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Trion answers Ubisoft-related questions about Rift
With Rift's closed beta starting this Friday, an early 2011 launch date is looking likely. In service of that, Trion Worlds is busily getting its house in order and gearing up to push the fantasy epic live around the world. Earlier today Massively reported on Trion's announcement that gaming megalith Ubisoft would be publishing the upcoming MMORPG in Europe. The Ubisoft name-drop brought to light some reader concerns about the draconian DRM schemes the publisher is (in)famous for, so we decided to go straight to the source to clear things up. Join us after the cut for an impromptu interview with Trion Worlds Senior VP of Publishing David Reid.
Ubisoft to shoulder Rift's European publishing
With Rift's launch looming closer by the day, forces are coming into play faster now than ever before. Trion Worlds has announced that it is partnering with Ubisoft to publish Rift in Europe. Ubisoft, which has studios in countries all across the globe, will be tasked with releasing the game in France, Benelux, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Nordics. This deal includes multiple years of service starting in 2011. While Ubisoft has handled smaller MMOs, such as Might and Magic Heroes Kingdom, Rift represents the largest MMO client to date for the company. Trion Worlds' CEO Lars Buttler sees this as a great move for the game: "To join forces with an industry leader such as Ubisoft on our first title further demonstrates the potential Rift has to be a game-changer in the online gaming space. We are thrilled to be working with Ubisoft, one of world's leading publishers, as we reaffirm our commitment to deliver quality products to gamers around the world." While Ubisoft is not without its fair share of controversies, no one can deny that the publisher has clout across the market. Rift's closed beta starts later this week, and all signs still point toward an early 2011 release.
Rift reveals new King's Breach instance
With the Rift beta mere days away, Trion Worlds is amping up the information flow for its forthcoming fantasy opus. Today brings us a reveal of the new King's Breach instance, a battleground where creatures from the Life rift and the Death rift are locked in deadly combat. Rift is a high fantasy world where portals scar the surface of the planet Telara, bringing new characters, treasure, and events as the game world changes dynamically. Check out the new King's Breach gallery below, and teleport past the cut for a lengthy lore summary of the new instance. %Gallery-99479%
Rift classes and capital city detailed
As if a bunch of free beta keys weren't enough, Massively is proud to present even more goodies from Trion Worlds' upcoming Rift MMORPG. This time we have a detailed look at the lore behind the Guardian capital city of Sanctum, a new video of the city, and a ton of screenshots related to the Archon, Paragon, Shaman, and Riftstalker classes. Archons are support specialists who steal their opponents' strength and convert that raw energy into beneficial magic. These mages bolster their allies and unleash potent kinetic blasts, quickly turning the tide of battle. The Paragon wields two weapons to perfection, devastating his enemies. Paragons specialize in dealing consistent damage, and can also hit their enemies from range. The Riftstalker is a defensive specialist who bends the planes to enhance her constitution and shift in and out of the physical dimension. These highly skilled and survivable combatants keep their opponents' focus while easily evading incoming blows. Finally, the Shaman binds the power of the icy north to her very being, wreathing herself in pure elemental force. This power augments a Shaman's attacks, making her a powerful melee combatant, and provides shields and reactive healing Hit the jump for the lore and video. %Gallery-108036%
UPDATED: Get the full Rift beta experience with our VIP beta key giveaway!
There's been a lot of talk among MMO fans anticipating Trion's upcoming Rift MMO. (That's right, it's just Rift now, rather than Rift: Planes of Telara.) We know that the Rift developers have several beta events planned, and there are a couple of different types of keys available. One type gives you a chance to participate in each event, and the other -- the much more desirable VIP beta key -- gives you guaranteed access to every event. Lucky for you, dear readers, we at Massively have gotten our hands on 500 VIP keys and we're in a sharing mood! Closed beta is set to begin on December 3rd, but you can grab a key now to make sure you don't miss out on anything. Simply click the pretty green button below to claim your key! [UPDATE: Whoa! those were gone in record time! Congratulations to those of you who nabbed one!] Get your Rift VIP beta key now! > >
Rift's closed beta to start December 3rd
Been holding your breath waiting for Rift: Planes of Telara -- now renamed just Rift -- to announce the much-anticipated closed beta phase? Well, pass out no longer, for Trion Worlds has announced that Rift's next phase of testing will commence on December 3rd. Rift's closed beta will take the form of limited duration events, in which select players will be allowed to get their hands on the title and hopefully report bugs as faithful playtesters. You may recall that there are a few different pools of beta applicants that Trion is choosing from, up to and including the coveted VIP key-holders who will be invited to every beta event. If selected from the pools for testing, players will be notified a few days in advance with setup instructions. The first beta event will be called "Rise of the Defiant" and will include the first 20 levels of content, the Defiant beginner zone and the land of Freemarch. Trion's Scott Hartsman is celebrating the move from alpha to beta testing: "This is a momentous event for the entire Trion team, as well as the fans that have been following Rift since we first announced the game. We've created this deep, vibrant world that's just waiting to be populated with enthusiastic players, and our hope is that gamers will enjoy playing the game as much as we've enjoyed building it." As we can attest, Rift is shaping up nicely so far. If you want to be considered for the closed beta events, head on over to Rift's website to apply.
