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GDC 2013: The MMO impact of the Webzen and Gala-Net merge

MJ Guthrie — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Business Models, Events (Real-World), Interviews, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, Interviews (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage)

Acquisition. Though it sounds pretty benign on its own, when used in reference to one developer taking over another, the word can inspire fear in the hearts of gamers. Questions quickly arise about the future of titles that fall on the acquired side of the equation. How will the games and players be affected by the change? Will there even still be a game?

I sat down with Claas Wolter (European PR Manager) and Deanna Peter (Marketing/PR Associate) to discuss just this topic regarding the recent purchase of Gala-Net (the parent company of gPotato) by Webzen and how that acquisition will affect Allods Online, Age of Wulin, Terras Militaris, and the company's other MMORPGs.

Continue reading GDC 2013: The MMO impact of the Webzen and Gala-Net merge

GDC 2013: The MMO impact of the Webzen and Gala-Net merge originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gpotato's Sevencore meets an early demise

Beau Hindman — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, News Items, Free-to-Play, Legal, Allods Online

Despite recently seeing the first of what players hoped would be a string of new content, gPotato's new title Sevencore announced today that it will be closing its doors. A forum post says that the game "has proved to be less attractive to players than anticipated and thus [it's] become unprofitable for the developer to be continued as a game." The developers hope to transition active players by undertaking the following:

Reimbursing all gPotatoes spent between the 1st of February and today as well as between 30% and 75% of purchases prior to this date,
Closing the in-game shop with immediate effect while considering making all shop items available for free,
Keeping the game open until the end of April,
Boosting experience gain and running events during the final period of the game, and
Encouraging players to migrate to other gPotato games with special enticement packages.

This bad news comes on the heels of the news that Webzen recently purchased gPotato and Gala-Net. Perhaps the purchase will breath new life into the developer after it showed a dip in quarterly sales when compared to the last year.

Gpotato's Sevencore meets an early demise originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sevencore's Shadow Crusade update incorporates new class and race

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Classes, Patches, PvP, Free-to-Play, Races

Fledgling MMO Sevencore passed through a significant rite of passage today by releasing its first update, Shadow Crusade. The fantasy/sci-fi title, which launched last month, is fleshing out its content offerings with a new class, an additional race, crafting changes, and a PvP arena.

New to the game is the Assassin class, a melee fighter that relies on high chances to crit and dodge. Assassins use daggers and dual claws, which give the option for single- or multi-target attacks, respectively. Shadowcore is also adding the diminutive but powerful Aimon race. Aimon characters get a boost to their mounts' energy and have a faster out-of-combat health regen.

Finally, Shadow Crusade is looking to make waves with a 5v5 PvP arena, a new zone, a level cap increase to 95, and a new type of crafting that combines old gear to make better items.

[Source: gPotato press release]

Sevencore's Shadow Crusade update incorporates new class and race originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sevencore open beta begins September 6th

MJ Guthrie — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Screenshots, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play

With closed beta all wrapped up, the free-to-play sci-fi/fantasy mix MMORPG Sevencore is ready to take the next step. And that next step allows everyone the chance to experience the upcoming game; gPotato announced that open beta will begin just two weeks from today on September 6th. Once this beta starts, players will get to test out more mounts, new regions, and higher levels.

For a glimpse of Sevencore, take a look at a few new screenshots below, and be sure to check out Massively's hands-on tour of the world.

[Source: gPotato press release]

Gallery: Sevencore

Sevencore open beta begins September 6th originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A quick look at Sevencore's beta

Jef Reahard — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Video, Classes, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Hands-On (Massively's), First Impressions

I spent about an hour tooling around in Sevencore this past week. Since the game's closed period had, well, closed, it was just me and a friendly gPotato GM named Vi, so my experience was limited to a few solo encounters, a brief dungeon run, and some sight-seeing.

What I saw was a familiar class- and level-based approach to MMO design. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but after spending a lot of time in both The Secret World and Skyrim over the past couple of months, I didn't find myself overly excited by the prospect of a throw-back free-to-play title. And I know, I know, Skyrim isn't even an MMO, so why would I bring that up?

It's just a mental baseline, really, and an indication of where I'm coming from in the interests of remaining as objective as possible.

Continue reading A quick look at Sevencore's beta

A quick look at Sevencore's beta originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sevencore beta registration open, Occupation Wars mechanics detailed

Jef Reahard — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play

We've had our eye on Sevencore for a while now. Fortunately we're about to get our hands on it too, thanks to the impending closed beta.

Korean free-to-play fantasy imports aren't exactly scarce these days, but this one adds a dash of sci-fi and some nifty mount mechanics into the usual MMO mix. Players can battle across land, sea, and sky as well as fight from the backs of dragons, hover-bikes, and more. Sevencore mounts can also be trained to fight beside their player masters, which makes them more than your typical MMO beasts-of-burden.

gPotato has opened up beta registration as of today, so head to the official site and sign on if you'd like a shot at testing on August 9th. Sevencore features three classes (Warrior, Magician, and Gunner), plenty of PvE, and PvP in the form of guild battles called Occupation Wars. gPotato intends for Occupation Wars to be a persistent territory control mechanic, as the victors will set tax rates and item prices for players who enter a region under their dominion.

[Source: gPotato press release]

Sevencore beta registration open, Occupation Wars mechanics detailed originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jul 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Betawatch: July 7 - 13, 2012

Brianna Royce — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, MMO Industry, Massively Meta, Betawatch, Miscellaneous

This week on Betawatch, we say farewell to Brick Force, which has officially launched! Soul Captor Online moves from our closed to open beta list, while both Sevencore and RaiderZ have announced closed beta dates (July 16th and August 8th, respectively).

Meanwhile, PlanetSide 2's devs have confirmed that the game will be headed to beta within the next month, a new round of beta invites has gone out to ArcheAge's Korean testers, and Aeria is now accepting beta applications for its new F2P shooter, Born to Fire.

Finally, we learned that the Sylvari and Asura will be playable in Guild Wars 2 final beta event. One more week to go!

The complete Betawatch roundup is tucked beyond the fold.

Continue reading Betawatch: July 7 - 13, 2012

Betawatch: July 7 - 13, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC 2012: gPotato showcases Allods, Aika, Sevencore, and Eternal Blade

Karen Bryan — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Events (Massively's Coverage), Allods Online, Aika, Dungeons

If you're wondering what gPotato has been up to lately, the answer is, lots! At GDC, gPotato reps showed off not one but four titles, two of which are brand-new and on their way to beta. For Allods and Aika fans, there was plenty of news about the new game updates. Meanwhile, gPotato put on demos for Sevencore and Eternal Blade, which are both in production and are being prepped for release sometime later this year. Read on for a hands-on look at each of these titles!

Gallery: gPotato Gallery

Continue reading GDC 2012: gPotato showcases Allods, Aika, Sevencore, and Eternal Blade

GDC 2012: gPotato showcases Allods, Aika, Sevencore, and Eternal Blade originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Noria and gPotato release new Sevencore trailer

Jef Reahard — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play

Last summer we showed you a couple of trailers for a new Korean free-to-play import called Sevencore. The title is an interesting mixture of fantasy and sci-fi, and it is also the product of an alliance between development firm Noria and publishing partner gPotato. The game's Korean open beta is close at hand, and the two companies have released a new cinematic trailer to drum up some interest.

Click past the cut for your daily dose of fantasy violence, brooding male voiceovers, and orchestral action-movie music. There are also a few glimpses of Sevencore's unique mounts, including a fire-breathing dragon and some sort of swoop analog that we'd love to take for a spin.

Continue reading Noria and gPotato release new Sevencore trailer

Noria and gPotato release new Sevencore trailer originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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gPotato announces Sevencore, releases gameplay trailer

Jef Reahard — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play

Earlier this month we brought you the scoop on Sevencore, a free-to-play sci-fi fantasy hybrid being developed by Noria and published by gPotato. Today, ZAM brings us the details of the title's official announcement along with the first official gameplay trailer.

The video clip features plenty of single-player PvE footage as well as a plethora of nifty environmental vistas. There's also a brief look at a few of the mounts that gPotato is highlighting in the game's early marketing materials, as well as some sort of racing event featuring pedal-to-the-metal hovercraft action. Check out all that and more after the break.

Continue reading gPotato announces Sevencore, releases gameplay trailer

gPotato announces Sevencore, releases gameplay trailer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sevencore sci-fantasy MMO reveals English website

Jef Reahard — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous

Free-to-play publisher gPotato has launched a new English website for Sevencore, an upcoming sci-fi MMORPG developed in Korea by a firm called Noria. The game is described as a "free-riding action MMORPG where technology meets fantasy in a unique post-apocalyptic universe." The website also mentions the usual MMO staples including PvE, PvP, crafting, pets, and "an enhanced mounted air combat" system.

Sevencore just recently entered its Korean closed beta phase, and gPotato plans to bring a closed beta test to Europe sometime in 2012. For now, the new site is sparsely populated with a few screenshots, but there is a bit of closed beta footage floating around on YouTube, and we've collected that for you after the cut.

Continue reading Sevencore sci-fantasy MMO reveals English website

Sevencore sci-fantasy MMO reveals English website originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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