Filed under: Casual

Funcom plans a more casual direction for future games

by Rubi Bayer Jan 5th 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, News items, Casual, Kids, Pets vs Monsters

Back in December, we talked a bit about Funcom's new studio SweetRobot, which will be designing games for a much younger market than the Age of Conan crowd. Pets vs. Monsters is the first offering from the studio, with the promise of more to come. Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas took some time to sit down with gameindustry.biz and discuss where the company stands now, and how that has influenced their decision to explore this new opportunity.

Of course, Funcom had to employ some cost-cutting measures in 2009: "...it's become almost a default thing for businesses in the last year it seems." Tapping into the vast tween market could be a very lucrative move in the face of those measures -- while their cash reserves are more than comfortable, gaining new subscribers is the way to keep the company moving forward.

Make no mistake - the grownup side of Funcom isn't going anywhere. Age of Conan is here to stay and The Secret World is still coming, but Funcom is also giving plenty of attention to their more casual new studio as well. The full interview can be read here.

Asheron's Call lead designer talks 10-Year anniversary, the MMO market, more

by Tracey John Nov 6th 2009 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Asheron's Call, Interviews, MMO industry, The Matrix Online, Casual

Not many MMOs last a decade, and this week marks 10 years since the launch of Asheron's Call, the fantasy MMORPG by Turbine Entertainment. Releasing several months after EverQuest, the game held its own and found its way to becoming one of the top MMOs of its time, providing fond memories for many players.

"I'm very proud of Asheron's Call, even today," said former AC lead designer Toby Ragaini in an e-mail to Massively. "It really broke a lot of new ground and I still have people come up to me saying what a great time they had playing. That's a pretty wonderful compliment after 10 years."

Ragaini, who has since worked on Sony Online Entertainment's The Matrix Online and is now working on a casual web-based MMO called Faunasphere, reminisced about working on Asheron's Call and spoke about what it's like working in the MMO market after 14 years of being in the biz.

Free Realms to introduce new job, pets, player housing and more

by Shawn Schuster Nov 3rd 2009 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Galleries, Screenshots, MMO industry, Player Housing, Free-to-play, Casual, Free Realms, Massively Interviews, Kids

The world of Free Realms is about to get a bit bigger this holiday season as even more content is being added and improved for the game. According to Sony Online Entertainment's Creative Director for Free Realms, Laralyn McWilliams, the game is about to see a new job, new job structure, new pets, player housing and more added by mid-December.

We caught up with Laralyn to get a few more details on the upcoming improvements before the first stage of these updates goes live this week. Follow along after the jump for the complete interview, and in our gallery below for some exclusive screenshots of the new content.

Gallery: Free Realms

Free Realms video answers player questions about Halloween update

by James Egan Oct 22nd 2009 at 7:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Events, in-game, Interviews, Casual, Free Realms, Kids

We're noting that there's a slew of Halloween events happening in the MMO world this month, and it comes as no surprise that Free Realms is getting in on the fun as well with a "Super Spooktacular" Halloween update. This is the topic of the latest "Ask a Dev" video with Associate Game Designer Julie Burness and Lead Character Artist Matt Case. The Q&A is done in costume, with questions from the players themselves on the Free Realms forums.

The Free Realms devs discuss the new content which includes Halloween themed quests, werewolf and dinosaur costumes, and all kinds of holiday items -- like candy that turns players into... something else. There's going to be trick-or-treating in Free Realms as well, where players will have to scare others to get treats.

We've got the video for you, so stick with us after the jump for the Free Realms "Ask a Dev" devoted to the Super Spooktacular Halloween update.

Voice chat - zOMG!

by Rubi Bayer Oct 21st 2009 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Game mechanics, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Gaia Online

Well, yes, we are happy about this, but zOMG! is the name of the MMO, not an expression of our excitement. Vivox, the company that provides voice chat in quite a few of our favorite games, has added one more to their list. They've partnered with Gaia Online to provide in game voice chat for zOMG!, their free-to-play browser based MMO.

"Gaia Online has defined the social web experience for millions of teens and young adults," said Rob Seaver, CEO of Vivox. "And voice is the ultimate social glue. By adding voice chat to zOMG!, Gaia Online proves, again, its commitment to providing a truly social experience for its players."

Vivox voice chat is live in zOMG! now for players to "gab to your heart's content using the power of your own face-hole, saving valuable keystrokes for more efficient monster bashing," according to the zOMG! monthly newsletter. True to form, zOMG! has added their own twist on it as well: players can purchase voice fonts in the storefront to give their voice a unique twist. Congratulations to Gaia Online and Vivox for their partnership!

Champions Online lifetime subscribers get to share the love

by Eliot Lefebvre Oct 3rd 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, News items, Casual, Champions Online

There was no shortage of people excited about the prospect of lifetime subscriptions for Champions Online, and for fans of the game it's probably already paid off with interest. But, needless to say, some of the more financially-savvy members of the community were probably wondering how Cryptic would deal with the fact that it was no longer going to be getting a monthly payment from its lifetime subscribers.

