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AIAS 2011 Awards winners revealed

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:06:00 +0000

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was crowned Game of the Year at this year's video gaming Oscars, the AIAS Interactive Achievement Awards.

Skyrim won five awards in all, including those for story, RPG/MMO, game direction and gameplay engineering.

Beaten RPG/MMO competitor Star Wars: The Old Republic was recognised for its Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay.

Subscription MMOs aren't dying, says LOTRO maker Turbine

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:16:00 +0000

It's not subscription MMOs that are dying, Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online maker Turbine told Eurogamer - it's antiquated games that insist upon a single method of payment.

"People now in the West expect to have full control over their entertainment dollar and spend it the way they want to," explained Adam Mersky, Warner's (Turbine's owner) digital communications Witch King.

"It's probably not right to say the subscription MMO is dying, it's probably more right to say the idea of forcing a player to only have one option for having to consume your content - that's probably dying."

BioWare discussing European SWTOR maintenance windows

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:09:00 +0000

BioWare has promised to discuss European Star Wars: The Old Republic maintenance windows after the service was inaccessible on Saturday from 8am to 12pm GMT.

That four-hour update - patch 1.1.0c - did one thing: "Improved service to reduce the number of player disconnections to the character selection screen."

BioWare explained that the change was "urgently required".

Latest End Of Nations dev diary lands

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:22:22 +0000

Happy New Year from Trion Worlds.

Eurogamer.net Podcast #94: That was the news 2011!

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Yes! Welcome to episode 94 of the Eurogamer.net Podcast! As the year grinds to a halt, it's time to reflect on the games that have made suffering the internet bearable. But it's not all about working out which game is better than that other game and putting it into a list. Sometimes, it's about the NEWS.

One of those sometimes is this time, so we've prepared a very special end of year special podcast that is all sorts of special, and also a quiz. Senior staff writer Robert "Bertie" Purchese asks the questions, does funny impressions and has no idea what the score is. Eurogamer news editor Wesley "bulls**t" Yin-Poole, US news editor Fred Dutton (who just got off the plane from Baltimore) and website and video administrator and writer wizard Tom "I don't need HD graphics or Achievements to enjoy Zelda" Phillips answer the questions, recounting the biggest stories from one of the most tumultuous years in video gaming history.

Who can forget the PSN hack? Or Geohot jailbreaking the PS3? Or the Nintendo 3DS price cut? Or the Xbox Live hack-oh no wait that was phishing and there is definitely NO EVIDENCE OF A HACK!? We can't. That's why we're on the quiz.

Eurogamer Readers' Top 50 Games of 2011 Voting

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:45:00 +0000

Garriott's Ultimate RPG could become Ultima Online 2

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:30:00 +0000

The Ultimate RPG that Richard Garriott is making could, literally, become Ultima Online 2.

The estranged Ultima Online creator told Eurogamer he was talking to Electronic Arts "even now" about working together again.

"Sure," answered Garriott, when asked whether Ultimate RPG could become UO2. "Yeah - theoretically that would be possible.

Star Wars: The Old Republic beta video talkthrough

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:58:00 +0000

World of Warcraft 7th anniversary Celebration Package

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:20:00 +0000

World of Warcraft is seven years old on 23rd November.

To celebrate, Blizzard will give players a feat of strength achievement and a Celebration Package item.

Using the Celebration Package item sets off fireworks, applies a visual tabard and grants a 7 per cent bonus to experience and reputation gains.

Rift From the Embers patch 1.6 release notes

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:52:00 +0000

Huge Rift patch 1.6, From the Embers, has been released.

This adds an entire new continent called Ember Isle, which offers the largest dungeon in the game, a new 10-player raid, new Warfront mode and opens the 2nd tier of Planar Attunement.

Full patch notes are below.

SWTOR had over 1m hours of testing last weekend

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:34:00 +0000

Over a million hours of testing went into upcoming MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic last weekend, BioWare has revealed.

Tens of thousands of people played the game in an effort to ensure a smooth launch next month, BioWare co-founders Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka told Eurogamer in an interview at BAFTA, London last night.

