating persistent online game, whether it be a subscription MMO, free-to-play web game, social network game, or anything else," according to a GDC press release. More info on the contest, potential nominees, and the voting process is available via the official GDC Online website. [Source: GDC Online press release]
The Daily Grind: Why is there so much hate for game companies?
Gaming discourse has gotten out of hand in recent years, and the anonymity offered by the internet and the decline of civility in general has conspired to bring arguments, personal attacks, and flame wars to the forefront of many a discussion. Most of the ire seems to be directed at gaming companies. If we look at it objectively, a company like Electronic Arts or Sony Online Entertainment is just a collection of people focused on a common goal, that goal being the production of entertainment products that are optional purchases. And yet if an outsider were to read your average gaming forum, he might think that EA or SOE is engaged in the wholesale slaughter of children, kittens, and puppies on a daily basis. So what do you think, Massively readers? Why is there so much hate for gaming companies? 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!
SOE Live tickets go on sale
It may no longer be Fan Faire in name, but SOE's annual fan festival still has the same spirit and focus. The newly branded SOE Live has opened up registrations for this fall's convention, and the studio is offering discounted prices if tickets are purchased now. SOE Live will take place from October 18th through the 21st at Bally's Casino in Las Vegas. The all-access pass for the event is $139, but if you register before August 1st, you can secure a discounted price of $119. Day passes will go for $39 if you're interested in just attending for a day, and evening passes, which allow access to just late-night activities, are $99 a pop. The studio welcomes families, as children ages 12 and below can get in for free. The festival has a full schedule, including dev panels, tournaments, giveaways, and parties. Players can shell out an additional $50 to have Sunday brunch with the devs or $40 for a laser tag event.
Trion CEO on console games, sequels, and the future
It's no secret that Trion has big plans for its future, and we don't just mean its impressive Storm Legion sequel for RIFT. Gamasutra talked to Trion CEO Lars Buttler at last week's E3, and what emerged from the discussion is a portrait of a firm "at the height of our art form, but doing new things." One of those new things is a partnership with Crytek to publish its new Warface shooter. Another is its previously announced Red Door initiative. Interestingly, and despite developing Defiance for both PC and console platforms, Buttler perceives the console market as a sinking ship. The company also sees "that the console market is going down," he tells Gamasutra. "I think the writing is on the wall and the best developers will want to make the step sooner."
Alleged 38 Studios spouse outlines family's financial struggles after company's closure
38 Studios stories continue to circulate through the gaming media this week, with the latest arriving courtesy of Gamasutra. The industry news site has published an anonymous letter from an alleged former employee's wife that details the challenges inherent in supporting a large family that is subject to the whims of the game industry. The letter outlines the family's financial struggles in great detail, and it serves as a cautionary tale to game industry hopefuls who are thinking of uprooting a family to follow a dream. Though the author is unnamed and could quite literally be anyone, Gamasutra says it has "verified her husband's name and former position at 38 Studios."
Turbine hosts 300 job-seekers at Rhode Island hiring event
If you were vying for one of the 50 jobs Turbine put up for grabs at last night's job fair, well, get in line. The Providence Journal reports that 300-odd people showed up at the event, a turnout that the paper says was "higher than expected." How many of the 300 were 38 Studios refugees? That's hard to say since neither Turbine nor the job-seekers who came down wearing 38-branded jackets and sweatshirts would offer a comment. Turbine's Adam Mersky said the timing and the location of the meet-and-greet was no accident, as Turbine set up shop in a hotel mere blocks away from 38 Studios headquarters. "It's no coincidence that we're down here looking for talent," Mersky told the Journal.
Raptr rewards gamers for playing with discounts, beta keys, and more
Do you wanna earn fabulous prizes just for playing your favorite games? Of course you do. Well, you're in luck because Raptr has just announced its new Raptr Rewards program, which is "a program to reward active gamers with real rewards just for playing their favorite games." The program is "on track to offer over 350,000 rewards totaling $1.3 million [US] in value just in the first month of launch." The prizes that are available for dedicated players are myriad, ranging from discounts on Gunnar brand gaming eyewear to beta access for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and much more. The full details of the available rewards and how to earn them can be found on the official Raptr site, so go check it out, then start playing for your prizes. [Source: Raptr press release]
ClassRealm MMO rewards kids for being good students
Who says video games are bad for you? Not Ben Bertoli, a sixth grade teacher from Indiana who has built an MMO called ClassRealm that has students, teachers, and administrators singing his praises. Kotaku reports that the game is basically an experience point system that rewards kids for being studious and helping their classmates. There's also an achievement system and classes and races that include wizards, zombies, ninjas, and vampires. Bertoli initially started with something approximating a Google document but has since moved on to full-blown graphics and an app that works on mobile devices as well as laptops and PCs. Bertoli has partnered with a computer engineer, a graphic designer, and an illustrator to fully flesh out the project, and there's also a Kickstarter campaign in case you want to contribute. Bertoli and company are currently slaving away on ClassRealm in their spare time, but the rewards are well worth it. "If [kids are] struggling in a certain thing, but they are pushing hard because they want the XP, or an achievement, and then suddenly it clicks, seeing that happen is really rewarding. The student feels like, 'I was going for XP, but now I am happy that I learned something,'" Bertoli explains.
