<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd">
<channel>
<title>Massively</title>
<link>http://massively.joystiq.com</link>
<description>Massively</description>
<image>
<url>http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif</url>
<title>Massively</title>
<link>http://massively.joystiq.com</link>
</image>
<language>en-us</language>
<copyright>Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.</copyright>
<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Perfect World acquires Cryptic Studios]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/31/perfect-world-acquires-cryptic-studios/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/31/perfect-world-acquires-cryptic-studios/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/31/perfect-world-acquires-cryptic-studios/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/super-hero/" rel="tag">Super-hero</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-trek-online/" rel="tag">Star Trek Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/legal/" rel="tag">Legal</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/champions-online/" rel="tag">Champions Online</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://www.euroinvestor.co.uk/news/story.aspx?id=11715711"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/05/cryptic.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px;" /></a></div>
We've been on pins and needles since <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/atari/">Atari</a> announced two weeks ago that <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/atari-cryptic-studios-a-discontinued-operation/">it was planning to sell off</a> <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/cryptic/">Cryptic Studios</a>. <a href="http://www.champions-online.com"><em>Champions Online</em></a> and <a href="http://www.startrekonline.com"><em>Star Trek Online</em></a> players were worried about the future of their titles, generating many rumors as to what might happen next .<br />
<br />
Today, we know the answer. <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/perfect-world/">Perfect World Company</a> has inked a deal to purchase Cryptic from Atari. <a href="http://www.euroinvestor.co.uk/news/story.aspx?id=11715711">Euro Investor has the full agreement</a> between the two companies, which details the specifics of this $50+ million purchase. The Chinese firm, which already has a host of MMOs under its umbrella, is taking over 100% of Cryptic's equity from Atari.<br />
<br />
Perfect World's <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/michael-chi/">Michael Chi</a> thinks that this will give the company more credence in the western market: <em>"We are very pleased to sign the agreement to acquire Cryptic Studios. This strategic acquisition will add attractive game titles to our portfolio, which will help us further penetrate into the U.S. and global online game markets. More importantly, Cryptic Studios' highly reputable development team and its technology platform will further strengthen our well-established R&amp;D capabilities. We deem this as another noteworthy achievement of our global expansion efforts."</em><br />
<br />
Hopefully, this deal will mean nothing but good things for Cryptic, which is also deep into development with <a href="http://www.playneverwinter.com/home"><em>Neverwinter</em></a>.<br />
<br />
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]<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/2011/05/31/perfect-world-acquires-cryptic-studios/">Perfect World acquires Cryptic Studios</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 31 May 2011 08:15:00 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/2011/05/31/perfect-world-acquires-cryptic-studios/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19954048/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/31/perfect-world-acquires-cryptic-studios/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>acquisition</category><category>agreement</category><category>atari</category><category>breaking</category><category>champions-online</category><category>co</category><category>contract</category><category>cryptic</category><category>cryptic-studios</category><category>deal</category><category>euro-investor</category><category>legal-contract</category><category>michael-chi</category><category>neverwinter</category><category>perfect-world</category><category>perfect-world-company</category><category>perfect-world-entertainment</category><category>purchase</category><category>sale</category><category>star-trek-online</category><category>sto</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 08:15:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Gamigo buys Black Prophecy, buys into Reakktor Media]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/27/gamigo-buys-black-prophecy-buys-into-reakktor-media/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/27/gamigo-buys-black-prophecy-buys-into-reakktor-media/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/27/gamigo-buys-black-prophecy-buys-into-reakktor-media/#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/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</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>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-meta/" rel="tag">Massively Meta</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/black-prophecy/" rel="tag">Black Prophecy</a></p><div style="text-align: center; "><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/black-prophecy/"><img border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/01/bp530gamigobuyout-krystalle-voecks.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left; "> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">When it comes to free-to-play games, we don't often see the licensing companies buying titles outright. Normally, we're prone to seeing licensing agreements until a game has launched or when two companies have a history of working together quite a lot. Nonetheless, today <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Gamigo/">gamigo</a> proved that it really believes in how much players are going to enjoy its upcoming space dogfighter, <em><a href="http://blackprophecy.gamigo.com">Black Prophecy</a></em>, by buying all rights and trademarks related to the game from Reakktor Media. <br />
