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Star Wars: The Old Republic E3 trailer is just showing off now
Though past E3-timed trailers for Star Wars: The Old Republic overwhelmed us with gorgeous cinematics, this year's video instead attempts to drown us in a comprehensive features list. Check out the somewhat braggadocious trailer after the jump! Unless, of course, you don't like space fights.
NCsoft profits decline, limited marketing blamed
MMORPG publisher NCSoft has reported a year-over-year decline in both revenue and profit during the first quarter of 2011. The company's revenues fell 7 percent from the same period a year ago to 155.4 billion Korean Won (about $143 million), despite increased sales from Lineage 2. Profits showed an even sharper decline, dropping 30 percent to 40.8 billion KRW ($37.5 million). The company chalked up the losses to "soft sales promotions" of its other two key games, the original Lineage and Aion -- or, as we like to call them, "the one with all the castles" and "the one with all the angels." That's ... about all we know about the two games. You know, ahem, because of their limited marketing budgets.
Sony Online Entertainment services also coming back online
Sony Online Entertainment has been an unfortunately named business these past two weeks, when its catalog of MMOs were taken offline following the PlayStation Network security breach. Fortunately, the servers of titles like Free Realms, EverQuest 2 and Clone Wars Adventures slowly but surely started to come back online this past weekend -- each including a little incentive to try and lure back their disconnected player bases. These incentives include XP bonuses, free rare items and special events, all of which are laid out on this handy chart. If you're an SOE account holder in "good standing," you'll also get 45 days of in-game time on-the-house. If you're a lifetime subscriber, though, you'll get just the extra super special in-game bonuses. Also, everyone gets 500 Station Cash, a currency players can use to purchase even more in-game items. This outage might just be the best thing to ever happen to your online adventurer's lootsack.
Wasteland Diaries: Don't fear the reaper
Dying in Fallen Earth is not much different than it is in most other games. It's usually just a temporary setback or a very minor inconvenience. But for some, it seems to be more than that. In this week's Wasteland Diaries, I would like to ponder what might go through the mind of a gamer when he takes a dirt-nap in-game. In the past few decades I've spent playing PC games, I've seen some pretty over-the-top reactions to dying. I've tried to infer what might be going through some of these extremely emotional people's minds when they buy the farm. Various death penalties evoke wildly different emotions in general, so I'll start there. When you die in Fallen Earth, you lose all of your current non-stance buffs. Most buffs can be easily re-applied, except for your food, drinks and other consumables. It's still not a major loss, especially now that food and drink components are ultra-cheap. If there's nobody around to rez you, you must respawn at the cloner and take a 5% durability hit on your equipped gear. It's still not a big deal. And you'll get cumulative cloning sickness, which can get pretty nasty, but you have to die a lot in a short period of time to warrant tier five. And the sickness only lasts five minutes. After the cut, I'll delve deeper into the plight of the struck-down avatar and try to determine what it all means.
BioWare reveals more info on The Old Republic class progression
Jedi Knights don't just become Jedi Knights, you know -- if that were the case, The Empire Strikes Back would be way, way shorter. It takes tons of training for a Jedi (and every other class in The Old Republic, for that matter) to hone their abilities to a lightsaber-sharp point. Luckily for the MMO's potential players, BioWare has revealed a ton of information on how this progression will play out in-game. Check out the latest post on the game's official blog for a quick rundown on class progression in The Old Republic, covering everything from advanced classes to skill trees. So, so many skill trees. No kidding, you guys. Like, a tropical rainforest of skill trees.
Minecraft has earned over $33 million, Notch reveals
Let that soak in: $33 million. All those dollars, slightly eroded by Paypal fees and taxes, come from around 800,000 alpha version adopters, who picked up the game at €9.95 ($14.26), and over one million beta version sales at €14.95 ($21.43). Currently, the Minecraft stats page lists 1,813,527 customers, pegging revenue at slightly above €23 million ($33 million). The figures come from a Reddit thread, where Minecraft creator Markus Persson (AKA Notch) shared the figures -- a level of success he admitted he's somewhat uncomfortable with. "I've always had a tendency to feel like I'm just not quite keeping up with demands, even before starting work on Minecraft. It's not gotten better by having a runaway hit like this." The latest update for the game, version 1.4, launched last week, adding a host of new features to the game. A documentary is also in the works.
Dungeon Fighter Online comes to iOS in a Slayer Edition
Hot on the heels of its success with Kart Rider Rush, Nexon has brought another one of its free-to-play MMO titles to iOS. Dungeon Fighter Online is one of the most popular titles in the lineup, save for another game called MapleStory. Dungeon Fighter Online is a free-to-play 2D action RPG that came to North America on the PC last year, and now it's out on the iPhone as Dungeon Fighter Slayer Edition, a version that seems to be a more offline-centric setup of the popular MMORPG. Just like the original game, the action is in 2D and fast and furious, but this version costs US$4.99 outright. While there is Game Center integration, it's not clear how this ties into the PC MMO, if at all. Unfortunately, the reviews on iTunes aren't great. The game currently carries a 2-star rating, so it doesn't seem like Nexon has been able to bring over what made the original version of the game so popular. There are in-app purchases in the game for expanding your inventory and some extra in-game cash, but it's interesting that the company chose not to try for the full MMO experience, especially when games like Pocket Legends have proved that it does work. We'll have to see how the game goes as it moves forward. Nexon undoubtedly has even more plans for the App Store, but this may be one title that doesn't pan out. Update: Apparently the game's been pulled -- it's no longer on the US App Store. Maybe after the slow reception, Nexon has headed back to the drawing board
Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online coming to Xbox Live Arcade later this year
One in six people in China have played Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online -- the free-to-play 2D action PC MMORPG claimed over 200 million registered users even before its launch in North America, at one point seeing 2.2 million concurrent users. And now Nexon is reaching out for another audience entirely: It's announced that DFO is coming to Xbox Live later in 2011, published by none other than Microsoft Games Studios. The console version will be jointly developed by Nexon and Korean developer Softmax, and the game's original developer, Neople, will direct the project. There's no word on whether it will be free-to-play or microtransaction-based on Xbox Live Arcade or not -- the original game, like all of Nexon's titles, is supported by sales of in-game items, from gear and potions to XP boosts. Joystiq has contacted Nexon to find out more, and we'll let you know what we hear. This announcement could be huge -- a free-to-play MMO hit on consoles, especially in the west, would have big ramifications for the gaming industry at large. Update: "Nothing has been determined yet" about the model for this one, we're told. Nexon says it's too early in the process to talk about exactly how this version of the game will work.
Runic: No subscription for Torchlight MMO
It seems the MMO-ified version of Runic Games' mine-dwelling RPG Torchlight will attempt to avoid one of the genre's biggest pitfalls: trying to go head-to-head with Blizzard's gigantic, millions-of-players-strong monster. In a recent interview with Charge Shot, Runic CEO Max Schaefer explained, "I don't think really anyone can do [subscriptions] anymore because pretty much everyone that does subscriptions has one for World of Warcraft." Subsequently, the company will not pursue a subscription model for the Torchlight MMO. We appreciate the sentiment, but we think Schaefer's underestimating how many of us MMO players are just fabulously wealthy. We can afford to subscribe to more than one thing, you know? As of right now, we're subscribed to WoW, EQ2, EVE Online, DC Universe Online, Final Fantasy XIV, Warhammer Online and the Potpourri of the Month Club. ... Let's just pretend that we didn't say that last one, okay?
Gameloft brings WoW-like 'Order and Chaos Online' to iOS
Earlier this week, Gameloft revealed a new MMORPG intended for distribution on the iOS App Store -- a first for the French copycat developer. Not a first, however, is the game's concept and art style, which more or less directly ape Blizzard's behemoth, World of Warcraft. As seen in the game's first trailer, Order & Chaos Online pits the forces of Order against those of Chaos in a massive, multiplayer setting. The forces of both sides, it seems, are on vacation from Azeroth ... and they like vacationing somewhere very similar to home. Gameloft hasn't given its first mobile MMO a release date, but does say it's "coming soon" to the iPod Touch, iPad, and iPhone.
PAX East 2011: Will World of Warcraft ever go free-to-play?