Farscape MMO plans from shuttered studio go public [Updated]
So, Farscape fans, what would you say to an MMO based on your favorite IP that was designed by former members of Fallen Earth's dev team? If you answered yes please, we've got both good news and bad news. The bad news is that the game is dead in the water. The good news is that former Fallen Earth lead designer Lee Hammock has made a ton of information about the development process available on his blog. In a nutshell, Hammock and other Fallen Earth ex-patriots signed on with a startup company a couple of years ago. Said company claimed to have $150 million in funding, so the devs jumped into pre-production (which included a design document, over 200 pages of content iteration, and meetings with Farscape creator Rockne O'Bannon and Jim Henson Studios). After six months of work, funding dried up and the startup's CEO left the devs empty-handed. Former project lead Colin Dwan told us that the motivation behind releasing this information now is twofold. "We want people to see some of what goes into writing a design doc for a multi-million dollar MMO. We want to share the passion we had for a universe that was cut short without having a chance to see the light of day," he said. Head to Hammock's blog to see some concept art, storyline info, the project mission statement, and more. [Update: Lee Hammock has been asked to take down his blog posts on his work with the Farscape MMO for legal reasons.]
Pachter says rumored Nexon buyout of EA 'cannot happen'
Forbes reported on a rumored takeover of Electronic Arts by Nexon earlier this morning. The magazine noted that EA shares spiked following a supposed bid by the Korean gaming giant. Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter weighed in on the rumors at GamesIndustry.biz, saying that the deal "cannot happen." He guesstimates that EA will balk at any such deal because "Nexon couldn't pull off a stock-for-stock deal [...] and would have difficulty financing an all-cash deal to make EA shareholders happy." Pachter floats a few numbers in his analysis, and he also notes that EA CEO John Riccitiello isn't likely to cede control of the company to anyone outside of EA management.
Sony eyeing ways to get MMO players out of the house
Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, amirite? And other times, you want to get lost in an MMO and be (relatively) anonymous. The latter may become a bit more difficult, as Sony is looking to create a program "that would encourage gamers to head into the daylight for organized events," according to a posting at Engadget. The firm has even filed a patent for some sort of meet-up software. Speculation has it that it will incentivize real-life get-togethers, though how (or why) is anyone's guess at this point. Is this another personal information-harvesting ploy like Blizzard's RealID failboat, or is it something new? Time will tell, and we'll keep an eye on it for you.
Prolific MMO blogger Brian 'OddjobXL' Rucker passes away
The MMO roleplaying community lost one of its most prolific authors this week as Brian "OddjobXL" Rucker passed away at the age of 48. Rucker maintained a blog called The Roleplayer's Redoubt on MMORPG.com, and he was also featured in Massively's The Game Archaeologist, where he talked at length about MUDs, MUSHs, and Star Wars Galaxies. Massively columnist Larry Everett remembers Rucker as "a very prominent member of both of my websites and a personal inspiration to me as a gamer, writer, and roleplayer." Rucker, known as Cap'n in SWG circles, covered roleplaying in dozens of disparate MMO titles. He also offered plenty of sage advice for both newbs and veterans alike. [Thanks to Laura for the tip.]
Chinese publisher The9 restructuring, cutting staff
One of the Asian market's gaming behemoths is in a spot of financial trouble, according to a story published last night by Develop. You might remember The9 as Blizzard's former publishing partner for the Chinese version of World of Warcraft. The company also invested heavily in Red 5 Studios and its upcoming Firefall shooter, and it will be publishing Sony Online Entertainment's PlanetSide 2 in China when the MMOFPS sequel ships. Develop reports that rumors of The9's cutting half of its workforce were exaggerated, but the firm is nonetheless downsizing. "We are optimizing operations programs and the relevant human-relations structures, and this optimization to increase the efficiency of the company is a necessary adjustment," the company said in a prepared statement.
SOE renames Fan Faire, sets official dates
As corporate re-brandings go, this one isn't as wince-inducingly awful as something like, say, the Syfy Channel. Still, Sony Online Entertainment's Fan Faire had a nice ring to it, but now we're obliged to refer to the company's annual fan convention as SOE Live. Senior marketing VP Laura Naviaux says the change is due to SOE's MMO diversification. While the company is still known for its EverQuest and EverQuest II flagships, it's also put considerable time and effort into DC Universe Online and PlanetSide 2, neither of which conjures images of ye olde renaissance faire. This year's SOE Live will happen at Bally's in Las Vegas from October 18th through the 21st. Naviaux says that SOE die-hards can relax, since the event will be the same Fan Faire they've been enjoying for years despite the name change. "Previous event attendees can rest assured that we are not removing any of our established activities in order to accommodate the new players; rather, they can expect even more to make this the ultimate SOE fan experience," she said. [Source: SOE press release]
Raph Koster categorizes his best game design blog posts
If you're looking for an entry point into the voluminous back-catalogue of game design posts sitting on Raph Koster's web server, look no further than his newest entry, which serves as something of a greatest hits listing. For those unfamiliar with Koster, most gamers associate him with watershed sandbox titles like Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies, and he has also written a book called A Theory of Fun for Game Design. Koster first published his website in 1997, and some of his articles date almost as far back. He's arranged the links in what he calls a "rough reverse chronological order," so grab your favorite caffeinated beverage and settle in for a lengthy design-focused read.
