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This Week in MMO: MechWarrior edition
In this week's TWIMMO, Mike B aka Fony, Josh Allen, and Mike Schaffnit join host Gary Gannon for Gamebreaker.TV's weekly chat about recent MMO stories. They kick things off by pondering how a video stuffed with anti-gay slurs slipped by Blizzard Entertainment (and a lot of the folks in the live crowd, as well) at BlizzCon. They also gush like fanboys about the newly announced F2P MechWarrior Online MMO before spending some airtime on PlanetSide 2, World of Darkness, and RuneScape. Hit the break for the full show!
World of Darkness' Chris McDonough calms fan concerns
A number of World of Darkness fans were concerned after a recent CCP CEO interview in which it was said that the World of Darkness MMO was going to be scaled back. The game's Senior Producer, Chris McDonough, stopped by the World of Darkness News forums to respond to the concerns. In essence, he states that CCP was "staffed up as if [they] would be able to be production-ready at this point and [they] simply are not." However, players shouldn't be too concerned, because the only content that is being scaled back in World of Darkness is "redundant content that's expensive to make." For McDonough's full response, head on over to World of Darkness News.
EVE Evolved: The human casualties
This time last year, EVE Online developer CCP Games was an untouchable powerhouse in the games industry. In addition to servicing around 350,000 EVE subscribers, the company was also developing the World of Darkness MMO and the full scale MMOFPS DUST 514 set on the planets of EVE. Everything seemed to be going fine, but with the release of Incarna at the end of June, CCP faced the biggest crisis in the company's history. Due to a series of missteps and internal leaks that has come to be collectively known as Monoclegate, player confidence in CCP plummeted to record low. Following the CEO's recent letter of apology promising a refocusing of development on in-space EVE features, news of highly requested features due for inclusion in EVE has gone a long way toward restoring confidence in CCP as a developer. With the return of ship spinning earlier this week and news of updates from hybrid turret rebalancing and implants being added to killmails to the release of the player-designed Tornado battlecruiser, the process of refocusing on EVE is well underway. Unfortunately, the good news of upcoming gameplay updates has been marred by the sobering reality that over 20% of CCP's worldwide staff have been laid off as part of the refocusing effort. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the human casualties of the recent EVE drama and speak to an insider at CCP about what's going on within the company. Unless quotes or facts in this article are specifically attributed to this insider, they are my own views and opinions based on publicly available information.
CCP layoffs affect 20% of worldwide staff, company focusing on EVE
Reporting on game industry layoffs is never fun, so we're a bit sobered this morning as we bring you news of CCP's downsizing. The development firm behind EVE Online, DUST 514, and the World of Darkness MMO has just issued a press release stating that it will be trimming approximately 20% of its staff worldwide. According to CCP Manifest, most of the layoffs will occur in the company's Atlanta, Georgia offices, with select positions at the Reykjavik, Iceland camp also affected. Manifest says that EVE expansions, DUST, and WoD have stretched CCP's resources too thin, and the company will now "sharpen our focus." In the short term, this means more attention for EVE Online and DUST 514, while World of Darkness will "continue development with a significantly reduced team." Finally, the press release attempts to head off the doomsayers by pointing out the fact that EVE's subscriber numbers are higher than they were this time last year. [Thanks to everyone who tipped us!]
This Week In MMO: Conspiracy edition
It's a new week; It's a new theme song for This Week In MMO. As you know, every week, Gamebreaker.TV hosts a round-table discussion about the latest news in MMOs, inviting different hosts from different media outlets to share their opinions and speculation. This week, everyone's favorite host, Gary "Bing Bong" Gannon, is joined by Mike "the Chinhawk" B and Jason "Red Shirt" Winter. It would not be an episode of TWIMMO if everyone didn't get tinfoil-hat hair. Starting with speculation revolving around the Star Wars: The Old Republic release-date announcement, two of the panel members were convinced that it was directly related to the Diablo 3 2012-pushback announcement. But that's not the only pushback that had our panelists theorizing. According to Gannon, End of Nations may be feeling the SWTOR pressure, too. The Trion Worlds MMO RTS was recently pushed back to 2012 as well. Keep your aluminum brain-barrier intact because our hosts also believe it is possible that CCP's World of Darkness MMO may be going free-to-play. All of this, plus the biggest question on everyone's mind is answered: Could there be a Kim Kardashian MMO and would there be an oiler profession? Check out the full episode of This Week In MMO after the break!
