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[Take a behind-the-scenes tour of ArenaNet's (totally awesome) offices]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/take-a-behind-the-scenes-tour-of-arenanets-totally-awesome-of/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/take-a-behind-the-scenes-tour-of-arenanets-totally-awesome-of/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/take-a-behind-the-scenes-tour-of-arenanets-totally-awesome-of/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I want to go to there.
Guild Wars 2 fans are surely champing at the bit to get their hands on the game next week in the game's first public beta weekend, but you know what's cooler than taking part in GW2's beta weekends? Doing so at ArenaNet's offices in Seattle, which is exactly what the folks at Eurogamer got to do just recently.

Not only did they get the opportunity to sit down and play the Guild Wars 2 beta with the team, but they also got the chance to chat with many of the key figures behind it all. Virtually every department of development is represented in the lengthy article, which includes interviews with head honcho Mike O'Brien, QA manager Mike Zadorojny, art director Daniel Dociu, lead content designer Colin Johanson, and many, many more. So if you're interested in a behind-the-scenes look at the studio behind what could be this year's biggest MMO, just head on over and check out the full piece.

MassivelyTake a behind-the-scenes tour of ArenaNet's (totally awesome) offices originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anetarenanetbehind-the-scenescolin-johansondaniel-dociufantasyguild-wars-2gw2interviewinterviewsmike-obrienmike-zmike-zadorojnyncsoftstudioMon, 23 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What's the worst thing an MMO dev's ever said?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/28/the-daily-grind-whats-the-worst-thing-an-mmo-devs-ever-said/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/28/the-daily-grind-whats-the-worst-thing-an-mmo-devs-ever-said/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/28/the-daily-grind-whats-the-worst-thing-an-mmo-devs-ever-said/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

EverQuest
The fall season has seen two massive PR fiascos in two MMOs that just couldn't be more different: World of Warcraft and EVE Online. At BlizzCon, Blizzard cluelessly cheered on a video featuring individuals making crass anti-gay comments. And CCP managed to alienate its loyalists with an arrogant, greed-oriented internal memo.

For my part, one of the most awful dev quotes surfaced during the bygone days of EverQuest, when a dev named Milo Cooper famously posted to a player, "Shut up and give me my ten bucks per month, little man. My Porsche needs some performance upgrades." (Hey, remember back when games were $10 a month?) Comments like that one just fueled anger among the playerbase, whose members already felt they were paying too much for too little in return from a studio that took them entirely for granted.

So what's the worst thing you've ever seen an MMO dev say or do?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What's the worst thing an MMO dev's ever said? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>10-bucks-per-month-seems-so-cheap-nowarroganceBlizzardBlizzard-Entertainmentblizzconbrianna-royce-tdgccpccp-gamesdevdevelopereqeveeve-onlineeverquestfearlesshomophobiainternal-memomilooopsopen-mouth-insert-footopinionporschequotesoeSony-Online-Entertainmentstudiotdgthe-daily-grindWorld-of-WarcraftwowMon, 28 Nov 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Turbine expands with West Coast office]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/13/turbine-expands-with-west-coast-office/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/13/turbine-expands-with-west-coast-office/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/13/turbine-expands-with-west-coast-office/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Need more proof that Turbine is becoming a behemoth game studio? They've just announced the opening of their newest West Coast studio in Redwood City, CA. This studio is not a relocation from their Massachusetts office, but an expanded studio to bring new titles to market and expand into other platforms.

To head this new studio, Turbine has hired some industry giants, such as Dave Bervik as Creative Director, Jeff Lind as Engineering Director and Matt McKnight as Studio Director. Take a look at the complete press release after the jump to learn more about Turbine's plans with this new studio, as well as a working history for each of these industry vets.

Continue reading Turbine expands with West Coast office

MassivelyTurbine expands with West Coast office originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asherons-call-2ddoexpansionlord-of-the-rings-onlinelotrostudioturbineMon, 13 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Explore the halls and amenities of Blizzard HQ]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/10/explore-the-halls-and-amenities-of-blizzard-hq/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/10/explore-the-halls-and-amenities-of-blizzard-hq/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/10/explore-the-halls-and-amenities-of-blizzard-hq/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Blizzcon is this weekend, and journalists and bloggers the world over are descending upon California to report on everything from Diablo 3 classes to -- you guessed it -- World of Warcraft. MTV's Multiplayer blog counts itself a member of that gaming press Horde, and in addition to your usual Blizzcon coverage, it visited Blizzard's headquarters and took lots of photos.

