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['We hear you loud and clear': CCP clarifies third-party application licensing fees]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/22/we-hear-you-loud-and-clear-ccp-clarifies-third-party-applicat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/22/we-hear-you-loud-and-clear-ccp-clarifies-third-party-applicat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/22/we-hear-you-loud-and-clear-ccp-clarifies-third-party-applicat/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

What should be a week of rejoicing following EVE Online's Incarna expansion going live has been soured by controversy over seemingly high-priced microtransactions and debate over fees associated with third-party application licensing.

Today, CCP has come out to address the second point and clarify its position. CCP Guard admits that the company didn't do the best job in explaining how third parties can charge a real-world money fee for their services apart from in-game currency, and he reposts an illuminating transcript of an interview with CCP Zulu regarding the licensing.

The problem came in the form of $99 licensing fees to use this new service, a charge that EVE players felt was extremely high. Apparently CCP agrees and will be looking into changing it to a "token charge" that will make the contract between CCP and the third party binding without it being a financial obstacle.

You can read the full explanation over at EVE Online, and while you're at it, you can snag yourself the expansion on Steam for $10.

Massively'We hear you loud and clear': CCP clarifies third-party application licensing fees originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamesccp-guardccp-zulucontracteveeve-onlineguardinterviewisksaleservicessteamthird-partythird-party-licensingthird-party-serviceszuluWed, 22 Jun 2011 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Perfect World acquires Cryptic Studios]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/31/perfect-world-acquires-cryptic-studios/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/31/perfect-world-acquires-cryptic-studios/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/31/perfect-world-acquires-cryptic-studios/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

We've been on pins and needles since Atari announced two weeks ago that it was planning to sell off Cryptic Studios. Champions Online and Star Trek Online players were worried about the future of their titles, generating many rumors as to what might happen next .

Today, we know the answer. Perfect World Company has inked a deal to purchase Cryptic from Atari. Euro Investor has the full agreement between the two companies, which details the specifics of this $50+ million purchase. The Chinese firm, which already has a host of MMOs under its umbrella, is taking over 100% of Cryptic's equity from Atari.

Perfect World's Michael Chi thinks that this will give the company more credence in the western market: "We are very pleased to sign the agreement to acquire Cryptic Studios. This strategic acquisition will add attractive game titles to our portfolio, which will help us further penetrate into the U.S. and global online game markets. More importantly, Cryptic Studios' highly reputable development team and its technology platform will further strengthen our well-established R&D capabilities. We deem this as another noteworthy achievement of our global expansion efforts."

Hopefully, this deal will mean nothing but good things for Cryptic, which is also deep into development with Neverwinter.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

MassivelyPerfect World acquires Cryptic Studios originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acquisitionagreementataribreakingchampions-onlinecocontractcrypticcryptic-studiosdealeuro-investorlegal-contractmichael-chineverwinterperfect-worldperfect-world-companyperfect-world-entertainmentpurchasesalestar-trek-onlinestoTue, 31 May 2011 08:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Improvements on the way for EVE Online's contract system]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/28/improvements-on-the-way-for-eve-onlines-contract-system/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/28/improvements-on-the-way-for-eve-onlines-contract-system/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/28/improvements-on-the-way-for-eve-onlines-contract-system/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

There are many professions open to players in EVE Online, but it's the trading that often draws players to the game. Due to the number of players buying and selling on EVE's single server and the fact that items are destroyed on death, a savvy player can find countless opportunities for profit. To avoid overloading the market window with thousands of items most players will never need to buy, CCP limits rare and unusual items to being sold on the contract system. Items can be listed as auctions or direct sales, and players can search for items by name.

The system has been working amicably for years, but recently several back-end performance issues were identified in it. As part of CCP's on-going war on lag, major back-end optimisations were made. Due to this restructuring of how contracts are handled on the EVE server, several new features have suddenly become possible. In a new devblog, CCP Atlas explains the back-end improvements and what they mean for the average player. Several features players have asked for over the years are on the way, such as the ability to put damaged items into contracts.