Massively's in-depth interview with SWTOR Community Manager Stephen Reid
Last Friday, Star Wars: The Old Republic finally revealed the Crew Skills crafting system. In a slightly less important announcement, BioWare also announced its new Community Manager, Stephen Reid. OK, I'm teasing. It is very important announcement. Since Sean Dahlberg stepped down, the community team has been without a face and voice to the community. Those left behind had to put in extra effort into providing the fans with the latest releases from the SWTOR news room, and for a while, the community was unsure who, if anyone, would be able to fill the shoes. Now, Stephen Reid has taken the helm of the massive community starship. Now since we have a new voice of the SWTOR community team, Massively thought it would be interesting to get his thoughts on the game, on the community, and on how we, the fans, could best make Star Wars: The Old Republic the game it should be. Massively Senior Editor Brianna Royce sat down with Stephen at a recent LucasArts event for an in-depth interview -- join us past the break to see what he had to say!
Trion reveals Rift's Plane of Air
Trion Worlds returns with another reveal, and this time around the subject is the malevolent Plane of Air. As you no doubt know by now, Telara is a sundered world, broken and torn by dimensional disturbances called rifts that remake their surroundings in the image of various elemental occurrences like the Planes of Air and Water. Rift: Planes of Telara looks to add true dynamic content to the MMORPG space with its ever-changing game world, and you can get a sneak peek at one of the prime players via the gallery below as well as the video and lore-centric text after the cut. %Gallery-99479%
Rift's Archon soul revealed
Looking for more information on Rift: Planes of Telara? Well, first you should check out our exclusive hands-on, direct from Gamer Day II. After you've digested that, MMORPG.com has some interesting info regarding the newly announced Archon soul, a support specialist class that allows you to convert your opponent's strength and energy into usable magic. Trion's new twist on the traditional mage archetype focuses on buffing friends and allies and is a formidable combatant in its own right. That said, the Archons can also be quite vulnerable, especially during the period just after they've infused allies with their life force (and just prior to feeding off an enemy to regain their strength). Check out some background lore as well as a few class particulars at MMORPG.com.
Hands-on with Rift: Planes of Telara at Gamer Day II
As part of its recent Gamer Day event, Trion Worlds invited Massively back to its studio for another look at Rift: Planes of Telara. Having now been to two of these Gamer Day events, I can say without a doubt that last week's was the more festive -- the player-community leaders and swarm of devs certainly made the whole experience much more wild than the first and reminded me that I was supposed to be having fun (not just studiously taking notes for you lovely readers, although I did that too!). Since this was my second day-long hands-on with the game (the first being last summer when I got to check out Rift's dynamic content), I thought it best to focus on two areas: improvements to systems I'd seen before, and totally new elements I hadn't seen at all (like the Guardian starting zone, PvP, UI enhancements, Deepstrike Mines, and several new souls including Riftblades, Bards, and Wardens!). Follow along after the break for my second impressions of this MMO that continues to surprise me with its glittering shine of polish.%Gallery-101448%
Trion CEO introduces MMO investing to Bloomberg TV
Have you ever wondered where to invest your savings for the future? Have you thought about the MMO market? Apparently, multimedia companies like Time Warner, NBC Universal, and Bertelsmann believe it is worth their money. These three media giants have invested over $100 million into Trion Worlds, the top-tier gaming company featuring upcoming MMOs like Rift: Planes of Telara and End of Nations. Yesterday, Trion's CEO Lars Buttler was featured on Bloomberg's CEO Sitdown. In the interview, Buttler mentioned the role that games, specifically MMO games, will play in the future economy. "This is actually one of the fastest-growing segments of the games industry. And there are markets like Korea or China where you can see what a massive potential these online premium games already have," Buttler explains in the video. As MMOs become more mainstream, the media industry is beginning to see them as a viable form of entertainment. They are not just pretend fun for teenage boys anymore. Buttler expounds later, "It's really once-a-gamer-always-a-gamer, so as people get older they stay with their favorite game types." The industry is constantly growing because the audience sticks to its favorite form of entertainment. For more on this story check out the full video on Bloomberg's website.
