upper-deck posts

Flying Lab Software cannonading for new casual MMO

by Kyle Horner Jan 29th 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Pirates of the Burning Sea, New titles, News items, Casual

It looks like after many long years of developing Pirates of the Burning Sea, Flying Lab Software is ready for something a little more laid back. Which is why the Seattle-based developer's next project will be a family friendly casual MMO through a partnership with trading card company Upper Deck. They're even opening a new branch entitled Flying Lab Casual to work on the project. Right now we really don't know anything beyond that, but more detailed information about the title is expected in the coming weeks.

We say more power to FLS/FLC for mixing it up and keeping things fresh. Nothing is worse than a developer whose lost some of that sparkle in their eyes. Then again, we're sure that the booming casual market has at least a little to do with the choice as well.

That being said, current Pirates of the Burning Sea players have nothing to fear as new content will continue to flow freely as rum on a salty sea dog's ship.

Tags: family-friendly, flying-lab, flying-lab-casual, pirates-of-the-burning-sea, potbs, soe, sony-online-entertainment, upper-deck

World of Warcraft miniatures game launches

by James Egan Nov 14th 2008 at 8:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO industry, Trading card games

One of the biggest names in the trading card industry is Upper Deck Entertainment. Given the success of their World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, they've released a follow-up game this week: The World of Warcraft Miniatures Game.

The World of Warcraft Miniatures Game went on sale worldwide as of Tuesday, November 11th. There are 70 different miniatures, including Warchief Thrall, Varimathras, and yes... even Leeroy Jenkins. There's a bonus for your actual WoW characters as well -- miniatures booster packs come with sample packs from the WoW Trading Card Game which might include Loot cards. Essentially, they're unlocks for "cosmetic in-game upgrades for their online World of Warcraft characters". Check out the Upper Deck launch announcement for their World of Warcraft Miniatures Game for the full details.

One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

Tags: ccg, collectible-card-game, fantasy, leeroy-jenkins, mmo-industry, trading-card-game, trading-card-games, upper-deck, upperdeck, upperdeck-entertainment, world-of-warcraft, wow, wow-miniatures-game

World of Warcraft miniatures game hits shelves November 11th

by Samuel Axon Sep 30th 2008 at 9:00AM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, News items

A World of Warcraft miniatures game will be released on November 11th. It has been designed and will be published by Upper Deck, the company behind the WoW TCG. For those curious how the game works, there are a number of gameplay previews at the News section of the game's website.

According to the FAQ, you can play with between one and five characters (each represented by a 40mm miniature) on each side of a battle (there are three sides -- Alliance, Horde, and Monster). Each character has an "action bar" which can be customized with abilities from WoW. Starter sets (priced at $24.99) will include basics like dice, rules, etc. as well as two Alliance and two Horde miniatures. Booster packs ($14.99) will include three random miniatures from one faction. The company plans to release expansions based on famous WoW raids in the future.

This is perhaps most interesting in that Warcraft has taken the opposite approach of its initial inspiration, Warhammer, by starting with video games and later moving on to miniature-based board games!

[Via MMORPG]

One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

Tags: alliance, blizzard, board-game, booster-packs, ccg, horde, miniatures, monsters, raids, starter-set, tcg, upper-deck, warcraft, warhammer, world-of-warcraft, world-of-warcraft-miniatures-game, wow, wow-miniatures-game

New loot items announced for the WoW TCG

by Brenda Holloway Jun 19th 2008 at 5:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Expansions, News items

If you're looking forward to Upper Deck's next expansion to the World of Warcraft collectible trading card game, The Hunt for Illidan, as we are, you'll be doubly excited by the new loot cards they've come out with. One card, The Path of Illidan, gives you glowing green footprints wherever you walk. Have party members that just can't seem to keep up with everyone else? Show them where to go (pro tip: leave footprints leading into lava pits, just for them!). Also included, a D.I.S.C.O. ball for when it's time to par-tay, and the nicest of the bunch, an Ethereal Soul-trader who keeps track of what you kill when he's out and rewards you with money you can trade in for a bunch of cool items, including the very clothes off the old guy's back (complete with complementary dry-cleaning, natch).