Ammo in the guns of a ship being contracted will now be moved into the ship's cargo hold rather than the item hangar, and ship insurance will no longer be voided when a ship is contracted. A whole host of improvements are also on the way to make the terms of courier missions more obvious. Players will be informed of the dangers of a contract before they accept it, including dangerous systems en-route and whether the destination station might refuse them docking rights. The upgrades are already live on the EVE test server and will be hitting the live server as part of the Incursion expansion's third phase in January.

MassivelyImprovements on the way for EVE Online's contract system originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamescontractcontractscourierdevblogeveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlineimprovementsincursionprofessionstradetradingTue, 28 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Codemasters comes clean on LotRO EU's free-to-play delay]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/codemasters-comes-clean-on-lotro-eus-free-to-play-delay/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/codemasters-comes-clean-on-lotro-eus-free-to-play-delay/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/codemasters-comes-clean-on-lotro-eus-free-to-play-delay/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Lord of the Rings Online players are well aware that something has been rotten in the state of Denmark -- and the rest of Europe -- with the lengthy and unexplained delay in rolling out the new free-to-play update in the region. While we've speculated on the cause, Codemasters has been cagey and non-specific during the past month and a half, only promising that a solution was coming "soon."

That changed today, as general manager David Solari posted a letter on the LotRO EU forums clarifying the situation. It turns out that the hold-up was due to legal rather than technical obstacles: "As many of you correctly surmised, the issues have been contractual rather than technical. As they were contractual issues, we are bound by confidentiality and you will understand that I can't give you any further detail... Unfortunately a contract was required in order to go free-to-play and this has taken much longer to conclude than expected. The good news is that the contractual issues have been resolved and we are on the home stretch."

Solari promised more information later this week, claiming that the F2P launch is "imminent." Codemasters is in charge of operating Lord of the Rings Online in the region while Turbine handles the responsibility in North America. You can read the full letter over at the LotRO EU forums.

MassivelyCodemasters comes clean on LotRO EU's free-to-play delay originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>captain-codemasterscodemasterscontractdavid-solarif2pforumsfree-to-playlegallord-of-the-rings-onlinelotrolotro-eulotro-europelotro-f2pturbineTue, 19 Oct 2010 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Breaking: Turbine sues Atari over Dungeons and Dragons Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/26/breaking-turbine-sues-atari-over-dungeons-and-dragons-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/26/breaking-turbine-sues-atari-over-dungeons-and-dragons-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/26/breaking-turbine-sues-atari-over-dungeons-and-dragons-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Turbine has filed a lawsuit against publishing partner Atari in New York courts for a breach of licensing agreement all centered around Dungeons and Dragons Online. The two companies are locked in a legal battle regarding accusations including failing contractual obligations and wrongful termination of agreements.

The court documents filed on Monday paint the picture of a long chain of grievances against Atari made by Turbine, starting with lackluster support all the way back when Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach launched in 2006. Turbine asserts that Atari has failed to maintain their obligations as the publisher of the game while still holding onto the licensing for Dungeons and Dragons. These obligations mostly include the marketing aspects of the game, such as commercials, advertising, retail box creation, retail promotion, and cross-promotion with other Atari products. (Fans of the game will remember the very lackluster marketing campaign at the game's launch, especially when compared with Champions Online's marketing, another Atari-backed game.) Because of these failures, Turbine has had to step in and become the publisher of the game in North America, costing the company millions of dollars.

Continue reading Breaking: Turbine sues Atari over Dungeons and Dragons Online

MassivelyBreaking: Turbine sues Atari over Dungeons and Dragons Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ataribreach-of-contractbreakingcontractddoddo-unlimiteddungeons-and-dragons-onlinelawsuitobligationspublisherturbineWed, 26 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST