Massively

Age of Empires Online shuts down tomorrow

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Free-to-Play, MMORTS, Sunsets

After tomorrow, Age of Empires Online will be no more. The online adaptation of the popular Microsoft RTS franchise will be shut down along with the PC Marketplace as of 7:00 p.m. EDT on July 1st.

"On July 01, 2014, Age of Empires Online will shut down permanently. We thank the loyal fans for their support and commitment and look forward to many more battles before Age of Empires Online is retired," the studio posted on Facebook last year.

This will come as a shock to no one, as Age of Empires' population decline was well-known and acknowledged by the dev team itself. The studio hasn't been developing new content for the game since January 2013.

Age of Empires Online shuts down tomorrow originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft's Perry on F2P the wrong way

Jef Reahard — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play

Today's winner of the most provocative post title award is this little ditty about Age of Empires Online. But hey, don't blame Massively! It's actually the title of a speech given by Microsoft's Kevin Perry at GDC Europe 2013. Gamasutra has posted video of the event, and it's well worth watching if you've got 45 minutes to kill and you're interested in what goes through a developer's mind as he thinks about continually evolving monetization schemes.

Perry says that this particular speech is on its third iteration. It initially started out positive when he shared it with an internal Microsoft audience some time ago. He then reworked it based on newly collected data about the game for GDC San Francisco earlier this year. And then he reworked it again for GDC Europe based on even more data. If you're sensing a trend here, you're right: game devs often don't know how well their business models are performing at any given time.

As Perry says, "it's an ongoing conversation."

There are a few other choice quotes as well, including the notion that PvP players are small in number but "very, very loud" in terms of influence as well as the supposition that you can launch incomplete games under the F2P business model and "sort it out on the fly." This last bit isn't always true, Perry says, "especially for a large, branded title."

Microsoft's Perry on F2P the wrong way originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Nov 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft PC Marketplace closure to affect Age of Empires Online

Jef Reahard — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Business Models, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMORTS

Microsoft is is closing down its Xbox.com PC Marketplace on August 22nd. The company is also retiring its Microsoft Points virtual currency on the same date. What does this have to do with MMOs?

Well, it affects Age of Empires Online players by limiting their ability to purchase DLC after the closure date. According to a post on the game's official forums, players may still download and enjoy previously purchased content through Games for Windows LIVE after the 22nd, even if said content was originally purchased via Steam. And even though marketplace purchases are going away, in-game purchases using Empire Points will still be available.

[Thanks jackpipsam!]

Microsoft PC Marketplace closure to affect Age of Empires Online originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 Aug 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gas Powered Games announces Wildman

Elisabeth Cardy — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business Models, New Titles, News Items, MOBA, Crowdfunding

Gas Powered Games, the studio behind Age of Empires and a handful of other titles, has hopped on the Kickstarter train. Wildman hit Kickstarter today and has 32 days to hit its $1,100,000 goal. The game is an three-way action RPG/RTS/MOBA hybrid. GPG CEO Chris Taylor told Gamasutra that he's basically "betting the company on it." The Kickstarter is meant both to raise the necessary funds to continue making the game and to give fans a stake and voice in Wildman's development.

If the project hits its funding and makes it to release, we're hoping it'll feel right at home in our Not So Massively column.

Gas Powered Games announces Wildman originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Age of Empires Online adopts a truly free business model

MJ Guthrie — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Business Models, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMORTS, Age of Empires Online

Last month, the Age of Empires Online developers announced an aim to take the game away from its "free-to-try" business model and move to truly free. With the latest update, the real-time strategy game will not only convert to a truly free-to-play model but also offer new content to players in the form of Alliance Wars (a team-based competition for level-40 players) along with new purchasable vanity items and consumables.

In the move to make all premium content available through gameplay, the game's currency -- Empire Points -- can now be earned through conventional play or purchased through Steam. Chris Taylor, founder and CEO of Gas Powered Games, explains, "With Empire Points and this true free-to-play business model, we are giving players what they have repeatedly asked for... fewer pay walls and more ways for players to experience this legendary franchise."

As the game transitions to this new model, all current players will receive a gift of 500 Empire Points automatically, while new accounts will receive 100. Current players who had Empire Points previously will see them converted into in-game coin.

[Source: Gas Powered Games press release]

Age of Empires Online adopts a truly free business model originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2012: InnoGames talks pirate MMOs, strategy titles, and games for women

Andrew Ross — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Historical, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Interviews, New Titles, Previews, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Browser, Hands-On, Casual, Hands-On (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage), Sandbox

At this year's E3, we had a nice long chat with German studio InnoGames about its MMO repertoire. The company actually started out quite small with three college buddies, who released their first game only to their close friends. That game, Tribal Wars, and its original servers are still around, albeit with some updated graphics to keep things looking fresh, but we wanted to focus on the team's more recent offerings.

While InnoGames has several titles under its belt, including Bounty Hounds, we focused primarily on Kartuga, a pirate-themed strategy MMO; Lagoonia, a social building game created by and aimed at women; and Forge of Empires, which is similar to the Age of Empires series. All three games are free-to-play browser games, and we even got a pinch of hands-on time.

Continue reading E3 2012: InnoGames talks pirate MMOs, strategy titles, and games for women

E3 2012: InnoGames talks pirate MMOs, strategy titles, and games for women originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Age of Empires developers talk about free-to-try and free-to-play

Elisabeth Cardy — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Business Models, Interviews, News Items, MMORTS, Age of Empires Online

Gas Powered Games is aiming to take Age of Empires Online out of DLC-supported free-to-play and into a truly free model. That means moving away from what Systems Design Lead Eric Williamson described as "more of a free to try" model and implementing a system through which players can earn points to unlock anything that could be more quickly bought with money. In anticipation of this change, PC Gamer sat down with Williamson and Design Lead Steve Bauman for a chat about some of the philosophy behind the change.

Williams said that their hope is that people who were previously turned off by the imperative that they spend money for full in-game advantage will be willing to give it another go. Players will now be able to earn enough points to unlock a premium civilization in "as short as two or three weeks of daily play," so those who spend the most time in-game will reap the greatest reward. Empire points, the purchase resource that will be gained by either money or in-game achievement, will be earned by players as they complete specific campaign quests, level up, and participate in Alliance Contests.

Age of Empires developers talk about free-to-try and free-to-play originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Age of Empires Online ventures north with the Celts

Matt Daniel — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Trailers, Video, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMORTS, Age of Empires Online

Age of Empires Online has been bringing free-to-play RTS action to the masses since August of last year, but so far players have had access to just three civilizations: Greek, Egyptian, and Persian. All of that is about to change, though, so ready your shillelaghs as the Celts join the battle. This new civilization, which seems to draw inspiration predominantly from Irish and Scottish folklore, will bring players a variety of new units and strategies with which to drive the opposition to its knees. Whether you're wreaking havoc with the speedy Woad Raiders or sacrificing a deer with the druidic Augur, the Celts will certainly bring new twists to any playstyle.

And of course, a new civilization also means new quests. The Celts' quests will have players battling it out in the frigid north, where the icy weather will slowly sap the health of any unit caught in the elements. The Celts will also introduce stealth missions, such as infiltrating an enemy fortress without waking the sleeping guards. To see the new civilization in action, just click past the cut for a bagpipe-filled teaser video, then head on over to the game's official site to get in on the action for yourself. Sláinte!

Continue reading Age of Empires Online ventures north with the Celts

Age of Empires Online ventures north with the Celts originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Age of Empires Online readying skirmish mode, new booster pack

Jef Reahard — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMORTS, Age of Empires Online

Age of Empires Online is getting a skirmish mode courtesy of the upcoming Skirmish Hall booster pack. The new gameplay will allow players to team up and fight AI opponents in pursuit of experience and loot.

