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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.
Can the sci-fi genre succeed?
Earth and Beyond. Star Wars Galaxies. Auto Assault. Tabula Rasa. For a genre that dominates television and written media, science fiction can't seem to find a good foothold in the MMO industry past EVE Online. Even the upcoming Stargate Worlds is on shaky ground, and it hasn't even stepped over the threshold into the market. With a genre so plagued by failure, what can a company do to succeed like CCP? Can Star Trek Online, Jumpgate Evolution, and Star Wars: The Old Republic shake the curse?These were the topics of a recent interview between Cody Bye of Ten Ton Hammer and Rob Hill and Kevin Beardslee of Trion World Network, the developers behind the Sci-Fi channel's MMORPG/television tie-in game. The interview covers all manner of things, like how Trion seeks to differentiate themselves from the current MMO market, how they want to interact with their community, how they are handling the creation of the game next to the television series, and how Blizzard's polish mantra can really support a well made game. You can check out the full interview over at Ten Ton Hammer.
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.
Over $100 million invested in Trion and its unusual distribution platform
Trion announced that it has managed to get another $70 million in invested funds, bringing the total amount to over $100 million. For reference: that's somewhere in the ballpark of the development cost Grand Theft Auto IV, and about half of what Blizzard has spent on World of Warcraft since its 2004 launch.Trion is the company co-founded by EA alum Lars Buttler and Might and Magic creator Jon Van Caneghem, which announced that it'll be making a game in concert with The Sci-Fi Channel, as well as a fantasy console MMO we know little about.We've talked a bit about Trion's plans and business model before, but here's a refresher: it is creating development tools for making games that will run completely server-side. The graphics will be drawn on the client, but everything else -- physics, game logic, etc., will occur on the server and be downloaded to the user's computer. This serves two important functions. It greatly reduces the minimum hardware specifications for games and it makes piracy extremely difficult. We're not going to say yet that it makes piracy impossible, because, well, "life finds a way."
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.
Can an MMO/TV hybrid succeed?
This past weekend Massively's big-sister site Joystiq took an editorial look at the SCI FI channel MMO/TV hybrid recently announced by Trion. Here at the site we discussed the initial announcement, and even did an interview with Trion's Jon Van Caneghem all about the ambitious project. Though they've now announced the game will be an alternate reality science fiction setting, a number of questions remain. Joystiq's Counting Rupees column isn't so much interested in what the game/show might be as it is the very question: can such a thing work?Columnists Jeff Engel and Geoff Brooks take a look at the history of game/television crossovers, going all the way back to the days of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show and Captain N. They posit what the nitty-gritty of this venture might entail, and eventually come the conclusion many gamers likely have: this is probably not going to work. Says Engel, "More likely, the in-game situations will only alter slight things within the TV universe, but this would probably drastically undercut a major reason why people would want to play and watch the show in the first place ... the remaining attraction of the game and show would be to simply see if you can get your avatar on to TV, and it's questionable whether that could actually sustain interest."
The week in massively features
Massively goes to WAR: Every Warhammer class explainedThe morning was quickly running out, and to compensate for the sheer amount of information we needed to pile through our demonstrators went into overdrive. For roughly an hour we moved quickly from class to class, visiting the highpoints of several different types of gameplay. Much of our discussion explored the karmic doppelgangers across classes; different races entirely that share similar roles or playstyles. EverQuest's senior producer and designer on SOE's Living LegacyLast week we sat down with EverQuest lead designer Ryan Barker, and senior producer Clint Worley. They were both very enthused to talk about the Living Legacy program, the just-announced initiative to bring adventurers back to Norrath. With the game's amazing tenth anniversary just about a year away, it was very interesting to speak with these industry veterans on what the team has in store for us this summer. Unboxing EverQuest's Living LegacySo you've decided to take SOE up on their Living Legacy promotion, with free two months of gameplay and all the goodies you can fit into your extra-large sized trick-or-treat bag, and are wondering just what you'll find in that bag when you open it. If you're finding yourself in EverQuest, you'll get quite a lot. Tabula Rasa goes AWOL from Q1 NCSoft financial reportsWhen the financial reports for the Q1 performance of NCSoft hit the Massively offices, fingers were quickly pressed to pages with one intent -- finding out what was going on with Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa. Already this year, we've heard dour reports on the status of the game, which were then rebuked by NCSoft, but those reports still planted seeds of doubt. Massively interviews Jon Van Caneghem about the SCI FI Channel MMOMassively sat down with Van Caneghem (a busy man since the news dropped on Monday) to chat about both the fantasy MMO and the SCI FI project, and what Trion's been working on since they formed. Van Caneghem told us why Trion wants to make a different kind of MMO, and how they'll balance an online game with a television series from the network that's running Battlestar Galactica. The interview starts right after you click the link below.
