We've heard of patching, or major content updates...heck, we've even heard of an MMO game getting Star Wars Galaxied, but re-developed? That's what Acclaim is called the process The Chronicles of Spellborn is going to be going under for the next year or so. The original developer of Spellborn, Dutch developer Spellborn NV, will be working together with Runes of Magic developer Frogster Asia, with the Korean studio bringing its expertise in the field of free-to-play and microtransactions to bear on the project. Once the re-development is finished, all current subscribers to the game will be switched over to the new free model.

It's actually a bit bizarre, isn't it? I've seen many Korean MMO titles come to the West, but to take a Western MMO to Korea for fixing? Interesting.

Acclaim refers to The Chronicles of Spellborn as a "Freemium" massively multiplayer online game. This means the game limits free customers to a specific area and enforces a level cap, giving players enough to time to get a taste of the gameplay before yanking it away and holding out its hand for their wallets. At launch, this cap was 7.9, stopping players from progressing to level 8 or higher. Now they've raised the cap to 9.9, giving free players another couple of levels to mull things over in the starter zones of Hawksmouth and Aldenvault.

The change is part of patch 1.0.4.2, which also includes an improved tutorial for Spellborn's unique Skill Deck hot bar substitute, which was desperately needed.

Whether the increased cap will be enough to convince players to stick around for $14.99 a month remains to be seen.

The first game, Tales of Magic, is expected to launch on SciFi.com this spring. The deal is an offshoot of Sci Fi Ventures, a subsidiary of the television channel that hopes to transform the channel into a "global lifestyle brand."

Acclaim will be creating an exclusive Sci Fi label to jointly develop new games with plans to "extend these properties to other platforms, products and forms of media."

I'd be much happier about the deal's prospects if their first game were something bigger, like a Battlestar Galatica title.

Sci Fi Launches Ventures for New Games, Online Destinations [AWN, via Twitter]

Here's how the closed beta is working. The first round of testers get in today, hand-picked from Acclaim chats, David Perry's twitter and Historian's beta tester list. Then starting tomorrow, Acclaim will activate another 1,000 accounts every 12 hours, until they feel the servers have reached full capacity. While I am certain they have some sort of email notification in place, players will also be able to check their Acclaim account page to see if they've gotten in.

Even if you don't manage to weasel your way in, you can still download the client from the website, so you'll be ahead of the inevitable open beta stampede. Eventually at least, for as of this writing it doesn't seem to be working. Oh well, I'm sure they'll get it up and running eventually. I've been waiting several years to play the damn game; I'm sure another few weeks won't hurt.

"I spoke to a developer who is working on it right now," he said. "I know this developer is already working on it, so that means they have a prototype. That would sound like a fall release to me."

Perry said he is excited about the news.

"I've been pounding on Sony for a long time to make the PlayStation Portable relevant and not to let Apple stroll away with the portable game market," he said. "Look at what Apple is doing now. Why are so many investors investing in Apple game development? Trying to pitch a PSP game to investors right now is brutal."

The idea of a UMD-free PlayStation Portable begs the question of how games will be loaded onto the device.

Perry believe it will be done through digital downloads and direct connect to a computer.

The ultimate goal, he says, is for the PSP to go 100 percent digital. Not only would that allow Sony to have a more direct connection with their customers and get a larger piece of the sales pie, it would essentially kill the used game sales market.

As a stopgap to keep retailers like GameStop interested in selling the PlayStation Portable 2, which they make little to no money on, Perry thinks that Sony would at least initially sell games for the device on Memory Sticks, as they currently do with some movies, or with pre-paid cards.

As for backwards compatibility, it stands to reason, Perry says, that all current PSP titles would show up on PlayStation's online store.

While Perry insists that the PSP2 is real, and already been developed for, a lot of the details about distribution and release are more speculative on his part.

It does make sense that games will one day go digital only, it seems inevitable. But is now too soon for something like the PSP?

Announced today, Rockfree is a browser-based game that will allow players to create their own rock avatar, open their own rock club, and engage in rock battles with up to 7 other players on any stage. Aside from three licensed songs being shown off in the sneak preview being held tomorrow - "Iron Man", "Fat Lip", and "Woman" - more than 40 new songs are slated to be produced for the game, with players having the ability to upload their own music as well.

