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<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title><![CDATA[MMO subscription dollars in decline for the first time since 2002]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/15/mmo-subscription-dollars-in-decline-for-the-first-time-since-200/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/15/mmo-subscription-dollars-in-decline-for-the-first-time-since-200/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/15/mmo-subscription-dollars-in-decline-for-the-first-time-since-200/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/economy/" rel="tag">Economy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/misc/" rel="tag">Miscellaneous</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/15/mmo-subscription-dollars-in-decline-for-the-first-time-since-200/"><img alt="Money and lots of it" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/09/money-1316097947.jpg" /></a></div>
With all of the free-to-play MMOs coming onto the market and the F2P conversion of formerly subscription-only titles, it should come as no surprise that the subscription model is losing its grip on the industry. <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-09-15-money-from-mmo-subs-begins-to-decline">Eurogamer reports</a> that starting in 2010, the money brought in from MMO subscriptions has actually gone into decline for the first time ever since analysts began tracking it in 2002.<br />
<br />
2010's subscription revenue added up to $1.58 billion, a respectable amount but still 5% less than 2009. 2009 saw a 10% bump in subscriptions, and 2008 witnessed 21.6% growth. Connect the dots, and subscription revenue has most likely peaked and begun a downhill slide. Analysts predict that by 2015, revenue from subs will be as low as $1.33 billion. However, with the popularity of <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/rift"><em>RIFT</em></a> this year and the coming storm of <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-the-old-republic"><em>Star Wars: The Old Republic</em></a>, the subscription model may see a resurgence.<br />
<br />
On the flip side, microtransactions from F2P models are rising exponentially, jumping 24% from 2009 to 2010 to account for $1.13 billion. With the two models combined, the industry saw a very modest 5% increase last year in revenue.<br />
<br />
Screen Digest analyst <a href="http://www.screendigest.com/analysts/piers-harding-rolls/view.html">Piers Harding-Rolls</a> sees the writing on the wall: "The focus of many PC game operators has clearly shifted to micro-transaction‐based models -- in part due to competition in the subscription market especially in the high‐end MMOG segment, but also because of the flexibility micro-transactions offer operators in monetising gamers."<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/15/mmo-subscription-dollars-in-decline-for-the-first-time-since-200/">MMO subscription dollars in decline for the first time since 2002</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:30:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/15/mmo-subscription-dollars-in-decline-for-the-first-time-since-200/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/20043748/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/15/mmo-subscription-dollars-in-decline-for-the-first-time-since-200/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2002</category><category>2008</category><category>2009</category><category>2010</category><category>analysis</category><category>analyst</category><category>economy</category><category>eurogamer</category><category>f2p</category><category>free-to-play</category><category>microtransactions</category><category>Piers-Harding-Rolls</category><category>profit</category><category>revenue</category><category>rift</category><category>screen-digest</category><category>star-wars-the-old-republic</category><category>sub</category><category>subs</category><category>subscription</category><category>subscriptions</category><category>swtor</category><category>the-old-republic</category><category>tor</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:30:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What are you looking forward to in 2011?]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/31/the-daily-grind-what-are-you-looking-forward-to-in-2011/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/31/the-daily-grind-what-are-you-looking-forward-to-in-2011/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/31/the-daily-grind-what-are-you-looking-forward-to-in-2011/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/" rel="tag">The Daily Grind</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/misc/" rel="tag">Miscellaneous</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/12/2011.jpg" /></a></div>
Farewell, 2010 -- hello 2011! As many of us prepare to ring in the new year tonight, our thoughts turn to the future as they typically do at the end of the year. What will 2011 bring for you? Will it be a banner year of excellence, or a year that would best be experienced on fast-forward?<br />
<br />
I have a better idea: Let's talk about what we're looking forward to in 2011 -- in MMOs, I mean. It's promising to be an exciting year as major projects such as <a href="http://www.guildwars2.com/en/"><em>Guild Wars 2</em></a>, <a href="http://www.swtor.com/"><em>Star Wars: The Old Republic</em></a> and <a href="http://www.riftgame.com/en/"><em>Rift</em></a> come to a head, and that's only the surface of 2011's potential.<br />
<br />
So what, if anything, has you jazzed about next year? What do you wish were already here -- a new game, an expansion, a special event -- so that you could enjoy it?<br />
<br />
