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[Tiny Speck and Trion Worlds make gaming headlines in 2011]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/19/tiny-speck-and-trion-worlds-make-gaming-headlines-in-2011/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/19/tiny-speck-and-trion-worlds-make-gaming-headlines-in-2011/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/19/tiny-speck-and-trion-worlds-make-gaming-headlines-in-2011/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Glitch
Trion Worlds and Tiny Speck are two MMO studios that have made waves in 2011 with their ambitious plans and potential profit margins, according to the Wall Street Journal. The publication's article examines how these companies are running contrary to Zynga's model by producing top-tier content without trying to nickle-and-dime customers.

Trion's story is seen as one of high risk and higher rewards, especially considering that it was bringing in no revenue before last March while developing three titles. "RIFT has had tremendous success -- the commercial results are just astounding -- but we've got two more big games coming... There is no joy in Mudville," said Trion's David Reid. The article notes that once a MMO breaks even, the profit margin can be as high as 70%.

Trion is reportedly adding 100 new people to the team in the first part of 2012, which will put this studio in giant-sized territory: 520 employees in total.

Tiny Speck may not be as large, with just 41 employees, but the team is growing due to Glitch's success. Even though the potential to make money is there, co-founder Eric Costello says that the team puts in long hours as primarily a labor of love: "The game industry is famous for running their employees into the ground, and we definitely don't want to do that, but we've also found that building a game is a lot harder than we thought it would be."

MassivelyTiny Speck and Trion Worlds make gaming headlines in 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>David-Reiddefianceend-of-nationsEric-Costelloglitchnickle-and-dimeprofitprofit-marginprofit-marginsrifttiny-specktriontrion-worldswall-street-journalzyngaMon, 19 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EA to be the sole source for SWTOR downloads [updated]]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/02/ea-to-be-the-sole-source-for-swtor-downloads/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/02/ea-to-be-the-sole-source-for-swtor-downloads/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/02/ea-to-be-the-sole-source-for-swtor-downloads/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Thanks to our friends at Darth Hater, Massively has learned that the highly anticipated MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic will be sold as a direct download only through Electronic Arts itself. In an interview with CEO John Riccitiello, the Wall Street Journal uncovered news of EA's new service, one it's calling Origin. This service will provide customers with a download service for all EA games, including the Battlefield games, the Need For Speed games, and the aforementioned Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Origin is to act as a social network hub as well as a place to track all your EA game purchases, explained Riccitiello to the Wall Street Journal. This functionality will be available to all users even if they did not purchase the game directly from Origin. However, Riccitiello clarified that Star Wars: The Old Republic will still be purchasable in box form via retailers; only the digital download itself will be exclusive to Origin. Presumably, other all-digital services such as Direct2Drive and Steam will not carry the game.

The full article from the Wall Street Journal is available with a subscription to the newspaper's website.

[Update: Stephen Reid posted to the official SWTOR forums: "However, even though you'll only be able to buy and download The Old Republic digitally via Origin, you will still be able to buy a retail, boxed copy of the game from your favorite retailer (and that includes online retailers who'll ship the box to you). BioWare and EA know the value many gamers place on a cool boxed product... and we're producing a cool boxed product. (Or maybe I should say 'boxed products'.)"]

MassivelyEA to be the sole source for SWTOR downloads [updated] originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 21:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BioWaredarth-haterdigital-downloadEAElectronic-Artseric-brownJohn-riccitielloLucasArtsOriginStar-Warsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorthe-old-republictorwall-street-journalwsjThu, 02 Jun 2011 21:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Wall Street Journal examines SOE's and Turbine's switch to free-to-play]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/30/wall-street-journal-examines-soe-and-turbines-switch-to-free-to/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/30/wall-street-journal-examines-soe-and-turbines-switch-to-free-to/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/30/wall-street-journal-examines-soe-and-turbines-switch-to-free-to/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The growing trend toward the free-to-play business model in the MMO industry has caught the attention of the Wall Street Journal.

The feature story in the paper's weekly Digital Media section is entitled "First, Give Away the Game," and focuses heavily on some of the recent free-to-play announcements from high-profile MMO developers. Warner Brothers President Martin Tremblay spoke to the WSJ regarding DDO's dramatic turnaround last year as well. "The game was almost dead," said Tremblay, saying that DDO is now "very healthy" financially, thanks to the switch to free-to-play. He stated that the change was "a big reason" for the decision to acquire Turbine, and the reason Warner Brothers plans to follow the business model for other games. "This is the way we believe customers want to consume games in the future."

It's an interesting look at the growth of microtransactions and the F2P model in the Western market. The full story can be read on the Wall Street Journal's Digital Network.

