The Funeral of WoW Gold

A new company in
California has acquired the rights to develop massively multiplayer online games based on the Marvel universe

A new video game start-up company is to take on the might of the World of Warcraft multiplayer online gaming franchise with the help of Spider-Man, Wolverine and Captain America.

Gazillion Entertainment has announced a 10-year agreement with Marvel Entertainment to develop online games featuring iconic superheroes.

Gazillion, based in San Mateo, California, will use some of the 5,000 characters and elements from Marvel’s films and animated series to create massively multiplayer online games (MMO).

MMO games, which can be played by thousands at the same time over the internet, are a fast-growing sector of the video games industry. The sector is dominated by Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, which has more than 11.5 million monthly subscribers. It has posted more than $1 billion in revenues in each of the past two years.

Video games have so far proved resilient to the recent collapse in consumer spending. US video game sales rose 10 per cent year on year in February to $1.47 billion, led again by Nintendo’s blockbuster Wii console.

Simon Philips, Marvel’s president of worldwide consumer products, said the company’s stable of more than 5,000 superheroes was “tailor-made for massively multiplayer entertainment that will appeal to a wide audience”.

“Despite the tough economy, the video game industry continues to grow, and MMO games for mass audiences represent the next big opportunity for the upcoming decade,” said Gazillion president and chief executive Rob Hutter. “This is particularly the case for established global entertainment brands like Marvel, which possess hundreds of millions of touch points with fans worldwide.”

Gazillion, which is backed by leading venture capital firms and includes talent recruited from Apple, Blizzard Entertainment, Microsoft Game Studios and Pixar Animation Studios, has set up four development studios, publishing operations and “partnerships with select entertainment brands worldwide”.

The first game in development is a casual MMO for younger audiences based on Marvel’s Super Hero Squad. It is due for release in 2010.

An MMO game for PCs and game consoles, thought to include the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, is also in development. Players are likely to be able to create their own characters for the game.

“The global online PC game market is expected to reach $19 billion in 2013, and Casual and AAA MMOs are expected to reach $11.8 billion in 2013, representing a growing shift beyond the core to audiences of all types and ages,” David Cole, founder and president of DFC Intelligence, said.

“The keys to success will be the ability to release products for a range of audiences and a focus on making games a quality ongoing service. As the market grows, large entertainment brands will play an important role in expanding the audience. Marvel has taken the lead in going after this emerging opportunity.”

Gazillion also announced plans to make MMO games with Lego characters in a deparate attempt to capture young gamers in the hope that they will go on to other Gazillion products when they get older.

Nintendo is leading the continuing resilence in the general video games market in the US, according to research group NPD. Video game software sales climbed 9 per cent year on year in February to $733.5 million, while hardware sales rose 11 per cent to $532.7 million. The Wii console led the pack as the top-selling hardware device in the month, moving 753,000 units.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was the No. 2 domestic console in the month, followed by Sony’s PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2.

Capcom’s Street Fighter IV was the best-selling game, moving a combined 849,000 units for the Xbox and the PS3, while Wii Fit was No. 2 at 644,000. That was followed by Wii Play and Sony’s Killzone 2.

“What it tells you about this economy is that there are a couple of categories of consumer that are just going to get what they want,” said Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter.

He said the success of Street Fighter IV and Wii Fit shows that the industry’s strength lies at two seemingly opposite poles: the young, hardcore male consumer and families.

MyGameMug started out as one of a bunch of social networks for gamers . Now it’s launching WoW Headhunter , which is a tool to recruit players for World of Warcraft guilds.

Many players have more fun playing the massively multiplayer online role-playing fantasy game by joining groups of player friends known as guilds. They go on missions together and share in the loot. WoW Headhunter is an intelligent job board that analyzes guild leaders’ personalities and then matches players. The service is free.

The service looks at 10 personality traits and then feeds candidates to the leaders. The company says this approach is scientific and reduces the time it takes to recruit candidates, which can take three to six weeks per candidate. Guild leaders take a short personality test and then start recruiting.

Matthew Low, known as Matticus, a guild leader and columnist for the WoW Insider web site, said that it’s useless to recruit people who don’t fit with a particular guild and that he welcomes the WoW Headhunter tool.