The mood at BioWare Austin, where the game is being developed, is "very measured" Zeschuk said.

Trion's Scott Hartsman on Rift subscribers, free-to-play and money

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:49:00 +0000

Trion MMO Rift reviewed well and launched smoothly earlier this year. It was a success. But how much of a success?

"Let me think," Rift executive producer Scott Hartsman told Eurogamer. "Rift has been holding - yeah, it's definitely been growing since launch, for sure."

"Subscribers?" he asked, when asked.

Eve Online Crucible winter expansion release date

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:20:00 +0000

The free Eve Online winter expansion, Crucible, will be released on Tuesday, 29th November during "extended downtime", developer CCP has announced.

The expansion brings new ships, nebulae, engine trails and warp tunnel effects, plus "hundreds" of balance changes and fixes.

Full patch notes will be published in "the coming weeks".

EverQuest 2 goes free-to-play next month

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:18:00 +0000

EverQuest 2 goes fully free-to-play in early December, Sony Online Entertainment has announced.

A lengthy open letter from producer Dave Georgeson published on the game's official site explained that servers from both the traditionally structured EverQuest 2 and free-to-play EverQuest 2 Extended are to be merged into one under a single membership system.

You'll no longer have to pay to install the game and all content up to and including the Sentinel's Fate expansion will be free to download.

Star Trek Online free-to-play launch date

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:47:00 +0000

Sci-fi MMO Star Trek Online launches as a free-to-play game on 17th January 2012, developer Cryptic Studios has announced.

Players can still choose to subscribe, however. Gold members get a monthly 400 Cryptic Point deposit in their accounts.

Starting 1st December, that currency will arrive each month on the player's "anniversary day" of joining.

Three more Game of Thrones tie-ins announced

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:11:00 +0000

Three more games based on George R R Martin's fantasy saga Game of Thrones are in the works, following recent PC strategy effort, Game of Thrones: Genesis.

As reported by USA Today, a full RPG is in development at Cyanide - the same studio behind Genesis - for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with Atlus set to publish.

HBO is apparently sharing footage of the next series of its TV adaptation - which airs next April - with the studio, so that the two can dovetail.

World of Warcraft subscribers fall to 10.3 million

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:20:00 +0000

Monthly subscribers to Blizzard's World of Warcraft MMO have fallen to 10.3 million as of 30th September 2011.

In June 2011, that number was 11.1 million - 800,000 more.

In March 2011, that number was 11.4 million - 1.1 million more.

Total Recall MMO announced

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:50:00 +0000

An MMO based on Sony Pictures' forthcoming remake of 1990 sci-fi classic Total Recall is on its way to browsers.

Currently in the works at Chinese studio ZQGame with SEE Games on publisher duties, it'll be a free-to-play title boasting a hybrid of features from traditional MMOs and social games, such as PVP and PVE play and a collaborative "memory quest" system.

It's being built on a specially designed engine that's apparently capable of managing a large scale 3D MMO within a browser platform.

Star Wars Old Republic gains "additional security" pre launch

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:12:00 +0000

BioWare will add "additional security" to Star Wars: The Old Republic as we approach the 20th December launch.

All SWTOR accounts created before 21st October will have their passwords reset. Owners will be asked to make passwords that "meet the new security standards". The reset will happen in "the next few weeks".

"BioWare takes security very seriously," an email sent to the community began.

F2P DC Universe Online player numbers soar

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:33:00 +0000

The number of people playing DC Universe Online simultaneously has risen over 1000 per cent since the superhero MMO turned free to play, Sony Online Entertainment has revealed.

"We are over 1000 per cent of our pre-F2P concurrent numbers," tweeted SOE president John Smedley.

The downside to this newfound popularity has been log-in queues.

Star Wars pre-orders net up to five days early play

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:43:00 +0000

A Star Wars: The Old Republic pre-order will let you play the MMO up to five days before launch, BioWare has announced

Early Game Access enables you to create and play your character ahead of TOR's 20th December launch.