Apparently, the answer is that they're making it even easier for Champions Online's lifetime subscribers to share the love. This morning, all those with a lifetime subscription received three free buddy passes in their mail - each one good for 14 days of free play time. It's a smart move on Cryptic's part, and it's also a wonderful opportunity for the very vocal lovers of the game to get more new players interested and invested in the game.

If you were one of the subscribers who took the option while it was offered, your friends, family, and (in extreme cases) pets can get a chance to get on-board with the game. On the other hand, if you haven't tried the game and know a lifetime subscriber, this is the perfect chance to get in and see what all the noise is about.

[ Thanks, Pete! ]

AGDC 2009: Wizard101 hits 5 million accounts, mounts coming, and more

by Krystalle Voecks Sep 20th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Video, Interviews, MMO industry, News items, Casual, Kids, Wizard101

If you're a fan of Wizard101, then you're in for a serious treat. Brent from VirginWorlds posted a video of Darren from Common Sense Gamer sitting down with a "gaggle" of people from KingsIsle Entertainment during AGDC. It seems that Darren had a nice long talk about the past, present, and future of Wizard101, and they were all too happy to give him lots of choice tidbits of information.

While this video clocks in at almost a whopping 30 minutes, it covers a large amount of territory fans and curious onlookers alike will be interested in. The various topics touched on during the course of this interview include the news that Wizard101 has also crossed the 5 million account mark; the account structure and parental controls available in-game; some interesting tidbits about just who is playing; and even a look at the upcoming mounts that will be available for players in October. Also, be sure to check Common Sense Gamer for screenshots of those upcoming Wizard101 mounts. Looks like an exciting time to be a Wizard between all this information and the first birthday celebration going on now!

Free Realms hosts Pirate Party and doubles the dubloons, mateys

by Krystalle Voecks Sep 18th 2009 at 1:30PM

Filed under: Events, in-game, Free-to-play, Casual, Free Realms, Kids

Yarr, mateys! If ye be not knowin' what tomorrow is, then ye obviously must be a bunch o' scalawags. Fer, ye see, tomorrow is Talk Like a Pirate Day, don'chaknow? In order to celebrate th' day o' piracy properly in Free Realms, ye need to be haulin' yer keel to the Pirate Invasion Party this evenin' in the cove just south of th' Seaside warpstone. Th' pirate booty-shakin' fun will begin today (Friday, Sept. 18) at 4PM Pacific, with th' timber-shiverin' goin' on until 6pm Pacific. There be dancin', trivia, an' other merriment planned at th' party, too, for those brave souls willing to wander near Davey Jones' locker!

As if that weren`t enough for ye, this weekend be also th' time when Sony Online Entertainment be offerin' double th' value fer any Station Cash cards ye redeem. So that means if ye pop by an' pick up one o' th' 1000 Station Cash cards fer $10 (which will also net ye a pretty nifty red buccanneer dog hat in th' mix) ye`ll land $20 worth o' Station Cash fer use in Free Realms, EverQuest, or EverQuest II. Pirate fun and double yer dubloons in the Station store? Now that's enough to make any freebootin' privateer dance a jig - without a noose 'round their necks, even.

Dungeon Fighter Online gets its own website

by Seraphina Brennan Sep 15th 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Launches, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Casual, Dungeon Fighter Online

For those in the audience looking forward to Dungeon Fighter Online, you may wish to know that the upcoming Nexon game has launched their own website, along with a guide to the game and a new initiative called "DFO Corps."

DFO Corps will consist of a handful of fans of the game writing about issues and news in the game via the official website, letting the community control what they want to hear about the game. The initiative seems to be very close to EVE Online's Interstellar Correspondents project, where players volunteer time to write up brief news stories about their sections of the galaxy for the rest of the EVE community.

Dungeon Fighter Online has also moved into a "early access" beta, where any player may sign up and retrieve a key from 1up.com or Gamespot.com. If you're interested in trying the game out, full instructions can be found here.

Wizard 101 celebrates their first birthday with a month of events

by Seraphina Brennan Sep 9th 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play, Casual, Kids, Wizard101

Most online games just do a single event for their birthday and then let it pass by. You might get an in-game item or two, but that's about it. But this isn't how Wizard 101 and Kingsisle Entertainment run things. No sir, they're doing a month full of events, and they want everyone to participate!

This September is Wizard 101's first birthday and new events will be made available throughout the month. Right now, it seems that only two events (join their Facebook group for a in-game pet and a screenshot contest where you can win a poster signed by the development team and 10,000 in-game crowns) have been made available. Yet, there's still 2/3rds of a month left and 4 more events to unveil, so stay tuned to the Wizard 101 site for all of the information!

And happy birthday Wizard 101!

A look into the world of Hello Kitty Online

by Seraphina Brennan Sep 9th 2009 at 3:00PM

Filed under: At a glance, Game mechanics, New titles, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Casual, Hello Kitty Online

The citizens of Sanriotown are missing, and it's up to you to save the day! Ok, that's the most cheeriness you're getting out of this article from us. We're not sugar-coating the rest of this, because the game has enough sugar in and of itself. We don't need to sprinkle any more atop the candy coated world of Hello Kitty Online.