<img vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" align="left" style="padding-right: 10px;" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/09/coffee.jpg" /><em>Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's <a href="http://www.massively.com/category/the-daily-grind/">Daily Grind</a>!</em><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/31/the-daily-grind-what-are-you-looking-forward-to-in-2011/">The Daily Grind: What are you looking forward to in 2011?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/31/the-daily-grind-what-are-you-looking-forward-to-in-2011/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19766141/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/31/the-daily-grind-what-are-you-looking-forward-to-in-2011/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2010</category><category>2011</category><category>end-of-the-year</category><category>end-of-the-year-2010</category><category>guild-wars-2</category><category>gw2</category><category>new-year</category><category>new-years</category><category>new-years-eve</category><category>opinion</category><category>rift</category><category>rift-planes-of-telara</category><category>star-wars-the-old-republic</category><category>swtor</category><category>tdg</category><category>the-daily-grind</category><category>tor</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 31 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Flameseeker Chronicles: A look back at 2010]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/27/flameseeker-chronicles-a-look-back-at-2010/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/27/flameseeker-chronicles-a-look-back-at-2010/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/27/flameseeker-chronicles-a-look-back-at-2010/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/guild-wars/" rel="tag">Guild Wars</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/guild-wars-2/" rel="tag">Guild Wars 2</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/flameseeker-chronicles/" rel="tag">Flameseeker Chronicles</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.massively.joystiq.com/category/flameseeker-chronicles"><img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/12/omgpretty1-rb-821.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
Welcome to the last <a href="http://www.massively.joystiq.com/category/flameseeker-chronicles">Flameseeker Chronicles</a> of 2010, in which I wax sentimental over this year and salivate over what the next one promises.<br />
<br />
It's been a huge year for both <a href="http://www.guildwars.com"><em>Guild Wars</em></a> and <a href="http://www.guildwars2.com"><em>Guild Wars 2</em></a> -- probably one of the biggest since <a href="http://www.massively.joystiq.com/category/guild-wars"><em>Guild Wars 1</em></a> launched. There was civil war in Tyria, with consequences more far-reaching than any of us as players could imagine at the outset. Profession reveals came fast and furious for a while, and when the dust settled, we had extensive information on half of the <em>Guild Wars 2 </em>professions.<br />
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<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/gamescom-2010/">Gamescom</a> and <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/pax-prime-2010/">PAX</a> brought us actual <a href="http://www.massively.joystiq.com/category/guild-wars-2"><em>Guild Wars 2</em></a> gameplay, the War in Kryta seemed to go on and on, and there were even some shakeups behind the scenes, with <a href="http://www.massively.joystiq.com/tag/arenanet">ArenaNet</a> swinging a banhammer of massive proportions and dismantling the Xunlai tournament house. Follow along and let's take a look at what 2010 brought to Tyria.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/27/flameseeker-chronicles-a-look-back-at-2010/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Flameseeker Chronicles: A look back at 2010</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/27/flameseeker-chronicles-a-look-back-at-2010/">Flameseeker Chronicles: A look back at 2010</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/27/flameseeker-chronicles-a-look-back-at-2010/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19777048/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/27/flameseeker-chronicles-a-look-back-at-2010/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2010</category><category>anet</category><category>arenanet</category><category>end-of-the-year-2010</category><category>featured</category><category>flameseeker-chronicles</category><category>gamescom-2010</category><category>guild-wars</category><category>guild-wars-2</category><category>gw</category><category>gw2</category><category>hall-of-monuments</category><category>massively-overpowered</category><category>mvop</category><category>ncsoft</category><category>pax-prime-2010</category><category>professions</category><category>xth</category><category>xunlai-tournament-house</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Rubi Bayer]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 27 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Top EVE news stories of 2010]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/26/eve-evolved-top-eve-news-stories-of-2010/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/26/eve-evolved-top-eve-news-stories-of-2010/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/26/eve-evolved-top-eve-news-stories-of-2010/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/" rel="tag">EVE Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-meta/" rel="tag">Massively Meta</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-evolved/" rel="tag">EVE Evolved</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-evolved/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/12/topnews-title.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
This was a big year for <em><a href="http://www.eve-online.com">EVE Online</a></em>, with <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/26/eve-online-tyrannis-launch-day-roundup/">the release of the <em>Tyrannis</em> expansion</a> and some awesome news stories spreading across the internet like digital wildfire. The year was off to a good start in February with some epic political drama as <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/04/goonswarm-alliance-disbanded-in-eve-online-political-drama/">GoonSwarm alliance was disbanded from the inside</a>. More recently, <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/">EVE</a></em> hit a landmark moment as <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/30/the-largest-battle-ever-held-in-eve-online-is-going-on-right-now/">over 3,000 players gathered</a> in one solar system to fight and the server node they were on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/09/eve-online-devblog-discusses-recent-3000-player-battle-and-serve/">didn't crash</a>. Massively has been here all year keeping you up to date with what's going on with <em>EVE</em> and the <em>EVE</em> community. This year has seen some awesome stories, and as this is the last EVE Evolved of 2010, I'd like to take the opportunity to look back on the top <em>EVE</em> news and community stories of the year.<br />
