Kotaku: Mmorpg

First Proper Details On Warhammer 40K MMO

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 13 May 2008 02:00:00 MDT

We know a Warhammer 40K MMO is coming, we know it's "years away", and we know I'm terribly excited about the whole thing. Aside from that, though, we don't really know squat. Do now! Last month's PC Gamer ran a big feature on the game (of which we've already posted some scraps), which finally got us some answers to some of the more burning questions surrounding the game. Like what kind of game it was, exactly. Vigil's David Adams:

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]

Smedley - MMOs To Sell PS3s

Mike Fahey — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:30:30 MDT

John Smedley loves his massively-multiplayer online games, and well he should, being a co-founder of Verant Interactive and now President of Sony Online Entertainment. Is he taking this love a bit too far in suggesting that one day MMOs will be a reason to buy a PlayStation 3?

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.

Seeing as Microsoft seems to be terrified of MMO games, I'd have to say he has a point. Well, that and the fact that it's a Sony game. A selling point though? I don't know. Considering the track record of most MMO console games (Everquest Online Adventures, which refuses to die), I'm leaning towards no here...though perhaps that's because I have a PC that currently runs anything on the market. Or maybe the concept is just too foreign for me to grasp. A console-selling MMO? I'll believe it when I see it.

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

Chengdu Police Arrest Two Gold Farmers

mgreene — Sun, 11 May 2008 12:30:00 MDT

Steve at PlayNoEvil noted this little news story, which involves two Chinese gold farmers who have pulled in over $200K USD being arrested in China. Why? How, exactly? Well, it would appear that one of the pair felt they were being swindled out of profits and reported his partner to the police:

Chengdu's Shuangliu county has arrested two virtual item and currency traders, surnamed Li and Zhang, focused on tapping out The9's (Nasdaq: NCTY) licensed MMORPG World of Warcraft (WoW), reports Chengdu Evening News. Police arrested the pair after Li reported Zhang for unfair revenue distribution. Going into business last August, the gold miners accumulated more than 20 employees with 20 computers to generate RMB 1.6 million in seven months of dealing.

Oopsies. I'll be nosing around for more on this story (like exactly what the pair was arrested for), but if any intrepid readers come across anything, send it my way. As Steve at PlayNoEvil notes, "Turn up the Irony Meter to 11. After all, with all of the complaints in the US about gold farming, it takes the Chinese to stand up and do something about it."

WoW Gold Miner Offers Himself Up To Police [Pacific Epoch via PlayNoEvil

New Sega Title Begins Testing in China

mgreene — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:30:00 MDT

Adding to my theory that Three Kingdoms-related material will outlast us all, Dynasty Gaming has announced the start of closed testing with the first of their Sega-licensed "China Series" of games. And what would that game be? A MMORPG entitled Sanguko Seisen ('Saga of the Three Kingdoms'), designed to "secure a loyal following of SEGA game enthusiasts in China." Considering the current success of domestically-produced titles, it seems a little late to be trying to secure a 'loyal following,' but people do love their Three Kingdoms related stuff. Full release after the jump:

Dynasty Gaming Commences Testing of First Licensed Sega Online Game in Mainland China

After the successful signing of a License Agreement with SEGA Japan (SEGA) for the design and production of several on-line multi-player digital games with DNY BVI Limited, [HQ: British Virgin Islands], a subsidiary of DYNASTY GAMING (OTCBB: DNYFF) (TSX-V: DNY) [HQ: Montreal, Canada] (Company), the Company is pleased to announce that the first of its licensed SEGA online games is undergoing a closed testing process with the Company's China partner, Beijing Baiyouhuitong Net Technology Co. Ltd. [HQ: Beijing] (Partners).

Interviewed in Beijing, Company CEO Albert Barbusci stated that, "This represents the final step in the process to launch the first of our licensed 'China Suite' of SEGA games; a massively multi-player online roll-playing game (MMORPG) to be known as 'Sanguko Seisen' (Saga of the Three Kingdoms). Testing will continue throughout May to ensure that the new SEGA game meets all specifications for mainstream commercial operation in Mainland China."

SEGA, one of the most internationally recognized names in world-class, digital gaming products and software, worked in close collaboration with Dynasty Gaming and Partners to create "Sanguko Seisen." Adapted from a popular Japanese street game, SEGA seamlessly transposed unique elements of traditional Chinese culture, fashion and style in designing a fast-paced, exhilarating game of challenges and skills. Using the latest, state-of-the-art digital gaming technologies, the final product will engage Chinese players in a game of personalized roll-playing that stimulates strategic thinking. Designed to give players the opportunity to achieve personal goals as well as sharpen tactical manoeuvring and focus, players attain ever greater strengths in a game that is never the same twice. The realistic imagery and dynamic characters give the player a true sense of being in a real-world setting of ever-changing scenarios that will maintain player interest and guarantee longevity for succeeding generations. "Sanguko Seisen" also promises to secure a loyal following of SEGA game enthusiasts in China; hungry to see subsequent games in the SEGA "China Series."

"This is an exciting milestone in the company's goal to establish the dominant software design, operation and distribution networks within Mainland China, and join in congratulating SEGA and our China-based Partner in the fulfillment of this extraordinary goal," said Dynasty Gaming CEO, Albert Barbusci.

The TSX Venture Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this news release.

New Wrath Of The Lich King Details Galore

Mike Fahey — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:40:00 MDT

A press event earlier these week has resulted in a veritable flood of new information regarding the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King. Most of the news floating about is regarding the Death Knight hero class, fleshing out the details of the eagerly awaited addition, as well as some information on the raids players will encounter in the frozen lands of Northrend.

Every player with a character over level 55 will be able to create one Death Knight per realm. The new character will start at level 55 with a full compliment of abilities at their disposal, the reasoning here being that anyone who has leveled that far will be able to get the hang of the new abilities quickly. Anyone who has ever played with a recently eBayed character can tell you this is a complete falsehood, but it'll be amusing to watch at least.

Speaking of amusing, Death Knights will also gain the ability to raise fallen enemies and comrades as ghouls to continue the fight. If you raise an ally in this fashion they will get a choice of whether or not to take control of their violated corpse. Good times!

Death Knights will also be the first character class that harnesses the power of disease, so expect to see +disease items going for a premium in the auction house come the expansion's release.

Other new information involves the raids present in WofLK, which instead of forcing players into 10-man or 25-man groups will come in two varieties each. That means that any raid dungeon in the expansion will have a 10-man and a 25-man option, with the drops for those gathering a bigger group being relatively more powerful.

This feature alone is worth the price of admission for me (like I wouldn't have bought the expansion anyway). As a more casual player (my current guild has 2 people in it), I regret that I've never gotten a chance to see some of the bigger raid instances from past updates. Scaling the raids is an excellent way to let folks experience all the expansion has to offer while still rewarding the big raiding guilds for performing the enviable feat of keeping 25 people from tearing each other's throats out every five minutes.

Incidentally, not one raid boss has been created yet. I'm sure they'll get around to that eventually.

Another fun fact, Northrend will have it's own flying mounts, as well as allowing players to use their Burning Crusade flying mounts in the new zones, while the old world still remains sadly flying mount free due to design constrictions. Maybe they'll come up with some suitable lore reason for this. Whirring sky razors infesting the two main continents perhaps? The Blizzard writers are nothing if not resourceful.

