Author: Admin

Camelot Unchained Is All RvR, All The Time


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City State Entertainment continues to pump out new information regarding Camelot Unchained, Mark Jacobs’ next MMO. Camelot Unchained may not be coming out for quite a long time yet, but City State Entertainment has been hot on track releasing new information regarding the upcoming title. In the latest developer blog, CSE wants us to be clear: Camelot Unchained isn’t an MMO with RvR tagged on. Instead, RvR IS the game. As the blog post points out, let’s just say there are no drops at all and damn few NPCs. Players will have to rely on other players to craft the best gear in the game, and rely on bashing in the skulls of opposing factions to get some decent loot.

CU is a TriRealm™, RvR-focused game. It is not an RvR-centric game like Dark Age of Camelot and it is certainly not a “just bolt on the RvR; that will work!” game like so many others. It is as pure an RvR game that I have ever worked on, plain and simple. Everything in this game is geared to the TriRealm concept, whether it is the crafting system, housing, skill progression, etc. You will explore, fight, capture, level, etc. all within a competitive RvR world that was crafted with this FP in mind.

The blog post doesn’t go into detail on the leveling system, however it does point out that players will be sufficiently rewarded, even if they aren’t particularly good at RvR. There will also be things to do for players who aren’t so privvy to fighting other players will have activities to keep them busy, from crafting to the game’s housing system.

(Source: City State Entertainment)

Gamigo Absorbs Outspark, Continues Running Fiesta Online


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Outspark was established in 2006 in San Francisco, California, and is most well known for the publishing of several anime-style MMORPGS imported from Korea. The game Secrets of the Solstice was shut down without any explanation or notice. Their other MMO, a Maplestory style game called Wind Slayer, was shut down in August 2011. Sadly, things have not been looking up for the MMO publisher, and Outspark has closed its doors to the public, and its remaining library along with it. Outspark’s snowboard racing game, Project Powder, has been shut down effective immediately, and players will not be compensated for any SparkCash on their accounts.

Outspark’s other MMO, Fiesta Online, has been spared a quick death. Players will be happy to learn that services for Fiesta have been transferred to Gamigo. Players will be able to log in as usual with their normal Outspark accounts, and all SparkCash has been transferred over at a 1:1 rate to credits. For more details, read the FAQ linked below.

As part of the transfer, a substantial portion of the Outspark team has joined Gamigo.

(Source: FAQ)

World of Warcraft Has "More Than 9.6 Million Subscribers"


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You all know what February means, and I’m not talking about TERA going free to play. It’s quarterly report month! Activision has released their fourth quarter reports for 2012, and things are looking…toward the future. Net revenues for 2012 were up $500 million to $4.99 billion, with CEO Bobby Kotick describing the year as “the best performance in [Activision’s] history.” Skylanders, Activision’s toy-based game, has officially made its way into the billionaire’s club, selling over 100 million toys to the tune of $1 billion worldwide. Diablo III became the #1 best selling PC game with more than 12 million sales, while Mists of Pandaria took its place at #3.

World of Warcraft still retains its throne as #1 subscription MMO, dropping from the 10 million reported in Q3 2012, while still not dipping as low as the 9.1 million the quarter before.

As of December 31, 2012, Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft remains the #1 subscription-based MMORPG, with more than 9.6 million subscribers

Back in 2011, Blizzard announced a commitment to release more content at a faster pace, in order to combat the issue of players chewing through an expansion’s content and then unsubscribing out of lack of things to do.

(Source: Quarterly report)

World of Warcraft Has “More Than 9.6 Million Subscribers”


0LO1Y1NVRLXN1345075155085

You all know what February means, and I’m not talking about TERA going free to play. It’s quarterly report month! Activision has released their fourth quarter reports for 2012, and things are looking…toward the future. Net revenues for 2012 were up $500 million to $4.99 billion, with CEO Bobby Kotick describing the year as “the best performance in [Activision’s] history.” Skylanders, Activision’s toy-based game, has officially made its way into the billionaire’s club, selling over 100 million toys to the tune of $1 billion worldwide. Diablo III became the #1 best selling PC game with more than 12 million sales, while Mists of Pandaria took its place at #3.

World of Warcraft still retains its throne as #1 subscription MMO, dropping from the 10 million reported in Q3 2012, while still not dipping as low as the 9.1 million the quarter before.

As of December 31, 2012, Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft remains the #1 subscription-based MMORPG, with more than 9.6 million subscribers

Back in 2011, Blizzard announced a commitment to release more content at a faster pace, in order to combat the issue of players chewing through an expansion’s content and then unsubscribing out of lack of things to do.

(Source: Quarterly report)

MMOrning Shots:


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Fun fact: That is not my hand. Blizzard is still adamant that World of Warcraft may one day come to handheld iOS.

MMOrning Shots is a (mostly) daily article displaying random screenshots hidden in the MMO Fallout archives. If you would like your own screenshot featured in this article, send it to us via email at (mmofallout at gmail dot com)

MMOrning Shots: Everquest Online Adventures


Everquest Online Adventures probably should have been shut down years ago, but Sony Online Entertainment has a habit of refusing to let their games die until the very last minute.

I had a Playstation 2 last year when I was covering Everquest Online Adventures shortly before it shut down. I have no idea what happened to it, but it disappeared.

NCSoft Q4 2012 Records Historical High Quarterly Revenue


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Click me for a bigger picture.

Talk about springing back. Strong sales in Lineage, Guild Wars 2, Blade & Soul, as well as mobile games, NCSoft has recorded historical high quarterly revenues for the fourth quarter of 2012. In the latest report, NCSoft marked a 56% increase in quarterly sales, a 208% increase in quarterly operating profit, 110% increase in pre-tax income, as well as a 116% quarterly increase in net income. The fourth quarter saw moderate to high increases in sales for Lineage, Lineage II, with the sales from Guild Wars 2 nearly tripling during the same period. Aion, as well as NCsoft’s latest title, Blade & Soul, saw marginal decreases over the same time period. Lineage II managed to reverse, at least for this quarter, a downward trend in sales that began in Q4 2011 while the original Lineage continues on an unpredictable, yet averaging upward, trend in sales despite its age.

Guild Wars 2 has already proven itself as NCSoft’s most successful product to date, breaking the record set by Aion during its peak sales by a long shot. NCsoft’s parent-company reports are, sadly, not as inspiring. While sales went up 15% quarterly, quarterly operating profit went down 1% with pre-tax income and net income both falling hard and ending up in the red for Q4.

And to wrap this up, we’ll look at everyone’s favorite part of NCSoft’s quarterly reports: Demographics. As expected from the launch of Guild Wars 2 and Blade & Soul, sales in Korea shot up with North America and Europe also taking a dramatic shift upward. Sales in Japan and Taiwan mostly remained the same while sales from royalties were boosted slightly.

Mark Jacobs Announces Camelot Unchained


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It feels like ages since we last spoke of Mark Jacobs and City State Entertainment, the end of September in 2011 if you’re keeping track. Since then, the team has been hard at work on what many of us have hoped would be the spiritual sequel to Dark Age of Camelot. Today, Jacobs has graced us with the announcement of Camelot Unchained, an upcoming MMORPG. Why don’t I let Mark Jacobs tell you more about it?

The core concept for the new MMORPG focuses tightly on three key elements, RvR, housing and a true player-owned economy. The central conflict encompasses a trio of diverse, competing realms – Arthurian, Tuatha Dé Danann and Viking – each seeking to assert its dominance over an open and persistent world reflecting the universally familiar but greatly re-imagined Camelot and European mythos. All aspects of this RvR-focused MMORPG are tied into and support the three realms’ ongoing battle for superiority and control. The player housing and crafting systems will also be very significant components and both key closely into the RvR theme.

Three faction, RvR focused, with housing and a player-driven economy? Someone cancel my happy pills, I shan’t be needing them anymore. For more details, Massively.com has a fantastic interview with Mark Jacobs about the concepts and ideas behind Camelot Unchained. City State Entertainment will be launching a Kickstarter campaign soon to raise funding for the MMO.

(Source: City State Entertainment)

MMOrning Shots: Don't Be An MMO-Fo


mmofo

Remember this guy? Bas Rutten played the spokesman for TERA Online, also known as Bas Rutten Online, with the “MMO-FO” line of trailers. You may have also noticed him in the role of Niko in the recent film Here Comes The Boom.

MMOrning Shots: Don’t Be An MMO-Fo


mmofo

Remember this guy? Bas Rutten played the spokesman for TERA Online, also known as Bas Rutten Online, with the “MMO-FO” line of trailers. You may have also noticed him in the role of Niko in the recent film Here Comes The Boom.