MMO Family: Winter fun and cool cash in Roblox

MMO Family: Winter fun and cool cash in Roblox:
Filed under: Kids, MMO Family, Family, Miscellaneous, Sandbox EverQuest Next Landmark might be generating a lot of buzz over the impressive creations that players are putting together, but Roblox has been doing it for

Requiem: Memento Mori: Warpportal Takes Over Development, Announces Huge Update

Requiem: Memento Mori: Warpportal Takes Over Development, Announces Huge Update:
Warpportal has announced that it has secured development rights for Requiem: Memento Mori. To power the announcement, the team also revealed a brand new logo and laid out the details for a huge content update

GunZ 2: The Second Duel – Steam release schedule announced

GunZ 2: The Second Duel – Steam release schedule announced:
[Source] After a few months of delay, Korean developer Maiet Entertainment finally announced that GunZ 2: The Second Duel has been green lighted for Early Access on Feb 17 2014, 5 PM (PST). According to the official

Shroud of the Avatar: Release 3 to Feature Multiplayer

Shroud of the Avatar: Release 3 to Feature Multiplayer:
Shroud of the Avatar backers are eagerly awaiting the game's Release 3 iteration. Set to release on February 20th, Release 3 will feature multiplayer, something the developers call a "giant leap forward in technological

European Warfare commences as Stronghold Kingdoms hits 200,000 monthly users

European Warfare commences as Stronghold Kingdoms hits 200,000 monthly users:
Filed under: Historical, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMORTS With the newly launched European Warfare update, Stronghold Kingdoms players can now make war not love across the entire European continent. Firefly Studios

Nordics and Japanese spend the most on development, while Chinese spend most on promotion

Nordics and Japanese spend the most on development, while Chinese spend most on promotion:
In our first Developer Survey of 2014 (free to Business Network members), PocketGamer.biz has broken down the results by region - with some interesting results. The Nordics and Japan host the developers most likely to

Taking interactive to the next level, AppScotch unveils its plans to make mobile ads playable

Taking interactive to the next level, AppScotch unveils its plans to make mobile ads playable:
California-based start-up AppScotch has exited a six-month stealth period to announce a new service that enables advertisers to use banner ad space for playable demos of games. A natural extension of the movement towards

Metal Black: Alternative – NCsoft revives game for 2014 beta phase

Metal Black: Alternative – NCsoft revives game for 2014 beta phase:
Back in 2009, NCsoft revealed Metal Black: Alternative at the annual G-Star event. Subsequently, news of the game stopped as NCsoft moved on to “higher priority” products. At yesterday’s financial call, the developer

World of Darkness drawing inspiration from sandbox survival games while EVE CE goes on sale

World of Darkness drawing inspiration from sandbox survival games while EVE CE goes on sale:
Filed under: Betas, Horror, Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Interviews, World of Darkness, Promotions, Sandbox CCP assured World of Darkness fans that the project is "evolving rapidly" despite recent layoffs, will have a presence at Fanfest in

Review: R-Type II

Review: R-Type II:
Most R-Type II reviews start with how teeth-grindingly difficult Irem’s classic shmup is. Not this one. Nope. I’d rather talk about its brilliant bit system, its wonderfully frantic synth soundtrack, or its screen-blitzing weapon system. It

League of Angels introduces two new angels for official full release

League of Angels introduces two new angels for official full release:
Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, Free-to-Play, Browser Forget cupids, League of Angels has added two other heavenly beings to its angelic arsenal. Amora and Nyssa join the list of angels players

Rise and Shiny: Inferno Legend

Rise and Shiny: Inferno Legend:
Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, New Titles, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Browser, Hands-On, Casual, Humor, Rise and Shiny, Livestream This week's game was a giant gamble, one that I should have

MMObility: Line of Defense Tactics is a fun start for an IP

MMObility: Line of Defense Tactics is a fun start for an IP:
Filed under: Betas, Video, Game Mechanics, New Titles, Previews, Opinion, MMOFPS, MMORTS, MMObility, Buy-to-Play Line of Defense is an upcoming MMOFPS created by 3000AD. It looks like an interesting twist on the shooter

