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Massively Speaking Episode 202: Rubbernecking at the scene of an MMO accident

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, MMO industry, News items, Guild Wars 2, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous, Diablo III, The Elder Scrolls Online, Pirate101

Massively Speaking Episode 202 is hot at the scene of the 38 Studios disaster, and without hyperbole we can say that this is more tragic than Pompeii, the Titanic, and Showgirls combined. Will Curt Schilling's dream team survive this financial crisis? We brought expert analyst Eliot Lefebvre on the podcast to give us his opinion.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

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Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 202: Rubbernecking at the scene of an MMO accident

Massively Speaking Episode 202: Rubbernecking at the scene of an MMO accident originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swashbucklers, ships, and high seas hijinks: KingsIsle talks Pirate101

Karen Bryan — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Free-to-play, Family, Pirate101

Recently, KingsIsle announced that the world of the Spiral was going to branch out into the high seas in the studio's newest MMO, Pirate101. There are many things about Pirate101 that will feel familiar to Wizard101 fans, but the game has several features that definitely make it stand apart as more than just a sequel. Combat is not card-based; it's more like a tactical board game. Companions, rather than trading cards, play a key role in the pirate arsenal, and of course, players will be traveling (and fighting!) on their very own pirate ships.

Massively had a chance to talk with Pirate101's Lead Creative Designer Sam Johnson to hear more about what players will see from KingsIsle's upcoming MMO. So grab your cutlass, don your tricorne, and read on for more details!

Continue reading Swashbucklers, ships, and high seas hijinks: KingsIsle talks Pirate101

Swashbucklers, ships, and high seas hijinks: KingsIsle talks Pirate101 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wizard101 fansite owner hired to be Pirate101's community manager

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, New titles, Massively Interviews, Wizard101, Family

Tom Purdue, admired owner and operator of The Friendly Necromancer blog and Wizard101 fansite, has announced today that he will be KingsIsle Entertainment's new community manager for the upcoming Pirate101 MMO.

As that transition from fan to employee is always a fascinating transformation, we recognize that it's not an easy decision. Massively itself has raised a handful of MMO community managers, so this news is particularly of interest to us. For that reason, we tracked Tom down and asked him some questions about his new role at KingsIsle. Follow along below for the complete interview.

Continue reading Wizard101 fansite owner hired to be Pirate101's community manager

Wizard101 fansite owner hired to be Pirate101's community manager originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wizard101 invites players into the mythical realm of Avalon

Matt Daniel — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Wizard101, Family

Wizard101 players have been all over, from the lush jungles of Zafaria to the pyramids of Krokotopia, but as of today there's a whole new land for them to explore: the mystical land of Avalon. Avalon, as the name implies, is a land based in Arthurian legend, and it also happens to be the former home of Ravenwood's headmaster, Merle Ambrose.

But all is not well in the usually idyllic Avalon. The nefarious Umbra Queen Morganthe and her minions are causing trouble, and it's up to the players to find and recover the legendary blade of King Artorius, the Sword of Kings, and put a stop to Morganthe's mayhem. Players who are level 70 or above and who have completed the quest Through Glass, Darkly can find their way to Avalon by speaking to Merle Ambrose, who will send them on a quest to the new zone. For the full details on the new update, magick your way on over to the Wizard101 official site.

Wizard101 invites players into the mythical realm of Avalon originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 May 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free Realms throws itself a nice big birthday bash

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play, Free Realms, Family

MMO birthdays are the best celebrations. Instead of getting your favorite game a lot of presents to celebrate its age, most games give the players presents. So it is in Free Realms, which celebrates its third year of operation today with a number of events and rewards for players. The most basic rewards don't require any real effort on the part of players; just logging in today nets you a Birthday Cake hat, and you can enjoy triple Station Cash for the rest of the day.