Comic Watch: Backward Compatible ganks the SciFi Channel's MMO
We've featured Backward Compatible here on Comic Watch before, and the hits just keep on comin'. This episode is particularly timely, concerning itself with the recent speculation over the SciFi/Trion project.We have to admit, an episode of any television show spoken entirely in l33t would be difficult to watch all the way through, but would be worth getting through just once. Notice the nice touches in this comic -- the SciFi logo in the lower-right corner, and the references to the two great pulpy science fiction adventure series of all time.
Sci-Fi Channel creating an MMO/TV show hybrid
With people spending less time watching TV and more time playing video games, TV networks are making increasingly unique attempts to get their audiences back. The latest example comes from the Sci-Fi Channel, which is integrating an upcoming TV series with a concurrent MMORPG that will affect and be affected by the on-air action."For example, we can tell [players] that there will be an alien invasion at a certain place in the game, at a certain time, and to be there with all their friends and be ready," Sci-Fi Channel President Dave Howe told the L.A. Times. "The outcome depends on them. And then that battle will be part of the universe in the show." Footage from in-game battles will be used in the show and the players choices themselves will guide which characters, settings and storylines are highlighted on the program.The game was originally planned to be an outgrowth of the channel's popular Battlestar Galactica remake, but the developers at Trion World Network decided it would be better to start fresh with new characters and environments. Both the show and the series will be set 80 to 100 years in the future and launched not that much sooner in the summer of 2010. More information is slated to be revealed at Comic-Con in July.
G4 claims the Trion/Sci-Fi project revolves around Stargate [UPDATED]
While the rest of the MMO community is happily buzzing about what Trion World Network is working on in conjunction with the Sci-Fi Channel, G4's The Feed has come right out and said it: "A Stargate MMO developed by Trion World Network and the SciFi channel is going to be integrated with the Stargate series sometime in 2010."Now, we're not out to immediately call shenanigans on G4, but our interview with Jon Van Caneghem doesn't mention any specific shows, and he should know, so ... where is G4 getting this information? A couple of the commenters for the post have noticed this as well, so we're glad it's not just us.[UPDATE: Our own Mike Schramm, who conducted the interview with Mr. Van Caneghem, had confirmed that this will be a new IP, so that rules out Stargate completely.]
Trion on their new distribution platform
When young, unproven companies make that first step of announcing new projects, as Trion did yesterday, there are typically scant few details for gamers to work with in trying to figure out what the company is going to be like. Fortunately, Trion bigwigs Lars Buttler and Jon Von Caneghem were willing to sit down for an interview yesterday to discuss what the focus of their new company is going to be with the development of the Sci Fi Channel project and the unnamed fantasy game.Their big emphasis seemed to be on innovating the distribution model, removing the retail barrier for entry that may be keeping a lot of potential players from getting invested in serious MMO experiences. Along those lines, they also want to plug into social networking and let players feel they have a presence in the game world even when they're not sitting at their home PCs. Also interesting was their plans to centralize most of the "smart" elements of their games, like the physics calculations, server-side, reducing the hardware requirements for the player. They see their role as much as a platform provider for future MMOs as anything, but the proof is in the pudding, and their games are going to have to impress if they want to have any hopes of success.