San Mateo, Calif.-based MyGameMug was founded by Ray Lau and Erik Yao, who are a couple of avid gamers. They started the company with the hope of eliminating the frustration they experienced over incompatible players in their favorite games.

Ray Lau, MyGameMug’s CEO, said that managing a WoW guild is very similar to managing a company or sports team. Bing Gordon, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, said recently that his former company, Electronic Arts, would often consider WoW guild leaders as management candidates. The company is funded by Tandem Entrepreneurs and LaunchBox Digital. The company has four employees.

Massively multiplayer online (MMO) gaming has grown exponentially in recent years. Titles like World Of Warcraft and Everquest have become more than mere games; to many, they are a way of life. Inspiring levels of dedication and passion like no other form of entertainment can, these virtual communities are ensnaring hundreds of new members worldwide on a daily basis.

With MMOs enjoying such phenomenal popularity, what better time to create another virtual world for online gamers to colonise? No doubt the folks at Gala Networks Europe had this in mind when they made the decision to import Korean MMO Dragonica to these shores. Digital Spy caught up with producer Max Stolberg to find out exactly what the game has in store for us.

It may not be household name yet, but Dragonica is sure to create a stir upon its release. Combining arcade-style gameplay with traditional MMO action, this side-scrolling 3-D adventure is completely free to play, but that’s not the only thing that makes it unique.

“It’s certainly not a traditional MMO as the whole approach is completely different,” explained
Stolberg. “Players will mainly move left-right and up-down even though you can move diagonally as well. The main difference is that all maps limit your movement in the up-down direction while players progress by moving to the right like in a 2-D side-scrolling game.”

Although it won’t be the first game of its kind set against a high fantasy backdrop where gods, demons, wizards and warriors are locked in an epic battle between good and evil, Dragonica offers an alternative to its competitors and is geared towards a very diverse crowd. “We are targeting a really broad audience addressing older and younger players alike, as the game combines a retro style with up-to-date graphics,” said Stolberg. “Due to the many fun quests and humorous skills like the fart attack, airstrike or Buddha squash, we believe parents can enjoy Dragonica as much as kids can.”

As the producer informed us, the game’s ethos is very much an inclusive one, with developer Barunson Interactive striving to create an accessible community for players of all ages to enjoy. “They wanted their game to be different from other side-scrolling games, though, and therefore chose a 2-D side-scrolling system with a 3-D turn concept and transformed this whole action-oriented jump and run experience into a proper MMO with all the up-to-date community features,” Stolberg elaborated.

One of these features is an in-game cash shop, where players can purchase a variety of character customisations, including costumes, novelty items and health. In order to keep the game balanced, the developers have ensured that players with money will rarely triumph because of their financial advantage. Important items like weapons and armour will not be sold in the store. There can only be obtained through completing quests, trading with other players or killing enemies. Players can transfer funds into their account using a similar system to other online stores such as Xbox Live or the Wii Shop.

When trailers for the game appeared on YouTube, some fans drew visual comparisons to role-playing games of old, such as The Secret Of Mana and Final Fantasy Tactics, as well as newer titles like Disgaea, but Barunson assured us any similarities are unintentional. Its simplistic approach and economical system requirements are, however, certain to strike a chord within the retro community. “We’ve even tested it with a SNES pad using a SNES-to-USB converter, which worked,” the producer assured us.

The game has undergone beta testing in three countries so far and enjoyed a positive reception across the board. “The last closed beta test in China saw a huge influx of players every day and the vast majority of comments were either really good or plain euphoric,” the producer asserted. “Despite that, Barunson decided to review the game one more time and added a couple of new maps, lots of more quests, and balanced the classes so that playing PvP will be an as good experience as with any pay-to-play MMO.”

Its first playtest in the Western world took place this month at the Games Fleadh in Tipperary, Ireland. The game was previewed to a group comprising school children, university students, parents, media and teachers. Feedback was highly positive, with players appreciating different aspects of the game depending on their age group.

“I looked at the game and thought it was cute, but as soon as I played it for two minutes, I realised that the gameplay is nothing like the other side-scrolling MMOs,” said one of the university students.

