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Seven Souls' 1.1 patch raises level cap, adds new dungeons and gear

Jef Reahard — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons

If you've grown bored in Seven Souls Online, the 1.1 patch is reason to celebrate. Neowiz is raising the level cap to 50 and adding plenty of new items and gear to match.

The sci-fantasy adventure also boasts new dungeons that include the Hall of Resurrection (levels 39 to 43) and Purgatorium (levels 45 and up). Both of these gauntlets will dole out "fantastic rewards" upon completion. Finally, gamers can look forward to the new Western Mikan Plains zone as well a huge number of new quests and items to loot and trade. If you're still looking for something to do after you've conquered all the new content, Neowiz is hosting a Lineage of the Sky guild PvP tournament.

Further details on Seven Souls' 1.1 patch and the PvP event are available at the game's official web destination.

[Source: Neowiz press release]

Seven Souls' 1.1 patch raises level cap, adds new dungeons and gear originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NEOWIZ launches Seven Souls Online

Jef Reahard — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Classes, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play

We brought you an exclusive preview of Seven Souls Online at last month's GDC event in San Francisco. This month, NEOWIZ has officially opened its doors to everyone via the title's official launch. Seven Souls takes place in the world of Akkadia, and it combines ancient eastern and western culture with sci-fi elements and a free-to-play business model.

In terms of gameplay, the title features three classes, combo-based combat, and a cube system that provides for rare combines, crafting items, and item deconstruction. Traditional MMO staples like questing and open-world PvP are present and accounted for, and NEOWIZ is also running a few launch-specific bonus events including a max combo contest, a boss monster video contest, and an Easter egg hunt. Further details on the contests, as well as the free client download, are available on the official Seven Souls website.

[Source: NEOWIZ press release]

NEOWIZ launches Seven Souls Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Seven Souls Online open beta brings open PvP, new zones

Jef Reahard — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons

Free-to-play betas are something of a running joke around these parts, and it's not uncommon to see such games undergoing prolonged testing periods for months (or even years). Seven Souls Online might be breaking that mold, though, as the title is heading into open beta tomorrow after the conclusion of its closed beta that began earlier this year.

The NEOWIZ title is heavy on martial arts action, and the new beta will raise the level cap to 40 as well as introduce the new Dragonscale Valley zone, the Inferno dungeon, and open-world PvP combat. Said PvP becomes available at level 31, and you can learn more about Seven Souls -- as well as sign up for beta -- on the game's official website.

[Source: NEOWIZ Games press release]

Seven Souls Online open beta brings open PvP, new zones originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC 2012: A look at Seven Souls Online with the NEOWIZ team

Karen Bryan — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, Free-to-play, Massively Event Coverage

Just a few short weeks ago, Seven Souls Online was in closed beta and Massively readers were scooping up beta keys to test it out. Now, with closed beta, well, closed and open beta just around the corner, the team at NEOWIZ GAMES sat down to show off the state of the game and its plans for launch. The devs showed some beginner gameplay and then revealed some of the content that's ready and waiting for the higher levels. From jackpots to cubes to rage mode, Lead Community Manager Cesar Gatica and Marketing Manager Joon Yoon explained it all. What the heck are jackpots, cubes, and rage mode? Read on!

Continue reading GDC 2012: A look at Seven Souls Online with the NEOWIZ team

GDC 2012: A look at Seven Souls Online with the NEOWIZ team originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Korean MMO Bless reveals English website

Jef Reahard — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items

Stop us if you're heard this one before: There's a new MMO coming out of Korea. It's drop-dead gorgeous, it's built on the latest version of the Unreal engine, and it features fantasy armor that doesn't leave much to the imagination.

No, it's not Aion or even TERA. The new kid on the block is called Bless, and though we told you about the game back in October, it's taken Neowiz a while to come up with an English website. That website is now live (though it does take forever and a day to load). The site features a trailer, a few screenshots and character concepts, and brief snippets of lore that seem to indicate two factions (Cosmopolis and Hierapolis).

We've heard a rumor that Neowiz has more than 150 developers working on the project, some of whom worked on Aion, TERA, and Lineage II. We'll bring you more on the new title as it becomes available.

New Korean MMO Bless reveals English website originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: Dark Ages

Beau Hindman — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Video, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Casual, Humor, Rise and Shiny, Livestream

Some games grab you from the moment you see them. Sure, I get grabbed a lot, but I know when a game appears to be different or interesting. As I watched Adventure Mike play Nexus: Kingdom of the Winds on MassivelyTV over the last few weeks, I knew that I had to play it. But wait! Mike was playing it himself and doing a good job of exploring the game for the viewers. I couldn't just take that first impression from him and claim it as mine!

