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<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Free to play MMO Cronous to launch in India]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/02/free-to-play-mmo-cronous-to-launch-in-india/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/02/free-to-play-mmo-cronous-to-launch-in-india/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/02/free-to-play-mmo-cronous-to-launch-in-india/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/business-models/" rel="tag">Business models</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/launches/" rel="tag">Launches</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.cronous.co.in/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/06/cronous580ss.jpg" alt="" /></a><br /></div>
Lizard Interactive, the makers of free-to-play MMOs <em><a href="http://cronous.neofun.com/">Cronous</a></em> and <em><a href="http://shoonline.neofun.com/">Sho Online</a></em>, has made an agreement with Servex of India to bring <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/cronous"><em>Cronous</em></a> over to the Indian MMO audience.<br /><br />The Indian MMO scene is very much like the Asian MMO scene, where internet and gaming cafes dominate the market while at-home users only make up a small percent. To combat this, Lizard and Servex have also teamed up with Sify and Zapak -- two of the largest internet cafe chains in India. These chains will be offering special promotions and incentives for players who choose <em>Cronous</em>, as well as simply promoting the game in their stores.<br /><br />The Indian MMO scene is one of the best marketing choices right now, as the market is uncrowded and quickly gathering steam. This move is very similar to <a href="http://rappelz.gpotato.com/"><em>Rappelz</em></a>'s choice to <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/02/mmo-rappelz-changes-imagery-themes-to-please-middle-eastern-cus/">move into the Middle Eastern market</a>, choosing to take the costs of localization in order to tap an untapped player base.<br /><br /><em>Cronous</em> will be launching their Indian website later this month, with game service targeted for the same timeframe as well.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/02/free-to-play-mmo-cronous-to-launch-in-india/">Free to play MMO Cronous to launch in India</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.cronous.co.in/>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/02/free-to-play-mmo-cronous-to-launch-in-india/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19055132/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/02/free-to-play-mmo-cronous-to-launch-in-india/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>cronous</category><category>free-to-play</category><category>india</category><category>internet-cafe</category><category>lizard-interactive</category><category>localization</category><category>servex</category><category>sho-online</category><category>sify</category><category>zapak</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Seraphina Brennan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[News from the Wider MMO World: August 12, 2008]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/12/news-from-the-wider-mmo-world-august-12-2008/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/12/news-from-the-wider-mmo-world-august-12-2008/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/12/news-from-the-wider-mmo-world-august-12-2008/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/at-a-glance/" rel="tag">At a glance</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/priston-tale/" rel="tag">Priston Tale</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/trickster-online/" rel="tag">Trickster Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmofps/" rel="tag">MMOFPS</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmorts/" rel="tag">MMORTS</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sho-online/" rel="tag">Sho Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/secret-of-the-solstice/" rel="tag">Secret of the Solstice</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fiesta/" rel="tag">Fiesta</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://apod.nasa.gov"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="top" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/08/nftwmmow.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
<em>The MMO genre is more than World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, and Warhammer Online. Here's what's going on in the rest of the world.</em><br /><strong><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Trickster Online</span> celebrates the Olympics with new themed items</strong><br />Even MMOs get into the spirit of real world competition, and <em><a href="http://trickster.ntreev.net/">Trickster Online</a></em> has some themed items for your enjoyment. These masks, hats, and capes will have a particular country's flag on them; collect all five of each and receive a special item of each type. Check them out before the Olympics ends!<br /><br style="font-weight: bold;" /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Outspark Games offer Olympic-style competition within their titles</span><br />From now until August 24th, San Francisco MMO publisher Outspark will be <a href="http://www.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=14631">hosting the Outspark Games</a>, a series of Olympic-styled competitions within their online offerings. Titles <a href="http://fiesta.outspark.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Fiesta</a>, <a href="http://solstice.outspark.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Secret of the Solstice</a>, and <a href="http://projectpowder.outspark.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Project Powder</a> will feature special events in-game. Expect medals to be granted to the top three winners, and increased experience points offered to all participants.<br /><br />More news after the jump!<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/12/news-from-the-wider-mmo-world-august-12-2008/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>News from the Wider MMO World: August 12, 2008</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/12/news-from-the-wider-mmo-world-august-12-2008/">News from the Wider MMO World: August 12, 2008</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/12/news-from-the-wider-mmo-world-august-12-2008/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1281799/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/12/news-from-the-wider-mmo-world-august-12-2008/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>ace-online</category><category>aeria-games</category><category>atlantica-online</category><category>cronous</category><category>fiesta</category><category>gamescampus</category><category>lizard-interactive</category><category>mangafighter</category><category>ndoors</category><category>news-from-the-wider-mmo-world</category><category>olympics</category><category>outspark</category><category>priston-tale</category><category>project-powder</category><category>secret-of-the-solstice</category><category>sho-online</category><category>trickster-online</category><category>two-emperors</category><category>wicked-interactive</category><category>yedang-online</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Akela Talamasca]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Aeria adds Diablo-like Cronous to its library]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/18/aeria-adds-diablo-like-cronous-to-its-library/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/18/aeria-adds-diablo-like-cronous-to-its-library/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/18/aeria-adds-diablo-like-cronous-to-its-library/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://cronous.aeriagames.com/"><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/cronous.jpg" /></a></div>
