Posts Tagged ‘realtime worlds’

Rejected MMOs I want back – Part II

19 September 2010 | No Comments » | Ronix

We continue looking at games that, for one reason or another, were canned at various stages of development. Whether you actively played and enjoyed them or couldn’t care less about their collapse, every failed title meant fewer opportunities and choice for players, as well as a loss to the gaming industry in general. Refer to Part I, if you haven’t already done so, and follow along for more entries.

Tabula Rasa


Another Richard Garriot game, albeit canned by a different publisher. Tabula Rasa took what was at the time a fresh concept of mixing elements of a third-person shooter with traditional MMORPG gameplay. Coupled with a comprehensive Sci-Fi setting and a flexible career system, it is easy to see why gamers talk about the loss of the title to this day.

Despite having all those exciting features, the game was just not polished enough at release. According to the developers and the fanbase, if Tabula Rasa was given enough time to shape up and roll out a few expansions, it could realize more of it’s potential and subscriber numbers would rapidly increase. This, however, was not enough for the publisher NCSoft, which claimed that the game was not profitable and worth keeping from a business point of view. Tabula Rasa was estimated to cost $106 million but only made just over $5 million and clearly, the executives were not pleased. On 28 February of 2009, the game got the axe after customers enjoyed some time with it free of charge.

Middle Earth Online Continue Reading

Realtime Worlds Packs Up Shop

17 September 2010 | 1 Comment » | Amatera

When it rains, it pours. It was only yesterday that we learned All Points Bulletin was being shut down, and today the company that developed it is announcing the closure of their Dundee (read: only) studio. Realtime Worlds was supposedly in talks with many different companies to buy the ill-fated MMO, but over time, it seems that interest dwindled to the point where nobody wanted to touch it with a fifty foot pole.

Despite this, there’s still a small chance that one of the suitors could buy out the studio and resurrect the company, dumping its dirty baggage in the process. After all RTW did develop the original Crackdown, which was a fantastically fun open-world game in its own right. The formula, and the proposed pay scheme, just didn’t seem to translate into massively-multiplayer online gaming.

According to the language being used, it seems as though a small contingent of employees will remain to operate whatever business is left, but development is being cut completely. So says Joint Administrator Paul Dounis:

“We very much regret not being able to find a buyer for APB and by doing so safeguard jobs. Every possible attempt was made to achieve this but in the end no one was prepared to take the game on in its present form, along with unknown problems which they might then encounter.

“We are now looking to try and conclude a sale of the intellectual property rights and platform upon which the game has been built over the next few weeks. There may then still be an opportunity to minimise some of the job losses. We will be continuing to do everything possible to this end.”

We’re already aware of APB‘s fate, but where does that leave their other property, Project My World? As far as we know, the Sim City/Google Maps hybrid is still in the works, having been purchased by an unnamed, American third-party. Of course, such shyness combined with the closing of Realtime Worlds could push whoever holds the rights to quietly shelve the product and never speak of it again.

Our condolences go out to the folks losing their jobs to this fiasco. Things are financially tough right now, no matter where you are on the globe.

Another One Bites The Dust: All Points Bulletin Comes “To A Premature End”

16 September 2010 | 2 Comments » | iTZKooPA

I really, really hate that I am able to resurrect this column but here it is.  According to Ben ‘APBMonkey’ Bateman, a community officer for All Points Bulletin, the shooting MMOG is done.  The post doesn’t specify if the entire game is shutting down, or just the European server, but considering the well-publicized struggles and the fact that Realtime Worlds is based in Europe, the whole kit and kaboodle is likely going the way of the Dodo (which we murdered, in case you didn’t know).

In case you missed the struggle, here’s a synopsis from around the web in chronological order:

That’s it.  The game didn’t even make it three months.  Grab your Big Gulp and let some hit the floor for another fallen comrade.

The MMO Label — What’s In A Name?

1 September 2010 | No Comments » | Ronix

The last couple of years in the MMO industry have been interesting, to say the least. As gaming in general has become more mainstream, online integration has greatly increased in availability and significance in modern media. With the success of games on various social networks such as Facebook, more and more companies are looking at the MMO market as the next logical step; and where attention goes, money usually follows.

While there are certainly positive aspects to this process, one of the downsides is that a number of announced titles seem to have the MMO label slapped on simply for the sake of it. Some of the newer games under this heading are arguably successful in their attempt to differ from the traditional notion of MMOs and the way we view them today. Others, however, seem to use the concept of persistence as a gimmick and never really deliver on the MMO front while still attempting to charge customers the same price of admission as other, more established games in the genre.

What essentially looks like developers pigeonholing themselves into a sub-genre their game isn’t a typical example of actually makes sense from a business point of view. Under the MMO heading, a title may become a much more profitable undertaking and attract more interest from investors. The company then has opportunities to not only charge its customers for a copy of the product but also find additional ways to monetize it. It is also a smart move from a marketing point of view — adding an MMO label to a game has the potential to attract a new market and benefit from customers who might not have been interested otherwise, as well as give the title a way to differentiate itself from primary competitors (i.e. it’s not just another action game). Continue Reading

Realtime Worlds’ Creditors Put Out APB On Developer

17 August 2010 | No Comments » | iTZKooPA

Last week, rumors began to circulate that Realtime Worlds, developer of  Crackdown and All Points Bulletin was in a wee bit of trouble.  Actually, the rumors indicated that the company was in dire straits, laying off all of its employees for newly announced MMOG MyWorld and cutting dozens from other projects.  The gossip also whispered that All Points Bulletin, the just-released, open-world, player-created content MMOG would be put up for sale.

