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Reakktor and gamigo release Black Prophecy tutorial videos
If you're having trouble sleeping at night, Reakktor and gamigo have a series of new Black Prophecy tutorial videos that just might do the trick. OK, that's mean, but the producers could stand to work on the monotone voiceover that drones throughout the entirety of three separate clips. Happily, the clips themselves are pretty informative, and they cover interface basics, advanced UI features, and basic game functions. If you're new to MMOs or new to the world of Black Prophecy, it's probably worth spending the 10 minutes required to check them out (and of course you can do so after the break). Just make sure you've got a Red Bull instead of a glass of warm milk.
Black Prophecy unveils Space Superstar contest
Feeling like a Black Prophecy superstar? The recently launched free-to-play space shooter is looking for a few good designers to take advantage of the game's character creation tools. The Space Superstar competition will feature three winners, one each in the categories of coolest, funniest, and most beautiful avatar. What do you get for your trouble? Immortality (or at least, the MMORPG version of it). Each category champ will have their character entered as the new preset in Black Prophecy's character creator. The contest kicked off yesterday and it runs through Wednesday, August 3rd, so what the frak are you waiting for?
Black Prophecy North American launch day round-up
It's launch day for Black Prophecy, and while the impending blast-off probably won't generate as much publicity as last week's final space shuttle mission, it's nonetheless a day long remembered for fans of spaceships, sci-fi, and Reakktor's free-to-play followup to Neocron. But wait a minute, didn't Black Prophecy launch last March? Why yes, yes it did... in Europe. Today marks the official North American street date, and Massively's got you covered in terms of all the Black Prophecy news that's fit to print. Join us after the cut for recaps of the European launch, the North American closed beta phase, and a bunch of other blurbs to tide you over until you're able to strap into your very own internet spaceship.
Black Prophecy launches North American open beta
E3 is still in full swing, but Reakktor and gamigo are already looking past the publicity-soaked annual gaming convention and into the future. That future is now for North American fans of Black Prophecy, and today marks the beginning of open beta for the title that launched in Europe last March. Black Prophecy features real-time dogfighting, customizable ships, storylines, and open-world gameplay, all set against an interstellar backdrop punctuated by constant war and lush visuals. You can register for the open beta on the game's official website, as well as download the client. Be sure to check out all our previous coverage to get up to speed.
Black Prophecy stress testing U.S. servers this weekend
Black Prophecy may have debuted in Europe a couple of months back, but the free-to-play sci-fi title is still sitting on the launch pad here in the States. The date is drawing closer, though, as gamigo is gearing up to stress test the game's American servers beginning Thursday, May 26th. The publisher is also offering an unspecified launch-day gift to players who log in and test from May 26th through May 29th. If you were part of the recent closed beta events, you're cordially invited to help break the servers this weekend, and you should be receiving an official email summons if you haven't already. You'll need your closed beta account credentials, which can be looked up under your gamigo master account if you've forgotten. You'll also want to grab the American beta client and have a look at what's changed via the official forums.
Black Prophecy North American closed beta begins
It's only been a couple of days since the official European launch of Reakktor's Black Prophecy, but North American fans of the free-to-play sci-fi title have been feeling left out in the cold due to a general lack of availability. Happily, gamigo and Reakktor have posted a news blurb on the game's website officially announcing the start of the North American closed beta. Reakktor also states that the first thousand invites have been sent, with more coming very soon, in addition to beta key giveaways with various gaming press outlets. While there's no word on an official American launch date as of yet, we can tell you that Massively has a few beta keys up our sleeves, so stay tuned for further details. Black Prophecy boasts real-time combat, modular ship design, and a deep crafting component, all married to a state-of-the-art graphics engine and wrapped in an enthralling sci-fi backstory.
Black Prophecy blasts off in Europe today
T-minus three, two, one... and that sound you hear is the latest space-based MMORPG lifting off the launch pad, heading for the stratosphere and the stars beyond. At least, that's what gamigo and Reakktor are hoping when it comes to Black Prophecy, which officially takes a bow in Europe today. Beta characters, clans, and clan sectors will be wiped for the kickoff, and Black Prophecy will initially feature both an English and a German server. Snowcrash (no, not that one) has posted a note informing customers of impending forum downtime and has also let us know that game updates will be available via the launcher application while the launch-day forum restructuring is in progress. "This is not an end. It's a beginning; the foundation is laid and we will now move forward with the continued development of Black Prophecy after its release," says assistant production manager Chris "Snowcrash" Schutt. While you're waiting to log in -- or stuck at work -- check out our coverage roundup after the cut and get caught up on the biggest Black Prophecy news items from the past few months.