Video interview with Chris McDonough reveals more details on World of Darkness
There are a lot of gamers pretty interested in World of Darkness, and it's not hard to see why. The game is based in lore that's still hugely influential in the arena of tabletop gaming, and it's hard to imagine a developer better suited to labyrinthine political dramas than CCP. Machinima.com had a chance to chat with Chris McDonough during the recent Grand Masquerade, where McDonough revealed a few more tidbits about what the game would incorporate and how it would cater to existing fans of the property. As McDonough puts it, the overall goal is to bring some of the feel of the game's many LARP activities into the MMO space, with the focus on player and character interplay in a sandbox environment. The full interview also discusses the spread of the overall property, why the team decided to focus on vampires initially, and more about what players can expect from the game world. View the full interview after the break. [Thanks to Pilgrim for the tip!]
MMObility: Glitch makes you wish you were as cool as it is
If you have kept up with my columns for a while, you know what a fan of Glitch I am. I have to admit that I've been terribly angry at the developer, Tiny Speck, for not bringing the game into a final phase yet. I wanted my little Glitch to stay as he was when I logged out; I didn't want to see him wiped over and over again after those pesky tests that help assure quality and playability. So I've been avoiding the testing phase for the most part. Isn't that just a perfect example of how mania drives gamers? We will do anything to avoid playing a favorite upcoming game for fear of becoming attached to our little digital selves or spoiling the fun of discovering new quests. Well, we'll wait no more! As of today, the game and world is finally open to anyone. That means you get to jump in, nibble pigs, massage butterflies, collect random items you find on the floor, and generally exist in the imagination of a giant. Sounds cool? It is cool. In fact, I need to explain just how cool it is. Click past the cut!
Massively Exclusive: World of Darkness interview
The 2011 Grand Masquerade in New Orleans is over, and the monsters have all gone home. In their wake, we're left with a series of exciting revelations relating to the upcoming World of Darkness by CCP Games. While it's only in pre-production, it has already sent fans of the World of Darkness setting into a frenzy of anticipation. The new details only give rise to more questions, however, and speculation has run rampant, especially given how radically CCP's new game departs from the standard MMO model. Thankfully, Massively has some answers. Shane Defreest, the Community Developer for CCP North America and White Wolf Publishing, was kind enough to take the time out of his hectic schedule to answer a few of our questions relating to the game. He sheds a bit of light on World of Darkness, discussing the choice of setting, player factions and playable clans, the business model, and how he views the experience of the game. Enjoy!
This Week In MMO: Rated M for mature edition
It's another Thursday, and another week for Gamebreaker.TV's This Week in MMO. What's in store for this installment? Massively's very own Editor-in-Chief Shawn Schuster and Community Manager Rubi Bayer join regular host Gary Gannon in "mature" discussion about MMOs. First up, Gary, Shawn, and Rubi run through the topic of the mature rating in MMOs such as CCP's World of Darkness. Then our intrepid hosts guide us through the magical and technological starting zone for the Asura in Guild Wars 2. Also, saving Metropolis just became cheaper -- free, in fact! Shawn and Rubi discuss DC Universe Online's entry to the free-to-play market. Where is the future of MMO-subscription models going? Freemium? When Shawn spoke to SOE President John Smedley, Smed certainly favored it. Moving on to another action-based game, Rubi reveals TERA's PR speak within its endgame Q&A statements, and Shawn admits that the small raid size in The Secret World isn't quite big enough for him. Catch all that and more in the full Gamebreaker.TV video after the break!
CCP reveals World of Darkness details to bloodthirsty fans
Details about CCP's World of Darkness are popping out of White Wolf's The Grand Masquerade in New Orleans this weekend, and they're definitely worth draining for every last sweet drop of... information. While the game is still in pre-production -- and as such, nothing is set in stone -- the devs weren't hesitant to dish out a lot of the ideas and features that they hope will make this the best vampire MMO to date. It's CCP's desire to emulate LARPing (live-action roleplaying) as much as possible with World of Darkness, with plenty of metaplots running inside the game and without. Players will begin as a mortal human who can make the choice to become a kindred (vampire) or stay mortal for the duration of their characters' lives. There's a very real danger that characters might experience "final death" -- permadeath -- if they take too many risks. If you get in over your head, you can retreat to your character's Haven for safety. The entire game will take place at night and on one server, and CCP is definitely aiming it toward the hardcore set. Nudity, gore, and insanity effects are all par for the course. If players push outside of the acceptable boundaries too often, they'll lose "humanity" points and could become flagged for constant attack by other players and NPCs. Play your cards right and you may become the prince of the city. The game will change over time with dynamic events, and CCP promises that there will be real consequences for player decisions. Look for our World of Darkness interview with CCP coming later this week. [Thanks Pilgrim for the tip!]
Going to The Grand Masquerade in New Orleans? We want you!