<br />
The other interesting piece of news is that at the same time as the <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/Black-Prophecy/"><em>Black Prophecy</em></a> acquisition, gamigo also opted to pick up nearly 20% of <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Reakktor-Media/">Reakktor Media</a>. All remaining shares of Reakktor Media remain under the control of the company's CEO, Kirk Lenke, which effectively puts all development control moving forward between Reakktor and gamigo. <br />
<br />
If you really don't care about corporate merges and buyouts, then there's still a nugget of news to be gleaned for you. In amongst all the happy congratulations and notes about how this will make things better and easier for the two companies was a note that we should "<em>[look] forward to seeing Black Prophecy go live <strong>in the very near future</strong></em>." (Emphasis theirs.) Whether it will simply mark open beta or something more, we'll have to wait and see.</div><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/2011/01/27/gamigo-buys-black-prophecy-buys-into-reakktor-media/">Gamigo buys Black Prophecy, buys into Reakktor Media</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 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://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/27/gamigo-buys-black-prophecy-buys-into-reakktor-media/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19818815/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/27/gamigo-buys-black-prophecy-buys-into-reakktor-media/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>AAA-Capital-Game-Production-and-Sales-GmbH-and-Co</category><category>black-prophecy</category><category>buyout</category><category>copyright</category><category>f2p</category><category>free-to-play</category><category>gamigo</category><category>gamigo-ag</category><category>merge</category><category>merger</category><category>purchase</category><category>reakktor</category><category>reakktor-media</category><category>Reakktor-Media-GmbH</category><category>trademark</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Krystalle Voecks]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 27 Jan 2011 21:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Final Fantasy XI gets an Abyssean trailer]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/24/final-fantasy-xi-gets-an-abyssean-trailer/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/24/final-fantasy-xi-gets-an-abyssean-trailer/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/24/final-fantasy-xi-gets-an-abyssean-trailer/#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/final-fantasy-xi/" rel="tag">Final Fantasy XI</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/expansions/" rel="tag">Expansions</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/previews/" rel="tag">Previews</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/consoles/" rel="tag">Consoles</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.playonline.com"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/11/ffxi-abyssea-epl-1124.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
The highly anticipated December version update for <a href="http://www.playonline.com"><em>Final Fantasy XI</em></a> looks to be going live on December 6th. That's not quite certain yet, but considering that the newest update to the <a href="http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/addon/ex10/index.html"><em>Heroes of Abyssea</em></a> site lists that as the activation date, it's reasonable to assume the game's next major patch will be going live then. It also comes with a trailer showing off the new monsters listed under the bestiary, as well as the landscape for players to explore.<br />
<br />
Orthrus, Alfard, and Khrysokhimaira are the three headlining notorious monsters for the add-on, with the trailer giving some sense of just how large the monsters are in comparison with players. Combined with the extant previews of the completed Empyrean Armor sets and the option to pre-purchase the mini-expansion, <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/Final-Fantasy-XI/">Final Fantasy XI</a></em> players will have plenty to whet their appetites until the forecasted release date in a little less than two weeks' time.<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/2010/11/24/final-fantasy-xi-gets-an-abyssean-trailer/">Final Fantasy XI gets an Abyssean trailer</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:00:00 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/2010/11/24/final-fantasy-xi-gets-an-abyssean-trailer/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19732960/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/24/final-fantasy-xi-gets-an-abyssean-trailer/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>abyssea</category><category>add-ons</category><category>expansion</category><category>expansions</category><category>ff</category><category>ff11</category><category>ffxi</category><category>final-fantasy</category><category>final-fantasy-11</category><category>final-fantasy-xi</category><category>heroes-of-abyssea</category><category>mini-expansion</category><category>pre-purchase</category><category>preview</category><category>preview-trailer</category><category>purchase</category><category>square</category><category>square-enix</category><category>trailer</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliot Lefebvre]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[GamersFirst to resurrect APB: Reloaded as a free-to-play title]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/gamersfirst-to-resurrect-apb-reloaded-as-a-free-to-play-title/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/gamersfirst-to-resurrect-apb-reloaded-as-a-free-to-play-title/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/gamersfirst-to-resurrect-apb-reloaded-as-a-free-to-play-title/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/legal/" rel="tag">Legal</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/all-points-bulletin/" rel="tag">All Points Bulletin</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/crime/" rel="tag">Crime</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.GamersFirst.com"><img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/11/apb.jpg" /></a></div>
The saga of <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/all-points-bulletin/"><em>All Points Bulletin</em></a> has become one of the dominating MMO stories of 2010, with its <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/03/apbs-dave-jones-expected-mediocre-reviews/">buggy launch</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/16/realtime-worlds-announces-the-closure-of-apb/">premature shutdown</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/17/rumor-epic-games-in-talks-to-buy-apb/">hunt for a new owner</a>, and <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/11/gamersfirst-publisher-purchases-apb/">rescue by free-to-play publisher GamersFirst</a> last week. Displaced <em>APB</em> fans who are wondering what plans <a href="http://www.GamersFirst.com">GamersFirst</a> has in store for the game should find themselves bouncing with glee today: The publisher is definitely planning to bring back the game, now entitled <em>APB: Reloaded</em>, as a F2P version. <br />
<br />
GamersFirst's Bjorn Book-Larsson sees the move as a win-win for both the publisher and players: "APB <em>was a game that had several exceptional features and some brilliant ideas, even though it was plagued by some initial balance and monetization issues. We want to take all the unique features of this title, such as its unparalleled character, weapon and car customization systems, and convert the game to a true free-to-play game. We are deep into the planning and early execution stages for this next chapter of</em> APB <em>and we will share more details in the near future.</em>"<br />
<br />
The purchase of <em>APB's</em> assets means good news for ex-<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Realtime-Worlds/">Realtime Worlds</a> employees, who will now receive any outstanding wages and promised holiday pay. <br />
<br />
<em>APB: Reloaded</em> should be coming back online in the first half of 2011.<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/2010/11/16/gamersfirst-to-resurrect-apb-reloaded-as-a-free-to-play-title/">GamersFirst to resurrect APB: Reloaded as a free-to-play title</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 09:30:00 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/2010/11/16/gamersfirst-to-resurrect-apb-reloaded-as-a-free-to-play-title/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19720023/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/gamersfirst-to-resurrect-apb-reloaded-as-a-free-to-play-title/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>all-points-bulletin</category><category>apb</category><category>apb-reloaded</category><category>bjorn-book-larsson</category><category>breaking</category><category>closure</category><category>f2p</category><category>free-to-play</category><category>gamersfirst</category><category>gamersfirst-owns-this-city</category><category>interview</category><category>joystiq</category><category>purchase</category><category>realtime-worlds</category><category>relaunch</category><category>sale</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 16 Nov 2010 09:30:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Playdom acquires Acclaim Games]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/19/playdom-acquires-acclaim-games/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/19/playdom-acquires-acclaim-games/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/19/playdom-acquires-acclaim-games/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/2moons/" rel="tag">2Moons</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/9dragons/" rel="tag">9Dragons</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/chronicles-of-spellborn/" rel="tag">Chronicles of Spellborn</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/legal/" rel="tag">Legal</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://spellborn.acclaim.com"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/05/cos-acclaimplaydom-epl-519.jpg"  alt="" /></a></div>
If there was any doubt that the world of <a href="http://www.facebook.com">Facebook</a> social games and traditional MMOs are becoming further intertwined, this should hopefully silence it. Playdom, well-known as one of the three major powers in Facebook gaming (alongside Zynga and Playfish), <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/18/playdom-acquires-mmorpg-developer-acclaim-games/">has acquired</a> <a href="http://www.acclaim.com/">Acclaim Games</a>, owner of several free-to-play MMOs including <a href="http://spellborn.acclaim.com/"><em>Chronicles of Spellborn</em></a>, <a href="http://9dragons.acclaim.com/"><em>9Dragons</em></a>, and <a href="http://2moons.acclaim.com/"><em>2Moons</em></a>. Unfortunately for the business mavens in the audience, the exact details of the acquisition including price were not disclosed.<br />