There's more to the party, however: The game's offering a number of daily quests to help Queen Valerian produce the best birthday party ever. There's also the dread monster Cakenstein, a beast assembled from... well, you can probably guess from the name. The extended events will be running until May 24th, but the Station Cash promotion and the hat are only for today. So if you're a fan of Free Realms, log in and start enjoying the festivities today!

Free Realms throws itself a nice big birthday bash originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wizard101 creator announces new game: Pirate101

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, New titles, Free-to-play, Kids, Wizard101, Family

Ahoy, maties! Put down your wands and grab the nearest parrot, for you're about to head out onto the high seas with KingsIsle! The makers of the hit Wizard101 have announced their next project: the swashbuckling world of Pirate101.

Using a similar business model, full voice-over, same universe and same art style as Wizard101, KingsIsle is fashioning a unique pirate game with its second MMO. Players get to choose one of five classes for their piratey career: Buccaneer, Witchdoctor, Privateer, Swashbuckler, or Musketeer. No matter what they pick, players will captain their own flying (yes, flying) ships and take off for adventure in fantastic environments such as skyways, lost cities of gold, and ancient ruins. There will also be companions to pick up along the way for use in combat, and players can naturally join forces to complete quests and battle the oppressing force threatening the world.

Creative Director Todd Coleman thinks that this free-to-play title stretches the studio's imagination and reach. "We've created a world of treacherous pirates, faithful companions, tactical battles and gorgeous environments," he says. "Pirate101 fuses the key lessons we've learned from Wizard101 with entirely new design, setting and gameplay mechanics. We've succeeded in creating a game that is very different from Wizard101, but remains comfortable and familiar."

Pirate101 is currently in alpha and will be released in 2012. Watch for our upcoming interview with KingsIsle coming soon!

Gallery: Pirate101

[Source: KingsIsle Entertainment press release]

Wizard101 creator announces new game: Pirate101 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SOE games down Monday for 24-hour maintenance

Jef Reahard — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Pirates of the Burning Sea, PlanetSide, MMO industry, News items, Vanguard, Free-to-play, Free Realms, DC Universe Online, Family

We imagine that the word downtime makes Sony Online Entertainment employees cringe, convulse, and eye-twitch for hours on end after last summer's disastrous hacker-induced service outage. Happily, though, the next service interruption is planned, and we've got plenty of notice.

SOE will be performing maintenance this Monday, April 23rd, and the firm says that all of its game services will be unavailable for approximately 24 hours. The downtime starts at 3:01 a.m. EDT. Commerce transactions and account management functionality will also be affected, so you might as well cross all of your SOE-related plans off Monday's calendar.

SOE games down Monday for 24-hour maintenance originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Win a Wizard101 rare mount package from Massively!

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Contests, Free-to-play, Wizard101, Giveaways, Family

If you haven't had a chance to make your purchase in Wizard101's Mount-a-Palooza sale going on right now, fear not! We're giving you a chance to get the five rarest mounts in the game in one set, all for free!

KingsIsle Entertainment was kind enough to send us 25 codes for these rare mount sets, which we'll be giving away through our Twitter page, our Facebook page, and a random drawing.

Each rare mount set contains: Swift Gryphon, Bone Dragon, Great Hornocerous (2 person), Nightmare, and Blood Raven (2-person). For a chance at your own set, simply send an email to shawn@massively.com with the subject line "Gimme My Wizard101 Mount Code!" before Sunday, April 15th, at 8 p.m. EDT. On Monday, we'll present 15 random winners their very own code. Be sure to copy and paste those exact words into the subject line of your email, or it won't get filtered properly. The remaining 10 codes will be randomly released on our Twitter and/or Facebook pages throughout this entire weekend, so keep your eyes open!

Also be sure to check past the cut below for images of three of the mounts in the package.

Continue reading Win a Wizard101 rare mount package from Massively!

Win a Wizard101 rare mount package from Massively! originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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KingsIsle releases more Wizard101 expansion details

Jef Reahard — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Wizard101

Last night we brought you news of Wizard101's new Avalon expansion. Today we've got a few more details (as well as a new screenshot gallery) to illuminate what looks to be one of the game's more interesting content drops.

