Joystiq

End of Nations nears launch, open beta coming soon

Mike Schramm — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:30:00 EST

Last time we saw End of Nations, Trion's massively multiplayer real-time strategy followup to its popular Rift, the core gameplay hearkened back to developer Petroglyph's old home of Westwood Studios and its Command & Conquer games. Yes, this is an RTS game focused more on map control and exploration than base-building, but the goal was still to move a group of units around a top-down map, something that RTS players know plenty about.

Now, however, Trion is much farther along in the game's development, so much so that it's readying for a closed beta in just a few weeks. And as Game Director Dave Luehmann unveils a much more polished build of his company's upcoming free-to-play strategy title, another interesting influence emerges: Riot Games' League of Legends.

Gallery: End of Nations (2/28/2012)

Continue reading End of Nations nears launch, open beta coming soon

End of Nations nears launch, open beta coming soon originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESA members asked individually about SOPA, some respond

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST

Rock, Paper, Shotgun collaborated in obtaining responses.

The Entertainment Software Association's support of the "Stop Online Piracy Act" has led us to ask every member of the video game industry's lobbying and political group to publicly declare its stance on the bill. The ESA's continued support means every member, by proxy, is a supporter of the bill.

Some companies have pulled their logos from supporting SOPA documentation to dodge ire, while others are hiding behind rhetoric, as you'll see below. Joystiq contacted every member of the ESA and requested a declarative statement on SOPA. After the break we've listed the responses we've received, along with others we found. We continue to seek clarity on this issue from every member of the ESA.

This will become the page we update as we receive responses and clear declarative statements, so feel free to bookmark.

(Joystiq does not support SOPA, nor does our parent company.)

Continue reading ESA members asked individually about SOPA, some respond

ESA members asked individually about SOPA, some respond originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trion Worlds database hacked, 'no evidence' of credit card info stolen

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:45:00 EST

We were starting to think we'd make it through the rest of the year without once again worrying about having our social security numbers stolen, Tweeted and written in the sky. How foolish of us! Trion Worlds has announced on its blog it "recently discovered that unauthorized intruders gained access to a Trion Worlds account database," a list which included "user names, encrypted passwords, dates of birth, email addresses, billing addresses, and the first and last four digits and expiration dates of customer credit cards."

Trion added there's no evidence that credit card info was taken, and that the company has "taken further action to strengthen our systems, even as we, with external security experts, continue to research the extent of the unauthorized access." In the meantime, Trion game users will want to change their password, which they'll be prompted to do the next time they try to log in to the company's site, or one of its titles.

We'd also suggest that Trion change its logo, because that open-door-looking letter "I" is starting to seem a tad prophetic.

Trion Worlds database hacked, 'no evidence' of credit card info stolen originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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End of Nations to end nations in 2012

Jordan Mallory — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:30:00 EST

2012 is right around the corner, you guys, and as if global pandemics and earth-shattering astronomical events weren't enough to look forward to, Trion has told Eurogamer that we should all expect an End of Nations as well.

Originally slated for a 2011 release, Trion's free-to-play meta-MMO/RTS is now set to launch sometime before the end of the world in 2012. This news follows an exhibition of the title at Eurogamer Expo 2011, where Trion also stated that items purchased through microtransactions will be relegated to cosmetic duty, as the title is not "pay to win."

End of Nations to end nations in 2012 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trion's End of Nations MMORTS will be free-to-play

Mike Schramm — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 02:00:00 EST

Sure, you'd like to play Trion's upcoming MMO/RTS mashup called End of Nations, but you're not sure if you want to pony up for the retail box, and then shell out another few bucks a month for a subscription. That's a lot to spend on a game you might not like, right? Good news for you, then: Trion has announced that End of Nations will be a free-to-play title.

Free players, according to the official website, will get access to "the entire game," including co-op, the metagame, and the huge multiplayer games as well. The company will offer an optional subscription that will feature "a significant amount of value and convenience extras," though exactly what those are Trion hasn't yet said. But the company does emphasize that winning the game will be built around "strategy and skill," not paying the most money.

There will also be an in-game store with "a wide selection" of more customization and convenience items. And no credit card will be required for the actual game -- everything will be purchasable either with in-game wealth or Trion Credits (which can be bought with real currency). Stay tuned for more hands-on with the game from Gamescom next week.

Trion's End of Nations MMORTS will be free-to-play originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 13 Aug 2011 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trion picks up David Luehmann to head third-party dev program

Mike Schramm — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 03:30:00 EST

Trion Worlds has hired on games developer David Luehmann to take care of its third-party development arm, and Luehmann says he'll be working on "two, three or four more" titles for the company to develop and publish in conjunction with third parties. Luehmann formerly worked with Microsoft Game Studios, a division that knows quite a bit about dealing with cross-company development, having acquired Rare and Lionhead, as well as dealing with other developers like Epic Games, Double Fine, and lots of other solid game houses.