It seems that every new MMORPG wants to bill itself as a "WoW killer." From Lord of the Rings Online to Age of Conan to (most recently) RIFT, everyone wants a piece of the most popular subscription-based MMORPG of all time. To date, World of Warcraft has weathered the competition. Its subscriber numbers have reached an all-time high (now over 12 million), with its latest Cataclysm expansion selling nearly 5 million copies in the first month alone. The game should remain popular and successful for years to come. Still, even Blizzard admits: It can't stay on top forever. So what happens when the game starts losing a significant amount of its subscriber base? If what happened to Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons and Dragons Online is any clue, World of Warcraft might move to a free-to-play model. Since switching to free-to-play, both of Turbine's games added subscribers and increased revenues. This past weekend, I sat in on the free-to-play MMO panel held at the PAX East 2011 conference in Boston. Afterward, I caught up with Robert Ferrari, VP of Publishing and Business Development for Sanrio Digital (Hello Kitty Online), to discuss WoW. We discussed the free-to-play industry and whether or not World of Warcraft could eventually find a place in it. "WoW has to be looking at a free-to-play model currently," Ferrari theorized.
Transformers MMO to become a reality
The time has come for Autobots and Decepticons to roll out into the MMO world! As of this morning, we've heard news that Hasbro has entered into a contract agreement with Jagex (most commonly known for its popular free-to-play title, RuneScape) to develop a brand-new game based on the incredibly popular Transformers IP. While details on just what players can expect from the Transformers MMO are still scarce at this point, the release states that the developers are aiming to launch the game sometime in 2012. Will this also be a free-to-play title, considering Jagex's experience? Will this be geared more toward children than adults? Will we be able to build our own super-awesome Transformers or just play as iconic characters? At this point it's all up in the air, but rest assured we'll keep our ears open for more news.
Gamigo opens the news floodgates
"Cry havoc, and unleash the titles of war" might as well be gamigo's cry, as today it has seen fit to give us what can only be termed as a new title news explosion. Aside from offering up an interesting tidbit on its upcoming space dogfighter, Black Prophecy, the company has released information on a handful of other new titles that should pique the interest of gamers who are looking for something beyond the standard free-to-play MMO fare. Better still, some of these titles will be available in-browser, helping to open up more "jump in and game" free-to-play options. Grimlands offers something for players who have been waiting for a post-apocalyptic title that promises the ability to evolve their own playstyles -- and cities. UFO Online: Fight for Earth features a tactics-heavy browser-based MMO environment where players will battle against each other and enemy NPCs in a world overrun with gobsmackingly enormous amounts of aliens. Magic Campus offers adventure in a turn-based world where players build a powerful cadre of pets and mentor others in the ways of magic -- all in their browsers. Sound intriguing? Join us behind the break for a first look at screenshots and video from these upcoming gamigo titles!
Alter-Ego: DCUO's console conundrum
With the first month of DC Universe Online now in the past, the time has come for that all-important MMO decision -- is the game worth renewing? For some, the answer is no. The first major patch still has not dropped; it's meant to offer us many fixes and the new content we've been told is coming. Some players have hit the level cap and aren't interested in leveling alts or doing endgame content. Whatever each person's reason may be, the shine is wearing off for some. Meanwhile, Hal Halpin, President of the Entertainment Consumer's Association, recently wrote a piece that presented another reason that some may not be renewing: Console gamers are feeling that Sony Online Entertainment has been less than open about the game's being locked to a single account. Many are upset about not being able to trade DC Universe Online in for another game now that their free month is up. His reasoning? "The problem, of course, is that console games are sold and the ownership conveyed, along with rights." There's only one flaw in that statement: This isn't anything new -- not even on consoles.
Nexon America's pre-paid card empire
Nexon America CEO Daniel Kim tells an interesting story about how his company created one of the biggest phenomena in gaming retail lately: The pre-paid card. Nowadays, you can find rows of pre-paid cards for Nexon's microtransaction-based games like MapleStory or Vindictus lining the shelves of any 7-11 or Target. But a few years ago, both Target and its customers had to be sold on the idea. Kim and his company came up with a way to teach customers how it worked, right inside a browser-based MMO. "We had a quest in-game, to go to Target in-game, to the section where they had the game cards," Kim says. Target kept the cards not in the gaming section, but in the music section alongside iTunes gift cards. "So three months leading up to the actual release of the card, we actually had a quest in-game to go get allowance from an NPC, go to the Target store, go to the music section, go find a CD card." The training worked. "Day one," says Kim, "the cards were released, they were sold out in so many stores. They called us and said, 'We gotta print more cards.'"
