NCsoft announces they have taken sole ownership of the City of Heroes intellectual property they previously co-owned with developer Cryptic Studios. They also announce the hiring of some former Cryptic employees, including designer Matt Miller, to open a new studio in California to create further sequels and expansions for the MMO superhero franchise:
AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 6, 2007—NCsoft® Corp, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, today announced the formation of a new development studio in Mountain View, California. The announcement comes as the company begins a renewed push to further develop the City of Heroes® property, which is now 100 percent owned by NCsoft. Previous to today, ownership of the intellectual property (IP) was split between NCsoft and Cryptic Studios, the original developer of the project.
The new studio will be built around key members of the City of Heroes team from NCsoft and Cryptic Studios including the art, programming and design team leads.
“We’re happy to announce that NCsoft has acquired full ownership of the City of Heroes IP,†said Brian Clayton, NCsoft executive producer and manager of the new studio. “Our plans are clear. We are now in a position to make a major reinvestment in the City of Heroes product line. With our existing Cryptic and NCsoft team as the core, we will be able to run our current service without any interruption to our players, expand our studio to deliver triple-A content, and take City of Heroes to new heights.â€
NCsoft will soon be announcing formal plans for the City of Heroes IP, which will include expansions and sequels to the popular comic-book inspired massively multiplayer online (MMO) game.
Matt Miller, Lead Designer on the City of Heroes project and formerly with Cryptic Studios said, “We’re thrilled to be bringing the CoH franchise to the next level. And we couldn’t be more pleased to be working completely under the NCsoft banner. We feel that City of Heroes’ best days are in front of it.â€
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In-game advertising specialist Double Fusion has released a new technology which separates in-game advertising from the development process, enabling advertisers to implement new ads in already completed games and back catalog titles.
The technology makes ad placements possible where previously they could not be feasibly implemented, including in back catalog titles and titles late in the development process. Fusion.runtime also represents a compelling advertising solution for the casual games industry, where the large volume of titles launched each year requires an easy-to-implement solution to reach the market’s full potential.
Fusion.runtime also allows publishers and developers to incorporate new ad placements into their titles, whether first-run or back catalog, after the release of the game, creating additional revenue potential through the development of specialized programs, a capability Double Fusion refers to as “just-in-time advertising.” For example, if an advertiser wanted to put a branded 3D blimp in the sky across multiple titles for a Fourth of July promotion, and there were no pre-existing blimp placements, publishers using the fusion.runtime technology that wanted access to those advertising revenues would be able to easily place the blimps in their games, and have them disappear after the ad campaign was completed. With code-based solutions, the ad placements are locked once the game has shipped; fusion.runtime opens the door to a much broader, real-time development of custom, dynamically-served game advertising programs.
The technology, which is already being utilized by Ubisoft, NCsoft and casual game publisher Oberon Media, will be demoed by San Francisco-based Double Fusion at the Austin Game Developers Conference beginning Wednesday.
Consumer and technology research firm Parks Associates has forecast that the advent of dynamic advertising technologies such as fusion.runtime will help the US in-game advertising market swell from $514 million to $675 million by 2012.
 NCsoft announced today the release of Dungeon Runners‘ first feature expansion, Chunk #1, an ambitious content update that includes player-versus-player (PvP) worlds, support for multiple characters, item linking over its chat system, a new high level dungeon, and a variety of new skills and quests. Most of the features in Chunk #1 are available to all active Dungeon Runners players except for a new set of exclusive member-only servers that will come online with the new expansion release.
Dungeon Runners is a free to download and play online multiplayer role playing game in a fast-paced sword-and-shield setting, where defeating monsters and evil enemies results in piles of loot and treasure.
Topping the features of Chunk #1 is PvP action. The Dungeon Runners PvP worlds eliminate all PvE (player-versus-environment tasks) focusing solely on player-versus-player combat in a variety of maps and settings. Chunk #1 provides two PvP session types including group practice PvP, which focuses on small PvP free-for-all maps where players can hone their battle skills without a time limit; and group-versus-group death match PvP, which automatically pits similarly powered groups in seven-minute matches.
“The introduction of PvP combat to Dungeon Runners rounds out the features that MMO players expect to see in their RPG games,” said Stephen Nichols, NCsoft’s producer and lead programmer for Dungeon Runners. “Even though we provide most of our game for free, we are still able to regularly deliver large blocks of feature content and this is just the first of many additions to the game our players will see. Chunk #1, which includes PvP, will add a whole bunch of new content that will give every one of our players new challenges and new opportunities to have fun.”
 Chunk #1 will also give players up to three characters for each account created so they can play multiple characters in a variety of shapes, sizes and sexes. “It is common in MMOs for boys to be girls and vise-versa,” said Nichols. “With multiple character slots, our players can take on whatever roles they like, depending on their mood.”