Trion Worlds of course made and released the popular MMO Rift, and is currently working on an MMORTS title in conjuction with Petroglyph called End of Nations. Luehmann says that Trion isn't looking for any specific number of third party games to publish, but that the company is looking for "something that will turn into a fantastic experience" from a studio that's working on "connected" titles.

Trion picks up David Luehmann to head third-party dev program originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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End of Nations preview: Real-time synergy

Mike Schramm — Thu, 26 May 2011 13:20:00 EST

A few years ago around this time, Trion was suggesting to gamers that despite the overwhelming domination of World of Warcraft, there definitely was room for more than just Blizzard's opus in the MMO market, though the suggestion didn't raise much more than an eyebrow among those interested at the time. A few years later, Rift is out and stealing both players and mindshare, even getting hinted at on a conference call as one reason for WoW's numbers being slightly down.

As much as Trion has been able to do with Rift, that game is only the beginning of the company's plan. As we saw at a pre-E3 event last week, the next step is to break ground on a second MMO title, this one built as an "MMORTS" with veteran strategy developers Petroglyph. We only got to play through part of a short match, but what's there showed that Trion is aiming to do with this genre what it did with Rift, even if there's a long way to go.

Gallery: End of Nations (5/26/2011)

Continue reading End of Nations preview: Real-time synergy

End of Nations preview: Real-time synergy originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 26 May 2011 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steam cuts a deal on Rift

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 19 May 2011 22:00:00 EST

Looking for a way to dip your toes into the world of Rift without putting a rift in your wallet? Steam has you covered, with a 33 percent discount on both the standard and Collector's Edition of the MMO, which both include a one-month subscription and "Ascended Gift Pack" filled with in-game goods.

Continue reading Steam cuts a deal on Rift

Steam cuts a deal on Rift originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 May 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trion hiring Xbox 360 programmers for unknown project, designer for 'Syfy Action MMO'

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST

For the second time in as many years, Trion has posted job listings for console-specific programmers, perhaps quietly staffing up for the long dormant "Syfy Action MMO" (thought to be named "One Earth") that was announced back in 2008. Rather than spell out exactly what these programmers would be doing, the listings only explain that Trion seeks two Xbox 360 "senior console programmers" to "work on AAA titles in a highly collaborative environment."

A third job listing for a "senior game/systems designer" gets more granular, specifically naming the "Syfy Action MMO" as the project in question and requiring potential candidates to have "experience working on action games for consoles, such as PS3, Xbox, etc." Trion had yet to respond to our request for more information as of publishing.

Trion hiring Xbox 360 programmers for unknown project, designer for 'Syfy Action MMO' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trion Worlds 'Syfy Action MMO' likely coming to consoles; publisher shows off two additional MMOs

Randy Nelson — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:00:00 EST

Four years and hundreds of millions of dollars in investment capital later, Trion World Network finally has a couple of "connected" games to show ... and a new name, to boot. Now known as Trion Worlds, the company held an event in San Francisco last week to take the wraps off of the Petroglyph-developed "MMORTS" End of Nations and its home-grown MMORPG Rift: Planes of Telara (formerly known as Heroes of Telara).

End of Nations is the latest game from the developer of Mytheon, Star Wars: Empire at War and Universe at War, which hopes to break new ground in the RTS genre by introducing elements such as a persistent game world and player-vs-environment battles that support more than 50 players simultaneously. It's set in a near future where resistance fighters battle a totalitarian one world government that possesses superior technology, including battleship-sized tanks called Panzer Hulks. (Check out our End of Nations image gallery for a closer look at the title.)

Shown at E3 last year, Rift: Planes of Telara has undergone more than a name change. The game's visuals have improved substantially and its new hook -- "rifts" that appear randomly and spawn creatures from other dimensions -- is something Trion Worlds is focusing heavily on, calling it "dynamic content" that only its server platform can deliver. (Peep the Rift: Planes of Telara image gallery here.)

Both games are due out in 2011 and are expected to be playable at E3 in June. The company is also working with Syfy on a hybrid action MMO / TV series believed to be called One Earth. The project is not being shown just yet, but it was revealed that factions and players from the game will be written into the show -- should they emerge victorious in tie-in challenges. We were also told by a Trion World rep that the game, while currently announced only for PC, will likely be released for console platforms. Check out the first concept art from the game in the gallery below.

