Inc Gamers

Aion: New Mystery Video Next Week

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:00:00 UTC

The Aion community is all stirred up following a Twitter post by NCsoft's community team member, tamat.

The tweet hints that something cool will be unveiled next week: “On November 24th, we will be showing a movie that demonstrates the future of Aion with actual gameplay.”

Could it be a video of the flying Spiritmaster pets, new instances, new features or new quests? Now that patch 1.5.1 has sorted a lot of the common gripes people ahd with Aion, what does it still need? Add your thoughts.

Champions Online: Nemesis Confrontation Preview

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:00 UTC

Cryptic Studios has released a preview of the first new lair in Champions Online, the Nemesis Confrontation.

Players will finally be able to go head to head with their Nemesis by grouping up with friends and heading into the new instance. There, they will face their arch rival along with other foes including Shadow Destroyer.

The lair will go live on 24 November, bringing with it two new costume sets, new perks and a long list of new in-game items. Check out screenshots of the new location below, and find out more at the Champions site.

MMO News Wrap-Up

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:00 UTC

Several exciting and noteworthy events occurred in the world of MMO gaming this week. Follow me, dear reader, through the week's big announcements, rumours and revelations which involve Age of Conan, The Secret World, World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online, Star Trek Online and Stargate Worlds in the weekly MMO wrap-up.

Star Trek Online Open Beta Dates Announced

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:00:00 UTC

Atari and Cryptic Studios are gearing up for the 2 February launch of its Star Trek MMO by announcing the Open Beta dates.The news Star Trek and MMO fans have been waiting for, the open beta test dates will run from January 12, 2010 through to January 26, 2010.There will be a limit on keys it appears and they will be dished out on a first-come-first-served basis. Gamers wanting to take part can can access the open beta by visiting www.startrekonline.com.Also note, there is a closed beta, and if you keep your eyes on IncGamers in the coming weeks you may just be able to get on a beta key. "We are excited to announce the dates for the open beta phase as this is one of the final steps in launching Star Trek Online to the public," said Craig Zinkievich, executive producer on Star Trek Online."We are looking forward to the launch of our first-of-a-kind MMORPG with anticipation and excitement and we expect Star Trek Online to explode onto the scene, giving fans and gamers a Star Trek experience like no other."

Call Of Duty Getting Third Developer, MMO?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:00 UTC

Reports indicate that the Call of Duty franchise have a third developer working on it soon.Previously, development duties on the Call of Duty franchise have alternated on a yearly basis between Treyarch and Infinity Ward, but an LA Times article now indicates that a third development studio may be getting in on the action."[Activision] has aggressive expansion plans for Call of Duty. Although Infinity Ward and Treyarch have produced sequels in alternating years since 2005, the publisher now has a third development house working on future versions," writes the LA Times.The article also contained word that Activision is looking to turn the popular franchise into an MMO. A source close to the company told the LA Times that Activision is "considering adapting Call of Duty as a massively multiplayer online world," which again ties into the old rumours of Modern Warfare 2 subscription fees and paid services.If you don't have Modern Warfare 2, then check out our review to see what you're missing.

Star Trek Online Tactics Video

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:00:00 UTC

STO developers talk about space combat in the upcoming MMO in this latest video.

Funcom: The Secret World More Anticipated Than AoC

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:00:00 UTC

According to the recent Q3 report from Funcom, gamers have higher expectations for its upcoming MMO The Secret World than they did for the company's other MMO, Age of Conan, at the same stage of development.Despite the recently-announced delays, The Secret World is said to be progressing well, with developers currently working on combat and core game mechanics as well as game content. So far, over 200,000 gamers have joined the community for TSW by choosing a faction, as we reported earlier in the year.Two CG trailers have been released for the game, the first one showing off a Dragon-aligned character fighting a demon in her flat, the second follows a member of the Templars taking on an evil creature in a playground at night.

