Tag: EA

Ultima Online: We Love New Players…For Dinner.


Okay, not so much.

So technically it’s been years since a romp through Ultima Online meant quickly being chewed up, spit out, stomped on, cremated, and then having your stuff stolen by the many denizens of Lord British’s lands, but the idea still stands. Bioware Mythic would love to have you for dinner, so much so that new players will find themselves handsomely rewarded for setting up new accounts with Ultima Online.

In the new player initiative, new accounts (not trial) will receive welcome presents, including twenty thousand gold, skill boosts, as well as premium armor and weapons…until they lose all of it ten minutes later wandering outside of the starting area looking for a bank. I kid, of course…

But it gets better! Those of you from the old days of Ultima Online will be glad to hear that the live events are coming back. Old characters will be making returns, and story arcs will play out live, with developer interaction of course.

It’s never too late to give Ultima Online a try. The game runs slightly cheaper than most other subscription titles, and offers a 14 day trial.

More on Ultima Online as it appears.

Warhammer Online Is Still Profitable, Says Mythic


You were thinking it...

When Warhammer Online launched in 2008, the game peaked at about eight hundred thousand subscribers, before plummeting over the course of the next two months to little over three hundred thousand. Over the course of the first year, WAR lost over three quarters of its population, as well as a grand majority of its over-one-hundred servers. So given MMODATA.com’s latest graph showing WAR heading under one hundred thousand subscribers, questioning the game’s health is not exactly out of line.

Luckily, those of you playing WAR can rest easy, at least for the moment. In an interview with Eurogamer, Bioware Mythic announced that WAR is still profitable as it comes to its second birthday this September, and that the game is still chugging forward despite the naysayers. The endless trial has had its desired effect, and “tens of thousands of players” are experiencing the game each month for the first time, according to EA.

Even if you go by mmodata.net’s figures and give WAR a mean 90,000 subscribers, Mythic is still looking at $1.3 million in income a month.

Here’s hoping the Endless Trial goes even better than expected, and Mythic has plenty in the coffers to keep the game going. More on Warhammer Online as it appears.

EA: Microtransactions Through Live Gamer


I knew we couldn't trust the jedi!

Those of you who are acquainted with Sony Online Entertainment are likely aware of Live Gamer, the “legit” real money trading website where players can buy and sell characters, gold, and more between each other without fear of getting scammed by some guy sitting in China watching ten WoW bots do their work. Currently, the Live Gamer Exchange only covers Everquest II, Vanguard (Vanguard had 54 characters up for sale, with only one bid between them), and Free Realms.

No matter how you feel about Live Gamer, the company has announced a partnership with Electronic Arts to cooperate on their MMOs. There is no word as of yet as to which of EA’s MMOs this will include (The Old Republic, Warhammer Online, Dark Age of Camelot, and Ultima Online), or exactly what services Live Gamer will bring to these titles, but speculation is abound. Considering Live Gamer currently allows players to trade currency, characters, and items for cash (and vice versa) in the MMOs it does support, it isn’t too far of a reach to assume that whatever MMO EA decides to lend will offer similar features.

More on Live Gamer as it appears.

Checking In On The BBB


A Bureau For Better Business

Earlier this year I started Checking In With The Better Business Bureau, a segment talking about the consumer protection group with no authority. Back in February I checked up on a few MMO developers to see their scores, and this time I want to go more in depth on each company and their score.

For those of you who have forgotten or do not live in the United States, the Better Business Bureau is an independent organization that fields complaints and offers the company a chance to respond. The idea is to create a web of trusted businesses where people can check what is being complained about and how the company reacts to those complaints. When it comes to your score, a business can maintain a good score if they respond in a way that pleases the BBB.

Blizzard: B

  • Blizzard’s score has plummeted from February’s A+ rating. The BBB’s explanation is as follows:
  • “Recent complainants allege the company closed accounts on 130,000 users without providing notice, and accused them of using “hack” techniques to cheat on gaming. Most of these complainants deny any illegal usage, and in some cases, they challenge the company to provide them some proof of the alleged violation. The company responds in some cases concerning faulty servers by advising that new servers installed should remedy the problem. The company addressed a few complaints regarding account terminations by issuing the same letter in each instance of complaint, accusing the complainant of cheating, lying or using hack programs.”

