Tag: MMORPG

Whatever Happened To: RedBedlam Ltd.


As I delve deep into the “whatever happened to those people” part of our ten year anniversary, one game caught my memory like a flash of lightning in a bowl of chocolate pudding. Whatever happened to that game The Missing Ink?

Actually that answer is obvious: It was shut down. The Missing Ink shut down its servers way back in January 2014 without much of a blurb from the press at the time. The closure was not meant to be permanent as developer Redbedlam announced that they would be retooling the game and keeping the two dimensional paper cutout characters while expanding on the three dimensional world and the things that it offered. That never happened, The Missing Ink never relaunched and for that matter it doesn’t look like Redbedlam ever acknowledged the game’s existence after January 2014.

So what the hell happened to RedBedlam? Thankfully for us, the company is a UK business and as such its records are on public display over at Companies House. A few months after this announcement, RedBedlam posted its fiscal results for the year ending May 31 showing net assets of £136,838. In October 2015, RedBedlam would release the game Bedlam, a first person shooter with a rather odd art style. The game would peak at 315 concurrent users on Steam but not until 2018.

By 2016 these total assets would plummet to £21,385, which appears to be where the company starts circling the drain. Bedlam receives its last patch on November 4, 2015. Fast forward another year and the assets drop to £3,072. By this point the company is running as a shell corporation, as the fiscal reports show that there is only one employee hired, down from five in 2016.

Companies House later filed to strike RedBedlam off of the official record. Apparently someone was around to contest this, as the proposal was removed with cause shortly thereafter. By the end of the 2018 fiscal year, RedBedlam was a dry husk; its fiscal earnings showing a net negative in assets and zero employees still on record.

Of RedBedlam’s eight officers, only one remains: Kerry John Fraser-Robinson, who is presumably keeping the company up and running in name only to pull in what few sales Bedlam is offering and to make phone calls in hopes of getting some investors on board. Otherwise it looks like this is the end for RedBedlam.

Whatever Happened To: Hello Kitty Online (Again!)


Hello Kitty Online. It can’t have been too long since I last updated everyone on what is going on with this quirky little game for kids who absolutely do not view this website. But Connor, I hear you shout into your computer, if you bothered to check your own post history once in a while you’d notice that you haven’t written about Hello Kitty Online since 2013!

So chalk this one up as another ball that MMO Fallout dropped. Hello Kitty Online isn’t the kind of game I would normally cover here at MMO Fallout, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the game has been offline for two years and I think only PC Gamer and MMOBomb have noticed that the game has been offline for the better part of the past two years. It’s not surprising as Sanrio had stopped supporting the title way back in 2012 and it looks like they just let the game drift off into the distance until 2017 when the servers went offline and never came back up.

Here’s to Hello Kitty Online. You snuck out the back door and very few noticed.

Crowdfunding Fraudster: Kickstarter Suspends Shady Campaign RAW


Check out the .gif image above. What if I told you this game was being worked on by a team of three people? What if I then told you that this game is being funded for just $78 thousand? What if I then told you that the dev team hopes to have this out by December 2019?

You’d probably accuse me of propping up a scam, a point that is now moot since you can no longer back the project. RAW is a self-described “sandbox open world hardcore MMORPG with unique approach to social structure and high attention to gameplay details,” and its creators Killerwhale Games from Germany want you to know that just because the overwhelming amount of detail being put into the game’s systems versus team size and development time/cost make it sound like a massive scam, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

What sort of crazy, near ponzi-scheme promises is KWG making? Well just check out their description of car mechanics and house building.

“For example, if you buy a car, you need to monitor its technical condition, because it will break down over time during normal operation. If you want to build a house, you need to purchase materials and find a truck to deliver them to the construction site. To better understand our approach, read the following blocks, which reveal it more deeply.”

But the buck doesn’t stop here. RAW is promising a world where everything is player built and player supported on the island. Want fancy cars? Someone has to buy and import them to sell. Town needs gasoline? Someone has to build and start a gasoline store. But watch out, because other players can steal your stuff, so you’ll need good security systems and, you guessed it, that’ll be another player’s duty.

The pitch eventually gets so tedious that even the least logical person couldn’t possibly believe that this team has the funds or capabilities of putting all of this in an online game. Working shifts and dealing with city parking, including paying fees to park and possibly dealing with your car getting towed if you park it somewhere illegally. Every car having engine, suspension, battery, generator, brake system, fuel system, each with their own failure systems, each with separate maintenance intervals. Every car having a unique key, needing to register the vehicle with the DMV in order to legally drive it. Power lines to bring electricity to the city. An immune system so your character can encounter diseases or indigestion from too much Taco Bell.

And if you read all of these awesome features and thought “this game sounds like a scam,” you’re not alone. While Killerwhale Games might have been rubbing its hands in glee after thrashing their funding goal (raising $193 grand of the original $78k goal), Kickstarter has stepped and put the kibosh on the whole campaign. The developer, naturally, has responded in a manner you’d expect from a professional game developer and not as a fraudster called out on his fake game:

Guys, expect our message about the current situation in discord. Shitstarter closed the project without even trying to figure out what was going on. The gameplay video was almost finished. We will continue the project anyway, because a huge amount of effort has been invested in it. Please don’t listen to a bunch of offended by life idiots and their bullshit. Thank you for your support and faith in us.

