Tuesday, August 16, 2011
The Secret World launching April 2012
The secret is out: Funcom announced today at Gamescom that it will launch The Secret World in April 2012.
Funcom hereby announces that the modern-day, Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMO), 'The Secret World' will launch on the PC-platform in April, 2012.
Starting August 26th, gamers can also register to join the upcoming stages of beta, through an interactive social media campaign that will be made available on www.thesecretworld.com.
For more information, visit the official website at www.thesecretworld.com.
Zürich, 16 August, 2011
Funcom N.V.
This information is subject of the disclosure requirements acc. to § 5-12 vphl (Norwegian
Securities Trading Act)
Guild Testing Program Details
We are very pleased to announce the start of Guild Testing for STAR WARS: The Old Republic! This program will allow guilds to be considered as a whole for inclusion in the Game Testing Program, allowing us to gather important data regarding how guilds play The Old Republic, as well as how organized groups deal with various mechanics and systems in the game. The program is already underway, as we’ve invited the first wave of guilds into testing, however we’ll be adding more over the coming weeks alongside the general Game Testing invites.
How do I sign my guild up for Guild Testing?
All you need to do in order to have your guild considered for Guild Testing is to have an active guild with at least 10 members registered in our Guild Headquarters. We also recommend creating a recruitment thread on our forums, but please make sure you are following the Recruitment Guidelines we’ve set forward. Guilds that spam recruitment messages after multiple warnings, for example, will not be considered for Guild Testing.
How are guilds selected for Guild Testing?
In general, guild testing is done randomly from all eligible guilds (that is, those with at least 10 registered members in the Guild Headquarters). Throughout the program, we will be looking to let in both large and small guilds, so as long as your guild meets the minimum requirement, you have an equal chance of being invited to testing. In addition, we may, at our discretion, choose a few select guilds that are active and helpful in the community, since we could use that sort of helpfulness in-game and on the Testing Forums. Note that this will be done in rare circumstances, in order to reward our dedicated community members. Please do not contact any BioWare staff requesting access to Guild Testing, or else your guild may be removed from consideration.
How do I know if my guild has been selected for Guild Testing?
Guild leaders will be contacted directly with detailed instructions when their guild gets selected for testing. It'll be their job to pass the appropriate information to the rest of their guild in order for everyone to be sent testing invites.
What is involved in Guild Testing?
Guild Testing works the same way as Game Testing does, however by being invited as a guild, you gain the advantage of being in the same testing group and being on the same server, allowing for more coordination amongst the guild for testing group content. You’ll still be a part of the general Game Testing population as well, and will have access to the general testing forums as everyone else does.
Are European guilds eligible for Guild Testing?
European Guild Testing will begin at the same time the European Testing Program begins in the near future.
How do I sign my guild up for Guild Testing?
All you need to do in order to have your guild considered for Guild Testing is to have an active guild with at least 10 members registered in our Guild Headquarters. We also recommend creating a recruitment thread on our forums, but please make sure you are following the Recruitment Guidelines we’ve set forward. Guilds that spam recruitment messages after multiple warnings, for example, will not be considered for Guild Testing.
How are guilds selected for Guild Testing?
In general, guild testing is done randomly from all eligible guilds (that is, those with at least 10 registered members in the Guild Headquarters). Throughout the program, we will be looking to let in both large and small guilds, so as long as your guild meets the minimum requirement, you have an equal chance of being invited to testing. In addition, we may, at our discretion, choose a few select guilds that are active and helpful in the community, since we could use that sort of helpfulness in-game and on the Testing Forums. Note that this will be done in rare circumstances, in order to reward our dedicated community members. Please do not contact any BioWare staff requesting access to Guild Testing, or else your guild may be removed from consideration.
How do I know if my guild has been selected for Guild Testing?
Guild leaders will be contacted directly with detailed instructions when their guild gets selected for testing. It'll be their job to pass the appropriate information to the rest of their guild in order for everyone to be sent testing invites.
What is involved in Guild Testing?
Guild Testing works the same way as Game Testing does, however by being invited as a guild, you gain the advantage of being in the same testing group and being on the same server, allowing for more coordination amongst the guild for testing group content. You’ll still be a part of the general Game Testing population as well, and will have access to the general testing forums as everyone else does.
Are European guilds eligible for Guild Testing?
European Guild Testing will begin at the same time the European Testing Program begins in the near future.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
The Secret World at GamesCom
GamesCom 2011 is just around the corner and Funcom is gearing up to head over. Together with our co-publisher EA Partners, Funcom will showcase The Secret World to the public on the showfloor, as well as conduct press demonstrations behind closed doors.
In Hall 6 we are building a closed theater (you need to be 16+ to enter) where we will be doing a 20 minute live demo of The Polaris, one of the game's many dungeons. Five developers will be playing the game while our Senior Community Manager Oliver Kunz and our German Community Manager Johannes Rebhan explain all the details about dungeon crawling in The Secret World. Well, some of them, at least. We'll be showing combat, progression, the skill wheel, boss fights and more in this exciting live demo of the game.
Outside the auditorium there will be pods available where you can take the initiation test to determine what secret society you are most suited for.