<br />
In terms of management, there's going to be little changing on the ground for <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Acclaim-Games/">Acclaim Games</a>, as previous CEO Howard Marks will continue to run the studio for <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Playdom/">Playdom</a>. Playdom itself has been purchasing several smaller developers and studios, especially those focusing on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Facebook/">Facebook</a> development. No word on whether this will affect management of any of Acclaim's existing games, although it seems unlikely given the circumstances. What is certain is that it's another installment in the distance between social gaming and MMOs <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/18/playdom-acquires-mmorpg-developer-acclaim-games/">being shortened</a>.<br />
<br />
[ Thanks to Animagnum for the tip! ]<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/2010/05/19/playdom-acquires-acclaim-games/">Playdom acquires Acclaim Games</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Wed, 19 May 2010 20:30:00 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://techcrunch.com/2010/05/18/playdom-acquires-mmorpg-developer-acclaim-games/>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/19/playdom-acquires-acclaim-games/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19483409/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/19/playdom-acquires-acclaim-games/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>acclaim</category><category>acclaim-games</category><category>acquisition</category><category>business</category><category>business-deals</category><category>facebook</category><category>mmo-industry</category><category>playdom</category><category>purchase</category><category>social-games</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliot Lefebvre]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 19 May 2010 20:30:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Pay the man]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-pay-the-man/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-pay-the-man/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-pay-the-man/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/super-hero/" rel="tag">Super-hero</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/city-of-heroes/" rel="tag">City of Heroes</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/city-of-villains/" rel="tag">City of Villains</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/business-models/" rel="tag">Business models</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/a-mild-mannered-reporter/" rel="tag">A Mild-Mannered Reporter</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fienemannroad.wordpress.com/"><img hspace="4" border="1" align="top" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/03/coh-mmr-paperdoll-epl-314.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
Back on the first column I ever wrote about <a href="http://www.cityofheroes.com"><em>City of Heroes</em></a>, many moons ago, someone made a comment that's stuck in my head. It wasn't negative, just something that stuck in my mind. They mentioned how the game had been portrayed in a somewhat poor light on the site as a whole, and used as an example that it had been used as the title image for <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/21/being-in-it-for-the-money/">this article about microtransactions and other payment goodies</a>.<br />
<br />
Go ahead and take a look at the author of that piece, and you might understand why the comment stuck in my mind.<br />
<br />
I don't think that <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/City-of-Heroes/"><em>City of Heroes</em></a> does a bad job with their microtransactions. I actually love their setup and like to point to it alongside <a href="http://www.ddo.com"><em>Dungeons &amp; Dragons Online</em></a> as a prime example of how to do an item shop correctly. And I'm fairly sure I'm not the only person who feels that way, although there's doubtlessly the other side of the story that thinks they do an awful job. So strap yourselves in, because today we're going to be diving headfirst into the cash shop and my enthusiastic praise for same.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-pay-the-man/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Pay the man</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/2010/03/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-pay-the-man/">A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Pay the man</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:00:00 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/2010/03/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-pay-the-man/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19395705/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-pay-the-man/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>city-of-heroes</category><category>city-of-villains</category><category>coh</category><category>costume-pieces</category><category>cov</category><category>cox</category><category>featured</category><category>microtransactions</category><category>options</category><category>paragon</category><category>paragon-coh</category><category>paragon-studioes</category><category>purchase</category><category>soda-rule</category><category>super-booster</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliot Lefebvre]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Did you take advantage of Black Friday sales?]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/28/the-daily-grind-did-you-take-advantage-of-black-friday-sales/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/28/the-daily-grind-did-you-take-advantage-of-black-friday-sales/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/28/the-daily-grind-did-you-take-advantage-of-black-friday-sales/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/events-real-world/" rel="tag">Events, real-world</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/" rel="tag">The Daily Grind</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind"><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/11/fivedayoneday.jpg"  alt="" /></a><br />
