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[Diablo III roars into an open beta weekend]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/20/diablo-iii-roars-into-an-open-beta-weekend/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/20/diablo-iii-roars-into-an-open-beta-weekend/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/20/diablo-iii-roars-into-an-open-beta-weekend/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Diablo III
Flex those mouse-clicking fingers, compadres -- it's demon-hunting time! This weekend, Blizzard is blowing the doors off Diablo III's beta, allowing any and all (well, those with a Battle.net account, that is) to come try out this upcoming action RPG.

The open beta weekend begins at 3:00 p.m. EDT today and lasts until 1:00 p.m. on Monday, April 23rd. During the beta, all five classes will be available, but players will be limited to a level 13 cap as they give the game a whirl.

To access the Diablo III open beta, you'll need a valid Battle.net account and a BattleTag. Despite playing in the open beta, participants won't be able to post in the beta forums and won't receive Beta Bucks to spend.

Asian players in Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau will be part of not this stress test but rather a separate invitation-only closed beta test starting on April 23rd.

MassivelyDiablo III roars into an open beta weekend originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-rpgbattle.netbattlenetbattletagbetabeta-bucksblizzardblizzard-entertainmentcash-shopd3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiifantasygothic-fantasyhong-kongkoreamacaumultiplayeronline-multiplayeropen-betaopen-beta-weekendroguelikerpgstress-testtaiwanFri, 20 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Wizard101 heading to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/08/wizard101-heading-to-taiwan-hong-kong-and-macau/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/08/wizard101-heading-to-taiwan-hong-kong-and-macau/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/08/wizard101-heading-to-taiwan-hong-kong-and-macau/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Wizard101 banner
KingsIsle Entertainment announced today that its popular free-to-play MMO, Wizard101, is expanding to the exotic east. Thanks to an agreement with Taiwan Taomee Technology, the game will be launching in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau in 2012. This announcement comes shortly after the company's deal with Taomee Holdings Limited to launch the game in China next year. To get in on the Wizard101 fun yourself, head on over to the game's official site.

MassivelyWizard101 heading to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>f2pfree-to-playhong-kongkingsislekingsisle-entertainmentmacautaiwanwiz101WIZARD101Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Free for All: Fairyland 2 weirds me out at E3 (in a good way)]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/15/free-for-all-fairyland-2-weirds-me-out-at-e3-in-a-good-way/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/15/free-for-all-fairyland-2-weirds-me-out-at-e3-in-a-good-way/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/15/free-for-all-fairyland-2-weirds-me-out-at-e3-in-a-good-way/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Imagine taking MTV and turning it into a physical place and mixing in the internet and the circus -- the biggest, noisiest (and surprisingly non-smelly) one of all -- then throw in millions of dollars in hardware, and you have a good idea about E3. I don't like noise much anymore, especially after playing drums as hard as my stick arms could let me for nearly 24 years. My ears are tired. My eyes need rest. I can walk forever, but information overload can drain me.

So I designated each of the two major show floors as "noisy" and "less noisy." Still, it wasn't as though I was being forced to walk on fire or to stab needles into my eyes. Let's be honest: This was the greatest assignment any game writer could ask for. Still, I wanted to find the games that no one was talking about. The booths that were tucked somewhere near the bathrooms. And find one I did.

It was a cool little booth that represented games from Taiwan. As soon as I saw that, I pounced. Granted, one of the games was not an MMORPG, but they were all intriguing. I walked around the entire collection of publishers and asked questions. I found some pretty neat stuff, too.

Click past the cut and I'll tell you what I found.

Continue reading Free for All: Fairyland 2 weirds me out at E3 (in a good way)

MassivelyFree for All: Fairyland 2 weirds me out at E3 (in a good way) originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beau-hindmanf2pfairyland-2featuredfree-for-allfree-to-playftptaiwanwinking-entertainmentxaocWed, 15 Jun 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mythic wages WAR in the East]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/20/mythic-wages-war-in-the-east/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/20/mythic-wages-war-in-the-east/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/20/mythic-wages-war-in-the-east/#commentsFiled under: , ,


While NCsoft prepares to invade the West with Aion this September, Mythic has their own preemptive RvR strike planned for the East. Both Mythic and Gigamedia are bringing Warhammer Online to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on June 25th. This means people can now play WAR in North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia. That's quite a global presence.

It will be interesting to see what impact this has on WAR's subscriber count in the next quarter. When WAR originally launched in September 2008, they sold over 750,000 copies. That number dropped to 300,000 by December 2008. After a couple big marketing campaigns (recruit a friend and re-enlistment) and a launch in Russia, WAR's numbers held steady at 300,000 in March 2009.

Could this Eastern launch propel them beyond the 300,000 mark again? Based on all the Land of the Dead coverage and impressions we've seen, the new live expansion should have some sort of positive effect on the game as well. I guess we'll have to wait until the next EA earnings call to find out, which should take place in August.

