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Apple drops iPhone NDA
Apple's insistence on locking down iPhone developers with a restrictive NDA has been controversial from the start, and it looks like the company's seen the light -- it's just posted up a tersely-worded letter saying that the NDA is being dropped. It's a strange little note, actually -- the first paragraph comes off as a little defensive and whiny, if you ask us -- but we're not going to complain about anything that makes developing apps easier and faster for devs. Now let's work on not capriciously rejecting and deleting apps from the App Store, and maybe we can go back to focusing on the iPhone platform's actual merits instead of all these paperwork shenanigans -- we've got some suggestions if you're having a hard time figuring this out on your own.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPhone NDA dropped, developers rejoice
Apple has dropped the non-disclosure agreement ([effin'] NDA) for released iPhone software. In a statement to developers on its website, Apple said they put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes proprietary Apple software they wanted to protect. "However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone's success, so we are dropping it for released software," the statement read. Developers will receive a new agreement, sans-NDA, covering released software within a week or so. Unreleased software and features will remain under NDA until they are released, according to the statement. Apple also thanked everyone who provided "constructive feedback" on the issue. The full text, after the jump, and an update. [Via @chockenberry.]
Podcaster dev can't provision any more licenses
Developer Alex Sokirynsky wrote a blog post this morning saying Apple rescinded his authority to provision new ad-hoc licenses for his software, Podcaster. The blog post has since been removed, possibly because it violated his developer NDA. Sokirynsky believes that the licenses already provisioned will continue to work, and expressed disappointment -- but not surprise -- that Apple shut him down. He also said he would continue updating Podcaster, even though it's unclear if he has a means to distribute it. Podcaster users can contact Sokirynsky if they have questions about their device's ad-hoc status. Sokirynsky did not say how many devices he provisioned, though we do know it's at least 1,300.
Effin' NDA now applies to rejection letters, too
In response to the negative publicity surrounding some recent, high-profile rejections from the App Store, Apple is now reminding developers that the rejection notices themselves are covered under their non-disclosure agreements. In what is probably a recursive black hole of logic waiting to swallow the Earth whole, we now know that messages to developers now contain the line "the information contained in this message is under non-disclosure" in all caps. Not knowing the specific terms of the NDA (because I haven't signed an NDA with Apple), I can't personally say if those terms were in the contract to begin with. Knowing Apple's penchant for secrecy, they probably were, and they're just being a bit more forceful with their reminders. [Via MacRumors.]
The Daily Grind: Is WAR the WoW killer?
The Warhammer Online NDA has been lifted, and a veritable tidal wave of WAR-related information has struck the internet. The open beta test is imminent, but countless pre-order customers are already in the closed beta. The game's launch is only a month away! So this is a great time to ask for your predictions: is Warhammer Online the long-awaited World of Warcraft killer?Some folks hoped it would be Age of Conan, but while that game is doing all right, it hasn't lived up for the hype for everyone. Are all your hopes placed in WAR now, or will it take BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Online or Cryptic's Star Trek Online to move the genre into the next era? Hell, maybe WoW will never be dethroned by one game.Make your predictions here, but we have a disclaimer: we won't be held responsible for any shame and embarrassment when you're proven way off base in the future!
Warhammer Online NDA lifts tomorrow (August 19th)
The Warhammer Online NDA is expected to lift tomorrow, according to Mark Jacobs, GM of Mythic Entertainment. The announcement has popped up in a few places, but the message is clear: the NDA is lifting. Jacobs' announcement also touched upon why they're running the Open Beta as they are and early client downloads, but it's the NDA lift that seems to be catching most everyone's attention. Jacobs said, "We expect to lift it tomorrow morning. I was hoping it was going to be today but I wanted to wait till I got the beta reports from the weekend and we just didn't have enough time to get everything coordinated with our partners in order for the press release to go out today." Jacobs also stated that he'll explain the reasons for the delayed NDA release tomorrow. WAR bloggers everywhere are already freaking out (in a good way) over the news, so expect a literal flood of Warhammer Online info for tomorrow. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Warhammer Online NA open beta begins September 7th
Oi you lazy gits, listen 'ere or we'll beat you up good! Warhamma Online 'as got an official North American open beta date an' it's Septemba 7f!Oh, excuse us, we must have had some kind of green- thing, in our throats. So anyhow, everyone who pre-orders the game (at select retail partners, of course) will get to play free of charge for just over one week until the game launches on September 16th. Also, all testers in the closed beta will automatically receive open beta access, too. What's interesting is that there is no mention of the open beta rank 20 level cap spoken of on the official pre-order page. It's probably just happenstance, but the omission is a bit odd.If you're just too impatient and want to know everything that can be known about Warhammer Online as soon as possible, then check out our pre-NDA lift coverage of the Dark Elf and High Elf content, tiers one and two. Also, watch out for full coverage of every race and more from Massively as soon as the NDA is fully lifted.[via Press Release][Update] Added source and updated post to reflect information on the official pre-order page[Update 2] There appears to be an official open beta website, but it's currently down. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
WRUP: NDA going down edition
In this, our weekly query of what you good readers are up to in the world of MMOs, we're probably going to see more and more people talking about playing games that aren't actually out yet, as those seem to be the hottest lately. Case in point: Wrath of the Lich King dropped its NDA a few weeks ago, and ever since, there's been nothing but great news coming out of that. And Warhammer Online, the next big kid on the block, is about to drop its beta NDA, which means brace yourself for a flood of news about that one as well. In this weird dry period of new videogames before the flood of great releases this fall, it seems the games that haven't even come out yet are the biggest draws around.So what are you playing this weekend? Even if you're under NDA, you can tell us that you're playing "something," and if you're not, drop into the comments below and share with us what you're up to, whether its heading back into Star Wars Galaxies to get yourself psyched about the new movie, still playing around with Tabula Rasa, or spilling guts in Age of Conan. What aRe yoU Playing?Previously on WRUP...