There really is a ton of information out there from several different source, including GameSpy and Curse.com, so I'm extremely grateful to the folks at MMO Champion for rounding up all the pertinent information in one place. Hit the link below and prepare to spend the rest of your Friday reading about Wrath of the Lich King.

Wrath of the Lich King Preview [MMO Champion - Thanks Wingsoverglory!]

Americans Now Spend $1 Billion A Year On Game Subscriptions

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 08 May 2008 23:00:00 MDT

Whenever a developer who works for a company that doesn't make MMOs pipes up and says "PC gaming is dead", they really mean they just can't make money selling what they're selling. Maybe it's because of piracy, like many say, but hey, maybe it's also because they don't make MMOs, because NPD figures released today show that Americans spent over $1 billion on online subscriptions last year. That money came from an estimated 11 million subscribers, the majority of whom were obviously playing WoW, with RuneScape, LotRO, FFXI and City of Heroes following (in that order) in its wake. NPD say "it's clear that there is a sizable chunk of revenue being generated by PC gaming beyond what is reflected in retail sales", and really, none of us are in a position to argue with that.

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

Spacetime Rescues Blackstar From NCsoft

Mike Fahey — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:20:00 MDT

What exactly is The Blackstar Chronicles? Blackstar is a futuristic massively-multiplayer game that features both ground -based character combat as well as space-based ship combat on a massive scale. The developers at Spacetime Studios say it's based on the single-player traditions of "Wing Commander" and the multiplayer feel of "Descent." Lofty goals, but when your team is packed with Wing Commander and Privateer veterans you've got a good shot at getting it right. The IP fell into a bit of trouble after a 2006 publishing agreement with NCsoft fell through earlier this year, but the team at Spacetime has just announced that they've acquired the rights from NCsoft to soldier on, and that's a damn good thing. I would have hated to discover that the amazing character designs seen above and at their official website were never going to come to fruition. This is exactly the type of game I've been craving since the disappointment that was EA's Earth and Beyond.

Spacetime Studios Acquires Blackstar IP from NCsoft®
Blackstar is a highly stylized science-fantasy universe from developers of Wing Commander, Privateer, and Star Wars: Galaxies

AUSTIN, Texas - May 8, 2008 - Spacetime Studios, LLC announced today it has acquired the rights to the Blackstar IP from its previous publisher NCsoft. Spacetime Studios, an independent game development studio made up of industry veterans, now fully owns all the tools, technology and intellectual property from their previous publishing deal.

Set in the far future, Blackstar is a fresh universe full of wildly original space fighters, horrifying demonic enemies and epic drama. "The IP lends itself to almost any kind of gameplay that one could ask for, and was specifically designed to be a long-term franchise," said Cinco Barnes, creative director and co-founder of Spacetime Studios. "It's a nice sweet spot when you own all the puzzle pieces and we now have extraordinary flexibility in where to take the game universe next."

"After two years of development, the Blackstar universe is quite near and dear to our hearts" said Gary Gattis, executive producer and co-founder of Spacetime Studios. "Owning the IP as well as the engine and tool set puts a tremendous amount of potential in our hands. With all the developed components under the Spacetime team's control, the options for the IP are diversified."

The new "Blackstar Chronicles" development underway is a space fantasy combat game based on the single-player traditions of "Wing Commander" and the multiplayer feel of "Descent." "The Blackstar Chronicles is a very powerful product," said Jake Rodgers, art director and co-founder of Spacetime Studios. "The Blackstar universe has the potential to be something special and it's great that we are able to bring the IP to fruition."

Download a PDF about the IP at http://www.spacetimestudios.com/downloads/brochure_LoRes.pdf
More information about the studio can be found at http://www.spacetimestudios.com.

Return To LotRO Free This Weekend

Mike Fahey — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:40:00 MDT

Turbine is celebrating the first anniversary of the Lord of the Rings Online as previously mentioned, and they're giving lapsed players a chance to come back and see what's changed since they bucked up and kicked the hobbit (so ashamed of myself). Between now and May 12th, players who have cancelled their account may log back in for free, spend several hours patching, and then experience the new features they've missed out on, such as...

* New Region - Explore the icy reaches of Forochel
* New Quests - Over 100 new quests
* Hobby System - Feel like going fishing?
* Enhanced Monsterplay - New monster class: the Orc Defiler
* Looking For Fellowship Enhancements - Mustering Horns and UI improvements
* More customization options - cosmetic clothing, traveling clothes, and barbershops!
* New PvMP dungeon - The Delving of Frór
* Return to Angmar - completely overhauled to enhance playability and fun

All of this, plus they added more cowbell. What more do you people want?

Codemasters To Make Their Own MMOs

Mike Fahey — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:20:00 MDT

Up until now, venerable UK developer Codemasters has been merely dipping their feet into the MMO, licensing titles such as RF Online, Archlord, Dungeons & Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online. Now, as they are readying the release of their 5th licensed MMO, NetDevil's Jumpgate, Codemasters reveals plans to take on MMOspace with the development of their own games. VP of Codemasters Online Gaming David Solari explains that everything is going according to plan.

We always had a five year plan and it was always in the middle of that five year plan that we would start developing our own games. We are looking at that and we have to think very carefully about what title is right, what will work in the future.

At this point in the MMO genre's lifespan I cannot even begin to imagine what Codemasters could bring to the table that would have much impact, which is probably why I am not a game developer.

MMO Week: Codemasters to bring MMO development in-house [GamesIndustry.biz]

Zhengtu Tearing Up the Chinese Market

mgreene — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:30:00 MDT

Steve at PlayNoEvil is, I think, as interested in the Chinese MMORPG Zhengtu Online as I am: the game is breaking (or re-writing) a lot of MMORPG rules and currently ruling the domestic MMORPG roost in China. While nosing around PNE, I discovered that — on the heels of the announcement that Zhengtu hit over 2.1 million peak concurrent users — China Daily took a look inside Giant Interactive (developer/operator of Zhengtu) and its tracksuit-wearing CEO. Of particular interest are their marketing strategies:

[CEO Shi Yuzhu] chose the second- and third-tier cities as the battlefield. "Most gaming firms focus on major cities, but in fact second- and third-tier cities are a gold mine," he says. "If you want to post posters in the Internet cafes in big cities, you will be charged (by the owners). But in smaller cities, it can be free and you receive a warm welcome from the owners."
In large cities consumers tend to play more games at home, while Internet cafes are the preferred sites for most in smaller cities and rural areas.

Shi now has a 2,500-strong marketing team, which regularly checks whether ZT Online's posters are posted on the walls of the Internet cafes across the country and sell prepaid cards to players to enable them to gain points required to play games. That is quite different from other companies' practices of promoting games mainly in cyberspace.

And how is Giant Interactive trying to attract more women to their stable of games?

He is also hiring a number of attractive female players to play in Internet cafes. "We are giving them virtual golden coins worth 6,000 yuan per year, which are equal to 500 yuan in the real world, to encourage them to play and stay in the games," he says.
His ultimate goal is to make the game more fun and lure more male players, especially first time gamers.

"In fact in China's cyberspace many male players are very willing to pay the bills for their female counterparts", he says.