Gallery: Syfy Action MMO

Continue reading Trion Worlds 'Syfy Action MMO' likely coming to consoles; publisher shows off two additional MMOs

Trion Worlds 'Syfy Action MMO' likely coming to consoles; publisher shows off two additional MMOs originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Syfy Channel series, MMO hybrid has a name: One Earth

Randy Nelson — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:00:00 EST

[motionographer.com]

General Electric, of all sources, has revealed the working title "One Earth," chosen for the joint MMO / television series venture underway between Trion and the Syfy Channel. The name was disclosed in a GE report to shareholders, which makes sense as its the parent company of Syfy and is partially funding the game through its "Peacock Equity Fund."

Trion CEO Lars Butler explains that the One Earth MMO and show "not only promote each other, they literally depend on each other and co-evolve." Rob Hill, the game's senior producer, says that unlike many licensed properties where "you have a game that's based off of a book or television show or movie, or a movie that's based off a game," One Earth is "completely different" and has the potential to "really be able to broaden the audience" by -- as GE promises -- "bringing viewers from the show into the game and vice versa."

Only time -- and TV ratings, and the game's subscription numbers -- will tell if that's all just a sci-fi fantasy.

[Via BigDownload]

Syfy Channel series, MMO hybrid has a name: One Earth originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trion World Network hiring for PS3 MMO development

JC Fletcher — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 09:17:00 EST

Whenever we post about MMO developer Trion World Network, two facts inevitably come up:

It's working on some mysterious TV show/MMO for (ugh) SyFy
It raised $100 million

We mostly like mentioning the $100 million because we enjoy thinking about the possibility of just convincing people to give us a bunch of money, but both of these facts are entirely relevant to the latest development out of the company. Trion is using some of that money, according to job listings on its site, for PlayStation 3 developers, including Senior Programmer, Senior Graphics Programmer, and Interface Designer. All of these new hires will be working on the SyFy project, meaning that Trion is planning to bring the MMO to PS3.

Now all we need to know is anything at all about this game.

[Via Massively]

Trion World Network hiring for PS3 MMO development originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 09:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trion relelases first trailer for Heroes of Telara

Justin McElroy — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:15:00 EST

See, this is why we don't write a blog about MMOs. Because after watching the trailer for Trion's new Heroes of Telara MMO (you'll find it after the break), we're hard pressed to explain why you might want to play this fantasy MMO over any other one.

It looks pretty, we guess, but with $100 million in funding flowing into Trion World Network we should hope that it would. Check out the trailer and let us know: Does this look like something you want to dig in to? Or do we have just the right amount of cynicism?

Continue reading Trion relelases first trailer for Heroes of Telara

Trion relelases first trailer for Heroes of Telara originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 May 2009 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trion to debut 'Heroes of Telara' at E3

Xav de Matos — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:30:00 EST

Trion World Network has confirmed the rumors: it will reveal its first game at E3 next month. Unfortunately, details of its debut offering, Heroes of Telara, are slim, but the press release for the announced MMORPG contained such carefully spun phrases as "limitless new content" and "unprecedented level of rich and dynamic gameplay." So, your guess is as good as ours.

If the name Trion sounds familiar, but you can't think of a single game the company has made, don't feel bad. Trion drama has swept the internet for quite some time. In late 2008, it was revealed the server-based gaming company had raised over $100 million in capital but had yet to release a single title. In late April 2009, Joystiq received a rather inflammatory anonymous tip that Trion president and chief creative officer, Jon Van Canegham, had been removed from his position -- but Trion reps maintain the split was a "natural evolution of the growing company."

Trion World Network is also collaborating with the Sci-Fi Channel (soon to be SyFy) on an MMO/TV hybrid project and recently announced plans to work with developer Petroglyph (of Star Wars: Empire at War fame) on an unnamed MMORTS title.

[Via BigDownload]

Trion to debut 'Heroes of Telara' at E3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 May 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trion partners with Petroglyph on MMORTS

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:44:00 EST

Trion World Network's latest move is partnering with Petroglyph on an as-yet untitled massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game. While we've yet to see Trion actually produce anything -- aside from the spectacle of firing its president and chief creative officer last week -- Petroglyph has been working on RTS titles for years. The studio was responsible for Universe at War and Star Wars: Empire at War.

At this point, we have no official word on what game the two companies are collaborating on, but we do know that the games must flow from Trion soon. Hopefully, the publisher will finally show off something it gained from that $100 million deal at E3.

Trion partners with Petroglyph on MMORTS originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trion asks president and CCO to try on new career

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:00:00 EST

We received a rather inflammatory anonymous tip about Trion World Networks and the current state of the company, but the only piece we feel comfortable in sharing is that President and Chief Creative Officer Jon Van Canegham has been let go from the company. We followed up and an official representative for the MMO publisher informed us that Canegham has "transitioned out" and no longer has "any operational responsibilities" -- his creative and operational roles have been distributed among the senior team. Find the full statement after the break.