A lengthy Warhammer Online journal
There have been plenty of previews for Warhammer Online over the last year or two. So when the guys over at Gamespy got beta access they decided to try for something other than the standard preview. They created a journal chronicling their experience as they played through the game. You'll get a more personal experience of the game content in its early levels this way. Of course, the downside is you've got tons of pages to sift through for your information. So it may not be for everybody, especially if you want a concise bullet-point preview of the game.With the NDA lifting in just a week from now though, you can be sure to find plenty of focused opinions about Warhammer Online all over the net. You can of course expect an enormous information blowout from us here at Massively, too. Hell, we've already got an initial blowout on the site! Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
WAR NDA (probably) ends next week, CE pre-orders to join closed beta
Mythic's Mark Jacobs wrote a post-announcement update on the Vault Network boards today. The purpose of the post was to clarify some of the details about the release date, pre-orders, and the beta test. Warhammer Online fans should definitely read the post. Most of what he said was clarification about known information, but there were a couple big reveals.Jacob hopes that the nondisclosure agreement (NDA) that prevents current WAR beta testers from publicly discussing their experiences will end next week. He noted that three issues have been preventing the team from taking that step so far, but that progress has been made and resolutions are imminent.The other big news: folks who pre-ordered the Collector's Edition of the game will soon be invited to participate in the closed beta test. This is probably only a small win for those folks, given the rumors that the open beta is a couple weeks away. Jacobs declined to confirm a date for the open beta, saying that the announcement will come when the game is 100% ready. Not committing is a wise move in light of the problems Age of Conan had in its open beta event. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
iPhone 2.1 SDK Disappointments
Something is rotten in the state of Cupertino. Mr. Jobs, TEAR DOWN THIS NDA. If the new iPhone 2.1 beta firmware is anything, it's a perfect excuse to say: "I told you so." It explains why the NDA failed to disappear on schedule. Apple kept its promise -- "Ve shall delivah the 2.0 iPhone und SDK on Yuly 11th" -- while working around the fact that that SDK was half baked at best. It was certainly not ready for prime time. The NDA simply expands the beta period. It offers cover to Apple, as they scramble to finish developing ready-to-ship software. In retrospect, there really was no need for the NDA in the first place, nor this second new 2.1 NDA that just debuted. Anyone, including Apple's competitors -- even the really evil "big brother" ones -- can sign up and download the SDK for free. Apple isn't exactly keeping things hush hush on the down low. All the NDA does right now is keep developers from talking to each other and blogs, magazines and book authors from publishing how-to articles. Said articles, etc., could actually help Apple reduce its tech support overhead. It would certainly help solidify the brand and allow third parties to make better, stronger App Store entries. It made no sense then. It makes no sense now. But that's not where the grumbling ends. Our TUAW tipsters have been busy. They tell us that Apple is busy rejecting Applications from the App Store for grammar mistakes in onboard help files (not a joke) and for not presenting the user with the best playability options (also not a joke). Many of these frustrated developers tell us that some of their products have been waiting for review for four weeks and up and that their updates are getting caught in the gears. One wrote that his apps are getting poor reviews while fixes can't see the light of day. And if the TUAW tipsters' tips are true (thanks TUAW tipsters), the new SDK throws a further wrench into the gears. 2.0 SDK Applications will not be immediately compatible with version 2.1 (although that could change between beta and release). Other tremendously terrific tipsters tell us that the newest beta program isn't fully open. Apparently only a subset of iPhone SDK development members have been granted access. That once again puts some developers at a tremendous financial disadvantage. All in all, the buzz in developer circles is not happy. While some look forward to their first August paychecks from App Store, others remain waiting and frustrated in the wings. As always, please continue to use our tip line if you have anything you want to add anonymously to the discussion. Otherwise, feel free to opine in our comments.
WordPress for iPhone source now available
When I first heard that the iPhone WordPress app was open source I thought that was cool, but what about the SDK NDA (that's nondisclosure agreement, which means you won't share any information you're told with anyone)? It would seem that the fine folks at WordPress aren't too worried about that bothersome NDA because they are now sharing the source code of the app via their SVN server. It'll be interesting to see if Apple releases the legal hounds upon WordPress or not. If they do it means that Apple is still considering the iPhone SDK NDA serious business, but if they just let WordPress distribute the code I wage we'll see plenty of other devs posting iPhone code of their own.
TUAW Memewatch: iPhone developers irked over still-active NDA
On July 11, the iPhone SDK emerged from beta sparkling with dew. Trumpets sounded and a few frolicking nymphs danced in joy. The dawn shone bright, the sky offered the blue promise of a new day. And there in the meadow of newly released products stood a mass of grumpy developers shouting: "What about the *@!$%ing NDA?" For the happy blue release fairy had granted the developers' wishes but had neglected one teeny tiny detail: the restrictive, regressive NDA still ruled over iPhone-land from its dark menacing tower in far-off Cupertino. The hard-working developers could not bring forth their coding jewels from the mines of iPhone Mordor. Instead, they labored under the cruel chains of confidential information and non-specific release clauses. Moreover, their inability to talk freely with one another about their challenges and successes hampered the advancement of the platform. And then voices rose up: "We're mad as heck! And we're not going to take it any more!" And thus was born, Effing NDA.com. (Yes, that has been bowdlerized and the link is NSFW). Developers started tweeting their rage -- from the high hills of Oz to the depths of Silicon Valley. And how does this little fairy tale end? We don't know for sure. It all rests in Apple's hands. Let's hope for a happy ending.
Law of the Game on Joystiq: Non-Disclosure Agre3ments
Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq, a column on legal issues as they relate to video games: As we wrap up our E3 2008 coverage here at Joystiq HQ, I thought it might be a good time to take a look at what makes many of E3's big surprises possible: the non-disclosure agreement. Non-disclosure agreements, or NDAs, are common not only in the gaming industry but in virtually all industries, and I've drafted my fair share of them. However, they are exceedingly prevalent in the game industry because of their application to not only game company employees but also members of the press who are given early access to titles subject to media blackouts, which are just another form of non-disclosure agreement.So, what is an NDA? At the simplest level, it's just another contract, but one that limits someone's ability to share certain information, sometimes with anyone and sometimes with certain designated people, for a set period of time. The NDA arose because companies have to share information with employees and outsiders, and those companies need to manage the risk of having that confidential information leaked to the public or to competitors. NDAs may be stand alone contracts or provisions of larger agreements, largely depending on the context in which they are needed.
WotLK Alpha NDA lifted
Nethaera posted in the beta forums that the NDA for the Wrath of the Lich King Alpha has been lifted. In response to a question asking if people could share things from the Alpha, Neth says "Feel free to discuss at will." This is great news for everyone that wants to talk about the alpha material legally. Those who've been part of the Alpha will get to post troves of information and stories that they've collected. I'm sure some of them will be going up on WoW Insider soon enough, and these will only expand as beta invites become more active.The Alpha NDA was a source of tension for a lot of people, especially those in the Alpha. Several set up or contributed to sites like DeathKnight.info and WotlkWiki.com. It was very difficult, if not impossible, for Blizzard to enforce the NDA. However they were successful in forcing WotLKWiki.com to relocate.It will be interesting to see what the repercussions of the lifted NDA end up to be. One thing is for sure though, and that's that we're starting to see new and exciting information about WotLK come out minute by minute. Stay tuned!