Trion explores a snowy Rift in a new video
Trion Worlds examines the new Rift: Planes of Telara dungeon called Abyssal Precipice in a new trailer featured after the break. Temperal rifts have torn apart the world of Telara with each unleashing a new, exciting, and dangerous adventure. Today, we examine the adventure atop the Roof of Telara. In the spires of the mountains of the Iron Pines, the cultists of the Abyssal seek to awaken the cephalon of Akylios. This ancient evil from the Age of Dragons is said to know the location of the Profane One, as the people of Telara call Akylios. All life on the Planes of Telara pray the Abyssal are not successful in discovering the location of the cephalon. The world is counting on you to listen to your call of duty. Only a climb to the snow-covered spires will prevent an imminent destruction. If you fail, Talara will be engulfed in the cold and chaos. Do not let the cephalon be found. Do not let the cultist unchain Akylios. Take a look at full trailer after the break. Maybe you will be the next hero on the Planes of Telara. Your journey begins through the next Rift! %Gallery-99479%
All you ever wanted to know about Rift's gear and were not afraid to ask
While some players may possess the tact not to come right out and say it to a dev's face, when an upcoming MMO is being discussed there's always the inner voice shouting, "What about my loots? Is the gear pimpin' or what?" Forget zones and races and dynamic events -- today at Ten Ton Hammer, the crowd finally got the Rift: Planes of Telara dev team to open up about the outfits that constitute a bulk of the rewards of the game. In this reader Q&A, Game System Designer Drew Clowery tackled numerous questions about Rift's gear. Rift will launch with 48 armor set models -- each boasting a number of variants and texture options -- but will not initially offer armor set bonuses. Veteran MMO gamers will feel at home with Rift's armor system, which is restricted by class (warriors will be able to wear heavier armor than rogues, for example) and can be bound on pickup or equip. Loot comes in one of four levels of rarity -- common, uncommon, rare and epic -- based on its utility and difficulty to attain. Crafted gear will be competitive (and apparently customizable) to dropped gear. And finally, Rift will not launch with an appearance system that replaces the look of worn gear with cosmetic items. Clowery feels that the team has struck a good balance between loot being useful and being a barrier: "Loot is an important part of our game, and so it has to have an important impact upon the characters. That said, it's not completely overwhelming... We don't design encounters to be gear checks. We design them to see if you can get together and do this."
Music to kill by: The making of Rift's score
The musical score is often one of the little-appreciated aspects of MMOs, providing mood, tone and emotion for the player while hopefully refraining from being annoying or too repetitive. In a new dev diary, Trion Worlds showcases the audio talent behind Rift: Planes of Telara's score. Audio Director Yannis Brown and Composer Inon Zur (Dragon Age: Origins, Fallout: New Vegas) talk about how the music lends itself to character identity and the environment's atmosphere, while giving us an aural sneak peek of Rift's tunes. One of the cool concepts the audio team is the creation of multi-layered music tracks that provide the same theme in different degrees of intensity based on how big the rifts have grown. Hit the jump to watch the diary and hear for yourself whether this will be a game in which the default score stays on -- or gets quickly turned off in favor of personal playlists.
Icebound: An exclusive survey of Rift's Iron Pine Peak
As we continue the countdown to Rift: Planes of Telara's beta and launch, Trion Worlds rewards our patience by expanding our view of the world. Today, Massively reveals an exclusive overview of Rift's coolest area yet: Iron Pine Peak. If you're a fan of winter-themed zones, then you're in for a doozy! Iron Pine Peak may seem beautiful, sprinkled as it is with snow-swept vistas and scenic views down vertigo-inducing cliffs, but only the hardiest of souls will survive to appreciate it. It's a place of solitude, history, mountains, watchmen, evergreens, and one terrifying dragon encased in a prison of ice. Both factions will be converging upon this location in an effort to unravel mysteries and prevent a possible terrifying future from taking place. Hit the jump for the official description of Iron Pike Peak, a snippet of lore, a dash of video, and several new screenshots!