<br />
The highlight of the year for me has to be <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/28/eve-evolved-joining-the-massively-mob/">creating the official Massively Mob corporation</a>. I expected around 50 people would join and perhaps a few extra readers would idle in the Massively channel. Instead, almost 200 pilots have joined the corp, and new applications come in every day. Several corp members have already begun organising their own events, and many spend their days answering questions or otherwise helping newer members of the corp.<br />
<br />
In this week's <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-evolved/">EVE Evolved</a>, I look at the year's top <em>EVE</em> stories. I examine the <em>EVE</em> community's artistic side, some of the most positive and negative stories of the year, a number of extremely high-value kills and heists, and the emerging Sansha storyline.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/26/eve-evolved-top-eve-news-stories-of-2010/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>EVE Evolved: Top EVE news stories of 2010</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/26/eve-evolved-top-eve-news-stories-of-2010/">EVE Evolved: Top EVE news stories of 2010</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/26/eve-evolved-top-eve-news-stories-of-2010/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19766107/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/26/eve-evolved-top-eve-news-stories-of-2010/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2010</category><category>ccp</category><category>ccp-eve</category><category>ccp-games</category><category>end-of-the-year-2010</category><category>eve</category><category>eve-ccp</category><category>eve-evolved</category><category>eve-mmorpg</category><category>eve-online</category><category>featured</category><category>news</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brendan Drain]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 26 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Anvil of Crom: Greatest Hits Vol. 2010]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/19/the-anvil-of-crom-greatest-hits-vol-2010/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/19/the-anvil-of-crom-greatest-hits-vol-2010/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/19/the-anvil-of-crom-greatest-hits-vol-2010/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/age-of-conan/" rel="tag">Age of Conan</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-anvil-of-crom/" rel="tag">The Anvil of Crom</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-anvil-of-crom"><img border="1" hspace="4"  src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/05/aocbannermain-1305490930.jpg" vspace="4" /></a></div>
Oh no! It's the end of a calendar year! It's that arbitrary point in space and time at which bloggers, journalists, and basically anyone who makes a living via the written word foists off a bunch of top 10 (or five, or other random number) lists on his loyal readers. Sadly folks, I'm no different, and though I'll gladly poke fun at the tradition, I'll also engage in it this week here at <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-anvil-of-crom"><em>The Anvil of Crom</em></a>.<br />
<br />
Looking back, it's been quite an eventful year, both for <a href="http://ageofconan.com"><em>Age of Conan</em></a> and for Massively's coverage of the game. From the <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/rise-of-the-godslayer"><em>Rise of the Godslayer</em></a> expansion to the various nerfs, buffs, rants, and interviews, 2010 has been one for the Hyborian history books.<br />
<br />
Turn the page for eight reasons why.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/19/the-anvil-of-crom-greatest-hits-vol-2010/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>The Anvil of Crom: Greatest Hits Vol. 2010</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/19/the-anvil-of-crom-greatest-hits-vol-2010/">The Anvil of Crom: Greatest Hits Vol. 2010</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 19 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/19/the-anvil-of-crom-greatest-hits-vol-2010/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19751921/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/19/the-anvil-of-crom-greatest-hits-vol-2010/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2010</category><category>age-of-conan</category><category>anvil-of-crom</category><category>aoc</category><category>christmas-2010</category><category>controversy</category><category>end-of-the-year</category><category>end-of-the-year-2010</category><category>f2p</category><category>featured</category><category>free-to-play</category><category>holiday-2010</category><category>opinion</category><category>retrospective</category><category>rise-of-the-godslayer</category><category>roundup</category><category>roundups</category><category>the-anvil-of-crom</category><category>top-8</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jef Reahard]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 19 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Daily Grind: How do you feel about 2010's MMOs?]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/06/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-feel-about-2010s-mmos/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/06/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-feel-about-2010s-mmos/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/06/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-feel-about-2010s-mmos/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/" rel="tag">The Daily Grind</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/"><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/03/3rt8u6569235tr34.jpg" /></a></div>
