Archive for the ‘MMO’ Category:
World of Warcraft faction transfers now underway
After playing the same faction for four years now, it wouldn’t hurt to have a little change. In fact, it might get a little boring to be the same race for so long. Fortunately, Blizzard has now begun their faction transfers. Players can now switch from Alliance to Horde, or Horde to Alliance.
Once changed, you can choose any race to be as long as it matches your character’s class. For example, you can’t create a Draenei Rogue, but you can become a Human Rogue. But, who would want to go Alliance anyways? Traitor.
The faction change costs $30.00 and can be done here.
EVE Online: Dominion coming this Winter
The eleventh free expansion for CCP Games’ MMORPG EVE Online has been announced today. Titled Dominion, the expansion is currently set for a Winter release this year.
EVE Online: Dominion will focus on primarily endgame content – alliance warfare. A complete overhaul of sovereignty mechanics will occur, and new epic arcs for pirate factions will also be introduced.
The game has been around since 2003, so it’s very surprising that it’s still going strong against giants like World of Warcraft and Lineage II. Blizzard only offers paid expansions for their game, so CCP Games’ approach is a very unique one.
Read (EVE Insider)
Jagex releases RuneScape numbers
I remember when I was younger I was all about RuneScape, I even went so far as to subscribe to the game and play the monthly fee, I was hooked. Unforuntunately, as the year’s passed so did my loyalty to the game until one day I just wouldn’t play it any further.
However, millions of people do not share my same views, logging onto the game each and every day. The game is so popular, in fact, that Jagex has recently went on record to say that over 105 million people have signed up since day 1.
Sure, they also have said that the actually has 10 million active subscribers but being a browser based game with little to no publicity, this is an amazing feat.
via kotaku
Soul of the Ultimate Nation beta invites roll out
Members of the web portal ijji have received an invite to the closed beta test of Soul of the Ultimate Nation, a popular Korean MMORPG. The schedule for the test lasts from August 27th through September 1st, from 2PM – 10PM PDT. No beta key is necessary to play, only an ijji account is required.
One hundred beta testers, selected at random, will be receiving an exclusive in-game “Siberian Huskey Pet.”
Unfortunately, I received notification that the beta was going on just today, even though the beta has been up for a few days now.
Webzen will be releasing the final version of the game this Fall.
King of Fighters MMO announced, KOF World
Shanda Games and SNK Playmore will be developing a new spin-off of the King of Fighters franchise called KOF World. The game will essentially be King of Fighters XII on an online platform for the PC, except with the mix of MMORPG elements. The game will be exclusive to China for now, but there’s always a possibility that it will reach other parts of the world.
“We are very pleased to work with Shanda Games and very optimistic about the prospects of our partnership,” said Mr. Soichiro Hosoya, President of SNK Playmore. “We are honored that the KOF series has always been favored by Chinese game players, and KOF World is a game that we will work closely together with Shanda Games to develop, especially for Chinese players. We look forward to the game’s continued success.”
The Matrix Online gets unplugged today
All players of The Matrix Online today will be taking the blue pill, as today marks the end of the online service of the game. Sony Online Entertainment will be terminating the service after four years of delays, ad controversy, and other drama. But, we will always remember the game for what it is; a fun way to relive the movie.
Subscribers the game were raised to the highest level, and given access to all of the stuff that they might not have been able to try before the game was ended. Additionally, the game was made available free of charge for anyone to try in its last days.
This isn’t the first time an MMO has died, just look at Hellgate: London, which only survived around two years of online service.
Rest in peace, The Matrix Online.
Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited delayed
Turbine Inc., has announced today that Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited will be seeing a delay. The free-to-play game was originally slated for an August 6th release, but looks like it will be pushed back to September 9th. DDO VIPs will be given access to the game beginning September 1st, however.
The reason behind the delay was to “ensure that we can support the massive increase in players that we are expecting and deliver them a free to play experience like none other.”
DDO Unlimited lifts the level cap, introduces a new player class, and has includes more content.
Global Agenda closed beta underway
Looks like the sci-fi third-person-shooter MMO Global Agenda has finally reached its closed beta stage, having sent invites out for everyone whose registrations were accepted.
If you haven’t already registered and are interested, just head over to the official website and put in a few computer specs and contact information, and voila, you’re done. Mind you, the system requirements for the game are pretty hefty.
No release date is planned for the game, but the developers are hoping to launch it before the end of the year.
via BluesNews
Jumpgate beta has 250,000 registrations
Codemasters announced today that the beta for Jumpgate: Evolution has reached a 250,000 beta sign-up milestone. Registrations are from both Europe and North America, making this Codemasters’ largest MMO beta to date.
The registrations mean nothing right now though, seeing as the publishers have delayed numerous launches for the beta. Right now, the space MMO scheduled for a release “later this year”, but not a lot of people can take those kinds of estimates seriously.