Gamigo buys Black Prophecy, buys into Reakktor Media
When it comes to free-to-play games, we don't often see the licensing companies buying titles outright. Normally, we're prone to seeing licensing agreements until a game has launched or when two companies have a history of working together quite a lot. Nonetheless, today gamigo proved that it really believes in how much players are going to enjoy its upcoming space dogfighter, Black Prophecy, by buying all rights and trademarks related to the game from Reakktor Media. The other interesting piece of news is that at the same time as the Black Prophecy acquisition, gamigo also opted to pick up nearly 20% of Reakktor Media. All remaining shares of Reakktor Media remain under the control of the company's CEO, Kirk Lenke, which effectively puts all development control moving forward between Reakktor and gamigo. If you really don't care about corporate merges and buyouts, then there's still a nugget of news to be gleaned for you. In amongst all the happy congratulations and notes about how this will make things better and easier for the two companies was a note that we should "[look] forward to seeing Black Prophecy go live in the very near future." (Emphasis theirs.) Whether it will simply mark open beta or something more, we'll have to wait and see.
Video shows off voicework in Black Prophecy
As every day passes, more and more people are joining the Black Prophecy beta testing. Slowly, the localizations are being smoothed out, and even more goodies are being added into this hotly anticipated sci-fi space dogfighter MMO. For those of you who haven't quite made it in as yet, as well as those who have but are curious about the nuts-and-bolts, Gamigo and Reakktor Media have released a video today that offers an interesting look at ongoing behind-the-scenes production. In this video, we take a trip to Periscope Studios and T-Recs Studios to watch just a little bit of how the voicework is done. Along with that, we're treated to a look at just how they get the voice to match the mouth animations of the NPCs without it looking completely silly or taking obnoxious amounts of time. Whether this upcoming free-to-play game is on your personal radar or you're more the type who is fascinated with the overall industry, it's a video worth spending a few minutes of your life to check out. We've embedded this new behind-the-scenes video after the break for your viewing pleasure.
Black Prophecy drops NDA, gears up for open beta
Have you been dreaming of the day when you could fly through space and shoot folks down, dogfighter-style? Did you think that the best part of Star Wars Galaxies was the Jump To Lightspeed addition? Well, if that's the case, then you're in for a treat as the NDA has finally been lifted on Reakktor Media's space battletastic MMO, Black Prophecy. As of today, all players are allowed to post screenshots, videos, and talk about everything they've seen in the last several months of testing since Black Prophecy was picked up by gamigo and worked into its current incarnation as a free-to-play game. Also of note is that all of the beta forums for the game are wide open as well, giving curious folks a chance to sift through all the threads there for an inkling of how the game has been progressing, and what players can expect. We here at Massively will be publishing our own first impressions and gallery in the coming days -- and there will undoubtedly be a livecast in the mix for those curious to see it in action. If you still haven't made it into the closed beta, never fear: Open beta is expected to begin sometime in the first part of 2011, which isn't too far away. If you did make it in to this stellar shooter beta, feel free to drop your thoughts about the game in the comments below!
More Black Prophecy UI details brought to light
Black Prophecy fans are a patient lot, and in the case of the founder of the Prophecy Nation website, quite enterprising as well. Travis, otherwise known as "Nexiom," has helped fill the void of information about the long-in-development space shooter with an interesting breakdown of the game's interface. In the second installment of a two-part article making use of existing screenshots, he paints a picture of what the free-to-play title's UI probably functions like, all without breaking the beta NDA. The article boasts a healthy complement of images and helpful annotations; it also delivers some interesting insights and speculation. Chief among these are the author's guesstimates as to the functionality of certain buttons (possibly target locking, communications, and trade). Check out the full piece at Prophecy Nation.