The Godus amongst us: Molyneux talks free-to-play farces, winning without chasing whales and his top score on Flappy Bird

The Godus amongst us: Molyneux talks free-to-play farces, winning without chasing whales and his top score on Flappy Bird:
Godus may have been in public beta since before the end of 2013, but according to the man behind it – 22Cans' ever-prominent Peter Molyneux – we ain't seen nothing yet. You see, Molyneux's latest 'God game' is very much the

Introducing Terrayn, a persistent world sandbox

Introducing Terrayn, a persistent world sandbox:
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New Titles, Sandbox, Crowdfunding Another day, another hopeful sandbox MMO takes its first fledgling steps onto the Kickstarter scene looking for those who believe in it (and will back up that

Implementing Valve's monetization advice from Steam Dev Days

Implementing Valve's monetization advice from Steam Dev Days:
How Seth Sivak is working on implementing "the five rules Valve follows to build new microtransaction-driven mechanics and economies" after its Dota 2 and Team Fortress 2 success. ...

Pathfinder Online: We Want to Under Promise and Over Deliver

Pathfinder Online: We Want to Under Promise and Over Deliver:
"Under promise and over deliver," is what Ryan Dancey, the CEO of Goblin Works, is looking to do with his studio's upcoming project Pathfinder Online. Last Monday Ryan joined me for a live interview on our MMORPG.com stream

Thank to LINE and Kakao partnerships, Metaps sees its platform enable 1 billion app downloads

Thank to LINE and Kakao partnerships, Metaps sees its platform enable 1 billion app downloads:
Japanese-headquartered Android promotion and monetisation outfit Metaps has demonstrated its muscle. It's just announced that the total downloads through its platform has reached one billion. Metaps' platform consists of its

Most people won't pay for World of Tanks on Xbox 360

Most people won't pay for World of Tanks on Xbox 360:
The majority of World of Tanks players on PC never spend a penny on the free-to-play strategy game and this trend isn't expected to change for the Xbox 360 version, released worldwide today. Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi told

Blade & Soul – NCsoft invites players to Hell in new Season 2 update

Blade & Soul – NCsoft invites players to Hell in new Season 2 update:
Made public yesterday, NCsoft has added the “Hell” map to the Korean server of Blade & Soul. This is a new area where faction PvP and PvE takes place at the same time, with intense combat expected to take place all over the map to

NPD: Publishers have overcome the "fear and trepidation" on digital data

NPD: Publishers have overcome the "fear and trepidation" on digital data:
Data tracking firm will have granularity on full-game downloads, DLC but insists that retail "isn't going anywhere"

EverQuest Next: Smedley, the Sandbox, and Online Society

EverQuest Next: Smedley, the Sandbox, and Online Society:
I was planning on writing an article relating to what I've been able to do in the game, but a recent blog post by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) president John Smedley just made me throw out my plans and focus on it. Smedley

The Trove Diaries: Exploring the wild, wild... peaceful forest?

The Trove Diaries: Exploring the wild, wild... peaceful forest?:
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Kids, Trove, Trove Diaries In a recent Trove patch, the team added in a new chest at the central world hub for players to toss in gear to share with others. A community chest. Other

Future of Blade and Soul EU/NA ?!

Future of Blade and Soul EU/NA ?!:
Together with me, a lot of B&S fans are deeply hurt by this news. There seems to be no plan in the near future to release it in EU/NA. Ncsoft's history with releasing games on both EU/NA might be the reason why they are

Keywords acquires Babel Media for £5 million

Keywords acquires Babel Media for £5 million:
Services company buys localisation specialist, adds New Delhi office to global presence

US digital games market update: January 2014

US digital games market update: January 2014:
The digital games segment showed a slow start of the year, consistent with overall seasonality, totaling $1.03 billion in January, 2014. Especially digital console and PC saw a decline as the frenzy to buy had subsided, totaling just over $300 million combined. Social games, on the other hand, were off to a good start with an average conversion rate of 2.14% in January, and mobile saw a 7% increase after the holiday season added 7 million new mobile gamers to the market. Finally, free-to-play online games regained ground (+8% month-over-month), as players returned to their MOBAs.