<div align="left">So, it's Tired Saturday -- the day when you spent the previous night with your friends, out enjoying the beginning of the long weekend after stuffing your face on Thanksgiving.  Of course, you might have been doing something else that was very important yesterday -- shopping.<br /><br />Whether it was online or in the stores, the Black Friday sales were everywhere!  We <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/26/massivelys-black-friday-mmo-sales-guide/">even made a guide</a> about some of the deals so you, the MMO fiend, would know where to shop and what to keep your eye on.  With so many deals, we couldn't help ourselves to picking up a few titles.<br /><br />So did you guys take advantage of what was being offered?  If so, tell us all about your Black Friday spoils, or perhaps any other sales you're looking forward to!  We're eager to hear what you claimed in the madness for yourself!</div>
</div><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/2009/11/28/the-daily-grind-did-you-take-advantage-of-black-friday-sales/">The Daily Grind: Did you take advantage of Black Friday sales?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:00:00 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/2009/11/28/the-daily-grind-did-you-take-advantage-of-black-friday-sales/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19256439/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/28/the-daily-grind-did-you-take-advantage-of-black-friday-sales/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>black-friday</category><category>games</category><category>opinion</category><category>purchase</category><category>sales</category><category>the-daily-grind</category><category>tired-saturday</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Seraphina Brennan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Outspark giving away $15,000 in prizes to players]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/02/outspark-giving-away-15-000-in-prizes-to-players/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/02/outspark-giving-away-15-000-in-prizes-to-players/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/02/outspark-giving-away-15-000-in-prizes-to-players/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/contests/" rel="tag">Contests</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/fiesta/" rel="tag">Fiesta</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fiesta/"><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/05/fiesta580kv.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
If you're one of the people playing any of <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Outspark/">Outspark'</a>s free-to-play games - <em><a href="http://fiesta.outspark.com/">Fiesta</a></em>, <em><a href="http://solstice.outspark.com/">Secret of the Solstice</a></em>, <em><a href="http://windslayer.outspark.com/">Wind Slayer</a></em> or <em><a href="http://projectpowder.outspark.com/">Project Powder</a></em> - we've got a bit of news that may be of interest to you. Apparently Outspark has decided to reward the players who are using their item mall with a little contest. From now until May 17th, 2009 anyone who makes a purchase of at least $25 will be <a href="http://www.outspark.com/news/view/?id=zbn.7064">entered for a prize drawing</a>. What's up for grabs? Well, that depends on how much you spend in their item mall. <br /><br />If you drop at least $25 on SparkCash, you'll be entered in the drawing for one of 250 'Ultimate Gamer Packs' which include lots of in-game items for your character in whichever is your favorite Outspark game. Of course, if you plonk down some serious dinero - $50+ in SparkCash - you'll be entered for the cherry prize. One lucky player will walk away with a $15,000 prize pack: <br /><br />
<ul>
    <li>Toshiba 46" REGZA XV645 LCD Screen 1080p 120 Hz TV</li>
    <li>Samsung HT-BD1250 Blu-ray Home Theater System</li>
    <li>1 Year Netflix Subscription</li>
</ul>
As usual, this contest is open to those who are 18+ and a US Citizen. They've got <a href="http://www.outspark.com/news/view/?id=zbn.7064">all the information</a> over on their page for those who are curious. So if you've been considering spending some money in the Outspark item mall, good luck! Maybe you'll get lucky and all that SparkCash will net you something bigger.<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/2009/05/02/outspark-giving-away-15-000-in-prizes-to-players/">Outspark giving away $15,000 in prizes to players</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sat, 02 May 2009 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://www.outspark.com/news/view/?id=zbn.7064>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/02/outspark-giving-away-15-000-in-prizes-to-players/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1534761/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/02/outspark-giving-away-15-000-in-prizes-to-players/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>contest</category><category>fiesta</category><category>free-to-play</category><category>item-mall</category><category>outspark</category><category>project-powder</category><category>purchase</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Krystalle Voecks]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 02 May 2009 20:00:00 EST</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
