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[Red 5 Studios CEO denounces consoles and publishers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/03/red-5-studios-ceo-denounces-consoles-and-publishers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/03/red-5-studios-ceo-denounces-consoles-and-publishers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/03/red-5-studios-ceo-denounces-consoles-and-publishers/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Firefall
"Who needs publishers any more? I certainly don't. I couldn't care less about them at this stage," said Red 5 Studios CEO Mark Kern. In a candid interview with Eurogamer, Kern ripped into both consoles and publisher-led models as relics on their way out the door.

Kern said that the pressure that publishers put on studios are death to the industry, resulting in either "an indie game or... a massive AAA, IP-backed sequel with derivative gameplay." He thinks that there's no middle ground, and it disturbs him how many studios fire staff right after a game launches.

Instead, the man behind Firefall believes that the free-to-play model puts the power back in the hands of the developers who then can concentrate on making games without having to kowtow to the publishers and distributors. "Look at Riot Games and League of Legends. They have more users than World of Warcraft does. That's crazy. And they don't have a publisher," Kern said.

Citing the expense and sluggish reaction of console development, Kern also predicts that mobile and PC gaming are on their way to take over the field. "Something has to change," he concludes. "Consoles, I believe, are dead."

MassivelyRed 5 Studios CEO denounces consoles and publishers originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentbusiness-modelconsoleconsoles-are-deaddistributordistributorsdotae-sportesporteurogamerf2pfantasyfirefallfirst-person-shooterfpsfree-to-playinterviewleagueleague-of-legendslolmark-kernmmo-shootermmofpsmobapublisherpublisherspvpred-5red-5-studiosriotriot-gamessci-fishooterwarwarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowThu, 03 May 2012 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bigpoint may co-publish Star Trek: Infinite Space]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/22/bigpoint-may-co-publish-star-trek-infinite-space/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/22/bigpoint-may-co-publish-star-trek-infinite-space/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/22/bigpoint-may-co-publish-star-trek-infinite-space/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Screenshot -- Star Trek: Infinite Space
There may be hope yet for Star Trek: Infinite Space. The title's future was called into question when a series of layoffs wracked Gameforge, causing the studio to state that the Star Trek title would be cancelled unless it could acquire a co-publisher. A post on the Star Trek: Infinite Space official forums stated that Bigpoint has taken an interest in the title. Now all that remains is to wait and see how Gameforge responds to Bigpoint's offer. Stay tuned, and we'll be sure to bring you the latest as it develops.

MassivelyBigpoint may co-publish Star Trek: Infinite Space originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bigpointbigpoint-gamesco-publisherf2pfree-to-playgameforgepublisherpublishingstar-trek-infinite-spacestisTue, 22 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[In Russia, APB Reloaded hijacks you!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/26/in-russia-apb-reloaded-hijacks-you/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/26/in-russia-apb-reloaded-hijacks-you/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/26/in-russia-apb-reloaded-hijacks-you/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

APB Reloaded
All Points Bulletin's comeback looks to be in a stronger position than ever before as GamersFirst has just inked a deal with Innova Systems to publish and distribute the title in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. This hugely expands APB Reloaded's potential market as the title is on the verge of relaunch.

While you may not have heard of Innova, GamersFirst's Rahul Sandil said that the company is well-established with a solid reputation in the region. "After an exhaustive diligence, it became clear that Innova was truly the only choice for distributing APB Reloaded to the Russian Federation. With six years of local market experience and more than two million active users, we know that APB Reloaded will flourish in Russia under Innova's watchful guidance," he said.

APB players in Russia will need to use Innova's 4game publishing platform to access the game -- which, like it is elsewhere, will be free-to-play.

MassivelyIn Russia, APB Reloaded hijacks you! originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>4gameall-points-bulletingapbapb-reloadedcisCommonwealth-of-Independent-Statesf2pfree-to-playgamersfirstinnovainnova-systemspublisherpublishing-dealpublishing-platformRahul-SandilrussiaWed, 26 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[QVS to distribute RIFT in Australia]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/15/qvs-to-distribute-rift-in-australia/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/15/qvs-to-distribute-rift-in-australia/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/15/qvs-to-distribute-rift-in-australia/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The global distribution picture for Trion Worlds' RIFT MMORPG just got a bit clearer thanks to an announcement made by the developer earlier today. Trion signed a multi-year retail deal with QVS, a renowned publisher in both Australia and New Zealand.