It's an interesting look at a very interesting company. Time will tell if Giant can keep this momentum going.

Breaking the rules [China Daily via PlayNoEvil]

China's Online Gaming Market Up 71%, Hits $1.7 Billion

mgreene — Sat, 03 May 2008 10:30:00 MDT

Just about everything in the Chinese gaming market is on the rise, according to a new report by Niko Partners: with the exception of internet cafés (numbers are down thanks to a ban on issuing new licenses), everything is growing by leaps and bounds. The online market jumped 71% in the past year, which is no great surprise, but the grey market success of consoles may be:

Console game sales were up 75 percent on a per-unit basis to 2.48 million, but Hanson noted that due to a Chinese console ban in place since 2000, the entire segment persists through the gray market ....
"The big boom this year came from the easier availability of the new next-gen consoles ...."

She pointed to PlayStation 2 as being more popular than its successor, on the strength of its affordability, game library, and backwards compatibility, with Wii seeing popularity for similar reasons. Between PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Hanson claimed Xbox 360 is more popular in China for its price point and library.

Other details and explanations can be found in a nice wrap up over at Gamasutra.

Niko's Hanson On Chinese Game Biz Growth [Gamasutra]

Stargate Worlds Beta Signups Begin

Mike Fahey — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:40:00 MDT

When the Stargate SG-1 based MMORPG Stargate Worlds was first announced from Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, I had my doubts it would ever even reach the beta stage, yet here we are. The newly-formed publisher FireSky has announced that registrations for the closed beta of Stargate Worlds is now officially open. Hopeful players can head over to their website at www.StargateWorlds.com, register for an account, and have their name thrown into a giant hat from which beta testers will be chosen. They aren't asking for tech specs, so I can only assume the selection process is to be random, or perhaps by which names they like the best. Testers will be the first to enter the Stargate, and perhaps the first MMO players to utter the phrase, "Draw their fire while I complete this mini-game." My only question is can I be the James Spader Daniel Jackson, or am I going to be shoehorned into the Michael Shanks portrayal? This sort of thing keeps me up at night.

Stargate Worlds Closed Beta Registration Now Open
MESA, Ariz. - April 24, 2008 - Stargate Worlds, the massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) from new publisher FireSky, is now taking registrations for closed beta at www.StargateWorlds.com .

The closed beta is an invitation-only test of the upcoming science fiction MMORPG Stargate Worlds. Invitations will be sent out this spring and summer as the Stargate Worlds team ramps up the numbers for testing.

The select group of beta testers will provide feedback to the development team about their game experience while also providing vital insight into the performance of the servers. The closed beta will begin with a small core of gamers and gradually expand as more functionality is added. Beta testers will experience Stargate Worlds alongside the developers who also will be playing the game.

"A game is nothing without players. We're fired up to finally get our game in the hands of the community," said Dan Elggren, Stargate Worlds studio head. "We're at the point where we need external testers to take Stargate Worlds to the finish line. Our devoted fans have helped guide us for more than two years through our forums. Together, we're going to craft a balanced, polished, and most of all, fun game."

Testers will be the first to step through the Stargate for a super-sized sci-fi adventure that will send gamers around a galaxy dipped in liquid awesome. Discover thriving alien worlds, explore ancient civilizations. and tell them all the things they are doing wrong. Smack a clip into your assault rifle and enter Stargate Worlds.

Beta testers will:

. Feel the heat - Master the battlefield using modern tactics and firepower

. Travel instantly - Dial up the Stargate to explore dozens of worlds from ancient civilizations to high tech planets

. Team up - Battle devious and powerful enemies with your friends

. Find the new you - Pick from seven archetypes with unique skills and play styles

. Don't fight it - Simulate translation, repair and sabotage with minigames as your buddies battle it out

. Solve the mystery - A galaxy-spanning story based on the award-winning Stargate television series

Stargate Worlds, based on the award-winning Stargate franchise from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), is scheduled for launch in the winter of 2008. The game is being built using Unreal 3 graphics and Big World's server technology. For more information, visit www.StargateWorlds.com

Tabula Rasa Offers Free Re-Enlistment Week

Mike Fahey — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:00:00 MDT

Tabula Rasa has only been up and running for six months, but they've already lost a sizeable enough chunk of folks that they'd do anything to win you back. Since release they've had 8 new content updates, introduced alien hybrids, and added respec tokens to the mix, and for the week beginning May 5th and ending May 12th players who've passed on the action can log into their accounts and see how the game has been shaping up, completely free. I played the game a bit during beta as well as a good month after launch, and it just couldn't hold my attentions, but I'll log in next week, just in case it was just a case of bad timing.

LotRO Celebrates Year One - Lifetime Memberships Return

Mike Fahey — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:00:00 MDT

It's been a great first year for Lord of the Rings Online, and Turbine has an entire month of celebrations planned for one of the most successful MMO launches since World of Warcraft. It all starts with the launch of Book 13: Doom of the Last-King, which adds the frosty reaches of Forochel to the landmass and a brand-new Monster Player class in the Defiler, seen menacingly above. Monsters will be dropping rare items throughout the month that you can exchange for in-game rewards, and if returning players want to check those out they'll be allowed five days free play to see how the game has evolved since launch. Finally, special subscription plans are in effect for a limited time, with plans over 90 days in length costing only $9.99 a month, and the return of the launch premium lifetime memberships for only $199. Hit the jump for more details on the celebration of a year of l337-speaking Hobbits.

tURBINE CELEBRATES THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF the launch of THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE™
Month-Long Celebration Marks the Return of the $199 LOTRO Lifetime Subscription Plan

WESTWOOD, MA - April 24, 2008 - Turbine, Inc. announced today a special promotion featuring limited time pricing offers and a series of in-game events to celebrate the first anniversary of The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ (LOTRO), the award-winning massively multiplayer online roleplaying game.

"It's been an incredible year for LOTRO and Turbine" said Jim Crowley, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. "Winning the 2007 PC Game of the Year, being named 2007 MMO of the Year and the overwhelmingly positive response to the game from fans around the world has been a real validation of our vision*. Our anniversary celebration is a chance for us to take time to gather with our past and present players to enjoy everything that is special about Middle-earth and thank them for their wonderful support with some special in-game events and subscription options."

The month-long celebration of the first anniversary of LOTRO includes:

Ø Launch of Book 13: Doom of the Last-king: Turbine's fifth content update to LOTRO delivers the frosty new region of Forochel, a new Monster Player class plus a host of other enhancements that continue to make LOTRO one of the fastest growing games in the world!

Ø Welcome Back Celebration: Former subscribers are invited to come back to Middle-earth beginning May 8th for five days of free play! Experience the new content added since launch that has increased the size of the world by over 30% including new regions, player housing, the outfit system and a myriad of new raids and instances.

Ø Save Middle-earth and Win: During the anniversary celebration, monsters throughout Middle-earth will drop rare items when defeated. Players can exchange these rare items for a special gift box that will reward the player with one of a variety of in-game items to aid them on their adventures in Middle-earth.

