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Rumor: Leak suggests the next WoW expansion is nearly feature-complete
So, ready to jump on the rumor mill? Because it's churning out big stuff about Blizzard today. An anonymous source from inside the company has apparently claimed that World of Warcraft's next expansion has quadrupled its art outsourcing and is nearly feature-complete. The source also claimed that Hearthstone is doing banner business, with its next expansion set to release in April with a heavier PvE focus. Darker news was revealed for the other franchises under the company's banner. The next part of StarCraft II is done but with no release date. Overwatch is in the midst of debates over business model and payment plans, with the studio pushing for a 2015 release but most likely going for 2016. Meanwhile, Heroes of the Storm has low expectations among the upper management and the Diablo III team has been "completely gutted." It's up to you you believe the rumors, of course, although come April, they might look rather plausible.
The Daily Grind: Are there any MMO dailies that don't make you cringe?
You know what I don't think MMOs need more of? Dailies. I think most core MMO gamers are tired of a mechanic that exists, transparently and unashamedly, to keep us completing repetitive tasks on a daily basis and keep us logging in, and in some cases, paying our subs. Even a well-constructed daily achievement system and totally benign daily login rewards can be irritating. But out on the fringes of the MMO space, gamers are just discovering the allure of the daily. VG247 pubbed an editorial last week arguing that GTA Online ought to copy -- wait for it -- Destiny's "intrinsic" dailies and rewards; without them, the writer opined, players are "reminded that the grind is most certainly real." Call me jaded, but I say themepark dailies are usually just as grindy as whatever formless grind they're meant to replace, and I suspect the players who need something to do at the "end" of online co-op shooters would probably be happier with a sandboxier MMORPG to begin with. But surely there's some sort of dailies that we do like. Are there any MMO dailies that don't make you cringe? Which game can boast the best? (And can we tell GTA Online to copy those, please?) 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!
Blizzard's Overwatch bumps into trademark issues
Remember when no one knew what Overwatch was and we were all speculating it was some sort of expansion based on the fact that the trademark had been filed? Oh, it was a more innocent time. Unfortunately for that trademark, it might be having a little bit of a problem after all, as it has come to light that another company filed an earlier claim for the trademark that would supersede Blizzard's use of the name due to likelihood of confusion. The trademark that has already been filed is for an app that can be used to provide enhanced functionality for paintball matches, laser tag matches, and the like. Both trademark applications are currently suspended pending investigations, so it remains to be seen whether Blizzard will be pushing forward or will change the name of the game to something legally different. Like Oversupervise, for instance.
Survarium's still a thing, now in Euro open beta
Whatever happened to Survarium, the online FPS from the makers of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.? Well, it's in open beta as of today, at least for our friends in Europe. OBT features Team Deathmatch and Battery Retrieval PvP. Developer Vostok Games writes that "the transition of the game to the stage of open-beta in Europe does not mean the end of project development; on the contrary, we plan to further develop Survarium and introduce lots of new features, including the long-awaited FreePlay (PvE) mode."
F.E.A.R. Online comes to S.T.E.A.M.
As we all know, your games are incapable of being scary if they're not powered by the hatred of a forsaken child. That's why you need a jolt of F.E.A.R. Online this Halloween, an experience that is easier than ever to procure now that it's on Steam. You'll also be happy to know that the Desert Storm M4A1 DLC is currently on sale at 10% off, bringing it down from $0.99 to $0.89. This online free-to-play horror-themed shooter features both a co-op and PvP mode, the latter of which can turn players into literal beasts. F.E.A.R. also has a Soul King mode that allows players to "possess" enemy mobs in order to attack fellow players from any direction.
