Star Wars MMO Pricing Plan May Have "Some Twists" [Money]

For about fifteen bucks a month, you can play World of Warcraft or most other massively multiplayer online games. That’s the genre standard. Could the next big MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic shake that up? More

The Never-Ending Game: World of Warcraft’s Impact on Borderlands [Well Played]

It could become the never-ending game. Released nearly five months ago, sci-fi shooter Borderlands continues to dominate sales charts and, much more importantly, the attention of gamers. That’s because the people behind the game, Gearbox Software, keep rolling out new chapters for Borderlands, extending the mythology and fun of the game $10 at a time. “Our goal was to keep Borderlands on people’s minds, keep interest in the title and talk of the title high for as long as we could,” senior designer Paul Hellquist told Kotaku. So the team set out to create and release three sets of game-expanding packs that players can purchase and download online. Each added new characters, weapons, gameplay and life to the game. The result was surprising, even to Hellquist and the developers at Gearbox. Traditionally, Hellquist said, a game sells really well for the first two months and then those sales tail off, slimming down until it’s just a trickle. But Borderlands’ tail has been surprisingly thick. “We have been happy with the tail of the sales,” Hellquist said. “They are strong even though the game is four to five months old now.” That’s because every time Gearbox unveils and releases a new expansion for Borderlands, people go out and buy the game, sometimes rebuy it after completing and selling it back to a store. In Borderlands, players take on the role of one of four playable archetypical characters as they strive to survive the harsh planet of Pandora while increasing their skills and discovering new weapons. The game nicely blends the best of a first-person shooter with elements of role-playing games. To date, Gearbox has sold three $10 expansion packs for the $60 game. The expansion packs added a zombie island , new places to fight other players and, in the latest expansion , a new plot and missions that adds as much as ten hours to the game’s original 25 hour experience. And all of the expansions have done well, Hellquist said. “Borderlands’ downloadable content has been in the top selling paid downloads since the first one came out,” he said. “Every time another comes out the old ones come back on the list.” Hellquist said that when the latest expansion pack came out, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, all three packs made Xbox Live’s top ten list for game add-ons. The ever expanding nature of Borderlands and the way in which it has expanded are both experiments of sorts. The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned was a tongue-in-cheek way to shoehorn zombies, the popular antagonist in an increasingly diverse cross-section of games, into Borderlands. Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot , packed with new game modes and fighting styles, was the sort of add-on that one would expect in a first-person shooter. And The Secret Armory of General Knoxx expanded the game in the way that fans of role-playing games would expect, adding more story and more acreage to the game. Those expansions have also increasingly drawn inspiration from massively multiplayer online games, like World of Warcraft , Hellquist said. For instance, like many of World of Warcraft’s endless stream of expansion packs, Borderlands’ latest increases the maximum level a character can become in the game. The increase was something players were calling for despite only about 12 percent of them having actually hit the level 50 cap, Hellquist said. The latest expansion pack also borrowed the idea of a “raid boss” from World of Warcraft, Hellquist said, an enemy you can only attempt when you hit the new level cap. “We’re not short on ideas regarding Borderlands,” Hellquist said. “We’ve created such an interesting and rich universe to play with. There are not too many ideas where we would say ‘That wouldn’t fit in Borderlands.’” That even includes the possibility of new character classes, or releasing less expensive packs of smaller content. Despite Gearbox’s successes with Borderlands’ expansion packs, the team still hasn’t decided how far to go with it. Could they, for instance, continue to expand Borderlands’ universe indefinitely, transforming a traditional console game into something more akin to an episodic title? Hellquist hesitates to say. “We always try to not count our chickens before they are hatched,” he said. “It’s up to the public to set the expectations for the future.” Even with the release of the first three expansion packs, Gearbox was careful not to announce the titles until shortly before they were available. And Hellquist declined to say if they were currently working on new expansions for Borderlands. Ben Feder, CEO of Borderlands’ publisher Take-Two, was not so reserved, though, in a recent call with analysts . “Borderlands continues to build on its success in the market,” Feder said during the company’s quarterly financial earnings call. The Secret Armory of General Knoxx was the “highest scoring in the series.” “We will continue to support the title with more add-on content.” Perhaps this will become the new face of episodic gaming on consoles. Well Played is a weekly news and opinion column about the big stories of the week in the gaming industry and its bigger impact on things to come. Feel free to join in the discussion. [ Pic ]

