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E3 2009: Sci-Fi MMO is an "action RPG"
While visiting with Trion World Network at E3, we were unable to snag any new details on the Sci-Fi MMO beyond this poster - at least any that we can share with you, anyway. (Some of the early concept art flashed across the monitors, and it looks pretty cool if we do say so ourselves.) We did find out that this new MMO is currently codenamed "Channel 3" and is going to be an "MMOARPG", or a massively multiplayer action role-playing game. Of course, what precisely this means is largely anyone's guess. What makes it more action-based than a normal MMORPG? Will the action be due to the tie-in with the upcoming Sci-Fi series? Will they change their earlier statements and perhaps film action-y parts of the upcoming series in-game? Or is it just going to be buttonmashapolooza, with attacks coming as fast as you're able to faceroll your keyboard? Who knows! We'll keep our eyes peeled and ears to the ground in case the folks at Trion World Entertainment decide to let slip with any more tantalizing tidbits about this upcoming TV/MMO hybrid property. (Well, assuming they also don't catch us taking pictures of the monitors showing off concept art next time. Boooo.)
E3 2009: Massively's day 1 roundup
E3 2009 is turning out to be quite a show this year and Massively is right in the middle of it all to report on the MMO news. We got a head start on E3 and reported a bit on what's happening before the Expo officially kicked off and it looks like we'll have plenty more to share with you before E3 is over. Here's our recap of day 1 in MMO news from Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009, and be sure to click through to the E3 galleries we've got after the jump. Star Wars: The Old Republic world's first fully-voiced MMO Final Fantasy XIV announced Jumpgate Evolution releases E3 trailer EA to publish All Points Bulletin in 2010 PlayStation Home hits 6.5 million accounts Trion World Network unveils Heroes of Telara Boatloads of screenshots after the jump!
E3 2009: Trion World Network unveils fantasy MMO Heroes of Telara
Trion World Network unveiled its first fantasy MMO title Heroes of Telara at E3 2009 today. The announcement was accompanied by the launch of the official Heroes of Telara site, that provides background on the gameplay elements and backstory, as well as screenshots, concept art, and a game trailer. Trion World Network describes Heroes of Telara as a game all about being 'the right hero for the right time' in a world on the brink of disaster. Have a flip through the galleries below and check out the game trailer after the cut for more on what Heroes of Telara will offer.%Gallery-64646%%Gallery-64649%
Trion relelases first trailer for Heroes of Telara
See, this is why we don't write a blog about MMOs. Because after watching the trailer for Trion's new Heroes of Telara MMO (you'll find it after the break), we're hard pressed to explain why you might want to play this fantasy MMO over any other one. It looks pretty, we guess, but with $100 million in funding flowing into Trion World Network we should hope that it would. Check out the trailer and let us know: Does this look like something you want to dig in to? Or do we have just the right amount of cynicism?
First video of Heroes of Telara released
If you weren't watching the opening show for E3 on Spike Network last night (or like many others, just don't happen to be in a place that even gets Spike TV) then you'd have missed the world premiere first-look at Trion World Network's upcoming MMO, Heroes of Telara. While we can imagine that this is likely alpha footage, it gives us a first look at what they've been working on behind the scenes. As a handful of us here at Massively are heading to E3 this weekend, we'll be sure to bring you all the news on this upcoming MMO straight from the front lines. For now, be sure to check out the video, embedded for your comfort, just behind the break!
Trion World Network receives 'Red Herring 100 North America' award
We just got word that Trion World Network is a Red Herring 100 North America winner for 2009. The Red Herring 100 North America awards are given annually to the companies identified as being the most promising tech startups that will "lead the next wave of disruption and innovation." Massively has mentioned Trion World Network a few times in the past in connection with their announced projects in the MMO space. Namely, we've pointed out their (original IP) Sci-Fi Channel MMO that's in the works, and "Heroes of Telara", a fantasy title that we should have more info about after the E3 Expo in June. Congratulations to Trion World Network, and we're glad to see an MMO developer make the Red Herring 100 North America list of winners.