Thanks to the new agreement, Kiwis and Aussies alike will be saying g'day to RIFT's dynamic content, familiar class-based gameplay, and lush graphics along with the rest of the world when the title launches in early 2011. "We are excited to join forces with QVS to bring RIFT to gamers throughout Australia and New Zealand. Working with QVS allows us to expand our commitment to deliver quality games to gamers worldwide," says Trion's David Reid.

MassivelyQVS to distribute RIFT in Australia originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>australiafantasymmo-industrynew-zealandpublisherpublishingqv-softwareqvsriftrift-planes-of-telaratriontrion-world-networktrion-worldsWed, 15 Dec 2010 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[THQ*ICE closes doors, suspends operation of Dragonica Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/08/thq-ice-closes-doors-suspends-operation-of-dragonica-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/08/thq-ice-closes-doors-suspends-operation-of-dragonica-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/08/thq-ice-closes-doors-suspends-operation-of-dragonica-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Players of Dragonica Online have been left high and dry since August 31st, when publisher THQ*ICE closed its doors.

This state of affairs might change soon, as the game is being transferred to another publisher. WarpPortal is taking over the game, and in an effort to make it an easy transition for players, all account information is being transferred to the new publisher. Dragonica, the EU version of the game, is unaffected.

If you missed out on this transfer, the new publisher has a Q&A on the forums, and a date for relaunch should come soon. We'll keep an eye out for Dragonica Online's reintroduction!

MassivelyTHQ*ICE closes doors, suspends operation of Dragonica Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dragonicadragonica-onlinef2pfree-to-playftppublisherthq-icewarpportalWed, 08 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[APB needs partner to make console version, but willing]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/05/apb-needs-partner-to-make-console-version-but-willing/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/05/apb-needs-partner-to-make-console-version-but-willing/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/05/apb-needs-partner-to-make-console-version-but-willing/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The idea of console MMOs is nothing new. After all, EverQuest Online Adventures, Final Fantasy XI, and the Phantasy Star titles have managed to successfully publish on consoles. With that said, it seems as if there's been a trend with recent MMOs to say they were going to console like Age of Conan and Champions Online, only to change their minds later. That's why we weren't surprised to see that David Jones, Creative Director of Realtime Worlds, sat down with Eurogamer and discussed the potential of a console port for his company's recent release, All Points Bulletin.

What we did find interesting was that, despite knowledge of consoles from working on the first two Grand Theft Auto titles and Realtime Worlds being partnered with EA for distribution, there has been no discussion between the two companies regarding porting All Points Bulletin to consoles. Jones notes that the team at Realtime Worlds will remain focused on working on the PC version, as opposed to shifting into trying to build a console version, or trying to "shop around" for a partner. That said, he certainly sounds willing to discuss a deal if the right distribution partner for consoles were willing to contact them. Be sure to pop over to Eurogamer if you're wondering what else Jones may have in mind for All Points Bulletin.

MassivelyAPB needs partner to make console version, but willing originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>all-points-bulletinapbconsoleconsole-portdave-jonesdavid-joneseaelectronic-artspublisherrealtime-worldsrtwMon, 05 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Breaking: Turbine sues Atari over Dungeons and Dragons Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/26/breaking-turbine-sues-atari-over-dungeons-and-dragons-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/26/breaking-turbine-sues-atari-over-dungeons-and-dragons-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/26/breaking-turbine-sues-atari-over-dungeons-and-dragons-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Turbine has filed a lawsuit against publishing partner Atari in New York courts for a breach of licensing agreement all centered around Dungeons and Dragons Online. The two companies are locked in a legal battle regarding accusations including failing contractual obligations and wrongful termination of agreements.

