breaking posts

New EVE Online trailer shows the glory of Dominion

by Krystalle Voecks Nov 25th 2009 at 2:30PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Expansions

In just a matter of days -- December 1st to be exact -- Dominion will be launching, bringing an early holiday gift for EVE Online players around the world. For those not familiar, Dominion, the 12th free expansion in CCP's ever-evolving interstellar game of life, will bring enormous changes to the sovereignty system and ship re-balancing -- aspects of what many consider EVE Online's "endgame." Along with the change to sov, pilots in New Eden can look forward to Pirate faction epic story-arcs, a fleet finder, refinement to the new player experience, and even long-needed but less obvious tweaks like an improved mail system and in-game browser.

Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that CCP are also increasing the beauty of New Eden once again by introducing new procedurally-generated planet textures -- a welcome addition for those who may not spend all their time in 0.0. After all, while the huge battles are awesome to watch, empires can be toppled by one person quietly flying around, minding their own business -- and yours. Be sure to check out the full Dominion site for all the juicy details of what's to come on the first. Alternately, if you just like enormous space battles made of 100% unadulterated ass-kicking awesome, then check behind the break for the new Dominion trailer. You won't be disappointed!

Tags: breaking, ccp, ccp-games, dominion, epic-story-arcs, eve, eve-online, expansion, pirate-faction, sov, sovereign-space, video

Final SWTOR classes revealed: Jedi Consular and Sith Inquisitor

by James Egan Nov 23rd 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Fans of BioWare's much-anticipated MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic received some good news today with a reveal of the game's final two classes: the Jedi Consular and the Sith Inquisitor. The Jedi Consular is a support class specialized in healing, but with ranged offensive capabilities as well. The Sith Inquisitor, not surprisingly, is primarily a damage dealer. It seems the first word of the Jedi Consular and Sith Inquisitor classes came from a fan translation at Star Wars MMO.net of the German magazine "PC Games".

The classes were confirmed earlier today by SWTOR Community Manager Sean Dahlberg who wrote: "Fans of Star Wars: The Old Republic will be in for a treat this week! Several magazines in North America and Europe will have articles that not only talk about The Old Republic but also reveal our final two classes: the Jedi Consular and the Sith Inquisitor!"

Tags: bioware, breaking, classes, darth-hater, jedi-consular, new-titles, sci-fi, sean-dahlberg, sith-inquisitor, star-wars-the-old-republic, swtor

ArenaNet co-founder Jeff Strain opens new studio

by Rubi Bayer Nov 23rd 2009 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Horror, MMO industry, New titles, News items

Remember Jeff Strain? His August departure from ArenaNet was big news, and we haven't heard a lot from him lately. We found out today what he's been up to, and we couldn't be happier.

Jeff Strain has a shiny (slimy?) new project just officially announced today. Undead Labs is his new studio, which is already at work planning a zombie MMO -- more specifically, a zombie-console-MMO. To quote the Undead Labs site, "Zombie MMO! Hell yeah!" Of course, we already have a million questions, but he was kind enough to answer many of them well in advance. (Points to him for anticipating them and spelling it out right up front, and for making us laugh.)

It's early days yet so we don't have a laundry list of specific details and screenshots, but the site already shows a departure from the traditional way of doing things when it comes to MMO development. A look around Undead Labs sets the tone right off, beginning with the aforementioned answers to questions, and continuing with a fairly amusing etiquette guide. Strain and Undead Labs look to be off to a running start with things, and we are going to be keeping a close eye on the impending zombie apocalypse.

Tags: arena-net, arenanet, Breaking, breaking-news, jeff-strain, new-titles, undead-labs

Star Trek Online open beta dates announced

by Adam Holisky Nov 19th 2009 at 6:30PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, News items, Star Trek Online

According to a press release put out today, Star Trek Online will hold its open beta from January 12th through January 26th. There are some preorder deals that will give you an open beta key, and there are bound to be numerous opportunities to win one at various spots around the net.

Star Trek Online is currently in closed beta, which began last month. Champions Online six-month and lifetime subscribers have been told that they'll be in the closed beta before the end of the year, so those folks should get at least a month of beta access before the game hits the retail shelves on February 2nd, 2010.

