We sat down with DC Comics executive creator Jim Lee earlier today to talk about the SOE-developed, DC-branded game. Lee told me that he was the one who had approached SOE after catching wind of the project, an effort which had experienced multiple starts and stops.

As a fairly serious EverQuest player — Lee played Paladin, for the record — the artist turned exec knew his stuff. He dropped MMO-isms (LFG, instances, the grind) like it was his natural language, and with a working knowledge of the DC universe, fans of the genre and the brand should feel confident that it's creatively in good hands.

Players will be given the option of creating a good or evil character in DCUO, each with a possible dozen unique characteristics, such as power type (ice, fire, mental, sonic), power source (ring, elemental), and movement type (flying, speed). Given Lee's background as a serious MMO player, I had to ask what he was planning on playing in DC Universe Online when it shipped.

"I haven't decided," he said. "I'll probably have one public character and one private character — a villain."

I asked Jim if he was partial to any particular DC mainstays, if he'd lobbied for the inclusion of anyone in particular.

"I kind of have to be impartial," he said, noting that it was more important to ensure that DC's classic characters and classic designs were integrated accurately into the massive multiplayer world.

Sadly, that doesn't include some of the more off-kilter characters, non-humanoids like Krypto the Super Dog, Bat-Mite or various multi-limbed things from the Green Lantern Corps. They may appear in the game in some form, but if you're looking to create a super monkey that can ally with the Superman family or even Gorilla Grodd, you might have to wait for the expansion.

One surprise that Lee mentioned is that alter-egos will play a role in the game. You may have to spend some time as a lowly photographer, for example, one who walks among the regular citizens, preserving your secret identity. "We have to have it be meaningful," Lee said of superhero alter-egos. This aspect of the gameplay, Lee hinted, may address the dreaded "grind", something he says players won't spend much time worrying about.

As far as the look of the game, for which Lee is largely responsible, we learned that some characters that we've already seen are undergoing visual refinements. "The Joker is one character I wanted to tweak," he said, noting that the Heath Ledger/Christopher Nolan take on the Joker from The Dark Knight may have been part of the catalyst for the change. Part of the reason for the change, however, was that the current model of the Joker simply didn't fit with the rest of the game's non-playable DC heroes and villains.

We'll be going hands-on with the game soon and will report our impressions of DC Universe Online later this week.

It’s not hard to imagine that Sony knew Microsoft would choose E3 to make its curtain-call announcement of Final Fantasy XIII for the 360. It’s likewise reasonable to believe they searched their catalog of works under development for the best candidate to generate any buzz. What we got was a mixed bag — the trailer of an incredibly expansive shooter, but it didn’t even have a title. It was just MAG: Massive Action Game. It sounded tempting, but very incomplete.

In fact it was shown to a focus group less than a month before E3. One among that group, after seeing the MAG E3 debut, reached out to me, under a promise of anonymity, to describe what was shown and asked of the group. Put simply, MAG — whatever title it comes out under — will be a mercenary combat MMO. We're told that it will more than likely carry SOCOM branding, as Zipper Interactive is behind it. And if so, it could be called SOCOM: Shadow War or SOCOM: Zero. Though Sony did stress it was a brand new IP at the press conference.

For purposes of identity protection, my source, who has experience in other video game focus groups, will be called Orange. Being identified could cost Orange, and others, future work.

“They gave us six options for taglines at the end,” said Orange, who could only remember four: MAG: Shadow War; MAG: Zero; MAG: Global Assault and MAG: Final Hour. Orange said the group liked Shadow War and Zero. Orange reasoned that Zipper Interactive's involvement means all signs would point to a repurposing of SOCOM IP for this one, rather than creating a new title outright. Indeed, when providing me visual examples of certain factions that he observed, Orange used images from SOCOM 3.

“We were all deliberating what sort of game it was similar to, and for the most part, SOCOM and Planetside (another Sony title) were the only names that came out, based on what we have heard and seen,” Orange said. The group members saw, or was described, gameplay but could not perform it themselves, which indicated it was in a far less complete stage than other games for which Orange had been in a focus group. All the group saw was a “touched up” version of the trailer that ran at E3, Orange said. Then they were asked questions, mostly regarding the game’s story and the scope of its battles.

SOCOM and Planetside were the closest cousins, Orange said, because the game involves “troop like gameplay with a 3rd person view. The game is set following catstrophic events in the near future — “2015 to 2020, around there,” said Orange — in which mercenaries, aligned with certain factions, are engaged in relentless secret wars for control of resources.

Orange saw three factions — Americans, based in Alaska (“I can assume a snow level,” Orange joked) Europeans and a Middle East faction. Orange provided two .jpgs from SOCOM 3 that were close analogues to the MAG Europe and Middle East factions. If Sony chooses to go forward like this, the obvious Middle East motif could cause some PR problems (although, “It was a black American soldier they showed us, if that makes up for it.”) To Anglo players, that kind of garb clearly says “terrorist,” and not mercenaries, especially considering the regular fatigues and high-tech suits worn by Americans and Europeans, respectively.

Orange said the presenters focused on two topics: Whether the story justifying the state of current events in the game was believable enough for gamers, and whether the scale of combat was appealing. MAG is promising multiplayer battles of up to 256 participants, broken down into 8-member units aligned to one of two sides. There will be no third-party intercessions on any battles, Orange said.

“For MAG they were all about scale,” Orange said. “That was the word they were going for. Massive (as in the scale of the level). With 256 players, they don’t want it to be a clusterfuck of deathmatch. They want vast levels where troops can approach from all angles.”

