Dan Stahl talks about Star Trek Online's user-generated content

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, Patches, News items, Star Trek Online

With its first doses of weekly content a success, Star Trek Online is in a fairly comfortable spot at the moment. But there are still places to expand, including the often-mentioned tools for user-generated content. Although the tool isn't yet in the game, executive producer Dan Stahl has been discussing it for some time, and he goes into a bit more depth in a recent interview. He also discusses some of the upcoming changes scheduled for the game's later major updates, including interior interaction and bridge officer voices.

Among the more interesting issues discussed is the impact of user-generated content on the game's licensing. Everything currently in the game required approval from CBS first, which Stahl states has led to some discussion about how the user toolsets will interact with the canonical fiction. He also discusses several improvements planned for season 4, and the possibility of more interaction with ship interiors starting in season 4 or 5. Star Trek Online players are encouraged to take a look at the newest interview for a clearer picture of the game's future.

Dan Stahl talks about Star Trek Online's user-generated content originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EU gives Activision-Blizzard a big thumbs up

Samuel Axon — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO industry, News items

After reviewing Activision-Blizzard's case for a few weeks, the European Commission announced its approval of the huge merger yesterday. The EU had final say approving the merger because Vivendi is a French company. Officials decided the deal wouldn't threaten the fairness of the market.

The commission made a statement, saying that Activision Blizzard "would continue to face several strong, effective competitors, such as Electronic Arts, and the game console manufacturers, such as Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft." There were some concerns that the company could have an unfair advantage in licensing music for games because Vivendi owns Universal Music Group, but they were set aside because "competing game publishers would continue to have access to a sufficiently large portfolio of music rights from alternative suppliers."

The lesson: Activision Blizzard is officially not a monopoly, thanks to EA. We could go into extreme detail weighing the pluses and negatives of the decision, but we've analyzed this merger plenty enough already. At some point, you just have to decide to sit back and see what happens.

EU gives Activision-Blizzard a big thumbs up originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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