MassivelyMythic wages WAR in the East originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eagigamediahong kongHongKongland-of-the-deadmacaumythic-entertainmentsubscription-numberstaiwanwaaaghwarwarhammer-onlineSat, 20 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gigamedia to launch Warhammer Online closed beta in Taiwan]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/06/gigamedia-to-launch-warhammer-online-closed-beta-in-taiwan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/06/gigamedia-to-launch-warhammer-online-closed-beta-in-taiwan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/06/gigamedia-to-launch-warhammer-online-closed-beta-in-taiwan/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The WAR is spreading! GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that on April 15, 2009, Gigamedia will be launching Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning closed beta in Taiwan. The game originally launched in North America, Europe, and Australia in September 2008 and Russia in February 2009. This new launch furthers Mythic GM Mark Jacobs' day-one goal of making WAR a "global phenomenon."

Much like Mythic's original WAR release, it appears Gigamedia made limited edition preorder versions of the game available. According to their gaming platform's GM, Yautian Chen, they have completely sold out these copies. They are now selling closed beta packs, which we can only assume are similar to the standard edition preorders sold in North America that guaranteed access to closed beta.

We have forwarded two questions along to EA/Mythic and are awaiting an official response:

  1. Will WAR be subscription-based in Taiwan or use another income model (e.g., time cards)?
  2. What other Asian countries are EA and Mythic considering for WAR in the future?
We'll keep you posted as we learn more.

MassivelyGigamedia to launch Warhammer Online closed beta in Taiwan originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>closed-betagigamediamythic-entertainmentpreorderTaiwanwarwarhammer-onlineMon, 06 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hellgate London status: Purgatory]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/30/hellgate-london-status-purgatory/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/30/hellgate-london-status-purgatory/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/30/hellgate-london-status-purgatory/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


There have been so many twists and turns with the future of Hellgate: London (and Mythos) that it's hard to know what will happen next. We've heard on a few occasions that Hellgate: London was about to face its demise, only to be saved. Adding to the confusion was the dispute over who even owned Hellgate: London, Flagship Studios or HanbitSoft. After Flagship folded, HanbitSoft's claims seemed to be genuine, and the IP was left in the hands of T3 Entertainment. Subscriptions, however, were then suspended. Shortly afterwards Namco-Bandai swept in, prominently featured HG: L on its site... and subsequently removed it. Despite this, the game has been kept running ever since, although Namco-Bandai's stated that the servers will shut down at the end of January, 2009.

Gaming site HellForge has picked up on what we're not ready to call anything more than 'rumor' at this point, but something that perhaps bodes well for the future of the game. Another company name has been thrown into the mix: Redbana (based in Taiwan, connected with the aforementioned T3 Entertainment). HellForge writes: "Further research leads to findings of a new San Francisco office for the company, which is where Hellgate offices were located previously." This seems to be in line with what we reported about the future of both titles in August. While we hope this information could be a positive sign for Hellgate: London and perhaps Mythos as well, at this point it's still largely conjecture.

[Via Blue's News]

MassivelyHellgate London status: Purgatory originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bill-roperflagship-studioshanbitsofthellforgehellgate-londonhglhorrormmo-industrymythosnamco-bandairedbanarumorrumorst3-entertainmenttaiwanThu, 30 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EA signs agreement for WAR distribution in Asia]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/31/ea-signs-agreement-for-war-distribution-in-asia/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/31/ea-signs-agreement-for-war-distribution-in-asia/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/31/ea-signs-agreement-for-war-distribution-in-asia/#commentsFiled under: , ,


A press release went out today on the wire announcing that EA had signed an agreement with a Taiwanese company called GigaMedia to distribute Warhammer Online in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. According to the terms of the agreement, GigaMedia will be responsible for the advertising, community management, customer service, and technical support for those areas. Doing some cursory research on the company on the 'net, it seems like GigaMedia has really cut their teeth on more casual game distribution efforts, their biggest property being FunTown, the world's largest MahJong platform. They appear to be getting more serious about their game development and distribution efforts however, and initiated a relationship with EA last year by agreeing to release, of all games, NBA Street Online.

What will really be interesting now that they've secured release efforts in the surrounding areas, is what approach EA will take to get Warhammer Online introduced onto the Chinese mainland. A week ago today we reported on a new policy of the Chinese government that would allow any domestic game publisher to effectively block the release of a foreign MMO by referring it to China's censorship board indefinitely. With that policy in place, are Chinese MMO companies going to allow the release of a game owned by one of the most prolific American game publishers in the world? You have to imagine EA is hard at work on it, given the size of the potential market there, but only time will tell.

MassivelyEA signs agreement for WAR distribution in Asia originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiabusinesschinaEAea-mythicelectronic-artsgigamediahong-kongmacautaiwanwarhammer-onlineThu, 31 Jan 2008 16:00:00 EST