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[The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Middle-earth Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/21/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-what-ifs-middle-earth-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/21/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-what-ifs-middle-earth-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/21/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-what-ifs-middle-earth-online/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I had so much fun walking down the halls of "What if?" last week that I thought I'd keep the streak going for the rest of the month (if you'll allow for some summertime indulgence). It's not that I necessarily wanted MMO history to turn out differently than it did, but it's always tantalizing to wonder what the field would look like with different games out there. Would they have proven more popular than our current crops? Would they have pushed the envelope of innovation?

Of course, it's easy to project greatness onto never-released titles, bemoaning that "if only MMO X had launched, we would've had the perfect game!" What ifs are interesting but should never be taken as absolute fact.

This week I wanted to look at a project that's related to an MMO near and dear to my heart. As most of you know, I'm somewhat of a Lord of the Rings Online nut here at Massively. Sure, the rest of the staff is upset that I smoke pipeweed inside and never wear shoes, but that's just how far I go to understand the game.

But even my LotRO isn't immune to a massive what if. Known to some but not to all, Turbine wasn't the first MMO studio to take a crack at Tolkien's license -- no, for that we have to travel back to 1998 and revisit Sierra On-Line. It was this company that had a brief but memorable run designing Middle-earth Online, aka "What if LotRO had permadeath?" It's a fascinating glimpse into an entirely different approach to the IP, and even though it died a fairly early death, it's important to be remembered. Frodo lives!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Middle-earth Online

MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Middle-earth Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2-d3-dbalrogcraig-alexanderdaniel-jameselveseqeverquestfeaturedfourth-agefrodofrodo-livesi-hate-elvesisometricjoe-ludwigjrr-tolkienkings-questlord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromeomiddle-earth-onlinemonster-playpermadeathpkpkingplayer-killingpsychologypuzzle-piratessierrasierra-onlinespace-queststephen-nicholsthe-game-archaeologistthe-professorthe-realmthe-realm-onlinetolkienultima-onlineuovivendivivendi-universalTue, 21 Jun 2011 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Rumor: Turbine working on console MMO?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/20/rumor-turbine-working-on-console-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/20/rumor-turbine-working-on-console-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/20/rumor-turbine-working-on-console-mmo/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Internet scuttlebutt has it that Turbine is cooking up a console MMO codenamed Project Hendrix. A posting at GameSpot cites a Turbine job listing that seeks an engineer for an "unannounced online console project." The article also mentions the resume of one Josh Phelan, a Turbine employee who apparently mentioned the Hendrix title in his online resume (which has since gone dark).

Turbine's console aspirations are nothing new, as studio VP Craig Alexander hinted at such desires as early as 2009. Commenter speculation links the job listing to the mysterious Pottermore title, and given Turbine's acquisition by Warner Brothers (which also owns the Pottermore trademark), it's not unreasonable to suspect that the sorting hat could be getting ready to assign a Potter MMO to House Turbine.

Check out the details on GameSpot and let us know what you think in the comments.

MassivelyRumor: Turbine working on console MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>console-mmoconsolescraig-alexanderfantasygamespotharry-potterharry-potter-mmohendrixjosh-phelanmmo-industrypottermoreproject-hendrixrumorrumorsspeculationturbinewarner-broswarner-brotherswbMon, 20 Jun 2011 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[PAX East 2011: The future of MMOs from the mouths of the developers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/17/pax-east-2011-the-future-of-mmos-from-the-mouths-of-the-develop/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/17/pax-east-2011-the-future-of-mmos-from-the-mouths-of-the-develop/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/17/pax-east-2011-the-future-of-mmos-from-the-mouths-of-the-develop/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The PAX East panel that almost made me late for the Star Wars: The Old Republic Meet 'n' Greet was a panel hosted by MMORPG.com and featuring some of the heavy hitters in MMO development for this year. I am certainly glad I did not skip this one. This was the chance for the fans to hear what the future of MMOs will bring from the people who are making them.

Let me give you a rundown of the panel members -- and tell me you don't just stand in awe of these guys: (from left to right) Curt Schilling, the founder of 38 Studios; Craig Alexander, the VP of Product Development for Turbine; Jeremy Gaffney, Executive Producer at Carbine Studios; Scott Hartsman, Executive Producer for Trion Worlds; Brian Knox, Senior Producer for En Masse Entertainment; James Ohlen, Creative Director for BioWare; and Colin Johanson, Lead Content Designer for ArenaNet.

The opening question really set the stage for the panel. It let us know where the minds of these producers and executives are. The question was simple: Where do you see online games going in the next 10 years? Follow after the cut to find out their thought provoking answers.