Korean News and Beta Test Announcements

• Game Paradiso football game “Mini11” starts OBT on February 20.
• Neowiz Bless Studio MMORPG “Bless” CBT registrations reach 180,000, holds CBT from February 20 to 23.
• NCsoft games “Lineage Eternal” and “Wildstar” in 2014, also to release mobile games using IPs like “Blade & Soul” and “Lineage.” 
• Incross mobile 3D RPG “Legend of Gods” iOS version released.
• Neocyon mobile panel action RPG “Road to Dragons” iOS version to be released on February 24.

Girl power: Animoca passes 220 million app installs

Girl power: Animoca passes 220 million app installs:
2014 is already shaping up to be a good year for publisher and developer Animoca, which has just announced that it's passed the 220 million mark for total app installs. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Outblaze,

"Retention is not the same as happiness"

"Retention is not the same as happiness":
Free Realms creative lead Laralyn McWilliams describes the pitfalls of metrics-driven game design

Age of Wushu: World of Contenders Arrives

Age of Wushu: World of Contenders Arrives:
Age of Wushu players hoping for more expansive pvP action will be pleased to hear that the World of Contenders update has been deployed that brings a host of new PvP experiences into the game. In addition to World of

Eldevin: Now with WASD Movement

Eldevin: Now with WASD Movement:
Hunted Cow has sent word that the latest update has been deployed to Eldevin. Most notably, and in response to player feedback, the team has added WASD movement support to the game. In addition, crafting system

Blade Hunter: Taking the Best & Worst of Side-Scrolling Beat 'Em Ups

Blade Hunter: Taking the Best & Worst of Side-Scrolling Beat 'Em Ups:
Blade Hunter is a browser-based MMORPG that taps into ancient mechanics but brings them into the modern era by introducing many of the standard systems of MMORPGs today. Reality Squared Games is taking a crack at it

Facebook blacklists Kontagent for violating data retention policy

Facebook blacklists Kontagent for violating data retention policy:
UPDATE Facebook cut ties with analytics providers Kontagent and HasOffers after a routine audit revealed both companies were violating their agreements with Facebook. ...

EverQuest Next: Landmark: Alpha Update Includes Fixes, New Building Materials

EverQuest Next: Landmark: Alpha Update Includes Fixes, New Building Materials:
The alpha patch notes for EverQuest Next: Landmark have been posted on the official forums. The lengthy list includes key bug fixes and the news that additional building materials have been added to the game to give players

Size matters: How to scale your game for overnight success

Size matters: How to scale your game for overnight success:
As the demise of Flappy Bird attests, there are unavoidable stresses and strains that weigh down on a developer when a gane makes it big. Thankfully not all of them revolve around abuse on social media, however. As Kaj

Aura Kingdom: New Class Included in First Content Update

Aura Kingdom: New Class Included in First Content Update:
Aeria Games has announced the deployment of the first major content update to Aura Kingdom. The new content brings a host of new features on board, including the arrival of the Brawler class. With the addition of the Brawler,

ArcheAge: The Road to Open Beta Begins February 14th in Russia

ArcheAge: The Road to Open Beta Begins February 14th in Russia:
The ArcheAge Mail.ru site has been updated with the timeline to open beta. Beginning with preliminary character creation on Friday, February 14th, then on to early access for game owners on Sunday, February 16th, the open beta

Defiance previews the next DLC pack, Gunslinger Trials

Defiance previews the next DLC pack, Gunslinger Trials:
Filed under: Sci-Fi, Previews, News Items, Consoles, MMOFPS, Defiance, Buy-to-Play Some of the early story threads from Defiance's launch haven't been addressed. The nature of the Biodyne Project and control of the Earth

WildStar: A Signal of the Final Stages of Development?

