Entropia Universe AB, the largest Massively Multiplayer Online Real Cash Economy (or MMORCE) game, announced today that MindArk has made a decision to be more active in sharing its future development plans with participants.  Given the real-cash aspect of the Entropia Universe economy, it has historically been MindArk’s policy to be very careful when releasing information related to future development plans, mainly to prevent undue disruption of the economy. However, considering the plethora of information channels now available to participants to stay up to date on official Entropia Universe and Planet Partner announcements it is time to open the vaults.

Below is a summary of some of the projects the MindArk design and development teams are currently focused on:

Creature Control System Stage 1 – (Planned for June 2014 Release)
You may already be aware of a new feature introduced not long ago that allows officials and planet partners to control various creatures during special events. This system will be extended to participants in the form of Creature Control Capsules, consumable items that will allow you to transform your avatar into a specific creature for a limited time. This fun feature will be made available exclusively through the loot system, and will be monitored closely to prevent abuse.

Taming Stage 1 – (Planned for Autumn 2014 Release)
Some of you will be happy to hear that we plan to (finally) reintroduce Taming to Entropia Universe. In the first stage the core functionality will be quite similar to the original taming system, with added improvements to usability and fun-factor. Initially, pets will be to able accompany your avatar in its Entropia Universe travels, with more pet abilities and features planned for later stages (see below).

PVP Improvements – (Planned for Autumn 2014 Release)
Various improvements to PVP combat have already been implemented this year and more are planned after the summer, including adjustments to the landgrab and fort systems.

Taming Stage 2 – (Planned for Late 2014 / Early 2015 Release)
In this stage it is planned to implement additional skill-based taming abilities that will expand the capabilities of tamed creatures beyond the pre-VU10 taming system. In addition, a limited number of stables will be made available that will fulfill various roles within the taming system such as stabling, feeding, expert training, trading and more.

Creature Control System Stage 2 – (Planned for Winter 2014 Release)
Through a new Battle Octagon interface, your avatar will be able to control various creatures and challenge other avatars to battle in special CCS octagons. With lots of options for attack and defense customization, each battle promises to be unique and exciting, especially considering the possibility of creatures and robots from different planets engaging in reckless combat against one another!

Taming Stage 3  – (Planned for Early 2015 Release)
Battle Arenas will be introduced which will allow tamed creatures to battle one another. Each battle will be unique, with a wide range of offensive and defensive pet buffs and upgrades along with customizable attack and defense profiles.

Web-Based Battle Arena – (Planned for Early 2015 Release)
A web-based Battle Arena game is planned for early 2015. The game will be developed as a cross-platform solution available on the web and for mobile devices, and will have direct ties to the Entropia Universe taming system. Players will have the opportunity to acquire, upgrade and customize their pets for battle against the pets of others.

Entropia Universe participants will have the ability to acquire Battle Arena Deeds and share in the revenue and excitement of the Battle Arena action. 200,000 Battle Arena Deeds will be offered via the Entropia Universe in-game auction and upcoming webshop at 100 PED each. Revenues generated from the Battle Arena Deed offering will be used exclusively for Battle Arena development and marketing. More detailed information about the Battle Arena Deeds will be made available very soon.

Affiliate System – (Planned for Early 2015 Release)
Work is moving forward on the affiliate program mentioned in the State of the Universe Address 2014, though the expected release date has been revised to 2015 due to integration requirements with other planned projects.

Citizenship & Political System – (Planned for Early 2015 Release)
The announced political and housing system is still in the initial design and development stage. As with the taming system, we expect to roll out this system in several stages during 2015. Further information will be made available as each development milestone draws closer.

Client & Server Stability
MindArk’s highest priority during the next several releases will be improving stability of the Entropia Universe client. Several of the most common causes of recent client crashes have been identified and our developers are hard at work on resolving those to improve the Entropia Universe experience for all participants.

New Player Experience
Ongoing improvements to the New Player Experience have been implemented with every platform and planet partner release so far this year. These efforts will continue to be a top priority during the rest of 2014 and into 2015 in order to maximize the marketing efforts of MindArk and the planet partners.

Entropia Universe is the largest Massively Multiplayer Online Real Cash Economy (MMORCE) game in the world. Players have no monthly costs, but deposit and withdraw real funds for their adventures on any planet in the Entropia Universe. For more information on Entropia Universe or to download the free game please visit www.entropiauniverse.com.

Want to know what’s coming next in Shadowrun Online? Want to argue why street samurai are better than shamans? Are boxers or briefs better for game development?

The developers of Shadowrun Online, Cliffhanger Productions, are holding a live Q&A open to everyone on Google+ Hangouts to chat about development and take your questions.

