Author: Admin

[NM] Payday 2 Announces Ethan & Hila Content Pack


Overkill Software announced this week that they will be consolidating Payday 2’s DLC into one Ultimate Edition package, consolidating dozens of heists, characters, weapons, and more into one purchase. As part of the update, Overkill also announced the release of an Ethan and Hila character pack, incorporating two popular Youtubers from the channel H3H3 Productions. H3H3 currently boasts over 3.8 million subscribers and creates content mostly around Youtube drama.

According to the official website, all sales from the character pack will go to Ethan and Hila.

The only DLC that will be available separately is the Ethan and Hila Character Pack. The subsequent revenue from the Ethan and Hila Character Pack is going straight to Ethan and Hila. We are doing this because we appreciate them and wanted to find a way to help them out financially so they can continue to do what they do best.

While Hollywood partnerships are somewhat common in the video game industry, this type of deal is surprisingly rare. Overkill Software previously struck a deal to include content from Scarface, John Wick, and Goat Simulator, to name three properties. The announcement also comes alongside the news that support for Payday 2 has been extended through October 2018.

H3H3 Productions has been embroiled in a lawsuit by Youtuber Matt Hoss for copyright infringement over their use of his footage in reaction videos.

(Source: Payday 2)

NCSoft Releases Quarterly Earnings, Lineage M Sees Lower Demand


NCSoft’s quarterly earnings have been made available and the results are not so bad. Sales fell 1% over the same time last year thanks to early recognition of Lineage 1 promotion sales with NCSoft pointing to lower demand than expected for Lineage M, the mobile release of Lineage. Operating profit and income plummeted 60-70% year over year due to incentives paid on the back of high earnings last year, meaning NCSoft players should not see these figures as the end times.

To put it into perspective, NCSoft’s net income dropped from 66,804 (million Korean Won) to 17,394 (49,410) over the past quarter. Labor cost increases due to increased headcount and incentives rose 33% by 33,175 while royalty payments exploded 398% over last quarter by 2,261. In short, while sales fell 1% over last year, operating costs increased 24% due to said overhead costs.

On the games front, Lineage sales plummeted by more than half, however much of that is due to the aforementioned early sales recognition is unknown. Lineage II and Aion similarly dipped in revenue, although not by nearly as large of a margin, while Blade & Soul grew compared to the last two quarters and Guild Wars 2 remained relatively stable. Wildstar, as mentioned in the previous release, is no longer listed on NCSoft’s quarterly reports.

Square Enix Releases Fiscal Year Results, Divorces From IO Interactive


Square Enix has released their end of the year fiscal results, boasting an impressive boost to revenue thanks to the launch of strong AAA titles like Final Fantasy XV. Final Fantasy XV boosted revenues alongside Deus Ex and the Playstation 4 version of Rise of the Tomb Raider, alongside strong downloads of prior releases. Net sales for the MMO division dropped from 31.6 billion Yen to 22.7 billion which Square blamed on the lack of expansion releases for Final Fantasy XIV and Dragon Quest X. Final Fantasy XIV’s next expansion, Stormblood, launches June 20th with the latest expansion for Dragon Quest X coming later this year.

Upcoming titles include Dragon Quest XI, Kingdom Hearts III, the Final Fantasy VII remake, and an unnamed Marvel title. The news wasn’t good for everyone as Square Enix also announced this week that they will be selling off Hitman developer IO Interactive, leaving the fate of the franchise in question. Square Enix’s entire presentation can be found here. The sacking of IO Interactive comes alongside Square listing the developer as an “extraordinary loss,” to the tune of 4.89 billion Yen (approximately $42 million USD).

[Video] Elder Scrolls Online: Assassins and the Great Houses


The next Elder Scrolls Online expansion, Morrowind, hits stores soon. For now, enjoy the latest trailer showcasing assassins and the various great houses of Morrowind. In case you missed it, Morrowind is set for release on June 6. Those who pre-order will receive early access set to begin soon on May 22. Find out more at the official website.

Neverwinter: 20% Off Mounts, 15% Off VIP


It’s sale time! Starting now and running through Monday May 15, Neverwinter players can go shopping for 20% off of mounts and 15% off of VIP services.

20% Mounts & 15% VIP Starts Thursday, May 11 at 7:30am PT (or after maintenance)

20% Mounts & 15% VIP Ends Monday, May 15 at 7:30am PT

For information on Neverwinter’s VIP program, click here.

In Plain English: KLM Starfall Education Foundation v. Trion Worlds, Inc.


Today’s In Plain English covers the very short lawsuit between Starfall Education Foundation and Trion Worlds regarding the Rift expansion Starfall Prophecy. You may be aware that Trion Worlds recently changed the name of the expansion to the Prophecy of Ahnket and wanted to know why. The explanation lies in a recent lawsuit filed by a children’s charity foundation over its ownership of the trademark “Starfall.”