Trion announces another project, coming to consoles
Despite predictions that this generation of consoles would herald in the first wave of successful console MMOs, we've really yet to see anything more than scattered chatter and a few announcements here and there. That's why we were excited to hear that Trion World Network, who we found out earlier today are also working on a project with the Sci Fi Channel, announced plans to bring a new fantasy MMO project to the Xbox 360 and PS3, in addition to a release on the PC.Jon Van Caneghem, creator of the Might & Magic series, will be the creative force behind the game, which we still know precious little about at this point. The comments from Caneghem indicated that the as-yet-unnamed game will have a dynamic world that would change based on the actions of players. No word yet on the scale of the project, whether there will be cross-platform play, or whether there is some sort of development timetable. Very interesting news from a developer/publisher that is quickly finding a place on our MMO radar. And hey, they're hiring!
Sci Fi Channel creating hybrid TV series and MMO
The Sci Fi Channel plans to air a TV series that simultaneously plays out as a massively multiplayer online game, the Los Angeles Times reports. This pairing of television writers with game designers will allow fans of the series to influence its story arc through their own actions in the virtual space. David Howe, president of the Sci Fi Channel, said, "This is the Holy Grail for us, without a doubt... this is groundbreaking, and I don't say that lightly."The large and dedicated player communities attached to various titles in the MMO space are appealing to the Sci Fi Channel. "Bundling a World of Warcraft player community with a series and an on-line social community is something the Sci Fi Channel has tried to puzzle out for several years," according to the Los Angeles Times. The Sci Fi Channel's desire to tap into the MMO market led them to work with Trion World Network, a California-based game company with some major investors standing behind it. The hope is that together, they will achieve a first in interactive entertainment: create a hybrid television series and online game, where players affect or even determine the direction of the show. If successful, this will stand as a milestone in the history of both television and games.
Trion CEO says there's room for more than WoW
Trion World Network CEO Lars Buttler believes there's room for more than World of Warcraft on the MMO playground. One would hope he'd say that as Trion is attempting to break into a market dominated by Blizzard's juggernaut. In an interview with GI.biz, Buttler reiterates his assertions, which brought him to our attention originally, that Activision CEO Bobby Kotick was trying to scare competition off by saying even with a $1 billion investment Activision couldn't challenge WoW (good thing for Kotick the company owns it).We're hoping that Trion starts making some game announcements soon, as it allegedly has $30 million in funding, along with some former executives from top publishers. It'd just be nice to talk about Trion in some other context than Buttler saying WoW isn't the only game in town.
Former EA exec: Kotick's WoW remark meant to scare competition
Earlier this week Activision CEO Bobby Kotick made a bold statement saying that even with a $500 million or $1 billion investment his company couldn't produce a product that could compete with World of Warcraft -- lucky for him his company owns it. GameDaily reports that Lars Buttler, former VP of online at EA and current CEO of server-based game company Trion World Network, believes Kotick is just looking to scare off the competition.Buttler tells the site that Kotick is just defending the merger and believes WoW is just the beginning of the "connected era." Buttler goes on to use some fancy buzzwords but dismisses the idea that nobody can take on WoW no matter what the investment. He even says if developers disagree with Kotick that they should call his company. Trion is currently starting up and allegedly has products "well under way," but currently has no announcements.
O2's Xda orbit and trion get Windows Mobile 6
Windows Mobile 6 fever: catch it! That's slowly but surely getting easier to do on carriers around the globe -- including, surprisingly, one of our own -- and O2's the latest to add a bit of upgrade cheer to its lineup with support for the Xda orbit and trion. Known to HTC as the Artemis and Hermes respectively, both devices are well-suited for the splendors that Windows Mobile 6 Professional has to offer; in fact, AT&T's variant, the 8525, is scheduled to get its own facelift in the next few months. In the meantime, though, might we recommend staring longingly at the official upgrades across the Atlantic?[Via the::unwired]Read - Xda orbitRead - Xda trion
