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RIFT in China: 'Biggest game deal ever' for a Western MMO

Jef Reahard — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, News items, RIFT

How big is RIFT? Big enough to attract one of China's heavyweight MMO houses, apparently. Trion has announced a partnership with publishing giant Shanda that will bring RIFT to the Chinese gaming market, and CEO Lars Buttler tells Gamasutra that expanding the game's global reach is only the beginning.

"We do a lot right, but we think there's so much to learn from Asia, and a company like Shanda that has been in the market so long, and has innovated in so many ways, is a great partner to work with and learn from," Buttler says.

Trion is flexing its muscles -- and broadening its horizons -- on the strength of a banner year that included a hefty influx of investment capital as well as RIFT's $100 million revenue windfall. Trion is also developing an MMORTS called End of Nations and an MMO shooter called Defiance. Additionally, the firm is fleshing out its Red Door program, which will outsource its development platform and distribution channels to third-parties.

RIFT in China: 'Biggest game deal ever' for a Western MMO originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eligium community manager emphasizes the importance of beta testing

Jef Reahard — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST

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

Thus far we don't know a whole heck of a lot about Frogster's Eligium (other than the fact that it features kung-fu pandas). The devs have released a trailer and kicked off the game's closed beta last month, but there's still a lot of mystery surrounding this particular MMO.

Thanks to an interview with Frogster community manager Piotr Dawidowicz, we now have a few more details to go on, including snippets about mounts, PvP, and the importance of the game's closed beta test.

"The closed beta for Eligium is not one of those marketing closed betas. We want to use this test phase effectively; it's not just a way to push the product," Dawidowicz explains. "We are intentionally not inviting the entire community to the closed beta. Many of the fans just want to see the finished product -- a polished game -- and don't want to bother with reporting bugs. That's why the closed beta is more of a privilege," he says.

Eligium community manager emphasizes the importance of beta testing originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Frogster announces new Eligium MMO, reveals cinematic trailer

Jef Reahard — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:15:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play

Most modern MMORPGs are all about making thousands of players feel like mighty heroes, but Frogster's newest endeavor is taking that concept to another level if the game's title is anything to go by. A new cinematic trailer for Eligium - The Chosen One was just announced, and the game itself will be shown off later this week at Gamescom 2011. The free-to-play fantasy title "challenges players to see if they have what it takes to be the chosen one and free the world from the invading demonic hordes," according to a Frogster press release.

Eligium was actually developed by a Chinese firm called Shanda Games Ltd. (Frogster is serving as the publisher), and the title will be launching in the first quarter of 2012 to the English, German, French, and Polish markets.

In terms of gameplay, Eligium features five playable race/class combinations (including panda fighters), extensive crafting and item upgrade options, and group instances as well as world boss battles. There's also a bit of PvP on offer and guild systems designed to bring factional warfare to the forefront. Frogster's press material also mentions player housing and a pet/mount-hatching system. You can glimpse the first official Eligium trailer after the break.

Continue reading Frogster announces new Eligium MMO, reveals cinematic trailer

Frogster announces new Eligium MMO, reveals cinematic trailer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Frogster acquires unnamed Shanda Games MMORPG

Jef Reahard — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST

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

Frogster's online gaming portfolio just got a bit bigger, though details are scarce as to the name and the nature of the company's newest acquisition. The German publishing giant, most famous for bringing Runes of Magic to the masses, announced that it has secured the rights to a new fantasy MMORPG from Shanda Games, a Chinese developer.

The unnamed title will reportedly distinguish itself by featuring a setting developed expressly for Western audiences, and Frogster plans to launch the game using a free-to-play business model some time in 2012. "This deal with Shanda Games adds yet another prominent MMORPG to our portfolio. By licensing the game for North America and Europe, we have taken another step in establishing Frogster as one of the leading MMO game publishers in the world," said Andreas Weidenhaupt, a Frogster executive board member.

Frogster acquires unnamed Shanda Games MMORPG originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chinese company bans gender-bending

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, News items, Legal

You can frequently get asked to prove an awful lot in MMOs -- that you actually know how to beat this boss, that you really have insider access to the game developers, or perhaps most commonly that you are who you say you are. Aurora Technology over in China has apparently decided to cut out the middleman in the equation -- they're banning any male players who play female characters, requiring players to confirm their gender via webcam in order to enforce the ruling.

The ruling currently only affects the Aurora-developed game King of the World, but there's always the possibility that this action could have further-reaching consequences. After all, Aurora is a subsidiary of Shanda, a company responsible for publishing Aion and Dungeons and Dragons Online in the region, which are names slightly more familiar to players on this side of the pond. China is a fair bit more litigious than the US when it comes to its online games, and the country as a whole has taken some surprising moves already. While this ordeal has been going on for over two years now, we can't help but wonder if this will herald the start of some rather restrictive policies. We're assuming that you'll need to provide pictures or it didn't happen.

Chinese company bans gender-bending originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chinese online games market saw 63% growth in 2008

James Egan — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Economy, MMO industry

Business is booming for online game operators in China. The market grew by 63% in 2008 according to analyst group Pearl Research. They also predict that online gaming in China will be a $5.5 billion market by 2012, as reported by Gamasutra's David Jenkins.

In a country where broadband speeds are continually improving coupled with the widespread adoption of the web, China's netizens have embraced the relatively low-cost entertainment that online gaming offers. This is good news for gaming companies, particularly in these lean economic times. Jenkins writes, "Online operators in China have apparently seen little downturn in their business during the world economic crisis, with six companies now making revenues greater than $200 million (Tencent, Changyou, The9, Netease, Shanda and Giant)." You can see the full story on China's online games growth over at Gamasutra.

Chinese online games market saw 63% growth in 2008 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top 10 money-making MMOs of 2008

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Economy, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Academic

In an upcoming "comprehensive study" by DFC Intelligence, they take a look at the top money-makers in the MMO space worldwide. To no one's surprise, World of Warcaft has topped the list, followed by several Asian MMOs like MapleStory, Lineage I and II, Shanda and Fantasy Westward Journey. As for the most users, this study doesn't touch on that. With such a wide discrepancy between active subscribers and prepaid game card users, it's a difficult number to tack down.

What makes this list frustrating is the complete lack of details involved. While WoW is reported to have earned $500 million+ in 2008, the next four on the list are reporting $150-$500 million, and the final five are reporting anything in the $50-$150 million range. To the company's credit, this isn't the final analysis. Their detailed February 16th report promises to give more information on each of the top 10 games. We certainly look forward to that.

Top 10 money-making MMOs of 2008 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earthquake not the only impact on China's online games

James Egan — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Economy, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items

In the wake of the 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Sichuan Province, China, the government mandated an observance of the tragedy. In addition to Monday's three minutes of silence in national mourning, the Chinese government placed a three-day moratorium on all 'public amusements' in the country. This imposed break extended to online gaming and virtual worlds throughout the mainland, which prompted some commentary by Frank Yu, the China Angle columnist at Gamasutra.

While residents of Sichuan or those with friends and loved ones in the quake-affected region were not likely to want to play games in the aftermath of the disaster, the three-day imposed blackout on entertainment media was an unusual move for China. The suspension of these activities essentially made the entire country give up something, albeit briefly, in order to share the pain of those whose lives have been affected by the catastrophe. "The earthquake has had another major impact on the China gaming industry as well in what seems like an exercise of government media control... This includes, concerts, television shows, movies and for the first time, even online games," Yu said. The virtual worlds of China's major online game companies remained dark between May 19th and 21st. Although the game companies and operators complied with the suspension of their activities, they clearly assumed substantial profit losses.

Continue reading Earthquake not the only impact on China's online games

Earthquake not the only impact on China's online games originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 May 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Game developer sued for virtual losses

James Egan — Tue, 20 May 2008 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Legal

Shanda, operator and developer of several popular online games in China, is being sued by a gamer for RMB 100,000 (USD 14,300) in losses resulting from technical issues in Legend of Mir 2. The plaintiff, named Wen, claims to have spent roughly RMB 200,000 (USD 28,600) on virtual items in the game. Wen filed the lawsuit in Shanghai, following the disappearance of more than 30 of those virtual items over the course of a year.

Shanda is no stranger to controversy, or to the legal system of China. An assistant manager at Shanda received a five-year prison sentence in 2007, following the discovery that he and two conspirators established an illegal trade in virtual items in 2004 and 2005. The trio netted a cool RMB 2 million (USD 286,000) in just 14 months. Although the lawsuit presents little in the way of financial distress to Shanda and there is no way of knowing if the company was negligent at all in respect to Wen's grievance, this is yet another incident of negative publicity related to Legend of Mir 2.

Game developer sued for virtual losses originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 May 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China puts in policy to discourage foreign MMOs

Chris Chester — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Culture, MMO industry

China has always been a market that businesses have stumbled over each other to secure. Students of history might remember how Coca-Cola was one of the first companies to recognize the fact that a country with a billion people is a country with a billion potential customers, and was literally right on the heels of President Carter when negotiations relaxed the restriction of foreign goods in 1979. So too are MMO makers starting to realize the enormous potential of an increasingly connected Chinese mainland. Sure, World of Warcraft's 10 million subscribers seems good now, but what happens when a game comes along that captures the attention of the Chinese market, estimated to grow to 59 million in 2008?

Unfortunately for developers in the U.S., Korea, and elsewhere looking to cash in on this burgeoning market, recent regulations imposed by the Chinese government will allow domestic Chinese gaming companies to effectively postpone the release of foreign-developed games indefinitely by submitting a complaint to GAPP, China's censorship agency. Curious that they'd run a protectionist racket on an industry that they recently likened to "spiritual opium," but the Communist government didn't take power in order to be a bedrock of consistency.

The political science major in me is actually excited by this prospect, because it means that MMOs are likely about to enter into the field of political discourse. Just as they do with farm goods and automobiles, it might not be too much of a stretch to imagine U.S. politicians publicly wrangling with Chinese officials to allow American MMOs unrestricted access to the Chinese population. In the next few years, it's possible your Congressman will talk, at length about World of Warcraft or Warhammer Online in front of one of the chambers of Congress. And this time they'll actually be speaking in favor of the game industry. What a thought!

China puts in policy to discourage foreign MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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