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Rumour: Leaked document shows CCP's microtransaction plans [UPDATED]

Brendan Drain — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, MMO industry, News items

In the wake of controversy surrounding EVE Online's new microtransaction store and its not-so-micro prices, a document has surfaced that has raised more than a few eyebrows in the EVE community. The PDF is reported to be a copy of CCP's internal company newsletter Fearless. Ex-CCP employee and current CSM member Seleene was able to verify that the company does circulate an internal newsletter by that name and that the style is very similar to the leaked document. However, the absolute authenticity of the document can not at this time be proven.

The document dates back to May 2011 and discusses how microtransactions will be integrated into EVE Online, DUST 514 and World of Darkness. Most of the document is fairly harmless, but a few parts have stood out to players. According to the document, "Not all virtual purchases [in EVE Online] will focus on customization: some will simply be new items, ammunition, ships, etc. that can be purchased outright." Also mentioned is the possibility of buying faction standings. Both of these would be in complete contrast to earlier promises from CCP not to allow microtransactions that influence gameplay.

Authenticity of the document is still in question, but we can reveal that the leaked PDF has had several pages removed before being made public. A link to the full version was later leaked on twitter. Page 2 of the document, which was omitted in the originally leaked file, contains a disclaimer stating that the views presented are personal opinions and not company policies or decisions. This adds further confusion as players attempt to make sense of the file's contents. We reached out to CCP to ask about the document's authenticity and to request clarification on the discussions presented in it. We'll update this post with any response we get.

[UPDATE: The document's authenticity has been confirmed by CCP Pann from CCPs PR department. Massively has a hard-hitting interview in the works with CCP Zulu on the issue]

Rumour: Leaked document shows CCP's microtransaction plans [UPDATED] originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Wars: The Old Republic to launch in October 2010?

Lesley Smith — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Star Wars: The Old Republic has been causing waves since it was first announced. The revelation that it would be the world's first fully-voiced MMO made people sit up and pay even more attention. Well now a French fan site, Star Wars-Universe.com, is reporting (in French of course, but you can read it in English here) that the game will see a release date in Q3 2010, specifically September. This date is attributed to what they call 'a reliable source' within LucasArts itself. If this is true, it means there is just over a year until the game -- an MMO version of the classic Knights of the Old Republic -- is launched. Excited yet?

We're not sure how accurate this is (making it pinch of salt time, folks) and we'd really love it to be true. Particularly as the wait is not intolerable, but it also allows a nice period for beta testing. We've contacted LucasArts to confirm the release date and we will let you know what they say as and when. Until then, check out that awesome cinematic trailer below.

[via Gamerzines and MMORPG.com]

Continue reading Star Wars: The Old Republic to launch in October 2010?

Star Wars: The Old Republic to launch in October 2010? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cheyenne Mountain responds to rumors of no pay for employees

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Business models, Events, real-world, MMO industry, New titles, Stargate Worlds, Rumors

As the story spread across the blogosphere yesterday concerning the website http://days-since-cheyenne-mountain-employees-have-been-paid.com, we at Massively remained interested, yet apprehensive on something that was little more than an anonymous url. Yet today we're happy to report on an actual response to the rumor and speculation.

Kevin Balentine, senior Marketing Manager at Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment released an official explanation of the rumors: "At Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, we have always been upfront with the media and our fans that we are a start up. Like many start ups, we face the same cash-flow issues that all pre-revenue companies face. We have maintained a core of dedicated investors, but the new economic realities are forcing us to seek out additional sources of funding and that's what we're doing. We continue to move forward on the Stargate Worlds project. We recently completed a successful phase of closed beta testing and we will start a second phase early in 2009. We invite all of your readers to come to our site, check out our fantastic community and sign up for our beta."

Continue reading Cheyenne Mountain responds to rumors of no pay for employees

Cheyenne Mountain responds to rumors of no pay for employees originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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