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Shards Online developers plan for a player-run MMO
More or less every MMO starts up its advertising with some trace of the idea that you can play however you want. Not every MMO talks about the idea of letting players run the servers at the top level, however. But that's what Shards Online is aiming to provide. A recent interview with the developers discusses the idea, with studio co-founder Derek Brinkmann explaining that it's one of the first steps to dismantling the idea that the designers have to tell you how to enjoy yourself. Citadel Studios is a team made up of former Ultima Online developers who wondered why more games haven't embraced the idea of taking live events to their logical conclusion with modern technology. Shards Online is set in a multiverse, with several different worlds featuring slightly different rules, while players can tweak the overall structure to their individual preferences by running their own servers. The game is in development for Windows, Linux, and Mac, with an alpha expected later this year.
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding March 16 - March 22, 2014
Last week's new entry MyDream met its $100,000 Kickstarter goal, and it did so with over two weeks left in its funding drive! Aside from that bit of good news, it was fairly quiet on the crowdfunding front. GoblinWorks made waves with some interesting class reveals for fantasy sandbox Pathfinder Online (say hello to the Aristocrat, the Commoner, and the Expert in addition to usual suspects like the Barbarian, Paladin, Sorcerer, and Bard). And superhero project City of Titans announced that it's moving its assets from Unreal 3 to Unreal 4, which will enable greater ease, flexibility, and detail during the game's development cycle. Click past the cut to catch up on the rest of the crowdfunding... er, crowd.
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding March 9 - March 15, 2014
This week we say goodbye to Terrayn's Kickstarter campaign, which came up short of its $300,000 goal. We say hello to MyDream, though, which has already raked in over a quarter of its $100,000 goal with more than 20 days left to go! MyDream bills itself as an open-world sandbox based on creativity and collaboration. Player-constructed adventures, environments, and structures are also in the mix. Click past the cut for more of this week's choicest MMO crowdfunding news.
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding March 2 - March 8, 2014
Crowdfunding news was lighter than normal for the week ending March 8th, but we nonetheless learned a bit more about space sim sandboxes Elite: Dangerous and Star Citizen. The Phoenix Project also updated us on the status of its City of Titans spiritual sequel, which now boasts a new president and a new board of directors and is "deep in pre-production." Click past the cut for the rest of this week's crowdforged notables.
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding February 23 - March 1, 2014
This week's Make My MMO adds Trials of Ascension's Light the Forge campaign, which is Chaos Forge's company-specific (i.e., non-Kickstarter) bid to raise $40,000. The fantasy sandbox canceled its initial Kickstarter campaign because it "failed in showing its true potential," according to a news posting on the ToA website. If the Light the Forge drive is successful, the devs will use the $40,000 to finish the game's demo and return to Kickstarter in the hopes of attracting additional funding. Head past the cut for a breakdown of other crowdfunded MMO projects for the week ending March 1st, 2014.
EVE Evolved: What to expect from EVE Fanfest 2014
Almost 10 years ago, EVE Online developer CCP Games started a new tradition with the first ever annual EVE Fanfest. The event started out as a largely informal gathering in a tiny venue that allowed players and developers to mingle on a more personal level, but it's now grown into something massive. Over a thousand players now make the annual pilgrimage to EVE Online's birthplace in Reykjavik, Iceland, to hear what the future holds for their favourite MMO. For many, the event is also a social gathering, a chance to swap stories with other players, and a rare opportunity to meet the corpmates they fly with every day in the virtual galaxy of New Eden. The Fanfest weekend is typically a packed schedule of panels, talks, roundtable discussions with developers, and keynote speeches revealing the future of the game. While the event is understandably focused on EVE Online, it's recently expanded to cover aspects of DUST 514, the latest goings-on with World of Darkness, and even CCP's new virtual reality dogfighter EVE Valkyrie. CCP has announced that this year's event will see a monument to the EVE playerbase unveiled in Reykjavik Harbor as well as the first reveal of EVE's summer expansion, but what else can we hope to glean from this year's event at the start of May? In this edition of EVE Evolved, I delve into the EVE Fanfest announcement and speculate on what we might expect to hear from this year's event. Will this be the year that World of Darkness gets some serious news? And what's new for DUST 514?
European Commission examining 'free' games with in-app purchasing
The European Union's executive body is meeting with game developers in an effort to improve consumer protections, according to GamesIndustry.biz. The European Commission feels that "consumers and in particular children need better protection against unexpected costs from in-app purchases." The Consumer Protection Corporation and EC member states have condemned various forms of misleading advertising in games, along with direct purchasing appeals like "buy now!" or "upgrade now!" "The use of the word 'free' (or similar unequivocal terms) as such, and without any appropriate qualifications, should only be allowed for games which are indeed free in their entirety, or in other words which contain no possibility of making in-app purchases, not even on an optional basis," the European Commission says.