Skirmish mode will pit you and a friend (or computer ally) against four computer-controlled enemies, and each AI can take on a variety of different playstyles. Each style is represented by a unique leader, and there are eight of these to choose from.

Also of note is the fact that skirmish mode unlocks all of the game's units regardless of your overall level. If you want to preview some powerful Age of Empires units that are hidden away behind hours of advancement gameplay, skirmish mode is the way to go. Check out the skirmish mode trailer after the break for more details.

Continue reading Age of Empires Online readying skirmish mode, new booster pack

Age of Empires Online readying skirmish mode, new booster pack originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Age of Empires Online introduces Season Pass, details pricing

Matt Daniel — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Business Models, Economy, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMORTS

Microsoft has released more information on the pricing plans that will soon be available to players of Age of Empires Online, the newest installment in the RTS series that launched just today. On top of the previously established Premium Civilization packs (weighing in at $20 each), the Defense of Crete booster ($9.99), and Empire Extras ($4.99), players will also be able to purchase a Season Pass.

The Season Pass grants players a 30% discount on all cash shop items for six months. The Season Pass itself is reported to set players back a hefty $99.99, so it will likely only be useful for the most hardcore of Age of Empires Online players. But if you're planning on buying up every bit of content the company drops, it may save you a few bucks. In addition to the Season Pass, Microsoft also announced that players who buy the Greek and Egyptian civilizations will receive the Defense of Crete booster for free. For more information on the just-launched online RTS, check out Joystiq's hands-on impressions of the game.

Age of Empires Online introduces Season Pass, details pricing originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Age of Empires Online monthly content updates in the works

Jef Reahard — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMORTS

Launch day is coming up fast for Age of Empires Online, and August 16th can't come fast enough for fans of MMORTS titles. In addition to the game's official kickoff, players can also look forward to new Greek and Egyptian civilizations and the Defense of Crete booster pack. If that's not enough, a new Microsoft press release has announced that Age of Empires Online will be "adding new premium content monthly to further expand your gameplay options in a persistent and evolving world."

Said expanding will take the form of two new civilizations and a new booster pack that will be added to the game by the end of 2011. First up is the Celtic civilization, and these masters of metalwork and crafting will help you earn new gear and rewards. Next are the Persians, and players will take control of units including Immortals, mounted archers, and attack elephants.

Finally, the Skirmish Hall booster pack allows players to control the battlefield by customizing their starting age, forces, resources, difficulty levels, and the number of enemies.

New Age of Empires Online monthly content updates in the works originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Age of Empires Online launching August 16th

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, Free-to-Play, MMORTS

There are just a couple of months yet until you can conquer the world from the comfort of your bedroom, but that's no excuse to let your hygiene slip. Microsoft Game Studios announced that Age of Empires Online will be released on August 16th with two initial civilizations: the Greeks and Egyptians.

As the latest in the long-running civilization sim franchise, Age of Empires Online will allow players to build up persistent towns, establish trade between other players, work on crafting and quests, and even go to war when needed.

While the initial core gameplay will be available for free, Microsoft hopes that players will get so hooked that they'll gladly purchase Age of Empires Online "Premium Content Packs" to enhance their experience. These packs will include new civilizations and game modes. 1UP reports that in addition to the typical digital download, Microsoft will be shipping out retail boxes in order to snag a larger audience -- although these boxes will merely contain instructions how to download the game.

Gallery: Age of Empires Online

Age of Empires Online launching August 16th originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft reveals 48-hour 'secret access' to Age of Empires Online beta

Jef Reahard — Thu, 05 May 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Historical, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMORTS

Yearning for an early look at Age of Empires Online? If so, Microsoft Game Studios has some good news for you. Starting today, you can jump into a 48-hour secret access beta signup session simply by registering for a Windows Live ID (or logging in if you already have one).