On paper, Trion World Networks is doing quite well, having raised $100 million in capital and announcing this week that it has joined the ESA. The company will allegedly show its first title at E3, but that's just "rumor and speculation" for now.

Continue reading Trion asks president and CCO to try on new career

Trion asks president and CCO to try on new career originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESA admits two companies we've kind of heard of

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:30:00 EST

The ESA announced today that Trion World Networks and XSEED Games have become members of the trade association. Trion has accumulated $100 million in funding without launching a game, while XSEED has released quite a few "off the beaten path" titles, like Retro Game Challenge.

Following the announcement, Activision Blizzard left a voicemail with the ESA, playing "Don't Cha" by The Pussycat Dolls on repeat.

ESA admits two companies we've kind of heard of originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trion surpasses $100m in fundraising ... without releasing ANYTHING

James Ransom-Wiley — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online, Business

Take note: Certain really rich folks are showering Trion World Network Inc. with money. Wait ... Trion who? Exactly. Don't fret being out of the loop, we've only mentioned Trion a handful of times (read: just three) and it's our job to be in the know. Today Trion reminds us there's good reason to keep tabs on the server-based gaming company, as it's now raised over $100 million after a recent $70 million Series C funding round (a very formal way of saying, venture capital firms and media companies, like Time Warner and NBC Universal, have been dropping their change in the collection cup since 2006 -- a lot of it). And the best part is, Trion still hasn't released anything.

So if you're wondering how to get rich like Trion, we strongly advise taking our crash course on the company after the break.

Continue reading Trion surpasses $100m in fundraising ... without releasing ANYTHING

Trion surpasses $100m in fundraising ... without releasing ANYTHING originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sci-Fi Channel creating an MMO/TV show hybrid

Kyle Orland — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:30:00 EST

Filed under: PC, RPGs, MMO

With people spending less time watching TV and more time playing video games, TV networks are making increasingly unique attempts to get their audiences back. The latest example comes from the Sci-Fi Channel, which is integrating an upcoming TV series with a concurrent MMORPG that will affect and be affected by the on-air action.

"For example, we can tell [players] that there will be an alien invasion at a certain place in the game, at a certain time, and to be there with all their friends and be ready," Sci-Fi Channel President Dave Howe told the L.A. Times. "The outcome depends on them. And then that battle will be part of the universe in the show." Footage from in-game battles will be used in the show and the players choices themselves will guide which characters, settings and storylines are highlighted on the program.

The game was originally planned to be an outgrowth of the channel's popular Battlestar Galactica remake, but the developers at Trion World Network decided it would be better to start fresh with new characters and environments. Both the show and the series will be set 80 to 100 years in the future and launched not that much sooner in the summer of 2010. More information is slated to be revealed at Comic-Con in July.

Sci-Fi Channel creating an MMO/TV show hybrid originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trion CEO says there's room for more than WoW

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Mac, PC, Online, RPGs, MMO, Business

Trion World Network CEO Lars Buttler believes there's room for more than World of Warcraft on the MMO playground. One would hope he'd say that as Trion is attempting to break into a market dominated by Blizzard's juggernaut. In an interview with GI.biz, Buttler reiterates his assertions, which brought him to our attention originally, that Activision CEO Bobby Kotick was trying to scare competition off by saying even with a $1 billion investment Activision couldn't challenge WoW (good thing for Kotick the company owns it).

We're hoping that Trion starts making some game announcements soon, as it allegedly has $30 million in funding, along with some former executives from top publishers. It'd just be nice to talk about Trion in some other context than Buttler saying WoW isn't the only game in town.

Trion CEO says there's room for more than WoW originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Former EA exec: Kotick's WoW remark meant to scare competition

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Mac, PC, Business

Earlier this week Activision CEO Bobby Kotick made a bold statement saying that even with a $500 million or $1 billion investment his company couldn't produce a product that could compete with World of Warcraft -- lucky for him his company owns it. GameDaily reports that Lars Buttler, former VP of online at EA and current CEO of server-based game company Trion World Network, believes Kotick is just looking to scare off the competition.

Buttler tells the site that Kotick is just defending the merger and believes WoW is just the beginning of the "connected era." Buttler goes on to use some fancy buzzwords but dismisses the idea that nobody can take on WoW no matter what the investment. He even says if developers disagree with Kotick that they should call his company. Trion is currently starting up and allegedly has products "well under way," but currently has no announcements.

Former EA exec: Kotick's WoW remark meant to scare competition originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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