Once the open beta begins, you'll likely see a flood of information and guides about STO since the NDA will have been lifted. This will provide everyone with key information as to the finer details of the gameplay mechanics.

Tags: beta, breaking, cryptic, cryptic-beta, cryptic-studios, news-item, open-beta, open-beta-start-date, star-trek-online, star-trek-online-nda, sto, sto-beta, sto-beta-start-date, sto-nda, sto-open-beta

Funcom publishes sharp revenue drop for Q3

by Rubi Bayer Nov 17th 2009 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, MMO industry, News items

Funcom has released its financial results for Q3, and it's not pretty. Revenue was down 68.5% to 5.7 million USD, and expected to drop even more in Q4. This time last year they were reporting a profit of $3.3 million, a strong contrast to the current $9.6 million loss. They see a few reasons for this drop, including some stiff competition: "The Company ran a successful re-evaluation campaign during July, increasing the number of subscribers to the game. However, the launch of two major competing MMO-games during Q3 led to a subsequent reduction in subscriber levels."

Funcom remains optimistic, though, thanks to numerous upcoming projects. The Secret World is reported to be "progressing well", Age of Conan is planning a launch in Korea, the "Rise of the Godslayer" expansion for AoC is on its way, and Funcom recently received a grant to create an extreme sports MMO.

The full report can be viewed here.

Tags: age-of-conan, breaking, financial-report, funcom, Q3, rise-of-the-godslayer, the-secret-world

Make it so: Star Trek Online to feature ship bridges

by Seraphina Brennan Nov 13th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, News items, Star Trek Online

Yes, you read the title right! You're also not hallucinating the picture above either! You can actually sit on the bridge of your ship in Star Trek Online!

It appears Cryptic has decided to add the infamous setting to STO for players to enjoy as a social destination -- a hang out for bridge officers and visiting captains from other vessels. The Associated Press has reported that the game will feature 20 bridges at launch, giving even the most discerning captains their own pick on bridge design.

Regarding the addition of bridges, Craig Zinkievich, the executive producer of Star Trek Online, told the AP, "We didn't want to have interiors at launch. We thought it was just a little bit too much. We really wanted to make sure we delivered a really deep experience, but your bridge not being in the game, it really felt like a hole in the game, and it was just something that we had to put in."

We'll try to get you a more high resolution screenshot later, but for now, enjoy this brief glimpse at your future command chair.

Edit: We've added a new, larger picture, and three shots of the bridges to our STO gallery!

Gallery: Star Trek Online Gallery

[Thanks, Chris!]

Tags: breaking, bridge, craig-zinkievich, cryptic, cryptic-studios, ship-bridge, social, star-trek-online, sto

Ether Saga Online and Wizard 101 take home parenting awards

by Seraphina Brennan Nov 12th 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Wizard101, Ether Saga Online

Many congratulations go out today to both Wizard 101 and Ether Saga Online, as the two online games have both claimed themselves a National Parenting Publication Award (NAPPA) from Parenthood.com.

What does this mean exactly? Well it means that parents can rest easy knowing that these two games are fun, informative, and free of questionable content. If your kid plays either of these two games, you don't have to look over their shoulder to police what they're doing. The game takes steps to keep your kids safe and to make sure they'll have a good time too!

Other recipients that weren't from the online MMO category included EA's Spore, and Guitar Hero On Tour, so it certainly speaks to the quality of these two titles for kids when they're put in that sort of company.

Tags: award, breaking, child, children, eso, ether-saga-online, kingsisle-entertainment, nappa, national-parenting-publication-award, parenthood.com, parenting, perfect-world-entertainment, safety, wizard-101

Star Trek Online system requirements revealed

by Kyle Horner Nov 11th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: New titles, News items, Star Trek Online

It looks like most people won't have a whole lot to worry about when it comes to the system requirements for Star Trek Online, unless of course you couldn't play Champions Online. Actually, that's a pretty good measuring stick in one way, since both games run on the Cryptic engine. Although, there is a useful rule of thumb when considering performance.