Funcom: The Secret World More Anticipated Than AoC

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:00:00 UTC

Funcom Hit By Huge Q3 Revenue Drop

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:00:00 UTC

According to the latest financial results from Funcom, revenue was down by 68.5% from Q3 last year.Last year's Q3 report showed a profit of $3.3 million USD, whereas this year's financial report is showing a $9.6 million USD loss. This is partly due to a $9.3 million USD “accounting charge” for AoC. From the report:“The accounting charge – which has no cash effect - has been made to balance the book value of the game in the statement of financial position and estimated future revenues and cost.”The report also mentions that the re-evaluation period for Age of Conan that took place in July was successful and increased the number of subscribers. However, the launch of two major competing MMOs during Q3, presumably Aion and Champions Online, has led to a subsequent reduction in subscribers.Having said that, the upcoming 'Rise of the Godslayer' expansion, due in the first half of 2010, has had a very positive response from gamers.AoC is currently being prepared for launch in Korea and will enter a limited launch phase this month.

Funcom Hit By Huge Q3 Revenue Drop

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:00:00 UTC

BioWare On The Old Republic’s Endgame

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:00:00 UTC

BioWare has confirmed that Star Wars: The Old Republic's focus on story will not interfere with its plans for the endgame. Speaking to IncGamers, BioWare's James Ohlen said that the developer will have no problems enticing players back for more once they reach the max level."Obviously the endgame of our game is very important and something we've put a lot of thought into, but at the end of the day, there's a lot of different ways to do endgames," said Ohlen."I can't go into detail on how we're doing it, or if we're doing those things [battlegrounds, endgame raids] or in what form they're going to be coming, because we're still working on that and developing it, but in no way does us focusing on story in any way challenge us in that area."He added that the fact that each class in The Old Republic has its own story will add to the game's replayability factor."Just to give one example, if you were to play a Jedi Knight on the Republic side, and then if you were going to play the Bounty Hunter on the Imperial side, it's actually like two different games," he said."None of the story content, none of the combat - none of it's shared. So you essentially have just played two different MMOs.""You're going to have a really epic, awesome ending when you finish your class story arc in this game, but that doesn't mean that your character can't continue," he explained.Look out for our full video interview coming soon, and you can read our preview right here.

Stargate Worlds: CME Continues To Seek Funding

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:00 UTC

IncGamers has spoken to Cheyenne Mountain about its financial situation, and the state of its long awaited MMO, Stargate Worlds.

Following the recent letter from Cheyenne Mountain that game development was back on track and that exciting news was on the way, we contacted Jeremy Taylor, CME's director of marketing to see what was behind this change in status.

“Yes it is good to have some new content to show and start to be back in the public eye. Most of our time without announcements came from the uncertainty of funding as we did not want to give our community and fan base consistently changing info.” He continued “Production has never completely stopped and we still have a good group of developers working on bringing good quality content to market. It is certainly true that we went through our fair share of attrition due to funding issues but there is a team here and they are very dedicated.”

But, while the game isn't completely out of the woods just yet, things are certainly looking up for Stargate Worlds, which is excellent news for the fans.

“While we continue to seek funding to take us to the finish line we are doing better and are making good progress.”

Funcom's Montreal Studio Established

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:00:00 UTC

Funcom has spoken to IncGamers about its new studio over in Montreal, the studio's role in current projects and the future of the company.

Funcom's director of communications, Erling Ellingsen, confirmed that the new studio is operational, and is contributing to all of the company's titles including Age of Conan and the upcoming MMO, The Secret World. “We have actually established our Montreal studio now, and we have moved certain key personnel from our other offices over there. So we're up and running, we got people working there and they are contributing to the Funcom projects.”

Considering the financial benefits, such as tax breaks, we asked if Funcom would consider moving the entire business to Montreal. Ellingsen answered, “the Norway office remains Funcom's headquarters and it will not be closing. We consider the new office in Canada an expansion of our business.”

