Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[World of Warcraft coming to Brazil]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/world-of-warcraft-coming-to-brazil/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/world-of-warcraft-coming-to-brazil/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/world-of-warcraft-coming-to-brazil/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

A fully localized World of Warcraft is on its way to Brazil, complete with a Portuguese client and customer service platform. This marks Blizzard's ninth officially supported language according to a press blurb on the company's website, and the third supported language in Latin America (following the English and Spanish versions).

Blizzard is providing a full suite of payment options for Brazilian customers, with the base game (plus the Burning Crusade expansion) available for BRL 29.90, while Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm will retail for BRL 99.90 each. If retail boxes aren't your thing, the Brazilian version of WoW will also be available through Battle.net.

Finally, subscription plans come in 30-day, 90-day, and 180-day flavors, and 60-day time cards will be available in retail stores. North American players who wish to play on the dedicated Brazilian realms may install a language pack or purchase the Portuguese client, and Blizzard says that "additional pricing details and an official release date [...] will be announced closer to launch."

MassivelyWorld of Warcraft coming to Brazil originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Activision-BlizzardblizzardBlizzard-Entertainmentbrazilburning-crusadebusiness-modelscataclysmfantasylatin-americammo-industryportugueseportuguese-clientworld-of-warcraftwowwow-brasilWrath-of-the-Lich-KingFri, 22 Jul 2011 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Virtual Whirl: A brief history of Second Life, the middle years]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/03/the-virtual-whirl-a-brief-history-of-second-life-the-middle-ye/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/03/the-virtual-whirl-a-brief-history-of-second-life-the-middle-ye/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/03/the-virtual-whirl-a-brief-history-of-second-life-the-middle-ye/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

This week, we cover the second installment of our summarized history of Second Life and Linden Lab (or check out part one, if you missed it). From 2005, there's an impossible amount of material to cover, but there are some interesting stories lurking among it all.

Join us as we work our way through some of the interesting highlights from 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Continue reading The Virtual Whirl: A brief history of Second Life, the middle years

MassivelyThe Virtual Whirl: A brief history of Second Life, the middle years originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 03 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ailin-graefanshe-chungblack-septemberbrazilbugsbusiness-modelsbusiness-weekcultureeconomyFBIfeaturedgamblingginko-financialgomgriefersgriefinghistorylegallinden-dollarslinden-labmmo-industrynipplegateopinionquicktimesao-paulosecond-lifesllaterrorismthe-virtual-whirltrademarkuigeavirtual-worldsworld-stock-exchangeSat, 03 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Second Life Global Provider Program troubled?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/16/second-life-global-provider-program-troubled/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/16/second-life-global-provider-program-troubled/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/16/second-life-global-provider-program-troubled/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Back in 2007, Linden Lab formed regional partnerships with companies to operate localized portals for the Second Life platform, called the Global Provider Program (also sometimes referred to by the Lab as the Gold Provider Program, though distinct from the Gold Solution Provider Program). Linden Lab identified three non-English regional markets that it felt were priorities for support and localization: Brazil, Korea and Germany.

The first of the providers was Kaizen Games in Brazil, followed by Barunson Games (then called T-Entertainment) in Korea in October 2007. Bokowsky and Laymann might constitute a third partner in this program for Germany, but the the actual arrangement there isn't very clear.

Continue reading Second Life Global Provider Program troubled?

MassivelySecond Life Global Provider Program troubled? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>barunson-gamesbokowsky-laymannbrazilchoi-he-sukgermanykaizen-gameskoreakorea-heraldlinden-labmainland-brasilmmo-industrysecond-lifesecond-life-viewersera-koreasl-global-provider-programt-entertainmentvirtual-worldsMon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hello Kitty Online's world domination plan has begun]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/18/hello-kitty-onlines-world-domination-plan-has-begun/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/18/hello-kitty-onlines-world-domination-plan-has-begun/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/18/hello-kitty-onlines-world-domination-plan-has-begun/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


While Massively focuses on a lot of the bigger games on the market, the World of Warcrafts and Warhammer Onlines out there that define fantasy MMOs for many gamers, we still like to keep our eyes on the lesser-discussed MMO titles. Which leads me to my point -- we're on to you Hello Kitty. We've said this before and we'll probably say it again, Hello Kitty has her cute little eyes set on nothing less than absolute global domination through Hello Kitty Online.

It began with her decking out Beijing with even more stars than the real Beijing, a feat most thought impossible, much less swathing the city in pink and purple hues. We've since learned that she wants Brazil, as well as Singapore and Malaysia, in her little paws. Apparently the next phase of her plan involves new avatar customization options with cute little... outfit... thingies... in the item mall. It's diabolical! Just check out the screengrabs below, if you dare.