So I looked up KRU Interactive, found out its cool history with Nexon games, and decided to try Dark Ages instead. It looks similar to Nexus, so I thought I would be in for a great time.

The very first thing that I came across after logging into the game was a description of waking up in an inn room. It was a mysterious beginning, and I loved how the moment reminded me of how often our characters are just thrown into a world without much of a cutscene or explanation.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Dark Ages

Rise and Shiny recap: Dark Ages originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grab yourself a Seven Souls Online beta key from Massively!

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Contests, New titles, Giveaways

Seven Souls Online is a new fantasy MMO from NEOWIZ that focuses on the concept of controlling the seven most destructive and powerful forces of humankind. These seven souls have essentially leaked out, and it's up to you to seal them back up. Sound like a fun Friday night? Good, because the devs want you to help test it out!

The beta will begin on February 15th (so it won't be available until then!), but we have some keys to get you ready for the event. Simply head on over to our giveaway page, click "Claim Your Key" at the bottom, and go to this link to redeem your code. You'll need to register for an account on their site and click on "Apply for Beta" to complete the process, but after that, you'll be all set for the February 15th beta.

Grab yourself a Seven Souls Online beta key from Massively! originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Korean gaming giants adjusting data collection policies

Jef Reahard — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MapleStory, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play

Changes are afoot in the Korean gaming industry in the wake of last month's massive Nexon hack that cost over 13 million MapleStory users their personal information. NCsoft has decided to stop collecting its players' Resident Registration Number (which is a Korean analog to the American Social Security number) due to concerns over privacy issues.

Korean gamers will still need to fork over the number to play NCsoft games, though, according to a report at ThisIsGame.com. Players need only an email and password to register for the PlayNC portal, but the RRN may still be required to verify that new registrants aren't bots, and NCsoft has handed off the collection responsibilities to a third-party agency. "We have acknowledged the importance of personal information for a long time. So we have collected minimum personal information and have asked another agency to do the sensitive information work including the RRN on behalf of us," said an NCsoft official.

ThisIsGame also reports that NHN Hangame has decided to stop collecting personal information, while Nexon and Neowiz are formulating new collection policies.

Korean gaming giants adjusting data collection policies originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neowiz partners with Epic Games Korea for new Unreal 3 MMORPG

Jef Reahard — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items

There's a new fantasy MMO in town, and it goes by the name of Bless (for now, at least). And actually, when we say "in town," we mean in Korea, where Neowiz has partnered with Epic Games Korea to develop the former's first Unreal 3-powered MMORPG.

MMODen has the press release as well as the game's first trailer, and Bless features Eastern MMO staples like skimpy armor, feline anthropomorphs, and slick violence doled out with rather impressive weaponry. There's virtually no information on actual gameplay save that the title will feature 10 races, but we'll keep our eyes peeled and bring you the latest info as it develops.

Prior to Bless, Neowiz was best known for its Cross Fire and Alliance of Valiant Arms MMO shooters, and the new title boasts 150 dedicated developers who've been working on the project since 2009. Check out the trailer after the break.

Continue reading Neowiz partners with Epic Games Korea for new Unreal 3 MMORPG

Neowiz partners with Epic Games Korea for new Unreal 3 MMORPG originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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War of Angels open beta begins

Jef Reahard — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, News items, Free-to-play

Just in time for the holidays, Neowiz Games has started its early gift-giving by announcing the open beta period for War of Angels. The free-to-play title featuring four classes and ongoing PvP conflict is now available for public consumption, and has a few Thanksgiving surprises in store for beta participants. If you're able to push away from the dinner table long enough to retrieve stolen turkeys for an NPC named Catherine, she'll reward you with a gigantic bird mount called a Pajareu.

In addition to the holiday content, War of Angels now boasts new gear and weapons for players of all levels, new quests, and website leaderboards to assist you in your post-holiday bragging. Closed beta veterans may also be gifted with a Halo of the Pioneer item which will temporarily boost their leveling speed.

Check out all the details, and sign up for beta, at the official website.

War of Angels open beta begins originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neowiz Exec VP on F2P market saturation and working with EA

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:00:00 EST

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

When it comes to the Western market, the name EA will jump out at many gamers far faster than the name Neowiz will. However, Neowiz was involved not only in successful redesigns/ports like EA's FIFA Online, but is also localizing other Western games like Age of Conan. In a recent article with Gamasutra, Neowiz Exective Vice President, Sang-Won Chung had a lot of very interesting things to say about the current state of Korea's free to play market and the business of recycling ideas in the current MMO space.