Heroes & Generals trailer reminds you that wars aren't won by tanks alone
Reto-Moto already has one of the best-looking World War II combat sims on the market, but now it's firing a shot across the bow of its competition with Heroes & Generals' new "Wars Aren't Won by Tanks Alone" trailer. New weapons and vehicles are coming to H&G's live servers in short order, and Reto-Moto reminds you that "you need soldiers to win a war -- not just tanks and planes!" Click past the cut for the trailer and the full press release. [Source: Reto-Moto press release]
Blacklight Retribution adds Sonic Tomahawk, Dropzone map
Zombie Studios has updated its Blacklight Retribution multiplayer shooter. The title, which is published by Perfect World, now boasts a new map called Dropzone that hearkens back to Zombie's 2010 Blacklight: Tango Down. Zombie says that due to the map's small size, gameplay will be "fast and frenetic." The team has also raised the level cap from 40 to 50 and added new titles, camouflage, and gear including Riot Shield and Sonic Tomahawk melee weapons. [Source: Perfect World press release]
Aeria to publish F.E.A.R. Online
Quick, which F2P company do you think is publishing an online version of the much-loved psychological horror-thriller-first-person-shooter F.E.A.R. franchise? If you said Aeria, the firm that brought us Eden Eternal and Lime Odyssey, well, you get a gold star. Anyway, yes, Aeria is publishing F.E.A.R. Online, which appears to be a continuation of the story of Alma Wade who has served as the series' primary mystery and antagonist since the original 2005 Monolith title. Aeria's press release mentions a co-op mode and several competitive team modes, with the new title's story supposedly running parallel to that of 2009's F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. Though Aeria is publishing the game in the west, it is actually being developed in Korea by Inplay Interactive. You can sign up for a beta slot on the title's official website. [Source: Aeria press release]
Bungie's Chris Butcher talks about Destiny's public areas
Is Destiny a shooter with MMO elements or an MMO with a lot of shooting elements? According to a recent video interview with Chris Butcher, it's the former, and seeing as he's the Engineering Lead at Bungie he probably knows what he's talking about. But there's also some more nuance to the game which Butcher explains, and while it might not fall comfortably within the MMO header it's got a lot of persistent options. Butcher explains in the video how the game's many public areas work -- there's no UI elements to let you know that you've entered a shared space, just the sudden sight of other players alongside the announcement of dynamic events in the area. It's certainly an interesting take on shared spaces, and it's more than you might expect from a straight shooter. If you're looking forward to the game, the video embedded past the cut is well worth your time.
E3 2013: Ubisoft announces 'MMO shooter' The Division
Ubisoft has announced Tom Clancy's The Division, a "massive online" title about which very little is known. Game Informer labels it an "MMO shooter," but thus far there is no information about the number of supported or simultaneous players or whether or not the title will feature some sort of persistent world. The website says that Ubisoft has "designed the title without classes and with solo play in mind," including a flexible build system, instanced encounters, and group content that encourages players to actually group due to a lack of difficulty scaling. Touch Arcade reports that tablet players can jump in as drones alongside regular players. You can view a gameplay teaser after the cut. [Thanks to Paul for the official link!]
The Firing Line: On Destiny, Tribes GOTY, and Ghost in the Shell
It's been a pretty eventful week for online shooter news, and The Firing Line is back to help you catch up on all the tidbits you might've missed. Since we've got so much to cover, what say we skip the usual game journo intro puns and get right to it?
Get into Grimlands' second closed beta starting today
Guess what? Grimlands' second closed beta phase is here, but it only lasts through Wednesday, December 5th! The post-apocalyptic shooter now features a total of 23 dungeons, as well as more mercenaries and mutants. Publisher gamigo says that Grimlands is also sporting an overhauled UI, "substantially more intelligent opponents, a reworked shooter feeling, and improved graphic effects." This beta phase has room for 10,000 testers, and you can download the client by registering on the game's official website. You can also get a look at the official CBT2 trailer after the cut. [Source: gamigo press release]
Reto-Moto partners with Square Enix to publish Heroes & Generals
It's been a while since we last reported on Heroes & Generals. The free-to-play World War II shooter is alive and well, though. As of yesterday, it's even sporting a new publishing arrangement with gaming behemoth Square Enix. Heroes & Generals is being developed by Reto-Moto, a danish firm founded by the creators of the ultra-successful Hitman series. The game mixes squad-based first-person shooter combat with a deep tactical mode, and it does so with state-of-the-art visuals and a browser-based delivery method. H&G is also renowned for the amount of community feedback its developers solicit (and act upon), and Reto-Moto says that partnering with a big publisher won't change that. "We'll continue to run a community-driven development [environment], and the main difference to how we've run things so far is that Square Enix will be handling marketing and PR. Oh, and we'll also be able to deliver a lot more content and expand the game a lot faster," the firm says. [Thanks to Reesracer for the tip!]
