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Funcom Q3 2014 Financials

Funcom has released their third quarter finances for 2014 and the results are decidedly negative. Revenues for the quarter decreased from $3.1 million last quarter to $2.6 million this quarter. Funcom’s main source of revenue last quarter derived from the cash-positive operations of Age of Conan and The Secret World, while revenue overall fell due to weak in-game sales from $3.1 million to $2.6 million.

This past quarter saw the release of two mission packs in The Secret World, as well as updated versions of high-end raids in Age of Conan. Issue #10 of The Secret World is expected to go live later this holiday season. Lego Minifigures Online left open beta on October 1st and has since failed to meet expectations of player numbers and revenue. The game will be released on Mac as well as iOS and Android operating systems in 2015.

And finally, the release notes that Funcom has the has the ability to fund its operations for the next twelve months, continuing to support its games and work on the development of a new title in 2015.

(Source: Funcom)

Elite: Dangerous Limited Refunds For Offline Removal

Following the news that offline mode would be nixed from Elite: Dangerous, Frontier Developments has begun offering limited refunds to customers. In order to be eligible for a refund, however, you can not have participated in any of the alpha or beta phases.

Those who have already been playing the game online in the Alpha and/or Beta phases, regardless of whether they backed the project via Kickstarter or purchased access to Alpha and/or Beta through our online store, are not eligible for a refund.

When it launches, Elite: Dangerous will still feature an online mode, however it will need to be connected to the game’s main server. Offline mode is still a possibility, however Frontier Developments has stated that it will be a large undertaking.

(Source: Frontier Developments Newsletter)

World of Warcraft is Dead: Subscriptions Top 10 Million

World of Warcraft is dead, and it seems like the only people unaware of this are Blizzard and the ten million people currently subscribed. In their latest announcement, Blizzard revealed that Warlords of Draenor has pushed 3.3 million copies and that the game’s subscriber number has breached 10 million.

Blizzard Entertainment today announced that as of the first 24 hours of the expansion’s availability, more than 3.3 million copies had sold-through^† and the game’s global subscriber base had passed 10 million, with growth across all major regions.

Unnamed internet commentators expressed hope that Blizzard would eventually recognize the difference between an increase in subscriptions and having more subscribers.

(Source: Blizzard)

Pantheon Jumps On Patreon Wagon

When you think about it, it was only a matter of time before video games started popping up on Patreon. Having unsuccessfully attempted a Kickstarter campaign followed up with a bid for private funding which resulted in the development team laid off and replaced by volunteers, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is now looking for funds through Patreon.

Visionary Realms is a small team of volunteers making an MMO with a heavy focus on character development, an immersive world, and player interdependence (grouping). We have been crowd-funded to-date, although at some point I believe we will be funded by an angel investor or publisher.

Each monthly video costs $1,000 in total funds. As of this publishing, the total amount pledged is $17 per video.

(Source: Patreon)

Elite: Dangerous Nixes Offline Mode

Frontier Developments has officially cancelled the promised offline mode for its MMO space shooter, Elite: Dangerous, just a month before launch. While the feature was originally promised in the game’s Kickstarter campaign, CEO David Braben commented in the latest newsletter that technical restraints would have resulted in an inferior experience for offline players:

A fully offline experience would be unacceptably limited and static compared to the dynamic, ever unfolding experience we are delivering.

While solo play is still possible, players will still need to phone home to synchronize with the online galaxy.

(Source: Polygon)

Marvel Heroes Adds In New Game Mode

Gazillion Entertainment has released the latest patch for Marvel Heroes, bringing with it the new Industry City Patrol game mode.

Madness has erupted in Industry City! Industry City Patrol is recruiting Heroes level 12 and higher to join the continually runningfight against evil. Located on the industrial waterfront section of Brooklyn, New York City, Industry City Patrol has some exciting features:

New bosses including the Mindless Titan, Batroc the Leaper, and Spider-Man clones!

