| Rumor: Vivendi looking to sell Activision-Blizzard stake Posted: 30 Jun 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Business models, Economy, MMO industry, News items, Rumors, Diablo III Rumors are swirling about the possible sale of Activision-Blizzard after the departure of Vivendi CEO Jean-Bernard Levy this week. Vivendi owns 61% of Acti-Blizz, and Levy reportedly walked over a disagreement about splitting up the French holding company. How this affects Activision-Blizzard remains to be seen, but Bloomberg says that Vivendi is looking to sell its entire stake, according to "a person with knowledge of the situation." The Wall Street Journal says that Vivendi's board of directors is mulling whether or not to split the company, which could potentially affect Blizzard and its World of Warcraft and Diablo III titles.  Rumor: Vivendi looking to sell Activision-Blizzard stake originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WRUP: Simon says edition Posted: 30 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous Simon says touch your nose. Simon says touch your nose again without the attitude. Simon says forgive him for being so pushy. Simon says to do the hokey pokey. Simon says that you did it wrong; you should have put the other foot in first. Simon says have an existential crisis. Simon says harness your latent telekinetic powers. Simon says to create a new religion based on Mountain Dew. Simon says touch the top of your head. Simon says that it's time for this week's installment of WRUP. Simon says that the Massively staff members need to explain what they'll be doing over the weekend. Simon says the Massively staff members also need to talk about whether or not they hold grudges against games. Simon says to nod knowingly. Simon says jump past the break to see the Massively staff's answers. Simon says let us know what you'll be up to in the comments. Continue reading WRUP: Simon says edition WRUP: Simon says edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Jun 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What's the difference between an MMO trial and F2P? Posted: 30 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Back in olden times when I sampled my first MMO trial, free game try-outs were short affairs. You'd usually get to play for a week, and then you were done unless you subscribed (or forgot to strike your credit card info). But modern MMOs are abandoning time-limited trials with increasing frequency. Games like Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft, RIFT, and now Star Wars: The Old Republic all allow gamers to play indefinitely -- but only up to a certain level. The "endless trial" model has led to some debate among the Massively staffers as we try to suss out what, exactly, sets an endless trial apart from any other F2P game and how we ought to refer to these sorts of titles on the whole. It'd be easy to say the restricted level cap is the red flag, but if we latch on to that definition, then any free-to-play title with a level cap locked behind a paid expansion -- like Lord of the Rings Online -- could itself be deemed an endless trial, albeit one with a very high (but not max) level cap for free players. Chime in on our debate. What do you think represents the key difference between an MMO that's F2P and an MMO that merely features an endless trial? Is it level caps or content or something else entirely? Or is there not really any difference at all?  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!The Daily Grind: What's the difference between an MMO trial and F2P? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Jun 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Wars: The Old Republic posts the newest community answers Posted: 29 Jun 2012 07:00 PM PDT |
| Betawatch: June 23 - 29, 2012 Posted: 29 Jun 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Massively Meta, Betawatch, Miscellaneous This week, Betawatch says farewell to The Secret World, which launched its headstart program this morning and will open the floodgates to everyone on July 3rd. We've also secured a launch date for Guild Wars 2 (August 28th); the final beta event will be the weekend of July 20th. And sandbox fans can look forward to The Repopulation, which has just begun alpha testing. This was a week of beta teases from some of the other games we're awaiting. We had a look at City of Steam's alpha, Firefall announced half a million beta registrations, Cryptic's lifetime subbers are set to receive Neverwinter beta access, SOE chronicled how PlanetSide 2's beta access will shake out, and Phantasy Star Online 2 fans can brush up on their Japanese and jump into that title's open beta. Finally, CCP promised DUST 514 beta invites to players who purchase a special booster pack. The shooter's first beta weekend began yesterday. Immerse yourself in the full Betawatch roundup beyond the break. Continue reading Betawatch: June 23 - 29, 2012 Betawatch: June 23 - 29, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The MMO Report: Classy edition Posted: 29 Jun 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Culture, MMO industry, Previews, News items, Opinion, The MMO Report, Miscellaneous Don't call it a comeback; The MMO Report has been here for years. It's been on hiatus for a little while, sure, but it's back in business, and that means more MMO news with your host Casey Schreiner. This week opens a bit differently than normal, as Casey explains the positive outcome of Star Wars: The Old Republic's somewhat convoluted server transfers and some of the rage over comments on same. But it's not a show just about one game. This installment also discusses the reveal of PlanetSide 2's classes and their roles, the various exploits in EVE Online, the kick off of DUST 514's beta testing, and of course, the contents of Casey's mail bag. Also, for some reason, cats. Check out the full show just past the break, and stay tuned every week for a new installment of The MMO Report from G4TV and Massively. Continue reading The MMO Report: Classy edition The MMO Report: Classy edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Newest World of Warcraft novel gets a release date and cover preview Posted: 29 Jun 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, Lore, News items Jaina Proudmoore is one of the biggest lore figures in World of Warcraft despite the fact that her character history largely consists of trying to make reasonable compromises and being completely ignored. It's no surprise that she's the star of the newest novel based on World of Warcraft considering her prominence in the lore and her relationship to the war between the game's factions. Tides of War is written by Christie Golden and will be released in late August, setting the stage for Mists of Pandaria later this year. While Jaina has always tried to broker a peace between the Alliance and the Horde, the novel's plot revolves around Warchief Garrosh Hellscream launching an attack against Jaina's home in Theramore, demonstrating the same legendary thinking that's alienated several of the Horde's allies. Whether or not the erstwhile diplomat will be able to retain any hopes of a peaceful resolution remains to be seen, but with Mists of Pandaria promising to focus on the conflict between the two factions, it seems likely that players will be looking at silencing the last and loudest voice for peace. Newest World of Warcraft novel gets a release date and cover preview originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MMObility: Google's Nexus tablet and Dark Legends' update Posted: 29 Jun 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Casual, Miscellaneous, MMObility Some weeks, mobile news just comes right up to my doorstep and invites itself in. This was one of those weeks. The mobile MMO market is still only a fraction the size of the standard one, but thanks in large part to browser-based games and smart studios like Spacetime Studios and Gameloft, we mobile fans still have a lot to choose from. In my opinion, mobile MMO gaming will slowly rise to the popularity of the standard mobile game market, especially given new tech like the new Google Nexus 7 tablet that we're going to talk about today. Still, mobile MMO fans have got to be diligent and need to know what to look for. They also need to be a bit flexible in their game choices, sometimes playing around with different styles of MMO like MUDs, browser-based strategy games, and games that are a bit more primitive in the graphics department. Luckily, Spacetime's Dark Legends just released a pretty game-changing patch, so I'll give you the skinny on that as well. Continue reading MMObility: Google's Nexus tablet and Dark Legends' update MMObility: Google's Nexus tablet and Dark Legends' update originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Darkfall's 'ultimate promotion' starts next week Posted: 29 Jun 2012 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Patches, Promotions, Sandbox If you've been thinking about heading back to Darkfall, Aventurine wants you to know that now -- yes now -- is the time. The studio is running a so-called "ultimate promotion" for the game starting July 2nd and running until Darkfall 2.0 launches. Through the promotion, all current and previous subscribers will be granted several days of free play. These days are July 2nd through the 4th and the 9th through the 11th. In addition, the subscription rate is reduced to $9.95 a month; this rate includes a copy of the game for completely new players. Players also should find their experience in the game on fast-forward. Aventurine is jacking up the skill increase rate by 20 times, boosting the the global loot by four times, and making village control points go active every six hours instead of 12. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] Darkfall's 'ultimate promotion' starts next week originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MMO Blender: Eliot's self-made legend Posted: 29 Jun 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: City of Heroes, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Final Fantasy XI, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Game mechanics, Warhammer Online, Opinion, TERA, Miscellaneous, MMO Blender I like games that make your characters feel legendary, but sometimes I think they've gotten the whole formula wrong. The problem is that the only thing important about your character is what he or she has done, not what he or she is. World of Warcraft has a lot of quests and raids that seem to imply your character is a big deal, but how big a deal can you really be if you're learning all of your tricks at the local trainer? What about a game where your personal history has as much to do with your future development as anything else? A game where your accomplishments aren't just backstory but an integral part of your character's abilities? A game where every new encounter is a chance for your character to learn something unique? I'd love to see a game where your accomplishments are not a list of things that you've killed but a clear litany of skills learned and scars accumulated -- a game where the path to power isn't necessarily clearly marked. Continue reading MMO Blender: Eliot's self-made legend MMO Blender: Eliot's self-made legend originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Storyboard: The social contract Posted: 29 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Lore, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous Have you ever thought about the fact that every single one of your characters is a murdering thief? Picture the scene for a moment: You have a group of people living in an isolated and rural community. Without warning, a man with heavy weaponry bursts in and starts hacking his way through every inhabitant of the community, smashing his way into locked houses. But he also stops at the body of each victim to gather any money or important belongings, slowly working his way through the community until there's nothing left but carrion and a few trinkets he didn't deem valuable enough to steal. On the news, this would be up there as a pretty shocking tragedy. In an MMO, this is a good chunk of the gameplay. And that brings to mind one of the major issues that faced by roleplayers hoping for verisimilitude: the horrible discrepancies between the social contract as we understand it and the one employed by the characters in the game. They're divergent sometimes, identical at other times, and universally ambiguous. Continue reading Storyboard: The social contract Storyboard: The social contract originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Age of Conan survey respondents prefer PvE by a wide margin Posted: 29 Jun 2012 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, PvE, Free-to-play It may be early release day for The Secret World, but that doesn't mean Funcom is throwing in the towel on its other MMORPG projects. Case in point is Age of Conan, which is sporting a brand-new game director update as of this morning. Craig " Silirrion" Morrison presents the findings from AoC's annual summer survey, which amount to an unsurprising PvE-is-way-more-popular-than-PvP conclusion. The scores are weighted, so we don't get to see exactly how many players voted and what they voted for, but it's an interesting peek into the minds of AoC's community in any event. Morrison says that "overall, 70% of responders listed one form of PvE as their primary interest, with the remaining 30% listing a form of PvP." He also takes a moment to tease AoC's forthcoming adventure pack, which is as-yet unnamed and supposedly set somewhere in the Hyborian south. Full details are at the official website. Age of Conan survey respondents prefer PvE by a wide margin originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| EVE Online's Alliance Tournament X starts tomorrow Posted: 29 Jun 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, PvP, News items, Sandbox Huge player numbers are the name of the game for CCP this weekend. Fifty thousand pilots are poised to take part in EVE Online's massive player-run Delve war. It's also time for Alliance Tournament X, which starts on Saturday, June 30th, at 11:00 a.m. EDT. The tournament will be streamed and will include live commentary. The first-round matchup will be Agony Empire vs. Exiled Ones, with 15 more pairings following at 20-minute intervals. The pre-qualifying rounds will continue on Sunday as well as the following weekend. For a full listing of events and information on streaming, check out the official schedule. [Source: CCP press release] EVE Online's Alliance Tournament X starts tomorrow originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Microsoft's Surface tablet sure looks nifty, but will it cost the company the support of its OEM partners? Several sources have said that OEMs are mighty, mighty displeased that Microsoft took a heavily hands-on role in the design approval of other companies' Windows tablets, only to soon thereafter introduce a kick ass-looking Windows tablet of its own. LG bowed out of the...
