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LEGO Universe beta constructed, signups begin

by Richard Mitchell { Feb 9th 2010 at 5:00PM }

If we've learned anything about LEGO Universe, it's that the game should not be dismissed. Yes, it's an MMO aimed at younger gamers, but did you see the trailer? Whether you did or not, you need to watch it right now. We've embedded it directly above this post. There should be a play button right in the middle. Click it. We'll wait.

Now, having seen that, know this: The LEGO Universe beta is now accepting signups. We suggest you head over to the signup site and sign up immediately. Unfortunately, no one is guaranteed a slot in the beta so, while you're waiting on confirmation, why not check out some footage of the actual game in action? After that, you can start refreshing your inbox like mad.

[Via Massively]

Ubisoft bringing Imagine franchise online with Imagine Town

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 9th 2010 at 12:45PM }

Image above is from Imagine: Babyz for the DS. You probably figured that out already, though.

According to a recent Ubisoft press release, launched alongside its Q3 earnings report, either this year or the next will see the introduction of what may be the company's most profitable property to date -- Imagine Town, an online extension of the popular series of casual DS games. Little is known about the platform so far, though the presser stipulates that it will be "a virtual world" which will be seamlessly folded into "UbiWorld™, the portal dedicated to young girls." (In any other context, that would be an extremely creepy thing to say.)

We realize this news probably means very, very little to you, so allow us to frame it to you in a different way: Imagine Town is going to be the thing that lets Ubisoft afford to make Beyond Good & Evil 2. See, now you're interested.

NetEase temporarily suspending WoW account creation in China

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 8th 2010 at 4:40PM }

Though the legal and political struggle between China's General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP) and Ministry of Culture over whether World of Warcraft should be allowed in the country rages on, the game's operator, NetEase, is taking matters into its own hands. According to Reuters, the operator is suspending new user registrations for one week, starting today. During this time, NetEase execs will be waiting on pins and needles -- they recently re-submitted an application to operate WoW and The Burning Crusade directly to the GAPP.

In other words, you can probably expect another installment in the seemingly endless Chinese World of Warcraft saga within the next seven days. We can't wait!

Free Realms hits 8 million players

by Justin McElroy { Feb 8th 2010 at 3:45PM }

It's been a while since we last checked in on the user tally for Sony's Free Realms, but that all came to an end today when the company announced that the family-friendly online game had reached the eight-million user milestone.

As you may remember, Free Realms got off to a speedy start, garnering around five million players in its first three months, but as the market has become more saturated with free-to-play MMOs, growth has understandably slowed. That said, look for a big bump when the title finally makes its way to PS3 in the middle of the year.

If you're already among the Free Realms faithful, you can look forward to the Festival of Hearts, "a special month long event that celebrates love, friendship and kindness," according to Sony. ... Boy, gang, we're not going to lie -- that sounds terrible.

The9 invests nearly $15 million into Red 5 Studios, Fire Rain

by Mike Schramm { Feb 6th 2010 at 5:00AM }

The9 didn't have the best year in 2009 -- Blizzard decided to take away its ability to run World of Warcraft in China, and as a result, the company reported a Cataclysmic drop in revenues. But the company doesn't want you counting it out of the MMO game just yet: Reuters says that The9 has invested almost $15 million into the ailing Red 5 Studios (which, coincidentally, is staffed by some ex-Blizzard employees) as well as China-based developer Fire Rain. Last we'd heard of Red 5, it was working on some kind of fantasy MMO, though that may have since changed to an MMOFPS. There's definitely an MMO game of some kind; The studio told our buds at Massively that even with The9's help, the game will be aimed at a worldwide market, not just Chinese players.

Time will tell if The9 has a solid strategy to rebound after the big loss of WoW, or if it's desperately trying to invest the last bit of capital to keep the company alive. Red 5's work has always seemed interesting -- here's hoping this infusion is enough to get it to a worthwhile release.

Inafune hints at overseas release for Monster Hunter Frontier

by JC Fletcher { Feb 5th 2010 at 3:30PM }

Not all Monster Hunter games make it outside of Japan. The Wii port of Monster Hunter G, for example, was passed over, as was Monster Hunter Frontier, the PC MMO upon which the upcoming Xbox 360 game is based. That's why it's noteworthy that Capcom's Keiji Inafune told Famitsu (according to Andriasang's translation) that "I feel Monster Hunter can definitely succeed overseas. There's a high possibility that MHF will kickstart that." For such a kickstart to take place, the game would have to be released overseas.