MMO portal <a href="http://www.aeriagames.com/">Aeria Games</a> <a href="http://cronous.aeriagames.com/node/53">has acquired</a> a new game called <a href="http://cronous.aeriagames.com/"><em>Cronous</em></a>, which was originally developed by <a href="http://www.lizardinteractive.com/">Lizard Interactive.</a> <em>Cronous</em>' gameplay is similar to that of <a href="http://www.blizzard.com/diablo"><em>Diablo</em></a>, <a href="http://www.mythos.com/"><em>Mythos</em></a>, or <a href="http://www.dungeonrunners.com/"><em>Dungeon Runners</em>.</a> That makes it somewhat unique in Aeria's library, which is otherwise made up mostly of games of a different character such as <a href="http://domo.aeriagames.com/"><em>Dream of Mirror Online</em></a> and <a href="http://shaiya.aeriagames.com/"><em>Shaiya</em>.</a><br /><br />The game's <a href="http://cronous.aeriagames.com/info/features">info page</a> lists most of the usual action-RPG features, plus "nonlinear storytelling" with regards to quests, guild castle building and management, and siege warfare. We don't fully understand the nonlinear storytelling bit, although it's included in the press release as one of the major selling points of the game. It sounds cool up front though.<br /><br /><a href="http://cronous.aeriagames.com/node/50">Sign-ups are already underway</a> for a closed beta test, so if you want to give the game a try, that's probably your best bet.<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/38455">Ten Ton Hammer</a>]<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/18/aeria-adds-diablo-like-cronous-to-its-library/">Aeria adds Diablo-like Cronous to its library</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://cronous.aeriagames.com/node/53>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/18/aeria-adds-diablo-like-cronous-to-its-library/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1259751/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/18/aeria-adds-diablo-like-cronous-to-its-library/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>action-rpg</category><category>aeria</category><category>aeria-games</category><category>cronous</category><category>diablo</category><category>domo</category><category>dream-of-mirror-online</category><category>dungeon-runners</category><category>lizard-interactive</category><category>mythos</category><category>nonlinear-storytelling</category><category>portal</category><category>shaiya</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Samuel Axon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sho Online journeys west]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/sho-online-journeys-west/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/sho-online-journeys-west/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/sho-online-journeys-west/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/betas/" rel="tag">Betas</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/historical/" rel="tag">Historical</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sho-online/" rel="tag">Sho Online</a></p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sho-online"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/04/sho2.jpg" /></a>Korean MMO developer <a href="http://www.lizardinteractive.com/">Lizard Interactive </a>has announced that <a href="http://www.shoonline.net"><em>Sho Online</em></a>, a fantasy MMO loosely based on historical events in ancient China, will begin open beta testing on April 30th. <br /><br />The open beta will <a href="http://www.shoonline.net/web/news/board.asp?category=2&amp;bcode=3&amp;news_seq=43&amp;curPage_list=1">kick off with three events</a> -- 'Quest for the Mysterious Talisman', 'Who's the best?' and 'The King of the Forum' -- which will allow testers to win unique in-game items, available only through these events. <br /><br /><em>Sho Online</em> is actively played in South Korea and Japan, following its initial release in 2006. The 7-day <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/24/chinese-history-meets-fantasy-in-sho-online/">closed beta testing </a>of the English client last month introduced 1000 players to siege warfare between factions of the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, as well as <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sho-online"><em>Sho Online's</em> </a>rank promotion and item enhancement systems. <br /><br />Byung-Wook Kim, Project Manager for <em>Sho Online</em>, <a href="http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/868/868069p1.html">recently spoke with IGN</a> about what makes the game distinctive from other fantasy titles on the market.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/sho-online-journeys-west/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Sho Online journeys west</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/sho-online-journeys-west/">Sho Online journeys west</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.shoonline.net/web/news/board.asp?bcode=1&amp;category=2&amp;news_seq=42>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/sho-online-journeys-west/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1178691/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/sho-online-journeys-west/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>chinese-history</category><category>classes</category><category>fantasy</category><category>historical</category><category>lizard-interactive</category><category>open-beta</category><category>sho-online</category><category>yin</category><category>zhou</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[James Egan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chinese history meets fantasy in Sho Online]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/24/chinese-history-meets-fantasy-in-sho-online/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/24/chinese-history-meets-fantasy-in-sho-online/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/24/chinese-history-meets-fantasy-in-sho-online/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/betas/" rel="tag">Betas</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/historical/" rel="tag">Historical</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/video/" rel="tag">Video</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pvp/" rel="tag">PvP</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a></p><center><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Qmv4GrHxbD4&amp;hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Qmv4GrHxbD4&amp;hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></center>Just in case you have been waiting with bated breath to <a href="http://www.shoonline.net/">play <em>Sho Online</em></a>, an MMO based on <a href="http://www.shoonline.net/web/introduction/shoonline.asp">an old Chinese mix of history and fantasy</a>, your chance is almost here -- after <a href="http://www.shoonline.net/web/news/board.asp?bcode=1&amp;category=2&amp;news_seq=26">inviting 1000 beta testers</a> into the game last week, they have reached their <a href="http://www.shoonline.net/web/news/board.asp?bcode=1&amp;category=2&amp;news_seq=38">final closed beta test event,</a> and open beta seems to be just around the corner.<br /><br />As you can see from the video above, it doesn't look much different from your average Korean MMO, but the Chinese lore and history might add a little bit to the mix that we haven't seen before.  There's supposed to be lots of faction warfare involved as well -- the two factions are called Yin and Zhou.  Plus, it'll likely be free-to-play, with microtransactions included, which means as a download-and-play distraction, it might be worth a look.  Interested?<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/24/chinese-history-meets-fantasy-in-sho-online/">Chinese history meets fantasy in Sho Online</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 21:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.shoonline.net/web/introduction/shoonline.asp>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/24/chinese-history-meets-fantasy-in-sho-online/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1147801/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/24/chinese-history-meets-fantasy-in-sho-online/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>chinese-history</category><category>fantasy</category><category>lizard-interactive</category><category>sho-online</category><category>yin</category><category>zhou</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Schramm]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 24 Mar 2008 21:00:00 EST</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
