MMO Roundup: Titan will be for casuals
by Alex Ziebart 
Jul 5th 2011 at 10:30AM
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Blizzard's Titan a "casual" MMO Arvind Bhatia is quoted on the game industry website Gamasutra as saying that Blizzard's product pipeline includes "expansion packs for StarCraft and World of Warcraft, a new Diablo game, [and] a new casual MMO." That casual MMO is of course Titan, the secretive WoW followup that has reportedly gobbled up Blizzard's most experienced designers. |
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EA quotes "200 hours of gameplay per class" in SWTOR For most single-player video games, eight to 20 hours of gameplay is currently considered "sufficient." For Star Wars: The Old Republic, those numbers are merely a prologue to the main event. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Electronic Arts' Frank Gibeau said that players should expect around 200 hours of core gameplay per class, not including side activities like PVP and raiding. |
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CCP responds to EVE Online's monoclegate This has been a difficult week for EVE Online developer CCP Games, with massive controversy hitting the media surrounding what should have been a momentous expansion release. Unfortunately, simple complaints over some very overpriced microtransactions soon escalated into outright panic and even in-game riots with the release of an internal company newsletter and subsequent internal email casting doubt on the game's vanity-only microtransaction policy and its development direction in general. |
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Not So Massively If you're looking for a different sort of multiplayer gameplay than what MMOs provide, Massively's Not So Massively has you covered. Check it out for all of the latest MOBA and other multiplayer news. |
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Massively Speaking Episode 154 Massively Speaking, Massively's MMO podcast, returns this week with Shawn and Rubi catching up on the week of MMO news insanity. Topics include World of Warcraft's new extended free trial, Guild Wars 2's underwater combat and dungeons, EVE Online's macrotransaction explosion, and the upcoming shutdown of Star Wars Galaxies. |
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Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer, in their own weekly roundup. |
Filed under: MMO Roundup
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mattman623 Jul 5th 2011 10:36AM
I like these articles every now and then as just a heads up to what else is out there. Of course if they come to often it can be annoying, but I think WoWInsider has a perfect balance.
epiclulz Jul 5th 2011 10:36AM
inb4 someone complains about catering to casuals
DeathPaladin Jul 5th 2011 11:45AM
I eagerly await the first expansion to Titan, which will spawn complaints from a bunch of people who played Titan from the beginning because the game is catering to the casual casuals, as opposed to the hardcore casuals.
Altruism Jul 5th 2011 11:48AM
@deathpaladin
lol, if that does indeed happen it would be hilarious
Artificial Jul 5th 2011 6:50PM
@DP Dammit, now I have diet pepsi up my nose and all over my keyboard... :p
Nina Katarina Jul 5th 2011 10:44AM
Consider the source before you get all excited.
The Gamasutra article http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/35517/Analyst_Sees_Encouraging_Diversification_At_Activision_Blizzard.php
It's quoting an analyst not employed by Blizzard. He doesn't know anything more than the rest of us. Possibly less.
Shinae Jul 5th 2011 10:58AM
I was just going to say the same thing. :D
Gossamer Jul 5th 2011 10:44AM
What exactly is a casual MMO?
*Imagines an MMO in which everyone quests and raids as usual... but the characters are in their PJs*
Amaxe Jul 5th 2011 10:54AM
"Raid Time: About 7ish... but we're cool if you can't make it until later.
Please have all enchants, gems, potions and food... unless you don't have the time..."
Hmm, this sounds like my guild in TBC.
Vrykerion Jul 5th 2011 11:44AM
When I hear "Casual MMO" all that comes to mind is something like Free Realms.
But Free Realms run by Blizz.
...BRB, gotta pre-order Titan.
Gossamer Jul 5th 2011 11:55AM
Actually, Vrykerion, you make a good point. It would make a lot of sense for Blizzard to make a free to play game with micro transactions. This would mean players who pay for WoW wouldn't feel that they'd have to choose between the two, and those that would like to can buy the fancy things with micro transactions.
Thoughts?
760229 Jul 5th 2011 12:12PM
I would be interested to see what kind of a micro-transaction model that Blizzard would come up, that's for sure. One of the faults with a lot of current free to play models in my opinion is that their additional offerings that you can purchase can be quite confusing in relation to what you are getting (or not getting as the case may be) for you money.
andy__taylor Jul 5th 2011 11:20AM
I honestly expected better from WoW Insider. You've just made a statement which is unfounded with the intention to cause interest in something that isn't there. Blizzard has not said Titan is for casuals. Do not be fooled by the media fellow readers.
JamesMoore Jul 5th 2011 12:01PM
Then you'll be pleased to know that WoW Insider didn't make or report said statement.
andy__taylor Jul 5th 2011 1:18PM
"MMO Roundup: Titan will be for casuals"
I mean that statement, as in stating something.
Artificial Jul 5th 2011 6:59PM
"MMO Roundup: ..." Indeed. It not only states something, but it also identifies the source of the statement as being someone else.
GuyverIV Jul 5th 2011 11:58AM
Any bets on Bliz making a Titan announcement immediately following the announcement of The Old Republics release date? I'm not saying they're watching TOR with anxiety or terror or anything, but it just seems, given their habit of releasing or announcing content at the same time as/immediately following a potential rival, that it would follow their pattern.
Anyone? Bits of loose string or spikemooses accpeted.
/pedantics: I am aware that is invalid plural. I simply think it's fun to say.
VioletArrows Jul 5th 2011 1:57PM
That's why a few weeks ago Bioware said they're holding on to their release date so Blizzard couldn't do that.
GuyverIV Jul 5th 2011 2:29PM
I can see it now:
Bliz: "My friends, please. You may go first."
Bio: "No, no, no, I insist! You go first!"
Bliz: "Oh, you're too kind, but no, you may go ahead."
Bio: "Pish-posh, you may have the honor, after you!"
Bliz: "No, it would be the height of rudeness..."
Ad infinitum.
And for some reason it's far more amusing if you picture them as Englishmen smiling with polightly with their teeth clenched and pure hate in their eyes as the cycle continues...
sarcasmlost Jul 5th 2011 2:21PM
Considering that BlizzCon '11 will be in October, we'll probably see an announcement around then about the new IP. Blizzard has been releasing the name of new content for WoW generally the year after the newest expansion, and with Diablo III already out there and the next SCII expansion being rolled out, I can imagine these two items being at the top of the ticket.