As you might expect, Avalon is filled with knights, castles, goblins, dragons, and other assorted medieval tropes. The expansion also "plays heavily on the Arthurian and Celtic mythologies," according to KingsIsle. Additionally, Avalon will allow players to uncover the motivations of Wizard101's main characters (including Merle Ambrose and Morganthe).

The expansion boasts six new zones, 15 new areas, a level cap increase (80), 28 new spells, new gear, pets, and mounts, and the ability to achieve rank 15 in gardening.

[Source: KingsIsle press release]

Gallery: Wizard101

KingsIsle releases more Wizard101 expansion details originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wizard101 prepares to send players to Avalon

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Kids, Wizard101

Wizard101 always sends its players to fantastic new places with each expansion. Obviously the bar is set pretty high when the core game already features a magical setting, but each new zone seems to aim at a very different location. The upcoming new expansion Avalon is no exception; it's sending players into a realm filled with fallen knights, warrior queens, and other elements inspired by Arthurian and Celtic myths. It also gives players a chance to explore the pasts of several important lore characters, such as the villainous Morganthe.

But lore alone doesn't make for a fun expansion. Avalon also offers players four new utility spells per school, new pets and mounts, and six new zones to explore as characters head to the new level cap of 80. There are also new gardening levels and new gardening spells, certain to bring a smile to the face of every burgeoning virtual botanist. So if you feel like you've seen all there is to see in Wizard101, don't worry -- that'll change soon enough.

[Source: KingsIsle press release]

Wizard101 prepares to send players to Avalon originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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April Fool's jokes streak across the MMO community

Justin Olivetti — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, City of Heroes, Guild Wars, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Humor, Free Realms, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Miscellaneous

It may be the weekend, but that's never stopped pranksters in the past from pulling off truly epic April Fool's jokes. Many MMO studios, bloggers, and fan site operators are lining up to take a shot at the jester's crown today, hoping that their blatant (and entertaining) lies will at least amuse, if not trick, players.

It would be fool-hardy (har har) to try to round them all up, so suffice it to say that office clowns have been quite busy thus far. From Star Wars: The Old Republic's announcement of playable ship droids and City of Heroes' offer of ludicrous marketplace sales to Blizzard's focus on educational kids games and StarCraft 2's playable supply depots to SOE scaring visitors with Chatdy, the gags are flying fast and furious. We might be the most impressed with a deeply detailed wiki entry for a Guild Wars mission called Annihilator 2: Searing Day, during which players are sent into the past to save Gwen from the G-1000.

If you've spotted any other pranks, please share them in the comments!

April Fool's jokes streak across the MMO community originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wizard101 creators to present the Digital Kids Conference opening keynote

Elisabeth Cardy — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events, real-world, News items, Wizard101, Family, Miscellaneous

Wizard101 creators Todd Coleman and Josef Hall will be opening the upcoming sixth annual Digital Kids Conference with a keynote address about their experience with engaging the youth market. The KingsIsle Entertainment duo will talk about their transition from hardcore gaming to creating a critically and commercially successful family-friendly game and (one can hope) the secrets of their genius. Wizard101 launched back in 2008 and has since grown in popularity to the tune of 25 million players spread throughout the Western hemisphere (with plans for near-future expansion into China). It is that recognized success that's made Coleman and Hall ideal candidates for the keynote, with the hopes that they'll spur others to greater heights.

The conference (formerly the Engage! Conference and Expo) will feature speakers from as disparate venues as the NFL, Cartoon Network, and Ubisoft, all focusing on interactive content to connect with kids in the digital world. The Digital Kids Conference covers the use of mobile apps, social games, social media, and virtual worlds to better understand creating and promoting products and content for a younger audience.

