Massively

Namco executive: F2P titles 'can't be high quality'

Jef Reahard — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous

Just when we thought every game development firm on the planet had jumped on the free-to-play bandwagon, along comes Namco-Bandai and executive Olivier Comte.

The senior vice president recently spoke at the Cloud Gaming Europe conference, and he had some pretty harsh words for the industry's new business model darling. "Free-to-play games can't be high quality," Comte said. "The business model for smaller, easier titles is making an expectation to consumers that is whittling away at AAA development."

He went on to stress that larger companies have to think long-term, and he opined that the proliferation of cheap games is going to be problematic for the industry if the trend continues.

Namco executive: F2P titles 'can't be high quality' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively sneaks a peek into Bounty Hounds Online

Beau Hindman — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, New titles, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on

The developers of Bounty Hounds Online recently invited Massively to join them in exploring their closed beta world. I am not the type to turn down an invitation like that, so I downloaded the client and logged in. While it did take a while to figure out which client to use and exactly how to log in to the test server so the developers could show me things that were not yet in the beta, the wait was worth it.

If you've been curious about how the game looks, plays, and feels, click past the cut and join me for a preview! Bear in mind that I was given a very decked-out character, so combat was a breeze. Other than that, everything else was a normal tour through a very cool-looking world!

Gallery: Massively's tour of Bounty Hounds Online

Continue reading Massively sneaks a peek into Bounty Hounds Online

Massively sneaks a peek into Bounty Hounds Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Trek Online team seeks world record

Rubi Bayer — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Events, real-world, Star Trek Online

Namco Bandai and Atari are helping Cryptic keep the hype machine for Star Trek Online at full throttle with this latest event: an attempt to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

The team at Star Trek Online is pursuing the record for "largest gathering of people dressed as Star Trek characters", and of course, they want your help. Fans in the London area are asked to join dressed as anything Star Trek related. The gathering will take place on London's Millennium Bridge

Join other fans February 14th (bring your significant other -- it's romantic!) at 1.00pm on the bridge and prepare to be checked out by officials from Guinness to be sure everyone is dressed in full Trek regalia. Best dressed fans can win Star Trek Online prizes, including lifetime subscriptions.

Check out all the details on the event here, and if you attend, have a great time.

Continue reading Star Trek Online team seeks world record

Star Trek Online team seeks world record originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Will you welcome back the Hellgate franchise?

James Egan — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, Sci-fi, MMO industry, Opinion, Hellgate: London, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind

Hellgate: London is one of those games that has really divided opinion from our readers. Some brand it as a deeply-flawed game, or were burned by that costly Founder's lifetime subscription when the game shut down after a rather short life. Others -- like some of us on the Massively staff -- truly miss the game's blend of horror and sci-fi elements and have been hoping that Hellgate: London would one day return in some form or another.

Although the future of the game has been murky, the most recent (and most straightforward) announcement is that Hellgate: London is slated to return to Western shores. HanbitSoft has secured the worldwide publishing rights to the game from Namco-Bandai, so now it's just a matter of time before it returns. We're interested to hear what you think about this. Would you welcome the return of Hellgate: London? For that matter, how would you feel about playing the game in its current free-to-play incarnation, Hellgate: Resurrection?

The Daily Grind: Will you welcome back the Hellgate franchise? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HanbitSoft acquires worldwide publishing rights for Hellgate: London

James Egan — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, MMO industry, Hellgate: London, Legal

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

HanbitSoft 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.

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Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast sues Atari over Dungeons & Dragons rights

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Massively Meta, Legal

You might be wondering right now, "What's Massively doing covering a lawsuit between two companies that aren't MMO companies over a non-MMO product?" Well, dear readers, if you would come with us on a trip down memory lane, you might remember a certain MMO developer suing a certain publisher over a certain set of rights pertaining to, you guessed it, Dungeons & Dragons Online.

Well, it seems that Atari has sub-licensed the Dungeons & Dragons rights out to Namco-Bandai, and Hasbro isn't too fond of that. Namco-Bandai is seen as a competitor to Hasbro's products, and Hasbro's contract with Atari specifically forbids them from doing any licensing like this. Namco-Bandai has recently purchased Atari's distribution wing in Europe, renaming it to Namco-Bandai partners.