At that scale, you can be an independent operator assigned to one unit, knowing none of the others on your side, or you can gather up to seven of your friends and jump in as a squad, with other participants added in if your unit totals less than eight. Obviously, it’s not obligating you to find 127 of your closest friends if you want to see the largest scale of combat MAG will offer.

That said, mission objectives for these battles will definitely be in the hands of a few human players. We’ve reported on the concept of ranks in MAG, where players accumulate experience and ascend a shot-calling ladder within the game, such that they are either grunts, lieutenants, or generals in charge of the whole operation. You’ll ascend in rank according to a points accrual system that Orange was able to describe loosely.

“When they were describing it, it kept reminding me of Alterac Valley from World of Warcraft, if you are familiar,” Orange said. “What happens is: You get points for contributing with your troop/overall team. If you happen to win or do better than the rest of your team, you get more points. So the more you play, or the more points you get, the higher your rank goes.”

Some speculated/wished that at high command levels, the game moved back into some sort of top-down/RTS interface. That sort of happens. “Everyone is in the field,” Orange said, “but the person in charge is capable of looking at the map and commanding the overall group or individual troops. He is also capable of things like airstrikes and parachute drops. He could either control and babysit from far back, or jump right into the action [with a weapon himself.]”

Orange didn’t like the fact another human player could set all the mission parameters. “Why would I want someone telling me how to play the game?” Orange said. “Perhaps I know more about the certain terrain than they do, should they have the ability to penalize me if I don’t listen? Granted, penalizing and kicking were not mentioned but they’re always a possiblity.

While Orange did not see individual character classes or their abilities demonstrated, Orange came away with the understanding that all units could be comprised of a single class if they desired. Also, once a character achieved a certain point ranking, certain options became customizable, such as appearance and equipment/weaponry upgrades.

In all, Orange described an appealing game, and it’s a logical progression from MMOs set in fantasy contexts. After all, there are, at least for narrative purposes, kingdoms and heads of state in those worlds too, and adventurers set off on individual quests and find combat there. Given a good enough story to set it up, what should preclude that kind of experience in the modern world?

Don't forget that since this is all coming out of a focus test it could be very pie-in-the-sky stuff, though certainly ideas that are tickling Sony's collective grey matter.

They've got decades of history, beloved characters, infamous villains and settings that some fans no so well they practically live there, but what sets DC Universe Online apart from other superhero MMO games?

The main difference between DCUO and a game like City of Heroes is that you don't slowly earn your powers. If your character has super speed, they are super fast, period. You don't have to level up to gain your speed boost...the Flash didn't have to ding in order to go from 60 to 70 MPH. You have the power you choose, and it's up to you to learn to use it. An example Chris presented was a character with super speed being able to run up a wall, taking them out of range of enemy attacks. You can do this right from the start, as long as you have the skills to pull it off.

Leveling with help you tweak your powers a bit. You see the mechanic in comic books every day...a hero learns some new way to use their powers. The Flash figures out how to create a tornado by running in a circle at supersonic speeds, Superman hones his heat vision to laser accuracy, etc. Other than those tweaks, DCU is a skill-based action game more than your traditional RPG. You want to fly? Boom, you can fly. You want to fly well? That's where skill kicks in.

One thing that really struck me is the use of physics in the game. In a game like World of Warcraft, you freeze someone in place and they are locked in one spot as a particle effect appears at their feet. You freeze someone in DCUO and they don't just get surrounded by a ice block-shaped effect. They become an ice block, which can then be picked up and thrown, The game is dynamically creating objects using powers instead of simply throwing lighting effects around.

Unfortunately DCU Online was not playable at E3, but fans will be getting their hands on the title soon enough. In fact, Next week's San Diego Comic Con will play host to the first playable demo of the game, allowing comic book fans the first shot at becoming a DCU hero themselves.

SOE is opening the door to the DC Universe. Hopefully what we wind up seeing on the other side will be enough to entice us through it.

Halo MMO: The Clues [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

"We've got two of the most compelling MMOs in the industry in development," said Riccitiello. The first title, based on the Warhammer property, will launch soon. "And the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about — in partnership with Lucas, coming out of BioWare, which is, I think, quite possibly the most anticipated game, full stop, for the industry at the point when we get closer to telling you about it."

Does Riccitiello mean the oft rumored Knights of the Old Republic Online? "Yes," he said.

Watch out World of Warcraft, you just might have some serious competition here.

EA to Play in Knights of the Old Republic [Portfolio]

There's a more or less constant trickle of mainstream articles discussing people 'finding love in all the wrong places' — but Tom Francis has a hilarious look at his attempts to play the dating game in MMOs. He tracks his progress in EVE Online, WoW and City of Heroes. The CoH section is my personal favorite, featuring Francis' trenchcoated character, 'Manley Power,' whose bio page read "Power's two favourite things are commitment and changing himself.":

Although some of the female gamers I know only play sexy characters, all of them object to luridly over-sexualised body shapes. This did not seem like the sort of physiology a real woman would choose.

Still, I invited her to do a mission with me. She accepted and suggested I take the lead. Manley Power approved. I didn't want to spring the obvious question too soon, as it'd be a shame to creep her out if my intuition was wrong. But after skewering most of the goons in the warehouse together, an easy way to broach it occurred: "So, from the sheer size of your character's breasts, I'm guessing you're male in real life?" At exactly the same time, a speech bubble appeared over her own head: "lets go out."

Wait, what? Is Manley Power that attractive that she'd instantly ask his player out? Or was she referring to some sort of cyber-relationship? God, maybe she was male and still wanted to hook up in-game. I should have known when I found myself warming to my creation: I'd made him too pretty. I'd created a manly monster. Hang on, she probably means the warehouse. We've finished, we can leave now. "Yeah, im male lol" Correction, he probably means the warehouse.