Alter-Ego: Working together is hard to do
The news earlier this week that DC Universe Online is now Sony Online Entertainment's best-selling game probably won't come as much of a surprise to anyone who has actually played it. There's an enormous amount of fun to be had in running through the game, and the storylines are incredibly well thought-out. However, for all that I personally love the game, there is one thing that I and many other people I've talked to find to be incredibly lacking, and in this case, it's something so integral to the MMOG experience as to essentially make or break parts of the game. Essentially, what point is there to an MMO in which you can't really reliably interact with the other people you're playing with? It's also rather eye-opening just how much your enjoyment of a game like this can be impacted when you can't effectively talk to other people. As such, this week I'll look at several crucial problems with the DC Universe Online chat interface, as well as things that can be done to improve the overall experience.
Q Entertainment announces Ninety-Nine Nights Online
Ninety-Nine Nights was already a game featuring a great many dudes on-screen at any one time -- however, developer Q Entertainment has announced a move for the franchise that should exponentially bump up that number. The studio recently revealed Ninety-Nine Nights Online, an Action-MMO for the PC, which adds a number of persistent RPG elements (such as multiple job classes, parties and PvP) to the series' familiar strategy-hack-and-slash formula. The game, which will follow the increasingly popular free-to-play, microtransaction-supported MMO business model, has yet to receive any firm release schedule details, nor has Q announced whether it would also drop in North America. Given the poor critical reception and even poorer sales garnered by the last installment in the series, we wouldn't be surprised if it passed us by.
Champions Online goes free-to-play January 25
Strap on your utility belts, friends -- it's almost crimefightin' time. Well, okay, it's been crimefightin' time for a while now, but on January 25, it's going to be complimentary crimefightin' time. That's the date when Cryptic Studios will flip the switch on Champions Online over to free-to-play, giving players access to the title at no cost with the option of purchasing additional "Adventure Packs" to expand your superheroic experience. If you'd rather have access to all these offerings from the start, you can continue to subscribe to the full game for $14.99. Oh, the change in price also comes with a change in title -- when the game relaunches, it'll be named Champions Online: Free-for-All. We don't get it. Is there going to be a bunch of new player vs. player functionality? Some kind of gruesome, super-powered bloodsport? Could it be that the heroes are -- oh, they mean "free, for all." Man, Cryptic should really reevaluate its use of punctuation.
Breakfast Topic: Is it the world or the gameplay that keeps you hooked?
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. When I first started playing WoW, I read every quest. I was a newbie who didn't know where anything was and didn't even know of the existence of addons to help me in my questing. So I often searched the quest text for clues about where to find mobs and items. As my game savvy increased, I read the quests less and less, until finally I didn't read them at all but rather clicked on my map to see where I needed to go and what I needed to kill. Now, I find myself slowing down again. The lore is interesting to me, and more and more, I realize how expansive the world is and how fun it is to participate in that world. I am not an RPer by any account, but I find myself wanting WoW to be a world and not just a game. Out of a desire to understand and enjoy the lore, some players have read Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, The Shattering, and other WoW / Warcraft-related books. Other players have absolutely no desire to know the lore and view WoW as a game that they enjoy playing -- not a live-action fantasy novel. Are you the sort of player who loves the lore? Or do you just play for the game action? %Poll-57582%
Massively's ho-ho-holiday MMO roundup for 2010
It's that time of year again -- when snow falls in lands that normally don't even see weather effects! When you're supposed to love your fellow elf, human, dwarf -- or at least maim them in the nicest, most brotherly way possible. As one would expect with a plethora of MMOs out on the market, there are gobsmackingly huge numbers of events to take advantage of. Being the festive holiday folks we are (well, OK, some of us anyway), we've gathered up a listing of some of the many things going on. So if you're curious about just what holiday merriment can be found out there, grab some egg nog (alcohol optional), click past the break, and dive into our festive roundup of holiday events. Also, be sure to keep an eye on Massively as Rubi continues giving great gifts to gamers galore in our 12 Days of Giveaways event!