Currently, the closed beta is open to only a few select “family and friends”, so Jumpgate has a pretty small user base. However, the open beta is when the quarter of a million people will finally get a chance to try the game out. If you want to sign up, you can over at the Jumpgate site.
Read (CodeMasters)
GDC Austin keynote to be on World of Warcraft
Looks like the keynote speakers for this year’s Game Developer’s Conference will be none other than Blizzard’s Frank Pearce, Co-Founder & Executive Vice President of Product Development, and J. Allen Brack, Production Director.
The keynote will focus on “The Universe of World of Warcraft.” A bit redundant, don’t you think? One can only assume that it will outline what it takes to maintain and develop for such a large MMORPG. Maybe even a few words on the upcoming expansion, or more improbably, a look at the Warcraft movie.
This year’s GDC will be held at Austin, Texas from September 15th through 18th.
Read (GDC Austin)
Warcraft movie director announced
The same guy behind the Spider-Man trilogy has been announced to be the director for the Warcraft movie. Sam Raimi is also responsible for such works as “The Evil Dead” and “Drag Me To Hell.”
Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures will be working together for the film. So, maybe it won’t be so bad if Blizzard has most of the creative control.
“Sam’s passion for ‘Warcraft’ is undeniable and we know that he will create an incredible film worthy of Blizzard’s phenomenal franchise,” said Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull.
“From our first conversation with Sam, we could tell he was the perfect choice,”” added Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. “Sam knows how to simultaneously satisfy the enthusiasts and the mainstream audience that might be experiencing that content for the first time.”
There’s a lot of Warcraft lore out there, beginning from the debut of the scourge up to the return of the Lich King. And who can forget all of the novels that spawned along the way? Details are scarce right now, as the movie is still in production. Hopefully more information will pop up in this year’s Comic-Con.
Read (Toronto Sun)
Tags: alliance sucks, blizzard, director, Film, for the horde, legendary pictures, Movie, warcraft, wow
Sony Online Entertainment lays off 41 employees
The economic recession is really impacting the gaming industry, and it’s showing every day. The MMO division of Sony, Sony Online Entertainment, has confirmed that they have layed off 41 full-time employees, which is 5% of the workforce. The reason for this move is “In a move to increase operational efficiency and reduce costs…”
“SOE looks forward to continuing its leadership role in the online games industry as it celebrates the highly successful launch of Free Realms, the 10-year commemoration of its groundbreaking EverQuest franchise, and the continued performance of the company’s other games.”
Sony Online Entertainment refuses to comment any longer on the issue. It’s unknown if these were developer positions or what games these employees’ departure will be affected.
Read (IndustryGamers)
Realtime Worlds: APB subscription fees “won’t be normal”
Ever since Realtime Worlds announced All Points Bulletin it has been a highly sought after game with it’s GTA-like gameplay and MMO genre.
Well the developer has again stepped forward to speak of the game and this time about the subscription fees, a topic that has been under discussion for some time. David Jones of Realtime Worlds was quoted to have said the following:
“Basically, you have to buy the client. It’s a traditional game that you buy…We’re not going the normal ‘you have to subscribe to play the game every month’ route. What we haven’t said is which route we are going, and in some respects we’re still looking.”
Let’s hope that they really come up with something unique if you told World of Warcraft players they would have to pay an additional $15 a month to play APB, I don’t think they would be down.
via Kotaku
Rumor: New WoW expansion races leaked?
The latest Public Test Realm patch 3.2.0 in the World of Warcraft not only includes the upcoming Crusaders’ Coliseum, but also textures for upcoming Halloween events. Some of these textures were leaked by MMO-Champion, and reveal to be Goblin and Worgen masks. Now, note that these are the only two masks that were in the texture. Even if the patch itself is merely a PTR, it still holds some significance.
Goblins are a neutral race in the game, meaning they don’t hold allegiance to either the Horde or Alliance, so it’s possible that they can be the very first multi-faction race. As for Worgens, one can only assume that they will be Alliance exclusive, or also be another multi-faction race.
Remember though, it’s all speculation, so don’t get your Warcraft undies in a bunch. Hopefully more information will be revealed in this year’s BlizzCon.
Read (MMO-Champion)
Tags: world of warcraft
Rumble Fighter European open beta live
The European open beta for Rumble Fighter has gone live today, as hosted by OGPlanet. The game is described as a “casual fighting multiplayer online game“. By the way, it’s also free. Players who reach level 5 within the beta period will receive an exclusive in-game item – The Ultimate Beta-fro of Awesomness. Sounds enticing.
The game itself has very low system requirements and looks pretty fun, so there’s no real excuse not to try it out. Right now, the publisher is not offering any premium cash services, so if you want to take advantage of the game in its most balanced form, now is the time.
For American gamers, the game is already out of its beta stage and can be downloaded over at the North American Rumble Fighter site.