Continue reading Hello Kitty Online's world domination plan has begun

MassivelyHello Kitty Online's world domination plan has begun originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beijingbrazilcasualhello-kitty-onlinehkokidsmalaysiammo-industrynew-titlessinaporeThu, 18 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Inner World launches a new magazine for Second Life]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/18/inner-world-launches-a-new-magazine-for-second-life/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/18/inner-world-launches-a-new-magazine-for-second-life/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/18/inner-world-launches-a-new-magazine-for-second-life/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The creators of the new Inner World magazine have let us know that they've got their inaugural edition out, and it's 92 pages of pretty, served up by Issuu. The Inner World magazine appears to be the brainchild of Jussara Correa, of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Available in Portuguese or (slightly uncertainly-formed) English, the magazine has a lot going for it with a panoply of advertising-supported Art, places and stories from Second Life. There's a smattering of mature content (that's 'boobies' for those of you who probably shouldn't be taking a look), so take care about when and where you choose to idly flip through the mag.

The Issuu viewer that it runs on top of requires flash and javascript and is happiest under Windows (other platforms may have a less than ideal viewing experience with the layout), but nevertheless seems to be an attractive alternative to PDF-formatted online magazines and tabloids. It's colorful, pretty and doesn't represent a lot of heavy reading.

Are you a part of the most widely-known collaborative virtual environment or keeping a close eye on it? Massively's Second Life coverage keeps you in the loop.

MassivelyInner World launches a new magazine for Second Life originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>boobsbrazilcultureinner-world-magazinejussara-correaportuguesesao-paulosecond-lifevirtual-worldsWed, 18 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[New soccer/football MMO seeks to profit on Brazil's passion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/11/new-soccer-football-mmo-seeks-to-profit-on-brazils-passion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/11/new-soccer-football-mmo-seeks-to-profit-on-brazils-passion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/11/new-soccer-football-mmo-seeks-to-profit-on-brazils-passion/#commentsFiled under: , ,


A Chicago-based company called Interzone Entertainment will be publishing a new soccer MMO in Brazil in the fourth quarter of this year. The game is called Interzone Futebol, and of course it will at first be in Portuguese. Interzone says it will translate the game for other markets shortly, though.

It's actually a pretty cool concept. It's not a team management game like most sports titles. Rather, it's a bit like EA Sports' quasi-recent Superstar mode trend. That it is to say, each player will control one athlete who improves and learns new moves over time. Every athlete on the field in every match will be controlled by a human player, and those players will be able to invite their friends to join them in the middle of any match.

Interzone chose to launch in Brazil first because ... well, if you can't answer that, you don't know much about soccer. Or Brazil, for that matter.

MassivelyNew soccer/football MMO seeks to profit on Brazil's passion originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brazilfootballinterzone-entertainmentinterzone-futebolsoccersportsworlds-in-motionWed, 11 Jun 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Brazilian court bans EverQuest]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/18/a-brazilian-court-bans-everquest/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/18/a-brazilian-court-bans-everquest/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/18/a-brazilian-court-bans-everquest/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

In a classic moment of governmental insanity, word has gone out that a court in the Brazilian state of Goias has put a ban out on Sony Online Entertainment's EverQuest. The consumer protection agency for the country has apparently picked up on the ban, and is noting it on its official website.

Kotaku readers have been writing in to that site, expanding on this decision and a similar one that has been handed down on the tactical shooter Counter-Strike. This ban technically applies to the whole country, as decisions made in one court system are technically the law of the land throughout Brazil. A reader noted that at the moment only the state of Goias is applying the ban, as other court leaders seem to think the decision may be flawed.

Fascinatingly, EverQuest isn't even commercially released in the country of Brazil. Even more interesting, reader comments seem to indicate this is a forced ban: copies of the game reported being 'taken' by the police. The ban (on EQ, anyway) seems to stem from the moral ambiguity of many of the quests:

As for EverQuest, Procon states that it "takes the gamer to complete moral conflict and 'heavy' psychological conflicts; for the tasks that are given to them could be bad or good. (...) Violent videogames that use violence are capable of forming agressive individuals, making it evident that is strong its influence on psyquism, reinforcing aggressive attitude against certain individuals and social groups".

Further commentary is available at Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

MassivelyA Brazilian court bans EverQuest originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jan 2008 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>banningbrazilbreakingcrackdowneverquestsoesony-online-entertainmentFri, 18 Jan 2008 23:00:00 EST