Funcom had previously stated that it intends to hire 100 – 150 people in Montreal over the coming months. No new positions have been created just yet, but Ellingsen reiterated that the jobs would become available over the next 18 months.

Funcom's Montreal Studio Established

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:00:00 UTC

Stargate Worlds: Exciting News Coming Soon

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:00:00 UTC

Cheyenne Mountain, the developer behind the long-awaited Stargate MMO, has released a letter to fans thanking them for hanging in there during the recent drought on new info about the title.

The game has been in trouble for quite some time due to insufficient financial backing. Last month it was announced that the game was to be put on hold until more cash was found, but things finally seem to be on the up according to this post from CME.

“It’s great to be back” the writer states, “We know you expect nothing less than the AAA content in Stargate Worlds our development team is working hard to give you along with some additional exciting news we will be revealing very soon! We want to thank everyone for their continued support and passion for Stargate Worlds and we can’t wait to show you more of what we’ve been cooking up over here.”

Some new images were also added to the Stargate Worlds gallery, featuring armor and weapons for the Goa’uld, Jaffa, Soldier, and Scientist.

New Champions Online Trailer

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:00:00 UTC

Cryptic Studios has released a new trailer for Champions Online, featureing some of the positive remarks from reviewers. Check it out over on IncGamers TV.

Mr T “Mohawk” WoW TV Commercial Released

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:00:00 UTC

Mr T has teamed up with Blizzard Entertainment to promote World of Warcraft once more, this time advertising an in-game “Mohawk Grenade”.Mr T appears in the advert, wearing a Jinx Murloc T-Shirt, to promote his 'latest invention'. The grenades are collected from new NPCs stationed outside starter zones in WoW. When thrown at another player's character, a Night Elf Mohawk head appears on that character.

The Night Elf Mohawk is a hairstyle that was added to the game by popular demand after the first Mr T TV advertisement in 2007. William Shatner appeared in a WoW advert around the same time, with Verne Troyer and Ozzy Osbourne joining the list of celebrities to back WoW later on. Ads in other languages were also made; Jean Claude Van Damme, Willy Toledo and Alexandre Astier starred in French and Spanish ones, respectively.

The grenades, which will be free to pick up, are available in North America immediately. Players in Europe and Korea will see the special NPCs appear from 24 November.The advert, seen below, will only show in North America. You can read the FAQ on our WoW Channel.

Avatar PC Demo Released

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:00 UTC

Ubisoft has released a PC demo of the upcoming title, Avatar.

This English demo for the game, based on the James Cameron film, is available from the German Coke Zero site, and is 1.6Gb in size. It's up until 30 November, so you can get some practice in now before the game's release next month.

We took a look at Avatar last month, drop by our preview to see what we thought of this high profile game.

Star Trek Online Box Art Unveiled

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:00 UTC

Cryptic Studios has revealed the box art for its upcoming MMO, Star Trek Online.

The cover predominantly features a Star Fleet officer in a uniform with a new design, Klingon warriors, Star Fleet and Klingon ships.

Star Trek Online launches on 2 February 2010 in North America, and in Europe on 5 February. Read our recent interview with Cryptic's Al Rivera to see what he had to say about the title.

Aion Spiritmasters To Get Flying Pets

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:00:00 UTC

NCsoft has confirmed that players of Spiritmaster class in the MMO Aion will be able to have their summoned pets accompany them and fight beside them as they fly.

Flight is a major part of Aion, and Spiritmaster's pets are important to the class, which is why fans were excited about a rumour that NCsoft was planning to implement flight for pets, enabling them to fight alongside their owners – a huge bonus in the Abyss.

It turns out that the feature has already been introduced to the Korean version of Aion, and we'll get it here soon in the west too, just not this month:

“The development team in Korea has implemented the flying pet enhancement, and it’s working to bring the update to the NA and EU servers soon. We don’t have an estimate at this time as to when this update will be implemented in the West. However, we will be releasing more information in the coming weeks.”