Trion to debut 'Heroes of Telara' at E3
Trion World Network has confirmed the rumors: it will reveal its first game at E3 next month. Unfortunately, details of its debut offering, Heroes of Telara, are slim, but the press release for the announced MMORPG contained such carefully spun phrases as "limitless new content" and "unprecedented level of rich and dynamic gameplay." So, your guess is as good as ours.If the name Trion sounds familiar, but you can't think of a single game the company has made, don't feel bad. Trion drama has swept the internet for quite some time. In late 2008, it was revealed the server-based gaming company had raised over $100 million in capital but had yet to release a single title. In late April 2009, Joystiq received a rather inflammatory anonymous tip that Trion president and chief creative officer, Jon Van Canegham, had been removed from his position -- but Trion reps maintain the split was a "natural evolution of the growing company."Trion World Network is also collaborating with the Sci-Fi Channel (soon to be SyFy) on an MMO/TV hybrid project and recently announced plans to work with developer Petroglyph (of Star Wars: Empire at War fame) on an unnamed MMORTS title.[Via BigDownload]
Trion to reveal first MMO at E3: Heroes of Telara
One of the newer industry players in the MMO world is Trion World Network, which first came to our attention nearly a year ago with word of an MMO being made in partnership with the Sci-Fi Channel (soon to be rebranded as "Syfy"). Since then we've learned that there are multiple titles and publishing deals in the works at Trion. Trion has now announced that the first title they'll unveil is "Heroes of Telara", which they'll be showing off at this year's E3 Expo in June. Details on the title are extremely scarce, but the Trion PR line is one of the first game descriptions we've seen thus far for their previously codenamed "Channel 1" MMO: "Heroes of Telara is a fantasy Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) where everyday gamers are forged into legendary heroes. In Heroes of Telara players are challenged to conquer the unknown in an epic, ever-changing world. Heroes of Telara will feature an unprecedented level of rich and dynamic gameplay, driven by recurring events, unexpected challenges and limitless new content."We'll be on the lookout for more info about Heroes of Telara as well as the other Trion MMOs as details emerge.
Trion partnering with Petroglyph to publish unknown MMORTS
According to Gamasutra and the company's official site, Trion World Network has teamed up with Universe at War developer Petroglyph to publish an unnamed MMORTS. The game, which doesn't yet have a release date, will be published globally on the Trion platform.This collaboration is the first for Trion and they say it 'will breathe new life into the RTS genre' and that Petroglyph are 'renowned for developing high quality and innovative RTS games that appeal on a global level'. Indeed despite Trion's recent tribulations, the company seems to be going from strength to strength. Michael Legg, the president and co-founder of Petroglyph, appears to be just as keen on the partnership:"Petroglyph is extremely excited to be working with a visionary publisher like Trion World Network. Combining Trion's platform and industry expertise with our GLYPH game technology and our development pedigree will allow us to unleash a groundbreaking MMORTS gaming experience to the world."
Trion partners with Petroglyph on MMORTS
Trion World Network's latest move is partnering with Petroglyph on an as-yet untitled massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game. While we've yet to see Trion actually produce anything -- aside from the spectacle of firing its president and chief creative officer last week -- Petroglyph has been working on RTS titles for years. The studio was responsible for Universe at War and Star Wars: Empire at War. At this point, we have no official word on what game the two companies are collaborating on, but we do know that the games must flow from Trion soon. Hopefully, the publisher will finally show off something it gained from that $100 million deal at E3.
Trion transitions President into career options elsewhere
Although we know Trion World has an MMO for Sci-Fi Channel in the works and a fantasy MMO planned for the console, we've heard very little beyond that. Well, okay - we also knew they have an all-star team, 100 million in funding, and recently joined the ESA too. That said, our sister site Joystiq got a rather unpleasant insider email about the company with one piece of information we've since been able to corroborate. Apparently their President and Chief Operational Officer, Jon Van Caneghem, has "transitioned" out of his job at Trion, and will be seeking opportunity elsewhere. According to Trion's statement: Jon Van Caneghem has transitioned out of his role as president and no longer holds any operational responsibilities at Trion. His creative and operational roles have been distributed among the talented senior team.The rest of their statement is behind the break for those curious.
Trion asks president and CCO to try on new career
We received a rather inflammatory anonymous tip about Trion World Networks and the current state of the company, but the only piece we feel comfortable in sharing is that President and Chief Creative Officer Jon Van Canegham has been let go from the company. We followed up and an official representative for the MMO publisher informed us that Canegham has "transitioned out" and no longer has "any operational responsibilities" -- his creative and operational roles have been distributed among the senior team. Find the full statement after the break.On paper, Trion World Networks is doing quite well, having raised $100 million in capital and announcing this week that it has joined the ESA. The company will allegedly show its first title at E3, but that's just "rumor and speculation" for now.
ESA admits two companies we've kind of heard of
The ESA announced today that Trion World Networks and XSEED Games have become members of the trade association. Trion has accumulated $100 million in funding without launching a game, while XSEED has released quite a few "off the beaten path" titles, like Retro Game Challenge.Following the announcement, Activision Blizzard left a voicemail with the ESA, playing "Don't Cha" by The Pussycat Dolls on repeat.
Trion picks up ex-NCsoft employees for new MMO
The hiring of customer support personnel doesn't usually make the news, but when you consider Trion World Network's latest service side hires, it might be a different story. Of course we all know Trion as the studio in charge of the SCI FI channel's new MMO project. Some recent hires include ex-Blizzard developer and Carbine Studios founder Kevin Beardslee, and the tradition continues with Thor Biafore as Customer Support Manager, Jack Wood as In-game Support Manager, and Erik DeBill as Senior Platform Billing Lead.Wood and DeBill both come from NCsoft, with experience on more than a dozen MMOs between them, while Biafore previously served as the Global Director of Customer Service for Blizzard. Could Trion be competing with 38 Studios for the largest all-star cast? We'll just have to wait and see as both companies have yet to officially announce details on their current MMO projects.