Trion Worlds v. Palladium lawsuit draws to a close
The long-running legal skirmish between MMORPG maker Trion Worlds and pen-and-paper RPG publisher Palladium Books is apparently drawing to a close. Trask over at LivingDice.com brings us word that the two parties have submitted a "Joint Stipulation of Dismissal," which in a nutshell, closes all claims and counterclaims and stipulates that both parties will cover their own legal costs. Trask goes on to speculate that the final settlement may never be known, as the joint filing effectively ends the lawsuit behind closed doors and casts doubt on whether either party would gain much by making the details public. The lawsuit was originally filed last May and centered on trademark infringement regarding the Rifts name as used by Trion in their forthcoming Rift: Planes of Telara MMORPG.
Beta access and more addressed on Rift podcast 17
Anyone who has been paying attention to the Rift: Planes of Telara forums in the last while has heard the cacophonous community outcry about the different types of beta keys. One will net you a weekend's worth of playtime at some point during the beta, whereas other VIP codes will net access to the entire upcoming beta. This week, Cindy "Abigale" Bowens, the Senior Community Manager for Rift: Planes of Telara, sat down with Ari from the Rift podcast and talked at some length about alpha and beta access, what Trion considers to be the differences between the two, a bit more on how testers have been selected, and her own experiences in terms of the game. If you've been wondering just how Rift: Planes of Telara is shaping up, or are particularly upset about the beta code situation, then you'll definitely want to give this latest edition of the podcast a listen for some very frank talk on the entire situation. If you're new to Rift, and would like to find out more, then the Rift podcast has you covered too -- you can always start with earlier episodes and catch up quickly!
So a Warlord, a Stormcaller and a Justicar walked into a Rift...
OK, so the title above isn't so much a setup for a hilarious joke as a ham-handed introduction to three recently revealed souls -- specialty subclasses -- from Rift: Planes of Telara. MMORPG.com unveiled these never-before-seen souls over the past week. The Warlord is a melee soul that focuses more on controlling the tide of battle by buffing allies and debuffing the enemy, but can get in over her head quickly if separated from the pack. If you've always been partial to battle clerics, then the Justicar is right up your alley -- he is a powerful front-line fighter who builds up healing power through fighting, which can then be used to restore others. Finally, the Stormcaller is a mage specialty who uses a potent mix of air and water magic to call down the thunder on her foes. Continuing with Trion Worlds' worldwide promotional tour for Rift, Eurogamer wrote up a spiffy hands-on piece while Germany's Gameswelt.TV interviewed design producer Hal Hanlin. You can watch the latter after the jump!
Trion releases second issue of Rift: Planes of Telara comic book miniseries
Trion Worlds' Rift: Planes of Telara publicity campaign is picking up a head of steam, and today marks an auspicious occasion for Rift fans who dig comic books as much as they do MMORPGs. In cooperation with noted comic publisher WildStorm, Trion has taken the wraps off another issue of the ongoing Telara Chronicles, a miniseries in four parts that tells the tale of a plane-touched warrior named Asha Catari. Today's second issue finds Asha leading a band of Ascended warriors deep behind enemy lines to retrieve a mysterious and ancient artifact that may play a large role in Telara's future. The series is authored by Ricardo Sanchez and inked by Pop Mhan, with covers by Drew Johnson and Lizzy John. You can find a copy of the Telara Chronicles at your local comic shop.
Trion's Hal Hanlin: Rift will be "sitting very comfortably in 2012 and beyond"
In a recent interview, Trion Worlds' Hal Hanlin told Eurogamer that Rift: Planes of Telara has three major factors in its favor: world-class talent, world-class technology and world-class money. Because of these factors, the team is gearing up to eat at the big boy's table come Rift's 2011 launch. Hanlin, Rift's design producer, considers his job to fashion an immersive, exciting and engaging playscape: "I obsess over the details of design and making sure that everyone has what they need to make a game you want to bring your 20 closest friends to play." The interview covers many of the features which Hanlin considers to be Rift's selling points, such as the dynamic invasions. Currently, the title is boasting over 100 events, but the team still has the option to include additional ones. However, quantity for the sake of quantity is not worth it. "More is not better," Hanlin said. "Better is better." As a result, one of the chief mandates of the company is to create "multiple paths" for players to choose from a variety of activities instead of a linear leveling path. How does Hanlin see the game doing post-release? "Our longevity is going to be better than a lot of MMOs introduced to the market, because there's always something to see that's changed... I think we're going to be sitting very comfortably in 2012 and beyond."
