Diablo Creator To Lead Marvel MMO Development
We’re not ones to assume that past performance is a definitive indicator of future output, especially in the games industry (Voltition goes from Saint’s Row to the radical Red Faction: Guerrilla? Who saw that coming?). But we can’t help but be encouraged by the news that former Blizzard North boss and Diablo creator David Brevik has joined Gazillion to lead development on the Marvel Universe MMO.
We’re more excited about the hire because we hope it indicates the title’s gameplay direction. A more action-influenced MMO take on the world of Marvel sounds like it’s been bitten by radioactive awesome.
Marvel Comics Comes Back To The MMO Biz
There are some businesses and organizations that seem to be not only surviving the economic downturn, but even thriving: Liquor stores, movie theaters, libraries, and now online video games.
According to an announcement Tuesday, Marvel Comics is teaming up with a small and relatively unknown multiplayer online (MMO) game developer called Gazillion Entertainment to create a virtual universe featuring Marvel characters.
The joint venture will first produce a low-level online game aimed at children using Marvel’s Super Hero Squad. The more sophisticated online game Marvel Universe does not have a specific release date, but will probably appear in late 2010 or early 2011.
Enormous Fan Base
Although an earlier Marvel-based online game never took flight, both Marvel and Gazillion think the comic publisher’s enormous fan base will help make Marvel Universe a hit.
“Despite the tough economy, the video-game industry continues to grow, and MMO games for mass audiences represent the next big opportunity for the upcoming decade,” said Rob Hutter, president and CEO of Gazillion. “This is particularly the case for established global-entertainment brands like Marvel, which possess hundreds of millions of touch points with fans worldwide. The next step is exceptionally high-quality MMO entertainment, and that’s our mission at Gazillion.”
The comic-book company currently has more than 5,000 characters, including such iconic figures as Wolverine, Iron Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, and Captain America. A number of those characters have been the basis of successful films, making the prospect of cross-marketing even more alluring.
Despite its relatively short track record, Gazillion will be partnering with a number of major creative companies to assist in the creation of Marvel Universe, including Apple, Pixar Animation, Blizzard Entertainment, and Microsoft Game Studios. Four separate studios will be involved in the product development and launch.
Strong Growth in Games
Marvel and Gazillion hope to tap into what is already a…
Warhammer Online Now Offers Free 10-Day Trial
Have you been meaning to try Warhammer Online, but don’t necessarily want to pay for a month’s worth of play time? Luckily for you the game now offers a free 10-day trial for new players.
“A call to arms has been issued! With the new free trial we are making it possible for everyone to experience non-stop Realm vs. Realm combat wrapped up in a next generation MMO,” said Mythic Entertainment general manager Mark Jacobs.
“What started out as a great game has only gotten better as the team has added an incredible amount of content with our first live expansion. For gamers that have yet to experience the glory of WAR, there is no better time to join the battle!”
Prospective players of the 10-day free trial are also invited to join the game’s current “Bitter Rivals” event, which will allow players early access to the planned Orc Choppa and Dwarf Slayer character classes, should they decide to spring for a full, paid subscription after the trial ends.
Star Trek: Online Releases New Art
February 24, 2009 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
New screenshots for the Star Trek: Online MMORPG have appeared online.
As reported by IGN.com (UK), four new screenshots are available for the Star Trek: Online MMORPG, including a ship approaching a reddish planet, a cargo-type ship in space passing a doughnut-shaped rock, a planet-side scene complete with falling snow and an interior workspace.
To see the screenshots, head here.
Age of Conan Launched in Russia and Poland
February 23, 2009 by tcgames · 3 Comments
GamingShogun has word that Age Of Conan is still trying to hang in there and survive…
Struggling MMO Age of Conan has launched in Russia and Poland, according to a press release put out today. The game has experienced several setbacks since its rocky launch last year, but Funcom is determined to turn it around. 1C and CD Projekt are handling the game’’s publishing and local community relations in those regions.Official Release:Funcom is proud to announce that Age of Conan has launched in Russia, and Poland.
As the game gets ready for full service in two new languages, Funcom has seen a clear trend towards strengthened feedback from the current player community, which praises the many improvements to the game.
The Top 10 Money-Making MMOs of 2008
Game industry analyst DFC Intelligence will publish a comprehensive study of massively multiplayer online worlds next month, and was nice enough to give us an advance peek at their list of MMOs and MMORPGs that earned the most revenue in 2008.
The numbers are primarily estimates based on publicly available reports, DFC’s David Cole told me, and are decidedly on the “very conservative” side. The wide revenue spreads reflect the fact that 2008 earnings are still being counted, though more exact numbers are promised in the firm’s Feb. 16 report. “We indicate ranges because these numbers are estimates for 2008 based on where we think these products will end up,” said Cole. However, when the final numbers are reported, the rankings below should remain the same, though “maybe a slot here or there” will change.
While no one will be shocked by World of Warcraft’s heavy earnings, Cole believes the Asian MMOs, which are developed at far lower budgets, have a higher profit margin. “Profit margin on Asian games is incredibly high,” he told me. That’s true even though most of the Asian MMOs charge the equivalent of 5-6 cents an hour with usage cards, Cole noted, a model that has yet to be widely adopted by Western developers.
Speaking of which, it’s notable that the bottom of the top 10 is where the big budget MMORPGs in the World of Warcraft vein — LOTRO, Conan, and Warhammer — reside. (All below the no-frills Runescape, which we wrote about last July.)