Ø Special Anniversary Pricing: For a limited time, Turbine is offering two new pricing plans for the 2007 PC Game of the Year and the 2007 MMO of the Year! Players can choose to become lifetime subscribers for $199 and never pay a monthly fee again. Players can also choose any multi-month plan (90-days or longer) and lock in a monthly price of $9.99 for as long as they maintain their new subscription plan. **

The Lord of the Rings Online is an award-winning massively multiplayer online role playing game that delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most beloved fantasy adventure of all time. From the picturesque surroundings of the Shire to the upcoming expansion to Moria, the most fearsome underground realm ever imagined, players will experience the world of Middle-earth as never before. LOTRO is available for purchase at major retailers across North America and Europe. For more information or to download a free trial, visit www.lotro.com or www.lotro-europe.com.

PVP In The Age Of Conan

Mike Fahey — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:00:00 MDT

From here on out, game trailers lose points with me if they don't have a guy green-screened over the gameplay footage, pointing out features like some gaming weather man. Witness Age of Conan product manager Erling Ellingsen (whose name does amazing things to the tongue) discussing the finer point of PVP in the game, from the PVP level system to the different locations available for wholesale slaughter of your fellow players in Hyboria. I love how he calls them PVP mini-games. Makes me think that at any moment Wario is going to pop out and demand you pick his nose in under three seconds, which is a feature that would completely sell me on the game.

Preorder Age Of Conan And Get Early Access For $5

Mike Fahey — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:40:00 MDT

The release of Funcom's Age of Conan is a little over a month away, and preorder offers are in full swing across North America, Europe, and Oceania. Players who preorder will get exclusive in-game items, such as the War Mammoth and Killer Rhino mounts (accessible after level 40), and a special storage belt dealie. As a special bonus to those who reserve themselves a copy, Funcom and Eidos are offering a three-day head start, where you'll be able to play the game before those suckers who didn't put down some cash, all for the low, low price of 5 USD (or 5 EUR). What, you have to pay? Not quite sure what world that makes sense in. It doesn't seem to be referring to the $5 you put down for reserve either. You get 30 days free play in the box, why make players pay $5 for the first 10 days? It boggles the mind, but hey...a head start is a head start. Hit up the Age of Conan website for details on participating retailers.

AGE OF CONAN GETS READY FOR LAUNCH
Pre-order programs now available in all Western territories offering three day head-start in Hyboria

DURHAM, North Carolina - April 16, 2008 - Funcom and Eidos today announced that Age of Conan pre-order programs are now fully available in all major territories including USA, Germany, France, Spain, UK, Oceania and the Nordic countries. Conan fans and MMO gamers are already raving about the incredible pre-order items, including the War Mammoth and Killer Rhino, and today Funcom goes one step further to confirm that pre-ordering Age of Conan will grant players early access to the land of Hyboria.*

Ever since Funcom and Eidos started the first pre-orders in early 2008, the program has received great feedback. The exceptional Age of Conan Collector's Edition has topped the charts in numerous online retail chains for weeks, including being #1 on several all-format lists. The most eager fans are therefore urged to order their copy of the Collector's Edition immediately as it only comes in one print-run.

Funcom now also confirms an early access program which will give customers a chance of a head-start in Age of Conan. Funcom reveals that American, European and Oceanic players may enter Age of Conan as early as the 17th of May. Mere weeks away, early adopters can now live, fight and explore in Hyboria, as well as getting an essential head-start before the hordes invade.

"We are very pleased with the reception Age of Conan has had in retail and we naturally hope that the early interest and our early access programs will materialize in an eventual success," said Morten Larssen, VP Sales and Marketing of Funcom. "The positive indications are naturally an honor, but they also bring a great responsibility. As we prepare the roll-out, we know our servers will be put to the test. We therefore hope potential players will aid us by signaling their interest as soon as possible so we can scale our servers and services accordingly."

Age of Conan launches on May 20 and is consistently mentioned as one of the most anticipated PC games in development. It has received more than 25 magazine covers and more than 15 major awards including numerous "Best MMO of E3" awards and the "Best Online Game of Show" award at GC 2007. Age of Conan is a key title in Microsoft's Games for Windows lineup, as well as a showcase title for nVidia.

Visit www.ageofconan.com to join the thriving community or to sign up for the Beta

For a list of participating retailers or to get more information about the game, please visit: www.ageofconan.com

* The early access program is only available with certain retailers; a participant list can be found on the official Age of Conan website. The early access is entirely voluntary and opens up on the 17th of May for Oceanic and North American gamers and on the 20th of May for European gamers. Pre-loading of the client will commence in advance. You need to pay a nominal 5 USD / EUR fee to take advantage of the offer, which includes client download and 10 days of subscription. When the early access offer expires you must enter the physical retail box gamekey to continue playing.

7 Of 11 Pirates Of The Burning Sea Servers Shut Down

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:30:00 MDT

What the fuck is going on here? You all say how sick you are of MMOs with elves and orcs, so Flying Lab go and make one with pirates, and nobody signs up? Urgh. Which means it's all your fault that seven of the game's eleven servers are closing down, in order to bring about a "higher density" of players. Guess at the moment there's a "low density" of players. Hopefully this means those who do enjoy the shivering of timbers and the buckling of swashes get a better experience, and that this isn't the beginning of the end for the game.
Pirates of the Burning Sea Shutters 7 Servers [Game|Life]

EVE Online Source Code Leaked, No Worries

Mike Fahey — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:40:00 MDT

The source code for CCP's EVE Online has been popping up on torrent trackers all over the place this week, leading to players worrying about the security of their accounts, as well as having the peace, sleep-inducing serenity of their mining efforts disturbed. CCP assures everyone that the leak will have no adverse effects on the EVE community.

"The server-side interface used by the client is carefully protected to ensure that no abusive or unwanted information is transmitted to, or from the internal EVE server systems. Nothing the EVE client can do can affect the game state, no advantage can be gained by manipulating the EVE client, no advantageous or disadvantageous information can be transmitted to other EVE users by altering the EVE client."

CCP is still mum on how the source code was accessed, so feel free to make up your own story. Mine involves romance, intrigue, and the movie guy voice saying, "The only thing hotter than their love...was her betrayal."

CCP plays down EVE leak [Eurogamer]

One Million Concurrent WoW Players In China

Mike Fahey — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:00:00 MDT

The9 Limited, the operators of World of Warcraft in China, has announced that they recently achieved a peak of one million players online at the same time. That's not the fudgy sort of numbers you get for subscribers either - that is one million World of Warcraft accounts online and playing at one time. That's the biggest number they've seen since the game launched there back in 2005. Of course there are 1.3 billion or so people living in China, so a million is just a drop in a bucket, but that's a very big drop in a absolutely gigantic bucket. To put things in perspective, if a million people stood on your head, your skull would be completely crushed. Them's skull-crushing numbers right there, and before you go blaming gold farming, keep in mind that these are Chinese servers, not people accessing servers outside of the country, so nya.

World of Warcraft Hits Record One Million Concurrent Chinese Players [GameDaily]

Warhammer Online On The March

Mike Fahey — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:00:00 MDT

You know, I think this is the first time I've actually seen Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning in motion? You'd have thought I would have caught site of it at an event or something, but nope. Now that I search back a bit, I did find this cam footage from back in 2006, but it hardly compares to this video, created by the content creation team for the game using closed beta footage. It looks...well, it looks like an MMO, make no mistake. A very stylized one at that, which isn't a bad thing. The whole thing comes off as a bit stiff, but MMO videos hardly ever live up to the real thing in motion. I'm just glad I got through this entire post without saying World of Warcraft. Dammit.