It's a clever and funny look at the intricacies of introductions in MMOs - and a hell of a lot more fun to read than an article on some guy who left his real-life wife for a Second Life vixen.

The Dating Game [ComputerAndVideoGames.com via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

In China, it's the glitzy cities that get the attention — Shanghai in particular is the city that garners the most attention in scholarship (and frequently in the press). I was somewhat relieved to see that this is not confined merely to China specialists, but game industry watcher types as well — the most recent 'China Angle' column at Gamasutra looks at games outside of the publicized hotspots, where large portions of the user bases are found. Giant Interactive, developer of Zhengtu Online, recently purchased a stake in one of China's largest social networking sites, in an attempt to grow their market. But that's not the only way companies are trying to acquire ever greater number of players, oh no:

Giant Interactive made a significant splash in China’s online gaming industry by pushing their game Zhengtu Online into the channel of second and third tier cities the way fast moving consumer goods company pushed food and nutritional products, using sales representatives at net cafes and shopping centers.

Their strategy was not surprising since Giant Interactive started as a nutritional supplement company prior to be a gaming powerhouse.

With the investment in 51.com, Giant will now continue to grow both their games and their reach deeper into hundreds and thousands of China’s urban centers that most Americans have never heard of.

Oh, Giant — definitely one of my favorite companies to keep tabs on. I'm looking forward to seeing the directions the Chinese market takes over the next decade; maybe we'll even see WoW toppled.

The China Angle: Reaching Into The Heartland Of China [Gamasutra]

While that certainly sounds like a new Star Wars MMO and it all matches up nicely with what we've heard from former LucasArts employees, we'll call it rumor for now.

Thanks to BearThing for the pointer!

From Crackle: Next Time on The Jace Hall Show!

Jace Hall's next show is going to include an interview with Red Sox pitcher and MMO addict Curt Schilling along with an early look at Schilling's massively multiplayer game Copernicus. The actual show hits on Thursday. In the meantime hit the jump to listen to the catchy extended-version of the Jace Hall theme song. It has head-lopping and base capturing!

Cyan CTO Mark "Chogon" DeForest said in a community board letter that despite having a plan in place, cheerfully titled the "Myst Online: Restoration Experiment (MORE)," there are some "hurdles to overcome." Among the necessary compromises will be an implementation of a $25 fee for a six month subscription.

"We are not trying to make any money on this at this stage - but we do need to cover some of the costs," he said.

"You should know that the roadmap does not involve any new content from Cyan at this time. The plan is to start to move the content creation - the 'Art' - to you. In addition the guilds themselves will start to exercise some authority in monitoring, approving, communicating, etc."

Kotaku also spoke to Chogon about when the bigger, better, faster, MORE Myst Online might be up and running:

"We hope to have the MystOnline servers up sometime before the end of the year... hopefully, even sooner," he said.

The result will be a "more grass roots" Myst Online that will resemble Until Uru, but with more involvement with Cyan, Chogon said.

"Cyan will be in control of the core servers and the core of the game. While, the fans will be involved in not only creating content and tools but also helping run the game as well as providing structure (through the guilds) and key insights into keeping MystOnline going.

"This will start slowly but in the future, Cyan may be able to provide content once again and continue the story it has started."

Bendis, who was one of the executive producers of the game, said that it was "gorgeous and fantastic" but ultimately killed by a faceless Microsoft exec.

CMix: It's no secret that you're an avid gamer. Is there any comic character or title that you'd still like to see in a videogame that hasn't popped up yet?

BB: Well, you're talking to one of the executive producers of the ill-fated Marvel MMO that went away. I have my laptop here, and on it I have the "X-Mansion" level fully completed that only I and five other people have access to play. It's gorgeous and fantastic and no one will ever see it. So I feel bad, because I think that MMO was a phenomenal idea that was extremely well executed and it went away because some guy at Microsoft who we'll never know pulled the plug on it before it even got underway.

But adding to that, I think that they should take each of these Marvel events and turn them into a videogame franchise. "Civil War," which will be part of the next Ultimate Alliance, "House of M," "Secret Wars"...

CMix: "Secret Invasion?"

BB: "Secret Invasion." Absolutely.

Hey, maybe if Microsoft wants nothing to do with it a third-party or Sony can grab it up. I'm sure the fans would still love to see it come to life.

Interview Brian Bendis on Secret Invasion, TV and Marvel's MMO [ComicMix, thanks Nick]

Following in the footsteps of Legends of Norrath: Oathbound, Champions of the Force will be playable through your SOE online account. Playing the virtual trading card game will require a "fully-paid subscription" to Star Wars Galaxies.

The game will let you play on either the light or the dark sides and play on your own or against other players. Hit up the jump for the full run down of the card game as well as some of the other things SOE and LucasArts are doing to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the MMO.

Champions of the Force [Star Wars Galaxies]

LUCASARTS AND SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRATE THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF STAR WARS GALAXIES(TM) WITH THE STAR WARS GALAXIES TRADING CARD GAME

The First Release of the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, "Champions of the Force” to be Released Summer 2008; In-Game Fifth Anniversary Events to be held Throughout the Summer

JULY 2, SAN FRANCISCO – LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment announced today the Star Wars Galaxies(TM) Trading Card Game as part of the fifth anniversary celebration for the massively multiplayer game, Star Wars Galaxies. The first release for the online trading card game, Champions of the Force, is scheduled to be released late this summer, following several months filled with in-game anniversary events.

