Arc Games has gone on record to announce the official closure date of action MMORPG, RaiderZ, following spotty server issues after the closure of developers, MAIET Games. The final day of service is set as August 7th, at 10am PT.

All zen purchases dating back to May 7th will be refunded, and all active players can expect 1,000 Zen to use from now until servers close. All cash shop items will be reduced to 1 zen so you can go hog wild with that currency.

MAIET’s other title, GunZ 2, seems to show some promise of continuation under a new GunZ 2 Team. Though details are tenuous and only found through some brief comments on Steam, players have some hope to see this title return.

Today Stardock announced the availability of the Galactic Civilizations III 1.1 update which adds Steam® Workshop integration along with two new difficulty levels and UI improvements.

Players who design their own ships or create custom factions can now easily share their creations with other Galactic Civilizations III players for free through the Steam Workshop platform. Stardock supported user created content in Galactic Civilizations III back when the game was still in development by holding contests to encourage the community to take advantage of the game’s robust ship and faction customization features. Steam workshop support is the next logical evolution for the Galactic Civilizations III customization community.

“The ability to create custom factions and design your own ships was always core to Galactic Civilizations III. Now players can easily share their creations so that each universe is unique,” said Stardock’s VP of Entertainment Derek Paxton. “There are already over 400 factions and ships available for free download on Steam Workshop, created by Stardock or the Galactic Civilizations III community. You can download and play as Ghosts of Abbadon, who have ruined their home world and are setting out to find another, or download the terrifying Drengin World Eater ship.”

In addition to the free update, Galactic Civilizations III’s Map Pack DLC is also available and includes eight all new maps for players to conquer.

The new maps; Six Pillars, Clash, Snowflake, Core, Joust, Quadrants and Round Table, range in size from gigantic 18 player areas to intimate maps perfectly sized for two-player duels as well as the new Milky Way scenario. Players can also design their own galaxies with the all new map editor which is also included with the DLC. The Map Pack DLC is free for all Galactic Civilizations III Elite Founders and $4.99 for other players.

For more information about Galactic Civilizations III, the 1.1 update and the Map Pack DLC, please visit www.galciv3.com.

French/Swedish developer Lightbulb Crew, today announced the launch of its all-new Spectating client and pause feature for popular free-to-play MOBA-Shooter, Games of Glory.  The first steps in making Games of Glory eSport ready, these new features enhance the game, making competition at much higher levels possible.

The first iteration of the new Spectating client, Spectator mode, lifts the fog of war allowing full visibility over both teams.  As this initial version does not include a delay feature, group leaders will be able to choose whether or not each match is open for “spectating”. All players will be able to watch the open matches of anyone on their friends list!   The new pause feature, in addition to being useful for awaiting disconnected and “away from keyboard” players, can also be used by teammates to quickly discuss strategy, weapons and item purchases. It is also intended as a mentoring feature, allowing team leaders to coach new players.  Additionally, “referee mode” allows a game referee to pause the game for an unlimited duration of time; most useful in tournaments!

“We made the decision to create a Spectating Client after seeing the success of our last few live onsite tournaments at Dreamhack Summer, Gamer’s Assembly, and Dreamhack France, as well as several online tournaments hosted by our partners AEFY eSport and ESL,” said Anders Larsson, Co-founder of Lightbulb Crew.  “We saw a need in the community to make Games of Glory more tournament friendly, and we look forward to now being able to host even bigger and better tournaments!”

Games of Glory’s spectator mode will be a continually evolving feature, with many new ideas already in development. Players are invited to give feedback on this first iteration in the Games of Glory Steam forums.