Lovely Spellborn Pushed To Fall

Mike Fahey — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:20:00 MDT

If you're going to deliver bad news, accompanying it with a tasteful selection of screenshots is the way to go. These shots of the unique character models created for The Chronicles of Spellborn, and are delivered with the news that the game is being pushed back to Fall of 2008, due to the developers revising the server infrastructure and a possible publishing agreement. The gameplay is there, the graphics are there, and now they want to tune performance, while laying down the foundations for future expansions and new content. Meanwhile, in publishing land, Frogster Interactive has signed a letter of intent with a renowned MMOG publisher, but even the most renowned-eriffic publisher needs a good 6 months lead time for marketing. In the meantime, closed beta continues, pretty screenshots are generated, and I poke at them every so often to see if they're done yet.

New Release Schedule for Spellborn
Results of closed beta and potential US publisher

Berlin, 10th of April 2008: After a first review of the beta tests of The Chronicles of Spellborn, which began at the beginning of March, the Dutch developers have decided to make a revision to the server infrastructure. At this time, the game-play mechanics and graphics of the game client have already matched the high demand for quality. These have been mostly completed and will now be thoroughly optimized and polished. In reworking the tools and the network code, Spellborn NV now wants to ensure that the flow and performance of gameplay live up to the general expectations. At the same time, the developer will lay the foundation to allow for quick expansion of the game, with new content and updates, once it is released.

Meanwhile, Frogster Interactive has found a renowned MMOG publisher to be a potential partner for the release of Spellborn in the USA and has already signed a letter of intent. For a successful market introduction, the potential licensor will require a lead time of six months at least. As a consequence, both Frogster and the developers of Spellborn NV have decided to initiate the revision of the server architecture and to use this time to prepare for a coordinated worldwide release of the game. Considering the new strategy, Frogster assumes a launch of The Chronicles of Spellborn in autumn 2008. Nevertheless, the developer will continue the current closed beta tests for the time being. Just recently, Spellborn NV has expanded the circle of accredited testers by one hundred committed members of the community to balance and optimize the gameplay even more.

What lies hidden, must be found
With The Chronicles of Spellborn players enter into an impressive online scenario with scenic landscapes, majestic cities and the remnants of an ancient civilization. Alone or with a party of allies, PC adventurers step into a huge fantasy realm consisting of varied shard worlds floating in the magic Deadspell Storm. Those who want to prevail in the grippingly staged combats of The Chronicles of Spellborn need to apply their mighty arsenal of spells, melee and ranged attacks skillfully. Battles with bloodthirsty creatures, hostile peoples and human opponents in PvP battles are waiting. An innovative and tactically challenging combat system with shooter-like controls and rotating skill deck provides a fresh breath of air for the dusty MMORPG genre. Thanks to the largely extended Unreal Engine 2.5 The Chronicles of Spellborn boasts stunning 3D graphics, spectacular effects and countless elaborate details. More information, images and videos can be found on www.tcos.com.

Has WoW Peaked?

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:30:00 MDT

World of Warcraft's big. Bigger than the Beatles and Jesus combined. But it can't last forever, and one day, sure as the sun rises, it will peak, before beginning the slow, torturous decline into oblivion. Any bets on when that peak will occur? If you ask THQ's Jack Sorenson, it's right now:

I wish I could see the numbers, but my guess is that it probably already has peaked - but it's still a great business.

Hope he's right. No disrespect to WoW, but I'd like to hear about something else in the MMO space for once. All the WoW this, WoW that, it's getting boring!
THQ: "Warcraft has peaked" [Eurogamer] [Pic]

Inside the Minds(?) of Griefers

ogood — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:00:00 MDT

Sorry if this one is a little late to the party. But it's the weekend, time for some longer think pieces. And besides, finding posts for Kotaku on the weekend is a bit like drafting a fantasy team. (Alright, World of Warcraft violence study, I'm going with you if ... DAMMIT. McWhertor took it ...)

Here's an article out of Wired I spotted shortly after coming aboard. It's a great look at Second Life and EVE Online griefers, whose behavior is truly sociopathic — in those communities. In the real world, they're average ordinary /b/tards and SA Goons — OK so they're probably sociopaths in the real world, too.

But it's fascinating to me, do they have the motivation to do, in real life, anything analogous to what they do in MMOs? And even if you're not interested in the probing psychological question, Wired delivers some bizarre vignettes, beginning with the story's lead:

But shortly after 5 pm Eastern time on November 16, an avatar appeared in the 3-D-graphical skies above this online sanctuary and proceeded to unleash a mass of undiluted digital jackassery. The avatar, whom witnesses would describe as an African-American male clad head to toe in gleaming red battle armor, detonated a device that instantly filled the air with 30-foot-wide tumbling blue cubes and gaping cartoon mouths. For several minutes the freakish objects rained down, immobilizing nearby players with code that forced them to either log off or watch their avatars endlessly text-shout Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Get to the choppaaaaaaa!" tagline from Predator. [...]
Soon after the attacks began, the governance team at San Francisco-based Linden Lab, the company that runs Second Life, identified the vandals and suspended their accounts. In the popular NorthStar hangout, players located the offending avatars and fired auto-cagers, which wrapped the attackers' heads in big metallic boxes. And at the Gorean city of Rovere — a Second Life island given over to a peculiarly hardcore genre of fantasy role-play gaming — a player named Chixxa Lusch straddled his giant eagle mount and flew up to confront the invaders avatar-to-avatar as they hovered high above his lovingly re-created medieval village, blanketing it with bouncing 10-foot high Super Mario figures.

"Give us a break you fucks," typed Chixxa Lusch, and when it became clear that they had no such intention, he added their names to the island's list of banned avatars and watched them disappear.

"Wankers," he added, descending into the mess of Super Marios they'd left behind for him to clear.

Honestly, I'm trying to imagine what in real life could be analogous to that.

Mutilated Furries, Flying Phalluses: Put the Blame on Griefers, the Sociopaths of the Virtual World [Wired]

EVE Online Gets New Faces, Places

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:30:00 MDT

If you're at all interested in EVE Online, and can remember back to June 2007, you'll remember CCP's Magnus Bergsson saying that women don't want to be spaceships. What they preferred (and I'm guessing a lot of people who aren't women also preferred) was to interact with people face-to-face. Nearly a year later, then, here's CCP's way of addressing this: they're adding not just full-body player avatars to the game, but also interior maps for the space stations, in which you can wander around and hang out with other players. Sounds trivial, but should add a lot of depth and personality to a game that's been lacking a little in both. More details on these and more in the excellent interview below.
CCP's Torfi Frans Olafsson On The Future Of Eve [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

Online Idiots Affecting The Entire Industry?

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:30:00 MDT

The homophobes, racists and straight-up assholes you often run into on Xbox Live or other online gaming setups aren't just ruining your game, they're holding back the entire industry. So says former Microsoft game user research head Bill Fulton, speaking with Gamasutra:

...the online behavior of our customers is dramatically reducing our sales, and continues to stunt the growth of our industry. Non-gamers simply don't love games enough to put up with the crap they get online. The reason they would consider playing online is to have fun with other people — and right now, playing games online with strangers rarely delivers that for anyone outside the hardcore demographic.