This is your last chance to get in on some Age of Empires beta action before MGS closes it to the public, so hurry and visit the signup link before Saturday, May 7th. You'll be able to download the beta client immediately and get started testing shortly thereafter. If you missed our beta key giveaway a couple of weeks ago, don't miss what could be your last opportunity to take part in the upcoming MMORTS' testing phase!

Microsoft reveals 48-hour 'secret access' to Age of Empires Online beta originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 May 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Snag an Age of Empires Online beta key!

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Free-to-Play, MMORTS, Promotions

If you're an old school Age of Empires player, then you have fond memories of harvesting bushes for berries, scooting your peasants inside the town hall during an attack, and spreading your civilized society by the pointy end of your swords. Those good ol' memories are being made new in Gas Powered Games' Age of Empires Online, which is heading our way good and fast.

Assuming that the thought of creating a civilization from scratch to dominate your enemies pleases your sensibilities, you can now grab a free beta key from Curse. Simply nab a key while they last, then head on over to the Age of Empires Online site to redeem it and download the beta client.

We're looking forward to hearing how this MMORTS plays, so if you get in, make sure to give us your fair assessment!

Snag an Age of Empires Online beta key! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Age of Empires Online gameplay, microtransactions detailed

Jef Reahard — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Historical, Business Models, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Miscellaneous

New details on Microsoft's Age of Empires Online have surfaced at Gamasutra, with much of the information centered on the game's free-to-play business model and associated microtransaction offerings. The game will feature a Premium Civilization upgrade that unlocks all of a civilization's abilities simultaneously, as well as booster packs that add gameplay types, quests, and appearance customization items to the mix.

Age of Empires Online will launch with Greek and Eqyptian civilizations, and will be the first entry in the long-running series to feature persistent gameplay (i.e., your city will evolve and earn resources even when you're logged off). The game also boasts PvP functionality as well as cooperative play on the vast majority of its quests.

You can learn more about the game, as well as sign up for beta, at the official website.

Age of Empires Online gameplay, microtransactions detailed originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week on The MMO Report

Rubi Bayer — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: News Items, Humor, The MMO Report

This week's MMO Report was filled with awesome, thanks in large part to the news coming out of Gamescom.

Casey kicked things off with Age of Empires' pending arrival to the MMO world, and then moved on to the SWTOR space combat video, which Casey loved just as much as the rest of the SWTOR fanbase. To quote: "If you aren't bouncing up and down in your chair at this very moment, you have no soul."

The latest news from Realtime Worlds was up next, followed by TERA's new cinematic and a cautionary tale about messing with Blizzard.

As always, you can check out The MMO Report every week on G4TV.

This week on The MMO Report originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Age of Empires Online promises not to nickle-and-dime players

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business Models, New Titles, MMORTS

Love it, hate it or meeky accept it, the terms "freemium" and "free-to-play" come with a lot of baggage these days, sometimes to the point of overshadowing the game itself. When Age of Empires fans heard that Microsoft was going to be releasing an online version of the hit RTS series, some of the fans' enthusiasm was tempered by the word that it would adopt the popular freemium business model.

Microsoft Game Studio's Dave Luehmann was on hand at Gamescom to assure players that the company isn't out to nickle-and-dime fans to skip parts of the game they don't like. Joystiq reports that they won't be adopting the same strategy as other F2P models. "I don't like to pay for things I don't like to do, that seems kind of backwards," Luehmann said. "So how about we produce things that people actually want?"

Instead of purchasing a lot of little items, the studio will simply put up large chunks of content as one-time purchases. These might include a new civilization or an area containing a plethora of quests. Microsoft is still feeling out a fair price point for the additional content, but it pointed to the fact that Age of Empires Online will ship with more than 25 hours of completely free entertainment to enjoy.