Unless, of course, it's already kickstarted by Monster Hunter Tri, coming out in North America and Europe this April, right?

MMO Roundup: Massively's week in review

by Shawn Schuster { Feb 5th 2010 at 4:00AM }

When it comes to MMO news and special features, Joystiq sister site Massively.com has you covered. Whether you're looking for info on the hottest new MMO, or you're just curious about an old favorite, you'll find it at Massively. Check out our biggest features of the week:

	Making it as an MMO blogger: An interview with top community managers Ahh, that eternal debate about what differentiates a gaming blogger from a gaming journalist. We could go on and on about specifics on both sides, but the fact is, we all have the same goals in mind: writing about what we love.
	Warhammer 40k MMO to be fully revealed this summer Have you been looking forward to the Warhammer 40K MMO for what feels like forever? The people at THQ have been offering up small pieces of information since they announced the game a few years ago -- last April we finally got a release year of 2012, and just in December we were given some beautiful concept art.
	Star Trek Online offers two new races in online store Many Star Trek Online players were surprised to find a couple of new additions to the C-store after launch in the form of two new playable races. For 240 Cryptic Points, you can purchase the Klingon race, and for only 80 Cryptic Points you can purchase the Ferengi race. Each race comes with a few race-specific traits -- Warrior and Honorable for the Klingon, Immunity and Acute Senses for the Ferengi -- and the ability to choose two more. Purchasing the race unlocks it for every character slot on the account.

Continued →

Dev resume hints at Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIV

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 3rd 2010 at 3:02PM }

According to a purported Square Enix employee résumé, Final Fantasy XIV could follow the multiplatform trajectory of its older MMO sibling, Final Fantasy XI. Before being removed mere hours ago (following the proliferation of the apparent reveal within), the supposed LinkedIn profile of lighting designer Yuuki Akama referenced work on Final Fantasy XIV for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Only the PC and PS3 platforms have been officially confirmed for the company's upcoming online RPG.

While a "Yuuki Akama" has been credited with previous Square Enix work, specifically, lighting work for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, we can't currently confirm whether or not the pulled profile was authentic. We've contacted Square Enix for an explanation as to why the Akama profile was pulled (and not simply "adjusted") and for comment on the possible Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIV.

Pay to become a Ferengi or Federation Klingon in Star Trek Online

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 3rd 2010 at 11:30AM }

Are you somewhat satisfied with your Star Trek Online avatar, but wish he or she possessed more unsightly forehead ridges? Perhaps you desire a pair of ears shaped and sized like funnel cakes? Do you wish it looked like your brain was attempting to escape out of the top of your head? Good news -- the Federation Ferengi race can now be downloaded in-game for 80 Cryptic Points, which translates to a shiny half-dollar in real-world funds.

Federation players also have the option to download what we can only assume to be a reformed species of Klingon for 240 Cryptic points, or $1.50. We're still unsure as to why anyone would play Star Trek Online and not make their own race, since we wouldn't find the game so compelling without the adventures of Barbicane, the only surviving Bonerian in the galaxy.

Blizzard announces 'premium' Auction House functionality for WoW Armory app

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 2nd 2010 at 3:35PM }

There's a surprisingly large sect of characters in World of Warcraft who live their entire lives without ever stepping foot outside of their race's capitol city. To some, the MMO's in-game auction house presents a more compelling gameplay option than the usual dungeon raiding and level grinding -- it allows players to become wildly wealthy with shrewd business practices. According to an announcement made by Blizzard earlier today, these players will be able to manage their auctions on-the-go using the Armory app on iPhone and iPod Touch.

Little is known about how much control the app will give players over their in-game assets, however, references to the service being "premium-based" have led to conjecture that the functionality will cost a few coins. Real-life coins, that is. You spend the real-life coins for the thing that lets you make the fake-life coins. This is going to get confusing.

[Via WoW.com]

The Secret World less secret: first in-game footage

by Richard Mitchell { Feb 2nd 2010 at 2:45PM }

Thanks to the video above, we now know more about Funcom's upcoming MMO The Secret World than ever before. And yet, that's still not saying much. The new trailer provides the first in-game footage, specifically showing off the town of Kingsmouth, a game location revealed last month. Of course, no sleepy New England town is complete without a dark secret, and Kingsmouth is no exception.