The year is still young and lots of MMOs are on schedule to release before it's over. So far, we've been able to see what <a href="http://www.startrekonline.com"><em>Star Trek Online</em></a> has to offer, but many people continue to look forward to <a href="http://universe.lego.com"><em>LEGO Universe</em></a>, <a href="http://www.apb.com"><em>All Points Bulletin</em></a> and <a href="http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com"><em>Final Fantasy XIV</em></a>. However, <em>we</em> would like to know how <em>you</em> feel about MMOs this year. Does it seem like a pretty good year or are you thinking perhaps 2011 is going to be the big year for the genre, and why?<br />
<br />
It certainly seems like this year has already been pretty decent, given that <a href="http://www.blackprophecy.com/"><em>Black Prophecy</em></a> <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/04/black-prophecy-gets-publisher-decides-on-pricing/">has a publisher now</a> and we've yet to encounter any saddening shutdowns or cancellations of titles still in development. Plus, the free-to-play market is really starting to come into its own <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/26/one-million-new-adventurers-in-dungeons-and-dragons-online/">with great news for</a> <a href="http://www.ddo.com/playnow/"><em>Dungeons and Dragons Online</em></a> and a <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/03/allods-announces-cash-shop-price-reduction/">recent-but-remedied</a> <a href="http://allods.gpotato.com/"><em>Allods Online</em></a> hiccup. We're taking a positive outlook, but how about you?<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/06/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-feel-about-2010s-mmos/">The Daily Grind: How do you feel about 2010's MMOs?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sat, 06 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/06/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-feel-about-2010s-mmos/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19385258/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/06/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-feel-about-2010s-mmos/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2010</category><category>all-points-bulletin</category><category>allods-online</category><category>apb</category><category>apb-game</category><category>atari</category><category>black-prophecy</category><category>cryptic</category><category>cryptic-studios</category><category>ffxiv</category><category>final-fantasy-xiv</category><category>gpotato</category><category>lego</category><category>lego-universe</category><category>netdevil</category><category>reakktor</category><category>reakktor-media</category><category>realtime-worlds</category><category>square-enix</category><category>star-trek-online</category><category>sto</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kyle Horner]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 06 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[EVE Evolved: The development of Incarna]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/07/eve-evolved-the-development-of-incarna/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/07/eve-evolved-the-development-of-incarna/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/07/eve-evolved-the-development-of-incarna/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/" rel="tag">EVE Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/expansions/" rel="tag">Expansions</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/virtual-worlds/" rel="tag">Virtual worlds</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-evolved/" rel="tag">EVE Evolved</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-evolved/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/02/incarna-title.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
One of the biggest differences between <a href="http://www.eve-online.com"><em>EVE Online</em></a> and most other MMOs is the lack of a humanoid avatar. Even when you're docked up in a station, you can't leave your ship and walk around. The detailed avatars we create on starting the game are not so much avatars as passport photos; seen only as little square mug shots in chat channels and the official forums. In their never-ending quest to make <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/"><em>EVE</em></a> the definitive Sci-Fi simulation, this is something the game's developers <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/ccp-games/"><em>CCP</em></a> have always endeavoured to change. The introduction of <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/gallery.php?game_id=1676&amp;article_id=312505">a full body avatar feature</a>, code-named "Walking in Stations", "Ambulation" and now known as "Incarna", has been undeniably the most anticipated feature since <em>EVE</em> went live. It's been in development since 2006 but has proven a much larger task than CCP originally anticipated. With the expansion tentatively slated for winter this year, new information on it is still harder to find than a sober Icelandic game developer.<br />
<br />
In this week's <em>EVE Evolved</em>, I take a look at Incarna's development so far and why it hasn't been released yet.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/07/eve-evolved-the-development-of-incarna/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>EVE Evolved: The development of Incarna</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/07/eve-evolved-the-development-of-incarna/">EVE Evolved: The development of Incarna</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/07/eve-evolved-the-development-of-incarna/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19347806/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/07/eve-evolved-the-development-of-incarna/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2010</category><category>ambulation</category><category>avatars</category><category>ccp</category><category>ccp-eve</category><category>ccp-games</category><category>devblog</category><category>developers</category><category>eve</category><category>eve-ccp</category><category>eve-evolved</category><category>eve-mmorpg</category><category>eve-online</category><category>expansion</category><category>featured</category><category>incarna</category><category>interview</category><category>oveur</category><category>walking-in-stations</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brendan Drain]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Digital Continuum: Delay? You can't handle the delay!]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/19/the-digital-continuum-delay-you-cant-handle-the-delay/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/19/the-digital-continuum-delay-you-cant-handle-the-delay/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/19/the-digital-continuum-delay-you-cant-handle-the-delay/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-digital-continuum/" rel="tag">The Digital Continuum</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-the-old-republic/" rel="tag">Star Wars: The Old Republic</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-the-old-republic/"><img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/01/swtorheader7824214214.jpg" /></a></div>