Leaked dev blog: Bungie's Destiny project 'still quite like Halo'
Remember Bungie? Its Halo franchise helped define the console shooter genre, and even though it surrendered the IP to Microsoft and had nothing to do with this week's ginormous Halo 4 release, the firm is still on our radar. That's because its Destiny project is still in full swing, and Kotaku has published excerpts from an internal Demonware blog, whose author got some hands-on time with the game at a recent company function. So, wait, who or what is Demonware? It's a development firm that "handles online infrastructure for Activision's titles and also lists Bungie" as a partner, Kotaku says. In any event, a senior Demonware employee wrote the following on the company blog (which has since been removed): "This is not a dedicated server game, but there is some simulation and coordination running in their server infrastructure. The game was up and down a lot, playing in a team of three we did manage to experience entering a zone to find other players already taking on the bad guys. It's cooperative so we helped out [...] before both groups went their separate ways." The author went on to compare the game's "sense of exploration" to Elite, and he also said that Destiny is "still quite like Halo."
The Firing Line: Exclusive Blacklight Retribution Evac Q&A
It's been a while since The Firing Line took a look at Zombie Studios' Blacklight: Retribution title. The sci-fi shooter, published in conjunction with free-to-play giant Perfect World, has added quite a bit of content since that pre-launch preview, and more is coming this week courtesy of the Evacuation Update (including a new map and premium/private server functionality). Join us after the cut for an exclusive chat with Zombie devs on that and more. %Gallery-126205%
Aeria accepting Born to Fire closed beta signups
Aeria Games has issued a press release about its latest free-to-play effort, a lobby shooter called Born to Fire. The title features five classes and three game modes (deathmatch, bomb defusal, and siege), along with 12 distinct maps. The game also boasts a replay function that works from either player perspectives or a free-floating camera. Classes include the Ranger, Sniper, Heavyfire EX, Point Man, and Dual Gunner. You can read further details on each archetype at the official Born to Fire website. Aeria is also accepting closed beta signups. [Source: Aeria press release]
Exclusive: Grimlands dev talks post-apocalyptic PvP, item decay, and more
During last month's E3 and earlier this year at GDC, we got a chance to lay our hands on Grimlands, a new sandbox-shooter hybrid from gamigo. Given the game's post-apocalyptic setting and our fondness for open-world, off-the-rails titles, we were quite excited to take it for a spin. We also had plenty of questions for the devs, and fortunately product manager Bjoern Cahnbley was able to answer a few of them. Head past the cut to find out about PvP flagging, item decay, vehicles, and a lot more.
The Firing Line: Heroes & Generals dev talks planes, boats, and massive FPS action
I've become fairly obsessed with Heroes & Generals lately. The browser-based World War II shooter-cum-strategy game is still in beta, but it's wicked fun to play (and to watch). If you missed our previous coverage, you'll need to know that H&G is the brainchild of Reto-Moto, a firm composed of Hitman franchise veterans based in Copenhagen. Reto-Moto game director Jacob Andersen was kind enough to field a few of my questions regarding the title's claim to massive FPS action. He also talked at length about the merits of connecting with the fan community as well as the game's aerial, amphibious, and ground-based aspirations. Join us after the cut.
New Heroes & Generals trailer shows gameplay, community
We told you earlier this week about Heroes & Generals, the new World War II strategy/shooter mashup from Reto-Moto. Today the devs have a released a new promotional trailer called Come Out to Play, which is a tongue-in-cheek mixture of real-world footage and clips from the game. Reto-Moto invited a few of H&G's most active community members to pal around with the dev team at various locations near the firm's Copenhagen studio. The new trailer is the result, and Reto-Moto says it's a nod to the fact that the game really is built with its community in mind. "We wish to create a living and breathing game universe, where we deliver the setting and the scene, but the real star is the community who plays out all the active roles in a persistent war and helps us tweak the experience into the game that they want to play," says game director Jacob Andersen. [Source: Reto-Moto press release]
CJ announces new Sin Streets online FPS
We're not sure whether CJ E&M's new online FPS title is an MMO or not, but the maker of Uncharted Waters has an interesting game on its hands regardless of classification. Sin Streets is billed as an "urban online FPS" in the company's new press release, and we've found a trailer that riffs on noirish comic-style vignettes that you can see after the cut. We'll also be getting some face time with CJ at next week's E3, so look for more info on Sin Streets in a few days.
