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ArchLord moves to free play, Codemasters desperate
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Dec 6th 2006 at 1:55AM }
Codemasters has announced that its ill-received MMORPG ArchLord will no longer be paid-subscription based. It's free -- starting January 4. Codemasters also plans to offer the game's second major content update, Episode 2: Season of Siege, for free. The giveaways don't stop there: newcomers will be offered a 3,000-credit bonus for opening an account.Sure, these moves imply that Codemasters is desperate for players, but we prefer to look at it from a glass-half-full perspective. Fewer players, means we're in the running to be crowned Archlord! Muhawhawhaw!
ArchLord beta surpasses 150k PCUs in China
by Alan Rose { Jun 22nd 2006 at 12:30PM }
Developer NHN's ArchLord had a successful launch in its native Korea earlier this year, and now boasts over 150,000 peak concurrent users in China's open beta after just three days. Shanda (Legend of Mir, DDO) hosts ArchLord in China, while Codemasters will be operating the MMORPG in Europe and North America.Expected to debut stateside in September, ArchLord contains a mix of 2500 story-driven, PvP, and FedEx-style quests, as well as a soundtrack performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Players will also have a chance to become ruler of Chantra (not to be confused with Guild Wars' Cantha) in the main quest, and those who succeed will have their names immortalized on the walls of the ArchLord castle.
Gametrailers has several teasers and character background movies.
Pre-E3: MMO roundup [update 6]
by Jennie Lees { May 4th 2006 at 8:55AM }
Massively multiplayer online games, known by a series of acronyms beginning with MMO, are a rising trend among developers. With monthly fees meaning regular income, and a player base too addicted to stop, developers trip over themselves to enter this lucrative market.
We can guarantee we'll be seeing a lot of MMOs at E3, so that's why we're bringing you this comprehensive overview of every MMO we currently know to be in development -- excluding expansions of existing MMOs. Here's a quick summary of the trends that we see emerging from this list:
- East meets West. Ten out of the thirty-five games listed are Korean MMOs hoping to make it in America and Europe, with several companies banking on the success of such a translation.
- Elves and Orcs. Despite a number of fantasy-themed MMOs, there are several under development that have no sign of the fantastic about them -- instead, we see themes from sci-fi to pirates.
- Microtransactions. Pay for currency, don't pay for the game -- this increasingly common strategy allows gamers to try games for free. Those who become heavy players end up pouring in more cash than they would have paid for an all-you-can-play monthly subscription.
- Casual MMOs. Three of the titles listed below are trying to break into the casual space, with appealing cutesy graphics and Flash-based play. Most casual titles aren't persistent, though games like Runescape have done well out of the browser-based market so far.
- New developers. Fifteen of the studios below are working on their first MMO, or their first game altogether. This could mean increased innovation, or more problems -- MMOs are risky business.
New Codemasters MMO in the works
by Jennie Lees { Jan 20th 2006 at 3:00PM }
Codemasters have recently secured the rights to
North American and European distribution of the MMO ArchLord, currently in open beta in Korea. The game has an
interesting premise; every month, one player becomes the ArchLord and can "leverage the mystical power of
ancient relics to gain complete mastery of the fundamental forces of creation, unleashing chaos and devastation upon
their foes."However, Codemasters have yet to release their nascent MMO RF Online, and have also taken on the mantle of community, technical and billing support for Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach. Their ambitions certainly seem well-placed, but are they taking on too much at once? We'll wait and see if they can prove themselves with one MMO before judging their ability to manage three. If Codemasters learn the tricks of multi-MMO success, then perhaps NCsoft should start worrying.