The release of Champions of the Force marks the first ever Star Wars® trading card game offered exclusively online. Available only through a valid, active, fully-paid subscription to Star Wars Galaxies, Champions of the Force provides Star Wars Galaxies subscribers an entirely new gameplay experience by combining the challenge of a trading card game with the adventures and community of the massively multiplayer game. For the first time, players can:

• Choose between the light and dark sides of the Force and build their own Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game decks to fight virtual matches for the Rebel or Imperial factions; • Challenge their skills in story-based solo-play or against other Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game players in epic one-on-one matches, cooperative Heroic Encounters, and official tournaments; • Find more than 20 "loot” cards in the first release, Champions of the Force that can be redeemed for fantastic virtual items for use within the Star Wars Galaxies massively multiplayer game; • Adventure in Star Wars Galaxies and collect desirable cards that enhance their virtual trading card game deck.

All Star Wars Galaxies subscribers with valid, active, fully-paid accounts in good standing are scheduled to receive five Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game booster packs per month, included at no additional cost, as part of their valid monthly subscription to the game, providing a simple way for players to quickly and easily build their decks. In addition, all subscribers will be able to purchase booster packs and starter decks through Sony Online Entertainment's Station Store at www.store.station.sony.com.

More information on the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game and its first release, Champions of the Force, can be found at www.StarWarsGalaxies.com/tradingcardgame.

In addition to the upcoming release of the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment are celebrating the fifth anniversary of Star Wars Galaxies with several in-game events.

Beginning this week and continuing through July 22 in Star Wars Galaxies, players can gather with others to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the game through virtual "Empire Day” festivities. Featuring notable Star Wars characters and events, players of all factions can experience festivities in the cities of Theed and Coronet that include:

• Performances by the Max Rebo Band;
• The debut of two new prominent in-game statues: the Emperor in Theed, and Yoda in Mos Eisley, both accompanied by new vendors to distribute celebratory buffs that enhance the players' in-game characters; • Regularly scheduled Imperial parades; • Appearances by Princess Leia; • In-game fireworks.

In addition, all Star Wars Galaxies players will receive several in-game items to commemorate the fifth anniversary, as part of their regular subscription to the game:

• A Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back virtual poster for decorating an in-game home or player structure; • New, wearable goggles inscribed with a "V,” in honor of the fifth anniversary for use by an in-game character; • Plus, during the first week of the in-game festivities, community members will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite Star Wars Galaxies Fifth Anniversary Fan Art Contest submissions at www.StarWarsGalaxies.com. Both the winning Rebel and Imperial fan art submissions may then be added as in-game virtual posters to Star Wars Galaxies in honor of the Fifth Anniversary.

More information about the fifth anniversary celebrations can be found at www.StarWarsGalaxies.com.

Anyone wishing to try Star Wars Galaxies can do so at no charge for up to two full weeks through the Star Wars Galaxies 14-Day Trial. This trial includes all the content of the base game, Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided and its first expansion, Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed(TM). Beginning late this summer, the 14-Day Trial will also include access to the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game tutorial. Available by download from www.StarWarsGalaxies.com, the 14-day trial gives players a chance to meet and fight with or against their favorite Star Wars characters as they explore this massive online universe filled with other Star Wars fans.

About Star Wars Galaxies
Star Wars Galaxies, developed and published by LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment, is one of the longest-running and most popular online experiences, bringing gamers of all ages and skill levels together in the ultimate Star Wars® journey. Begin aboard the Millennium Falcon helping Han Solo and Chewbacca fend off the notorious Darth Vader. Along the way, join with Star Wars characters on missions that span across the galaxy. Ally with the Rebels to fight against the Galactic Empire, or join forces with the dark side and crush the Rebel scum. Heroic adventurers can seek their fortune in space or on the ground as a bounty hunter, smuggler, Jedi or a host of other unique Star Wars professions.

BioWare On MMOs: ‘Conan,’ Their Own And Maybe A Console One [MTV]

Worlds In Motion sat down to talk about IMVU with CEO and president Cary Rosenzweig; I think we're seeing the second coming of Second Life if the New York Times picks up on this. The interview itself is interesting, with a lot of attention paid to the creative/economic aspects of item transactions and so forth. On how it all works (and how it's working out in IMVU):

Somebody takes the credits they get from IMVU, and it goes to the item's creator. At the point where the item is sold, IMVU takes some of these credits back. We call it a sink to pull credits out of the economy to prevent inflation.Numerically, the vast majority of people who sell those items take the credit and go back into the catalog themselves to buy more stuff.

Within IMVU, there's status with being a creator. Some of them are very successful, as they've created amazing things, and lots of people buy their creations. We allow them to take those credits and trade them for cash from IMVU members, so they're in a competition with us.

We have an internal system that creates tremendous incentive, not only social, but creative and now financial, to attract the best creators. Many, many more said that it brings in a little money a month. We're proud of that.

Of course, the IMVU model is nothing new, but they're reportedly now raking in $1 million in revenue a month from their item catalog and associated purchases. We'll see if it manages to really take off (and stay that way).

IMVU's Cary Rosenzweig On "Building From The Avatar Up" [Worlds In Motion]

Contrary to earlier plans, there will be no beta of Guild Wars 2 this year. That per an official FAQ from developer ArenaNet, which also helpfully states the game will be released "when it's finished," among other tidbits. Here's the complete excuse explanation.

Although we publically alpha- and beta-tested the original Guild Wars while it was still in early development, with Guild Wars 2 we will commence beta testing closer to the game's release. With that in mind, we will not start beta testing in 2008 as we had originally planned. Guild Wars 2 is a very large and ambitious game, and Guild Wars players rightfully have very high expectations of its quality. We want players to be absolutely blown away by the game the first time they experience it.

Hear that, Guild Wars 2 fans? It's all because of your rightful high expectations. Hope you're happy.

