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[Ask Massively: Let's stop the tomfoolery edition]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/22/ask-massively-lets-stop-the-tomfoolery-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/22/ask-massively-lets-stop-the-tomfoolery-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/22/ask-massively-lets-stop-the-tomfoolery-edition/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

IM IN UR NOUN, VERBING UR OTHER NOUN
Last week, it was brought to my attention that our header image of ham rendered the entire column completely inappropriate for several of our readers. And you know what? That comment was entirely right. We've subsisted on ridiculous headers and general japery for far too long in this serious and businesslike column, and it's time to bring the calm and measured dignity that people expect -- nay, demand -- from Ask Massively.

Unfortunately, this decision comes too late to avoid the fact that this week's header image is a kitten attempting to scale the back of an adult cat's head. It will probably help if you imagine both of these cats wearing business suits and discussing profit margins.

Moving along: This week's questions should provide you with clean and intellectual discourse, covering free-for-all PvP and the recent free-to-play announcements from Sony Online Entertainment. If you have a question for a future edition of the column, please leave it in the comment field or mail it along to ask@massively.com.

Continue reading Ask Massively: Let's stop the tomfoolery edition

MassivelyAsk Massively: Let's stop the tomfoolery edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ask-massivelybusiness-modelscolumnf2pfeaturedfree-to-playhumorintellectual-propertylicenseslicensingopinionplaystylessoesony-online-entertainmentThu, 22 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Lord of the Rings Online still not available in China]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/15/lord-of-the-rings-online-still-not-available-in-china/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/15/lord-of-the-rings-online-still-not-available-in-china/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/15/lord-of-the-rings-online-still-not-available-in-china/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Lord of the Rings Online - skirmish dragon
When it comes to mammoth western themepark MMOs and the Chinese gaming market, apparently there can be only one. And that one isn't named Lord of the Rings Online (or Highlander Online, sadly).

CDC Corporation initially entered into an agreement to distribute Turbine's Tolkien-inspired MMORPG to Chinese gamers in 2006. Five years later, the game still has not seen the light of day, and Turbine has pulled the plug on the arrangement as a result. CDC spent approximately $10 million on "licensing, development, and other costs," but has nothing to show for the expenditures.

Don't cry too hard for Turbine, though, as the Boston-based developer pocketed the $4 million non-refundable licensing fee.

MassivelyLord of the Rings Online still not available in China originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>businesscdccdc-corporationchinachinese-gaming-marketf2pfantasyfree-to-playlicensinglocalizationlord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotrommo-industrytolkientranslationturbineTurbine-EntertainmentThu, 15 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Interplay responds to Bethesda's Fallout claims, calls them "absurd"]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/10/interplay-responds-to-bethesdas-fallout-claims-calls-them-abs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/10/interplay-responds-to-bethesdas-fallout-claims-calls-them-abs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/10/interplay-responds-to-bethesdas-fallout-claims-calls-them-abs/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

War... war never changes. Not even when it's over an IP. The Fallout MMO has been stuck in the middle of a legal battle for roughly half of forever, and it doesn't seem like the controversy is going to stop any time soon. Bethesda's most recent filing claimed that Interplay had only licensed the rights to use the Fallout name, rather than any of the other assets that would lead to developing an MMO. Interplay has responded to this claim by calling it outright absurd.

According to Interplay, the license between the companies specifically required Interplay to develop a Fallout MMO, using the name and all related assets as part of the overall experience. Using only the name and nothing else related to the franchise would be strictly against the terms of the original agreement. Although it's not clear at the moment how long this particular skirmish will take, it's obvious that both companies are still dedicated to fighting the rights out to the bitter end.

MassivelyInterplay responds to Bethesda's Fallout claims, calls them "absurd" originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bethesdafalloutfallout-mmointerplaylegallegal-agreementslegal-battlelicenselicensingmmo-industrynewsproject-v13rightsMon, 10 Jan 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[HanbitSoft acquires worldwide publishing rights for Hellgate: London]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/18/hanbitsoft-acquires-worldwide-publishing-rights-for-hellgate-lo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/18/hanbitsoft-acquires-worldwide-publishing-rights-for-hellgate-lo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/18/hanbitsoft-acquires-worldwide-publishing-rights-for-hellgate-lo/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


It's been a long and turbulent ride for Hellgate: London, stretching all the way back to its rather troubled Halloween 2007 launch under the banner of the ill-fated Flagship Studios. This stretched through a bewildering morass of licensing disputes, general misinformation, and mixed signals (like continual English press releases for the game in a non English-speaking market. *ahem*) in the wake of the Flagship Studios closure and subsequent legal wranglings between T3 Entertainment/HanbitSoft and NAMCO BANDAI. Still, despite some of the flaws both in terms of business decisions made and the game itself, the title has its fans and many were sad to see Hellgate: London's servers in North America and Europe go dark.