[Source: KingsIsle press release]

Wizard101 creators to present the Digital Kids Conference opening keynote originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai: Delivering instant MMOs to your browser

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Interviews, MMO industry, Chronicles of Spellborn, Wizard101, Miscellaneous

Imagine that you're reading up on an MMO on a site such as Massively (far-fetched, but stay with us on this). The words intrigue you and you think it might be worth checking out. You make a mental note to do so in the future -- to head over to the game's site, see if there's a trial, download it, set up an account, and give it a whirl -- but time gets away from you and none of that actually happens.

Now imagine that right after you read that article there was a single button or link. Clicking on it, a Java window opens up on top of your screen and tells you that you're now playing a trial of the game. There's no wait, no download, no lengthy form to fill out -- just click and play, right away. You go from interested to inside the game within mere seconds, your computer specs (mostly) aren't an issue, and your curiosity is immediately sated.

This isn't a far-fetched dream but the here-and-now reality. This is cloud-streaming MMOs brought to you by Gaikai. And it just might be the future of MMOs as we know it.

Continue reading Gaikai: Delivering instant MMOs to your browser

Gaikai: Delivering instant MMOs to your browser originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMO Family: Kid-friendly MMO roundup, part 1

Karen Bryan — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, Free-to-play, Casual, Kids, MMO Family, Family, Clone Wars Adventures, Super Hero Squad Online, Miscellaneous

With all of the buzz centered around "grown-up" MMO titles like Star Wars: The Old Republic and Guild Wars 2, it's easy for the kid-friendly games to get lost in the shuffle. There may not be as many kid titles on the horizon, but for the games that are currently out there, there's been an amazing amount of activity going on in these virtual worlds.

I decided to take a peek at some of my (and the kids') favorites, along with a few games that we've done first impressions on, to see what they've been up to lately. Since there are too many great kid-friendly MMOs out there to fit into one column, this will be the first of what will probably be many follow-up entries covering other games, so if you don't see your favorite family-friendly game here, fear not!

Continue reading MMO Family: Kid-friendly MMO roundup, part 1

MMO Family: Kid-friendly MMO roundup, part 1 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disney Fantasy Online becoming a reality in Spring 2009

Alexis Kassan — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, News items, Kids

Last we heard, Disney was interested, but not planning, to come up with their own themed MMO. Now we are told that Mickey and friends are heading to China to star in a new game in Spring 2009 - this from the news that NetDragon and Disney have teamed up to launch Disney Fantasy Online. The Disney cast of characters are set to play NPCs in a game of high adventure and romance where players can quest and level their way through campaigns.

The dynamic sounds similar to that of Hello Kitty Online, where players are able to farm, build, and raise pets in a themed environment without actually being the well-known characters. According to NetDragon, additional expansions and content will be released often to keep the game fresh. No word yet on whether/when DFO might be available outside of China, but we will stay on top of it for you.

Disney Fantasy Online becoming a reality in Spring 2009 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flying Lab working on a flash-based kids MMO?

Michael Zenke — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, Casual, Rumors, Kids

Gamasutra, the well-known games industry news site, maintains a job service board on top of the numerous sites and services they offer. Job offerings, as you may be aware from previous posts to Massively, are often a good indication of what a company has up their sleeve - even if it hasn't officially been announced yet. Such is the case with a curious job posting from Flying Lab Software, the makers of the historical MMO Pirates of the Burning Sea.

According to the job post, Flying Lab is considering working on a Flash-based kids-oriented massively multiplayer game. The offering states: "Flying Lab Software is seeking an experienced Flash Game Developer to create casual Flash games for a children's MMO product (ages 8-12 yrs.)." It continues, "Flying Lab Software is currently expanding and supporting our recently released MMO, Pirates of the Burning Sea, as well as working on several new MMO projects." We've put in a request for comment with the company, and we'll let you know as soon as we know more. The meat of the full listing is below the cut.

Continue reading Flying Lab working on a flash-based kids MMO?

Flying Lab working on a flash-based kids MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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