Guild Wars 2 Frequently Asked Questions [Guildwars.com via Blue's News]

Thus began the first scientific conference held in Azeroth, the online universe inhabited by millions of people playing World of Warcraft. Anyone who has been part of a conference's organizing committee knows that some glitches and mishaps are just unavoidable. And as usual, the problems that actually did occur were unforeseen. It was a success nonetheless. By the end of the third day, a real scientific exchange took place, I married one of the conference participants, and within an hour of the wedding, we were all dead.

There are a lot of feel-good stories circulating about how scientists are using online games to study behavior, but this one is a lot of fun.

Slaying Monsters For Science [Science, thanks Gumblackwood!]

While we're certain that Blizzard is enjoying the 10 million or so World of Warcraft subscribers forking over $13 to $15 each month in fees, it would be interesting to peek into the alternate universe where WoW was funded by ads.

While we're on subscriptions, Pardo said that one of the reasons behind MMOs failing to take off on consoles is the bite that console makers want to take out. In addition to a "lack of hard drive space, and difficulty in certifying patches" taking a percentage off the top is, literally, laughable to Pardo. Many more Pardo-isms at the full report.

Paris GDC: The Rob Pardo Experience [Gamasutra]

The Nickelodeon Kids and Family Games Group includes all of its gaming initiatives, both paid and subscription, for online, PC, handheld and console, and will be led by senior VP and GM Dave Williams. It also includes Nickelodeon's Addicting Games and Shockwave sites, for which the company recently promised 1,600 new casual games in 2008. The company will be seeking new game developer and publisher partnerships under this division.

The virtual worlds group, which includes the company's Nicktropolis and Neopets online worlds for kids, will be led by Neopets SVP Kyra Reppen to support its kids and family-friendly online worlds efforts and casual MMOs. Nickelodeon has several virtual worlds in the works based on Nickelodeon IP as well as existing properties.

Full release follows the jump.

NICKELODEON KIDS AND FAMILY GROUP FORMS NEW

GAMES AND VIRTUAL WORLDS DIVISIONS

Dave Williams Named Senior Vice President and General Manager, Games Group;

Kyra Reppen Tapped as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Virtual Worlds Group

NEW YORK-June 17, 2008-To provide its audiences with more innovative gaming and virtual world experiences, Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group has formed new Games and Virtual Worlds Groups. Dave Williams will run the Games Group and Kyra Reppen will lead the Virtual Worlds Group, both under the title of Senior Vice President (SVP) and General Manager (GM). The announcements were made by Steve Youngwood, Executive Vice President, Digital Media, to whom Williams and Reppen report.

“With these two dedicated teams, our new gaming and virtual world divisions will further enable us to create even more relevant content and foster innovation in the virtual world and gaming spaces,” said Youngwood. “Dave and Kyra have built great momentum in their respective areas, and will provide more engaging experiences for our audiences in their expanded leadership roles.”

The Nickelodeon Kids and Family Games Group will encompass all paid and subscription gaming initiatives across all relevant platforms including: online and CD-ROM games; handheld and console games; and will include the company’s dedicated casual games sites, Shockwave (http://www.shockwave.com) and AddictingGames (http://www.addictinggames.com). It will focus on the creation of games for the entire family around existing and new properties. The company recently announced it would add 1,600 new games in 2008 to its library of 5,000 games and an investment of $100 million in the casual games space.

The Virtual Worlds Group will manage all company virtual world initiatives for kids, tweens, teens and families, including the original youth-oriented virtual community of Neopets (http://www.neopets.com), Nickelodeon’s online playground for kids, Nicktropolis (http://www.nicktropolis.com) – in partnership with the Nick.com team – and new virtual world destinations. The group will focus on the innovation of the company’s existing worlds with projects like World of Neopia (working title) and of the expansion of Nicktropolis with a premium layer. It will also develop original properties like the recently announced Monkey World.

Williams, based in San Francisco, will expand the company’s subscription game services, licensing and self-publishing businesses. He will grow offerings like the educational online gaming site myNOGGIN.com and Shockwave’s established subscription services, as well as develop new ones. Williams will also work in partnership with Nickelodeon’s Consumer Products division to increase the company’s retail games business around hit franchises like SpongeBob SquarePants and iCarly and newer, original properties like Shockwave’s Carrie the Caregiver. Another area of focus for Williams will be securing new partnerships with game developers and publishers.

In addition to his new responsibilities, Williams will continue to manage Shockwave and AddictingGames and plans to add more community features and new offerings to each to make them the preeminent social gaming sites. Under Williams’ guidance, AddictingGames has become the number-one independent gaming site for teens since February 2007, growing its library to more than 3,000 games. Shockwave, the original casual gaming site, has also flourished by focusing on family play and will add over 400 titles this year, including over 100 exclusive self published titles.

Following Atom Entertainment's acquisition by MTV Networks in late 2006, Williams–formerly Atom’s Chief Marketing Officer and GM–was named to SVP, AddictingGames and Shockwave. Before Atom Entertainment and MTV Networks, Williams led the design and development of Rhapsody’s music service as Vice President of product management at Listen.com, was GM of music product management at Real Networks, and held senior product and marketing roles at CitySearch and DoubleClick.

Reppen, as the head of the Nickelodeon Kids and Family Virtual Worlds Group, based in Los Angeles, will spearhead the strategy, creative development and management of new and existing virtual worlds and casual massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs) for the company. These new virtual worlds will be based both on original concepts and existing properties.

In addition to her new responsibilities, Reppen will continue to manage Neopets. She will be responsible for evolving and innovating upon that site and will be responsible for expanding Nicktropolis, which will continue to add new environments to the site in the U.S. and launch a regionalized site in the U.K. over the next few months.

