Posts with tag mmo-roundup

Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future.

	EVE Online player loses tiny ship worth over $6,000 EVE Online is well known for its sandbox gameplay and ruthless citizens, with monumental kills and record-breaking scams popping up year after year. Earlier this week, player "stewie Zanjoahir" reportedly lost over 213,000,000,000 ISK when he tried to transport a huge cache of valuable blueprints in a tiny, unfitted frigate. Through EVE's currency conversion, that's worth about $6,422.50 US.
	League of Legends finals get some serious viewership If you're a League of Legends fan, odds are good you know all about the championships that took place recently. If you're not, however, you might be wondering whether or not this was really a big deal or just something the fans are fixated on. Turns out that it was kind of a big deal after all, as Riot Games has revealed that the live coverage of the finals was watched by over 8 million individuals, including more than 2 million from Korea.
	Massively's hands-on with The Elder Scrolls Online he Elder Scrolls Online has caused quite a clamor since it was first revealed back in May. MMO gamers are deeply divided about TESO, and some vocal potential players are most displeased to see the venerable sandbox world of Tamriel being reduced to yet another themepark MMO experience, but is that actually the case? Massively takes the game hands-on to find out!
	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.

Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future.

	Blizzard's Pardo: Single-player games are an endangered species Blizzard big cheese Rob Pardo recently revealed his doubts about the future of single-player games in a wide-ranging interview with GamesIndustry.biz. The interview delves into the pervasive social connectivity inherent in many current-gen games, and it also touches on everything from cloud gaming to monetization and business models. Pardo says he's a fan of game designers dictating the monetization models rather than leaving it up to a producer or an executive.
	Ten things to do in City of Heroes before it's gone NCsoft is pulling the plug on City of Heroes come the end of November, and the genre is faced with the loss of yet another pioneering and ostensibly profitable MMO long before its time. Before the game is gone forever, it's worth experiencing the MMO that many have loved since before the launch of World of Warcraft.
	League of Legends cheating controversy puts $2,000,000 on the line The competitive e-sports scene has exploded in the past two years, with top MOBA teams competing for prizes of up to an incredible $1,000,000 US from a single tournament. The crowd attending last week's event in Los Angeles got front row seats to see the game's best teams battle it out over a total of $2,000,000 US in prize money, and with so much money on the line, it's no surprise that accusations of cheating have already surfaced.
	Funcom hints at Halloween tricks and treats in The Secret World In a blog post prefaced with a spoiler alert, Senior Designer Tanya Short delved into The Secret World's upcoming Halloween event that was initially mentioned when The Cat God went live. Players already know that Halloween plays prominently in the game, as holiday decorations abound throughout Solomon Island, and Ragnar Tornquist himself likened it to Christmas in terms of holiday importance for TSW.
	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.

Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future.

	City of Heroes to sunset before the end of the year NCsoft is closing Paragon Studios due to a "realignment of company focus and publishing support," according to a blurb just posted on the City of Heroes website. Community manager Andy Belford says that the superhero MMO will shut down before the end of the year, and recurring billing will be discontinued immediately.
	Up close and personal with Torchlight II Torchlight II is marching toward its September 20th launch date and Massively was given an opportunity to take the game hands-on at PAX Prime this past weekend. Hop over to Massively to see their impressions of the latest clickfest to come your way.
	A critical look at Guild Wars 2 ArenaNet's Guild Wars 2 launched recently and the game hit 400,000 concurrent users before the game even officially launched -- all 400,000 of those players coming from the pre-order head start event. Just about everyone agrees that it's a good game, but it isn't without its problems. Massively's Matt Daniel takes a look at the game with a critical eye.
	BioWare's Matt Bromberg discusses converting Star Wars: The Old Republic to free-to-play If you missed some of the analyst predictions flying around after Star Wars: The Old Republic announced it was converting to a free-to-play model, they were... zealous, to say the least. But general manager Matt Bromberg doesn't seem to share those opinions. When asked in a recent interview whether the conversion will make the game more money in the long run, Bromberg replied in extremely uncertain terms: "I don't know."
	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.

Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future.