A look at MMOs from the marketing perspective
Gamers don't tend to think about MMOs from a marketing perspective; that's not what we're most interested in. So it's informative to take a look at a recent piece from [a]list daily about the state of MMORPGs in terms of profits, business models, and future developments. The piece looks at the history of the genre as well as World of Warcraft's apex, considering the likely future path as well as the emerging markets not yet tapped. Unlike many such analyses, this piece sees a bright potential future for The Elder Scrolls Online, explaining that even a small percentage of Skyrim customers buying the game will make back the game's production budget. It also examines the emerging tablet and mobile market, arguing that this is the most obvious sector for substantial growth over the next few years. For a more detailed look, take a read through the full article.
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding February 9 - 22, 2014
In the world of MMOs, no news is not necessarily good news -- especially when it comes to crowdfunding. Silence often denotes a lack of progress on a game, and that can certainly make investors nervous. Thankfully, many games provide players with updates that we, in turn, provide for you here. If no news is bad, then news is good, right? Unfortunately, this doesn't hold true. In the case of Star Rider and Hot Rod Hustle, the news is that neither met its funding goals. So we say farewell to these two games from Make My MMO. And Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen's campaign was chock-full of news, but in the end, its Kickstarter didn't succeed either; Pantheon, however, is continuing the fundraising effort on its official site. At least some news is good! War of Omens also leaves this round up, but for different reasons: Players can hop in and play the game! Likewise, HEX: Shards of Fate and StarCraft Universe move on now that both have moved into testing. Another sandbox, Terrayn, also joins the Kickstarter ranks. To hear other good news, keep reading.
Rhode Island Governor signs 38 Studios settlement bill
Following successful votes in the Rhode Island Senate and House of Representatives, a bill designed to help settle the 38 Studios fiasco was signed into law by Governor Lincoln Chafee yesterday. Lawmakers hope that the bill will encourage settlements by shielding defendants from further litigation. Involved parties say that this bill will pave the way to recover as much as possible of the $90 million that Rhode Island is responsible for paying following the defaulted loan to 38 Studios.
SOE's John Smedley blames Rhode Island government for 38 Studios closure
So who's at fault for the 38 Studios debacle? It's a question that's been thrown around a lot with no clear answers. But John Smedley of Sony Online Entertainment thinks that it's a pretty clear case of the state of Rhode Island getting involved in something it shouldn't have and then backing out at the worst possible time. He stated on Twitter that having seen the game himself, it had potential and it could have been something if it had actually made it to release. Smedley agrees with Governor Lincoln Chafee that the funding deal was a bad idea and should never have taken place, but once it had taken place, it was in the state's best interest to aid the studio rather than letting it fail. Chafee's comments and naysaying for the project doomed the chances of the game getting any additional funding, ultimately shuttering the studio altogether. Despite that, Smedley also notes that in the long run it was a bad idea that should never have taken place and that SOE was approached for funding on the game and declined, which he suggests should have been indication enough for Rhode Island not to make the deal. [We've updated the title to make utterly clear that of course we (and Smed) were talking about the government of Rhode Island, not some random people in Rhode Island, many of whom obviously did not vote for said government. After the break, we've also quoted the relevant tweets, among them the one in which Smed declares that but for Chafee's actions, we'd be playing the game right now.]
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding January 26 - February 8, 2014
The crowdfunding train just keeps rolling right along, with passengers always coming and going. New passengers hop aboard while others hop off at their desired destination. Sadly, some have to disembark early -- such is the case with Universe Rush and Antilia. Although the Kickstarter campaign fell far short of its goal, Antilia does plan to continue development on its own. On the brighter side of things, some passengers reached their stop; Tales From The Strange Universe reached its goal, and both it and Novus AEterno (which brought in over 3.5 times its initial goal) will now take their places in the funded category. The Repopulation, earning over 175K during this latest Kickstarter run, disembarks at Betawatch station thanks to its ongoing alpha testing. Catch up on all the news for all these titles as they journey through crowdfunding here in Make My MMO.
Destiny beta is incoming for summer; Activision predicts big successes
Is Destiny really going to be the next big thing in gaming? Activision CEO Bobby Kotick certainly thinks so. In the recent fourth quarter earnings call for the company, Kotick went on the record saying that it will be the best-selling new IP in video game history, which is potentially true; any new IP has that potential, but Bungie's upcoming MMOFPS has slightly better odds than most. It's helped by launching on four platforms at once: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. All of that potential is based on how well the game actually plays, though, and potential players will get to find that out this summer. The current target for release is September 9th, although there's obviously plenty of time and space for that date to move forward or backward depending on beta testing. Keep your eyes peeled for more information as we move out of the winter and into spring; a lot can happen over the next few months.