Additionally, Chunk #1 includes 70 new quests, several new armor sets and many new skills, including teleport, heal self and a skill that improves a weapon’s slashing ability, called “awesome cleavage.” A new, tough dungeon for level 75-100 players has been added where new quests, monsters and an all-new boss can be found. Chunk #1 will also allow players to trade items over their chat windows, which gives other players the ability to see the name and attributes of the items up for trade.
Dungeon Runners is free to play and download. Players can play for free or subscribe to the members version at any point for $4.99 a month. Members have access to more benefits including log-in queue priority, members-only servers, and access to the most powerful items, weapons and armor. Membership status also includes bank storage for hundreds of loot items and the ability to stack potions in one inventory slot to save room for even more loot.
Filed under PC News on August 21st, 2007 The Guild Wars franchise of online role-playing games has broken the four million units sold mark in just over two years. Published by NCsoft and developed by ArenaNet, the Guild Wars series (consisting of Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, and Guild Wars Nightfall) has set the standard for online co-operative and competitive play with award-winning content and a subscription-free business model. Since the first campaign launched in 2005, Guild Wars has developed legions of loyal fans who are hotly anticipating the August 31 release of the game’s first true expansion, Guild Wars: Eye of the North.
“ArenaNet’s fantastic work on Guild Wars has helped make NCsoft the leading online gaming publisher in the world,” said Robert Garriott, CEO of NCsoft North America. “Guild Wars players continue to join in droves and stay loyal to the franchise thanks to a business model that makes for a very accessible product. We are all excited about the future of Guild Wars with the expansion ready to be released and Guild Wars 2(TM) on the horizon.”
“Four million units sold is an impressive number and demonstrates that Guild Wars is a proven franchise,” said Bob McKenzie, Senior Vice President of Merchandising, GameStop Corporation. “The Guild Wars franchise delivers an outstanding gaming experience and is clearly an important part of our PC games offerings.”
In advance of the release of Guild Wars: Eye of the North, ArenaNet is hosting the Sneak Peek Weekend from August 24 to August 26, during which players can explore the frigid climes and encounter the wild beasts of the Far Shiverpeaks region. To participate in the preview weekend, players must purchase the Guild Wars: Eye of the North Prerelease Bonus Pack, on sale at retailers in North America and Europe, in the Guild Wars in-game store, and at PlayNC.com. Any loot, items, XP, and Heroes earned by players during the Sneak Peek Weekend will be available when Guild Wars: Eye of the North goes live on August 31.
Guild Wars: Eye of the North is the first expansion to the subscription-free Guild Wars franchise of fantasy online role-playing games. It features new characters, Heroes, items, and story content accessible to players who own any existing Guild Wars campaigns.
Filed under PC News on August 21st, 2007 NCsoft announced their plans for the Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa Limited Collector’s Edition, which will be released to stores in North America and Europe when the game launches this fall.
This special retail box offers customers exclusive in-game items, including a special character emote, exclusive dye recipes players can use to create unique armor colors, and a unique pet. Players who purchase the Limited Collector’s Edition box also receive a briefing from Richard Garriott’s alter-ego in the game, General British, classified maps, an Allied Free Sentients (AFS) field guide, Tabula Rasa dog tags, an AFS challenge coin and a special edition poster. The Limited Collector’s Edition also includes one month of free game play and a “Making of Tabula Rasa†DVD.
One of the most anticipated PC games of the year, Tabula Rasa is the latest title by gaming legend Richard Garriott and offers a strikingly new approach to the design of multiplayer online games by combining a vast, persistent game world and rich storyline with fast-paced action. The game introduces several innovative elements to massively multiplayer online (MMO) games, including a Character Cloning Systemâ„¢ that allows players to explore different character classes without having to create a new character. Dynamic battlefields and ethical parables make this MMO game incredibly immersive, where players really feel a part of the ongoing war effort.
Filed under PC News on August 9th, 2007 NCsoft, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, announced that the pre-order bonus pack for Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa has begun shipping to retailers. The pre-order box offers customers several perks, including exclusive in-game items and a three-day head start when the product launches this fall. Customers will find the pre-order bonus pack and digital pre-sale availability at various retailers in North America and Europe, as well as the NCsoft store at PlayNC.com. Richard Garriott is best known for creating the Ultima series, including Ultima Online, one of the first commercially successful massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) in North America. Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa, which is one of the most anticipated PC titles of the year, is set in an epic science-fiction story where players will be challenged by dynamic and fast-paced adventures on unique alien worlds.
Players who purchase the pre-order for Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa not only get a three-day head start on the live service, they also receive exclusive character emotes, exclusive in-game pets to accompany their characters, access to the beta test, and a DVD with the game client, bonus wallpapers and art.
“There is an amazing amount of anticipation for Tabula Rasa’s launch within our development team and the player community,” said Richard Garriott, executive producer. “The player feedback at this point has been extremely helpful and we’re putting the final touches on the game. This pre-order release truly marks the final stages in developing this epic adventure, and since owning the pre-order allows players beta access, it is a great way to try Tabula Rasa out before we launch the game.”
Please contact your local retailer for details on when Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa will be available on the shelf, or download it from the PlayNC store beginning Friday, August 10
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