Over the past two years, since becoming the SVP and GM of Neopets, Reppen has grown Neopets to a registered user base of 45 million, maintaining its stickiness and status as the number-one tween virtual world in time spent, increasing its average per user to more than two hours and 20 minutes, according to comScore. She has expanded upon the site’s business model with its first major mass retail launch, converging the web experience with a consumer products line, and paid item sales. Reppen has also integrated the site into the Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group by developing mini-Neopets shorts for Nickelodeon and cross-platform marketing events such as Altador Cup. She completely redesigned the site incorporating user generated content, a video player, pet customization and much more.

Reppen previously helmed NickJr.com as Vice President and GM, and was the creator and architect behind the ParentsConnect brand. She repositioned Nickjr.com from a television promotional site to the number-one website for parents of young children. Reppen also created and launched Nick Jr. Parents TV, the broadband video service for parents; spearheaded the educational site development of myNOGGIN; produced the first-ever 3D online games for preschoolers; and led the networks' preschool introduction to wireless and interactive TV experiences. She began her career at Viacom in MTV Networks Law and Business Affairs and worked as a corporate associate in several law firms beforehand.

The Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group portfolio of digital sites which serve kids, tweens, teens, and parents, focus on the activities that its audiences participate in most online: gaming, socialization and community, and video. According to comScore (May 2008), Nickelodeon Kids and Family digital ranks as the number-one kids and family online destination in visits with more than 27.2 million unique visitors.

MTV Networks currently boasts 11 deeply engaging virtual world experiences that reflect its audiences’ favorite online activities, on-air franchises or personal interests, and include MTV’s Emmy-winning Virtual Laguna Beach and Neopets, the largest global youth-focused virtual world, among others.

Nickelodeon, now in its 29th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than 13 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

“We have a team of seasoned professionals devoted to L2 project, and we are confident that by integrating our expertise and Unreal Engine 3’s excellent performance, L2 will be a top-tier MMORPG that fascinates gamers all around the world,” said John Hong, CTO of T-Entertainment.

“T-Entertainment is a well-diversified entertainment company that is poised to launch yet another successful MMORPG worldwide,” said Jay Wilbur, vice president of Epic Games. “We are constantly improving the Unreal Engine, and look forward to providing them with cutting-edge game development tools and technology for many months to come.”

The company describes their upcoming PC game as a "futuristic fantasy with a taste of space opera" and say they're shooting for a worldwide release in 2010.

T-Entertainment Licenses Unreal Engine 3

SEOUL, KOREA – June 16, 2008 – Seoul-based T-Entertainment today announced that it has licensed Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3 for an upcoming project codenamed L2, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).

While staying true to the roots of T-Entertainment’s previous MMORPGs, Laghaim and Last Chaos, L2 draws on elements from role-playing (RPG) and real-time strategy (RTS) games, and can be described as “futuristic fantasy with a taste of space opera.” L2 is being developed for PC, and is scheduled for a worldwide release in 2010.

“We have a team of seasoned professionals devoted to L2 project, and we are confident that by integrating our expertise and Unreal Engine 3’s excellent performance, L2 will be a top-tier MMORPG that fascinates gamers all around the world,” said John Hong, CTO of T-Entertainment.

“T-Entertainment is a well-diversified entertainment company that is poised to launch yet another successful MMORPG worldwide,” said Jay Wilbur, vice president of Epic Games. “We are constantly improving the Unreal Engine, and look forward to providing them with cutting-edge game development tools and technology for many months to come.”

Game developers and publishers worldwide have licensed Unreal Engine 3 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Since Epic has shipped its internal titles across all supported platforms, the engine's content pipeline and technical capabilities have achieved unprecedented levels of maturity and accessibility. These advancements, combined with the continual incorporation of top quality middleware via Epic's Integrated Partners Program, has primed Unreal Engine 3 as the leading offering for cross-platform game development. Through this licensing agreement, T-Entertainment will be able to take advantage of the engine’s latest enhancements, including advanced character lighting, ambient occlusion, and dynamic fluid surfaces.

The Bling Gnome is a pet of sort that runs around in the game as you play picking up all of the gold dropped from the baddies you kill while playing the free-to-play massive game. The gnome can also be told to pick up dropped items that aren't rare and eat them. He then poops out gold as a reward... seriously.

I love this idea, it saves all of the hassle of having to go back to town and sell off the crap you horde while out in the wilds adventuring.

Hit up the jump for the full explainer as well as some more pics of the gnome in action.

Dungeon Runners Bling Gnome: Excreting gold for fun and profit

Exactly what is the Bling Gnome you might ask? Similar to its cousin, the Garden Gnome, the Bling Gnome is a tricked-up helper gnome with a bit of attitude that will follow your character around and pick up all the gold dropped on the ground (that was intended for you to pick up) auto-magically. This way you don’t have to go running around and pick it up all the gold yourself, the little gangster will do it for you.

The Bling Gnome also has the ability to pick up dropped items, at the Rare level of availability and below (anything that’s not purple- or rainbow-colored), and eat them, converting them into gold. Another time saver! Instead of filling up your inventory with a clutter of items you just want to sell when you get back to Townston, the Bling Gnome will convert them into gold right then and there. That’s not all… though honestly, what would Dungeon Runners be without some scatological humor somewhere? Every once in awhile during this “swords-into-goldshares” conversion process, the Bling Gnome can produce amazing items from its rear end in rather spectacular fashion. In other words, it can poop out an ultra-powerful item (along with the gold). The more items you pick up at once, the higher the chance it can happen. How handy is that?

Players won’t have to look under a blarney stone to get their own Bling Gnome. By the end of June, players can go to just about any game retailer in North America and purchase a Dungeon Runners game pack that includes the soon-to-be-legendary Bling Gnome as well as six months of premium membership level game time for the price of four.