If you're attending The Grand Masquerade on September 15th through the 18th this year and you're interested in meeting up with CCP and White Wolf for an interview, we want to give you some money. No seriously, we want to pay you to meet some game devs, and you can even be dressed like a vampire while you do it. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, huh? The Grand Masquerade is the annual event held by White Wolf in New Orleans, Louisiana as a fan gathering for World of Darkness. Since White Wolf and CCP are working on a World of Darkness MMO, we're especially interested in getting some first-hand information out of the event. This year, they've confirmed that more details on the MMO will be revealed, so we're especially excited to be a part of it. Read on after the jump for details on how you can apply to represent Massively at The Grand Masquerade.
Rumour: Leaked document shows CCP's microtransaction plans [UPDATED]
In the wake of controversy surrounding EVE Online's new microtransaction store and its not-so-micro prices, a document has surfaced that has raised more than a few eyebrows in the EVE community. The PDF is reported to be a copy of CCP's internal company newsletter Fearless. Ex-CCP employee and current CSM member Seleene was able to verify that the company does circulate an internal newsletter by that name and that the style is very similar to the leaked document. However, the absolute authenticity of the document can not at this time be proven. The document dates back to May 2011 and discusses how microtransactions will be integrated into EVE Online, DUST 514 and World of Darkness. Most of the document is fairly harmless, but a few parts have stood out to players. According to the document, "Not all virtual purchases [in EVE Online] will focus on customization: some will simply be new items, ammunition, ships, etc. that can be purchased outright." Also mentioned is the possibility of buying faction standings. Both of these would be in complete contrast to earlier promises from CCP not to allow microtransactions that influence gameplay. Authenticity of the document is still in question, but we can reveal that the leaked PDF has had several pages removed before being made public. A link to the full version was later leaked on twitter. Page 2 of the document, which was omitted in the originally leaked file, contains a disclaimer stating that the views presented are personal opinions and not company policies or decisions. This adds further confusion as players attempt to make sense of the file's contents. We reached out to CCP to ask about the document's authenticity and to request clarification on the discussions presented in it. We'll update this post with any response we get. [UPDATE: The document's authenticity has been confirmed by CCP Pann from CCPs PR department. Massively has a hard-hitting interview in the works with CCP Zulu on the issue]
CCP and White Wolf celebrating Vampire's 20th anniversary with new rulebook, fan gala
Vampire: The Masquerade is gearing up to celebrate its 20th birthday (20 years!?), and while two decades may be a drop in the proverbial bucket to your average vampire, it's quite a chunk of time for mere mortals. White Wolf (which MMO aficionados probably know as a subsidiary of CCP) is celebrating the milestone with a limited-run anniversary edition of the RPG's core rulebook. The tome is available via pre-order and will set you back a hefty $99.99. The book's release will coincide with The Grand Masquerade 2011, a fan event scheduled for September 15th to 18th in New Orleans that will feature, among other things, "the next look at the future of the World of Darkness MMO."
Ask Massively: The best part is where attractive hipsters have fun outside edition
Music videos are a tricky business. Sometimes a rather neat song will have a correspondingly neat video. Sometimes the video consists of just the band standing in place and singing the song, which is technically reasonable but kind of defeats the purpose of having a video. And sometimes the video is just a bunch of hipsters running around and committing periodic acts of vandalism. So you can understand why MTV has essentially stopped showing anything that might be construed as a music video, although it's debatable whether the current lineup is any better. In a Python-esque segue, it's time for something completely different: Ask Massively. This week's edition features a question about EVE Online and the fate of Cryptic Studios, albeit not in the same question, as that would be a bit of conceptual whiplash. As always, if you'd like to have your question answered in a future edition, send a message along to ask@massively.com or leave your question in the comment field.
The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: Your journeys, part 1
What a long, strange trip it's been back through the heyday of multi-user dungeons and the many, many spin-offs and variations thereof. We've looked at the history, talked with Richard Bartle, and promoted a few of the best titles out there -- but we're not done yet! The Game Archaeologist will not hang up his hat and call it a day well-lived until your stories are entered into the history books. Throughout this month, MUD and MU* players have deluged the inbox of the Game Archaeologist Institute for Text-Based Virtual Worlds, impressing us with hefty paragraphs of passionate experiences. These stories are so good, in fact, that we have little desire to choose between them, which is why we're going to annex the first week of May so that we can share all of them. May won't mind -- May's cool like that. So hit the jump and read the testimonies of the word warriors who were there on the front line of parser combat and grammatically correct roleplaying. These are their stories. This is your lunch break.
EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 3
The third and final day of festivities at the massive EVE Online Fanfest has come to an end, and it was definitely worth waiting for. There were several round-table discussions and events going on today, but the event everyone was looking forward to was definitely the "CCP Presents" talk in the afternoon. With yesterday's keynote speech wrapping up all the awesome plans CCP has for EVE this year, it wasn't certain exactly what had been saved for today's show. Yesterday we heard details of the Incarna captain's quarters, server upgrades, new turret effects, new nebulae and more. Highlights of today included a round-table discussion on how CCP would be linking EVE with DUST 514, the hilarious finals of the Fanfest PvP tournament and the CCP Presents feature. This was followed by the CCP panel, in which developers answered questions from the audience. Having spent three days watching developers talk about the future of EVE, I get the distinct impression that many of them have as much passion for EVE as even the most fanatical EVE players. Read on for a roundup of what happened today at the EVE Fanfest, along with detailed explanations of a few personal highlights from today and the Fanfest in general.