Continue reading Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast sues Atari over Dungeons & Dragons rights

Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast sues Atari over Dungeons & Dragons rights originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cities XL English demo launches today

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, New titles, News items, Cities XL

As we mentioned last week, Cities XL has been launching their own demo version of the game for several different languages. The German and French version went up last week, but today marks the official launch for the English version.

Partnering up with Namco Bandai for this English version, the developers at Monte Cristo seem pleased that their city-building MMO is right on track for an October release. This demo for the game can be downloaded at our sister site, Big Download, and is playable throughout the month of September.

Cities XL English demo launches today originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cities XL Limited Edition box contents revealed

Shawn Schuster — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Cities XL

Monte Cristo and Namco-Bandai have recently announced the contents of their Limited Edition box for the upcoming city-builder MMO, Cities XL. These Limited Edition boxes, as well as the Standard Edition boxes, are available in Europe on October 8th. The North American launch has yet to be announced.

The game's Standard Edition includes the game DVD, two instruction manuals, a 7-day trial key for the MMO part of the game, and a trial key for a friend. A pre-order is said to be available in the coming days, but no definite info has been announced yet. Follow along after the jump for the complete content of the Limited Edition.

Continue reading Cities XL Limited Edition box contents revealed

Cities XL Limited Edition box contents revealed originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Namco Bandai to distribute Cities XL in United Kingdom

Kyle Horner — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, New titles, News items, Cities XL

Fresh off their merger and complete with a new-ish name, Namco Bandai has announced a UK publishing deal for urban management MMO Cities XL. More specifically, the publisher is set to distribute the Monte Cristo developed title in the UK, Italy, Nordic countries, Iberica, New Zealand and Australia. Distribution elsewhere will be handled by Monte Cristo themselves.

If you're looking for more information on Cities XL, we've got a detailed hands-on preview written by our very own Shawn Schuster. Plus, we're still offering the opportunity to win a shiny beta key so you can try the game out for yourself. It's a good time to be both an MMO and city builder fan, which is strange to write but feels oh-so-good.

Namco Bandai to distribute Cities XL in United Kingdom originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hellgate: London wants to come back, it really does

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, MMO industry, Hellgate: London

Still confused on the true status of Hellgate: London? Well, let us help confuse you a bit more. According to Korean publisher HanbitSoft, they're interested in resurrecting the game in the U.S. and Europe, but their hands are tied by Namco Bandai. Of course HanbitSoft acquired the title from Flagship, who was the original developer of the game. On top of this, the game is alive and well in Korea under HanbitSoft's domain.

Maybe Kee Young Kim, CEO of HanbitSoft, can explain it better: "HanbitSoft does own the intellectual property of Hellgate: London and is interested in providing the game in the US and Europe, but is unable to do so at this time because Namco Bandai has the publishing rights for those regions." Any way you look at it, it seems Hellgate: London is trying hard to come back to its loyal fans.

Hellgate: London wants to come back, it really does originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hellgate: London is dead, for real this time

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, Hellgate: London, Free-to-play, Legal

It's up! It's down! It's up! It's down! It's... sideways?

That's the story for the ever growing saga of Hellgate: London in a nutshell. This time, however, it's not coming back and there should be no more rumors that it is coming back. HanbitSoft, the Asian publisher of the game, has finally clarified to GameCyte that they do not have the publishing rights to Hellgate: London in the United States or Europe, just in Asia, excluding Japan.

Currently those rights are held by Namco-Bandai, who have made the decision to shut down the Hellgate servers as of February 1st.

So it's not coming back. Even though it will still have press releases in English and have updates being made by a US developer, it's not coming back. However, if you really want to play, we suggest moving to Asia, as it will still be going strong over there.

Hellgate: London is dead, for real this time originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hellgate: London staying alive through free-to-play

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Hellgate: London, Free-to-play

Always named in the popular lists of "Failures for 2007/2008", Hellgate: London may not be dying off as easily as we thought. As reported by Gamasutra, HanbitSoft has announced that they will be keeping the game alive as a free-to-play model after the initial closure date of January 31st, 2009. They can do this (despite Namco-Bandai's decision to close the game) because they own the IP, engines and source codes for the Flagship Studios title.