It seems an evil fog rolled into town one day, taking most of the townsfolk with it, leaving only a handful of unlucky survivors and ... zombies. They aren't your typical, garden variety zombies, though. No, these zombies never die, as the narrator explains, "Kill one, he'll rise in the morning. There's no getting rid of them." There's no telling if the actual game will hold up at this point, but the premise thus far is certainly intriguing.

Cryptic would 'love' to get Star Trek Online to consoles

by David Hinkle { Feb 1st 2010 at 3:03PM }

Sure, we'd like a lot of things, too. Could we get a butterscotch waterfall in the backyard and maybe tiny, invisible robo-men with jetpacks to do the dishes for us every night? Or, better yet, could we get a better explanation for Champions Online's hold-up besides the "blame Microsoft" you said six months ago? But, we digress.

Cryptic's Craig Zinkievich told CVG that a console port of the com-pooter MMO is something the company is "definitely" interested in. "We would love to get STO to the console. At launch it will just be available for the PC but here at Cryptic we want our games across multiple platforms," he said.

However, before you break out your good Starfleet duds and crank the jamz up to eleven in celebration, know that should Cryptic pursue a console port, it likely wouldn't be available for quite some time. Zinkievich puts it this way: "But we'll have to see how Star Trek does and then secondly we want to do it justice and not hurry something along just to get it on the console."

Free FIFA Online kicks off closed PC beta in February

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 29th 2010 at 7:00PM }

EA Sports is close to launching the "free-to-play" version of its footy franchise for PC, called EA Sports FIFA Online, in Europe and North America. A closed beta begins February 3, and the publisher is looking for feedback to help shape the game before it goes into open beta this June. EA will allow 20,000 testers in the first phase, so sign up now if you're interested. The game will officially launch "over the next 12 to 24 months" across "Europe and then in North America." FIFA Online has been available in Asia for years.

It's not like sales of "regular" FIFA are hurting, so who is this game for? Executive Producer Kaz Makita says FIFA Online is for the "large number of football fans who do not want a console gaming experience due to time and other priorities in their personal lives, but they still want to be able to play a top-quality football video game." Ohh, we get it now, it's the FIFA game you play at work! Gotcha.

Gallery: EA Sports FIFA Online

MMO Roundup: Massively's week in review

by Shawn Schuster { Jan 29th 2010 at 4:00AM }

	Editorial: What could Apple's new iPad mean for MMOs? If you consider yourself any type of technophile at all, you're probably well aware of Apple's announcement yesterday regarding their new iPad. This is basically the love child of an iPod Touch and a tablet PC, allowing users to take a fairly powerful slab of computing power with them wherever they go. While it might not be as beefy as your desktop machine or even a mid-range laptop, it has caused a giant wave of interest from consumers. So how does this affect us, as MMO gamers? We're glad you asked!
	Masthead Studios and Interplay finalize agreement for Fallout MMO We have another step forward in the long-running saga of the Fallout MMO. Late last week, Interplay announced that they had signed "definitive agreements" with Masthead Studios regarding Project: V13, the highly contested post-apocalyptic MMO. We knew this development was a possibility, but things have been delayed by the legal battles with Bethesda.
	Players miffed over Champions Online's "kitchen sink patch" and Vibora Bay It's an awkward time for Champions Online. After the last State of the Game post by Chronomancer, things were looking up. The latest patch was slated to fix Lemuria (colloquially known as Lagmuria, due to the extreme system hiccups), add more power to various power frameworks, nemesis changes, the addition of team looting, and changes to the crafting system.

Continued →

MMO developers sound off about World of Warcraft's dominance

by Griffin McElroy { Jan 27th 2010 at 11:00PM }

We remember a time when every young buck coming out of the MMO development stables would puff up its cheeks and proudly proclaim itself "The World of Warcraft-killer." However, the industry's a bit older and wiser now, and massive online game devs are at peace with the fact that they'll never catch up to Blizzard's irrationally lucrative MMORPG. A handful of these developers recently spoke to MCV about how it feels to compete with an unstoppable juggernaut. (In short: Not awesome.)

Even in an MMO-heavy year which will see the introduction of Star Trek Online, APB, Final Fantasy XIV and others, Jagex COO Rob Smith thinks 2010's online games "are unlikely to topple the likes of World of Warcraft from their throne, at least in the short term." He's probably right -- unless, of course, 2010 is the year that the FarmVille MMO which we all totally know is going to happen actually happens.