Bill Roper is to the MMO genre as JK Rowling is to children’s literature. On one hand, the man had a big role in Blizzard during the glory days of Warcraft, Diablo, and Starcraft. More recently, Roper’s name has been tied to Champions Online and Star Trek Online, both titles are doing quite well despite … Continue reading “Bill Roper No Longer Executive Producer of Champions Online”
In January, Haiti was struck by a massive earthquake that resulted in countless damage, over two hundred thousand dead, and millions left without a home. In the following months, we witnessed an enormous surge of companies looking to get their players involved in donating to the cause: Participants including Blizzard, CCP Games, Frogster Entertainment, Sony … Continue reading “Hello Kitty Online: This Is How You Charity…Adorably.”
The triple-B, or Better Business Bureau, is quite an interesting outfit. One one hand, the organization has absolutely no authority over any business anywhere at any time, ever. On the other hand, its advice is taken very seriously by many consumers, by some as gospel, and by others who believe that the BBB actually has … Continue reading “What Does the Better Business Bureau Say?”
Good news everyone¹! NetEase, operators of World of Warcraft China division, have officially announced just an hour or so ago that they have received approval by the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), to run World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, for publication in China. World of Warcraft has been fighting for survival in China … Continue reading “WoW China Saga Comes To A Close?”
The celebration at the end of Return of the Jedi likely can’t compare to the fanfare being celebrated by practically every gamer who has ever uttered the phrase “World of Warcraft sucks.” Earlier today we learned from the big boss man himself, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime, that World of Warcraft has been stagnant for two … Continue reading “World of Warcraft Has Peaked: Still Has 11.5 Million Subscribers”
Who would have thought I would be following up on a Blizzard story and a Red 5 story at the same time? The9 is a spurned lover. After losing the rights to World of Warcraft Asia-Edition earlier this year to NetEase (granted, who promptly got the game banned just as quickly) and taking a massive … Continue reading “Red 5 Marketing to China? The9 To The Rescue!”
A man once said, “Those who can’t do, teach. Those who can’t teach, teach Gym.” I have a similar phrase for companies that make MMOs: “Those who can’t develop, develop for China.” -Omali, MMO Fallout, on the Asian MMO Market Now, if you’re going to accuse me of implying that the Asian MMO market is … Continue reading “Red 5: Goodbye For Now, West! Hello China!”
Ask someone who strays away from MMOs what their biggest fear about the genre is, and chances are one of those answers will be along the lines of “looking like a nerd.” Despite World of Warcraft, among other games, bringing MMOs into the mainstream audience, many MMOers (alongside video games as a whole) still fear … Continue reading “New WoW Armory Sparks Privacy Outrage”
Although I regularly bring up my disdain for writing about rumors here on MMO Fallout, I regularly report on MMOs that fall within the levels of not completely confirmed, but at the same time not confirmed to be false either. Although I intended the Upcoming category to be used for MMOs that are in development, … Continue reading “New Categories: Rumor Mill, Hot Topics”
Perhaps I shouldn’t have made the connection between Jagex and Evony several months ago, because I don’t think I’ll be able to play Jagex’s latest title to go into open beta, War of Legends, without thinking of microtransactions, gold farming companies, and breasts. War of Legends plays out much like Evony, and similar titles. Players … Continue reading “Jagex Dips Into Microtransactions…”
MMO Fallout 