Level 3 to offer streaming of EVE Online Fanfest
Are you bummed that your budget won't allow for a trip to Reykjavik for the EVE Online Fanfest this year? Perhaps you're still new to New Eden and aren't sure what kind of stuff goes on at the party on top of the world? Well, in either case, CCP and Level 3 have you covered. According to a press release from earlier this morning, Level 3 -- already known for offering live-streaming of the EVE Online Alliance tournaments -- will be offering its services to allow fans at home to check out some of the myriad Fanfest events. The press release was followed by a blog post on the official EVE Online site that offers up even more details on the event streams. For those who have one spare PLEX lying around (or the equivalent cash), a high-definition stream of the events will be available for purchase. As if the HD-streaming deal weren't sweet enough, all players who opt to purchase the higher-end stream will be granted a special Quafe t-shirt similar to the ones that attendees of Fanfest will receive, only this particular version will be for their characters' in-game use when Incarna rolls out. However, if spending money on the Fanfest stream isn't for you, you can still check out the weekend's panels and events via the lower-definition EVE TV stream that will be available on the main Fanfest site starting on March 25th and running until the evening of March 26th. Check out the EVE Online streaming blog post for all the details!
CCP Games expanding US presence, hiring 150 additional staff
Icelandic game development studio CCP Games began life as a handful of employees in a small Reykjavik building. The ongoing success of its flagship game EVE Online has fueled the company's expansion into a global entity with offices in Iceland, the United States, China and the United Kingdom. In addition to working on EVE Online, CCP's offices house people working on the upcoming console MMOFPS Dust 514 and the announced World of Darkness MMO. CCP announced today that its American headquarters are to be relocated to a new area in Atlanta. The new office space will provide some much-needed room for the company to expand, allowing it to create up to 150 new jobs over the next three years. Many of these jobs will be filled by local colleges and universities, which offer comprehensive courses relating heavily to work in the games industry. Mike Tinney, President of CCP North America, was positive about the move. "Decatur offers the perfect blend of big city accessibility with a hometown feel that we were looking for," he said. "Georgia's financial climate combined with Decatur's social climate provide the ideal conditions for continued growth."
Make your travel plans for EVE Online's fanfest
With the holidays coming up, there's a plethora of things a capsuleer could ask for: that shiny new T3 ship you've been eyeballing, a pile of PLEX, or perhaps a bargain at the EVE Online store sale. But the savvy holiday shopper knows to save his cash for the upcoming Fanfest that is slated to be held in 2011. With Incursion coming up, Incarna to follow, DUST 514 underway, and World of Darkness recently announced, this year's party at the top of the world looks like it's going to be full of all manner of cool stuff to check out. Thanks to a bit of internet digging, it appears that IcelandAir has already released its travel packages for those looking to get the jump on the event and book in at the lowest rates. The travel site indicates that the dates for the upcoming Fanfest are March 24-26, leaving lots of time to get those vacation requests in early. Additionally, IcelandAir lists a CCP dev-attended city tour and a party after the event that offer some idea of the festivities to come, although they're not included with the travel package itself. We've contacted CCP for additional information and will be certain to let you know when we hear more. For now, make sure your passports are in order and get over to the IcelandAir site to get your package booked!
The Perfect Ten: Halloween MMOs
We're only a few days away from Halloween, and already the Massively office staff is dressing up in anticipation. Shawn's post-apocalyptic gear is at odds with Rubi's tastefully modest Guild Wars Elementalist outfit. Greg's Squig is in the corner battling it out with Larry's Chewbacca. Bree is dudded up as a giant red corrective marker; Jef's free-to-play outfit requires microtransactions to view in full; and Kyrstalle is photographing it all with her Poloroid One-Shot camera. I think Eliot showed up in full plate armor and riding a mechanical bull, but that just may be his normal work attire. So as everyone else is goofing off in the spirit of the holidays, it remains to me, your lovable intern, to hack out a top 10 list in honor of All Hallow's Eve. It's the least I can do since they're paying me in candy. While every MMO incorporates horror at some point (even, yes, Hello Kitty Online's Cat-Tastrophie zone), and it's nearly impossible to escape a clutch of giant spiders in any game you visit, I've picked out 10 MMOs that best deliver a slice of October 31st. Some are old, some new, some canceled and some yet to come, but these are 10 of the spookiest MMOs in the world.
