News – Page 453 – MMO Fallout

Super Data Research: ARPU In Shooters

Superdata Research has once again come around with new insight into the industry. This time, the marketing group has come up with a list showcasing the average revenue per user of the top free to play shooters on the market. The list notes that games like League of Legends have nine players for every person playing Dota2, but that the latter brings in higher revenue per user because of its more core audience. World of Tanks and Team Fortress 2 lead the list by a wide margin.

You can check out more detail on the list and analysis on why it is important at the link below.

(Source: Superdata Research)

SOE Revealing New Game Today

John Smedley posted on Twitter earlier today to reveal that an unannounced game is set to be revealed later on this evening, with gameplay footage to show.

Watch http://t.co/OfEekcv325 tmw between 5-6pm PST if you are interested in the new game we haven’t announced. there is gameplay footage.

Smedley later tweeted that players will be able to get their hands on the full game soon™. More to come.

(source: Twitter)

Funcom Management Pulled Mankini

Those of you who follow The Secret World likely already know the story, but last week saw the addition and sudden removal of a mankini outfit from the in-game cash shop as part of the April Fool’s day patch. Not only was the item removed from the game without explanation, it was also removed and a refund applied to those who had already purchased the suit.

Joel Bylos posted on the official forums to explain that miscommunication caused the

To be clear: the Mankini outfit (and the wetsuit) was definitely an April Fool’s joke, and it was always my intention to have them be available for a limited time only in the store. However, it was never my intention to pull them from players who actually bought these items. Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication between my team and Funcom management on how this was to be handled. Funcom management feels strongly that the Mankini outfit goes against what The Secret World intellectual property (IP) is all about and they did not want this item to stay in the game permanently.

Bylos assured the community that Funcom is working to ensure that such a situation is not repeated in the future.

(Source: TSW Forums)

Darkfall Changing Territory Control

Aventurine has revealed details regarding some upcoming changes to the territory control system in Darkfall Unholy Wars, set to change the world as you know it. Set for implementation by the time you read this article, control points will now exert an area of influence, each of whom offer their own set of buffs in gathering, gaining prowess, and looting creatures within its sphere.

Clans that are able to conquer linking territory will be happy to see that these buffs stack when in their area of effect, encouraging clans to go out and take over neighboring keeps. Activity within the region will also generate resources for the clan in the form of an automatic tax.

Check out the patch notes at the official website.

(Source: Aventurine Press Release)

The Average RuneScaper

Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard posted an article on the RuneScape main website to discuss demographics and dispel a few myths about RuneScape this past weekend. According to the metrics, 84% of RuneScape’s population are male, and 90% of the overall population plays the game in English. The average RuneScape account was created in 2009 and has a total level of 1614, with only 1% of the population with an account worth at least one billion gold coins. Over half of the population plays out of North America.

The bot nuke in 2011 saw 95% of gold farming bots disappear overnight, although they managed to make their way back over the next couple of years. 2013’s round of anti-bot technology and the release of bonds (PLEX) have diminished to “almost rock bottom,” in the main game. Jagex is moving its sights over to Old School RuneScape to target bots. And speaking of old school, while the Evolution of Combat update saw an unreleased number of players part ways with the game, Jagex notes that a lot of those players returned to play on the Old School servers.

You can find the full article along with some handy charts at the list below.

(Source: RuneScape)

Molten Games Suffers Massive Layoffs

Molten Games, the San Diego-based developer founded by ex-Blizzard and Sony Online Entertainment employees, has lost its funding and laid off its staff. The studio was in development of Blunderbuss, a “core” MMORPG built on the Unreal Engine 4 and featuring action combat.

The layoffs were confirmed by the San Diego chapter of the International Game Developer’s Association on the group’s Facebook page.

We’re getting word from contacts at Molten Games that the studio has lost its funding and laid off its employees. They are currently seeking funding to continue development. Let’s be proactive and help our fellow developers land on their feet.

Molten Games was originally funded by NCSoft, who were not able to comment on the matter as an investor with no role in management.

(Source: Gamasutra)

Design A Costume In Champions Online

Do you have a great idea for a costume? Want to see that costume available in Champions Online for others to enjoy? Cryptic Studios has announced a costume design contest where one winner will see their creation available for purchase within the Champions Online cash shop.

Throughout the next few weeks players can submit their costume design, consisting of a 1) visual component, and 2) a written description. Don’t worry if you’re not an artist, as long as we have something visually to go with, anything will work. Players will post their entries on the forums, and we’ll choose our favorites to feature. Once the submission period ends, we’ll select five finalists and post them for the community to vote on.

The winner will also receive 3000 Zen ($30 value) as well as four copies of the costume to hand out to friends. Five runner-ups will receive a smaller dividend of prizes including Zen and exclusive action figures. The contest runs from today up until April 21st, with the winner announced on April 28th.

(Source: Champions Online)

NCSoft Lowering Hero Coin Costs

Lineage II’s Hero Coin program launched approximately three months ago to some heavy criticism over the outrageously expensive reward system. As players spend more NCoin, they receive Hero Coins that can be spent on items in the reward store. We began to question just how much NCSoft expects some of its players will spend, as Hero Coins reset annually and some of the rewards require spending in excess of thirty thousand dollars.

NCSoft announced on the Lineage II website that prices for most items are being dropped by at least 40%. In addition, NCSoft is running promotions to increase Hero Coin gains. The move is unlikely to quell criticism of the game selling rare and valuable equipment at expensive prices.

(Source: Lineage II)

Guild Wars 2's Megaservers

April 15th sees the launch of the latest content pack from Guild Wars 2, and Arenanet is finally ready to show off the last major feature to be added: Megaservers. Under this new system, players will no longer be separated into separate versions of the same map based on their home world, but rather will be assigned to one of a lower number of worlds based on factors like location and language. The megaserver is developed to create as many instances of the world as are needed, instead of the static number already in place.

What does this mean for you, the player? First off, it means no more hitting empty zones because your world is asleep, and no longer hitting the zone’s overflow location. You are also more likely to be zoned with guildmates and friends. Check out the new megaserver technology when it goes into soft launch on April 15th in beginner areas with the rest of the game coming later in 2014.

(Source: Guild Wars 2)

CalcMMO Shutting Down Today

It is truly a sad day here at MMO Fallout, as we must pass along the news that CalcMMO will be shutting down later today. What? You never heard of CalcMMO? CalcMMO is the world’s first and last TI-83 themed MMO, which launched on Steam’s early access earlier today. CalcMMO is free to play and scales down enough to run on a toaster. Those of you without sound cards are advised to make bleep sounds with your mouth.

CalcMMO was voted MMO Fallout’s Most Anticipated Game of 2014, making this news exceptionally disappointing. Thank you to Archive Entertainment for throwing this brick-strapped press release through my open window.

(Source: CalcMMO Press Release)

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