The court documents filed on Monday paint the picture of a long chain of grievances against Atari made by Turbine, starting with lackluster support all the way back when Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach launched in 2006. Turbine asserts that Atari has failed to maintain their obligations as the publisher of the game while still holding onto the licensing for Dungeons and Dragons. These obligations mostly include the marketing aspects of the game, such as commercials, advertising, retail box creation, retail promotion, and cross-promotion with other Atari products. (Fans of the game will remember the very lackluster marketing campaign at the game's launch, especially when compared with Champions Online's marketing, another Atari-backed game.) Because of these failures, Turbine has had to step in and become the publisher of the game in North America, costing the company millions of dollars.

Continue reading Breaking: Turbine sues Atari over Dungeons and Dragons Online

MassivelyBreaking: Turbine sues Atari over Dungeons and Dragons Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ataribreach-of-contractbreakingcontractddoddo-unlimiteddungeons-and-dragons-onlinelawsuitobligationspublisherturbineWed, 26 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Black Prophecy creators reach out to the community]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/16/black-prophecy-creators-reach-out-to-the-community/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/16/black-prophecy-creators-reach-out-to-the-community/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/16/black-prophecy-creators-reach-out-to-the-community/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Black Prophecy is a space-based science fiction MMO in development at Reakktor Media in Germany, which we've covered a bit here at Massively. But the fact is that Reakktor may not be a company that many MMO gamers are all that familiar with. The Black Prophecy team has decided to try and remedy this, with a Q&A in their community forums that introduces a bit about CEO Kirk Lenke and development director Simon Bachmann, as well as their approach to the game.

Ultimately, the Q&A answers some of the questions that people have about Black Prophecy, both in terms of game mechanics and the business decisions behind getting the title published.

Continue reading Black Prophecy creators reach out to the community

MassivelyBlack Prophecy creators reach out to the community originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>black-prophecybusiness-modelscommunitygame-designgame-mechanicsinterviewskirk-lenkenew-titlespublisherpublishersreakktorreakktor-mediasci-fisimon-bachmannTue, 16 Jun 2009 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[American McGee seeks to bring kart-racing MMO to the west]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/24/american-mcgee-seeks-to-bring-kart-racing-mmo-to-the-west/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/24/american-mcgee-seeks-to-bring-kart-racing-mmo-to-the-west/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/24/american-mcgee-seeks-to-bring-kart-racing-mmo-to-the-west/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Lots of people predict a new game being the next WoW-killer, or at least irritate others with those predictions, but in China some people are talking about a KartRider-killer. One of the most popular games in China -- indeed, throughout Asia -- is an MMO based off of GoKart racing and it looks like other competitors are about to take on Nexon's KartRider dominance. What's interesting is that the main person behind this is none other than American McGee, who's now turning his attention to the MMO space with a new game called BaiJiu Racer, which our sister site Big Download reports.

If you've ever played the trippy game American McGee's Alice, a twisted continuation of Alice in Wonderland released in 2000, you'll probably remember his name. American McGee currently heads up the Shanghai-based Spicy Horse game studio which most recently developed the episodic PC game Grimm. BaiJiu Racer (context: BaiJiu is a 120 proof liquor) already has a Chinese publisher, but McGee is seeking to bring the title to western markets as well, and is putting out a call to interested parties. While a kart-racing game might not seem like the most viable MMO game to release outside of Asia, you might want to have a look at the trailer found below the cut, it looks like fun.

Continue reading American McGee seeks to bring kart-racing MMO to the west

MassivelyAmerican McGee seeks to bring kart-racing MMO to the west originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>american-mcgeeasiabaijiubaijiu-racerbig-downloadblogchinaflickrgo-kartgokartgrimmkart-riderkartridermmo-industrynexonpublisherpublishersraceracingshanghaispicy-horsevideovideosworld-of-warcraftwowyoutubeFri, 24 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Acclaim to publish The Chronicles of Spellborn in North America]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/acclaim-to-publish-the-chronicles-of-spellborn-in-north-america/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/acclaim-to-publish-the-chronicles-of-spellborn-in-north-america/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/acclaim-to-publish-the-chronicles-of-spellborn-in-north-america/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Action-oriented MMORPG The Chronicles of Spellborn has found a publisher in Acclaim Games, the MMO-focused reincarnation of now-defunct Acclaim Entertainment. The company was founded by former Activision CEO Howard Marks, who bought the brand name from the original Acclaim after it crashed and burned in 2004.