We laid off the report after reading a statement from the company addressing the concerns.  In short, the company stated that “we had to restructure the company to make it so that we can focus totally on APB. APB is still going strong and we fully intend to support 100%.”  Some MyWorld employees had been laid off, but the company said the APB staff was untouched and that development would continue.

Someone was blowing smoke, because GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that the company has indeed entered Administration Mode.  That’s not some kickass multiplayer mode or debug menu.  It means that the company is now legally allowed to duck calls from creditors as it attempts to right a sinking ship.

Begbies-Traynor Group is advising the restructuring process and is expected to release a full statement later today.

I guess the character creation and customization wasn’t enough gameplay to keep the game from hemorrhaging subscribers.  Or to get them to pay for “action” time.

Snarky comments aside, our hearts go out to those that have lost their jobs.

Lore Hound MMOcast 16: Google Earth with Mini-Games

2 August 2010 | 2 Comments » | LHStaff

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Join Amatera, Heartbourne, and pixiestixy for this MMOcast. This weeks topics are:

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Also, get involved with our podcasts! E-mail us at podcast@lorehound.com or leave us a voicemail using the button below or simply call us on the Lore Line, at (304) 884-LORE.  Remember you can follow us on Twitter for a chance to win a Celestial Steed mount, too!

Unusual Pricing Model For All Points Bulletin; Release Date & Pre-Order Incentives Inside

3 May 2010 | 3 Comments » | iTZKooPA

In the early days of the Internet nerds were actually charged per hour for access to the tubes.  Some of you were probably still having your diapers changed when this occurred (looking at you, Heartbourne).  Me, well, I was beginning to realize that girls don’t have cooties!  I digress.  A paradigm shift in Internet monetization happened thanks companies like CompuServe and AOL.  These start-ups began offering a bajillion free hours of usage as incentive.  Finally, the numbers were trashed and the service became unlimited, but with a monthly cost.  This is the same format that many MMOGs have used since the ‘internet’ stopped being a capitalized word.

Everyone (in the West) was happy with a subscription model initially.  Then more publishers and developers began paying attention to the lucrative genre.  As time has rolled on, additional companies have attempted to make a mark, from AAA endeavors to niche games with dedicated fans.  Us consumers began having to make hard choices.  Do we subscribe to MMOG A or MMOG B?  Both?  But then we run the risk of not getting our “worth” from the subscription fees.  What to do…

Electronic Arts and Realtime Worlds is taking the high ground for All Points Bulletin.  Subscription-minded players can do just that for only $9.99 a month (discounts for three and six month packages).  Interested in making APB your second, or third MMOG?  Then the pay-as-you-go method is for you.  Additional 20 hours chunks will run players $6.99.

APB will not offer 30 days of free play.  Realtime Worlds changes the payment game again by including 50 hours of “action game time” as part of the initial purchase.  That’d be your questing, maiming, murdering and bounty-hunting time.  Taking a page out of Global Agenda’s book, the customization and social aspects described in the PAX East preview are free, forever. It looks like we’re finally seeing a divergence arise in payment structures for mass-market MMOG, niche and AAA alike.

APB will be available June 29. Early adopters receive a bonus ten hours of action play, access to pre-launch events and exclusives emotes, decals, clothing, even a vehicle.  Beta sign-ups are still open.  APB is available for pre-order at Amazon now.

Tempted by having options and the segregation of content?

PAX East 2010: First Look At APB (All Points Bulletin)

1 April 2010 | 2 Comments » | iTZKooPA

Electronic Arts has been trying to reproduce the success of Ultima Online ever since the behemoth was released onto the unsuspecting masses over a dozen years ago.  The publisher has bankrolled numerous MMOs since, from space-faring expeditions to gear-head adventures, and alternate realities.  Most of the games did not come close to meeting expectations.  Electronic Arts hopes that APB (All Points Bulletin) will get the company back on track in 2010.

All Points Bulletin is being designed by David Jones and the company he founded, Realtime Worlds.  You may not have heard of Mr. Jones – no, he didn’t strike up a conversation – but you’ve definitely heard of his games.  Jones designed the original two Grand Theft Auto games, and, more recently his company created Crackdown (but not the upcoming sequel Crackdown 2).  Even more fascinating is that he created Lemmings years before.  Proving that his mind can work its magic across more than one genre.

The booth for APB at the PAX East was split in two, one side representing the criminals, and the other providing law and order in the GTA-style MMO.  I gazed upon the relatively sparsely populated world (the game was being shown on the closed beta server) as Chris Collins, the APB Community Manager, launched his spiel about the game.  He reiterated time and again that APB is being designed around three pillars, or the “three Cs” as players were told, Creativity, Conflict and Celebrity. Continue Reading