Rhode Island House to vote on out-of-court settlements for 38 Studios fiasco
After a successful vote yesterday from the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee, the full state House of Representatives is set to consider legislation next week that encourages out-of-court settlements in Rhode Island Commerce Corp.'s lawsuit against 38 Studios and its founder, Curt Schilling. The bill, which won unanimous support in the House Judiciary Committee and has already been passed by the Senate, is designed to protect defendants who settle in this case from lawsuits levied by co-defendants found liable for damages. Fallout from the collapse of the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning studio has left Rhode Island stiffed on a bill that totals out to roughly $90 million; The attorney for the RICC believes this bill will provide for an increase in potentially recovered funds. In related but sad news, Schilling has revealed to ESPN that he was recently diagnosed with cancer. His statement expressed hope, with Schilling saying, "My father left me with a saying that I've carried my entire life and tried to pass on to our kids: 'Tough times don't last. Tough people do."
EVE: Valkyrie to be co-published by Oculus
It's fairly obvious to interested observers that EVE: Valkyrie is intimately tied to the Oculus Rift. Its biggest selling point is creating that feel of really piloting a nimble little starfighter yourself, after all. And it looks like that's obvious to the team at Oculus as well, as the studio behind the VR headset has announced it will be co-publishing EVE: Valkyrie along with CCP Games. The net result is that Valkyrie will be an exclusive launch title for the Oculus Rift, making it one of the first AAA titles developed specifically for the device. Oculus is also reaching out to other development studios interested in potentially introducing more titles designed with the VR experience in mind. While there are still no firm details regarding launch dates for the title, expect to see more information about it as the headset moves toward completion.
World of Warcraftless: What would the world look like without World of Warcraft?
This year is a big one for World of Warcraft. It's the 10-year anniversary of the game's launch, meaning players have been able to enjoy themselves in Azeroth for quite a while. The franchise itself is turning 20, meaning it's almost old enough to legally drink. And whether you like the game or not, you can't deny that it's had a huge impact on games in general -- not just on MMORPGs but on the very landscape of what games are and how we think about them. So it's kind of natural that we'd start asking if we'd all be better off without it. You live with the same title dominating the industry for a decade, so it's only natural to think about what it'd be like if it weren't there. Personally, I think that's a kind of loaded question that also overlooks a far niftier option. Asking whether we'd be better off first requires one to figure out what the world would look like without World of Warcraft, and for my money that's much more interesting. So let's look at just that. What sort of scenarios might have unfolded if World of Warcraft had never come to pass at all?
Mythic devs form new studio, take over DAoC and Ultima Online
Dark Age of Camelot and Ultima Online are moving out from under Mythic Entertainment's management and into a new studio: Broadsword Online Games. Today Mythic announced that 14 members of its team, including co-founder Rob Denton, have left to form Broadsword in order to take over daily operations and development of Mythic's two remaining MMOs. Broadsword will continue to work with EA for the games' billing and account services. The new studio said that it will be releasing more information about plans for UO and DAoC shortly.
The Daily Grind: How soon do you think a game should lift its testing NDA?
As our Week in Review on Sunday showed, Sony Online Entertainment and ZeniMax Online couldn't be treating their individual NDAs more differently. The Elder Scrolls Online still has an NDA firmly in place despite the fact that launch is a mere 60 days away, whilst EverQuest Next Landmark has already abolished the NDA despite still being in obvious stated alpha. Finding two more extreme examples operating at the same time would be nigh-on impossible. The question is which one is right. On the one hand, lifting the NDA earlier implies a great deal of confidence in the game being developed. It's hard to look at a long-running NDA and think that the company behind the game is sure people will like the game on release. But on the other hand, letting people talk freely about a game can lead to no mysteries left on release, which might drive some people away and lead to overload for others. What do you think? How soon should a game lift its testing NDA? 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 Nexus Telegraph: WildStar's greatest opponent is WildStar
Your real opponent is pretty much always yourself. I could spend the next several years of my writing career trying to be a better writer than, say, Justin Olivetti. I'd fail, for starters, because look at the guy. But even if I could succeed, I'd never be living up to my potential. I'll always be the guy trying to be better than the last thing Justin wrote, never coming up with my own things, never really advancing myself. The only way to be truly good is to try to be the best writer I can be, regardless of who else is out there. What does this have to do with WildStar? Simple. I mention other games here, other releases looking at the same window, but WildStar doesn't need to be better than those games, up to and including The Elder Scrolls Online. WildStar needs to be the best version of itself that it can be. Its only real opponent is itself, not other titles.
Rhode Island senate passes 38 Studios legislation
A major hurdle in paving over the bad feelings, poor decisions, and millions of dollars in unpaid loans that 38 Studios caused when it defaulted two years ago has been crossed, as Rhode Island's Senate has approved legislation to settle the affair out of court. The Senate unanimously passed a bill to shield from future lawsuits any party that settles with Rhode Island Commerce Corp. The RICC, formerly the Economic Development Corp., has been trying to figure out a way to recoup as much of the $90 million lost through former 38 Studios deals as possible, and the attorney for the state says that this legislation will increase any future recovery of those funds. The Rhode Island House of Representatives has to consider and vote on a similar bill for this to proceed. Lawyers say that the longer this case goes without a settlement, the larger the legal bills will be, which will diminish those funds the state does recover.