David Perry -- Chief Creative Officer of Acclaim Games -- published a letter to the Spellborn community announcing the deal. In it, he talks up the game and the dev team behind it, saying that they immediately stood out to him and the other folks at Acclaim. We'll assume that Acclaim was the company that wrote the letter of intent way back in April, but who can say for sure?

Spellborn had already landed a publishing deal for Europe and Asia with Frogster Interactive. Last we heard the game was due out by the end of 2008, but we're not super-confident about it. Spellborn is still in its closed beta testing phase at the moment.

MassivelyAcclaim to publish The Chronicles of Spellborn in North America originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acclaimacclaim-entertainmentacclaim-gamesactivisionbusinesschronicles-of-spellborndavid-perrydealfrogsterfrogster-interactivenorth-americapublisherspellborn-internationalTue, 26 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Quake creator repeatedly turned down MMO opportunities]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/06/quake-creator-repeatedly-turned-down-mmo-opportunities/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/06/quake-creator-repeatedly-turned-down-mmo-opportunities/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/06/quake-creator-repeatedly-turned-down-mmo-opportunities/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

John Carmack, co-founder of id Software and lead programmer of the historic first-person-shooter games Doom and Quake, told Shacknews that id has been approached by multiple publishers interested in releasing an MMO version of Quake. Each time, the company turned them down.

It was implied that id has not pursued (and will not pursue) the idea because of the etreme challenges of developing a triple-A MMO.

There's a good point here. It's not as if Carmack and friends were throwing a money printer in the trash compactor by passing on the opportunity. The concern seems valid: MMOs are expensive, risky endeavors. Even with a team of experienced developers and a well-known intellectual property, there's always a risk that id could get in over its head.

[Via Joystiq]

MassivelyQuake creator repeatedly turned down MMO opportunities originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>doomfirst-person-shooteridid-softwareinterviewjohn-carmackmmommofpspublisherquakeshacknewsWed, 06 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Blackstar's future in jeopardy]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/01/blackstars-future-in-jeopardy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/01/blackstars-future-in-jeopardy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/01/blackstars-future-in-jeopardy/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Budget cuts. Layoffs. It seems a fairly common thing in the general news lately, and sadly, the MMO genre appears to be no less susceptible to the current hard times. News came down the wire yesterday that Spacetime Studios have been forced to release half of their staff -- and we imagine that this will cause the development of Blackstar to slow down accordingly. According to the Spacetime Studios blog, "[they] have been shopping Blackstar around but - right now, at least - the concept of a SciFi space/ground IP has proven to be a challenge. Our studio cannot survive at its current burn rate without a publishing deal..."

Considering we've seen quite a few studios hit by either cutbacks or shutdowns in the last year, we're concerned by what this seemingly implies. With the current popularity of World of Warcraft and other MMOs; strong soon-to-be-published titles like Warhammer Online; and news of more and more titles coming out seemingly every other day (especially if you count the Asian market) it is a good time for MMOG players. On the other hand, the heavy market saturation means an extremely competitive market where some good ideas may sadly not find their way off the drawing board.

The hope is that Spacetime Studios can find a publishing deal for Blackstar soon. We are definitely interested in seeing more from their studio, if their concept art and ideas are any indication of what things may come. If you'd like to check out a short clip of Blackstar's alpha, be sure to join us after the break!