For more information on Dungeon Runners and the Bling Gnome, go to www.Dungeonrunners.com.

"First, he told me that Turbine is investigating the world of cross-platform games, meaning consoles. “These worlds are so rich and robust, we do want them to be shared across platforms, both for existing and future worlds,” Crowley said. We should expect more details on the how and when “later on in the year”. He did make a point of clarifying that Turbine will remain dedicated to the PC, but want to make sure that people who want to enjoy the games (present and future) on the console will be able to do that."

So console MMOs are definitely in the cards for the company, and judging from a job listing posted over at Joystiq this morning, both the Xbox 360 and PS3 are in the running, but which games are making the move?

Joystiq points towards the DDO community forums, where developers have announced that a popular feature, Weekly Development Activities, will be going away for a bit due to several DDO projects that are currently under tight wraps, meaning they'd be unable to post what they've been working on. The same post also states that DDO would be the subject of renewed focus from marketing and PR teams in the coming months, hinting that big news is on the way.

While this could very well mean that Dungeons & Dragons Online is heading to consoles, it is by no means definite, and does nothing to rule out Lord of the Rings Online coming to consoles as well.

From my experience with the two titles, DDO would probably translate best to a console environment, and the game could definitely use the bolstering a new community of console gamers could bring to it. LotRO, on the other hand, continues to enjoy a relatively robust player base compared to its MMO sibling, so porting it would be less of a priority, but by no means out of the question.

As Crowley mentions in the MMORPG interview, we'll know more later in the year. Hopefully we'll have all of these questions cleared up once E3 hits this July.

Turbine - CEO Jim Crowley on New Investors [MMORPG.com - Thanks Asaron!]

We haven't heard a word from Real Time Worlds since they blew our collective minds during a talk at this year's Game Developers Conference. Recently hired Community Relations Manager Chris Dye just dropped us a line to let us know that's about to change.

Dye is tasked with the walk in the park job of building interest in the upcoming Grand Theft Auto-esque massively multiplayer online game.

“APB is at an extremely exciting and important stage, and we can now begin the process of introducing to the gaming community the various aspects of what will make up this genre defining MMO”, commented Chris.

Mario Rizzo, Business Development Manager added “This appointment signals the start of a new phase for APB where we can interact more fluidly with both gaming sites, and our potential future player base. This is an important milestone for the game now that we are transitioning into Alpha and moving towards the full public beta of APB.”

I know that a beta for an MMO is almost a necessity, but that doesn't make me any less excited.

An Amber Alert was issued for Julian last week, but authorities caught up with the two alleged WoW fans earlier today. Incidentally, Jones was driving a 2008 Chevy Aveo with the license plate OMGROFL. True story. It's one of those rare runaway/kidnapping situations we can all laugh about. Good times.

Missing Boise teen found safe at Wash. campground [KTVB - thanks, Patient]

Here is a response from someone more senior than the GM who pleaded with the Goons to play nice. According to the Funcom customer service lead, that GM "made the honest mistake of giving out his personal opinion that maybe keeping a lower profile might be handy in avoiding a negative reputation."

Like SA ever gone out of its way to avoid a negative rep.

Anyway, here's the clarified position on what is and ain't OK.

PvP is acceptable in all shapes or forms. We have built-in mechanics that allow the player being killed to find a way out of it.. When those mechanics fail or do not function as intended we will step in. Until then we will be as hands off as possible.

Now, we have a lot of players, a lot of servers, and a lot of petitions, as you may know. We do get a lot of petitions on Deathwhisper about "griefing". When do we take action? When it crosses the line. You can camp someone until the next day if you want. More power to you.

What you cannot do is verbally threaten them or use inappropriate language. You cannot use exploits or bugs to kill other players, or for any reason, for that matter. The game is rated M, but that does not mean you can use racial slurs or issue personal attacks.

In this case, the GM was seeing a lot of reports of griefing with regards to SA's guild. He didn't say you couldn't pvp. He made the honest mistake of giving out his personal opinion that maybe keeping a lower profile might be handy in avoiding a negative reputation. Obviously, it was a mistake. If you feel like it, bring all 300 of your friends, enemies, or whatever and beat each other senseless.

It seems that our policies are not clear cut enough, and we will make every effort to clarify them so that there is absolutely no question as to what is appropriate and what is not.

Wow, that's such an after-school special denouement. I feel like we all learned something today. Knowing is half the battle, and that's one to grow on.

Funcom Responds to PvP Issue on AoC [Age of Conan Forums, via reader Allison]

The goal is to fare well and advance socially and economically, with players advancing from “tourists” to “residents” and finally to “citizens” of modern China. At the different stages, players encounter quests, have access to learning materials – including live Chinese tutors – and can organize and participate in social activities.

Among the many tasks players can complete in the tourist stage are ordering a taxi, exchanging currency and checking into a hotel in China.

“Games are supposed to be fun and educational,” Zhao said. “With this one, we have struck a good balance.”

I wonder if the Zon! cabbies are as chatty as the guys in Shanghai or Taipei. It's a neat idea for facilitating language acquisition — if only it weren't in hateful jiantizi.

Virtual China: Online game teaches Chinese culture, language [MSU Today]

The GM more or less asks them to not engage in Player-versus-Player in groups of more 5, and no more than three groups, but "if you guys are planning a mass event, we support it ..." Well, then, make every event is a mass event. Plus the pleading tone of this just makes it sound like an absolute joke. That, and "There are Anonymous among our ranks."

I have yet to play AoC, this is more Fahey's territory, but I can spot a lot that's laughably wrong with this, and not just a request to ask SA to comply with anything. One of Age of Conan's major touts was its large scale PvP — unless you get griefally profiled by a GM, in which case you're asked to take it down to reg'lar size.