Best regards, Alex Tretiakov, Killerwhale games.

MMO Fallout looks forward to continuing coverage of the completely legitimate RAW MMORPG.

Phantasy Star Online 2 Heads Westward on Xbox and PC


Phantasy Star Online 2. Most of you have probably given up hope of this 2012 title ever coming to the west, but those who kept up their hopes have been handsomely rewarded. Today’s E3 conference brought the announcement that Sega will finally be bringing the MMORPG to the west.

Players of PSO2 become a member of a research expedition called “Arks,” which belong to a fleet of interplanetary cruising ships, setting out to a research a variety of different planets. Visiting places for the mission (quest) always evolves into a fresh and surprising adventure, including auto-generated maps, sudden events, and a Multiplayer Party Area, where up to 12 players can play together simultaneously.

PC and Xbox gamers will finally be able to get their hands on the free to play title in 2020 with crossplay between the two platforms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kwL2Lm_PsA

TERA Reloaded Hits Xbox One and Playstation 4


En Masse Entertainment has finally launched the biggest update ever for TERA on consoles. Tera: Reloaded introduces the Elin Gunner class and brings with her intense firepower. Whether or not you’re interested in the high-caliber cutie, you’ll be able to indulge in the new enchanting system, Guardian Legion Missions offering daily quests, and new endgame dungeons with a hot new gear system.

Twitch Prime members will also find a number of promotional goodies coming to Twitch Prime April 2. The package includes cosmetics, codes, and more for all of En Masse Entertainment games. TERA players can check out the trailer at the link below or just boot up your console and start playing.

Black Desert Online Launches Today


Black Desert officially hits Xbox One today, says developer Pearl Abyss.

The base game can be purchased for $9.99 USD and contains instant access, with higher editions at $29.99 (standard), $49.99 (Deluxe), and $99.99 (Ultimate). The full release starts with a 55 level cap. Pearl Abyss also announced the Black Desert Partners Program, which looks to build meaning relationships with content creators.

“Launching Black Desert on Xbox One has been a long development journey and we’re so thankful for the support of the Xbox community along the way”, said Robin Jung, Chief Executive Officer at Pearl Abyss. “Through the community’s feedback and continued interest in Black Desert over the course of the past two years and multiple betas, we’re happy to be able to launch the game today and look forward to adding additional content in the near future.”

Mobile MMORPG Life After Launches Today


NetEase Inc today announced the North American and Australian launch of LifeAfter, a zombie survival MMORPG for iOS and Android. LifeAfter packs together an MMORPG with gun-toting, hunting and gathering, and crafting. The game launched in China last year to much acclaim and hopes to gain the same following here in the west.

Players are tasked with hunting and gathering to survive, establishing a home base, leveling up to unlock new adventures and game modes, and operating outposts to recruit other survivors.

Check out the trailer above or see more about the game at the official website.

[Video] Mad World MMO Releases Latest Trailer


Developer Jandisoft has unveiled brand new footage of their upcoming title; Mad World. The trailer highlights a number of core features from PvE/PvP battles, resource gathering, skill progression, boss raiding, and more. Mad World is a 2D isometric MMORPG set in a post apocalyptic world with humans struggling to survive against the threat of extinction.

Built on HTML 5, Mad World will be playable on the majority of browsers which will allow for cross-play between PC, mobile, and compatible devices. The mobile nature of the MMO also aims to support easier accessibility among gamers of all stripes.

Mad World is expected to hit digital store shelves in 2019.

Source: Mad World

Master of Eternity Drops Temple Boss Update


Nexon this week dropped the latest update for Master of Eternity (MOE) introducing a new boss raid, new suit, and temple guardian. Fans of grid-based and combat and pixie commanders can take part in a host of new events, including:

  • Unique New Chapter & Temple – The highly-anticipated Chapter 13 Part Two delivers an all-new story for players to face, packed with a never-before-seen Temple Guardian;
  • New Boss Raid and Mobility Production Center – Players can now participate in Boss Raids and earn rewards to build exclusive Mecha suits;
  • Powerful Rare Suits – Enlist in galactic battle with 17 new Mecha suits for the Assault, Support, Bombardier and Sniper classes, including the coveted Kali’s Child Suit;
  • Special In-game Events – Veteran and new players can participate in several events until Wednesday, Feb. 6 to earn rewards, including:
    • Chapter 7 Part Clear: 300,000 Credits and S3 Crux x5
    • Chapter 9 Part Clear: 500,000 Credits and S3 Crux x10
    • Chapter 10 Part Clear: 700,000 Credits and S3 Guaranteed Ticket x5

Master of Eternity is available on iOS and Android.

Black Desert Final Open Beta Date Revealed


Pearl Abyss has announced the final beta for Black Desert, the open-world fantasy action MMORPG coming to Xbox One. The final open beta will run from February 14 to February 17, offering the last chance for players to take in the environments, quests, and action combat before the game launches on March 4. On Xbox.

Those who hit level 30 during the beta will be rewarded with a Calpheon chubby dog for launch. Everyone else can pass the time by watching the trailer below.