It’s had a few false starts and speed bumps, but Myst Online: Uru will be relaunching. After being dropped by Ubisoft while the game was in beta and then being picked up by GameTap it was then dropped by the online gaming service due to ‘business reasons’. In a world where lawsuits are frequent and intellectual property rights are guarded closely it’s surprising to hear that GameTap has handed back the rights to the game to Cyan Worlds, creator of the original Myst.

Citing a good business relationship as the cause, the companies have agreed on a plan for compensation if the game becomes commercially successful after the re-launch. The new scheme for keeping the game alive is one very much in tune with the basic premise of the Myst universe: the game will be kept afloat by the standard subscription fee plan, but at a low price of $25 for six months, while new content will be totally user-generated. The date of the re-launch is still unknown.

A new countdown clock has launched on Cryptic Studios’ website, suggesting that the company’s project will be revealed in just 27 days. But what is the name of the project? Shacknews has figured it out: Star Trek Online.

The site notes that the countdown uses an early piece of concept art of the game as its background. It is yet to be confirmed, but seeing as how they have gotten that right, I don’t see how anyone could argue.

Star Trek Online was originally in development at Perpetual Entertainment, though it was moved to an unnamed studio when Perpetual closed down earlier this year. Many speculated that Cryptic (City of Heroes, Champions Online) was up to the task, and the countdown confirms that. Expect more information of the game on July 28, the day the countdown ends.

Though Hellgate: London did not create much of an impact in North America and Europe, it is making one hell of a splash in the land of the rising sun. The game recently launched in Japan, ravaging the PC sales chart of the country, which isn’t really friendly towards computer titles and especially not sales-friendly for Western titles, too.

Hellgate: London has debuted at the number one spot in the country, outselling popular MMO games Lineage and Ragnarok online, as well as heavyweight Final Fantasy XI. Quite surprisingly, Spore Creature Creator, which made quite an impact in North America, is nowhere to be seen on the Japanese and European charts.

The market needed Age of Conan it seems, as the MMORPG has been stealing gamers’ attentions over from World of Warcraft, the long undisputed leader in the arena. Keeping in that tradition, developer Funcom today claimed that the recently launched MMO is the “undisputed #2 subscription MMO in the Western world.”

According to the developer, Conan has over 700,000 subscribers since its North American and European release in May, with the game said to be topping sales charts everywhere. By comparison, WoW has over 10.7 million subscribers worldwide, bringing in over $1.2 billion annually for the company.

Funcom recently announced content expansions and enhancements for the game, making it even more lucrative for World of Warcrack Warcraft addicts.

Speaking to EuroGamer, Funcom game director Gaute Godager addressed concerns of a lack of end-game content for Age of Conan, stressing that more quests are on the way for fans.

“What we chose to do at launch was to play it safe–to pick areas and zones and regions and hold them back, then finish them post-launch,” he explained. “That was to be able to polish the areas that we did for launch to a higher degree. So on the content side, the big zones that we’re giving out this Autumn like Ymir’s Pass and others–those are definitely pre-launch stuff that was cut or put on hold.”

He additionally noted that about 60 quests were added to the game in the past few weeks, with further fully-voiced missions to be added soon.

Blizzard today announced the Blizzard Authenticator, a keychain security device that adds greater protection against World of Warcraft account theft and hijacking.

The hardware, once associated with a WoW account, will provide a six digit code that must be provided when logging into the game. It will be valid for one use only, with each code generated on the press of a button. The device can be linked to multiple accounts.

Making its debut at this weekend’s Blizzard Worldwide Invitational event, the device will sell for $6.50. It will be made available on Blizzard’s online store at the same price soon thereafter.

By way of gaming magazine Edge comes new details on Sony Online Entertainment Austin’s upcoming MMO DC Universe Online for PC and PS3. The preview notes that the game will allow users to create their own superhero or villain and select superpowers for their characters in the same vein as City of Heroes, the already established superhero MMORPG.

DC Comics characters will appear in the game. One example pointed out was that players could aid Superman in his fight against Lex Luthor, or cause chaos downtown to draw the attention of famous superheroes.

The game will have a blend of instanced locales and large shared environments, two of which have been revealed to be Batman’s Gotham City and Superman’s Metropolis. According to the preview, there will be raids and instances, though the emphasis will be on fast-paced action rather than grinding for experience.

Finally, the developer noted that it is planning plot tie-ins with other DC Comics properties to be integrated into the in-game story arc. “We can tie-in future DC tentpole events and translate the stories for the gaming world, and have them occur simultaneously,” said creative director Jim Lee. “The possibilities are numerous and very exciting.”

