Category: MMO (Page 7 of 9)

      Blizzard takes the plunge into not-so-microtransactions

      November 4, 2009 /

      Pandaren Monk in WoW.Propriety be damned, Blizzard’s decided to enter the ugly world of microtransactions. In true Blizzard style, though, the transactions aren’t so micro. World of Warcraft players can now spend a completely ludicrous $10 on an in-game pet from the Blizzard Pet Store. For now there are just two, the Pandaren Monk and Lil K’T, but there are plans to add more in the future.

      As though to curb some of the backlash that no doubt comes with this release, Blizzard announced that the purchases of a Pandaren Monk from now to December 31st will result in a 50% donation to Make-A-Wish, courtesy of Blizzard. Your purchases of Lil K’T, on the other hand, will simply help the Blizzard CEO’s buy larger stakes in football franchises.

      Really I’m surprised it took this long. WoW has held out for nearly five years, leaving the fees to maintenance services like realm and faction changes. As the next generation of MMOs prepare for launch, it’s not at all surprising that Blizzard would look to get its dues from WoWs most dedicated players.

      Activision, MMO

      Interplay releases Fallout MMO concept art

      November 2, 2009 /

      Fallout box art.As it continues the legal battle with Bethesda over rights to produce a Fallout-based MMO, Interplay has decided to appeal to fans of the series for support. Apparently the legal battle required that some of Interplay’s concept art be made public, so the company posted the material to its forums for a little feedback (and a bit of Bethesda bashing).

      As Interplay’s Chris Taylor said, “Some of the concept art for the game has been released due to the lawsuit. This forum will be a place where we can post high quality versions of the same art and you can give us some feedback on it at the same time.”

      It’s a strange appeal to make, especially since that feedback won’t really matter if Interplay loses. To be honest, I don’t know who I’d rather have take the project. Bethesda did some great work with Fallout 3 but I’m willing to trust Interplay with the material. Regardless, it’s going to be quite a while before we see a final product, so the concept art will have to hold you over for now. You have to be a forum member at Interplay to view the images, but Kotaku’s got its own gallery up as well.

      MMO

      Playstation Home not a priority

      November 1, 2009 /

      Playstation Home users.Playstation Home doesn’t get a lot of airtime in the states, but it is a little more active in Europe. At the London Games Conference this week, Sony’s director of Playstation Home for Europe, Pete Edwards, said the virtual space has a viable business model but that it’s not a priority for the time being.

      “It’s been a long road,” Edwards said. “We’ve proved there is a market out there and we’ve got a lot of people that spend a lot of time in [Home]. It’s not a priority right now but there is a business model there.”

      Edwards said earlier this year that European users average 56 minutes in Home per session. That sounds like enough time to consider investing more heavily in the service, but it says nothing of number of users or just what those users are doing. Idle time is a lot different from time spent exploring and interacting with the locations.

      Home isn’t going the way of Nokia’s N-Gage, but it’s pretty clear the service won’t be getting much more interesting any time soon.

      Source: Edge Online

      MMO, PS3

      Blizzard bends you over the customization fence…again

      October 28, 2009 /

      WoW race change.Blizzard’s unveiled its latest scheme to boost profits from World of Warcraft in the face of declining subscriptions: race change. You no longer have to traipse about Azeroth wishing you had made your warrior a Tauren. You can finally pay to get the best arena racials without buying yet another account.

      The service costs $25, and only works for a change within your current faction. A faction change runs $30, though you obviously get a race change for free. Personally, this isn’t something I’d be spending money on, but it’s been a while since I’ve been in that unique state of WoW-drunk where almost anything seems reasonable.

      Though I wish for the people still playing that Blizzard would lump some of these customization fees together, I also realize people are paying for this crap, so it’s hard to blame Blizzard. At least let me say, I feel for you, crackheads. It’s tough to pay for stuff like this when you’re calling off work to grind out those last few levels.

      Activision, MMO

      Champions Online goes free to play this weekend

      October 25, 2009 /

      Champions Online hero.If Halloween isn’t really your thing or you just prefer to dress up a digital version of yourself, you’re about to have a great weekend. Instead of running around in a drunken costumed craze, Cryptic will allow you to play Champions Online for free.

      The free weekend is part of a promotion for the game’s first patch, Blood Moon. If you don’t remember from my original spot, the game adds the typical Halloween horror to your online experience: zombies, werewolves, a demonic lord parading about. Sounds like a blast if you ask me.

      Deals, MMO

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