Our good friend Tipa over at West Karana has taken the brave plunge into HKO, and she's resurfaced with a long post of first impressions from the game. While she goes in-depth with the combat, crafting, harvesting, and minigame aspects of HKO, she doesn't have much praise to heap on the game. Most of her complaints with the white cat stem from a severe lack of documentation that gives the player direction. For the most part, players of HKO are dropped into the world with no clear objective of what to do when they get there -- not that good for a game that's directed at children.

While Tipa's first impressions are lengthy, be sure to check out our first impressions of Hello Kitty Online, coming soon to the blog near you!

Rumor: SOE to launch casual browser MMO for Clone Wars

by James Egan Sep 4th 2009 at 5:30PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, Browser, Casual, Rumors

We're chalking this one up as a rumor for now, but word has it that Sony Online Entertainment is developing another Star Wars MMO property, a casual browser game specifically based on the Clone Wars IP. The info comes from Ten Ton Hammer's Cody Bye, who writes:

"Ten Ton Hammer has learned from an inside source that Sony Online Entertainment has once again partnered with LucasArts to do another Star Wars MMO. While we have not yet learned the title of the upcoming game, it sounds like SOE is planning to use the browser-based Free Realms engine to power the game, and the game's setting will be the Clone Wars."

Massively has not heard anything yet to corroborate this as fact, but let's face it -- this was just too juicy to ignore. If we hear more on this while we're at PAX and Dragon*Con, we'll be sure to let you know.

[Via Shacknews]

Come test Earth Eternal tonight, get a special beta gift

by Krystalle Voecks Sep 3rd 2009 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, Casual, Earth Eternal, Giveaways

There's nothing we love here at Massively more than giving our devoted readers the chance to get into betas whenever we can. That's why when Sparkplay Media contacted us today to ask if we could help them fill their servers to bursting with gamers who were interested in their upcoming anthropomorphic fantasy game Earth Eternal, we knew just what to do. So, we asked for a bunch of beta keys to give out! They were all too glad to give us a large bundle, which we've now set up on our beta key server for you to grab.

But if free beta keys weren't fun enough, Sparkplay decided to make the deal even more interesting by offering a very special beta item available to any and all testers who log in tonight at 5PM Pacific (8PM Eastern). All you have to do is play some Earth Eternal and help them push the servers hard. Testers who show up and give them a hand during that time-frame will get a special "Beta Beast" Earth Eternal banner to display. So if you've been curious about this casual-friendly fantasy MMO, then be sure to go snag one of the beta codes and pop by tonight at 5PM Pacific to lend a hand.

Rumor: Blue Mars to go into open beta on September 2nd?

by Seraphina Brennan Aug 28th 2009 at 4:30PM

Filed under: Betas, Blue Mars, Casual, Virtual worlds, Rumors

According to an anonymous source, the new virtual world game on the block, Blue Mars, might be entering into open beta on September 2nd. What does this mean for you? Well, it means that another CryEngine 2 MMO might be making an appearance soon to do battle with Planet Calypso.

Currently we are unable to confirm the exact time of the opening of the Blue Mars open beta, but we can confirm that the game has been shut down and is being prepared for the "public beta" according to posts on the forums.

Blue Mars is the middle ground between Second Life and Planet Calypso. Where Planet Calypso acts as a game with a real money economy and Second Life allows all users to create content and change the world to their preferences, Blue Mars signs up and approves select developers to create content for their world. Standard users will have the ability to open up small shops and/or purchase living quarters (at the developer's preference) as well as interact with the games and events the ruling developer sets up for their players.

Devs spill the beans on LEGO Universe

by Lesley Smith Aug 28th 2009 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Interviews, New titles, News items, Hands-on, Casual, LEGO Universe, Kids

Wired.com's GeekDad blogger Curtis Silver has taken some time to sit down with LEGO Universe's Producer, Ryan Seabury, and the games development team. The lengthy interview was posted earlier this week and really gets under the skin of this odd little MMO. Silver also snagged two new exclusive screenshots and states that "LEGO Universe will bridge the generational gap between geek parents and geek kids". After all, who doesn't love LEGO?

The interview itself is really quite in-depth. Silver asks, for example, if we will be able to play as Batman or other characters from the LEGO franchise videogames (no). Additionally, the piece also goes into what kind of gameplay and building we can expect and what sort of PC you're going to need to play it. The dev team seem to be aiming at a wide audience from geeks young and old to kids experiencing LEGO for the first and their parents. Indeed from the interview it certainly sounds awfully promising:

"Whether you're brand-new to LEGO construction or an expert brick builder, whether you like to follow the instructions or just go crazy making up your own creations, you'll be able to use bricks to build virtual LEGO models both on your own and with other players. You'll be helping to create and customize the worlds of LEGO Universe as you play. You'll be able to chat, team up for quests, build amazing LEGO creations together, and choose whether to cooperate or compete as you complete fun and creative challenges ... or adventure and build all on your own if that's your thing. How you play in LEGO Universe is up to you."

[Thanks Hector!]