Codemasters Online sends word that it is going to release an all-new free expansion for its popular MMORPG ArchLord. Dubbed Episode 3: Spirits Awakening, the add-on will add up to 30% new game content to the existing game.

The expansion will add three new game zones, over 80 new skills, new ArchLord skills, new armors and items, and finally new monsters and enemies.

ArchLord is a free online RPG which allows players to download and play the game with no monthly subscriptions or commitments. The game challenges players to raise an army and compete to become the game’s all-ruling ArchLord, controlling the entire game world and impacting the lives of thousands of players online.

And yet another developer jumps on the Unreal Engine 3 bandwagon. Gamasutra reports that Seoul-based online game developer T-Entertainment has licensed the game engine for its upcoming MMORPG project dubbed L2. It is scheduled for worldwide release in 2010.

The MMO is described as “futuristic fantasy with a taste of space opera.” It will take elements from both role-playing and real-time strategy games and will be a MMOG following in the veins of the studio’s previous titles Last Chaos and Laghaim.

The company hopes to take advantage of Unreal Engine 3, using its advanced character lighting, ambient occlusion (whatever that means) and dynamic fluid surfaces to power the graphics.

While no platforms were mentioned, it can be presumed that the game is being developed for PC.

Having launched the game just a few weeks ago, developer Funcom and publisher Eidos jointly announced that they plan to update Age of Conan with lots of planned changed and modifications. This self-described “massive new PvP update” is due out in late June, offering new social features, Guild Alliance Warfare, bigger battles, new areas and a combo-based dance system “entirely motion captured by professional dance artists.”

“We know that a solid launch is but the start when it comes to the MMO genre,” said Gaute Godager, game director. “What we are presenting today will evolve Age of Conan even further. It’s naturally an incredibly ambitious update plan for a live MMO game, but we are certain our players would want nothing less.”

Details of the update just after the jump.

Read on »

Following on the heels of behind-the-scenes problems at Flagship, the studio sent out word that Patch 2 for Hellgate: London is now live on their test center. The update, titled Abyss Chronicles, will be a large addition to the game, adding a new town with a new quest line that includes four new boss fights, the Consignment House, the Blademaster rebalance, Mythic and Double-Edged items, and more.

There will also be new armors, weapons and unique for each faction and so on. Both subscribers and non-subscribers will see a lot of improvements to the game. A teaser video has also been uploaded.

On Flagshipped was a blog post by Flagship audio and gameplay programmer Guy Somberg revealing some behind-the-scene happenings at the Hellgate: London developer. Though the post was removed, a Google Cache version of the page is still live, offering up a couple of revelations about the company.

Apparently, Flagship is severely understaffed it seems, as Somberg writes that he is the only programmer working on the action-RPG right now. The other people working on the game are said to have left for other projects, with another programmer leaving the company altogether.

A quick damage-control post by company CEO David Brevik asserts that the studio still has a full team working on the game and that “Guy was having a bad day.” The damage has already been done.

Despite recent rumors suggesting the contrary, publisher NCSoft has told Eurogamer that Tabula Rasa is not in any sort of financial trouble and that the game has a “dedicated player base, which is growing month to month.” The company went on to state that a recent European trial promotion was met with great demand and that they will do similar promotions later this year.

However, Eurogamer points out that the game was the least-earner in NCSoft’s stable of MMORPGs. The game earned approximately 927,000 GBP last quarter whereas Lineage II, Guild Wars and City of Heroes took considerably more. A spokesperson of the company acknowledged the game’s financial shortcomings, saying that all other games have been out for years (which is true) and that they already have dedicated player bases.

The Tabula Rasa project was headed by Richard Garriott, who is considered to be one of the fathers of MMOG for his contribution on Ultima Online.

Having launched the game successfully, Funcom today announced the upcoming arrival of the Age of Conan soundtrack CD. It will be published by Grappa Music and composed by Knut Avenstroup Haugen.

The two-CD soundtrack will feature in-game orchestral music, hoping to capture the moods presened in the game, ranging from the lush and serene to the primal and decadent. The very best tracks from the game have been chosen, but it will have “tremendous variation,” according to the company.

Most interesting will be the second disc that will include eight more orchestral songs from the game as well as three songs by infamous rockers Turbonegro. The legendary Scandinavian outfit has recorded the song “Destroy All Monsters” specifically for the game. The other songs were not detailed.