Continue reading PAX East 2011: The future of MMOs from the mouths of the developers

MassivelyPAX East 2011: The future of MMOs from the mouths of the developers originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>38-StudiosArenaNetBioWareBrian-KnoxCarbine-StudiosColin-JohansonCraig-AlexanderCurt-Schillingdungeons-and-dragons-onlineEn-Masse-Entertainmentfeaturedfuture-of-mmosGuild-Wars-2James-OhlenJeremy-Gaffneylord-of-the-rings-onlinePaxpax-2011pax-eastpax-east-2011RIFTScott-Hartsmanstar-wars-the-old-republicTERATrion-WorldsTurbineThu, 17 Mar 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Developer round table: MMO betas, page 4]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/30/developer-round-table-mmo-betas-page-4/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/30/developer-round-table-mmo-betas-page-4/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/30/developer-round-table-mmo-betas-page-4/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Continue reading Developer round table: MMO betas, page 4

MassivelyDeveloper round table: MMO betas, page 4 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betabetasclosed-betacraig-alexanderdeveloper-round-tableopen-betaturbineMon, 30 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[AGDC09 Breaking: Turbine confirms console MMO in the works]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/18/agdc09-breaking-turbine-confirms-console-mmo-in-the-works/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/18/agdc09-breaking-turbine-confirms-console-mmo-in-the-works/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/18/agdc09-breaking-turbine-confirms-console-mmo-in-the-works/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

During his talk at AGDC entitled "MMOs to Consoles -- Challenges, Opportunities, Emerging Trends," Turbine's Craig Alexander, the VP of project development for the company, has confirmed that they are working on a console MMO.

The project has been in Turbine's production house for a year and a half now, and the staff is actively seeking to launch the title on Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles. Turbine does also have plans to develop for Wii in the future, although they did not go any further into that topic. Over 20 million dollars has been spent on developing the platform for this title. The targeted release date for this project is early 2011.

Craig also said during the speech that he believes that consoles will eventually pass PCs in the MMO market, making this a lucrative endeavor. He also hinted briefly at a free to play subscription model, saying that MMOs should have "minimum friction to access."

Turbine has said in the past that they will completely confirm their console MMO plans in early 2010, but speculation is still in the air as to if this is a brand new IP, or perhaps one of their former titles repackaged for the console. (Edit: Craig has now said, and we quote, "Under no circumstances should you attempt to port a title." This now looks to be a brand new console IP for Turbine.)

We'll keep this post updated with new information as we receive it.

Gallery: AGDC09: Turbine talks consoles

MassivelyAGDC09 Breaking: Turbine confirms console MMO in the works originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>agdcagdc-2009breakingconsole-mmoconsolescraig-alexanderddodungeons-and-dragons-onlinelord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroplaystation-3ps3turbinex360xbox-360Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:15:00 EST<![CDATA[LOGIN 2009 online gaming conference speakers announced]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/11/login-2009-online-gaming-conference-speakers-announced/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/11/login-2009-online-gaming-conference-speakers-announced/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/11/login-2009-online-gaming-conference-speakers-announced/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Over the past few years, the online gaming conferences put together by Evergreen Events have been rather significant ones in the industry. Evergreen Events are the people who organized the ION Game Conference which we covered extensively last year, and the Online Game Development Conference in 2007. As we announced previously, ION has been renamed as LOGIN for 2009 and they're already announcing some of the conference's speakers.

Among the many speakers slated for LOGIN this May are David Ryan Hunt, Senior Game Designer at Flying Lab Software, and Craig Alexander, Turbine's VP of Product Development. Alexander's session will be "Building Online Games for the Console Generation: Challenges and Opportunities" which could certainly prove to be interesting. We'll keep an eye on how the conference is shaping up as we get closer to the four-day event kicking off on May 11th.

MassivelyLOGIN 2009 online gaming conference speakers announced originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>conferencesconsole-mmoconsolescraig-alexanderdavid-ryan-huntevergreen-eventsflying-lab-softwareign-vaultionloginlogin-2009lord-of-the-rings-onlinelotrommo-industrypirates-of-the-burning-seaturbinevault-hubWed, 11 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Panel of MMO developers discuss the industry at Comic-Con]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/24/panel-of-mmo-developers-discuss-the-industry-at-comic-con/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/24/panel-of-mmo-developers-discuss-the-industry-at-comic-con/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/24/panel-of-mmo-developers-discuss-the-industry-at-comic-con/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


Over at New York Comic-Con 2008, Ten Ton Hammer assembled a group of respected MMO developers to answer questions about the future of the industry, and just to talk shop in general. The members of the panel were: Age of Conan Game Designer Jason Stone, Warhammer Online Senior Producer Jeff Hickman, Turbine Vice-President of Product Development Craig Alexander, 38 Studios Vice-President of Creative Development Scott Cuthbertson, and EVE Online Game Designer Matt Woodward -- phew, that's a lot of capitalization.

There are two videos to watch, one in which the questions come from TTH, the other being an audience Q&A. Combined, the videos take the better part of an hour to watch, but you'll find some interesting and differing viewpoints on various topics, such as business models, world-altering events, product placement, sci-fi versus fantasy MMOs, winning market share from World of Warcraft, and community features in and out of game.

MassivelyPanel of MMO developers discuss the industry at Comic-Con originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>38-studiosaoccomic-con-08comic-con-2008craig-alexanderddoEVEfuncomjason-stonejeff-hickmanlotromatt-woodwardscott-cuthbertsonturbineWarThu, 24 Apr 2008 21:30:00 EST