The HQ has a museum, a movie theater, a gymnasium, and a bunch of other amenities, and they're all documented in Multiplayer's gallery. The walls are covered in Warcraft and Starcraft artwork -- basically, it's just as awesome as you would expect it to be. Hit the source link to browse the gallery to your fanboy/fangirl heart's content.
One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

MassivelyExplore the halls and amenities of Blizzard HQ originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artworkblizzardblizzconblizzcon-2008diablogalleryheadquartershqmtv-multiplayermuseumofficesphotographsphotosstarcraftstatuesstudiotheaterwarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 10 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Name your MMO dream team]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/31/the-daily-grind-name-your-mmo-dream-team/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/31/the-daily-grind-name-your-mmo-dream-team/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/31/the-daily-grind-name-your-mmo-dream-team/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Almost every big MMO these days is a marriage between an established intellectual property -- such as The Lord of the Rings, or Conan -- and a proven development studio like Mythic or Cryptic. It seems like every setting is getting MMO-ized, from Star Trek to the DC Comics universe. But there are lots of worlds left to explore.

That's why we're asking you today what world you want to explore, and who you want to make it. In other words, which franchise and which developer would you like to see come together?Battlestar Galactica and Funcom? Lost and SOE? No idea is too crazy. After all, it's likely none of them will become reality anyway!

Please keep in mind that Hello Kitty Online has already been done! Sorry to steal your thunder, folks!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Name your MMO dream team originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanbattlestar-galacticacryptic-studiosdc-universe-onlinedeveloperdreamdream-teamfantasyfranchisefuncomiplicenselostmythicsoestar-trekstudiotdgthe-daily-grindturbineThu, 31 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EA's world conquest continues with new Korean dev studio]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/14/eas-world-conquest-continues-with-new-korean-dev-studio/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/14/eas-world-conquest-continues-with-new-korean-dev-studio/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/14/eas-world-conquest-continues-with-new-korean-dev-studio/#commentsFiled under: ,

According to Digital Chosunilbo, Electronic Arts -- the planet Jupiter of game development -- has plans to open a new studio in Korea this year. EA intends to make three or four new titles for the Asian market. The studio will be a 20 million dollar investment, and its first projects will be online versions of NBA Street and Battlefield. All this will be helmed by Danny Isaac of FIFA Soccer fame.

Gamasutra noted that this is not EA's first foray into the Asian market. The company invested in Korean developer Neowiz back in March, and shortly thereafter announced plans to release in Asia one or more titles from the Battlefield series.

This is just one more step towards total world domination, unless EA's newly-formed rival Activision-Blizzard has something to say about it!

[Via The Escapist]

MassivelyEA's world conquest continues with new Korean dev studio originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiabattlefieldbusinessdigital-chosunilboeafifagamasutrakoreanba-streetneowizsoccerstudioMon, 14 Jan 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[L5 Games looking a lot like Blizzard]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/10/l5-games-looking-a-lot-like-blizzard/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/10/l5-games-looking-a-lot-like-blizzard/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/10/l5-games-looking-a-lot-like-blizzard/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Forming a new game studio and want to build some instant cred in the industry? Following in the example of other companies who believe anything associated with the Blizzard name turns to gold, Gravity Interactive has announced the formation of a new subsidiary game studio called L5 Games, which is to be staffed by a sizable number of former Blizzard North employees. According to the story over at Gama, as many as half of the new staff has ten or more years of experience in the industry, with credits in such mega-hits as World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo.

It's not exactly standard practice to flaunt the resumes of new hires in the press, but well... it's Blizzard, alright? Giant Interactive, which plays both publisher and developer roles for Ragnarok Online over in South Korea, is looking to beef up its U.S. operations, which have largely floundered to date, despite their game's unmitigated success overseas. "We intend to develop online games targeting the North American market, one of the fastest growing online gaming markets, with the outstanding developers of L5 Games who have a successful track record and thorough understanding of the culture of the North American market," says Gravity CEO Il-Young Ryu.

While there's a temptation to be snarky about this, the fact of the matter is that they've successfully captured our intention. Now just don't disappoint us.

MassivelyL5 Games looking a lot like Blizzard originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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