“Acclaim Games is excited about offering an online rock game that connects people through music and a multiplayer experience. People don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars to play ROCKFREE, and because it’s free-to-play the entire world can now enjoy a music based game.” says Howard Marks CEO of Acclaim Games.

Details are scant, but won't be fore long. Closed beta kicks off tomorrow with the public preview event at http://www.rockfree.com/. Hit the jump for some images and the full release.

Acclaim Games Announces “ROCKFREE” A multiplayer online music based game

Acclaim plans Closed Beta for November 29th with an official release in first quarter 2009

Los Angeles, CA (November 28, 2008) – People around the world are playing music games like Rockband and Guitar Hero, but the price for these music based games can be expensive. Acclaim Games has the answer, “ROCKFREE”. Acclaim Games is proud to announce a free, browser-based, multiplayer, PC rock game that connects people through music and socialization.

A sneak-peak of ROCKFREE will be available to the public Saturday, November 29th at www.rockfree.com. In the game players will be able to create custom rocker avatars, open a rock club and battle against other people around the world. In the end it’s all about who rocks, who sucks and more importantly, who gets the coveted title of ROCKER GOD. This early sneak-peak will provide a taste of the music line-up to come, providing three licensed tracks; Iron Man, Fat Lip and Woman. Additionally there are more than 40 new songs being produced for this game.

Acclaim Games and WaveGroup, Warner Music, Sony and EMI have teamed up to do the music for ROCKFREE. WaveGroup, spearheaded by Will Littlejohn who is credited on Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II and III, Karaoke Revolution Volumes 1, 2 and 3, and Blade Runner, is a integral part in the production of ROCKFREE’S music.

“Acclaim Games is excited about offering an online rock game that connects people through music and a multiplayer experience. People don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars to play ROCKFREE, and because it’s free-to-play the entire world can now enjoy a music based game.” says Howard Marks CEO of Acclaim Games.

“We’ve had a simple vision for this game… Just imagine Rocking out to really GREAT music online, for FREE, on a game that you can play anywhere, anytime, where you don’t need to buy CD’s or install anything, where the music is directed by the company the Guitar Hero team went to, where we DON’T charge for extra songs, that will quickly have over 1,000 amazing songs, as users upload new tracks, that can allow EIGHT people to compete on any stage, and that’s just about hanging out with friends and having fun. That’s our long term goal here, and here’s a sneak peek to see if were on the right track so far.” says David Perry, Chief Creative Officer.

This is your chance to be heard and have a huge impact on how the game evolves! Come and join the fun and ROCKFREE! Just follow this link: http://www.rockfree.com

Frankly, we don't get it. And we kind of stopped looking at prices after having our world rocked by second-hand gaming sticker shock. But if you want to know where you can drop a grand on a copy of Maximum Carnage, now you know. Super Potato.

I tried to create my own diva, but as you can see from the results I spent far too many DivaBucks on facial tattoos, leaving me no money for pants, a situation I find myself in with alarming regularity. Feel free to hop over there and create your own, but remember to share!

MyDivaDoll: Attitude, Fashion & Interior Design [Acclaim]

"Because of the cost of making the PlayStation 3 and because they sold it at a loss, Sony basically has pretty much no chance of making money on the PS3, because it's lost more money than they made during the entire peak of the PlayStation 2 — it's not going to happen again for Sony."

He went on to say that a PlayStation 4 coming out in the next eight or so years would be a bad idea. "If they release the PlayStation 4 and have an even more expensive console and raise the cost of games by ten dollars, that would not be good."

Thus, Perry said, this 10-year-plan for the PS3 is a long-term bid to wring out as much money to pay for the console's development, since the pricing and sales so far haven't done it. "This is going to force them to make the PS3 last longer and they're kind of positioning to do that," he said.

Perry: "Sony has No Chance of Making Money on the PS3" [GamesIndustry.biz]

Acclaim Bringing For-Pay Item Trade To Facebook [Gamasutra]

Acclaim said 60,000 entrants signed up to submit content for Project Top Secret, and Perry will be the executive producer on the winner's project. The original plan, said Acclaim, was to let the community collaboration design the game while a team of professionals actually made it, but Project Top Secret has since shifted into being an entirely community-produced effort.

Now in its second "building" stage, the project also has a million-dollar prize at stake along with the publishing deal and a real-deal professional development contract.

Full announcement follows the jump.

roject ‘Top Secret’ - Winner to be Announced Soon

Los Angeles (June 16, 2008) – The biggest video game design project ever “Project: Top Secret” is about to reach an historic landmark when one lucky contributor is chosen as the winner this month, and then their dream comes true.

Acclaim Games, Inc. decided to re-define what user generated content means to the video game industry by letting the gamers design their own professional game from scratch. Over 60,000 signed up to help, immediately making this the biggest game development team on record.

“There was no book we could follow on how to do this. In fact, the books out there seemed to think it was impossible! Could so many non-professional developers come up with new game designs never seen before? Of course they can, and they did!” said the project’s Director David Perry.

Acclaim wanted to make all this effort really worthwhile, so the winner will receive the biggest career jump possible, going from a game player with big dreams to a game director, a full time job, running an important game project for Acclaim that’s fully funded and is being developed from scratch. (And you can bet it will include user-generated content!) “I’ve offered to be their Executive Producer,” says Perry, “to make sure that they get a really fair shot at this.”

The original plan was to have the community design the game, then have a professional team make it. That all changed when the community asked to design AND build the final product.

So the second “building” stage of this project continues, and we have ten independent development teams working on the related Top Secret development contest hoping to win a prize worth up to a million dollars, a publishing deal, and a professional development contract going forward.

The Top Secret design winner and runners-up will be announced by next week. Stay tuned for more!

To find out more about this exciting project, just visit: www.videogameteam.com or www.acclaim.com

Perry tells PDF publication Disposable Media, in response to a question about ways Microsoft can tap into the "Blue Ocean" market Nintendo is targeting, that those casual fans will come around. They just need a shiny object to look at.

Perry speaketh:

The 360 and PS3's graphical power is essential in attracting the Wii's userbase. The fact is, gamers are attracted to beautiful looking games, they always have been, even back when the Konix was thought up. When a game comes out - a game like a Halo or something, something they haven't seen before - they'll drop everything and they'll drop their Wii controllers when it does.

You know, Perry may be right. Gamers weened on a series of quick, pick up and play games may look for something a little more robust when... HEY A NICKEL!!!

Disposable Media Issue #8 [Disposable Media via Next-Gen]

While I can't speak for 9Dragons, BOTS!! is a hell of a good time, and the only thing that has kept me from installing it on my new PC at home is both the download time and the fact that I download so many things I often lose track. Perhaps a shiny CD in the mail would help, or maybe I'd just toss it out thinking it was an AOL disc. Either way this is definitely a triumphant day for digital delivery.

Atlanta, GA (June 29th, 2007) - Acclaim Games and SwiftCD.com have partnered to offer on-demand physical delivery of Acclaim's multiplayer online games on CDs and DVDs. In addition to being able to download the game for free, both BOTS!! (www.botsgame.com) and 9Dragons (www.9dragonsgame.com) games can now be obtained on a free CD or DVD shipped worldwide to the Acclaim Games customer (shipping & handling fees apply). The large file sizes of the games (e.g., 9Dragons is over 700MB) prompted many Acclaim customers to request a physical delivery option. Acclaim has now made quick and easy physical delivery available via the SwiftCD partnership.

"SwiftCD gave us exactly what we wanted; a turn-key solution incorporating all aspects of the order taking, on-demand production and worldwide fulfillment", said Howard Marks, Chief Executive Officer of Acclaim Games. "SwiftCD has a reputation for excellence and reliability along with unparalleled service. They made the implementation on our side almost effortless."

The BOTS!! and 9Dragons download pages are now live with the SwiftCD-powered physical delivery options. On-demand CDs/DVDs are free to Acclaim players and available for only a nominal shipping and handling charge. The CDs/DVDs are shipped worldwide, normally within 24 business hours of receiving the order. Since the CDs and DVDs are made 'on-demand', Acclaim customers are assured to always get the latest software versions. As a bonus, the 9Dragons DVD also contains BOTS!!.