MassivelyWall Street Journal examines SOE's and Turbine's switch to free-to-play originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>business-modelsddodungeons-and-dragons-onlineeq-2EQ-IIEQ2EQIIEverQuest-2everquest-iif2pfree-to-playftplord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroMicrotransactionssoeSony-Online-Entertainmentturbinewall-street-journalwall-street-journal-onlinewarner-brotherswsjwsj-onlineFri, 30 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bobby Kotick muses about a Call of Duty MMO]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/22/bobby-kotick-muses-about-a-call-of-duty-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/22/bobby-kotick-muses-about-a-call-of-duty-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/22/bobby-kotick-muses-about-a-call-of-duty-mmo/#commentsFiled under: ,

Activision Blizzard owns one of the most profitable gaming franchises in the world with Call of Duty, and Bobby Kotick knows it. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Kotick was open about his ambitions with the series, saying that he wishes that they would create an online subscriber version. It's not a new sentiment from Kotick, as he's been saying as such for years, although it certainly is pretty straight-forward.

Kotick threw a few logs onto the fire of speculation: "I would have Call of Duty be an online subscription service tomorrow. I think our audiences are clamouring for it. If you look at what they're playing on Xbox Live today, we've had 1.7 billion hours of multiplayer play on Live. I think we could do a lot more to really satisfy the interests of the customers. I think we could create so many things, and make the game even more fun to play."

No stranger to controversial statements, it's hard to tell if Activision Blizzard's CEO was just shooting the breeze or hinting at an upcoming title from the publisher. In any case, a Call of Duty MMO would be major news indeed if it happened, so we'll be sure to keep our eyes on Activision -- and our ears on Kotick for any possible confirmation.

[Via Eurogamer]

MassivelyBobby Kotick muses about a Call of Duty MMO originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzard-activisionbobby-kotickcall-of-dutycall-of-duty-mmoeurogamerwall-street-journalTue, 22 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Wall Street Journal: China on track to claim half of online gaming market]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/27/wall-street-journal-china-on-track-to-claim-half-of-online-gami/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/27/wall-street-journal-china-on-track-to-claim-half-of-online-gami/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/27/wall-street-journal-china-on-track-to-claim-half-of-online-gami/#commentsFiled under: ,

It's no surprise to us (or you, probably) that MMOs are big business in China. The Wall Street Journal reports that a new study from Beijing data-analysis firm Cnzz.com predicts that China will hold more than half of the global market for online gaming by 2012. Given the current 20% growth rate, the online gaming market is predicted to reach 41 billion yuan ($6 billion USD). They currently report 338 million web users among their population, with two-thirds of those users defining themselves as online game players.

Of course, the main branch of online games in this case are MMOs. In October, six of the ten most popular games in China were MMOs, with four of those being subscription based models. World of Warcraft holds the top spot in that list with "the most registered players and peak simultaneous online users." (The recent bickering between WoW and NetEase may make that a temporary position, however.)

The full story from WSJ blogs contains more details, and is a good overall read.

MassivelyWall Street Journal: China on track to claim half of online gaming market originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chinaneteaseOnline-Gamingwall-street-journalworld-of-warcraftwowwsj-blogsFri, 27 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The9 releasing World of Warcraft clone or Warhammer Online?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/04/the9-releasing-world-of-warcraft-clone-or-warhammer-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/04/the9-releasing-world-of-warcraft-clone-or-warhammer-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/04/the9-releasing-world-of-warcraft-clone-or-warhammer-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


The9's loss of publishing rights for World of Warcraft in China has been in the news quite a bit. Surrounded by rumours of bankruptcy in the wake of losing their biggest license, the company survived and it has plans. Now both the Wall Street Journal and our sister site are reporting about their newest venture: World of Fight.

At the moment all we know about this mysterious new title comes from the trailer website. For starters the teaser site uses a font familiar to anyone who plays WoW. Indeed the web address itself (www.wofchina.com) is but a letter away from the official Chinese WoW site. However that weird stargate-esque contraption is straight out of a Warhammer Online starter area and The9 is partially owned by giants Electronic Arts -- who also publish Warhammer in North America. It could easily be a cheap ploy to get gamers interested in a WoW clone or a legitimate teaser site for Warhammer with a terrible Chinglish title. We won't know for sure until the 'gates' open but when that could be has not yet been disclosed. We'll bring you more as soon as we find out.

MassivelyThe9 releasing World of Warcraft clone or Warhammer Online? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>the9wall-street-journalwarhammer-onlineworld of warcraftworld-of-fightwowwow-insiderMon, 04 May 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[China legislates 20% tax rate on virtual currency profits]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/03/china-legislates-20-tax-rate-on-virtual-currency-profits/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/03/china-legislates-20-tax-rate-on-virtual-currency-profits/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/03/china-legislates-20-tax-rate-on-virtual-currency-profits/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

While much of the world's gold farming activity is based in mainland China, the black market industry operates in violation of the law. Despite this, a large part of the problem in curbing illegal activities in China is that there's a substantial divide between what the law states is illegal and the actual enforcement of those laws. This may well be the case with the law passed last week by China's State Administration of Taxation, which will impose a personal income tax rate of 20% on profits made from virtual currency.