“At last, a game that I can play with my children but that I can beat them at!” a parent added.

Since their rise to prominence, MMOs have not been without their critics. World Of Warcraft in particular has been lambasted in the excessive gaming debate due to its high maintenance and time demands. With this in mind, Baruson has taken measures to ensure that Dragonica does not put such a strain on the social life. “There’re a couple of ways you can greatly reduce your levelling time, developing your skills with your characters, or playing as a group to get through sections of the game quicker,” said Stolberg.

“When we talk about skill, we talk about the action-oriented side of the gameplay; the bigger
the combo you are able to pull off, the more experience you’ll gain. Also, if you’re married in the game, have kids or play as a couple, you’ll also be able to level considerably faster. Dragonica has chosen a more casual approach compared to regular MMOs but it’ll still take some time to reach the highest level or equip your character with the best PvE and PvP armour. Otherwise, where would be the challenge?”

Dragonica is very much a long-term project for Gala Networks and Barunson. Major updates are planned “roughly every quarter” to ensure longevity and there has even been talk of console ports. “Developing console versions of Dragonica is definitely an option according to Barunson,” Stolberg revealed. “They, however, need to focus on finishing and polishing the game first to launch it in the many territories they’ve licensed the game to. For the time being however and once Dragonica is launched, you can easily just plug in an Xbox controller and it still works absolutely fine.”

The game is due to arrive in Europe later this spring, with Gala Networks holding lofty expectations. “We believe Dragonica can be a rival to any pay-to-play game and its unique style and approach combined with a lot of modern and even innovative features will only be the start,” said Stolberg.

“It has tons of quests, and fun skills await the player and until he or she has seen it all. We’ll have new updates ready with even more content. We think that as the game has controls that are easy to pick up, console gamers will be drawn to it as it offers a style of gameplay that isn’t available to them in other MMOs.”

Blizzard appears to be working on a fifth title according to two new job postings.

The fifth brand-new unannounced game surfaced last week following previous hints that Blizzard was interested in working on a completely new IP.

Currently Blizzard is working on Starcraft II, Diablo III, a new World of Warcraft expansion, a next-gen MMO, and a new unannounced game that may be a new IP. Blizzard hinted at developing a game based on a new IP back in 2006 when Blizzard COO Paul Sams commented: “I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new franchise from us at some time in the future; there’s certainly a desire to do so.”

Blizzard is recruiting again and have been looking for programmers on programming job site forums where two new positions have been advertised by Blizzard’s ‘Slouken’ who has been working on World of Warcraft, specifically with the UI and interface community.

The positions have been advertised stating: 

“Blizzard Entertainment is seeking an experienced gameplay engineer to focus on game rules systems for an unannounced title. This is your chance to get in on the ground floor of a dynamic and focused team working on a brand new project. Blizzard Entertainment offers a fun, creative, and technically challenging environment with excellent compensation and a full range of benefits.”

Based on these two new job postings for software engineers, we can assume that a new IP from Blizzard is in the works.

Nirvana for the video-game industry looks a lot like World of Warcraft, except without the arcane rules that mystify the average player. That vision is the driving force behind “Lego Universe,” a new online game based on the building bricks franchise scheduled for release in 2010. Developed by a San Mateo,
Calif., company called Gazillion Entertainment, the game is designed so even a 5-year-old and his grandfather can play together. Gazillion, which has been operating in stealth since 2005, is also working on an online superhero game based on its license with Marvel Entertainment. The goal is to make virtual-world games that anyone can play. It’s a financially hazardous terrain, explored by many companies before Gazillion, including NC Soft, whose “Tabula Rasa” game, designed by Ultima Online creator Richard Garriott, shut down March 1. These types of games are difficult and expensive to build. They’re even more arduous to maintain once tens of thousands of players pile in.
The potential payoff is a pot of wow gold. Consider “World of Warcraft,” developed by Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine, Calif. It has 11.5 million subscribers, each paying about $15 a month to play. That’s $172.5 million a month in fees alone. The disc, which appears regularly on the weekly list of 10 best-selling PC games even though it’s 4 years old, brings in another $20 a copy. It’s no surprise that the game genre, known as massively multiplayer online games, or MMOs, is a hotbed of development. MMORPG.com lists 253 such games, many of which are in development. With such a crowded field, one way to cut through the noise is a well-known license. Lego and Marvel fit that bill, said Ted Pollak, senior analyst with Jon Peddie Research in San Francisco. “I think there is a big opportunity for mass-market MMOs, especially when they are connected to recognized brands,” Pollak said. But, he warned, “the quality of the game must be top-notch, which is not an easy undertaking.”