The lower your display resolution, the higher your graphics settings. Or in other words, if you're running a laptop and float somewhere between the minimum and recommended specs then it's likely your game will look rather good. Why? Most laptop displays have native resolutions lower than what you'll get on a 21 inch desktop monitor. If you are running a desktop and find yourself wondering what your most important upgrade is when preparing for an upcoming game, the answer is usually a new videocard.

Find the full system requirements after the jump.

Tags: atari, breaking, champions, champions-online, cryptic, cryptic-studios, desktop, laptop, minimum, recommended, star-trek, star-trek-online, sto, system-requirements

Allods Online closed beta begins today and we have more keys!

by Shawn Schuster Nov 10th 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, News items, Giveaways, Allods Online

Last week, we announced an upcoming closed beta test for Allods Online, with 500 keys to give out to the Massively readers. Since that went so well (the keys were gone in less than two hours!), we've been given 1k more to kick off the official CBT1, which starts at 2pm ET today. This first stage of closed beta covers levels 1-10 for both League and Empire sides, including all races, classes, and relevant zones. The beta test will run from November 10th through November 24th.

To grab your key, head on over to our giveaway page and follow the directions there. Remember, it doesn't start until 2pm ET today, so you have plenty of time to download and be ready!

Tags: allods-online, Breaking, BreakingNews, cbt, closed-beta, giveaway, gpotato

Rumor: 80 more layoffs hit Mythic

by Kyle Horner Nov 9th 2009 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Warhammer Online, News items

Gamasutra is reporting that another 80 layoffs have hit Mythic Entertainment as well as several other Electronic Arts studios, although Mythic was the only MMO group to feel the sting of sudden unemployment. That would equate to 40% of the team, which would make for a brutal staff blow. Our best wishes go out to everyone finding themselves without a job and we sincerely hope they all find steady work as soon as possible.

What does this mean for Warhammer Online, exactly? In light of the new Endless Trial it seems like EA is doing everything it can to squeeze profit from the project, which began with a bang last year, but unfortunately fizzled out soon after Wrath of the Lich King hit. And now with Mythic assisting BioWare on Star Wars: The Old Republic, along with maintaining Dark Age of Camelot and Ultima Online, you would be forgiven for seeing dark clouds collecting in the skies above.

Nevertheless, there should be people still working on new content for Warhammer Online, at least in theory. So hopefully we'll hear something soon, such as a boxed expansion, which would raise spirits quite significantly at this point.

[Edit: This is no longer a rumor as it has been confirmed]

Tags: bioware, breaking, daoc, dark-age-of-camelot, ea, electronic-arts, gamasutra, mythic, mythic-entertainment, star-wars, star-wars-the-old-republic, swtor, ultima-online, war, warhammer-online

It's official: Star Trek Online releases February 2nd, 2010

by Kyle Horner Nov 9th 2009 at 1:30PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, News items, Star Trek Online

It looks like the rumors were true and Star Trek Online will indeed be hitting in early February, 2010. The dates are February 2nd in North America and February 5th in Europe, so start warming up your nacelles now because it won't be long before we'll all be warping into Cryptic's first non-superhero title.

With Trek's popularity on the rise due to the new J.J. Abrams movie -- and a second movie on the way at some point in the future -- there's no doubt that Star Trek Online represents a huge opportunity to Cryptic Studios, who've until now been known as "that superhero MMO developer" to anyone you might ask.

Since the release date is so very close at hand, there's no doubt that a flurry of new information (Klingons!) will soon become available. Be on the lookout for our weekly community Q&A sessions with the STO team, starting with this weeks' forthcoming feature focused on everything ships!

Tags: atari, breaking, cryptic, cryptic-studios, launch, release, release-date, star-trek, star-trek-online, sto

Reakktor Media financial woes resolved, full speed ahead for Black Prophecy

by James Egan Nov 6th 2009 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, Legal, Black Prophecy

Those following the news surrounding development of sci-fi MMO Black Prophecy from Reakktor Media know there's been a significant hurdle to this title seeing the light of day -- the issue of insolvency. When parent company 10Tacle filed for insolvency, this adversely impacted subsidiary Reakktor Media and threatened continued development of Black Prophecy, which Reakktor addressed in an interview with Massively in April.