Gallery: Star Legends


Continue reading Blackstar's future in jeopardy

MassivelyBlackstar's future in jeopardy originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blackstarcutbacklayoffnew-titlespublisherpublishing-dealspacetime-studiosstaff-layoffFri, 01 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[2K Games to publish Champions Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/10/2k-games-to-publish-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/10/2k-games-to-publish-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/10/2k-games-to-publish-champions-online/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Look, up in the sky! It's a bird- no wait, it's a plane! No! It's 2K Games (the publishing label of Take-Two) announcing that they'll be publishing Cryptic Studio's upcoming Champions Online for both the Xbox 360 and PC in North America. Sorry, the opportunity presented itself and we couldn't resist. As you may or may not know, we here at Massively follow both Cryptic and their MMOs very closely -- you could call us fans. So it's great that the game officially has a publisher, because that only further solidifies Champions Online as a very real MMO. It's also worth noting that this makes Champions Online the very first MMO published by 2K games.

This revelation -- while wonderful for everyone involved -- is also a change of tune from Cryptic's original plans to publish in-house. We're honestly happy to know that more money and manpower can now be spent on creating their next MMO (and subsequently other MMOs) rather than publishing them in tandem. No firm release date has yet to be announced but all good things will come in time, cousin.

Massively2K Games to publish Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2k-gamesbreakingchampionschampions-onlinecrypticcryptic-studiosmicrosoftpublisherpublishingxbox-360Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Spellborn character screenshots]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/spellborn-character-screenshots/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/spellborn-character-screenshots/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/spellborn-character-screenshots/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


With all this news coming out of the Chronicles of Spellborn closed beta, can open beta be far? Well, actually, probably yes. The glimpses we have gotten of the game world so far look absolutely beautiful. Today's screen shots of actual characters shows off the unique Spellborn art style. And yet... the game world still seems barren and lifeless. Despite all the media Spellborn International is showing us, it seems unlikely they will make their Q2 '08 date for open beta. Further, without a US publisher, it could be a long time indeed before we get a chance to play.

MassivelySpellborn character screenshots originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betacharacterschronicles-of-spellbornpublisherscreenshotsspellbornspellborn-internationalThu, 10 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Codemasters to publish Jumpgate Evolution]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/28/codemasters-to-publish-jumpgate-evolution/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/28/codemasters-to-publish-jumpgate-evolution/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/28/codemasters-to-publish-jumpgate-evolution/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Jumpgate Evolution fans can cheer now-- the game's got a publisher. Codemasters is going to publish the game, according to a press release they dropped this morning. As we've reported before, they've been very successful with MMOs in Europe, running DDO, LotRO, RF Online, and ArchLord there. It's unknown whether Jumpgate Evolution is the game they were planning to announce in March (or if there is another announcement coming), but Codemasters says they're proud to bring the game to both European and American audiences.

And as for a release date, they don't mention anything we haven't heard before. Besides confirming that the game should come out sometime in 2008, Codemasters doesn't reveal anything further than "late" in the year. We'll let you know about news of the release as we hear it.

Gallery: Jumpgate: Evolution

MassivelyCodemasters to publish Jumpgate Evolution originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingcodemastersdeveloperjumpgate-evolutionlate-2008'mmonorth-americapublisherMon, 28 Jan 2008 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Official word: Perpetual lives, STO "still a triple-A game"]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/30/official-word-perpetual-lives-sto-still-a-triple-a-game/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/30/official-word-perpetual-lives-sto-still-a-triple-a-game/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/30/official-word-perpetual-lives-sto-still-a-triple-a-game/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

There has been a lot of confusion with regards to the fate of Perpetual Entertainment and Star Trek Online over the past few days. First, an SEC report was filed by Gravity that appeared to say that Perpetual Entertainment was liquidating all assets and would cease to exist as a company. Then, Shacknews ran a story claiming that STO had been bought and would be re-invented as a "more casual" experience.

Star Trek Online's Executive Producer Daron Stinett addressed panicked fans, saying that not all is as it seems. We have the lowdown here for you. The heart of the matter: it appears that STO has not been canceled or nerfed after all --at least not to the degree that we feared. That said, here's the full story so far.

Continue reading Official word: Perpetual lives, STO "still a triple-A game"

MassivelyOfficial word: Perpetual lives, STO "still a triple-A game" originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingbusiness-modelscasualdaron-stinettgamestopgods-and-heroesgravityperpetual-entertainmentpublisherrazorwiresecshacknewsstar-trek-onlinestoFri, 30 Nov 2007 07:30:00 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