Gazillion Chief Executive Rob Hutter said his company had recruited 300 developers, many of whom have worked for Sony Online Entertainment, Blizzard, NC Soft, Walt Disney and other seasoned MMO studios.

Among the changes Gazillion made: shorter game sessions so players can jump in and out in 5 or 10 minutes, easier ways to move around the virtual world, more intuitive menus and fun ways to interact.

The Logitech G19 is a feature-loaded gamer’s dream-keyboard — but at $200 it’s definitely not for the light of wallet.

The G19 has a standard, straight keyboard layout. It’s main selling feature — and the one that no doubt drives its price up the most — is that it’s also equipped with a tiltable 320×240 LCD.

The LCD can be used to display all kinds of information. Not counting nearly 80 games — including World of Warcraft — that directly support the LCD to display in-game information and statistics –  out of the box you can use the LCD to display a clock, play Youtube videos, run a picture slideshow, or even check your POP3 email.

The only downside to the LCD is that it requires a power supply, so the G19 will add a little extra cabling to your setup.

Immediately to the right of the LCD at the back of the keyboard are two USB 2.0 connections — great for Logitech’s G35 headset and G9x Laser mouse, for example — for the perfect Logitech PC gaming ‘triumvirate.’

Like Logitech’s G9x Laser mouse and G35 gaming headset, the G19 keyboard is highly customizable. For starters, the G19 arms you with twelve programmable ‘G keys’ (G1-G12) that sit along the left-hand side of the keyboard.

Each G-key can be assigned a keystroke,  a pre-made macro, or a custom-made, complex, multi-keystroke macro — perfect for MMOs and real-time strategy games in particular.

The G19 also supports up to three separately stored profiles, so you can have up to 36 macros (12 per profile) stored at one time. The color of the backlight — which can be nearly any color — can be different for each profile. Switching profiles is as easy as hitting the M1, M2, or M3 buttons located at the top of the G-keys.

A set of media-keys and a conveniently placed, ergonomic roller for volume adjustment sits just above the number pad. Another convenience is a dedicated slider switch  for disabling the Windows key –  something any gamer will immediately appreciate.

Personally, I have to confess that I miss a dedicated set of programmable gaming keys like the Ideazon Merc Stealth has. I also found the G19’s keys to be a little ‘mushier’ than I prefer for general typing, but that’s a highly subjective preference. I like the LCD panel, although I don’t have any games that directly support it yet — but it’s still handy for its clock, POP3 and other functions. The LCD is crystal clear and has a very sharp image. I look forward to seeing what this puppy can do. (Can I be the first to ask for a ‘rear view mirror’ function for 3D shooters?)

Minor faults aside,  there’s no question about the G19’s greatness. And the LCD function — which is currently supported by World of Warcraft and more than seventy other games — definitely has a lot of potential. Whether or not major PC game developers  jump into supporting it in the future is another question.

Overall, the real question about the G19 isn’t whether or not it’s awesome — it’s just whether or not you’re willing to spend $200 (the cost of a good video card or other system upgrade(s) to get all that awesome. If you are, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Aside from slaying monsters and engaging in epic quests, Anthropology graduate student Caroline Whippey sees similarities between the mythical characters in the online role-playing game World of Warcraft and the lives of its 11.5-million player base

Whippey has played games – including online gaming in recent years - her entire life so it wasn’t a stretch when she decided to focus on the industry for her master’s degree. It was in November 2006, while Whippey was in her final year of undergrad, when she was introduced to the World of Warcraft and she was instantly hooked.

Finding little academic literature on the subject, she decided to use her anthropology background to examine how players bring their values, perceptions and experiences to the game when they are playing or interacting with others. More specifically, her research focuses on race, ethnicity and multinationalism, sexuality and gender.