WildStar: A Signal of the Final Stages of Development?:
In less than a month, WildStar's beta has been patched with two huge content updates. Now that the level cap raised to 50 and endgame opened for testing, Winter Beta 3 could be the most interesting patch so far. Gareth Harmer goes

Mabinogi update introduces Doki Doki Island, Valentine's Day events

Mabinogi update introduces Doki Doki Island, Valentine's Day events:
Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mabinogi Just in time for Valentine's Day, Nexon America has announced a new update to its free-to-play title Mabinogi that will add the romantic Doki

Microsoft losing Xbox European head

Microsoft losing Xbox European head:
Interactive entertainment VP for EMEA Chris Lewis stepping aside after a quarter-century with the company

One Dumb Feature Kept Me From Loving Adventure Time Card Wars

One Dumb Feature Kept Me From Loving Adventure Time Card Wars:
I love Adventure Time. I love collectible card games. An Adventure Time collectible card game should therefore be the perfect thing, but then my least favorite mobile gaming mechanic rears its ugly head.

Dungeons & Dragons Online: The Legendary Halls Preview

Dungeons & Dragons Online: The Legendary Halls Preview:
The 40th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons is just around the corner and Turbine's Dungeons & Dragons Online is celebrating with Update 21: The Legendary Halls. They will be adding two huge new wilderness areas, two

New VP of brand marketing for King

New VP of brand marketing for King:
Candy Crush studio appoints Nicki Sheard

League of Legends experiments with 6 vs. 6 mode

League of Legends experiments with 6 vs. 6 mode:
The upcoming Hexakill mode for MOBA League of Legends will change the game's dynamic by allowing six players on each team, developer Riot Games has announced. Hexakill is the popular online game's latest Featured

Xbox One and Xbox 360 combine to sell most games in January

Xbox One and Xbox 360 combine to sell most games in January:
The PlayStation 4 may have outsold Xbox One in the United States by a two-to-one ratio in January, but it was the Xbox...

Black Gold Online – Snail Games reveals star “fan” and Invitational Test

Black Gold Online – Snail Games reveals star “fan” and Invitational Test:
Black Gold Online will begin its Invitational Test for the North American server late next month (March). Hopefully, the game has been polished as I had a dreaded time playing in the first test phase of the China server (still in beta

Tree of Savior Local Beta Test Followed by International Test Version

Tree of Savior Local Beta Test Followed by International Test Version:
The first test for Tree of Savior Online will be a live event and you will have to be a Korean resident to attend the Focus Group Test. However, don't be sad because their official Facebook page announced that they are going to follow

Rift: Everything You Need to Know About Patch 2.6

Rift: Everything You Need to Know About Patch 2.6:
This week heralds the arrival of a brand new patch filled to the brim with free new content. Several members of the press were treated to an exclusive preview of all that patch 2.6 has to offer. There are some surprises in store

TERA Korea – 5 new dungeons added in latest game content update

TERA Korea – 5 new dungeons added in latest game content update:
In the latest content update titled “Flying Up”, TERA Korea once again got 5 brand new dungeons, along with several new PvE and PvP gears. This is pretty much similar to the content patch implemented last July. Once again, I

This Week in China: Spring Festival ends, work begins

This Week in China: Spring Festival ends, work begins:
After a short break for Spring Festival (or as we in the West like to call it, Chinese New Year), China's gaming sector is back at work. And as we try to do every Friday, we're back with another 'This Week in China' round-up

EverQuest Next Landmark lays out development roadmap

EverQuest Next Landmark lays out development roadmap:
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Previews, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Dev Diaries, Sandbox EverQuest Next Landmark Director of Development Dave Georgeson has posted a roadmap for the title's next few months last night,

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: FFXIV - This Time on PS4

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: FFXIV - This Time on PS4:
We gamers are a grudge-holding bunch, as Square Enix found out last year upon releasing Final Fantasy XIV. The game failed fans in spectacular fashion thanks to inadequate server support, bugs and obtuse mechanics.

