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LEGO Universe introduces Ninjago expansion

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Trailers, Video, Expansions, Free-to-play, LEGO Universe, Kids, Family

Who doesn't like ninjas? Well, except for pirates, I guess. Now LEGO Universe has both, as its newly announced Ninjago expansion brings the world of the Ninjago LEGO toys and the Masters of Spinjitzu film to the MMO.

In addition to inserting over 100 new ninja-themed missions, this "largest expansion to the game yet" will raise the level cap to 45 and introduce new weapons, new enemies, and new gear -- all just in time for next month's first-year anniversary for the game. The expansion is free for all premium members starting today, and you can check out the screenshot gallery below and launch trailer just after the jump.

Gallery: LEGO Universe Main Gallery

[Source: LEGO Universe press release]

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LEGO Universe introduces Ninjago expansion originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Turbine working on console MMO?

Jef Reahard — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Consoles, Rumors, Miscellaneous

Internet scuttlebutt has it that Turbine is cooking up a console MMO codenamed Project Hendrix. A posting at GameSpot cites a Turbine job listing that seeks an engineer for an "unannounced online console project." The article also mentions the resume of one Josh Phelan, a Turbine employee who apparently mentioned the Hendrix title in his online resume (which has since gone dark).

Turbine's console aspirations are nothing new, as studio VP Craig Alexander hinted at such desires as early as 2009. Commenter speculation links the job listing to the mysterious Pottermore title, and given Turbine's acquisition by Warner Brothers (which also owns the Pottermore trademark), it's not unreasonable to suspect that the sorting hat could be getting ready to assign a Potter MMO to House Turbine.

Check out the details on GameSpot and let us know what you think in the comments.

Rumor: Turbine working on console MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Is Pottermore the upcoming Harry Potter MMO?

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, Rumors, Miscellaneous

The Harry Potter fan base was abuzz yesterday as a mysterious new website was launched. The site itself is rather bare, merely sporting the words "Pottermore: Coming Soon" and J.K. Rowling's signature underneath, but there's reason to believe that this may be connected to an online game.

It gets interesting when you look at Pottermore's trademark page, which lists the trademark as being owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and describes the product as follows:

Providing multiple-user access to a global computer information network; providing on-line chat rooms and electronic bulletin boards for transmission of messages among users in the field of general interest; providing on-line communications links which transfer the web site user to other local and global web pages; providing on-line facilities for real-time interaction with other computer users concerning topics of general interest.

The Guardian notes that Pottermore could stand for "Potter Multiplayer Online Role-playing Experience," among other things. An editor at HPANA was one of the few to get a glimpse of the full site, commenting, "It is breathtaking in scope, detail and sheer beauty." Meanwhile, on YouTube's JKRowlingAnnounces channel, a timer is counting down to an announcement as to why "the owls are gathering" sometime on the 23rd.

Of course, a Harry Potter MMO has been heavily rumored for some time now, perhaps in association with Turbine (which is owned by WB). It's a tenuous connection but a possibility as well, so we'll be keeping our eyes on the site to see what transpires!

[Thanks to reader Alen for the tip!]

Rumor: Is Pottermore the upcoming Harry Potter MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New developer making plans for Lord of the Rings Online's PvMP

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Game mechanics, PvP, News items, Free-to-play

PvP in Lord of the Rings Online has always been a sticky issue, with players taking the roles of monsters that always felt a bit underrepresented. But if you've always been a fan of smashing player-controlled spiders or playing one yourself, you'll be happy to see that there's a new developer in town taking aim at the PvMP portion of the game. Kelsan's inaugural post included a call for feedback and a broad PvMP manifesto outlining the overall design goals for the play mode.

One of the major areas being examined is the matter of rewards -- both factions are fighting for different rewards and different levels of commitment, which creates a disconnect in play. Kelsan and Orion both want to re-evaluate what players receive from zone control and taking part in PvMP, hopefully creating an environment where more players can get into the conflict. As one would expect, revisions are also being focused on a balancing of skills and abilities to help level the playing field. Lord of the Rings Online players should take a look at the full manifesto and offer any and all constructive feedback possible.

New developer making plans for Lord of the Rings Online's PvMP originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More LotRO news brings delays, sales, and screenshots

Rubi Bayer — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, News items, Free-to-play

The news about the launch of Lord of the Rings Online free-to-play just keeps rolling in, with today's dose including LotRO store gossip, new screenshots, and an unfortunate delay for European players.

Codemasters delivered a disappointment this morning with the announcement that there were some major difficulties behind the scenes. The European launch of LotRO free-to-play will be delayed possibly until the end of the month. The post making the announcement seems to be regularly updated, so keep an eye out for further word.

On a happier note for those with access to the game, Turbine has given the LotRO store a boost in the form of its very own Twitter feed and a sweet deal on a VIP starter pack via Direct2Drive.

Finally, Turbine delivered a pile of new screenshots for the F2P version today, so check out the gallery below for the latest look at LotRO.

Gallery: Lord of the Rings Online free-to-play

More LotRO news brings delays, sales, and screenshots originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Newest DDO screenshots introduce Claw of Vulkoor quest

Rubi Bayer — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Free-to-play

Update 6 for Dungeons and Dragons Online is rapidly approaching, and the newest adventure pack has been garnering some attention on the DDO Lamannia servers.

The Claw of Vulkoor, set in the new wilderness area of the Red Fens, is a quest in which you'll escort Drow warriors to an important artifact while being as silent and sneaky as possible.

The newest screenshots give us a peek at the area of the quest, complete with giants, a jungle to skulk about in, and huge scorpions. Check out the gallery below for a peek at The Claw of Vulkoor, and if you're a VIP player, don't forget that you can copy your character over to the Lamannia server and experience the quest right away.

Gallery: Dungeons and Dragons Online Update 6

Newest DDO screenshots introduce Claw of Vulkoor quest originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wall Street Journal examines SOE's and Turbine's switch to free-to-play

Rubi Bayer — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Dungeons and Dragons Online, EverQuest II, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play

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.

Wall 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.

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Warner Brothers signs distribution deal for LEGO Universe

Rubi Bayer — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, LEGO Universe

Warner Brothers' acquisition of Turbine back in April was big news, but they're not done venturing into MMO territory quite yet.

LEGO and Warner Brothers announced today that they have signed a distribution partnership agreement for LEGO Universe. Under the terms of the agreement, Warner Brothers will have exclusive retail distribution rights for the game outside of LEGO channels.

LEGO Digital Vice President Henrik Taudorf Lorensen feels that the Warner Brothers name is a good one to put behind LEGO Universe: "WBIE has tremendous reach as one of the industry's largest full-scale games publishers, which will enable LEGO Universe to access a broader audience of kids and families interested in online gaming."

LEGO Universe is currently in closed beta.

Warner Brothers signs distribution deal for LEGO Universe originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Turbine responds to fan questions about Warner Brothers purchase

Rubi Bayer — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items

The purchase of Turbine by Warner Bros. took the community by surprise earlier this week, and left many wondering what was in store. While European fans aren't affected -- the purchase did not include Codemasters -- the possibility that Warner Bros. would make some big changes worried fans a bit. As usual, Turbine responded to concerns very quickly, posting a public announcement about what we can expect in the future.

What's going to change? Will our games take a new and possibly unpleasant direction? The short answer is "not much" and "no." The core of the statement posted yesterday by Marketroid read, "Many of you have asked what this means for your game experience. The simple answer is that we don't expect much to change for the foreseeable future. We remain committed to each of our games as we move forward. This change in corporate ownership is not expected to affect our current product portfolio. We're still the company that brings you AC, DDO, and LOTRO."

While there's no definitive way to say exactly what the future will bring, the Turbine crew seems very excited about this partnership going forward, so we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for what's to come!

Turbine responds to fan questions about Warner Brothers purchase originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Warner Brothers rejects non-English-speaking Gossip Girl fans

Tateru Nino — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, News items, Opinion, Second Life, Virtual worlds

Warner Brothers has a very successful setup in Second Life, centered around its popular Gossip Girl property. All isn't exactly rosy there, of late, as WB's actively moderated environment collides with Second Life's and Gossip Girl's rather broad popularity demographics.

Warner Brothers uses the Metaverse Mod Squad for active moderation of the Second Life presence. The question is, how do you moderate conversations in languages you don't understand? The answer, it seems, is that you don't. Visitors who communicate in languages other than English are warned to switch to English. Failure to comply sees the visitor ejected.

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Warner Brothers rejects non-English-speaking Gossip Girl fans originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Life content creators face genuine dilemmas

Tateru Nino — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Culture, Economy, Opinion, Second Life, Virtual worlds

Content theft has always been something of an issue in Second Life, though there seems to be less of it going on in per capita terms than in the physical world. That said, it is interesting to see Second Life content creators increasingly moved towards positions maintained by music and movie publishers in the physical world.

"Why would anyone walk into a store and spend 400 or 500 Linden on a dress, if they can get a dress of similar quality for free or very cheap from a reseller," asks Ziggy Quirk.

Continue reading Second Life content creators face genuine dilemmas

Second Life content creators face genuine dilemmas originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cinemassively: UES Insider - Noob to Knockout

Moo Money — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Second Life, Cinemassively, Machinima

Warner Brothers created a promotional Machinima showing the Metaverse Mod Squad making over a newbie in Second Life. It is narrated by Gossip Girl, the character in the TV show that anonymously blogs all the happenings in Manhattan's Upper East Side. She starts out by explaining that there was an asian-themed party for Blair Waldorf's 17th birthday. All of the familiar faces were there, but a mystery girl stood out in the crowd. They go on to show how she went from "noob to knockout."

The video, created by WB Worldwide TV Marketing - New Media, in conjunction with Reitz-Lange Productions, is a fun look at what goes on in the Gossip Girl sims. However, it could have been so much better had they not left the UI in the shots. You can clearly see chat going on in the bottom left corner. Another complaint is that the press release calls it an "animated video." This is supposedly the first in "The Upper East Side Insider" series, so hopefully next time they'll call it what it is; Machinima.

[Thanks, Stormy!]

Cinemassively: UES Insider - Noob to Knockout originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 15 Dec 2007 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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