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The Never-Ending Game: World of Warcraft’s Impact on Borderlands [Well Played]

Games Provide Comfort to Chilean Woman Pulling Through Quake [Feel Good]

A Chilean woman coping with the devastation wrought by last week’s earthquake has looked to games to provide some comfort and normalcy, and a fragile World of Warcraft collectible that somehow managed to survive is her symbol of hope. Karen, the gamer, was not near the worst of the shaking – she’s in Santiago, some 200 miles north of Concepcíon, the epicenter. It was still bad enough to toss fragile keepsakes and glasses and shatter them on the floor of her home. Except for that stein, a World of Warcraft “Blood of the Horde” collectible that only suffered some light damage to its flip top. Karen figured, if that piece of ceramic was tough enough to make it through, then perhaps her friends and family further to the south also hung in there and pulled through. “Only the top is a little mess up but everything its fine,” Karen said (in broken English) in a cathartic thank-you email to the stein’s maker, Taverncraft “I know its stupid but it was like … a little breath for me … we joke about it and the stein help us to relax in that moment …” She continued: All i wanna say that you made a good product and little stein give me hope, and have family in Concepcion and the other region that are the most affected for the earthquake and when I see the stein without a scratch for me was like … yeah maybe my family made it too… that day I couldn’t sleep… and only yesterday i have news all my family from the south are alive The MMO site ZAM contacted Karen and found she was playing Guitar Hero: Metallica with friends when the quake hit past 3 a.m. local time. In addition to her Warcraft gaming (she’s an Orc enhancement shaman, name of Taoren) she also plays Starcraft, and has organized FIFA 10 and Left 4 Dead gaming nights for her friends this weekend, to help keep everyone’s mind off the disaster, if only for a couple of hours. World of Warcraft Player Digs Out of Chilean Quake [ZAM. Image via ZAM.]

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Games Provide Comfort to Chilean Woman Pulling Through Quake [Feel Good]

China’s World of Warcraft Boss Steps Down [China]

The company licensed to operate World of Warcraft in China – home to 4 million of the MMO’s global installation base – still can’t find smooth sailing after being cleared to operate the game’s first expansion pack two weeks ago. NetEase’s project chief for World of Warcraft, Li Riqiang, resigned without explanation, the company announced. No replacement has been named. This latest disruption comes a couple weeks after NetEase had suspended all new registrations for the game, as it waited for government censors to approve the launch of The Burning Crusade. World of Warcraft China Boss Steps Down [GamesIndustry.biz]

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China’s World of Warcraft Boss Steps Down [China]

China’s World of Warcraft Boss Steps Down [China]

The company licensed to operate World of Warcraft in China – home to 4 million of the MMO’s global installation base – still can’t find smooth sailing after being cleared to operate the game’s first expansion pack two weeks ago. NetEase’s project chief for World of Warcraft, Li Riqiang, resigned without explanation, the company announced. No replacement has been named. This latest disruption comes a couple weeks after NetEase had suspended all new registrations for the game, as it waited for government censors to approve the launch of The Burning Crusade. World of Warcraft China Boss Steps Down [GamesIndustry.biz]

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China’s World of Warcraft Boss Steps Down [China]

China’s World of Warcraft Boss Steps Down [China]

The company licensed to operate World of Warcraft in China – home to 4 million of the MMO’s global installation base – still can’t find smooth sailing after being cleared to operate the game’s first expansion pack two weeks ago. NetEase’s project chief for World of Warcraft, Li Riqiang, resigned without explanation, the company announced. No replacement has been named. This latest disruption comes a couple weeks after NetEase had suspended all new registrations for the game, as it waited for government censors to approve the launch of The Burning Crusade. World of Warcraft China Boss Steps Down [GamesIndustry.biz]

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China’s World of Warcraft Boss Steps Down [China]

Oz Developer Watch: Firelight Technologies

Oz Developer Watch is back! We’re kicking off 2010 with a look at Firelight Technologies, a game audio studio in Melbourne which has worked on titles such as World of Warcraft, Forza Motorsport 3, and more.