[Via WoWInsider]

Tags: expansion, news, the-hunt-for-illidan, upper-deck, world-of-warcraft, wow, wow-tcg

World of Warcraft miniatures game brings conquest and art

by Andrew Russo Apr 24th 2008 at 4:30PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, At a glance

The World of Warcraft miniatures game has quite the appeal for artist and gamer alike. You can admire your opponent's incredible figures and then destroy them all in a bloodrage rivaling anything the orcs could ever imagine! Over at Blizzplanet, that is exactly the idea, but with less bloodrage. Figures of orcs, dragons, gnomes, and beasts from WoW impress us with their awesome, yet small, presence. The artwork, in our estimation, will blow your mind straight through the Dark Portal!

Beyond that, Upper Deck had a surprising announcement to make at this week's GAMA trade show. The folks behind your favorite rookie cards announced that they would be unveiling the Onyxia piece. We immediately ran to the center and applied more dots for a chance to catch a glimpse. The Onyxia figure, which is pictured about to devour some poor tank, looks amazing. Claiming some of the most talented sculptors from around the world on the design team, the WoW miniatures game is sure to make a big splash when the game hits shelves sometime in the fall of 2008.

Tags: blizzard, miniatures, onxyia, upper-deck, world-of-warcraft, world-of-warcraft-miniatures, wow

Penny Arcade's WoW CCG contest ends, hilariously

by Michael Zenke Apr 18th 2008 at 1:30PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Contests, Culture, Trading card games

Early this month we discussed a contest, announced by the creators of Penny Arcade and aimed squarely at the hearts of card-and-mmo-players everywhere. It seemed so simple: craft a ten-word story about World of Warcraft and win yourself a huge pile of trading card game loot. The devil is, as is so often the case, in the details. With many hundreds of entrants the competition was quite fierce, and today's unveiling of the top five entries proves out just how fierce.

Like you, a lot of bloggers from the site submitted stories, but we know when we're beaten. How can you top "Overlord Saurfang is only afraid of one thing... Mrs. Saurfang?" Or "Naked they run, level 1 banks: Clark Kents of Azeroth?" I espcially like winner #3's tale: "The gunshot echoed like a ghost with nobody to haunt." Many of the honorable mentions are great too, like "'Small trogg problem in Orgrimmar's basement.' What an understatement, Thrall", or "Tipping his sombrero in salute, he dismounted his mechanical chicken."

We're curious, though: did you enter? If you'd be willing, why don't you share your submission(s) with us in the comments? This blogger volunteers to go first: "The murlocs, their scales glinting, advanced with hungry mouths wide."

Tags: blizzard, ccg, gabe, penny-arcade, tcg, tycho, upper-deck, web-comic, webcomic, world-of-warcraft, wow, wow-ccg

Darkmoon Faire dazzles London

by Amanda Rivera Nov 19th 2007 at 9:30PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Trading card games

The World of Warcraft TCG Darkmoon Faire has been touring Europe, and most recently stopped in London, England for a small tournament filled with fierce competition. Blizzard in partnership with Upper Deck Entertainment sponsored previous competitions in Frankfurt, Germany and Milan, Italy, and the two winners from those tournaments were on hand to battle it out in London. Victory smiled on the home favorites this time out, and both Frankfurt's champion Pierre Malherbaud and Erik van der Laan winner of the tournament in Milan lost to their UK challengers. In the end Paul Stuart, who had previously swept the UK tournaments, won the day, becoming the DMF London champion.

Players got the chance during the event to raid against Blizzard CMs using the Molten Core deck. The CMs are a tough group to beat, seeing as how in their 19 1v1 matches, they only lost 5. Despite valiant efforts, the raids were defeated by Baron Geddon in all his fiery glory. As a TCG fan myself I find it an inspiration to see lovers of the game gather together. Pardon me as I break out my deck to slaughter the next unsuspecting challenger. Any takers?

Tags: Darkmoon-Faire, Darkmoon-Faire-London, Upper-Deck, WoW-TCG