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[GameStop earnings call adds to Guild Wars 2 release date speculation]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/17/gamestop-earnings-call-adds-to-guild-wars-2-release-date-specula/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/17/gamestop-earnings-call-adds-to-guild-wars-2-release-date-specula/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/17/gamestop-earnings-call-adds-to-guild-wars-2-release-date-specula/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Image
Since players aren't tremendously happy with ArenaNet's answer of "when it's ready" every time the question of the Guild Wars 2 release date comes up, any hint of further clarification is something to be prized. As a game retailer, dates are the sort of thing that come up in GameStop's earnings calls. Covering the Q1 conference call released today, Gamespot has CFO Robert Lloyd stating that Guild Wars 2 has been bumped out of the current quarter, putting its release sometime after July. It's worth noting that as of this posting, GameStop's online listing still had the Guild Wars 2 release date as June 26th.

As has been repeated countless times by ArenaNet devs, no information should be treated as official unless it's directly from them. Don't let that stop you from pulling out your favorite tinfoil hat and cooking up some speculations, though.

MassivelyGameStop earnings call adds to Guild Wars 2 release date speculation originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 May 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anetarenanetearnings-callfantasygamespotgamestopguild-wars-2gw2ncsoftreleaserelease-date-speculationrobert-lloydrumormongersoon-TMThu, 17 May 2012 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Blade & Soul on track to launch in Korea this July]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/blade-and-soul-on-track-to-launch-in-korea-this-july/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/blade-and-soul-on-track-to-launch-in-korea-this-july/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/blade-and-soul-on-track-to-launch-in-korea-this-july/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Blade & Soul
If all goes well, NCsoft's Blade & Soul will be making its public debut in July. That's the good news; the bad news is that the launch will be confined to Korea for the time being.

The company recently announced in an earnings call that the title is on track to go into open beta testing by June and then launch this July. There's some hope at NCsoft that the release of Diablo III will grow the potential gamer audience in the country, an audience that could be attracted to Blade & Soul come this summer.

Currently the game is in closed beta, with the next round of testing commencing on May 22nd. ThisIsGame reports that Blade & Soul has stirred up controversy with testers due to a vitality system that limits how fast a player can advance his or her character.

MassivelyBlade & Soul on track to launch in Korea this July originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-rpgbattlenetbetablade-and-soulblizzardblizzard-entertainmentcash-shopclosed-betaclosed-beta-testclosed-beta-testingd3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiiearnings-callfantasygothic-fantasylaunchmartial-artsmartial-arts-mmomultiplayerncsoftncsoft-koreaonline-multiplayeropen-betaopen-beta-testopen-beta-testingreleaseroguelikerpgTue, 15 May 2012 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Analyst: SWTOR caused Dragon Age III delay]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/analyst-swtor-caused-dragon-age-iii-delay/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/analyst-swtor-caused-dragon-age-iii-delay/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/analyst-swtor-caused-dragon-age-iii-delay/#commentsFiled under: , ,

SWTOR
There's been a lot of discussion following the recent EA earnings report in which the company announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic has 1.3 million subscribers, down from its previous 1.7 million mark. We've heard from the fans, the critics, and the studio itself -- now it's time for the analysts to contribute their side of the conversation. According to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter, EA's investment in SWTOR has caused a delay in other projects at BioWare, particularly in Dragon Age III's case.

The analyst noted that Dragon Age III's expected release window was delayed, and he says this is due to the enormous undertaking of SWTOR. "We believe that a significant portion of the BioWare team responsible for the game was reassigned to Star Wars in order to create content and fix bugs to keep the game's audience engaged," Pachter said.

Delay or no, Pachter is upbeat about EA's future, especially in light of the earnings report's news that the company turned a profit. He says that the company will continue to grow, make money, and be a good bet for investors.

MassivelyAnalyst: SWTOR caused Dragon Age III delay originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>analysisanalystbiowaredragon-agedragon-age-3dragon-age-iiieaearnings-callearnings-reportelectronic-artslucasartsMichael-Pachterresourcessci-fistar-warsstar-wars-the-old-republicsubsubscriberssubscription-feeswtorthe-old-republictorWedbush-SecuritiesTue, 08 May 2012 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Flameseeker Chronicles: The news doors haven't shut... yet]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/14/flameseeker-chronicles-the-news-doors-havent-shut-yet/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/14/flameseeker-chronicles-the-news-doors-havent-shut-yet/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/14/flameseeker-chronicles-the-news-doors-havent-shut-yet/#commentsFiled under: , ,

More news! More updates! Be still my heart! No, seriously. It does my fangirl heart such good to see all of these cool updates and details about Guild Wars 2 over the past few weeks. Between the animation updates, the skill updates, and the earnings call, there's plenty to discuss.

I was so excited to see the updated cutscenes, although I couldn't stop giggling at the male character shifting from foot to foot -- I kept waiting for him to ask the Priestess of Dwayna where the bathroom was. That's not a reflection on ArenaNet's design team so much as a testament to my years as the mother of a boy. It's all about the bathroom humor around here.

The new skill acquisition system was great in my book, and the news from the earnings call... well, why don't you follow along after the cut and we'll delve into all of that more deeply.

Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: The news doors haven't shut... yet

MassivelyFlameseeker Chronicles: The news doors haven't shut... yet originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anetanimationsarenanetarenanet-blogbetacutscenesearnings-callfeaturedflameseeker-chroniclesGuild-Wars-2gw2ncsoftskill-acquisitionskillsMon, 14 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Warhammer 40K planning multiple payment options]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/03/warhammer-40k-planning-multiple-payment-options/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/03/warhammer-40k-planning-multiple-payment-options/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/03/warhammer-40k-planning-multiple-payment-options/#commentsFiled under: , ,

WAR40K
Despite being one of THQ's biggest projects, the upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online won't be hemmed in with a single subscription option. Instead, the company said that it is investigating a wide range of possible payment options to be as flexible as possible for players all over the world.

Speaking at a recent earnings call, CEO Brian Farrell addressed what model WAR40K would adopt. "What we've done is make the business model within Dark Millennium Online flexible so we can use different business models in different territories and exploit the game on a worldwide basis," he said. "We will have not just one business model, like subscriptions. There will be other monetisation mechanisms in the game... The team there is being very thoughtful about how we maximise monetisation in this game."

Seeing as how WAR40K is costing the company over $50 million to create, it seems wise to offer multiple options in order to draw in the largest amount of players possible. The title is being developed by Vigil Games and is slated to release in 2013.

MassivelyWarhammer 40K planning multiple payment options originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brian-ferrellbusiness-modelsdark-millennium-onlineearnings-callflexiblegamesindustry.bizpayment-optionsthqvigilvigil-gameswar40kwar40k-dark-millenium-onlinewarhammer-40000-dark-millennium-onlineThu, 03 Nov 2011 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The agonizing wait for Star Wars: The Old Republic's launch date continues [Updated]]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/the-agonizing-wait-for-star-wars-the-old-republics-launch-date/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/the-agonizing-wait-for-star-wars-the-old-republics-launch-date/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/the-agonizing-wait-for-star-wars-the-old-republics-launch-date/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

SWTOR
The multi-million dollar question that's been on every Star Wars: The Old Republic fan's lips can be summed up in one word: When? While we still don't know a precise date, we may be a step or two closer to finding out today.

SWTOR fansite Darth Hater combed through a recent EA Q&A session with investors to pull a few pertinent details from CFO Eric Brown. When asked about the launch date for The Old Republic, Brown replied, "We haven't given a street date yet. We won't do so for some time, possibly at our next upcoming earnings call towards the end of October." This earnings call will take place on October 25th.

EA also continues to stand by its backup plan of a launch delay if SWTOR isn't ready, giving the title room to possibly slip from holiday 2011 to early 2012. Brown explained the conditions that would trigger such a slip: "We did hold out a slight possibility that it could slip to our March quarter. And the factors that would cause a slip is, for example, us not being completely satisfied with the scalability testing, and wanting to tune it for several extra weeks."

[Update: SWTOR's Stephen Reid has posted on the forums urging fans not to read too much between the lines of investor calls. "We are still very much aiming to ship in the holiday 2011 window (AKA, before the end of the year)," he says.]

[Update#2: The transcript was actually done by Darth Hater, which Ask a Jedi copied and pasted. The correct source is now linked.]

MassivelyThe agonizing wait for Star Wars: The Old Republic's launch date continues [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ask-a-jedibiowaredelayeaea-biowareearnings-callelectronic-artseric-browninvestorslaunchlaunch-datereleaserelease-dateslipstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorthe-old-republictorTue, 20 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[NCsoft aims for Aion to be second only to WoW in US]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/12/ncsoft-aims-for-aion-to-be-second-only-to-wow-in-us/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/12/ncsoft-aims-for-aion-to-be-second-only-to-wow-in-us/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/12/ncsoft-aims-for-aion-to-be-second-only-to-wow-in-us/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


NCsoft has big plans for their fantasy MMO Aion in the west, and they're hoping to emulate their Asian success in the North American market. Kris Graft reports for Gamasutra that Aion generated 40.6 billion won (USD 32.7 million) in Q2 2008, which he notes is a strong start. In an earnings call, NCsoft CFO Jaeho Lee said, "I believe the performance of Aion in the US and European markets will be very successful. ... We are guessing that Aion will be -- could be -- the second [most] successful MMO in the US market next to World of Warcraft."

Bold optimism, to be sure. What really caught our attention, though, was that Graft pointed out a mention of the now dead-and-buried Tabula Rasa during that earnings call, another title NCsoft once had high hopes for in western markets. In answer to a question about how many boxes of Aion will ship as opposed to Tabula Rasa, Gamasutra quotes Lee as having said, "It's very unfortunate to hear the name of Tabula Rasa at this conference call... and we all want to forget and erase that memory from our performance."

Continue reading NCsoft aims for Aion to be second only to WoW in US

MassivelyNCsoft aims for Aion to be second only to WoW in US originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionasiaearnings-callfantasygamasutrajaeho-leekoreakris-graftmmo-industryncsoftnew-titlesnorth-americatabula-rasaunited-statesworld-of-warcraftwowWed, 12 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST