Category: News

Sacramento Man Arrested For Death Threats Toward Blizzard


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It goes without saying that sending death threats for any reason is generally a bad idea. You don’t accomplish anything, you waste everyone’s time, and as one Sacramento man found out, it can get you arrested.

Stephen Cebula, 28, is facing criminal charges over death threats that he allegedly sent to Blizzard’s offices, threatening to show up with an AK47 and “cause a disturbance.”

According to court documents, between July 2, 2016, and July 3, 2016, Cebula transmitted messages over the internet to Blizzard Entertainment, in which he stated that he “may or may not pay [Blizzard] a visit with an AK47 amongst some other ‘fun’ tools,” and “might be inclined to ‘cause a disturbance’ at [Blizzard’s] headquarters in California with an AK47 and a few other ‘opportunistic tools.’”

If convicted, Cebula faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The defendant is, naturally, presumed innocent until proven guilty.

(Source: US Attorney’s Office)

[Video] The Rebel Is A Reminder of Greenlight’s Uselessness


Since we discussed The Rebel’s developer having a meltdown on Steam, I decided to take a look at the game and see just how it attained a 75% positive rating (at the time). Strap in and pull your seat belts tight, this is going to be a bumpy ride.

The developer is offering the rights to this game for $500 if anyone is interested.

Watch: Black Desert Online Naval Update


Kakao Games has shown a glimpse of the exciting upcoming naval content that will be added to Black Desert Online in Q4 of this year. This free expansion will raise the bar of what is possible in current day MMORPGs.

The update will expand the already massive world of Black Desert and introduce new gameplay features. Players will venture out on the sea for exploration, establish trade routes, seek treasure, hunt monsters and experience full-scale naval warfare.

Blizzard’s Silence Mechanic Exposed As Automated


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Blizzard recently introduced a new moderation system to World of Warcraft, one that promised to implement account-wide punishment for abusive chat once a player was reported by a sufficient number of people. The description of silencing, as shown below, states that punishment is inflicted “after investigation,” presumably by a live customer support staffer.

“Following the Legion pre-expansion, any player who is reported multiple times under the Spam or Abusive Chat categories will, after investigation, receive an account-wide silence penalty. While this penalty is active, the silenced player will find that their ability to chat with others is greatly limited.”

Twitch streamer Zach “Asmongold” recently decided to test Blizzard’s new silence system in World of Warcraft by typing one (emphasis on one) innocuous chat message (I love World of Warcraft) and having his raid group mass-report the comment as abusive. The account is muted within a minute. The accompanying email notes that the punishment will only be overturned if there is evidence that the account was compromised or for “other extenuating circumstances.”

A system where players can be muted (with each subsequent punishment lasting twice as long as the last) due to reports sounds ripe for brigading against unpopular opinions or merely mass trolling, leading to concern that the tool could wind up with players becoming victims of mob rule. Blizzard, in response, has assured that game masters will review each case:

This isn’t just an automated system, our Game Masters will review under the same rules they always have.

Only it is very clear that silences, at least in this case, are not being reviewed by a human. Asmongold’s email explicitly states that he has been punished with a full 24 hour silence. The account was not, as some people are stating, “squelched,” as the mute for squelching only lasts a few hours and Asmongold was silenced for the full 24 hours.

Blizzard has yet to make a statement either on their forums or otherwise.

https://www.twitch.tv/asmongold/v/79013153?t=19m00s

Neverwinter’s Next Expansion Announced For August


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Perfect World Entertainment has formally announced the release of Neverwinter’s next expansion: Storm King’s Thunder. Set for launch next month, Storm King’s Thunder introduces a new end-game campaign as well as a new dungeon tier and new stories based on the upcoming adventure from Wizards of the Coast.

Similar to the Storm King’s Thunder adventure coming to Dungeons & Dragons later this year, Neverwinter’s new expansion sees giants invade Neverwinter. Adventurers will travel north to Bryn Shander – the heart of the Ten Towns – to investigate the sudden presence of Frost Giants in the region. In order to fight off these colossal invaders, players must team up with popular characters from Dungeons & Dragons lore, including Catti-brie, Wulfgar and Harshnag.

In addition to the new Frost Giants story content, Storm King’s Thunder also introduces a brand new end-game campaign and new adventure zones for high-level players, including Bryn Shander, Cold Run and The Lonelywood. The expansion also marks the debut of a new dungeon tier with the addition of the new Tier 3 dungeon, Fangbreaker Island. With the release of Storm King’s Thunder,adventurers will also be able to score new high-level equipment to equip their characters with the latest gear.

Storm King’s Thunder hits PC on August 16 with console release coming at a later date.

(Source: Press release)

Ubisoft Q1 Sales: Money Stuff And Things Like That


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(Editor’s note: Ubisoft’s Q1 fiscal year runs from April through June. Q2 begins July and ends at the end of September.)

Ubisoft has revealed record high player engagement during the first quarter of 2016, following the launch of The Division and Rainbow Six Siege. Sales for the period amounted to approximately $153 million USD, exceeding expectations by a fair margin (expected: $125 mil).

Sales show a trend toward consumers ditching physical media, as digital sales amounted to 75% of the overall take. This, compared to last year’s share of 56%, marks a major shift in consumer spending habits.

“Our solid figures for the first quarter of 2016-17 have confirmed the excellent digital trends and demonstrate we are successfully executing our strategic plan. Player engagement levels reached record highs during the period, fueled by the success of The Division, Rainbow Six Siege and Hungry Shark World.”

The French developer/publisher is gearing up for a busy release schedule including but not limited to South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Just Dance 2017, Ghost Recon Wildlands, Steep, and Watch Dogs 2. Ubisoft expects lower sales in the second quarter, likely due to a sparse release schedule (Grow Up and Champions of Anteria).

Neverwinter Launches On Playstation 4


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Today, Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a leading publisher of free-to-play MMORPGs, and Cryptic Studios announced that Neverwinter – the Dungeons & Dragons-based, free-to-play MMORPG – is now available for PlayStation®4. Along the Sword Coast of the Forgotten Realms, Neverwinter players will experience a fully realized roleplaying-game based on Wizards of the Coast’s storied franchise with a living world and immersive fantasy storylines.

Neverwinter turns players into adventurers. Create a character with its own rich backstory from eight playable classes and several races. Begin questing through enchanting settings to save the city of Neverwinter and surrounding lands, engaging in fast-paced, action-packed against evil threats including dragons, cultists, demons, and more.

Adventurers will have access to the base game and nine expansions of content including the latest, The Maze Engine, allowing players to experience the latest Dungeons & Dragons adventures with their friends. PlayStation®4 adventurers can download all of this content for free starting today without a PlayStation®Plus subscription. More details and features can be found below.

  • D&D Experience – From tabletop to novels, Neverwinter is a fantastic digital recreation of the Dungeons & Dragons experience. Select from eight classes, fight alongside iconic heroes against classic monsters throughout the Forgotten Realms.
  • PlayStation®4 Features – Neverwinter will be free-to-play for all on PlayStation®4 owners (PlayStation®Plus not required) and feature controls optimized to incorporate the DualShock 4’s touchpad and Party Chat integration.
  • Solo & Co-op Content – Adventurers can experience a majority ofNeverwinter’s content solo or join up with their friends and large groups to conquer challenges from dungeons, the Demogorgon battle, Tiamat and more.
  • Endgame Content – Complete the main story content and reach the level cap of 70 to unlock campaigns centered on expansions, earning the best weapons and armor Neverwinter has to offer.

“Delivering the Neverwinter experience to the PlayStation 4 has been a major goal of ours for the last year, and we’re happy to be able to do so,” said Rob Overmeyer, Neverwinter’s executive producer. “Bringing full-fledged MMOs likeNeverwinter or Star Trek Online to consoles was a big challenge with many unknowns, but what we’ve found is simply: gamers like games. We can’t wait to see how the PlayStation Nation takes to the game and look forward to supporting it for years to come.”

Our Thoughts: You can check out MMO Fallout’s preview of Neverwinter here.

Final Fantasy XIV Teases Deep Dungeon


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Final Fantasy XIV is gearing up for the release of patch 3.35, which introduces the Deep Dungeon. The Palace of the Dead is a (to start) fifty floor, randomly generated dungeon that can be explored in groups of up to four players. Your progression in the dungeon is separated from that of your normal adventurer, starting everyone over at level one and granting experience and equipment as you fight.

Rewards from the dungeon include experience, cosmetics, tomestones, and gil. Rewards useful outside of the dungeon are based on what level your various jobs are going in.

Players who do not own the Heavensward expansion are limited to the first forty levels. Given the messaging behind the patch notes, it is safe to presume that more stages will be added to the initially fifty in the future.

(Source: Final Fantasy XIV)

Overwatch: Square Enix And Sony To Face Off


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Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda and president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Asia Atsushi Morita will be squaring off in the battlefield later this week. As reported by our friends over at MMO Culture, the heads of both developers will be putting together their own teams of six to fight it out in Overwatch (presumably not on Xbox), with the event to be streamed live online.

This is not the first time that the two companies have met on the digital battlefield, playing a match on Call of Duty: Black Ops III on PS4 which ended in a major win for Square Enix. You can watch the highlights, it is quite the sight.

The announcement video is linked below, but you won’t understand any of it unless you speak Japanese.

(Source: MMO Culture)