1. World of Warcraft, launched 2004
Genre/Platform: Western MMORPG; client install with 3D graphics
Revenue sources: Monthly subscription, retails sales, prepaid cards (in Asia)
DFC estimated 2008 revenue: $500 million-plus
2. Fantasy Westward Journey, launched 2004
Genre/Platform: Asian MMORPG, client install with 2.5D graphics
Revenue sources: Prepaid cards
DFC estimated 2008 revenue: $150-$500 million
3. Maple Story, launched 2003
Genre/Platform: Asian MMORPG for kids, client install with 2D graphics
Revenue sources: Microtransactions, prepaid cards, international licensing
DFC estimated 2008 revenue: $150-$500 million
4. Shanda (company, includes Legend of Mir and World of Legend series), launched 2003
Genre/Platform: Asian MMORPG, client install with 2.5 graphics
Revenue sources: Prepaid cards, virtual item sales, freemium subscriptions
DFC estimated 2008 revenue: $150-$500 million
5. Lineage I and Lineage II , launched 1998 and 2003
Genre/Platform: Asian MMORPG, client install with 2.5 graphics (Lineage) and 3D graphics (Lineage II)
Revenue sources: Subscription, prepaid cards
DFC estimated 2008 revenue: $150-$500 million
6. Runescape
Genre/Platform: Western MMORPG for kids, web-based with 2.5D graphics
Revenue sources: Premium subscription, prepaid cards, real-world advertising
DFC estimated 2008 revenue: $50-$150 million
7. Club Penguin, launched 2006
Genre/Platform: Virtual world for kids, web-based 2.5D graphics
Revenue sources: Premium subscriptions, prepaid game cards
DFC estimated 2008 revenue: $50-$150 million
8. Lord of the Ring Online
Genre/Platform: Western MMORPG, client install with 3D graphics
Revenue sources: Subscription, retail sales
DFC estimated 2008 revenue: $50-$150 million
9. Warhammer Online
Genre/Platform: Western MMORPG, client install with 3D graphics
Revenue sources: Subscription, retail sales
DFC estimated 2008 revenue: $50-$150 million
10. Age of Conan
Genre/Platform: Western MMORPG, client install with 3D graphics
Revenue sources: Subscription, retail sales
DFC estimated 2008 revenue: $50-$150 million
The most popular MMO among this 10, in terms of active players? That requires more speculation, but it’s almost certainly not World of Warcraft. Cole points out that Fantasy Westward Journey registered an astounding 2-3 million concurrent players last August. Though Warcraft now boasts some 11 million+ subscribers, “You’re lucky to get 5-10 percent [of them] playing at the same time,” he said. Maple Story developer Minho Kim told me last December that his MMO has 87+ million registrations, but wouldn’t specify how many of them were monthly active users. DFC’s Joost van Dreunen estimates it to be 15-20 percent of that figure — i.e., 13-17.4 million regular Maple Story players.
Conan and Warhammer were released in 2008, but otherwise, Cole says the rest of the list is fairly similar to that of 2007. That will probably remain true this year, though watch for hotly anticipated MMOs like Free Realms and Lego Universe to make a concerted effort to crack the top 10.
Source: GigaOm
Video - DC Universe Online Trailer
January 20, 2009 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
Here’s the trailer to DC Universe Online. The graphics look pretty good. The question is whether the game play will pass the test. The video shows your standard DC Heroes: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, running around fighting bad guys and breaking things.
I would have like to have seen more player created heroes in the trailer as well… Read more
Earthrise MMO Now Accepting Beta Applicants
The upcoming sci-fi MMO Earthrise has just begun accepting applicants for beta testing, according to a news blurb on the game’s official site.
Though it may not have the cachet of Champions Online, Earthrise is one of my most anticipated upcoming online games simply by virtue of its gorgeous art style. Everything I’ve seen so far perfectly balances dystopian and futuristic in a really appealing way.
I’m withholding any firm support for the game until I actually play it, but as the beta is free I will certainly urge any of you with an inkling of MMO affection to sign up. The worst you’ll lose is a few minutes of your time, and you might find yourself engrossed in the next big online world.
Beta Sign Up[Earthrise]
Source: GameLife
City Of Heroes Issue 13 Goes Live!
December 3, 2008 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
Months in the making, delayed when the Mission Architect was pushed to next year, finally finally, City of Heroes Issue 13 is live! Yesterday saw the servers go down for one of the largest content pushes ever by the NCsoft development team. The patch notes are up on the official site, and they’re simply monsterous. We’ve been through this list before, but it’s worth going over again: new story arcs for the Midnight Squad, new story arcs for Cimerora, the all-new Merits reward system (which was featured in an exclusive interview here on the site), Day Jobs, new powersets, multiple builds, a huge PvP revamp … it’s exhausting just to mention, let alone consider playing.
For a ‘thousand foot view’ of Issue 13 and its philosophy, be sure to check out our extensive interview with Brian Clayton and Matt Miller all about the “Power and Responsibility” super-patch to this venerable superhero MMO. During that chat we also talked about the future of purchaseable content packs in the game, something we think we’re likely to see new talk of soon. Be sure to check out the links above, read up on the full official patch notes, and dig in to our coverage of City of Heroes Issue 13. Excelsior!
Source: Massively.com
DC Universe Online Launching In ‘Early 2010′?
Sony Online Entertainment’s upcoming superhero MMO based on the DC comics franchise, DC Universe Online (PC, PS3), won’t hit our hands until sometime around early 2010, according to the game’s lead writer.
“It launches I think in early 2010, it could be late 2009,” said comics writer Geoff Johns to MTV.
Johns–whose writing resume includes stints on such comics as Justice Society of America, Green Lantern, 52, The Flash and Action Comics–has scripted the overall story and universe of Universe, and says the game will delve deep into the DC archives.
Source: ShackNews.com