Rumor: a story or statement in general circulation without confirmation or certainty as to facts. <br />
<br />
Example:<em> <a href="http://www.swtor.com">Star Wars: The Old Republic</a></em> will <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/11/star-wars-the-old-republic-to-launch-in-october-2010/">be released in October</a>, 2010. <br />
<br />
Yeah, guys, that <a href="http://www.killtenrats.com/2010/01/16/massive-delays/">was never in the wings</a>. The fact of the matter is that the game<em> </em>was never delayed. You need at minimum a projected release date before something can be delayed. I personally find it pretty ridiculous that some people are worried about hype dying down for a game which they themselves thrust a false release date upon because they're so hyped up for it.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/19/the-digital-continuum-delay-you-cant-handle-the-delay/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>The Digital Continuum: Delay? You can't handle the delay!</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/19/the-digital-continuum-delay-you-cant-handle-the-delay/">The Digital Continuum: Delay? You can't handle the delay!</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/19/the-digital-continuum-delay-you-cant-handle-the-delay/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19321746/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/19/the-digital-continuum-delay-you-cant-handle-the-delay/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2010</category><category>2011</category><category>bioware</category><category>delay</category><category>delayed</category><category>delays</category><category>dragon-age</category><category>dragon-age-origins</category><category>ea</category><category>electronic-arts</category><category>featured</category><category>lucasarts</category><category>opinion</category><category>rumor</category><category>rumors</category><category>splinter-cell</category><category>splinter-cell-conviction</category><category>star-wars</category><category>star-wars-the-old-republic</category><category>swtor</category><category>the-digital-continuum</category><category>the-old-republic</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kyle Horner]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Massively Reader's and Staff Choice Awards results for 2009]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/01/massively-readers-and-staff-choice-awards-results-for-2009/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/01/massively-readers-and-staff-choice-awards-results-for-2009/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/01/massively-readers-and-staff-choice-awards-results-for-2009/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-meta/" rel="tag">Massively Meta</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/03/massivelys-end-of-the-year-readers-choice-awards/"><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/12/2009rcagraphic-pop1-2-sms-1209.jpg" /></a></div>
Not only are the results in for our <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/03/massivelys-end-of-the-year-readers-choice-awards/">2009 Reader's Choice Awards</a>, but we've also compiled our own list of winners according to what we at Massively think should win in each category. <br />
<br />
This year's vote turned into something quite interesting, we must admit. Instead of being a direct "reader's choice", it seems to be much more of a popularity contest among the fans of the largest games. This made many of you quite angry when <em>Runes of Magic</em> dominated every category literally overnight. Some studios <a href="http://jd-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=212081">created contests</a> to get their players to vote in the poll, most added a link to the awards on Twitter or Facebook, but the <a href="http://www.runesofmagic.com"><em>Runes of Magic</em></a> team did everything from front page placement of the awards link to regular in-game announcements prompting fans to vote. Now that's how you win a vote. Especially when you have millions of players.<br />
<br />
Hand-in-hand with this, there have been reports of exploits on the polls involving a simple cookie clearing (although the site designers promise that an exploit through clearing cookies alone is not possible). Even if we assume that the exploit is true, this whole thing shows who has the fans that are most dedicated to supporting their favorite game. There's nothing wrong with that.<br />
<br />
So we're still going to show you the results as voted by the fans, and the results of our own staff poll. Follow along after the jump for the complete run-down.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/01/massively-readers-and-staff-choice-awards-results-for-2009/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Massively Reader's and Staff Choice Awards results for 2009</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/01/massively-readers-and-staff-choice-awards-results-for-2009/">Massively Reader's and Staff Choice Awards results for 2009</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/01/massively-readers-and-staff-choice-awards-results-for-2009/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19299556/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/01/massively-readers-and-staff-choice-awards-results-for-2009/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2009</category><category>2010</category><category>end-of-the-year</category><category>featured</category><category>massively-meta</category><category>opinion</category><category>polls</category><category>readers-choice-awards</category><category>votes</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn Schuster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Massively's predictions for 2010]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/massivelys-predictions-for-2010/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/massivelys-predictions-for-2010/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/massivelys-predictions-for-2010/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-meta/" rel="tag">Massively Meta</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Carson"><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/12/thegreatkarnak-sms-1209.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