Among the many topics of discussion, one of the biggest quotes that jumped out at us was the statement that free to play gaming was "like having too many channels on your digital cable, and now you have like 300 channels and you don't know what to watch anymore." With the flood of Eastern f2p games entering the market seemingly daily, we can definitely relate to that feeling. Along with this, Chung also talks about taking MMO ideas from console games, and the difficulty of turning non-f2p titles into f2p games more in keeping with the Eastern revenue model. On top of that, there's also a pretty amusing anecdote about EA's first venture into Korea; well worth the read if just for that story alone.

Neowiz Exec VP on F2P market saturation and working with EA originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Age of Conan expands its bloody conquest to Korea

Samuel Axon — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, MMO industry, News items

It looks like Age of Conan is headed for South Korea thanks to a distribution deal between Funcom and well-known Korean publisher Neowiz. You thought you were safe from King Conan's wrath just 'cause you live 7,700 kilometers from Funcom? We could've told you that was a false assumption -- this particular blogger is almost 6,500km away and he's still knee-deep in the barbarism!

We won't predict that it'll be more well-received there than StarCraft, but Korea is a bastion of online gaming, and Neowiz plans to offer full localization and support, as well as all the same content updates the US and EU players get, to the Korean audience. The release date "has not yet been finalized," though -- not even a hint was provided in the press release, so, uhh, we guess we'll just wait and see.

Having fun in Conan's homeland? Make sure to check out all of our previous Age of Conan coverage, and stick with Massively for more news from the Hyborian Age!

Age of Conan expands its bloody conquest to Korea originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ION 08: State of online games keynote

Barb Dybwad — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:15:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Massively Event Coverage

Globalization is one of the session tracks here at ION 08, as befitting an industry seeking the holy grail of a truly global marketplace for online games. Tuesday's keynote was delivered by Won II Suh of Neowiz, a Korean online games company with 20 titles currently supported or in development by 1000 employees across 8 regions around the world. Mr. Suh described the current landscape of online gaming in Asia and the state of East-West partnerships happening at an increasing rate around the world (Activision and Blizzard, Neowiz and EA, THQ and Shanda to name a few).

Crossover from West to East already has some success stories (NBA Street, e.g.) while the East to West crossover is still fairly nascent. Suh spoke to a fundamental paradigm shift in the way games are made and played in both markets as part of the reason so much of this crossover is happening now. He stressed the importance of prioritizing human and cultural connections as predicates to success for Western companies hoping to break into Eastern markets, indicating that even if the business and financial plans make sense, companies are still prone to fail if they misunderstand or gloss over the critical steps of establishing real human relations and corporate culture due diligence when aspiring to do business in Asia.

All of the slides from the keynote are available in our gallery.

Gallery: ION 08: State of online games keynote

ION 08: State of online games keynote originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 May 2008 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EA's world conquest continues with new Korean dev studio

Samuel Axon — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items

According to Digital Chosunilbo, Electronic Arts -- the planet Jupiter of game development -- has plans to open a new studio in Korea this year. EA intends to make three or four new titles for the Asian market. The studio will be a 20 million dollar investment, and its first projects will be online versions of NBA Street and Battlefield. All this will be helmed by Danny Isaac of FIFA Soccer fame.

Gamasutra noted that this is not EA's first foray into the Asian market. The company invested in Korean developer Neowiz back in March, and shortly thereafter announced plans to release in Asia one or more titles from the Battlefield series.

This is just one more step towards total world domination, unless EA's newly-formed rival Activision-Blizzard has something to say about it!

[Via The Escapist]

EA's world conquest continues with new Korean dev studio originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ken and Chun Li coming to Perfect KO MMOG

Michael Zenke — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, PvP, News items

The Insert Credit site has the news that the Korean online fighting game Perfect KO (which enters Beta test this month), will feature the Street Fighter characters Ken and Chun Li as playable avatars. The licensing deal for this unique Asian-aimed title surprised commentator Brandon Sheffield: It's interesting for a few reasons - one is that the characters are customizable, so you'll be able to tailor your SF folks a bit. Another is that the company has stated (according to the second linked article) that they're open to more licenses in the future from other fighting games. And in fact, it's quite interesting that they'll be 3D. Who will provide the models, I wonder?

The news comes originally from the Japanese gaming site 4gamer (babelfish translation). Perfect KO is in development by the company Neowiz, makers of titles like Silk Road, Shot Online, and SEALS Online. The best example of the game's playstyle I could find is a YouTube trailer for the title. (Sound is NSFW, as there is a Linken Park song dubbed over the footage; video should be fine.)

Ken and Chun Li coming to Perfect KO MMOG originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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