While he never directly mentions the 360, the fact he's ex-Microsoft and that the Wii and PS3 aren't exactly hotbeds of voice-chat multiplayer paints a clear enough picture as to where he's wagging most of his fingers, though I'm sure PC gamers aren't entirely without blame. Hit the link below for more from this great interview, as it's mostly about ensuring pleasant online experiences by means of game design. Interesting stuff.
Fixing Online Gaming Idiocy [Gamasutra] [Pic]

First Review Of Life, The MMO

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:20:00 MDT

Reviewing games has its place, but there's no cast-iron rule that says we always have to review games as though they were games. We could, for example, do more of what MetaFilter poster Razzle Bathbone has done, and look at life (like, real life) as an MMO. And review it.

Players are encouraged to focus on social interaction, which can be engaged in in a variety of ways. In fact it's extraordinarily difficult to solo anything whatsoever in Outside, apart from basic skill and knowledge accumulation quests. One of the major forms of social interaction in the game is based largely around the addition of new players to Outside, and is both complex and, in comparison to the storyline-driven romance quests of, say, Baldur's Gate or Mass Effect, they are immensely difficult.

Brilliant.
The Myth of the Media Myth: Games and Non-Gamers [MetaFilter, via Boing-Boing]

Warhammer Online Falls To Autumn

Mike Fahey — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:40:00 MDT

Push it back, push it back, waaaaaay back! It helps if you imagine Warhammer orcs in cheerleader outfits, though that might just be me. Speaking during a press conference today in Paris, producer Jeff Hickman revealed that Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning isn't quite ready for the 2nd quarter release they were aiming for when they delayed the game the last time. The new target date for the ambitious MMO is sometime this fall. Considering the pace they've been keeping up so far, I wouldn't be surprised if the game wound up being a Christmas release. Just remember, it isn't a delay - it's an extended development cycle.

Warhammer Online delayed again [Eurogamer]

NCsoft Readies Two More Unreal MMOs

Mike Fahey — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:40:20 MDT

NCsoft loves Epic's Unreal Engine, but then again who doesn't (hush Silicon Knights)? After successfully implemented the last version of the engine in Lineage 2 and the forthcoming Exteel, NCsoft is making the jump to next-gen, licensing the Unreal Engine 3 for two unannounced MMO projects.

"Unreal Engine 3 has a well structured rendering pipeline, and its graphical quality is superb thanks to advanced lighting and shadowing systems," said Young-muk Choi, lead programmer, Development Unit, NCsoft. "Tools within the Unreal Editor empower us to instantly produce and optimize our outputs, and we especially love how the engine enables designers to easily prototype concepts without the need for programming."

Hopefully UE3 will also be able to help them make a game that doesn't fail miserably.

NCsoft Announces Unreal Engine 3 License for Two Upcoming Projects
World-renowned online game developer expands on Unreal legacy

SEOUL, KOREA (March 25, 2008) - NCsoft® Corporation, the world's leading developer and publisher of online computer games, today announced that it has reinforced its relationship with Epic Games, Inc. by licensing Unreal Engine 3 to develop two unannounced, top-tier massively multiplayer online games. NCsoft has achieved spectacular results working with the Unreal Engine over the years, shipping the highly successful Lineage® II, and the soon to be released Exteel ™, using Unreal Engine 2.

"Unreal Engine 3 has a well structured rendering pipeline, and its graphical quality is superb thanks to advanced lighting and shadowing systems," said Young-muk Choi, lead programmer, Development Unit, NCsoft. "Tools within the Unreal Editor empower us to instantly produce and optimize our outputs, and we especially love how the engine enables designers to easily prototype concepts without the need for programming."

"NCsoft pioneered online game development using Unreal Engine, as evidenced by Lineage II, one of the most commercially successful and enduringly popular online games in history," said Jay Wilbur, vice president of Epic Games. "We are thrilled to take this next step with NCsoft, and are fully committed to supporting their projects. We expect to be completely wowed by what they do with our latest technology."

Developers and publishers around the world 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 prestigious Integrated Partners Program, has primed Unreal Engine 3 as the best possible offering for cross-platform game development for years to come. Through this licensing agreement, NCsoft will be able to take advantage of the latest enhancements to Unreal Engine 3, including dynamic ambient occlusion, a fracturing tool and runtime, a realistic crowd system and much more.

Blizzard Unleashes Fury Of The Sunwell

Mike Fahey — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:20:02 MDT

This morning I clicked on my World of Warcraft icon and was greeted with the impending download of the highly anticipated 2.4 patch, Fury of the Sunwell. The patch introduces us to Sunwell Isle, a brand new quest hub complete with new 5-man dungeons and a 25-man raid that gives players a chance to finally kick Kil'jaeden's sorry ass. As with any major WoW update, the patch notes are large and wordy, filled with stuff that only certain classes and professions will care about, so I'll just toss you a link to WorldofWar.net's note posting at the bottom of the article. Aside from the new dungeons, the most exciting thing I can see is learned spells not being reset with respecs, meaning that mages no longer have to rebuy their perk spell levels in addition to the cost of a respec. This pleases me. I'm sure this affects other casters as well, but they don't count.

Confirmed - Patch 2.4 Today [WorldofWar.net]

Chinese Game Market Grew to $1.66 Billion In '07

mgreene — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:00:54 MDT

Pearl Research has released their latest report and forecast on China's market and has come up with some pretty astonishing numbers. A quick rundown: the market grew 60% in '07, reaching $1.66 billion; they predict the market will exceed $3 billion by 2010; domestic games are getting as many as 1.66 million concurrent users. It's no secret the market is huge in China and continues to grow, but those are some pretty impressive numbers (and a lot of zeros). The full press release, with some extra details, is after the jump:

Games Market in China Grew 60% to $1.66 Billion in 2007, Expected to Exceed $3 Billion in 2010, According to Pearl Research

SAN FRANCISCO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Pearl Research forecasts the online games market in China will exceed $3 billion in 2010. The market grew more than 60% to reach $1.66 billion in 2007. These findings are contained in Pearl Research's exclusive 130-page "Games Market in China" study.

Allison Luong, Managing Director of Pearl Research said, "The year 2007 exceeded expectations with the market growing more than 60%, driven by compelling and diverse content, free-to-play games, and rising demand for leisure and technology products. Chinese-themed and advanced casual games are expected to drive revenues in 2008 and beyond."

"A key trend to track in 2008 is rising average-revenue-per-user (ARPU). Certain online games are reaching $7 to $12 a month in average-revenue-per-user, significantly higher than past averages of $5 or less per month. I believe there is still room for average-revenue-per-user to grow, as game operators enhance monetization efforts from free-to-play games," said Allison Luong.

Pearl Research's key findings:

China's most popular online game, Netease's "Fantasy Westward Journey" has 1.66 million peak concurrent users, followed by Giant's "Zhengtu Online" with 1.52 million peak concurrent users. Successful MMORPGs can be highly profitable. Game operator Giant Interactive generated the majority of its $209 million revenues from one title, "Zhengtu Online."