New EndWar beta leak features X3F shout-out [Update]
Update: Descending upon the footage with ninja swiftness (we assume) the video leak of EndWar has been pulled. With the beta ending in a few days we recommend that anyone attempting to do it again just let bygones be bygones and wait for some new, non-NDA footage. Or at least don't mention us 'cuz we think you're crazy!A few weeks ago we reported an EndWar beta tester leaked footage of the upcoming Tom Clancy RTS title -- non-disclosure agreement be damned. While reactions to our report of the leak were mixed, Ubisoft ended the controversy by putting the kibosh on the video. A little over an hour ago the same tester took it upon himself to upload a new clip of the beta -- which ends on July 7 -- taking our joking advice to "get a capture card, buddy."While we don't condone the action or recommend that anyone leak footage of anything under NDA, we chuckled when our name came up. At least we know someone listens to the dog and pony show that is the Xbox 360 Fancast.Also to give credit where it's due, it was our commander-in-chief (Rich) who threw out the capture card recommendation. Check out the footage above, before Ubisoft sends out the lawyer-ninjas.[Thanks, Keller]
US registration for Wrath beta now open
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/WoW_Wrath_of_the_Lich_King_beta_registration_opens'; US accounts are now able to access the beta registration from https://www.worldofwarcraft.com/account/beta-opt-in.html and opt-in for the Wrath of the Lich King beta. EU accounts saw this feature implemented a short time ago. It looks like the leak from the German Community Manager Gnorog is holding up to be true.Remember that when you opt in, you are not guaranteed a spot, and you will likely not get an email inviting you to the beta right away. Instead your name will go into a pool of players who will then be chosen for the beta. That's why they call it opting in.This is a good time to remain vigilant about email scams and other malicious programs that might try to get your user name, password, and other account information. Never share these with anyone other than official worldofwarcraft.com websites.If the beta invites do start going out soon, expect us at WoW Insider to let our friends and families know what's really important this holiday weekend: bringing everyone late breaking WotLK news, all while enjoying their finely cooked BBQ food. I'll take two burgers to go with jalapeno cheese and a Corona. %Gallery-5525% WoW Insider has the latest Wrath information for you including a list of the Death Knight spells, abilities and talents demo'd at last weekend's WWI in Paris, as well as complete write ups of all the Wrath WWI panels with analysis.
The neverending NDA?
Non-disclosure agreements or NDAs have traditionally been thought of as a burden that gamers have only begrudgingly borne because they want early access to a game. For a variety of reasons, developers often don't want people going around and blabbing about their new titles, either because the game is still in a very unfinished state and the comments wouldn't be generally positive, or for marketing reasons having to do with hype and release timing.So when we read one blogger suggest that a developer actually extend the NDA indefinitely post-release, at first we weren't really sure what to make of the idea. He suggests that it would give developers the leverage to eliminate game guides and third-party sources of information that really marginalize the difficulty of content by letting players gain knowledge of encounters before they've experienced them. He suggests that it would have the benefit of strengthening inter-personal bonds and information sharing within the game. While this is true, we can only imagine the explosive legal battles that would precede this sort of system. Still, it's a novel idea to think about.[Via Mythical Blog]
Breaking: Wrath of the Lich King is in alpha
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Confirmed_Wrath_of_the_Lich_King_is_in_closed_alpha'; We had some hints that this would happen soon and now WoW Insider has confirmed through anonymous sources that the next expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, is in closed alpha status, and that various players are being invited to check it out, under a strict NDA.Alpha is part of the software release life cycle -- a software product in development goes from alpha status to beta status (sometimes including a "closed beta," where a limited few are invited to preview and test the software, and an "open beta,", where anyone can download and try out the beta), to "release candidates" and then "gold" (the final version, used to print the media to be available for sale). This doesn't tell us anything about the timing of the expansion's release (especially since Blizzard historically takes their time going through this cycle), but it does tell us that Wrath's content is in a playable and mostly completed form -- quests, game mechanics, and items are in, even if specific flavor text, names, and even textures are not.We'll keep an eye, as usual, on any other news we see coming out of Blizzard, through official or unofficial channels. Wrath of the Lich King, the second expansion of World of Warcraft, is in alpha testing. The journey to Northrend has begun. Update: A word to the wise: this is not an open beta, and any email or site that tells you to sign up for one is still scamming you. When open beta comes down, we'll hear about it on Blizzard's official site. This is just news that the next expansion has moved up a notch in its development, and that we're one step closer to an official open beta.%Gallery-20386%%Gallery-5525% Check out more information on WoW's upcoming expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, including a look at the new Death Knight class and the new creatures that infest Northrend.
LotRO players, Isengard calls you!
More specifically, active players of LotRO: Shadows of Angmar are eligible to participate in testing new and revised content well in advance of any of it appearing on public servers! This is the Isengard Programme, named after the tower in which Saruman consolidated his power (yes, lore fans, I know its history goes much further back, but if I type it all out, I'll never get this post completed).The requirements for acceptance as a tester are: Must be age 18 or older Agreement to a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) A solid grasp of the English language If you're one of those people who keep checking the 'Net for news of updates and new content, this position is perfect for you! If you're interested in participating, please send an e-mail to isengardeurope@codemasters.com and tell them a little bit about your LotRO experience. You should include the following in this e-mail:Name:Date of birth:Forum name:Best forum post / bug submission:Your own LOTRO experience:Here's the originating link, for you purists out there. Seats are limited, so get cracking on this ASAP![Thanks, Boltar!]