Black Prophecy's clan system outlined in new update
Have you been hungry for more information on Reakktor Media and gamigo's upcoming free-to-play space dogfighter, Black Prophecy? Well then, today's update on clan systems will undoubtedly be welcome news for those of you who can't wait to fly with friends. Some of the mechanics are very familiar, such as a clan leader being able to assign ranks and responsibilities to certain members, as well as the ability for the clan to create their own logo using an in-game editor. Other aspects of the Black Prophecy clan system deal with familiar mechanics turned on their heads -- such as how clan stations will be handled. The word is that players will have to complete faction missions and gather enough resources and members, then they will be able to request their own chunk of space in which to build their clan station. Players will also be able to decide if the station will be opened up to others players in the faction that they're allied with, or if it will be kept for the clan members alone; thus removing any fear of getting your station blown to heck in the middle of a giant PvP clan war. Each station will be comprised of a central command module that will house up to 10 players comfortably, and offer some small vendor aspects. From there, players can add on more modules to their station to not only unlock more room and additional perks, but also more faction missions. Overall, it certainly sounds like an ambitious yet fun system. Check out the shiny new screenshots below, then pop over to the Black Prophecy forums for the specifics on the clan system! %Gallery-94088%
Gamescom 2010: Reakktor releases new Black Prophecy trailer
Reakktor Media and Gamigo have just released a heart-pounding new Black Prophecy gameplay trailer at Gamescom 2010. The teaser, which clocks in at just under two minutes, is full of fast and furious space combat footage from the upcoming free-to-play MMORPG. In addition to some quick glances in and around various space stations, you'll get a good look at cockpit views, behind-the-ship perspectives, and some interesting shots of the crafting and trading interface. Black Prophecy aims to fill the void in the MMO space-shooter market, and you can learn more about the upcoming title, as well as register for beta, at the official website. Be sure and view the trailer after the cut or via our YouTube portal.
Black Prophecy crafting detailed
If you're looking for a space-based MMO with lots of pew pew and seat-of-the-pants piloting, Black Prophecy is probably already on your radar screen. If you're looking for a space-based MMO that has a bit of crafting complexity, take a second look at the upcoming free-to-play MMO from Reakktor and Gamigo. In addition to modular ship-building, Black Prophecy also features a traditional crafting system for ship and station components. The game boasts three resource types: metal, plasma, and gas. Metals, as you'd expect, make up modules and weapons, whereas plasma serves as the crafter's source of power. Gas is required for high-performance computer production and for the ubiquitous hyperspace drives. All three resources can be salvaged from space junk as well as procured from successful missions. How do you put all these parts together to construct the ultimate interstellar interceptor? With blueprints of course, which are found in the wreckage of old starships. Once blueprints have produced a module, they can't be reused. If crafting fails, however, you get to keep the blueprint (but not the resources) and try again. Finally, Black Prophecy's crafting system will feature optional items called constructors. These units are used during the crafting process to enhance success chances or shorten construction time, and may be modified or repaired by players. %Gallery-98663%
E3 2010: A look inside Black Prophecy
One of the games many of us here at Massively have been waiting on for some time has been the upcoming space dogfighter by Reakktor Media, Black Prophecy. Although the game was originally an indie title that was likely going to run on a subscription model, things changed drastically when Gamigo picked up the title and announced they'd be publishing it under a free-to-play model. While this has made some players very hesitant about the game, our time checking it out at E3, and talking to Dennis Hartmann, PR Manager at Gamigo, has made us even hungrier for it to OMG launch already. So if you're curious about just what this upcoming space shoot-em-up F2P title has to offer in terms of mechanics -- or perhaps even surprises -- then join us behind the break as we break down our look at Black Prophecy! Alternatively, if you're more in the mood for eye-candy, we have a handful of screenshots for you to check out in the gallery below. %Gallery-95651%
Black Prophecy team talks business model, F2P
Reakktor Media's Black Prophecy science fiction MMORPG has been generating a fair amount of fan discussion, and dare we say concern, since announcing a free-to-play business model and a partnership with gamigo last month. In the fourth edition of Reakktor's 'Behind the Scenes' web series on the game, Black Prophecy's Assistant Product Manager Christian 'SnowCrash' Schutt engages gamigo's Patrick Streppel and Reakktor CEO Kirk Lenke in a question and answer session that features community concerns drawn from the official forums. The session delves deep into explanations of the game's business model and also features answers to burning questions regarding a Collector's Edition and post-launch content. "Neglecting to update is the nail in the coffin for any MMOG. We all know that. We've already laid out a roadmap for content patches and add-ons and are starting on its development so players won't have to wait too long for new material," said Lenke. Check out the full session at the official site.
Black Prophecy gets publisher, decides on pricing
One of the titles we've been watching for with bated breath here at Massively has been Reakktor Media's futuristic space MMO Black Prophecy. While they've been working hard on the game after getting past a funding snag, they've also been seeking a distribution partner to assist in getting the game to all of us -- until now. The good news is that not only has Reakktor teamed up with Gamigo to distribute Black Prophecy globally, but also that the game is being released as a free-to-play title. That's right, all the luscious graphics, space combat, and more will be available for just the cost of some time and a download! (Of course, let's be honest -- we'll probably spend a small fortune making our ships look cool.) Congrats to Reakktor and Gamigo on a smart partnership. Hopefully with this news, and an experienced distribution partner, we'll see some Black Prophecy beta goodness coming soon. %Gallery-46991%