Game operators in China experienced strong revenue growth in 2007. The biggest gainers were game operators Shanda (up 49% to $338 million), Giant (up 274% to $209 million), The9 (up 30% to $175 million) and Perfect World (up 593% to $95 million). Coinciding with this revenue growth was a wave of initial public offerings (IPOs) by game operators Giant, Perfect World, NetDragon and KingSoft.

The study also contains highlights from Pearl Research's Phoenix Generation research initiative, consisting of more than 200 one-on-one, personalized interviews conducted with Chinese youth. One key finding is that games are a social phenomenon, with gamers often playing casual games to connect with friends and flirt with others. Gamers cite cheating and account thefts as a top reason for abandoning a game and seek out game operators with a reliable reputation.

Pearl Research's "Games Market in China" study provides an in-depth analysis of the Chinese games market. The report contains 2006 to 2011 forecasts; inhibitors and drivers to growth; deep marketplace analysis; profiles of key market players; and strategic conclusions. Please call (+1) 415-738-7660 or email research (at) pearlresearch.com to inquire about this report.

Classic Literature Gets the Game Treatment

mgreene — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 13:30:55 MDT

We posted a little musing on books that should be made into games a while back, which spawned plenty of discussion. Now someone's gone the extra step and added screenshots and more complex mechanic ideas for Wuthering Heights: Heathcliff's Revenge, Huckleberry Finn's Xtreme Rafting, and To Kill a Mockingbird: Furor Excessum:

The town of Maycomb, Alabama found itself the center of controversy in 1930's and now you can be a part of it with this ground breaking massively multiplayer online role playing game. Finally players will have a chance to experience social injustice any way they want. Help Atticus Finch win the trial of his life and help Boo Radley start his life anew all while avoiding rabid dogs and the Klan. The open world design of this sleepy small town provide hours of game play.

Classic Literature Video Games [FunBox, thanks Will!]

Age Of Conan's Fighting Is A Bloody Mess

Mike Fahey — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:00:59 MDT

I've gotten two things from this developer diary for Funcom's Age of Conan MMO. First off, it is open season on heads in AOC. If you have a head and plan on playing the game, I highly suggest you either reinforce it with a steel neckpiece of some sort, or perhaps pre-detach your head with some sort of velcro solution so it can easily be retrieved and reattached. Secondly, Funcom Senior System Designer Andrew Griffin has some amazing hair. You wouldn't think a guy with such great hair would have anything to do with all of this rampant decapitation, but there you go.

Human and Property Rights in Virtual Worlds

mgreene — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:30:13 MDT

SXSW hosted what sounds like a very interesting panel on the issue of personal property rights in virtual worlds: this is becoming an ever more important issue, with lawsuits a-flyin' and people getting arrested for virtual property theft. So, how is this issue going to get nailed down? And when? And by whom? The panel consisted of GoPets CEO Erik Bethke, Live Gamer co-founder Andrew Schneider and attorney Greg Boyd, with Charles River Ventures' Susan Wu moderating.

Wu began by discussing the recent Bragg v. Linden Labs court case — in brief, a legal battle between a Second Life user and the world's parent company over land that Bragg apparently improperly acquired, resulting in a ban from the world by Linden. That case, Wu says, was a landmark in that it demonstrated that virtual property rights have tangible value in the court system ....
"What are the prevailing customs that should apply?" Wu asked. "Is it the country where the company is based? Is it the country where the customer lives? We don't even know what the basic virtual property rights are that we should be concerned with."

These sorts of issues will get nailed down eventually (maybe?), it's a serious balancing act in a lot of ways. And once you mix in the reasonably global nature of many MMOs? Well ....

Human and Property Rights in Virtual Worlds [Worlds In Motion]

CDC Games Says Lunia Doing Well In the US

mgreene — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:00:14 MDT

CDC Games, one of Mainland China's heavy hitters, sent out a press release last week detailing some metrics for their Mainland games, plus info on how Lunia has been doing in the US. Lots and lots of metrics to be had, but I guess that's why CDC's Ron Williams talked about how to compare apples to oranges. Williams says that CDC is "excited about the game's potential to be a top online game in North America this year," and is hoping to leverage Lunia fans for future releases. Pertinent parts of the release after the jump, plus a link to the full release:

Lunia, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) based on the popular manga-style comic art form, was launched for commercial availability in North America on February 22, 2008. Since the launch, the game has demonstrated growing popularity. Average player hours totaled more than 205,000, with an average of six hours per player per week. Other key operating metrics during the last week of commercial operation include:
Growth in total registered users of 158 percent,
Growth in peak concurrent users (PCU) of 151 percent, and
Growth in average concurrent users (ACU) of 140 percent.

Because Lunia leverages the "free-to-play, pay-for-merchandise" model, we believe the growing base of highly active players forms the foundation for future revenues. CDC Games USA will be focused on maintaining a high degree of activity with the current users, and growing the total number of users, to spur revenue growth going forward.

"Our first marketing campaign for Lunia began on February 26," said Ron Williams, general manager, CDC Games USA. "This campaign accounted for more than 22,000 registrations on our U.S. game portal, www.12foottall.com during the first eight days of the ad campaign. Since the Beta launch on January 28, 2008 and subsequent commercial launch on February 15, our U.S. game portal 12FootTall has signed up over 42,000 subscribers. Currently, more than 35 percent of the visitors to 12FootTall convert to subscribers. We see this as a testament to the ground-breaking design of the portal, and relevance to today's online game players. Based on these metrics, we are very pleased with our initial results for both the 12FootTall game portal and the Lunia game."

Williams added, "With more than two years of content updates already built into our release pipeline for Lunia, we are excited about the game's potential to be a top online game in North America this year. We look forward to continuing to build our base of Lunia players and portal subscribers as well as leveraging the portal as the platform for launching additional new games in the U.S."

CDC Games Provides Update on Key Performance Metrics of China Games and Lunia in North America [BusinessWire]

Mgame, CDC Settle Yulgang Dispute

mgreene — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:30:01 MST

Last year, CDC Games (China) and Mgame (Korea) got into a heated legal battle over the status of Yulgang in Mainland China: CDC sued Mgame for breach of contract, and Mgame said they dropped CDC since they weren't paying per the terms of that same contract. But, just as was predicted last November, the two companies have kissed and made up:

CDC Games said Wednesday it has settled all legal disputes with South Korean online gaming company Mgame Corp. over their differences regarding the operation of the online game "Yulgang."
Under the agreement, CDC Games, a unit of Hong Kong-based software and online gaming company CDC Corp., will have exclusive distribution rights to "Yulgang" in China until March 2010, with an option for a one-year extension. The companies also agreed to work together to launch "Yulgang 2.0" as quickly as possible.

If I were a Korean company, I'd think really hard before entering into any sort of contractual agreement with a Mainland company, giant potential market be damned.

CDC Games, Mgame Settle Legal Disputes [AP]

High Fantasy Flourishes In Age Of Conan

Mike Fahey — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 09:40:51 MST

This trailer for Funcom's Age of Conan MMO, currently due for a May PC release, features all of the hallmarks of classic high fantasy. Sweeping vistas, exotic locations, fantastic creatures, visceral combat, and a woman with a lovely voice singing nonsense words over powerful music. Of course it could just be a real language I am not familiar with. All I know is that halfway through I could swear she sang, "Manly Pepsi, thank you email now", and if my evil plan succeeds you shall hear it as well. Muhahaha!