It was announced today that their restructuring plan has been successful, and that their insolvency plan saved the jobs of all 36 employees at the company. Even better, Black Prophecy is on track for a release next year, according to the press statement released by the HERMANN law firm which oversaw the insolvency proceedings.

Tags: 10Tacle, 10Tacle-studios, black-prophecy, breaking, hermann, insolvency, kirk-lenke, legal, mmo-industry, new-titles, reakktor, reakktor-media, sci-fi

Star Trek Online release date set

by Adam Holisky Nov 5th 2009 at 9:04PM

Filed under: News items, Star Trek Online

According to Eurogamer, Cryptic has confirmed that Star Trek Online is set for a February 2nd, 2010 release date in the U.S., and a February 5th, 2010 release in Europe. This comes about a month after Cryptic previously confirmed that STO was set for a first quarter 2010 release.

STO is currently in closed beta, allowing those lucky select fans a chance to the game out. If you previously had purchased the Champions Online lifetime or six month subscription package, you will also be getting a chance to try the game out during the closed beta stage.

We'll be sitting down with the STO development team soon, and are looking to take all the questions you have about the ships of STO; so hurry up and get them in before 12 p.m. PST tomorrow!

[Edit: We contacted Cryptic to confirm Eurogamer's story, and they say that this is not the official release date, but they will be announcing it very soon.]

Tags: breaking, cryptic, cryptic-studios, eurogamer, release-date, star-trek-online, star-trek-online-release-date, star-trek-online-ship-date, sto, sto-release, sto-release-date, sto-ship-date

Massively's Allods Online closed beta key giveaway

by Shawn Schuster Nov 5th 2009 at 1:30PM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, News items, Massively meta, Giveaways, Allods Online

North American Closed Beta Test 1 is beginning on November 10th for Allods Online, and we're happy to throw a few keys out to our loyal readers. We have 500 to give out, thanks to our friends at gPotato, so they may go quickly. Simply head on over to our giveaway page and follow the directions there.

You can download the game from this link, but it won't be available until 2pm EDT today. You can also take a look at their main website to find out some interesting tidbits about the expansiveness of the game and its award-winning development team.

[Update: Make sure to only enter the numbers after the comma in the beta code you receive. Thanks!]

Tags: allods-online, Breaking, BreakingNews, closed-beta, closed-beta-key, giveaway, gpotato

EVE Online's CSM candidates debate live on today's Planet Risk radio show

by James Egan Nov 4th 2009 at 3:15PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Podcasts, EVE Online, Culture, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, Politics

A number of EVE Online fans who've needed their podcast fix have been tuning in to Planet Risk in recent months, a great mix of music and commentary from players who spend most of their EVE time exploring the uncharted expanses of wormhole space. Planet Risk is a live show that airs on Split Infinity Radio on Wednesdays; hosts Luminus Aardokay and Quivering Palm make Planet Risk available as a podcast afterwards and we recommend you check it out if you haven't already. Today's show should be interesting as they will host a debate between four candidates for EVE's next Council of Stellar Management, the player-elected body that represents the wishes of the subscribers when dealing with CCP and how EVE Online is evolving.

We mentioned last week that the 4th CSM candidates have been announced but not everyone in the running had their positions on issues fleshed out in time for the CCP announcement. Since that day, more info about the 49 candidates is becoming available (thanks for pointing this out Darth Sith). Today's debate on Planet Risk will have CSM candidates TeaDaze (known to many for his commentary during the Alliance Tournament), Song Li (from the Missions Collide podcast), Helen Highwater and Mike Azariah.

Tags: breaking, ccp, ccp-games, council-of-stellar-management, csm, culture, eve, eve-online, events, game-mechanics, helen-highwater, luminus-aardokay, mike-azariah, missions-collide, planet-risk, podcast, podcasts, quivering-palm, sci-fi, si-radio, song-li, split-infinity, split-infinity-radio, teadaze, wormholes