Cryptic Studios: C+

  • Cryptic’s rating has remained steady since April, and the BBB has some kinder words for them than Blizzard.
  • “Our complaint history for this company shows that the company responded to and gave proper consideration to most complaints. However, more than one complaint is unresolved meaning the company failed to properly address the complaint allegations or their response was inadequate.”

EA/Mythic/Bioware: A

  • Technically lumped into EA, the BBB scores Electronic Arts with an A.
  • “When considering complaint information, please take into account the company’s size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm’s responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.”

Funcom: A+

  • Funcom is maintaining their A+, with surprisingly few complaints in the past year. The BBB had this to say:
  • “BBB had previously identified a pattern of complaints concerningcustomer service issues. The company discussed with BBB in October 2008 ways to correct the cause of the customer complaints. Complaints have decreased in volume since the meeting.”

Gala-Net: F

  • For those of you unaware, Gala-Net is gPotato, publisher for such games as Allods Online and Aika Online.
  • “Our complaint history for this company shows that the company responded to and gave proper consideration to most complaints. However, more than one complaint is unresolved meaning the company failed to properly address the complaint allegations or their response was inadequate.”

Jagex: C-

  • This is based off of one complaint.

NCsoft: B-

  • NCsoft is up, from a C- to a B-. According to the BBB, this is due to a few unanswered complaints:
  • Based on BBB files, NCsoft Corporation has a BBB Rating of B- on ascale from A+ to F.
  • Reasons for this rating include:
  • Failure to respond to 5 complaints filed against business.

Sony Online Entertainment: A

  • Most of the complaints, according to the BBB, are from people who forget to cancel their trial accounts.
  • “Consumer complaints received by the BBB allege difficulty in using this company’s online gaming service and being over billed or billed after they cancel the trial offer. In response to these consumer complaints, Sony indicates that some of their games may come with a limited number of days of game-play with purchase of the game software…”

Square Enix: A

  • Along with Sony, score remains in place.
  • “Our complaint history for this company shows the company gave proper consideration to complaints presented by the Bureau.”

Turbine Inc. : A+

  • Technically now part of Warner Brothers.
  • The BBB had nothing of interest to note.

A few companies on the list slipped in the past couple of months, most notably Blizzard over that mass ban. I guess it depends on how these companies view the non-authority of the BBB that dictates their reactions.

More on the BBB in three months when I follow up this article.

More Layoffs Hit Mythic


WAR_ss_may09-09

Eek! Mythic has been hit yet again by the downsizing hammer, as a massive downsizing at Electronic Arts (1,500 employees by April) hits the developer hard: 40% of their employees. According to twitter feeds from ex-employees, Mythic has laid off about 80 employees, approximately 40% of the Warhammer Online developer crew.

“Mythic Entertainment…just laid of [sic] 80 people, about 40% of it’s [sic] employees.”
-Katherine Pitta, Electronic Arts

This news is not going to do anything good for confidence in Mythic’s Warhammer Online, especially when another MMO is set to go under this January (Dungeon Runners) due to continuous cutbacks of staff leading to eventual cancellation.

Depending on who you ask, many will tell you that this is a sign that Warhammer is dying. To say this is a sign is to say the sky getting dimmer is a sign that the sun is going down. You are correct, but we already knew that. Warhammer Online has been spiraling since it launched last year, and to remind people of “imminent doom” is just to beat a dead horse.

So is this a bad sign for Mythic? Obviously, and MMO Fallout will be watching WAR’s development over the next several months to see what effect layoffs will have on the game, and whether or not the content will suffer.

Warhammer Online: No, Play Us! Unlimited Trials!


WAR_ss_may09-09
This article has nothing to do with high level players.

Patch 1.3.2 has come and gone for Warhammer Online, bringing with it the new New Player Journey, the removal of fortresses, and other balances and tweaks to RvR. Mythic hopes to bring back new players and old veterans alike who are either afraid to join or became sick of the title long ago.

Along with this update comes unlimited free trials. Yes, the ten day limit has been removed, you have as long as you want in tier 1 (That’s level 1 to 10) to experience what the game has to offer, and to form your own ideas as to whether or not the title merits your subscription.

Continue reading “Warhammer Online: No, Play Us! Unlimited Trials!”