Fantasy Frontier – Familiar map introduced as new level 70 instance

Fantasy Frontier – Familiar map introduced as new level 70 instance:
Also known as Aura Kingdom for the English server, the Taiwan server introduced a new instanced zone for level 70 players last week. Known as “Otherworld – Crescent Hill”, players will have to enter this new area

Free-to-play mech shooter Hawken abandons dedicated launcher, migrates to Steam

Free-to-play mech shooter Hawken abandons dedicated launcher, migrates to Steam:
After operating more than a year with its own dedicated launcher, free-to-play multiplayer mech combat game Hawken is coming exclusively to Steam.Developer Adhesive Games and publisher Meteror Entertainment said

Strife – 2nd generation MOBA to enter debut test phase in China next week

Strife – 2nd generation MOBA to enter debut test phase in China next week:
Developed by S2 Games, the studio behind Heroes of Newerth, Strife will be entering its debut test phase in China on 26th February, which is next week. While most expected Tencent to be the publisher, it will in fact be YY Inc,

Michael Schade: "We're f***ing rockstars"

Michael Schade: "We're f***ing rockstars":
The former CEO of Fishlabs is back with a new studio and a new console project

Bless – Game content and features info for upcoming Closed Beta 1

Bless – Game content and features info for upcoming Closed Beta 1:
Bless, powered by Unreal Engine 3, will be entering Closed Beta 1 in South Korea later this week. A few details of the Closed Beta 1 client were revealed earlier, including a level cap of 23, 9 zones (no loading needed), 3 starter

Atlus Is Back from the Dead

Atlus Is Back from the Dead:
Last year, there was concern about Atlus. Its parent company, Index Corporation, was in a pickle, and the Atlus brand ended up in Sega's hands. But Atlus is no longer simply a brand. Atlus is back!

Final Fantasy XI update introduces more missions, a new zone, and more

Final Fantasy XI update introduces more missions, a new zone, and more:
Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Patches, News Items, Subscription Final Fantasy XI, despite being over a decade old, is receiving a rather substantial update today that will introduce a plethora of new content for

Blog: How emergent design changes your business model

Blog: How emergent design changes your business model:
"Emergence increases the possibility space for players, which in increases their engagement. Greater engagement increases player life, and players who play longer are more likely to monetize." ...

ArcheAge: Is the Sand Leaving the Box?

ArcheAge: Is the Sand Leaving the Box?:
XL Games has been calling their MMORPG title ArcheAge a sandpark for quite a while now, a mixture of a themepark and a sandbox game. One would assume it's certainly a sandpark game. You've got trading along the vast

Elder Scrolls Online: Why ESO’s ‘Slower’ Pacing Leaves Me Optimistic

Elder Scrolls Online: Why ESO’s ‘Slower’ Pacing Leaves Me Optimistic:
MMOs have evolved in many ways, but sometimes players want to sit down and enjoy a good multi-course meal spiced with good conversation, music, a couple of drinks, and spending time with one another over a quick fast food

Elder Scrolls Online: The Best & Worst Things About ESO

Elder Scrolls Online: The Best & Worst Things About ESO:
If you've turned on a computer in the last week, you've probably heard the news: Zenimax is finally pulling back the veil on Elder Scrolls Online. Beginning with the lifting of the press NDA last week and now the total

Darkfall: Unholy Wars: Latest Patch Details Chaos Primalist School

Darkfall: Unholy Wars: Latest Patch Details Chaos Primalist School:
The latest Darkfall: Unholy Wars patch has been deployed and is packed with bug fixes and feature enhancements. Additionally, and perhaps most notably, the new Chaos-themed Primalist School has been added to the game.

Rock Band developer Harmonix reveals their next game: free-to-play FPS Chroma

Rock Band developer Harmonix reveals their next game: free-to-play FPS Chroma:
If you had to guess one of the games Harmonix has secretly been working on since Dance Central 3, your first guess would probably not be a "free-to-play, music-driven, first-person, multiplayer shooter" for PC and Steam. But that's

Harmonix's new jam is Chroma: A beatmatching first-person shooter

Harmonix's new jam is Chroma: A beatmatching first-person shooter:
Harmonix's new game is something you might not expect: A music-driven first-person shooter made in a partnership with the developers behind Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. ...