Juliet Ye at The Wall Street Journal's "China Journal" blog reports: "The policy would cover China's legions of online gamers, who can use online virtual currency to buy better equipment and new powers for their online warriors. But it also affects millions of others who use virtual currencies on instant-messaging services and Web portals." The widespread use of virtual currencies in China spurred last year's restrictions on exchanging virtual currency into RMB. If the new law becomes a reality rather than a technicality in the lives of China's internet users, it will be a substantial change in virtual economics in the country.

MassivelyChina legislates 20% tax rate on virtual currency profits originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiachinachina-journaleconomicseconomygoldgold-farmingjuliet-yerenminbirmbtaxtaxationtaxesvirtual-economicsvirtual-economywall-street-journalyuanMon, 03 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Peering Inside: A media campaign]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/peering-inside-a-media-campaign/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/peering-inside-a-media-campaign/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/peering-inside-a-media-campaign/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

While the announcement of the Google Lively public beta may have taken many by surprise, apparently it did not take Linden Lab unawares -- their Second Life messages were already lined up and ready to go.

Indeed considering that information about Lively's launch was available to a number of people who were close to Linden Lab, either as partners or ex-staffers, it seems silly to suggest that Linden Lab might not have known Lively's public beta launch date, unless those contacts were aflame with considerable, searing resentment.

Wheezing, clanking and dripping oil from dark and unnameable apertures, one of Linden Lab's most neglected subsystems -- the marketing machine -- arose from it's years-long slumber and went about it's ponderous, mechanical business.

Continue reading Peering Inside: A media campaign

MassivelyPeering Inside: A media campaign originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuredgoogleibmjohn-zdanowskilinden-lablivelym-lindenmark-kingdonmarketingopinionpeering-insidesecond-lifevirtual-worldsvivatywall-street-journalzee-lindenMon, 14 Jul 2008 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Virtual Worlds 2008 overview]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/virtual-worlds-2008-overview/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/virtual-worlds-2008-overview/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/virtual-worlds-2008-overview/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


The 2008 Virtual Worlds conference has come and gone, and the aftermath is gracing news sites all over the web. In a particularly in-depth article at Virtual World News, we get a first hand account of what went on. It's a no-brainer that the majority of business attendees focused on how to make money in virtual worlds. The Wall Street Journal calls this "virtual business 2.0", which is basically a few buzz words thrown together in an attempt to look hip and cool. We're certainly not saying that business has no place in a VW, but it can become a scary thought, ultimately.

Another prominent avenue explored at this event is that of children's virtual worlds, which are becoming increasingly popular. Neopets, Nickelodeon, Barbie and Dinokids were all on-hand to make sure their piece of the pie was well-represented.

MassivelyVirtual Worlds 2008 overview originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>barbiedinokidsneopetsnickelodeonvirtual-worldsvwwall-street-journalThu, 10 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daedalus Project tracks MUD]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/the-daedalus-project-tracks-mud/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/the-daedalus-project-tracks-mud/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/the-daedalus-project-tracks-mud/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Actually, it tracks MMOs, but what a clever title, huh? The Daedalus Project is the demographic/analysis website created and maintained by Nick Yee, a graduate student of Stanford University in the field of Communications who now works at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Nick's site is noteworthy both for the online surveys of MMO players that are open to anyone who wants to participate, and also for the conclusions he draws based on those survey results.

This statistical data has been used by Washington Post, CBS, TechWeek, CNET, the Associated Press, Nature.com, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, among other publications. Nick always has a survey or two running, so if you're interested in contributing your experiences and thoughts to the collective (and growing) body of knowledge concerning MMOs, you can do so at the 'Current Surveys' section of his site.

For those of us interested in metadata, The Daedalus Project is a genuine boon, and we hope he continues his necessary and groundbreaking work well into the future.

[Thanks, Nick!]

MassivelyThe Daedalus Project tracks MUD originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>associated-presscbscnetdemographicsmetadatanature.comnew-york-timesnick-yeepalo-alto-research-centerparcstanfordstanford-universitysurveystechweekthe-daedalus-projectwall-street-journalwashington-postFri, 29 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Google almost certainly creating multi-user virtual world]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/04/google-almost-certainly-creating-multi-user-virtual-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/04/google-almost-certainly-creating-multi-user-virtual-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/04/google-almost-certainly-creating-multi-user-virtual-world/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

World of Googlecraft? GoogleQuest? Pirates of the Google Sea? No, really. It could happen. Sort of.

Apparently Google isn't satisfied with how massive it is already; the tech juggernaut might be developing a virtual online world. Okay, so it probably won't really be an MMORPG per say, but it could be something similar to Second Life. Rumors of the project have been gaining momentum for a while now, and we here at Massively are laying out all the evidence right here for you to see.

Continue reading Google almost certainly creating multi-user virtual world

MassivelyGoogle almost certainly creating multi-user virtual world originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Nov 2007 10:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adscapebreakingcorey-bridgefinancial-timesfireflyfirefly-mmogooglegoogle-earthmediafilemultiversereuterssecond-lifesketchupsocial-networkingwall-street-journalSun, 04 Nov 2007 10:35:00 EST