“Absolutely people bring their values and perceptions of real life into the game and it affects how they interact,” she says.  

In the game, players must choose which side to belong to – the
Alliance or the Horde – which are battling each other for control of the world. Users can participate in a player versus player server, which allows them to fight players of the opposite faction, or player versus the environment server. They can also form guilds or groups of people with common interests, and have virtual conversations with other players.

In this world of fantasy, Whippey says a player’s real-life personality can play a significant role in how they play the game.

“Most people that I have spoken with or worked with, don’t play another persona. They have their character but they don’t necessarily role play with that. Most people, I find, there is a part of themselves that comes across very clearly.” 

With online players hailing from all corners of the world, cultural differences sometimes make their way into the game.

“People do make negative comments geared to race,” she says, adding racial slurs have been used in general chat channels accessible by all players. “Usually at least one person will comment and say, ‘hey, that’s offensive.’”

Similarly, the term ‘gay’ has been used in a derogatory sense by players during online conversations.  

Whippey says some players apply gender-based stereotypes to the male and female fictional characters.

“I had a couple of women tell me they preferred for their gender to be anonymous or play male characters because if people knew they were female, they would treat them like they didn’t have as much skill … that whole ‘girls aren’t as good at gaming’ thing.”

Players can target others by attacking a lower level or vulnerable character, which is called ‘ganking’ and because death isn’t permanent in the World of Warcraft, some players ‘camp’ out over the body of a fallen character to kill them when they come back to life. “That’s a process of harassment, it can get very annoying,” she says. “If you are choosing to be in that environment (player versus player) it is a part of the game play.”

Most social norms that exist in real life translate to the game and regulate what is deemed acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. But, Whippey says there are no significant consequences to breaking these rules other than for other players to rebuff them.

Players can feel a sense of bravado and act in a way that would otherwise be socially unacceptable because their true identity remains hidden behind their character.

“Part is anonymity because you are playing a character, that’s what people see and they don’t connect whoever is behind the screen to the character. There is no way to know who is playing that person.”

For some players, such as those with physical disabilities, anonymity can be empowering.  

“Although there is some negativity, there are some positives about a virtual community and people being able to interact. It does cross geographical distances. It is a world where you are judged by what you say and do, not your physical appearance.”

As the World of Warcraft continues to expand, Whippey sees her research interests growing with it. She has applied to a PhD program, during which she hopes to further examine the gaming industry.

In spite of the similarities with real life, in the end, World of Warcraft “is a game,” she says. “It’s fun and I love it.” 

World of Warcraft

Known as WoW. Falls within a classification called massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Developed by California-based Blizzard Entertainment. The game, which follows three previous games from the same series, was released in late 2004 and is the world’s largest MMORPG in terms of monthly subscribers. 

Rich Vogel, who serves as co-director of the BioWare Austin studio developing The Old Republic for Electronic Arts and LucasArts, spoke at a recent South by Southwest panel about the differences between layered communications in text and speech.

The good thing about virtual worlds as opposed to real life, says Vogel, is that virtual worlds actually free up introverted people to talk to others. This was something he saw during the early day of Ultima Online.

“The barriers are lifted there for those kinds of people,” Vogel says of players who were handicapped, or simply nervous around other people, and are suddenly able to communicate without their normal difficulties.

When it comes to talking to people you don’t know, “you find that text is much more appropriate than speech. Another thing I’ve learned,” Vogel continues, is that people trust you more when you’re using voice instead of text. “When you hear someone…you get a much better feel for that person.”

Vogel says that most MMO players use voice chat to give combat directions. But he also says that he thinks it’s good for the game to have downtime between combat. “It gives you social time.”

As a manager, he discusses the difference between sending an email to someone on his team, instead of going down the hall and talking to that person. Talking is filled with emotion, whereas text is very sterile. “It makes me think about things. It slows them down, instead of emotionalizing them.” Vogel notes. And the same is true for players.

“Giving people place to go where they have common interests,” predicts Vogel, is going to be a big trend in future. “MMOs are just one way to do that.” He adds that virtual worlds, which don’t give people common goals, will lose users, “because they get bored and leave.”