Top industry CEOs weigh in on the cell phone MMO debate
After a recent Game Power Panel at this year's CES, GameCyte caught up with a few MMO big-wigs to ask the burning question: can the MMO experience extend to mobile phones? From Turbine to Gaia Online, the companies' CEOs all had differing views.Dr. Lars Buttler of Trion World Network, and Jim Crowley of Turbine both agreed that the mobile phone is not really the place for a full-blown multiplayer experience. Although they did essentially agree with others like Brett Close of 38 Studios in the thinking that there are certainly extensions of an MMO that can be achieved through a cell. Checking the auction house, training skills or even reading quest text could all be done on-the-go. Check out the entire post over at GameCyte for some more opinions on mobile MMOs.
The Daily Grind: Are sci-fi MMOs cursed?
Or are they just waiting for a savior, a la World of Warcraft? Yesterday we covered a recent interview done by Ten Ton Hammer with representatives of Trion World Group, the developers behind the upcoming SCI-FI channel MMORPG, that covered the viability of science fiction MMOs. While they are quite for the idea and are enthusiastic about a science fiction genre MMO, we here at Massively wanted to solicit your opinion. What's up with science fiction?The new year will be bringing us titles like Star Trek Online, Jumpgate Evolution, Stargate Worlds, and Star Wars: The Old Republic -- a veritable stream of life flowing into the genre that's being dominated by EVE Online. Are you looking forward to them? Will you quickly wrap your hands around them and boldly go where no man has gone before? Or will you hold on to the games you already have and sneer like Gollum? Give us the word readers, speak your mind in our galactic council comments.
SCI FI and Trion hire ex-Blizzard talent for MMO/TV show project
You may remember the announcement this summer from the cable channel SCI FI about their collaboration with Trion World Network to create the first-ever television series connected with an MMO. While this news perked the interest of many gamers and SCI FI fans, we have only heard sprinkles of news here and there about the project.Today, both companies announced the hiring of two new top industry talents for this MMO/TV show project. One is Kevin Beardslee, who you may know as a founder of Carbine Studios and a former developer on Blizzard's World of Wacraft. He will act as the Senior Development Director for the game half of the project. For the television side, Peter Egan (no relation to our own James Egan) will be writing the pilot episode on SCI FI. His previous work includes Playmakers (ESPN), Over There (FX Network), Medium, Medical Investigation (both on NBC) and SCI FI's own The Dresden Files. We wish both men the best of luck in their roles with this new innovative project.
Trion surpasses $100m in fundraising ... without releasing ANYTHING
Take note: Certain really rich folks are showering Trion World Network Inc. with money. Wait ... Trion who? Exactly. Don't fret being out of the loop, we've only mentioned Trion a handful of times (read: just three) and it's our job to be in the know. Today Trion reminds us there's good reason to keep tabs on the server-based gaming company, as it's now raised over $100 million after a recent $70 million Series C funding round (a very formal way of saying, venture capital firms and media companies, like Time Warner and NBC Universal, have been dropping their change in the collection cup since 2006 -- a lot of it). And the best part is, Trion still hasn't released anything. So if you're wondering how to get rich like Trion, we strongly advise taking our crash course on the company after the break.
Trion nabs SCEA vet for VP of Engineering
Three weeks since we first heard the news about Trion World Network's deal with the Sci-Fi channel, and it seemed like information about the burgeoning MMO innovator was starting to cool off. They've resurfaced on our radar this week with news that they have hired Glen Van Datta (not Van Detta, sorry), former Director of Technology at SCEA, as their Vice President of Engineering and General Manager. His past projects include developing the online technologies behind the PSP, PS2, and PS3.The task facing Van Datta is anything but insignificant. As you might recall, they came out swinging with some ambitious plans for establishing a new distribution platform that circumvents tradition retail avenues and makes better use of the online sphere. Van Datta's connections within Sony should also be a significant asset, as Trion has been fairly upfront with their plans to bring a title to the Playstation 3, among other consoles.
Sci-Fi releases the genre for their new MMO
Recently we've reported on a partnership between Trion World Network and SCI FI channel to create a new MMO that will be tied into a SCI FI show. But, for all we knew about the new project, we didn't know what genre it would fall under or what the setting would be.That all changed in an interview from Ten Ton Hammer with Adam Stotsky, the executive vice-president of SCI FI channel, about the new SCI FI project. While most of the interview focuses on the partnership between Trion and SCI FI, Cody "Micajah" Bye was able to pull out the setting for the new project from Stotsky.Stotsky confirms that the project will be science fiction in nature, centering around Earth in an alternate universe."It will be a very different Earth than the one we currently know today," Stotsky told Bye during the interview.For the rest of the interview, drop by Ten Ton Hammer and check it out.