In November of last year, we touched on this a bit, as HanbitSoft mentioned their continued efforts with the game, which might even include an expansion. At that time, the rumor was that it would be available only in Asia, yet this newest announcement is for global availability. This brings up an interesting thought though: If Hellgate: London can do it, can the others?

Hellgate: London staying alive through free-to-play originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: You've been Auto-Assaulted

Seraphina Brennan — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Tabula Rasa, Anti-Aliased

"Absolutely. [The restructuring] has no impact on Tabula Rasa. ... I don't know where the rumors are coming from, but with [marketing blitz] Operation Immortality in full swing, the team's very dedicated to that game, and they are still working on it," said David Swofford, Director of Public Relations of NCsoft to Edge Online on September 11th.

"Tabula Rasa is a triple-A MMO. It is a game that is very much in the wheelhouse of what NC West and NCsoft globally are all about," said David Reid, President of Publishing of NC West on September 24th. "...we see improvement happening in Tabula Rasa. We're encouraged by it."

So, NCsoft, how does it feel to absolutely lie through your teeth to players and staff about Tabula Rasa?

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: You've been Auto-Assaulted

Anti-Aliased: You've been Auto-Assaulted originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hanbitsoft admits their Hellgate rights don't extend to US/EU

Michael Zenke — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, MMO industry, Hellgate: London

Hellgate London's state of flux over the past week has been somewhat infuriating for us to follow. No doubt it must be even moreso for players who just want to know if they'll get their game back after Namco Bandai's servers close in the spring. First it seemed that Hanbitsoft would be rezzing the game worldwide, then it was less clear based on Redbana's development. Now it seems even Hanbitsoft has acknowledged that they don't have rights to the game in the US and EU.

WarCry is reporting based on a press release from Namco specifically stating that they own the IP for publishing here in the states and over in Europe. Gamecyte follows that announcement up with a more detailed look, noting that Hanbitsoft would like to run the game and do some profitsharing with Namco for these two lucrative markets. Namco's position on the matter, though, seems to be that the service is closing and everyone is moving on. So - for the time being - it looks like we'll be bidding farewell to Hellgate London.

Hanbitsoft admits their Hellgate rights don't extend to US/EU originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are all MMOs just extended vaporware?

James Egan — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Fury, MMO industry, Opinion, Hellgate: London

Massively multiplayer online games can be a difficult industry to break into and succeed. For every Blizzard or Sony Online Entertainment, there are several smaller companies brimming with ideas about how to inject change into the MMO market. Some succeed by breaking from the World of Warcraft paradigm. Most do not.

Writer James Matson writes about these titles that begin full of promise but ultimately meet a chilly reception by MMO gamers, in an article at Atomic. He touches on the fact that the sometimes high price of the box sale paired with monthly MMO fees, sustained over some months, leads to some serious disappointment when the MMO fails and the servers go dark. Matson specifically cites the examples of Auran's Fury and (what is currently Namco-Bandai's) Hellgate: London. "This would appear to the be the first tendrils of a new kind of gaming plague that's arrived with MMOs, games that can be rendered useless due to mismanagement, poor sales or just bad luck," Matson writes.

Continue reading Are all MMOs just extended vaporware?

Are all MMOs just extended vaporware? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hellgate London status: Purgatory

James Egan — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, Sci-fi, Business models, MMO industry, Hellgate: London, Rumors

There have been so many twists and turns with the future of Hellgate: London (and Mythos) that it's hard to know what will happen next. We've heard on a few occasions that Hellgate: London was about to face its demise, only to be saved. Adding to the confusion was the dispute over who even owned Hellgate: London, Flagship Studios or HanbitSoft. After Flagship folded, HanbitSoft's claims seemed to be genuine, and the IP was left in the hands of T3 Entertainment. Subscriptions, however, were then suspended. Shortly afterwards Namco-Bandai swept in, prominently featured HG: L on its site... and subsequently removed it. Despite this, the game has been kept running ever since, although Namco-Bandai's stated that the servers will shut down at the end of January, 2009.