"Acclaim Games is one of the most recognized brands in the world of online gaming. We're thrilled to have been selected to power the Acclaim physical media solution", said Jason Foodman, Chief Executive Officer of SwiftCD.com. "Offering a physical delivery option ensures that everyone who is interested in experiencing the magic Acclaim has created will have the chance to play these amazing games."

Acclaim plans to offer a CD or DVD for each of the downloads on its website so that consumers always have the option to have the large files delivered rather than downloaded on their PC. Customers with slow connections, as well as those who desire or prefer having media backup, will benefit from this new option making all of Acclaim's free to play multiplayer online games easily accessible to all.

All of Acclaim's multiplayer online games are fun, addicting, and best of all free to play. Simply register for a free account at www.acclaim.com and download the games (or order game software on CD/DVD from SwiftCD) to play now!

User: I GOTTA PAY TO BE BLACK?

Moderator:
Black is an EXTRA feature. It makes your person look unique, so that is an EXTRA feature. Therefore, you having to PAY for it. (Or ask a friend to pay for it). As an optional character upgrade, we must put this in the item shop for players to acquire. This is the only way to offer the African-American heads. However, it should be EASILY accessible to all, so we made it just 1 POINT in the shop (which is basically for FREE). You don't have to spend any money to get it, just play the game and earn points. Thanks!

In this case, you're going to have to be down with Whitey. Kim Phu

Acclaim: Being Black is Awesome! [Broken Toys]

Now in "open beta" the DDR-esque MMO let's players create custom avatars—choose from freakish ladies or femme gents—and virtually dance by rhythmic keyboard input or via a USB dance pad.

It's free, but Acclaim will be raking in the dollars and cents with microtransactions in the form of downloadable clothing and accessories. I'd participate, but it would only take time away from me blessing the world's dance floors and their patrons with my God-given dance talents. Sorry, DANCE! Online players... you'll have to wait until you're 21 to catch me at a club.

Full press release after the jump. Michael McWhertor

Dance! Online [Acclaim]

ACCLAIM GAMES LAUNCHES DANCE! ONLINE GAME FEATURING MUSIC AND ARTISTS FROM WARNER MUSIC GROUP

Game Features Online Participation by Music Artists

Los Angeles and New York, April 12, 2007 - Acclaim Games today announced the launch of the online game DANCE! Online, a free-to-play multiplayer online dancing game. In an industry first, DANCE! Online will feature top talent and master recordings from Warner Music Group Corp. (NYSE: WMG), making it the first free multiplayer online dance game to feature major label content and artists. With the start of "Open Beta" testing this week, thousands of U.S. PC users will have the opportunity to dance virtually to songs from select WMG artists.

"This is by far the closest collaboration any major music label has ever had with an online game" said Howard Marks, CEO of Acclaim Games.

"DANCE! Online has started the music based game revolution which has captured the minds of hundreds of millions of players in Asia", said David Perry, the game's director and industry superstar designer.

In making the announcement, George White, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Product Development, WMG said, "With the enormous popularity of dance-based games in Asia and other parts of the world, we're excited that our artists and music have the opportunity to reach the millions of fans who are participating in this growing phenomenon."

In another video game industry first, Atlantic Records recording artist Cupid, with his hit single "Cupid Shuffle," will make a personal virtual appearance in the game. Other artist-related announcements will follow where the artists will create their own avatar and play the game live online and chat with fans. The game will feature some of the latest music from select artists and personalized virtual items including artist-branded clothing, accessories and more. Upon the game's full launch later this year, players can compete to win autographed merchandise and other artist-branded products.

Players of DANCE! Online can create their own avatar and use either the keyboard or most PC compatible dance pads to match the beat of the song and to make their character perform choreographed dance steps. The game features up to 6 players dancing together and includes a variety of game modes and options. Players will be able to purchase optional items from the game shop to customize their virtual characters with clothing and various accessories. Players can also purchase "song packs" to dance to even more songs from WMG's catalog. The game is free and will be supported by in-game advertising provided by IGA Worldwide.

DANCE! Online is directed by video game industry veteran David Perry. The game is in Beta testing beginning this week, which means that anyone who registers for an account can immediately play for free. For more information, please visit www.acclaim.com.

###

About Warner Music Group

Warner Music Group became the only stand-alone music company to be publicly traded in the United States in May 2005. With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, Bad Boy, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Lava, Maverick, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word. Warner Music International, a leading company in national and international repertoire, operates through numerous international affiliates and licensees in more than 50 countries. Warner Music Group also includes Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world's leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.

About Acclaim Games

Based in Beverly Hills, California, Acclaim Games is a revolutionary company with over 1 million registered players worldwide. CEO Howard Marks, a cofounder of Activision, has established Acclaim as one of America's top online game brands. Today, Acclaim Games offers only the finest online games with a focus on accessibility, playability and most importantly fun. Acclaim's free massively multiplayer games include BOTS!! (futuristic robot fighting action game), 9Dragons (Martial Arts MMORPG), 2Moons (Extreme Action MMORPG), DANCE! Online (hit music dancing game), and Top Secret (a fan developed online game). To learn more, please visit www.acclaim.com.

About David Perry

David Perry - CEO of Gameconsultants Inc. and Acclaim's Chief Creative Officer is a 24-year video game industry veteran, Perry launched his professional career at just 15 years of age by writing video game programming books in his native Northern Ireland. Since then, Perry/Shiny has developed numerous games (including The Terminator, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mc Donald's Global Gladiators, 7-Up's Cool Spot, Disney's Aladdin, Earthworm Jim, MDK, Sacrifice etc.) his most recent games have sold over $300M, based on the Matrix franchise. Perry sits on the Advisory Boards of the Game Developers Conference, the Hollywood and Games Conference, the Gamers Expo & Westwood College. He a regular speaker at key industry events like E3, and has represented the video game industry speaking at conferences like TED.

David Perry sat down with Gamespot to talk about the logistics of running a development team that could top "more than 1,000 people":

The moderators will pull them together as far as keeping them focused. We'll take votes on it; sometimes we'll have people coming in to help decide the winner of something. The most important thing is we'll be directing this so it's not just a crazy forum of people talking about random stuff. The goal is to try and keep them all going forward. We'll be working through the individual milestones just like a professional game. We're starting with a prototype and they're all going to get copies of that, like a build so they can play at home, and get more ideas and talk about that as we move forward to get to the next milestone.

What about getting paid? When will it ship? And why? Why, damn it?! Perry does his best to clue us in to how his free MMO will not suck out loud. Michael McWhertor

Q&A: David Perry's Top Secret [Gamespot]

Confused? Maybe Acclaim CEO Howard Marks can clear things up.

Top Secret is like 'The Apprentice' meets 'American Idol' meets 'The Video Game Industry'. We're giving our players a chance to work on an online game that we will actually develop and publish. Our community really loves these games and knows what it takes to make a hit. And it will be a dream come true for one lucky star that shines the most throughout the project.

Perry, formerly of Shiny and better known for games like MDK and Earthworm Jim, is looking for "pure, focused, passionate talent" and promises "surprise guests [...] to inspire and mentor the contributors."

Hit the jump for further explanation in easy to swallow press release form. Michael McWhertor

Acclaim Games Unveils the 'Top Secret' MMOG Project

Los Angeles (February 23, 2007) - Acclaim Games and video game industry superstar David Perry have partnered to present the ground-breaking "Top Secret" project. In this project, players actually get an opportunity to participate in the entire video game development process from start to finish.

In an unprecedented move for the game industry, these players will be given a chance to have their work featured in a massively multiplayer PC game that will be published by Acclaim and directed by David Perry. Perry will choose a winner from the contributors, and Acclaim will be giving them a breath-taking prize, 'A Video Game Industry Directorship', working on a new fully-funded massively multiplayer online PC game. David Perry will be their Executive Producer to help them as needed on their game, and once they complete their project, they will even earn royalties from the game sales!

"I've always loved the idea that someone, from their bedroom, reveals their passion and talent, then suddenly can have an absolutely stunning career explosion, becoming a famous Game Director with a pre-built fan base. We're going to make it happen!" says David Perry who is a Game Director and Chief Creative Officer for Acclaim Games.