With 2009 wrapping up today and 2010 lurking creepily around the corner, we're eager to release our predictions on what the next year may bring to the MMO scene. Even though we try to keep our news relatively neutral, it's the editorials and <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion">opinion pieces</a> that garner the most reaction from the readers. Positive or negative, we appreciate that. So for this last day of 2009, we honor it by giving our own opinions (both positive and negative) about how 2010 looks to us.<br />
<br />
Follow along after the jump for a few paragraphs from Kyle Horner, Eliot Lefebvre, Seraphina Brennan and me. In addition to our ramblings, we'd love to hear from you as well. So drop us a comment to let us know what you predict for 2010.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/massivelys-predictions-for-2010/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Massively's predictions for 2010</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/massivelys-predictions-for-2010/">Massively's predictions for 2010</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/massivelys-predictions-for-2010/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19299251/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/massivelys-predictions-for-2010/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2010</category><category>featured</category><category>massively-meta</category><category>predictions</category><category>staff</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn Schuster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What will you change in 2010?]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/the-daily-grind-what-will-you-change-in-2010/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/the-daily-grind-what-will-you-change-in-2010/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/the-daily-grind-what-will-you-change-in-2010/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/events-real-world/" rel="tag">Events, real-world</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/" rel="tag">The Daily Grind</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/academic/" rel="tag">Academic</a></p><a href="http://www.braid-game.com/"><img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" align="top" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/12/tdg-newgoround-epl-1231.jpg"  alt="" /></a><br />
We can't, sadly, <a href="http://www.braid-game.com/">warp time to go back a full year</a>.  Once we do something, for better or for worse, we're stuck with it.  But we can try and learn from things that happened the last time around, and there have certainly been things to learn from 2009, which we <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/30/massivelys-top-5-news-stories-of-2009/">touched on</a> <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/30/the-daily-grind-2009s-defining-moment/">yesterday</a>.  That's where the whole tradition of resolutions for the new year comes from.  And as we all know, the second-best way to force yourself to do something is to make it public.  (The first is to have someone following you around with a shotgun.)<br />
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So, today we ask you just before the clock ticks over: what are you going to do differently in the coming year?  Was there a single event that you learned from, or were there multiple events that contributed to you wanting to make a change?  It could be anything from trying to avoid getting too invested in the pre-launch hype of a game to just trying not to die quite so often when playing a melee character, but we're sure you have at least one thing you'd like to try differently in the new year.  (And if you do find a way to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_travel">rewind time</a>, please, let us know.)<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/the-daily-grind-what-will-you-change-in-2010/">The Daily Grind: What will you change in 2010?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/the-daily-grind-what-will-you-change-in-2010/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19298861/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/the-daily-grind-what-will-you-change-in-2010/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2010</category><category>braid</category><category>end-of-2009</category><category>lessons-learned</category><category>new-year</category><category>new-years-resolutions</category><category>resolutions</category><category>tdg</category><category>the-daily-grind</category><category>time-travel</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliot Lefebvre]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jagex cancels MechScape at significant cost, restarts anew]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/29/jagex-cancels-mechscape-at-significant-cost-restarts-anew/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/29/jagex-cancels-mechscape-at-significant-cost-restarts-anew/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/29/jagex-cancels-mechscape-at-significant-cost-restarts-anew/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mechscape/" rel="tag">Mechscape</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/stellar-dawn/" rel="tag">Stellar Dawn</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Jagex/"><img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/10/540we34rt0fwj234.jpg" /><br />
</a></div>
