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Trion to publish ArcheAge in the West
So, about that whole ArcheAge coming to the West thing. Yes, it's actually happening. In fact, XLGAMES is partnering with Trion Worlds to make it happen. The company responsible for RIFT, Defiance, End of Nations, and the Red Door publishing and development platform will bring Jake Song's fantasy sandpark opus to audiences in North America, Europe, Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand, according to a joint press release. The document makes no mention of either a release date or beta dates for the western market. You can read it in its entirety after the cut. [Source: Trion/XL press release]
Trion CEO on console games, sequels, and the future
It's no secret that Trion has big plans for its future, and we don't just mean its impressive Storm Legion sequel for RIFT. Gamasutra talked to Trion CEO Lars Buttler at last week's E3, and what emerged from the discussion is a portrait of a firm "at the height of our art form, but doing new things." One of those new things is a partnership with Crytek to publish its new Warface shooter. Another is its previously announced Red Door initiative. Interestingly, and despite developing Defiance for both PC and console platforms, Buttler perceives the console market as a sinking ship. The company also sees "that the console market is going down," he tells Gamasutra. "I think the writing is on the wall and the best developers will want to make the step sooner."
RIFT in China: 'Biggest game deal ever' for a Western MMO
How big is RIFT? Big enough to attract one of China's heavyweight MMO houses, apparently. Trion has announced a partnership with publishing giant Shanda that will bring RIFT to the Chinese gaming market, and CEO Lars Buttler tells Gamasutra that expanding the game's global reach is only the beginning. "We do a lot right, but we think there's so much to learn from Asia, and a company like Shanda that has been in the market so long, and has innovated in so many ways, is a great partner to work with and learn from," Buttler says. Trion is flexing its muscles -- and broadening its horizons -- on the strength of a banner year that included a hefty influx of investment capital as well as RIFT's $100 million revenue windfall. Trion is also developing an MMORTS called End of Nations and an MMO shooter called Defiance. Additionally, the firm is fleshing out its Red Door program, which will outsource its development platform and distribution channels to third-parties.
Enter At Your Own Rift: The big takeaways from GDC
After dining on enough beef brisket to feed an army of hungry cowboys, I returned from Austin's GDC Online to chip away at the Ashes of History world event quests. RIFT had a nice showing at the GDC Online Awards ceremony, walking away with awards for Best Online Technology and Best New Online Game. In addition, Trion CCO and RIFT Executive Producer Scott Hartsman gave a talk about RIFT's pre-launch preparations and post-launch plans. GDC was dominated by a handful of common topics, like free-to-play, metrics, monetization, and technology. In this week's Enter at Your Own Rift, we'll take a look at a few of these to see how they apply to RIFT, and then we'll look at the big takeaways from GDC overall.
Trion Worlds may go public following RIFT's success
Want to own a piece of your favorite MMO studio? If you're a fan of Trion Worlds, then you may yet get your chance. The company announced that it is mulling over a decision to put the company on the market with an IPO. CEO Lars Buttler says that it's just a matter of time at this point: "As we build scale and become more profitable, [an IPO] is clearly on our horizon at some point. We've had a lot of bankers coming to us recently. We keep all of our options open at this point. We definitely have enough substance and enough skill to be a public company at the right time." Trion has been doing well for itself lately, as it's doubled its staff in 2011 and raised $100 million from investments since 2007. RIFT's success has helped to convince the company that an IPO is a solid move. "RIFT is vastly profitable. It is profitable every single week and every single month," Buttler said. RIFT isn't Trion's only project, as the company is working on End of Nations, Defiance, and the Red Door publishing platform.
Trion CEO: RIFT has the 'most dynamic gameplay ever' and is a 'serious competitor' for WoW
It's no secret that RIFT was one of the more successful MMORPGs launched in 2011. That said, is it making much of a dent in World of Warcraft's genre-dwarfing armor? Trion CEO Lars Buttler thinks so, and he recently told Industry Gamers that RIFT "is the most serious competitor [WoW] ever had." Thanks to RIFT's success and the recently announced Red Door development and social networking platform, Buttler sees Trion as uniquely positioned to make headway in the post-WoW MMO marketplace despite the specter of Star Wars: The Old Republic looming on the horizon. "I'm actually extremely excited about what's happening in our space. When we started five years ago, there was only WoW. Now there's RIFT as an absolute serious contender, with the most dynamic gameplay ever. Then there's Star Wars, then there's End of Nations coming. Then there's Defiance coming [...] so we're not afraid at all. We actually look forward to it with great excitement. It makes our point," Buttler says.
Trion announces Red Door publishing and development platform
Trion is the latest development firm to try its hand at a large-scale publishing platform, according to a new company press release issued this morning. The beast is called Red Door, and it "will consist of a consumer platform and a full-scale publishing and development platform based on the proprietary technology fueling Trion's games." What games are those, you might ask? Well there's RIFT, of course, and the company is also developing End of Nations and Defiance. Red Door aims to allow third-parties to build and run games of similar scope via "fast real-time updates and versatile monetization models." Trion CEO Lars Buttler says that the company's goal is to "revolutionize premium games and help the industry realize its potential in the connected era." [Source: Trion press release]