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Oz Developer Watch: Firelight Technologies

This Warcraft Player Will Not Go Quietly Into The Night [Rage]

Authorities say this 27-year-old man, angered when his mother asked him to quiet down while playing Warcraft, choked her and rammed his head through a wall before his grandfather finally shot him. He wasn’t seriously wounded. Nerd rage’ll do that. James Swan (pictured) of Manatee, Fla. was drinking and playing World of Warcraft around 10 p.m. on Feb. 11 when his 50-year-old mother asked him to pipe down, as her three grandchildren were trying to sleep at that hour. Cops say Swan ignored her, and when she put her hand on his shoulder, he flipped the f—- out. The Bradenton Herald got the police report , and it says Swan grabbed his mother by the hair and threw her across the bed. She managed to get to the kitchen phone to call 911, but he tore it out of the wall, rammed his head through the hole where it had been, then threw her on the ground and started choking her. That’s when his grandfather – mom’s dad – got a gun from a gun closet. Still holstered, the gun misfired in a struggle and Swan was grazed behind the left ear. Before you get huffy, no one’s pinning this on the game, although it would boost MMOs’ street cred considerably. Pretty much everyone can point the finger at the demon likker. Meantime, Swan is in the slammer, probably pissed that his raiding party hasn’t formed up to bust him out. World of Warcraft Argument Leads to Violent Dispute [Hot Blooded Gaming] Image via Bradenton Herald .

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This Warcraft Player Will Not Go Quietly Into The Night [Rage]

Pandaren Monk Generates $1.1 Million Worth Of Wishes [Charity]

In November, Blizzard released a Pandaren Monk in-game pet for World of Warcraft on the company’s online store, with half of the proceeds from the sale pledged to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The $10 item generated $1.1 million for charity. The Pandaren Monk, an adorable little anthropomorphic panda that follows players around as they explore Azeroth, was one of two in-game pets Blizzard introduced in early November, the first virtual items for World of Warcraft offered in the Blizzard store. Both the Monk and Lil’ KT were priced at $10 apiece, but only the panda man there would split his proceeds with the Make-A-Wish Foundation until the end of the year. Doing a quick bit of math, that means that Blizzard sold 220,000 Pandaren Monks between the release in November and December 31st. That’s some impressive numbers right there. “We’ve had a long relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and we’re proud to support the priceless work they do for children,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “This donation also reflects the spirit and generosity of our players – their enthusiasm for World of Warcraft and for supporting a good cause made this possible.” Let’s keep in mind that this promotion also generated $1.1 million in sales for Blizzard, who I am certain didn’t spend that much creating an in-game pet. Everybody wins! Blizzard teasing aside, this is a tremendous show of support from World of Warcraft players, adorable in-game pet or no, generating an impressive amount of money in a short period of time for those who need it the most. “Thanks to Blizzard Entertainment and World of Warcraft players around the world, we will be able to grant the heartfelt wishes of even more courageous children with life-threatening medical conditions,” said David Williams, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America president and chief executive officer. “This generosity is helping us bring hope, strength and joy to children when they – and their families – are facing an unimaginably difficult time in their young lives.” Well done, WoW fans!

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Pandaren Monk Generates $1.1 Million Worth Of Wishes [Charity]

Pro-Activison analysts predict 6M Starcraft II sales

Pachter foresees 12 million in sales for World of Warcraft developer’s catalog; Wilson thinks RTS will go sextuple-platinum, Greenwald also bullish on publisher.

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Pro-Activison analysts predict 6M Starcraft II sales

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