When:
Wednesday, June 4, 2:59pm PDT / 11:59pm CEST
How to join:
1. Follow this Link: https://plus.google.com/events/cliof50ipdaaiktco1a681292kk
2. Install the Plugin: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/hangoutplugin
3. Watch the video live
4. Ask questions using the Q&A Panel

For more info, visit http://www.shadowrun.com/shadowrun-online/

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced that Erin Loelius of Manasquan, N.J., has been named the winner of the 2014 Gamers in Real Life (G.I.R.L.) Scholarship. The scholarship program, currently in its seventh year, was established to encourage women to pursue careers in the video game industry in areas of development and design.

A student at California Institute of the Arts (Valencia, Calif.) and an avid gamer who has always found video game art to be a source for inspiration, Loelius has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship to use for her college tuition and other educational expenses. In addition, she will spend 10 weeks on a paid internship at SOE’s headquarters in San Diego this summer. During her internship, Loelius will work on two of SOE’s most anticipated titles, Landmark™ and EverQuest Next™, working alongside Rosie Rappaport, current senior art director for both titles and original art director for the classic EverQuest.

“I grew up playing games, so inspiration from video games has always found a way into my art, and that’s what makes this internship opportunity so amazing and fitting,” said 2014 G.I.R.L. winner Erin Loelius. “Someday I hope to collaborate on games with the same quirkiness and whimsy of games I grew up on. I’d love to create something that pushes people’s imaginations and makes them remember their gaming childhood.”

As part of the G.I.R.L. competition, finalists were asked to submit two pieces of original concept art inspired by either PlanetSide 2^® or the EverQuest^®franchise, and an essay discussing their views on women in the gaming industry. The submission was reviewed by a panel of judges and game art/development executives from Sony Online Entertainment. Loelius’s winning art entry was inspired by the characters and environments in the EverQuest franchise.

“SOE has prided itself on being a major catalyst of women’s involvement in our industry,” said Laura Naviaux, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. “As our company continues to evolve and diversify our portfolio, we’ve found it imperative to refine our approach with game art and development, seeking out varied perspectives from the current and future leading voices in the industry. The market for compelling and original online game experiences is rapidly evolving and as a publisher it is our responsibility to listen and celebrate the spectrum of play styles among our global community, and deliver innovation in art, design and technology.”

“Erin’s submission was best in class and we’re very excited to have her intern with the Landmark and EverQuest Next team this summer, working alongside Senior Art Director Rosie Rappaport,” said Joe Shoopack, Director of Artistic Development, Sony Online Entertainment. “It’s rewarding to see the SOE G.I.R.L. scholarship continue to help students achieve their career goals, and add their perspectives to the industry.”

Since its beginnings in 2008, the G.I.R.L. program has seen an exponential growth in the number of entries each year. The G.I.R.L. submission phase closed on March 19, 2014.

For more information about G.I.R.L., please visit www.girl.soe.com.

Kabam, a world leader in free-to-play games for traditional players, today announced that it has partnered with Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the premier next generation global content leader, to create a mobile game based on the global blockbuster movie franchise The Hunger Games.

Kabam will produce an exclusive role playing, card collection mobile game that will deliver the action of the blockbuster film into the hands of avid fans around the world. In the game, players assume the identity of District members sent on a mission in order to build their alliance, liberate their District, and rebuild Panem.

“Lionsgate has an unparalleled track record of developing and producing blockbuster movie franchises like The Hunger Games,” said Kabam Chief Operating Officer Kent Wakeford. “Partnering with Lionsgate, Kabam will build a mobile game that’s as much fun to play as the movie is to watch.”

The blockbuster The Hunger Games franchise, starring Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence, is a global phenomenon whose first two installments have grossed more than $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office, and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is the 10th highest-grossing domestic release of all time. The next two installments of the series, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, will be released on November 21, 2014, and November 20, 2015, respectively.

“We are so pleased to be working with Kabam to give the fans an experience like they have never had before,” said Danielle DePalma, Lionsgate’s EVP of Digital Media. “Being able to role-play with the mentors straight from the world of The Hunger Games will let fans feel as if they are in the middle of the action.”

The game will be developed in Kabam’s China studio, the same place where the hit movie based game The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth was created and went on to generate more than $100 million in revenue during its first year.

Deep Hollywood relationships and access to blockbuster intellectual property (IP) is a key differentiator for Kabam in the free-to-play games sector. Kabam is a leader in taking an established film and extending that brand into mobile and web games that create new levels of engagement for global audiences long after a movie’s theatrical run. Kabam has experienced massive growth since its founding as a games company a little more than four years ago. The company now has more than 800 employees in offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Kabam generated more than $360 million in revenue in 2013, a 100 percent growth over 2012, and predicts $550 million in revenue in 2014.