Gaming site HellForge has picked up on what we're not ready to call anything more than 'rumor' at this point, but something that perhaps bodes well for the future of the game. Another company name has been thrown into the mix: Redbana (based in Taiwan, connected with the aforementioned T3 Entertainment). HellForge writes: "Further research leads to findings of a new San Francisco office for the company, which is where Hellgate offices were located previously." This seems to be in line with what we reported about the future of both titles in August. While we hope this information could be a positive sign for Hellgate: London and perhaps Mythos as well, at this point it's still largely conjecture.

[Via Blue's News]

Hellgate London status: Purgatory originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hellgate: London to shut down in February

Michael Zenke — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:15:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Hellgate: London

The game's official site has the news that Hellgate: London is going to go sunset at the beginning of next year. February will see the closure of all of the game's servers. Until that point, the service will continue to be free of charge. All the way back in July we reported on the suspension of new subscriptions and the acquisition of the property by Namco-Bandai. Now it appears as though the company has decided to cut its losses.

The announcement on the game's site spins it in a very upbeat way, stating that they would "continue to support customers of PC game Hellgate[TM]: London with online server support and play through January 31, 2009 despite the closure of Flagship Studios." We've heard no further details on the service since the middle of the summer; hopefully we'll have further details for you soon.

Hellgate: London to shut down in February originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mythos lives!

James Egan — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, MMO industry, News items, Mythos, Rumors

These have been some turbulent times for both Mythos and Hellgate: London. Following the closing of Flagship Studios, recent news revealed Namco-Bandai Games as Hellgate: London's saviors, while the fate of Mythos remained uncertain, but grim. However just over a week later, the Hellgate: London page at Namco-Bandai has already disappeared.

In another turn of events, Gamasutra reports that Korea's T3 Entertainment, perhaps best-known for their online music game Audition, is seeking programmers for its new development studio in San Francisco: "T3 Entertainment is searching for creative minds to passionately continue development of Hellgate: London and Mythos, along with other new games, which are being published by HanbitSoft Inc." This may put to rest the dispute over IP which HanbitSoft was engaged in with Flagship Studios, as T3 Entertainment is HanbitSoft's largest stockholder. With any luck, the opening of a North American studio signifies a healthier future for both Mythos and Hellgate: London. We'll keep you posted, once more details become available.

Mythos lives! originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hellgate: London saved by Namco-Bandai

Michael Zenke — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:45:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Hellgate: London, MMOFPS

Didn't really think we'd be talking about this game ever again, but it's nice to be wrong. Tipster Matt let us know that a Senior Director for Business development has posted to the official Hellgate:London forums letting everyone know that 'word' is coming soon. On Monday Ping0 employee Tiggs posted to the same thread, telling folks not to worry. Now it appears that, via this post by Namco's Zack "Ozuri" Karlsson, there really is nothing to worry about.

Says Karlsson, "The game is up, the servers are not going away in the short term and any major changes to status will be communicated in advance. I'd like to ask for your patience as we try to figure it all out and chart a new course. We value your community, your commitment, and your passion for Hellgate and we will make sure that any solution that we architect will support all of you as best as we are able. Thanks again. We hope to have a real announcement shortly." Vague, yes, but one thing isn't vague at all: Hellgate: London now has an official game page on the Namco-Bandai site. Looks like the legacy of Flagship will live on!
Thanks for the tip, Matt!

Hellgate: London saved by Namco-Bandai originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stonehenge is open for business

Kyle Horner — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Patches, News items, Hellgate: London

Those of you who've been waiting for Stonehenge Chronicles -- the first major content update for Hellgate: London -- to finally be released can stop as of yesterday. The content went live for players yesterday morning after being delayed a day over some technical bugs. Aside from all of the new content featured in and around Stonehenge, all players get to taste some brand new features, game tweaks and the newly redesigned Evoker class. Among the new features are scaling interface elements -- something everyone appreciates, a streamlining of the crafting system and the addition of account-based buddy lists.

We're glad to see that Flagship Studios is also addressing bugs as well as improving some player texturing. However what would really help in the future are instability updates for the game engine and maybe an improved chat window. More content is a good start, but while you're busy working on new stuff for those subscribers it would be a good idea to make sure new players have reason to pick the game up as well.

Stonehenge is open for business originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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