<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Jagex/">Jagex</a> CEO Mark Gerhard <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/jagex-cans-mechscape-at-enormous-cost">has indeed confirmed the cancellation</a> of <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mechscape"><em>MechScape</em></a>, although you wouldn't quite know it from his comments, which seem excited to be working on a different title with a new direction. This isn't the first time an in-development MMO has been rebooted in favor of a completely new direction, although <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/Tabula-Rasa/"><em>Tabula Rasa</em></a> at least kept its original name. <br />
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Why the sudden decision? According to Gerhard, <em>MechScape</em> wasn't able to avoid the same pitfalls of <a href="http://www.runescape.com/"><em>RuneScape</em></a>. Of course, making such a move is going to cost Jagex millions, but their current financial success will be shouldering the weight. The new game -- known as <em>Stellar Dawn</em> -- should be coming in 2010 and will be based on the <em>MechScape</em> graphics engine.<br />
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The big changes planned for <em>Stellar Dawn</em> are content and combat focused, although no specifics were given by Gerhard. It's a bold move, no doubt, and sometimes this industry favors such decisions -- other times it punishes them significantly. Whether you look at this as stalled (<em>Tabula Rasa</em>) or prolonged (everything <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Blizzard/">Blizzard</a>) development, you have to admit it creates a notable amount of interest in Jagex's 2010 game.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/29/jagex-cancels-mechscape-at-significant-cost-restarts-anew/">Jagex cancels MechScape at significant cost, restarts anew</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/jagex-cans-mechscape-at-enormous-cost>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/29/jagex-cancels-mechscape-at-significant-cost-restarts-anew/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19214917/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/29/jagex-cancels-mechscape-at-significant-cost-restarts-anew/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2010</category><category>blizzard</category><category>breaking</category><category>cancel</category><category>cancelled</category><category>eurogamer</category><category>jagex</category><category>mark-gerhard</category><category>mechscape</category><category>runescape</category><category>stellar-dawn</category><category>tabula-rasa</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kyle Horner]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Blood Moon releases, hints of future content for Champions Online]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/blood-moon-releases-hints-of-future-content-for-champions-onlin/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/blood-moon-releases-hints-of-future-content-for-champions-onlin/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/blood-moon-releases-hints-of-future-content-for-champions-onlin/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/patches/" rel="tag">Patches</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/champions-online/" rel="tag">Champions Online</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/blood-moon-releases-hints-of-future-content-for-champions-onlin/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/10/headerchamps248fj385hjrt3.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/blood-moon">Blood Moon</a> is out and <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Cryptic/">Cryptic</a> is ensuring everyone knows all about what's being offered in the first free content update / seasonal event in their <a href="http://forums.champions-online.com/showthread.php?p=1318027">newest State of the Game address</a>. First and foremost is the news that Cryptic will be keeping their promise of people being able to earn things like retcons and additional characters slots simply by playing the game. You can still buy this for cold hard- er, Cryptic Points, but it's not the only path to acquiring said bonuses.<br />
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Also, remember <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/13/new-blood-moon-info-released-we-spy-new-costume-pieces/">those new costume pieces</a> we told you about? They're real, and really free, too -- along with a handful of other new pieces that came with the update. In addition to the pieces everyone gets from patching, there are new unlocks earned by playing Blood Moon content.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/blood-moon-releases-hints-of-future-content-for-champions-onlin/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Blood Moon releases, hints of future content for Champions Online</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/blood-moon-releases-hints-of-future-content-for-champions-onlin/">Blood Moon releases, hints of future content for Champions Online</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://forums.champions-online.com/showthread.php?p=1318027>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/blood-moon-releases-hints-of-future-content-for-champions-onlin/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19212652/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/blood-moon-releases-hints-of-future-content-for-champions-onlin/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2010</category><category>atari</category><category>blood-moon</category><category>content</category><category>costume</category><category>costume-pieces</category><category>costumes</category><category>cryptic</category><category>cryptic-points</category><category>cryptic-studios</category><category>december</category><category>state-of-the-game</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kyle Horner]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Latest APB trailer shoots, drives, pops and locks onto your screen]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/18/latest-apb-trailer-shoots-drives-pops-and-locks-onto-your-scre/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/18/latest-apb-trailer-shoots-drives-pops-and-locks-onto-your-scre/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/18/latest-apb-trailer-shoots-drives-pops-and-locks-onto-your-scre/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/video/" rel="tag">Video</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/all-points-bulletin/" rel="tag">All Points Bulletin</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/all-points-bulletin/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/09/bustamoveapb282.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