The CD can be purchased digitally right now through iTunes, with physical copies hitting stores across Europe later this month, and North America shortly after.

Normally a PC developer, Turbine, the studio behind Lord of the Rings, confirmed speculation that it is working on a console MMO. This was revealed by Turbine communications director Adam Mersky who told Kotaku that the company is “actively developing a title for console.”

He, of course, wouldn’t talk about the title, and whether it will make use of licensed properties like the studio’s other projects. Mersky, however, noted that the recent investment in the company has helped them expand for the project.

“We’ve hired over 60 people since the beginning of the year,” he said. “The people that invested in us, Time Warner… one of the media giants, getting into the MMO fold, and that’s obviously a big deal.”

Realtime Worlds sent out word that it plans to host a “full public beta” for All Points Bulletin, its crime-cops MMO, which is due out on PC and Xbox 360. The project is lead by GTA creator David Jones. No timeframe or platform details were provided for the beta.

In another portion of the announcement, the studio disclosed the hiring of Chris Dye as the game’s community relations manager. The studio notes that Dye’s hiring “signals the start of a new phase for [the game] where we can interact more fluidly with both gaming sites, and our potential future player base.”

The announcement further reveals that the game is moving into Alpha status. APB is due out sometime next year.

Superstars and artists bring out clothing lines left and right, but what about video games? Inno-Wear today announced that it has been granted a license to product clothing based on mature MMO Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures.

While details weren’t offered, the company did note that they expect to push out garments later this year, adding that it will receive the “official marketing support of the publisher.” The company is established in Europe where it sells a variety of “urban streetwear” for a number of gaming franchises, including Gears of War and Devil May Cry. Their licensing agreement only extends to European territories, leaving the question of North American distribution unanswered.

Psychology is an odd science at times. It takes a lengthy process to get an affliction or disorder included in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental DIsorders IV). People can become addicted to drugs, alcohol, exercise and shopping just to name a few things. Many psychologists are beginning to point out that internet addiction is a truly real phenomenon and should be added to the books.

Stories reach back to Everquest, without a doubt one of the first smash hits in the MMO genre. It was often referred to as ‘NeverRest’ or ‘EverCrack’ because many people played endlessly. Gaming comics like Ctrl-Alt-Del and Penny Arcade have poked fun at this phenomenon, but truth be told relationships, marriages and lives were ruined as a result of the game. While some MMOs have attempted to address this problem by putting in various gameplay tweaks designed to limit usage such as a decrease in the amount of experience gained after long periods of time, for some that’s likely not much of a deterrant.

Dr. Jerald Block, a psychiatrist in Portland, has found a disturbingly necessary niche: treating those with MMO addictions. According to him patients with addictions to computer games feel even more shame than those with addictions to porn. Consider the bafflement of your friends/girlfriend/parents at your excitement of getting a brand new game, or beating one. People who say things like “it’s just a game, why does it matter?” don’t exactly understand the level of personal and emotional investment involved in these ventures. It’s much simpler to understand the appeal of pornography: everyone is familiar with the appeal of sexual stimulation.

Gravity Interactive sends word that they are launching Requiem: Bloodymare, their humorously titled “mature horror” MMO, on June 19. However, those who pre-ordered their subscriptions will be able to login starting June 16, three days before gamers using the free-to-play option.

One of the few M-rated MMOs in the market, Bloodymare features a DNA system that allows players to experiment with their own genetic code, allowing characters to obtain traits that nature never intended. It does not feature any class or skills, rather players will use the DNA system for adding characteristics to their avatar.

“We’ve put together a title that is going to turn the MMO world on its ear. Requiem: Bloodymare is, quite simply, one of the best free-to-play MMOs out there,” said Jay H. Choi, vice president, Gravity Interactive.

The game will be free-to-play with two levels of subscriptions: a completely free mode, and two paid packages ($7.99 and $14.99/month) that will include faster character development, increased item drops, bonus points as well as enhanced chat functionality.

The MMORPG market is finally seeing some release from the dictator-like clutches of World of Warcraft following the release of Age of Conan. Developer Funcom today sent out word that their game has seen over one million units shipped worldwide, with the majority in the United States.

“Sales data shows that Age of Conan is the biggest MMO launch since World of Warcraft,” claimed Funcom marketing VP Morten Larssen. “The numbers are very promising, and we are very proud to be one of the fastest selling PC games ever in a launch month and the biggest simultaneous Europe/US MMO launch in history.”

Hopefully they will be able to keep up the steam, seeing as how the most-played MMO game is almost four years old.