David Perry will be building the new online game from scratch and is offering members of the Acclaim player community a rare opportunity to help him develop this video game in a collaborative effort with some of the industry's best talent. "We will bring in some surprise guests along the way to inspire and mentor the contributors," says Perry.

One lucky winner who shines the most during the development process will be given the top prize. "This is the only chance I know of to jumpstart a directorship career in the video game industry," continues Perry. "Everyone wins. They get to learn how to make professional games, and if they get anything in, they get a real professional credit on their resume." Perry finishes, "But, if they win, well then they get their life changed."

Interestingly, applicants don't need any prior game development experience. In fact, Perry refuses to look at resumes. "We only care about the pure, focused, passionate talent they show up with," he says.

"Top Secret is like 'The Apprentice' meets 'American Idol' meets 'The Video Game Industry'. We're giving our players a chance to work on an online game that we will actually develop and publish. Our community really loves these games and knows what it takes to make a hit. And it will be a dream come true for one lucky star that shines the most throughout the project," says Acclaim CEO Howard Marks.

This is a first-of-its-kind project from the new Acclaim, a resurrected company with a very well known name. The new Acclaim will focus entirely on providing quality multiplayer online games for free. The games will be supported with a mix of advertising and virtual item stores. Acclaim has already partnered with IGA Worldwide to provide in-game advertising for its other online game titles.

The entry period will be limited, and so will the number of people allowed in to see the project, so sign up now to become a team member on Top Secret. To register for a free account and find out more about Top Secret, visit http://topsecret.acclaim.com.

About Acclaim Games

Based in Beverly Hills California, Acclaim Games is a revolutionary new company with a familiar name. In 2005 the cofounder of Activision, Howard Marks, purchased the company confident that the Acclaim name would surpass its former glory as one of America's marquee brands. Today, Acclaim Games offers only the finest online games with a focus on accessibility, playability and most importantly fun. To learn more please visit www.acclaim.com.

About David Perry

David Perry is a 20+ year video game industry veteran. He is the Chief Creative Officer for Acclaim Games and also CEO of GAMECONSULTANTS.COM, and prior to that was the founder of Shiny Entertainment, Inc. For more information, please visit: www.dperry.com & www.gameconsultants.com

While I haven't played the game yet, but Earnest from Destructoid seems to think that it doesn't entirely suck, and you've really got nothing to lose but some bandwidth and hard drive space. It looks pretty and doesn't cost anything, so might as well give it a go! Michael Fahey

Acclaim opens beta on kung-fu MMO; it's really not horrible, I swear! [Destructoid]
Download the 9Dragons Open Beta

As a gay albino African-Irishman, you just know I have rhythm. If you've ever read Voltaire, you might recall Candide's description of what happened when Cunegonde stripped naked: every bystander fell to the ground in epileptic seizures of ecstasy. Well, that doesn't happen when I expose my mottled, creepy pink flesh, but when I get naked and hit the DDR mat? Everyone becomes my ho.

So excitement! Shiny Founder Dave Perry has announced that he is directing game development on a game that finally meshes my penchant for dance with my inherent catassery: Dance!, a DDR MMOG.

Acclaim's press release focuses on the aesthetic aspects of the player's appearance in DANCE!, promising players will have a chance to create their own unique dancer through variable styles, facial features, clothing and accessories. It's certainly an interesting approach to a game type that's found difficulty moving outside the hack 'n flash of orcs and elves.

Get it hooked up to the Live Vision cam and see me become the Leeroy Jenkins of Dance!. Florian Eckhardt

Dave Perry Overseeing a ... Dance MMO? [1UP]

Next-Gen has an interesting interview up with the new Acclaim's CEO Howard Marks. I say the new Acclaim, because this current version of the company bears no resemblance to the one that brought us Turok and NBA Jam. This new company is all about Asian MMOs. Not only that, but Marks says they will be making most of their money off of in-game ads and virtual item sales. Sounds like a good chance we'll be reading about another Acclaim Chapter 7 in the near future. —Brian Crecente

Feature: Can Acclaim's Free Model Work? [Next-Gen]