	Guild Wars 2's Sanctum of Rall shard named after late gamer What's in a server name? Quite a lot if you're talking about Guild Wars 2's Sanctum of Rall shard. Roger "Oldroar" Rall passed away last fall, but his name will live on when ArenaNet launches its fantasy opus on Aug. 28. Rall was a member of the Gaiscioch gaming community and was renowned for his calm battlefield leadership in Warhammer Online and RIFT.
	The War Z zombie MMO coming soon So how does a hardcore, post-apocalyptic zombie sandbox experience grab you? No, we don't mean DayZ (although that one's pretty cool too). There's a new kid on this particular genre block, and it's an MMO called The War Z. It's brought to you by Hammerpoint Interactive and Arktos.
	Torchlight assets allegedly stolen by Chinese MMO There are times when things in one game seem eerily similar to another game, and then there are times when the items are actually the same. While watching the announcement video for the Chinese MMO Armed Heroes Online, Runic Games President Travis Baldree noticed that many of the assets used in that game seemed to come directly from Torchlight.
	A look at Guild Wars 2's Sylvari cinematic ArenaNet has released numerous trailers and cinematics highlighting the various races of Guild Wars 2, but as the man assembling MMO Roundup, I have decided to highlight my personal favorite Guild Wars 2 race: the gorgeous plant folk, the Sylvari. There's nothing cooler than plant people. That's a fact.
	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.

Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future.

	MMO subscriber numbers have peaked, says industry analyst Industry analyst Michael Pachter has a history of blowing hot air, but when he speaks, others listen. Pachter is back with a few more controversial remarks concerning the growth -- or lack of it -- in the MMO market. Speaking at the Evolve Conference, Pachter said, "It looks to me as though the MMO market is as big as it's ever going to be -- as far as subscription MMOs."
	TERA guild farms itself for political gain, playerbase outraged TERA's endgame political system features something called a Vanarch, a player-elected representative. Vanarchs can impose taxes, toggle PvP on or off, and generally meddle in the affairs of other players. En Masse recently adjusted the system to allow Vanarchs to rise to power through guild-vs.-guild combat. In doing so, it cleared the way for mega-guilds to split in two and farm their way to political office.
	Amazing amateur MMO cosplay While many facets of geek and video game culture are adequately represented in the cosplay community, MMORPG cosplayers can be a little harder to find. Is it truly underrepresented, or is it simply harder to find? Check out Massively's top 10 amateur MMORPG cosplay.
	The Secret World's launch and future The Secret World, the modern day urban fantasy MMO from Funcom, launched very recently. Massively had an opportunity to sit down with The Secret World's creative director Ragnar Tornquist and discuss the game's present and future.
	Massively Speaking Episode 208: Invest in copper Massively Speaking, Massively's MMO podcast, returns this week with hosts Justin Olivetti and Bree Royce. Topics include Funcom, City of Heroes, Vanguard, TERA, and Guild Wars 2.
	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.

Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future.

	Five Diablo III wizard myths tested and debunked Diablo III is still a new game, and players are still picking apart the fine mechanics of their favorite classes. In this guide, Massively puts five popular wizard myths to the test and discovers the inner workings of Energy Armour, Hydra, Blizzard, Critical Mass, and other abilities.
	EA's Peter Moore: Free-to-play is 'inevitable' The writing is on the wall, and the hens are laying eggs of prophecy: Free-to-play is the inevitable future of all video games. This comes from EA COO Peter Moore, who thinks we'll be seeing the free-product-plus-microtransaction business model trump the up-front cost of a retail box. Read the full interview for further details.
	EVE players abuse faction warfare to produce trillions of ISK If there's one constant in the EVE Online universe, it's that the players can never be underestimated and every care must be taken to make sure systems can't be abused in unintended ways. Recently, five EVE players revealed how they'd generated five trillion ISK, EVE's in-game currency, using game mechanics introduced in the Inferno expansion.
	Blade & Soul takes over the top spot in Korea, dethroning Diablo III Just a few short days ago, Blade & Soul opened its doors to players for the Korean open beta test, clocking an impressive wave of users and a third place finish in popularity behind Diablo III and League of Legends. Now the new fantasy MMO has leapfrogged over both games to claim the number one spot.
	Massively Speaking episode 206 Massively Speaking, Massively's MMO podcast, tackles numerous upcoming MMO expansions this week. Bree returns with her acerbic charm, and Justin's bouncing with the desire to relay everything in a giant show tunes number. The MMO news train stops for nobody, so hop aboard and pull that whistle!
	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.

Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future.

	Five top tips for your first few days of Diablo III Most of us are hip-deep in Diablo III already, but if you're one of the holdouts waiting for a rainy day to get started with the game, you might want to store these tips somewhere precious.
	ArenaNet: Guild Wars 2 a 'reaction' to sluggish MMO design Do you believe that the MMO genre has been stuck in a rut over the past few years? So does Christopher Lye, the global brand director for ArenaNet, who publicly denounced the post-World of Warcraft trend in the industry as stagnant.
	DCUO's Last Laugh features Hamill as the Joker Sony Online Entertainment is bringing out the big guns for its next DC Universe Online content patch. The Joker is set to return for The Last Laugh, and fortunately for everyone, his voiceover duties will be handled by none other than Mark Hamill.
	EVE talks smack about Diablo III's login woes EVE Online is letting the trash-talk fly at the newly launched Diablo III by displaying the message "37...3007...315300." It's code for "Play EVE. Servers are up, login is fine" on the game's login screen. This, of course, is making reference to the myriad error codes that Diablo III players experienced over the course of the game's launch.
	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.

Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future.

	RIFT in China: "Biggest game deal ever" for a Western MMO How big is RIFT? Big enough to attract one of China's heavyweight MMO houses, apparently. Trion has announced a partnership with publishing giant Shanda that will bring RIFT to the Chinese gaming market. Trion is flexing its muscles -- and broadening its horizons -- on the strength of a banner year that included a hefty influx of investment capital as well as RIFT's $100 million revenue windfall.
	Full SWTOR-themed hip hop album released If the one thing missing from your life has been music to show the world how much you love Star Wars: The Old Republic, rejoice! Your wait has come to an end. Richie Branson, who put out his first SWTOR-themed song late last year, has released Cold Republic Episode I: The Empire Likes Rap, which has the peculiar honor of being the world's first SWTOR mix tape.
	League of Legends reveals Nautilus, its newest champion Riot Games adds a new champion to League of Legends' growing roster every few weeks to keep the game fresh, and this week Riot revealed the game's next champion, Nautilus, the Titan of the Depths. Nautilus is a tank with a unique initiation ability: He throws his massive anchor toward a target, and then drags himself toward the anchor.
	Watch The Old Republic's Guild Summit from home Maybe you want to head down to the first guild summit for Star Wars: The Old Republic but just can't quite fit a trip to Austin into your budget at the moment. Good news: Portions of the event will be available via livestream for those who can't attend in person.
	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.

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Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future.

	Star Wars: The Old Republic has 1.7 million active subscribers EA has reported sales of more than 2 million units of The Old Republic, with about 1.7 million subscribers. The publisher reported much better sales than expected for the December quarter, largely thanks to the runaway sales of the new MMO title.
	EverQuest goes free-to-play When EverQuest II made the transition to free-to-play across all servers, many gamers wondered whether its sibling EverQuest would follow. Last week, the speculation has become reality. EverQuest will officially go free-to-play in March, which also is the month that the game first launched back in 1999.
	Dutch Supreme Court declares RuneScape theft a real-world crime Is stealing a virtual good deserving of a real-world criminal sentence? According to a recent ruling by the Dutch Supreme Court, the answer is "yes." The court recently upheld a ruling of a criminal case in which teens attacked another youth and forced him at knifepoint to relinquish his possessions in RuneScape, including an in-game amulet and knife.
	Want to be Massively's next Guild Wars columnist? Are you a passionate Guild Wars fan? Do you know everything there is to know about the game? Are you more excited about Guild Wars 2 than Mists of Pandaria? Can you meet deadlines and follow instructions? Then head over to Massively!
	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.

Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future.

	The Old Republic previews future content updates BioWare released a new video detailing the content slated for the game in the coming months. Director James Ohlen lays out several new additions planned for the near future, several of which are features players had been asking for.
	Diablo III senior producer leaves Blizzard Blizzard's Steve Parker dropped a bit of a bomb via Twitter recently. The Diablo III senior producer is leaving the project and the company for reasons unknown. "I'm no longer working at Blizzard or on D3," Parker wrote. "I've had a great five years there and those guys are going to kill it with Diablo."
	Guild Wars 2 confirmed for 2012, public beta coming ArenaNet founder and president Mike O'Brien rocked the Guild Wars 2 community very recently announcing 2012 as the official launch year for the game. Guild Wars 2 recently finished up a very small closed beta test, and now ArenaNet is planning to start opening the testing doors wider very quickly.
	RIFT revenues reached $100 million in 2011 How successful is RIFT? That's hard to say without knowing how much it cost, but it's safe to assume that Trion executives are smiling after the game generated $100 million in revenue in only 10 months. The game is aiming to launch in China and South Korea later this year.
	The latest MOBA news Move over MMOs -- MOBAs and ARPGs are all the rage these days. Catch up on the latest news from your favorite not-quite-massive games such as League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, and Diablo III.
	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.

Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future.

	Blizzard thinks Cataclysm was too linear Designing MMOs is often the art of shepherding players in a given direction while at the same time giving them a sense of freedom. World of Warcraft's most recent expansion, Cataclysm, has frequently been accused of giving players nowhere to go but a series of rails -- and according to a recent response from a community manager, Blizzard agrees.
	James Ohlen hits back against critics, defends SWTOR's innovation Star Wars: The Old Republic Game Director James Ohlen isn't surprised that the game's received the flak it has from a segment of reviews and fans. In a candid interview with Eurogamer, Ohlen addresses both the issues of being a "big target" for critics and the claims that SWTOR's lacking innovation.
	Blizzard kills Diablo III's RMT to appease South Korea Blizzard Entertainment made waves last year when it announced that Diablo III would be supporting real-money trading (RMT) through its in-game auction house system. While it proved to be a divisive topic among fans, apparently it was too much with the South Korean rating board, which sees such activities as potentially violating the country's anti-gambling rules.
	TERA launching May 1 in North America En Masse Entertainment is launching its long-awaited TERA MMO on May 1 in North America. A posting on the game's website confirms the date, and it also mentions both standard and collector's edition offerings, the contents of which will be revealed in February. In the meantime, En Masse is accepting beta applications, and the company also promises "lots more in store" for the month of January.
	Massively Speaking Episode 181 Massively Speaking, Massively's MMO podcast, is back this week with special guest Shawn Schuster! He's so handsome and charming. Anyway, Shawn joins Rubi and Justin this week to discuss the week in MMO news.
	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.

Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future.

	Diablo III heading to a gaming console near you Though Blizzard has made numerous statements that it was "seriously considering" a console version of the title, CM Bashiok tweeted today that the upcoming Diablo III would be making the jump to consoles, giving us our first official confirmation.
	Massively takes on SOPA Unless you've been living under a rock, chances are you've heard of SOPA and PIPA. The Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act are two radical pieces of copyright legislation currently being pushed through the U.S. legislature. Although the stated intent of the new legislation is to provide companies with additional tools with which to combat piracy, the bill's loose wording has raised some serious alarm bells.
	SWTOR's 1.1 patch adds anti-aliasing, level 50 Flashpoint Star Wars: The Old Republic's next big update is live on the game's public test shard. BioWare says that the 1.1 patch is chock full of bug fixes and is "the first of many content updates" for the sci-fi MMO.
	Bethesda and Interplay settle Fallout MMO lawsuits, Interplay's rights revoked Bethesda and Interplay have been embroiled in a legal battle for quite some time now, arguing over whether or not Interplay had the rights to create a Fallout MMO. Well, that lawsuit has finally been settled and it appears that Bethesda has come out on top.
	Dr. Greg Zeschuk talks about the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic It's been just about a month since Star Wars: The Old Republic began its early access period, throwing open the doors for players all around the world. But the release wasn't just an interesting point for the many players anticipating the game -- after all, it had been BioWare's big project for many years. In a recent interview, Dr. Greg Zeschuk discusses his thoughts on the game at launch and a look back at what could have gone differently.
	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.

Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future.

	Massively's Best of 2011 Awards 2011 was an interesting year for MMOs. Some of the most anticipated games were launched, one of the strongest MMO communities was left in the cold, and a seemingly untouchable indie developer quickly realized that it needs to listen to its players more than anything else. As is the tradition this time of the year, Massively has laid out its favorite moments of 2011 for you.
	BioWare: Mac version of Star Wars: The Old Republic is something it's "looking at next" BioWare label leads Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk are quite dedicated to their fans. At least that's a recurring theme for them when talking about their company's moves in new directions, to which both repeatedly referred during a recent interview in midtown Manhattan. "We know there's a big Mac audience of BioWare fans ... we know that's an important and large audience. And we want to serve that audience."
	Bethesda vs. Interplay case finally settled War. War never changes. And neither, it appeared, would the long-running legal dispute between Bethesda and Interplay over the rights to the Fallout IP. For years, it seems, we've been reporting on this courtroom tug-o'-war between the companies which has kept the fate of Fallout Online in limbo. Well it looks like it is finally over, one way or another. An administrator on the Fallout fan site Duck and Cover says that a settlement has been reached although the details have yet to emerge to the public.
	Nexon takes Mabinogi offline indefinitely due to "malicious activity" Nexon has since resolved the issue, but if you were looking to play a little Mabinogi on New Year's Day, you were out of luck. The game was taken down Jan. 1 and stayed down for 40 hours. It wasn't the first time this has happened to Mabinogi, and it may not be the last.
	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.

Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future.

	BioWare stages SWTOR freeze mob event in New York City's Times Square If you happened to be walking around Times Square on the night of Dec. 20, you may have witnessed one of the more unique MMO launch day promotions in recent memory. BioWare enlisted the help of Darth Malgus and a cadre of heavily armored Jedi (or at least, their cosplay equivalents) to stage a Star Wars: The Old Republic freeze mob event complete with lightsabers and bewildered onlookers.
	Over one percent of League of Legends players have been banned When your game has over 15 million registered players, it can be tough to to handle antisocial behavior amongst your playerbase. This problem is usually handled by hiring a massive roster of GMs, but League of Legends approaches things a little differently with its Tribunal system.
	BioWare hints at new SWTOR content, tops 1 million players Star Wars: The Old Republic is less than a week old, and many players are already wondering if and when BioWare is going to add new content. Yes, there are some 50s on the servers already, and James Ohlen has penned a post on the game's official website that should excite those who have already rushed through the game's content.
	Trion Worlds customer database hacked, "no evidence" credit card info stolen Trion Worlds has become the latest in a long string of MMO studio security breaches this year, as the company reported an intrusion into its customer database. At risk of compromise were customers' user names, passwords, birthdates, email and billing addresses, and partial credit card info. However, the company states that "there is no evidence" that full credit card numbers were stolen at this time.
	Massively Interview: Guild Wars 2 game designer discuss the Mesmer Now that The Old Republic has launched, Guild Wars 2 is next on the list of most anticipated MMO titles. ArenaNet recently announced its final class, the Mesmer. Massively sat down with one of the game designers to discuss both the class and the game in general.
	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.

On Tuesday afternoons, we typically link all of you to our sister site Massively's top stories of the week from all across the MMORPG genre via MMO Roundup. This week will be different. Outside of World of Warcraft, there's only one other MMO anybody wants to hear about this week. Star Wars: The Old Republic's prerelease head start begins today, and Massively has absolutely everything you need to go into the opening days of the game well prepared.

If you'll be playing The Old Republic, head over to Massively's TOR launch guide for class information, dungeon flashpoint walk-throughs, and anything else you might want.

If you're strictly a World of Warcraft player, you may want to take a look anyway. WoW can always learn from other games, and as a player, it never hurts to stay informed.

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