BioWare plans to stagger Early Game Access over the five days to "ensure a quality experience for players at launch".

Lego Universe to close in January

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:51:00 +0000

The Lego Universe MMO shuts up shop on 31st January 2012, The Lego Group has announced

The company explained that despite "a large number of players in the free play zone" it had not converted a satisfactory number of users into paying subscribers.

As a result of the game's closure, Colorado-base developer Play Well Studios is also being shut down along with a marketing team in Denmark, resulting in the loss of 115 jobs. Lego is promising to help those affected find new employment.

Layoffs threaten Star Trek - Infinite Space

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:03:00 +0000

Star Trek - Infinite Space may never get the chance to boldly go where no other free to play browser based MMO has gone before after creator Gameforge axed 100 staff.

The German publisher made the cuts as part of a company-wide restructure that saw the cancellation of HellBreed and Mythos.

Now Star Trek - Infinite Space, its biggest game, is under threat, and plans for a beta - previously pegged for release "soon" - have been halted.

Free-to-play DC Universe picks up 120,000 new users

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:26:00 +0000

Superhero MMO DC Universe Online has picked up 120,000 new users since going free-to-play on Monday, according to Sony Online Entertainment boss John Smedley.

According to a post on Smedley's Twitter feed, concurrent users are up 400 per cent.

Of course, the trick will be keeping hold of all those new players, a cause that might not be helped by reports of server stability issues and long queues to log-in to the game.

MechWarrior Online announced

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:22:00 +0000

MechWarrior Online, the first full entry in the combat series for nearly 10 years, has just been announced for PC.

Developed by Piranha Games and published by Infinite Games, it's a free-to-play team-based take on the long-running franchise due out in the second half of 2012.

Set in the year 3049, you'll take control of a BattleMech during the early stages of a massive interstellar war. The action will play out in real time.

DC Universe Online free-to-play changeover date

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:56:00 +0000

Superhero MMO DC Universe Online goes free-to-play from 1st November, Sony Online Entertainment has announced.

SOE stuck the pin in the calendar via a live web stream last night. The date applies to both the PC and PlayStation 3 versions.

For a full run-down of how the new pay structure works, check out the detailed guide on the game's official site.

Bethesda loses Fallout MMO appeal

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:48:00 +0000

Work can continue on Interplay's planned Fallout MMO after Bethesda lost an appeal upholding a court's decision to deny it a preliminary injunction against the developer.

As reported by Joystiq, Bethesda failed to convince the judge that the district court had "abused its discretion and misapplied the law" earlier this year when it ruled that Bethesda had failed to show Interplay's game could cause "irreparable harm."

Had Bethesda's claim been successful, the Fallout MMO would not have been able to use the franchise's story, characters or other identifiable elements.

Blizzard: F2P not the best model for WOW

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000

A free-to-play business model isn't right for gargantuan MMO World of Warcraft right now, Blizzard has said.

So confident is Blizzard in the value offered by the �9-a-month subscription fee that boss Mike Morhaime has described it as "unmatched".

Games that have switched to free-to-play recently include Age of Conan, Star Trek Online, Lord of the Rings Online and DC Universe Online.

Blizzard's Mike Morhaime Interviewed

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000

This interview appears simultaneously on Eurogamer and on our sister trade site, GamesIndustry.biz.

BlizzCon is always great fun to attend; a slick bit of show business on an impressive scale where you might get to see a band as big as the Foo Fighters, but where you'll still find the geeky, passionate soul of a true fan convention.

BlizzCon 2011 was the best in years, largely because the event is finally starting to emerge from World of Warcraft's gargantuan shadow. Despite the announcement of a new WOW expansion, Mists of Pandaria, there was even more vocal excitement at the thrilling finals of the Global StarCraft 2 League, and just as much buzz among show-goers for StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm and Diablo 3.

Secret World beta registrations hit 500k

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:06:00 +0000

More than 500,000 gamers have registered for The Secret World closed beta, Funcom has announced.

Registration opened at the end of August.

Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas is "thrilled" and "proud" of the achievement.