Path of Exile previews its first mini-expansion, Sacrifice of the Vaal

Path of Exile previews its first mini-expansion, Sacrifice of the Vaal:
Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Patches, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Path of Exile The first mini-expansion for Path of Exile is coming out on March 5th, and it's meant to be a big one. This isn't supposed to just improve

Allods Online: Heart of the World Update to Bring New Class & More

Allods Online: Heart of the World Update to Bring New Class & More:
AllodsOracle.com is a site dedicated to translating the most recent Allods Online news from the Russian game site. The Russian version of Allods is a few months ahead of the English version and AllodsOracle.com is reporting

The Charticle: How Threes found success without in-app purchases

The Charticle: How Threes found success without in-app purchases:
The number crunching card puzzler, Threes, has been something of a surprise package in a month dominated by a certain flappy bird. The super slick puzzler has been performing well in both the download and grossing

Not So Massively: 50,000 play Pokemon together, Heroes of the Storm leak, and PoE's Sacrifice of the Vaal

Not So Massively: 50,000 play Pokemon together, Heroes of the Storm leak, and PoE's Sacrifice of the Vaal:
Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Expansions, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Star Citizen, Infinite

Second Chance Heroes Review

Second Chance Heroes Review:
Second Chance Heroes Review By Jennifer Allen on February 17th, 2014 Our Rating: :: TWIN-STICK HISTORYUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad A mixture of imaginative design and traditional twin-stick shooting,

Review: Grandpa and the Zombies

Review: Grandpa and the Zombies:
One of the most urgent questions facing young adults today is, "how are we going to acquire the vast amounts of money and energy necessary to take care of our elderly population?" There's no easy answer, but at least we

Doomdark’s Revenge Review

Doomdark’s Revenge Review:
Doomdark’s Revenge Review By Jennifer Allen on February 17th, 2014 Our Rating: :: OLD SCHOOL CHALLENGEUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Testing players just like it did back in 1985, Doomdark’s Revenge is

Review: Card Wars - Adventure Time

Review: Card Wars - Adventure Time:
Who doesn't love a bit of Adventure Time? Well, me. At least until I watched a couple of episodes in preparation for this review and fell for it like everyone else. One of the episodes sees protagonists Jake and Finn engaged in a

'RPG Journey To Kreisia' Review - It Just Keeps Getting Kreisia

'RPG Journey To Kreisia' Review - It Just Keeps Getting Kreisia:
I kind of feel bad for this game. Not only did Journey To Kreisia [$3.99] release at almost the same time as Square-Enix's Final Fantasy VI [$15.99] iOS remake, but it's also having to live in the looming shadow of Alphadia

Dungelot 2 Review

Dungelot 2 Review:
Dungelot 2 Review By Campbell Bird on February 17th, 2014 Our Rating: :: DUNGEON CRAWL... A LOTUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad This casual roguelike manages to improve on its successor in a lot of smart

Hearthstone will have an official spectator mode

Hearthstone will have an official spectator mode:
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Interviews, Previews, Free-to-Play, Trading Card Games, Hearthstone Blizzard confirmed that a spectator mode is coming to Hearthstone, allowing players to sit in on others' play sessions. The news

A Darker Shade of Red Review - A Gritty Twisting Tale of Mystery

A Darker Shade of Red Review - A Gritty Twisting Tale of Mystery:
Perverted beavers, drug dealing tortoises and peeping-tom pigs, if this isn’t a game that makes you raise an eyebrow, then well I’ll be damned. An unconventional noir point-and-click adventure game filled with offbeat gritty

Word Puttz Review

Word Puttz Review:
Word Puttz Review By Mike Deneen on February 17th, 2014 Our Rating: :: WORDS WITH PUZZLESUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Words games played with friends may not be nearly as popular as they once