“World of Warcraft has 12 million people playing because it’s a fun space to be in, and they’re motivated to be there.” Virtual worlds, by contrast, he says: “To me, that’s where the others have failed, [by] not providing that…”

Vogel remains skeptical about user-generated content, saying “We rely on others to entertain us.” Citing BioWare’s Neverwinter Nights series, well-known of letting players create their own levels, he states that only 2 percent to 3 percent of users provide content that’s really good. While it’s good that people are making the content, it doesn’t reach a critical mass – simply because people are not good at entertaining themselves.”

After the panel discussion, Vogel answered some exclusive Gamasutra questions that give further insights into his view of social networks, and what console and online game developers can do to take advantage of a changing world…

Is Facebook going to kill World of Warcraft?

RV: No, I don’t think Facebook’s going to kill World of Warcraft. Because, I think, social networking has it’s own architecture set up for just that one thing. World of Warcraft’s a game. Social things happen in that game, but it’s a secondary thing, it’s not a primary thing in that game. It’s not the mechanic of that game.

It’s an experience designed specifically for a purpose. Where Facebook is an open app.

Are we going to see MMO developers have to adjust the type of game they make, or are they going to continue to make closed, immersive worlds that are very steeped in a specific fiction?

RV: I think closed immersive worlds attract people. A lot of people like direction. There’s a lot of people that like directed content. Because it immerses you when it’s directed. It pulls you in, gives you a story, gives you something to follow: people like that.

Now, what will happen, is they’ll have more social architecture built into MMOs then you’ve ever had before.

How will that look?

RV: How would that look? So, example… you may be able to chat with someone real-time on your iPhone. Or organize a place to meet [through] an iPhone app.

So even though it’s an immersive world, it’s become and more accessible? You can immerse yourself in the world, from anywhere?

RV: From anywhere. And that’s what I think’s going to happen. Web 2.0 applications on community sites forming are happening now, and will continue to happen. Applications, especially for the new iPhone, will happen.

You can find out where you friend is and what server he’s on, and talk to him. Or maybe even…help your friends out during trouble. If they need money, any assistance with the quest, you can go online and do that in real-time.

Will Wright famously remarked that he wanted to make Spore a single-player MMO. Do you think we’ll see more of that on the single-player side and the console side?

RV: More games are online connected. And my opinion is, it’s the future, and anyone that doesn’t go there will be dinosaurs in five years. Because what’s happening is, in the retail market, because of used game sales and other things, velocity of game sales drops dramatically after the first three weeks of launch. It’s a cliff.

Downloadable content keeps games fresh. So you’re going to see more and more single-player games going into downloadable content, or episodic content, or whatever you want to call it.

Are traditional developers working in the industry today equipped to make these products? What should they start doing to prepare?

RV: That’s the problem, right? You have to become not a box company, but service oriented, a community-building oriented company. Communities are very important. And they help things grow virally. People are going to have to change.

How do you change your thinking as an industry, or as a team?

RV: Quit worrying about copy protection, and start worry about how you get the content fresh on a game with downloadable content…but it means having a live team. It means your game doesn’t stop when you ship it, anymore. That’s a model switch that people have to get to.

So all games will become ongoing?

RV: Yeah, I think it’s happening now. If you don’t, you die, right? You see it, used games are going to kill you. That’s why the top 5 — not the top five percent, or ten percent, or twenty percent of games are making money anymore — just the top five are making money.

Could Blizzard add broad social networking elements, or let people get into the game on different platforms in different ways, would that increase the number of players?

RV: Yeah, absolutely. It’s about accessibility. It’s really an elasticity question. It’s about what people are willing to pay for, and what they get. It’s all about ‘is it a value proposition?’ If it’s a value proposition, people are going to buy it.

So the games that succeed in the future will offer the most connected elasticity?

RV: I’d say the future for single-player games as well as online games is value propositions. So if you offer the ability, and it’s accessible by many different ways, and you offer the ability for people to connect easily and get into your game, and they like it and they enjoy it, and they want to give that someone else, and you make that as easy as possible: then it will grow.