Behind closed doors, press will be treated to a demonstration of The Secret World's secret society gameplay, including the first-ever reveal of the game's large-scale PvP where over a hundred players compete in massive, persistent battles. If you want to learn more, keep your eyes peeled for media coverage to hit during and after the show!
Both our Communications team and our Community team will do their best to keep you updated through the site, the forum, Facebook, and Twitter for the duration of the show.
GamesCom runs from August 17th until August 21st and is held in Cologne, Germany. You can find out more by visiting the official website.
Sunday, August 07, 2011
Friday, August 05, 2011
Mists of Pandaria - Next Expansion?
This isn't a book or anything like that. It appears incredibly likely based on previous trademarks obtained by Blizzard that this is the next expansion.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
WoW Subs Continue to Decline
While Blizzard has slowed down its World of Warcraft subscription churn, it hasn't stopped the bleeding yet: according to the company, the subscription count dropped slightly to 11.1 million worldwide during the quarter ending June 30.
Speaking to Activision Blizzard investors during a Gamasutra-attended conference call Wednesday, Blizzard president Michael Morhaime said that the decline -- now in its second quarter -- is to be expected after the release of a major expansion like December's Cataclysm, saying that "what we have seen is that subscribership tends to be seasonal and driven by content updates."
"So as we're heading further away from an expansion launch, it's normal to see some declines," he continued.
But that churn, while normal, is increasing with each new expansion as Morhaime explained back in May.
"As our players have become more experienced playing World of Warcraft over many years, they have become much better and much faster at consuming content," he said at the time. "And so I think with Cataclysm they were able to consume the content faster than with previous expansions, but that's why we're working on developing more content."
That new content, Morhaime said today, will include "major new raid and dungeon content."
"We believe that this new in-game content will keep the game fresh for current players, and provide compelling reasons for lapsed players to come back," he said.
Also helping to slow down the bleeding is the game's new trial system: in late June, the company changed its trial system: rather than its traditional timed trial, players can now play for an unlimited amount of time for free, though their characters stop leveling up at 20 (the current cap for players with all available content is 85).
The move, said Morhaime, has resulted in a "significant increase" in new account creations. While Morhaime says it's "still too early to tell" how often these new players become subscribers, the company believes that it is "an important direction for us to continue lowering that barrier to trial and reaching new players around the world."
Morhaime also says that the game's international expansion will help the churn: the company still sees big opportunities in China (where partner NetEase recently launched the latest expansion, Cataclysm), the country that claims the most broadband users of any nation in the world. He also said that the game has seen "great success" in Russia, and that the game's upcoming Portuguese localization should attract new players.
"Their economy has performed very well compared to the rest of the world during the recession," he said, speaking of Brazil. "We already have some Brazilians playing in English, but we think the market can be a lot bigger in Portuguese."
"There are other countries that we're looking at beyond these as well, but I don't have anything that I can talk about."
Despite the churn, overall revenues were up for the quarter ending June 30, at $313 million versus $299 million from a year ago, thanks to Cataclysm sales and its growth in China. Its operating margins were down, however, which Morhaime says is because the company is investing more into the development of new projects "that haven't necessarily been announced."
Speaking to Activision Blizzard investors during a Gamasutra-attended conference call Wednesday, Blizzard president Michael Morhaime said that the decline -- now in its second quarter -- is to be expected after the release of a major expansion like December's Cataclysm, saying that "what we have seen is that subscribership tends to be seasonal and driven by content updates."
"So as we're heading further away from an expansion launch, it's normal to see some declines," he continued.
But that churn, while normal, is increasing with each new expansion as Morhaime explained back in May.
"As our players have become more experienced playing World of Warcraft over many years, they have become much better and much faster at consuming content," he said at the time. "And so I think with Cataclysm they were able to consume the content faster than with previous expansions, but that's why we're working on developing more content."
That new content, Morhaime said today, will include "major new raid and dungeon content."
"We believe that this new in-game content will keep the game fresh for current players, and provide compelling reasons for lapsed players to come back," he said.
Also helping to slow down the bleeding is the game's new trial system: in late June, the company changed its trial system: rather than its traditional timed trial, players can now play for an unlimited amount of time for free, though their characters stop leveling up at 20 (the current cap for players with all available content is 85).
The move, said Morhaime, has resulted in a "significant increase" in new account creations. While Morhaime says it's "still too early to tell" how often these new players become subscribers, the company believes that it is "an important direction for us to continue lowering that barrier to trial and reaching new players around the world."
Morhaime also says that the game's international expansion will help the churn: the company still sees big opportunities in China (where partner NetEase recently launched the latest expansion, Cataclysm), the country that claims the most broadband users of any nation in the world. He also said that the game has seen "great success" in Russia, and that the game's upcoming Portuguese localization should attract new players.
"Their economy has performed very well compared to the rest of the world during the recession," he said, speaking of Brazil. "We already have some Brazilians playing in English, but we think the market can be a lot bigger in Portuguese."
"There are other countries that we're looking at beyond these as well, but I don't have anything that I can talk about."
Despite the churn, overall revenues were up for the quarter ending June 30, at $313 million versus $299 million from a year ago, thanks to Cataclysm sales and its growth in China. Its operating margins were down, however, which Morhaime says is because the company is investing more into the development of new projects "that haven't necessarily been announced."
Monday, August 01, 2011
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