Liken it to a yo-yo, a roller coaster, or what have you -- it's been confusing, but there have been glimmers of hope of the game one day returning to Western regions. An official release from Hellgate: London's license holder HanbitSoft today is perhaps the most solid bit of info we've received about the future of the game outside of Korea. In HanbitSoft's own words: "HanbitSoft Inc., announced today that the company has obtained the publishing rights for Hellgate in North America, Europe and Japan from NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.. HanbitSoft and NAMCO BANDAI Games America, the formal owner of the publishing rights in these regions, have entered into an agreement for the game to be distributed by HanbitSoft in the future."

Continue reading HanbitSoft acquires worldwide publishing rights for Hellgate: London

MassivelyHanbitSoft acquires worldwide publishing rights for Hellgate: London originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiabreakingeuropeflagship-studioshanbitsofthellgatehellgate-londonhellgate-resurrectionhg-lhorrorkorealegallicensingmmo-industrynamco-bandainorth-americat3-entertainmentMon, 18 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The9 is out, NetEase is in for Chinese World of Warcraft operator]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/16/the9-is-out-netease-is-in-for-chinese-world-of-warcraft-operato/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/16/the9-is-out-netease-is-in-for-chinese-world-of-warcraft-operato/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/16/the9-is-out-netease-is-in-for-chinese-world-of-warcraft-operato/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Yesterday, we reported the rumor that it looked like Chinese World of Warcraft operator The9 might be losing the licensing rights to a competitor, and today we can confirm that rumor to be 100% true. Rival company NetEase has purchased the rights to operate World of Warcraft in China, starting once The9's current contract is up with Blizzard on June 8th.

NetEase is already the operator of Battle.net in China, supporting Warcraft III and the to-be-released Starcraft II. They have been operating with Blizzard since last August, when they acquired all of the rights to the other Blizzard games. This acquisition only brings NetEase and Blizzard closer together in their business arrangement.

What is still up in the air, however, is the fate of Wrath of the Lich King. DoNews, a Chinese news site, has reported that Wrath has been licensed by NetEase, although no formal announcement has yet been made.

[Via JLM Pacific Epoch]

MassivelyThe9 is out, NetEase is in for Chinese World of Warcraft operator originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battle.netblizzardlegallicensingneteasepatch-3.0rightsstarcraft-2starcraft-iithe9transitionwarcraft-3warcraft-iiiworld-of-warcraftwotlkwrathwrath-of-the-lich-kingThu, 16 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Rumor: China's The9 may lose licensing rights to World of Warcraft]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/25/rumor-chinas-the9-may-lose-licensing-rights-to-world-of-warcraft/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/25/rumor-chinas-the9-may-lose-licensing-rights-to-world-of-warcraft/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/25/rumor-chinas-the9-may-lose-licensing-rights-to-world-of-warcraft/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The9 is the licensed operator for World of Warcraft in China, the most popular Western MMO running in Asia. However, The9 is facing new censorship and regulatory issues which have thus far prevented the Wrath of the Lich King expansion from launching in China. These restrictions imposed upon online games operating in mainland China by the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) are not the only issue affecting World of Warcraft's success in the country.

To make things worse, it's now rumored that their licensing deal with Blizzard may be shaky. Our sister site WoW Insider has mentioned (unverified) reports that The9 might be on the outs with Blizzard, citing a Xinhua news agency story. The9 declined to make a comment to WoW Insider, stating only that they're still in negotiations with Blizzard Entertainment. With their current licensing agreement due to expire this summer, we suspect it won't be long before the situation is resolved, one way or the other.
One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

MassivelyRumor: China's The9 may lose licensing rights to World of Warcraft originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardbusiness-modelscensorshipchinafantasygapplicenselicensingmmo-industryrightsrumorsthe9world-of-warcraftwowwow-chinawow-insiderWed, 25 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Chinese MMO publishers hit the market]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/29/chinese-mmo-publishers-go-public/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/29/chinese-mmo-publishers-go-public/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/29/chinese-mmo-publishers-go-public/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

China's relationship with MMOs goes much deeper than just RMT scams. In his latest editorial on the Chinese game business for Gamasutra, Shang Koo gives an appraisal of the public offerings of NetDragon and Giant Interactive, two of the premier Chinese game publishers to emerge from the recent gaming boom in the East. Giant Interactive, which is set to premier on the New York Stock Exchange starting this Wednesday, is the publisher responsible for Zhengtu Online, the second-most popular game on the continent since it was released last year. NetDragon, which itself is set to appear on the Hong Kong stock exchange this Friday, developed Eudemons Online and is working with Ubisoft on the upcoming Heroes of Might and Magic.

Koo looks at the ways that game sales are affected by the differences in the developer/publisher relationship in China, and forecasts gloomy days ahead for companies trying to license their titles in the enormous Chinese game market, which today is largely dominated by home-grown titles.

MassivelyChinese MMO publishers hit the market originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chinachineseEudemons-onlinegiant-interactiveimportslicensingNetDragonpublisherstock-marketzhengtu-onlineMon, 29 Oct 2007 10:35:00 EST