And while it's a bitch to get repeatedly attacked in unwanted PvP encounters, sure, the game also has mechanisms through which players can avoid them. But when someone complains, they're not advised to switch instances or move to another server. Instead the guild, playing on a PvP server, gets warned and threatened.

So let's assume all this applies to y'all too. Do not attack in groups of more than 5, or with more than 3 groups. You might get a talking-to. Or something.

No More PvP on this Server, Guys. GMs Said So [Age of Conan Forums, thanks reader Allison]

You would have to build something very console centric from the get-go. I think probably the best chance of someone doing something like that is Nintendo — doing something crazy that no one expects.

Perhaps Barnett has confused "crazy" with "correct," but hey, who knows? Nintendo's surprised us before.
MMO Future [CVG]

If not for the write-off, NCsoft stood to gain in profit 48 percent on the quarter and 8 percent on the year. The publisher's sales increased 4 percent to $84.3 million on the popularity of the Lineage series in Asia and strong performance for Guild Wars and City of Heroes in North America and Europe.

In particular, NCsoft said its first quarter brought all-time record sales for Lineage II, which launched in 2003 and continues to be the company's top-selling title with 35 percent of the publisher's total sales.

NCsoft's U.S. sales reached $10.4 million in North America and $8.5 million in Europe, and $9.2 million in Japan, numbers dwarfed by its $47.7 million performance in Korea, which accounts for 57 percent of the publisher's total sales.

Later this year, NCsoft will launch its third closed beta for Aion, slated for a launch later this year. NCsoft will also roll out a more casual online portfolio with Point Blank, Punch Monster, Dragonica and Love Beat

"As proven once again in the Q1 financial results, we strongly believe our key franchise products, such as Lineage and Guild Wars, will meet our sales target with a strong customer base and continued content updates going forward," said NCsoft CFO Jaeho Lee. "We plan to ensure the smooth launch of many new products in the next two to three years, which will strengthen our position as a global leader in online games."

"If you actually look at the MMO-sphere right now, that is since WoW launched, the vast percentage of MMOs that launched after it have been successful," Drescher explained. "Obviously no one has eclipsed the 10 million subscriber number, but there have been numerous titles that have come out on different platforms and multiple genres all over the world that have been far more successful than MMOs had been previously."

Let me say that this game will be an RPG. That needs to be said, because when someone thinks of a Warhammer 40,000 MMO there is definitely some question as to the style of play: will it be an FPS, an RTS, or some other genre altogether? Relic has the RTS angle covered with the awesome Dawn of War series - we are making an RPG.

Got it? It's an RPG. Though, thankfully, not a terribly traditional one, as its combat sounds more Brothers In Arms than World of Warcraft, with the use of ranged weapons meaning you'll have to pay attention to things like cover, suppression fire, etc. Also touched on were the game's races ("...all of the races important to Warhammer 40,000 lore (not to mention the fans) will be represented"), it's setting within 40K's massive storyline and also NPCs and possible vehicle use.

Warhammer 40,000 Online [PC Gamer]

I think MMOs are going to be a real strong selling point for the PS3 long term — there's going to be some great ones on the PS3. You're not going to find "The Agency" on the [Xbox] 360.

Game development is hot here [The Seattle Times via CVG]

Absolutely, I'd be silly if I said I wasn't. We built this for our kids - I mean we built it scalable, and part of why we didn't have any VC money, no investors, was because we didn't build it as a business - we built it as a side project.

Lance, another of the partners - his oldest child and mine are about three months apart, and we were talking about how they were learning to use the mouse, starting to use the computer and the internet.

And it was that dialogue, and some technologies that Lance had been working on that really was the birth of Club Penguin. So a lot of this has come as a surprise.

I think there's a tendency to brush off these niche games since they're not 'serious' MMOs — even though they've done an incredible job of pulling in the subscribers with reasonably limited advertising and so on. Where will these types of games go from here — and their players? Club Penguin player today, WoW addict in a decade? I guess time will tell.

MMO Week: Club Penguin [GamesIndustry.biz via PlayNoEvil]

GamesRadar has two videos up of Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, which releases for the PC on May 20. It's due for Xbox 360 sometime by September. The first shows combat and the character classes, with some dry narration about succubus boobies and a not-really apology if anyone's offended. The second covers the dungeon crawl.

Edit: I tried to embed these but it dint work the thang's broked stupid embed code etc. Best to just visit the GamesRadar site. They're still pretty slick to watch.

Two Exclusive Age of Conan Videos [GamesRadar]

In the promotional material, the company that offers this game is less coy about turning on the jingoistic rhetoric and pitching an anti-Tibetan line.

"We support the Olympics with our unique online game content against Tibetan independence," it says. "We provide new services for China's youth to vent their bilious rage."

Overt displays of rabid nationalism generally make me feel pretty uncomfortable, no matter where it's coming from — and I feel a little bad for GTA IV that the (English language) article went on to compare this MMO add-on to a little good clean fun on the streets of Liberty City.

Tibetans fair game in China [DNA]

Online subscriptions exceed $1 billion a year, says NPD [GI.biz]

The MMO biz is a capricious one, and most online games tend toward a naturally short lifecycle. Five years is a big deal for EVE, which distinguishes itself through both its aim to develop a realistic player "society" and its sophisticated in-game economy - they were the first MMO I'm aware of to hire a real-world professional economist in Dr. Eyjo Guðmundsson to manage it, and since then other virtual worlds and online games, such as Gaia Online, have followed suit. Many critics, like the PC gaming mavens of Rock Paper Shotgun, believe the industry can learn a l