Additional bosses including Mister Hyde, Kirigi, Kingpin, Lizard, Kraven, Grim Reaper, and more

Improved spawning technology to reduce lag

Brand new artifacts!

New medallions!

New uniques found nowhere else, including unique rings!

Additional powers for Rogue to steal and mobs for Emma Frost to mind control

Industry City Patrol also introduces the concept of multi-phase events, which have an effect on which mobs spawn and where. The news post warns that it is possible to fail events. Between now and Monday, complete phase patrols for a chance at even better loot.

(Source: Marvel Heroes)

Snail Games Legal Double Feature

Snail Games is the subject of legal action on two fronts, so for the sake of brevity let’s talk about both of them in one article, shall we?

The first, former executive of Snail Games David Runyan is seeking damages from his employer alleging unlawful dismissal and racial discrimination. Runyan’s lawsuit specifically targets Snail Games founder Mr. Shi Hai, alleging racial discrimination against non-Chinese employees of the company. Shi Hai, according to the lawsuit, preferred Chinese employees to non-Chinese and would make disparaging comments about American customs and culture. Runyan was terminated following a back injury, and is alleging that his termination is due to his race, nationality, and necessity for disability leave.

(Source: Gamesindustry.biz)

Second, Blizzard is hot off the heels of their recent successful lawsuit against a copycat Hearthstone game, and the behemoth has set its sights on Snail Games. The latter recently launched a mobile game Taichi Panda in China and the main character is a panda. Unhappy with the similarities in character design and naming, Blizzard’s Chinese publisher Netease sent a letter to Apple requesting that the app be removed from the app store. Snail Games has denied the claims, releasing a helpful comparison chart (even more helpful if you speak Chinese) explaining the origins of the panda’s character design.

(Source: MMO Culture)

Raptr's Top October List

Raptr has released their top played list for October 2014, and the list is hardly surprising. ArcheAge remains popular, rising to the fifth place with World of Warcraft taking its natural spot below League of Legends in preparation for this month’s launch of Warlords of Draenor. The Old Republic rose three ranks, outdoing Final Fantasy XIV, while Warframe dropped slightly and Guild Wars 2 dropped rather more dramatically into 17th place.

November will no doubt secure World of Warcraft’s #2 spot among Raptr players.

(Source: Raptr)

Wildstar Cheaters Given 24 Hours To Confess

A recently discovered gold exploit is in the process of being patched out of Wildstar, and in the meantime players are being put on notice. Carbine Studios knows who you are and what you’ve done, but you may not be completely out of luck.

We are aware of the gold exploit feedback that has been circulating social media and the forums. At this point, we are working to get a hotfix put together as soon as possible. A rollback will not be necessary at this time; the current scope of abuse is not outside our ability to manually correct where necessary. Please understand, if you have abused this exploit, we will be taking action against your account. As you all know, we take exploits seriously and will not hesitate to lifetime ban accounts that have been caught abusing any exploits.

Players willing to atone should contact customer service within 24 hours, in exchange for the loss of your ill-gotten gains and a reduction in your punishment.

(Source: Wildstar)

NCSoft Third Quarter Finances

NCSoft has released their third quarter finances, and the news is good. While sales decreased 1% since last quarter, they amounted to approximately $195 million. Operating profit increased 25% quarter over quarter to $74.15 million, with pre-tax income up 33% and net income up 43% to $79 million and $69 million respectively.

Increased revenue was attributed to sales in Aion, Lineage, Lineage II, and Blade & Soul in Korea. Wildstar’s income dropped substantially, down to $14 million from $27 million during its launch quarter. Guild Wars 2, meanwhile, had its third straight quarter of falling revenue, down to $17.95 million from $21 million last quarter and $31 million of its previous peak in the fourth quarter of 2013. Korea once again made up the bulk of NCSoft’s sales, an increase over last quarter to 65%. The US and EU, which were combined into the same category, amounted to 18% of sales, with Japan at 5%, Taiwan at 1% and an addition 10% from royalties.

(Source: NCSoft)

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