OGPlanet is excited to announce that the first Beta test for Dizzel, an eagerly anticipated new action shooter from Neowiz and NS Studio, will begin on June 20th. Players interested in joining the Beta test can register now at http://www.DizzelGame.com. Featuring fatality-style executions & multiple unique game modes full of hardcore shooter action, Dizzel will be entering the online, free-to-play, shooter space by storm.

One of Dizzel’s biggest draws is its visceral, hardcore action, featuring ‘Executions’ that give players the ability to perform a variety of unique fatalities on nearly dead foes, depending on the character and weapon they happen to be using. These Mortal Kombat-esque finishing moves can be unleashed in a variety of inventive game modes, which feature the ability to play as killer mechs or powered-up boss characters, or even engage in four-team firefights. From unloading your assault rifle in the face of your enemy to hacking them to bits with a giant axe, Dizzel’s bloodlust knows no bounds.

Dizzel is a hardcore action shooter developed by Neowiz and NS Studio. Set in the not too distant future, Dizzel features non-stop, heart-pumping action through a variety of unique maps and game modes. Resembling the over-the-shoulder shooter style of Gears of War, Dizzel bolsters a variety of powerful weapons, from assault rifles and shotguns to massive swords and axes, to slay your enemies. Combined with a variety of unlockable skills and power ups, the bloodthirsty soldiers of Dizzel leave a trail of carnage and bodies in their wake.

Once ready for battle, Dizzel features multiple exciting and unique game modes to unleash your onslaught of destruction, such as Predator Mode, where the player becomes an unstoppable force with intense boosts in speed and attack damage, not to mention a giant ninja sword for dicing through enemies. If this mode doesn’t satisfy your need for carnage enough, then take turns hunting down your foes as mechanized war machines. These killer sentinels know no mercy as they laugh at your attempts to destroy them with mere bullets while chopping you in two. If you’ve got a friend you can trust, you can band together against 3 other teams in a four-way firefight. For the more traditional shooter fans, Dizzel comes equipped with a standard array of other game modes such as Team Deathmatch and Demolition as well. Dizzel will sate your thirst for lead-pumping action, no matter what type of shooter fan you are.

For more info, visit http://dizzel.ogplanet.com/en/intro.og

WEBZEN, a global leader in next-generation free-to-play games is delighted to announce that Archlord 2, the upcoming dynamic PvP MMORPG will enter into Closed Beta in June 2014.

Starting today, all players who received keys may redeem them on the official website, http://archlord2.com. To do so, players should login to their WEBZEN account and follow the steps outlined on the website. New players can easily create a WEBZEN account on the global game portal www.webzen.com.

Although pre-registration has ended, it’s still possible for interested players to get a beta key through WEBZEN’s media partners and the official Archlord 2 Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/archlord2.
All keys will grant free access to the closed beta test. Amongst the first players to receive guaranteed beta keys are the true fans and committed Archlord 1 players.

CBT players will receive a special gift when the game goes into Open Beta, to mark their special status and as a token of appreciation for their support. As there won’t be any non-disclosure agreement, WEZBEN encourages all participants to share their Archlord 2 experience with friends and other players.

To find out more about the game, please visit the Archlord 2 official wiki at: http://archlord2.wikia.com/

NCSOFT® and Carbine Studios™ are reigniting the MMO gaming category today with the release of WildStar, the action-adventure sci-fi MMO that’s seriously going to shake things up. While officially launching today, Carbine Studios celebrated WildStar’s debut into the published world with a three-day Head Start early access program. During that time, WildStar received enough acclaim to firmly cement Carbine’s place as one of the top MMO developers of all time. Unlike anything currently available, WildStar delivers a beautifully animated and distinctive artistic style, robust housing customization, unmatched Player versus Player gameplay and high-action combat that truly tests players’ skill with its fast-paced, reactive telegraph system.

Additionally, the game showcases a distinctive personality that is humorous but laced with a foreboding undercurrent that implies there is more to the world than meets the eye. WildStar gives players the freedom to experience the game how they want, while providing an unprecedented level of exploration and discovery set on the planet Nexus.

“We couldn’t be more pumped for launch day to finally be here – this has been a true labor of love. But that labor continues,” said Jeremy Gaffney, executive producer of Carbine Studios. “Yes, we just launched what is quite arguably the largest MMO to date – launching chock full of levelling and elder game content – but now the focus will be doing epic regular additions and moving the world story forward. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”

For more info, visit http://www.wildstar-online.com/en/