Gatheryn

We've recently received a tip-off to a lack of communication from the developers of the social steampunk MMO, Gatheryn, in recent months, signaling what could be the collapse of the game.

The website is still up and running, but the closed beta signup page has vanished, the download game link is broken, and the game's servers are down for the count. Players are asking for assistance or information on what's going on with the game on the beta forums, but things are very, very silent.

The current forum rumor (must have forum access to read link) is that Mindfuse Games has run out of funding and is shutting down the game, but that rumor has been posted by a forum account that only has one post and does not possess a developer tag, making the rumor extremely unverified.

We have contacted Mindfuse Games for comment, but have yet to receive a response.

[Thanks for the tip, Torsten!]

If you've had your sights set on seeing what the world of Gatheryn has to offer you, then wait no longer as open beta is here.

If you're looking to download the world of Elymia, then look no further than the download and registration page. The game is a pretty modest download while the registration is brief and easy (exactly how a good registration should be.) With little muss and fuss, you'll soon find yourself logging in and seeing what the steampunk world has to offer you!

Bugs can be reported on the main site, while there are discussions going on in the forums. Forum registration is separate, so don't forget to go register there too while you're downloading the client!

If you've been looking forward to the casual steampunk world of Gatheryn, then you don't have much longer to wait. MindFuse Games has recently updated their main page for the game, offering everyone the chance to register their accounts and download the game's client in preparation for the upcoming open beta.

Open beta hasn't been given a set launch time as of yet, but all interested parties should take the time to sign up for the forums, as forum members will be notified of open beta via an e-mail blast.

Gatheryn is, as we've covered before, a steampunk-ish Free Realms-esque game where you get to play mini-games to advance your character in the game. Lucky for you we got to sit down with Isa Anne Stamos, MindFuse's game studio director, to find out more about the game and even took a look at one of the game's beta updates. You're totally welcome.

The MMO industry seems to be stepping away from pure fantasy titles, and some new projects are taking a rather different approach to what we expect from massively multiplayer online games. Gatheryn from MindFuse is one such title, that blends steampunk and mini-games into an MMO that's a departure from the norm. Gatheryn is already a decidedly casual MMO, but that hasn't stopped the creators from identifying what works and running with it. In this case, they've opted to add more mini-games to Gatheryn's existing beta content.

Gatheryn's Casual Games Update, which went live today, brings two new features to the steampunk-themed MMO. The Minigame Pavilion is a carnival where players can try out Gatheryn's numerous minigames, right off the bat, and without needing to pay silver to try them out. MindFuse has also introduced Word Safari, which they describe as "a series of location-based puzzles where players find special objects and match words according to their specific role and location in Elymia." This sounds like fun, and in some respects is like an exploration game as players learn more about the various areas to be found in Gatheryn. If this seems like your type of game, you can register for the Gatheryn beta over on their signup page.

With the oversaturation of fantasy in the MMO genre, we've been patiently waiting to get our hands on the steampunk victorian coolness of Gatheryn. An indie title currently under development by Mindfuse, Gatheryn seems to be part virtual world and part mini-game laden MMO, much like Free Realms. Considering how wildly popular Free Realms has become in a short period, many eyes are now turning to Gatheryn to see if the combination of casual minigames in a fun, unique MMO/VW setting can strike gold again. Massively's very own Managing Editor, Shawn Schuster sat down recently with Isa Anne Stamos, Game Studio Director for MindFuse, to find out some more about the future of this retro-feel title.

Massively: We first took a look at Gatheryn at GDC earlier this year, and liked what we saw so far. Can you describe some of the major feature changes or updates to the game since then?

Isa Anne Stamos, MindFuse: Generally, we've been focusing on building out the early stages of the Gatheryn experience – adjusting the layout of the city, adding variations to character customization, and creating a deep casual gaming experience that players can enjoy the minute they enter Gatheryn. Specifically, we just added a Player Health feature that measures your avatar's fatigue and gives us some creative options for healing items and quests. We're also filling in a lot of the quests and minigames – we've probably added a few since you saw us at GDC. We're also working hard to build up the community tools because we rely heavily on them to communicate with our beta users - they're crucial to getting player feedback in these early stages of development.

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The developers at Mindfuse have been hard at work on Gatheryn, a steampunk MMO that Massively got a preview of at GDC 2009. The HeroEngine-powered Gatheryn will incorporate casual and minigame elements in addition to standard MMO game mechanics. Now gamers will have a chance to see what the title has to offer in the Gatheryn closed beta, for which Mindfuse has announced they're taking registrations.

Closed beta applicants accepted in this first wave of invites will get the first glimpses of Gatheryn offered to the gaming community, but getting your info submitted early puts you in the pool Mindfuse will draw from with future beta invitations. If you're interested in checking out the steampunk MMO, you can sign up on the Gatheryn beta registration page.

Eurogamer's Oli Welsh attended the Game Developer's Conference last month and took a look at five MMOs being produced by independent studios. Earthrise, Fallen Earth, Gatheryn, Global Agenda, and Love are all being developed without the support of a huge publisher. Given all the big budget competition, do they stand a chance?

According to Oli, Earthrise has many interesting features but with beta set for May and release set for late 2009, he's a little concerned with the framerate issues and lack of polish. Much like its post-apocalyptic brother, Fallen Earth shines on many levels and is also due in 2009, but it is lacking in execution with animation, combat, and AI issues. As for Gatheryn, Oli is a bit confused as to why this game is even being made at all because it lacks depth and has no clear direction (here's what we thought).

On the other hand, Mr. Welsh has high praise for both Global Agenda and Love. The former appears to be an interesting blend of adrenaline-pumping MMOFPS action with more polish than an antique car show. The latter is the brainchild of a one-man army, giving it the most indie-cred out of all the titles.

For a more in-depth explanation of his opinions, follow Oli as he takes a journey through the MMO's wild frontier.

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The World of Gatheryn, an MMO which, despite its name, is not about mining nodes and chopping wood, has just announced its implementation of the Simultronics HeroEngine for this upcoming Victorian-age MMO.

In a statement by Joseph Walters, Lead Designer and Chief Executive Officer of MindFuse Games, we get an explanation of why these "off-site" engines are becoming so popular for smaller MMO developers like MindFuse, "The engine enables our team to spend time creating the experience instead of recreating the already-proven type of server side MMOG technology that Simutronics has built so effectively."

Be sure to check out more information on the Gatheryn MMO, as well as what this Simultronics HeroEngine has to offer.

For all of you Elf and lightning bolt haters out there, MindFuse may have found a solution to your MMO blues. As was recently announced, the game developer has secured $1 million USD in convertible note funding from Keiretsu Forum angel investors for an MMO project they're currently working on. What project is that, you might ask? According to the MindFuse website, they're developing a Victorian-themed MMO entitled The World of Gatheryn.

The game is described as "a massive multi-player world of adventure, mystery and romance." It's said to include interactive games and puzzles, with "new adventures appearing with each successful solution." So is this what we've been waiting for? It's not high fantasy. It's not cheesy sci-fi. Can a Victorian Age MMO work for those looking for something different? Take a tour through the website and check out the gorgeous screenshots, gameplay explanation and storyline entry for yourself, and let us know what you think.