If you don’t know what Starfall is, I’ll let the charity’s website explain itself:

Starfall Education Foundation is a publicly supported charity, 501(c)(3). We create free and low-cost experiences whereby children can successfully learn through exploration. On the Starfall website and in Starfall classrooms, children have fun while learning in an environment of collaboration, wonderment, and play. We teach through positive reinforcement to ensure children become confident, intrinsically motivated, and successful.

Donors to the Starfall Education Foundation can sleep soundly knowing that your contributions went to fund the Bardacke Allison LLP, Melkonian & Co, and Purvis Gray Thompson, LLP law firms for the purposes of filing a dispute over a video game expansion title. For what might otherwise seem to be a pretty minor issue, Starfall decided to bring a team of three lawyers on board, an ultimately pointless move since Trion Worlds didn’t put up much of a fight or make much in the way of arguments on their own behalf.

Still, a $400 filing fee is a big lump of money when your 2015 revenue looks like this (via Citizen Audit):

Unlike certain other cases covered here on In Plain English, this story is fast and has a simple ending. Rather than fight what could become a lengthy and costly legal battle over something rather trivial, Trion Worlds decided to settle. Those of you who play Rift, or read about it, will know that Trion Worlds has changed the name of the expansion to Prophecy of Ahnket, a decision that might be confusing if you don’t understand this underlying context.

Trademark ownership is only as strong as the owner’s protection, although MMO Fallout has doubts that the case would hold up given a company willing to lawyer up and take a stance. The numerous Starfall video games and video game related websites that we were able to find over the course of a half hour, many of which predate the Starfall 2002 founding date, and thus its 2004 trademark registration date, could make a solid case against Starfall’s claim to the term. Still, I’m not a lawyer, so don’t take any of this as legal advice.

Anarchy Online Releases On Steam


Funcom has announced that its science fiction MMO Anarchy Online is now available on Steam. The game is free to play and can be downloaded here.

“Anarchy Online is one of the longest living online games in the world and millions of players have made the planet of Rubi-ka their home,” said Funcom CEO Rui Casais. “Bringing the game to Steam is something we have wanted to do for a while and we hope this will bring in new players as well as inspire veterans to come back now that it is easier than ever to travel to Rubi-ka again.”

Anarchy Online originally launched in June 2001. Funcom recently stated in a quarterly report that active development on the title had ceased.

The Secret World Legends Hits In June


Funcom’s reboot of The Secret World, dubbed Secret World Legends, has been confirmed for a June 26 release date. The title is making the transition from buy-to-play fully fledged MMO to a free to play shared world experience with revamped combat, upgraded visuals, and more.

Secret World Legends plunges players into a shadowy war against the supernatural in an adventure that crosses our world with the realms of ancient myth and legend. As players traverse the globe unraveling complex investigations into the unknown, they’ll need to uncover clues and use their own wits as much as their characters’ abilities. A highly extensive and customizable arsenal of firearms, weapons, gear and otherworldly powers will give players the strength to battle the forces of darkness as they dig deeper into these vast and mysterious lands. Players can go at it alone and enjoy the over 100 hours of story at their own pace, or team up with others as they explore the world and unravel its mysteries.

Characters from the current The Secret World incarnation will not transfer over to the new game when it launches in June. For more information, check out the video below or head over to the official website.

Jagex Lifts Lid On ‘The Shifting Tombs,’ For Menaphos


RuneScape’s first expansion Menaphos: The Golden City doesn’t come out for another month, and Jagex has revealed the first mini-game coming along with the desert city: The Shifting Tombs. Playable alone or with a group, The Shifting Tombs is a fast-paced skilling activity for mid to high level players launching alongside the expansion. Adventurers will navigate through procedurally generated catacombs with the goal of gathering as much loot as humanly possible and cleaning the corruption that has spread through the city.

Access to the tombs requires a minimum of level 50 in Agility, Construction, Crafting, Divination, Dungeoneering, Prayer, Runecrafting, Thieving, with better rates unlocked at levels 70 and 90.

(Source: Jagex Press Release)

 

Grind For Charity, RuneScape Mental Health Awareness Week


Jagex has partnered with CPSL Mind, The Prince’s Trust, and YMCA Right Here to spread awareness of Mental Health Week with the Gielinorian Giving Event. Beginning now and running for two weeks, players can gather charity tokens to turn in for pieces of a cosmetic Defender of the Mind outfit, plus a shield and pet. In addition to the outfit, it is also possible to purchase a Defender of the Mind cosmetic cape from Solomon’s Store.

All throughout this week, we’ll be co-running a Get Started in Games Design course with our partners at the Prince’s Trust & Cambridge Regional College. On Thursday & Friday, the group of young adults will spend time at Jagex HQ, working alongside our game developers to build their own games, with an awards ceremony planned for Friday evening.

The nature of the event should be rather familiar to anyone who has played previous events. All you have to do to participate is play the game and you’ll earn charity points through regular skilling and combat. 1000 points can be earned per day, with that number resetting at midnight and also extendable via Runecoin purchases. Those of you with more money to burn than time can purchase charity points straight up.

All proceeds from sales of the cape and Runecoins spent will go toward the three charities.

(Source: RuneScape)