Gary Gygax, Co-Creator Of D&D, Dead At 69

Mike Fahey — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:20:33 MST

The rattling of dice across tabletops around the word falls silent today with the news that co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons and TSR, Gary Gygax, has passed away at the age of 69. The news came via the forums of Troll Lord Games, who publish Gygax's Lejendary Adventures and Castles & Crusades sourcebooks, delivered via his son Ernie Gygax. He died in his home, having been in failing health for some time, suffering several strokes and a near heart-attack. Gygax was an inspiration to the gaming industry, with his work directly or indirectly influencing entire genres - role-playing games and MMORPGs specifically. I probably wouldn't be writing this right now if the thought of missing my weekly D&D games hadn't kept me from allocating my 6'6" frame towards more sporting endeavors. Gary Gygax may have passed on, but the legacy he leaves to gaming will live on forever. Rest in peace, Dungeon Master.

Gary Gygax [Troll Lord Games Forums]
Photo by Alan De Smet

Mabinogi Open Beta Starts March 5th

mgreene — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 13:30:52 MST

Eee! Singing sheep! Nexon's not-new-but-new-to-the-US MMORPG Mabinogi is moving to open beta as of this coming Wednesday. The Harvest Moon-meets-MMORPG has already been through a closed beta and pre-open beta test run, apparently to a good response. You can sign up at the Mabinogi website or over at FilePlanet. I'm a total sucker for stuff like this, so I'll be wandering over to check it out. Full release after the jump:

Nexon America Inc., the U.S. division of Asia's leading online entertainment company Nexon Group, delivers the open beta for Mabinogi, its free-to-play, massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), on March 5. Slated for release later this spring, users can create their own personal "Fantasy Life," by signing up for the open beta during an exclusive 24-hour play period at FilePlanet.com or afterward at http://mabinogi.nexon.net.

Open beta users will tap into a world that has already birthed a civilization of more than seven million fans in Asia, and will retain these characters through the commercialization of the game. With over 30,000 users signing up for the recent closed beta, the open beta should prove a similar success providing players an opportunity to discover a beautiful 3-D, cell-shaded art style, featuring anime-type characters and gruesome monsters.

The open beta delivers users numerous new areas to visit, including more dungeons to explore. It also offers North American players a first chance to burrow into new game skills such as cooking, enchanting, meditation and composing music.

These are just the first phases of Mabinogi's deep, online universe, where players experience all facets of fantasy life. Dazzling 3-D graphics boast an art style based in Celtic and Welsh mythology, which also gives Mabinogi its name and foundation. Mabinogi provides a new experience with its gameplay variety, unique combat system and orderly time element and age component, to provide additional depth to Nexon's latest free-to-play offering. In addition to traditional MMO features - challenging adventures, exciting group quests and a plethora of fearsome monsters - Mabinogi offers a much fuller "life" for its players. Players can increase experience by taking jobs, such as cooking, shearing sheep or other farming duties. The game's unique music program allows users to write and share music in MIDI formatted files.

Mabinogi's traditional mouse and keyboard functions unite with its distinctive combat, and anthology of game-play styles, that should excite the most hardcore gamers. Players will also quickly discover Mabinogi requires more finesse and strategy during combat than just pushing a few buttons and haphazardly attacking everything in sight. The unique fighting system, which emulates paper, rock, scissors, adds another degree of complexity. Characters develop skills in three categories— Combat, Life, and Magic—so users can not only gain experience by fighting a giant spider but also by cooking dinner and learning a new spell. Players acquire Ability Points as they gain experience in the game to help show progression. This gives players more freedom to play Mabinogi however they choose.

Additionally, Mabinogi's time is standardized, allowing for users who play longer to earn different "daily" bonuses as incentives. Plus, avatars age on a weekly basis and get taller as they get older (up to 17). Avatars gain ability points up to the age of 25 as well. Plus, players will see their avatars' diet affect appearance. Mabinogi also features a long-term storyline that is revealed over a series of generations and weaves its way throughout the game. Using these unique features, as well as the heavy socialization aspect present in all of Nexon's games, gives Mabinogi a unique placement in the world of MMOs. And like Nexon's previous offerings, the game is free to play.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms Online Launched

mgreene — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 10:30:48 MST

I admit it, I don't get how they select English titles for these things and/or why they don't just use 三國演義 instead of 三國志, but be that as it may: yesterday marked the Japanese launch of KOEI's Romance of the Three Kingdoms Online. It's the first product produced by their Singapore branch, and it is (shockingly enough) an MMORPG set in Han Dynasty China. For now, it's a Japan-only release, to be followed by ' localized launches in select territories around the world.' Full release after the jump.

KOEI Entertainment Singapore Pte Ltd today announced that its inaugural production, Romance of the Three Kingdoms Online (English working title), has been launched in Japan on 29th February 2008. This is an all-new Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) offering players a chance to experience life during the historic 2nd and 3rd centuries of China's Han Dynasty.

KOEI was one of the first major global game developers to begin game development operations in Singapore. The epic adventure, Romance of the Three Kingdoms Online is KOEI Entertainment Singapore's debut title, and promises to be Singapore's first blockbuster in the interactive digital media industry.

"Singapore is a dynamic and vibrant city with a talented, highly-motivated and diverse workforce," said Mrs. Keiko Erikawa, the Founder & Chairman Emeritus of KOEI. "Singapore's positioning as a global media hub is coherent with our vision to provide exciting online content for the global markets."

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms Online is the first Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) which is developed in Singapore. Koei is a recognised leader in games and we are proud that Koei's Singapore team has contributed to the company's pioneering game development reputation. This is a landmark development which underscores Singapore's reputation as an Interactive & Digital Media capital, where creations are made for global consumption," said Mr Manohar Khiatani, Assistant Managing Director, Singapore Economic Development Board.

Since its inception KOEI Entertainment Singapore Pte Ltd has invested heavily into training the local workforce. It has also ignited the dreams of creative talent with a passion for developing games and created new types of job opportunities in the new digital media industry.

The highly-anticipated launch of Romance of the Three Kingdoms Online comes after successful customer trials in Japan. The game will be available initially in Japan, followed by localized launches in select territories around the world.

"KOEI's Romance of the Three Kingdoms series is a phenomenon that has captured the imaginations of gamers around the globe," said Mr. Kenji Matsubara, President and Chief Operating Officer of KOEI. "With Romance of the Three Kingdoms Online, KOEI Entertainment Singapore has created a new way to explore this rich episode in Chinese history. Gamers will not only find new ways to interact with this legendary world, but also new ways to interact with each other."

Atari Founder Working On An MMO

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:20:00 MST

Nolan Bushnell created Pong. He founded Atari. And Chuck E Cheese. So, yes, he is a great man. He's also a man who fancies he knows where there's money to be made when it comes to videogames, which is why he let slip during an interview at GDC that he's working on an MMO. No further info than that, sorry, but he does say that "as compelling as World of Warcraft is, it too shall find that there are other ways to play a game". So long as it involves rolling a character that can pull off smoking a pipe in a hot tub, I'm in.
Nolan Bushnell gets massive [Gamespot]