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[Not So Massively: Cosplay is serious business]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/19/not-so-massively-cosplay-is-serious-business/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/19/not-so-massively-cosplay-is-serious-business/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/19/not-so-massively-cosplay-is-serious-business/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

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It's been a busy week in the land of online games that aren't quite MMOs, with League of Legends releasing its long-awaited champion, Ahri the Nine Tailed Fox, in a massive Christmas-themed patch. Fans of the game also clashed with Rioters this week over the advice given in a new champion spotlight video for recently revamped champion Gangplank. Recognising the importance of cosplay to Firefall fans, developers announced a new cosplay programme featuring professional cosplay artist Crystal Graziano and Hollywood effects artist Steve Wang.

Blizzard revealed its new Battle.net Battletag system this week, giving thousands of fans RealID flashbacks. The new system will allow cross-game communication between StarCraft, World of Warcraft, Diablo III and other titles without disclosing players' email addresses. Blacklight: Retribution's development continued at pace as the game adds European servers to its third round of closed beta. Brawl Busters saw its official release this week, and the first ever standalone MOBA, the 2009-released Demigod, finally made its way to Steam. Finally, Bloodline Champions hosted a new competitive online tournament and... a bakery contest?

Skip past the cut for details of this week's biggest news from the world of MOBAs and other big online games that aren't quite MMOs.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Cosplay is serious business

MassivelyNot So Massively: Cosplay is serious business originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alganon isn't necessarily the darling of the MMO world at the moment, with a large number of people drawing conclusions about it before even setting foot in the game. So, really, more or less par for the course. But it has launched, it's developing its content, and it's clearly making moves to get itself noticed as something new and good. And if recent moves are any indications, one of the best ways to get yourself noticed is expanding on to the much-beloved digital distribution sources. The game has just been made available on the Impulse service, run by Stardock.

Those of you with acute memories may recall that it wasn't so long ago that Alganon had an exclusive setup with Direct2Drive. However, expansion is always a good thing, especially for a smaller studio looking to improve their visibility. There's no word on any exclusive giveaways a la the plethora of Fallen Earth bonuses for different services, but that's all right -- it's good enough to know that if you have a want for the game, there are more ways to go about getting it.

MassivelyAlganon expands to Impulse distribution originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alganonannouncementsdigital-distributiondirect2drivedistributiondownloadsimpulsenews-itemsquest-onlinestardockThu, 10 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Steam estimated at selling to 70% of PC market]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/20/steam-estimated-at-selling-to-70-of-pc-market/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/20/steam-estimated-at-selling-to-70-of-pc-market/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/20/steam-estimated-at-selling-to-70-of-pc-market/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Where did you buy your last MMO and where will you buy your next? Chances are you'll be getting it on Steam or so the story goes according to Brad Wardell, head honcho over at Stardock. We're inclined to agree with his assertion that Valve's digital distribution platform holds roughly 70% of the PC market as many of us here at Massively have been buying our MMOs -- and PC games in general -- on the service for some time now.

So is it a good thing or a bad thing for MMO players? Our experience with purchasing games like Aion and Champions Online through the service has been positive, and so long as no complications arise via patches or other client issues we see no reason to stop utilizing the service unless better offers appear.

The only real MMO-related issue we can see is with collector's editions. Some games offer a different set of bonus material for people who opt out of the physical copy and go for the digital, but certain items like art books, mouse pads and other bric-a-brac can't be delivered through a wire... at least, not until sometime in the far flung future.

Now, as far as the Steamworks integration issue goes... Well, that's a whole other sack of fishes.

MassivelySteam estimated at selling to 70% of PC market originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionataribrad-wardellchampionschampions-onlinedigital-distributioneurogamerimpulsencsoftopinionstardocksteamvalveFri, 20 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Sins developer says not to blame pirates]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/sins-developer-says-not-to-blame-pirates/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/sins-developer-says-not-to-blame-pirates/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/sins-developer-says-not-to-blame-pirates/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


It seems like many developers in recent months (with a few notable exceptions) have been trying to take an honest appraisal of the declines in sales PC game makers have seen across the board over the last half-decade. Piracy is the old boogeyman which, while it is still a serious plague on the industry, is far from being the lone culprit. A few weeks ago, Brad Wardell of Stardock, the publisher behind the spectacular Sins of the Solar Empire, posted a rant on his blog here he points to the fact that his company's game has risen to #1 on the PC sales charts despite having no piracy protection; proof positive that piracy isn't the lone factor in PC gaming's stagnation.

Wardell offers a number of other explanations. For one, other developers are still too focused on the "cool factor" instead of profitability. A lot of times, it seems games are developed to garner magazine covers and not to make money. Many developers also develop games that are likely to be snapped up in China, where piracy usually cannibalizes most of their market share. (Thankfully, this is a factor MMOs are more resilient to, given the way they are monetized.) The other factor playing to the industry's disadvantage, he says, is that they're only just now realizing that developing games for hardware that next to nobody owns means that next to nobody will buy your game. (We're looking at you here, Age of Conan.) Some pretty interesting opinions from a guy succeeding just outside the mainstream.


[Via GamePolitics]

MassivelySins developer says not to blame pirates originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brad-wardellironcladpc-gamingpiracysins-of-a-solar-empirestardockTue, 25 Mar 2008 14:33:00 EST