Before you wonder, we'll answer: The third <em><a href="http://www.apb.com">All Points Bulletin</a></em> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QssOFOj7AeE">official trailer</a> is pretty much all gameplay footage. We say pretty much, because there is a little dancing in it and, well, you'll just have to see for yourselves.<br /><br />What the trailer does with profound effectiveness is make you want to play the game much sooner than Spring 2010. We're not sure if it's the infectious song and its singer requesting that you give him both daft and punk, or if it's because there's a point in the video where three cars leap from stacked freight containers, onto a building and over into a street. Actually, it's probably the delicious combination of those two things.<br /><br />Check out the video after the break.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/18/latest-apb-trailer-shoots-drives-pops-and-locks-onto-your-scre/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Latest APB trailer shoots, drives, pops and locks onto your screen</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/18/latest-apb-trailer-shoots-drives-pops-and-locks-onto-your-scre/">Latest APB trailer shoots, drives, pops and locks onto your screen</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QssOFOj7AeE>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/18/latest-apb-trailer-shoots-drives-pops-and-locks-onto-your-scre/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19166444/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/18/latest-apb-trailer-shoots-drives-pops-and-locks-onto-your-scre/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2010</category><category>all-points-bulletin</category><category>apb</category><category>ea</category><category>ea-partners</category><category>electronic-arts</category><category>realtime-worlds</category><category>spring</category><category>trailer</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kyle Horner]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[BioWare MMO release window revealed, KotOR rumors persist]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/bioware-mmo-release-window-revealed-kotor-rumors-persist/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/bioware-mmo-release-window-revealed-kotor-rumors-persist/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/bioware-mmo-release-window-revealed-kotor-rumors-persist/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/launches/" rel="tag">Launches</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/rumors/" rel="tag">Rumors</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.bioware.com"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/06/hk47sowplz.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com">Total Video Games</a> has a new scoop about <a href="http://www.bioware.com">BioWare</a>'s mysterious MMO project. The site <a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/news/EA/BioWare_MMO_Due_In_2010_13373_5665_0.htm">reports</a> that <a href="http://www.ea.com">Electronic Arts</a>' CEO told investors that his company is funding an MMO in Austin. Of course, that's a no brainer. Since <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/bioware">BioWare</a> is owned by <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/ea">EA</a> now, we assumed that much. But he want on to say that the MMO is slated for a release in "the fiscal 2010/2011." That means it's coming between April 2010 and March 2011. It'll be a long wait; how sad! That's not all, though.<br /><br />There's also the rumor that will not -- <em>cannot</em> die. An alleged disgruntled ex-<a href="http://www.lucasarts.com">LucasArts</a> employee (the "ex" bit because of the recent layoffs) <a href="http://kotaku.com/5013769/rumor-ex+lucasarts-staffer-talks-kotor-3-more-indy-wii-lightsaber-game">e-mailed gaming blog Kotaku</a> saying that one of the projects "in the pipeline" at <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/lucasarts">LucasArts</a> is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_the_Old_Republic_3#Star_Wars:_Knights_of_the_Old_Republic_-_Commencement"><em>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3</em>.</a> That alone is no surprise, since LucasArts and BioWare <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/30/lucasarts-bioware-announce-the-kotor-mmo-maybe/">announced</a> a new collaboration months ago, but ... he also said that <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/kotor"><em>KotOR 3</em></a> is an MMO. <br /><br />Oh noes! Not that rumor again! Well, anyway, we're sure our very intelligent readers know to take with a kilogram of salt the paraphrased words of an alleged disgruntled former employee. Right?<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/bioware-mmo-release-window-revealed-kotor-rumors-persist/">BioWare MMO release window revealed, KotOR rumors persist</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:30:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.totalvideogames.com/news/EA/BioWare_MMO_Due_In_2010_13373_5665_0.htm>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/bioware-mmo-release-window-revealed-kotor-rumors-persist/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1230224/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/bioware-mmo-release-window-revealed-kotor-rumors-persist/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>2010</category><category>2011</category><category>bioware</category><category>bioware-mmo</category><category>ea</category><category>electronic-arts</category><category>knights-of-the-old-republic</category><category>kotor</category><category>kotor-3</category><category>kotor-mmo</category><category>lucasarts</category><category>release-date</category><category>rumor</category><category>star-wars</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Samuel Axon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:30:00 EST</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