Age of Empires Online promises not to nickle-and-dime players originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft announces Age of Empires Online

Jef Reahard — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 01:30:00 EST

Filed under: New Titles, News Items

The first bit of interesting MMO news from Gamescom 2010 belongs to Microsoft, as the software giant has announced the latest entry in the venerable Age of Empires franchise. Age of Empires Online will offer players the chance to take their city-building adventures to the next level via a persistent online capital that grows even when its owner is offline.

The new title also features co-op multiplayer questing, trading, and a leveling mechanic in addition to story-based gameplay. Age of Empires Online will also feature free online gameplay via the Games for Windows platform, as well as a new graphical style that represents something of a stylistic departure from past titles in the series.

Interested in what the new title looks like? Check out our gallery of gameplay screenshots below, and be sure to watch the trailer here!

Gallery: Age of Empires Online

Microsoft announces Age of Empires Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 01:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blogger sued by Evony for defamation, libel

Seraphina Brennan — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, News Items, Legal, MMORTS

Serve me now, my lord!

Blogger Bruce Everiss, author of the website BruceOnGames.com, has been sued by Evony LLC, the company behind the notorious online webgame Evony, formerly Civony. The suit stems from Bruce's Evony coverage and critical stance towards the game, including his assertions that Evony LLC is a company under the WoWmine.org network (a site that is allegedly part of a World of Warcraft gold farming network), his statements concerning the company being based in China, and that their game has infringed on other game IPs, including Civilization and Age of Empires.

Evony usually comes under fire for their very transparent marketing strategy, which is usually slapping a hot woman (who has nothing to do with their civilization/empire building MMORTS) onto an ad to entice gamers to click. However, as we posted prior, some bloggers have found some content that was directly ripped off from Civilization and Age of Empires, however the Age of Empires assets have been removed from the current iteration of the game.

Continue reading Blogger sued by Evony for defamation, libel

Blogger sued by Evony for defamation, libel originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gazillion Entertainment Names Stuart Moulder as VP

Jon Shute — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Jumpgate Evolution, MMO Industry, LEGO Universe

Gazillion Entertainment have announced that their expansion into the MMO market continues with hiring Stuart Moulder as their new Vice President of Studios, with responsibility for game development across all of their studios. Gazillion recently announced that they had purchased Netdevil, who are developing Jumpgate Evolution and LEGO Universe. They also announced that they are developing two games based on the Marvel superhero licence.

Moulder has most recently worked as Senior Vice President at Screenlife where he was responsible for bringing the Scene It? license to games as helping with the sale of the company to Paramount Digital. He also spent eight years at Microsoft where he was responsible for acquiring and managing companies such as Halo developer Bungie, Age of Empires and Halo Wars developer Ensemble Studios and veteran developers FASA of Mechwarrior and Shadowrun fame, although since he has left Microsoft we have seen Ensemble Studios and FASA shut down and Bungie has become independent.

Gazillion Entertainment Names Stuart Moulder as VP originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China's forgotten gamers

James Egan — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Business Models, Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, Casual

Frank Yu over at Gamasutra wrote a piece recently that didn't exactly slip through the cracks, but was certainly overshadowed by more pressing concerns that affected online gaming in Asia. Yu's 'China's Forgotten Gamers' -- from his China Angle column -- is a look at the invisible population of gamers in the country that industry demographics simply cannot account for. In North America and Europe, subscriptions, registered downloads and box sales provide an accurate picture of who's playing a given title; China is a different story altogether. Credit cards are nowhere near as prevalent among the Chinese as they are abroad; box sales have largely been a failure due to piracy. Added to the mix is the fact that not everyone can afford to play games legitimately, and so some Chinese gamers find ways to play outside of the system.

Although the reported numbers of gamers playing the various titles in China are large, Yu says, "In China, we track game players by subscriber or registration numbers, or by the amount of money they spend giving companies revenue. If they don't register or pay money, they are somewhat invisible to the industry or, from the business viewpoint, irrelevant."

Continue reading China's forgotten gamers

China's forgotten gamers originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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