MTV Multiplayer

One-Liner: 'Warhammer Online' Designer On How 'WoW' Delayed His Game

Posted 9/10/08 12:00 pm EST by Tracey John in blizzard, mmo, Mythic, one liner, PC, Warhammer, world of warcraft

"We obviously had a major bump when 'Burning Crusade' came out. When [Blizzard] released that expansion, they raised the expectations of the player; they put in some of what we call 'water cooler quests,' the things that you talk about around the watercooler. We looked at the amount of content they put in that and said we need more time if we want to add some of those things, if we want our own water cooler quests or more water cooler quests. So our choice was to delay the game and spend more time on it. It was a major bump."

-- EA Mythic head and lead "Warhammer Online" designer Mark Jacobs, answering my question during a recent interview about what "bumps" the developers faced while making the game

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Mythic VP Explains What Went Wrong With 'Hellgate,' Why He Wanted 'Age of Conan' To Succeed

Posted 9/2/08 9:04 am EST by Tracey John in Age of Conan, Funcom, mmo, Mythic, PC, Warhammer, world of warcraft

Mythic VP and lead "Warhammer Online" designer Mark Jacobs told me some of the things needed to make a successful MMO. But he also said if you're looking to make an online game nowadays, the odds are against you.

"If you look at the numbers, MMOs have the highest failure rates of any entertainment product," Jacobs said. Going all the way back 11 years to the release of "Ultima Online," the first MMO to reach 100,000 subscribers, he said that there have only a been handful of successful MMOs compared to the number of them being developed.

I mentioned how the measure of success nowadays might be if your game still exists in a year. "It does seem that way," he said, "and it is just tremendously sad when you look at the amount of money and effort that goes into MMOs."

In our recent conversation about the state of online games, we also touched on why last year's "Hellgate: London" went under, and what the troubled "Age of Conan" can do to prevent the same fate.

EA Mythic: Activision Estimate That It Takes $1 Billion To Compete With 'World Of Warcraft' Is Overblown

Posted 8/29/08 9:03 am EST by Tracey John in activision, blizzard, ea, mmo, Mythic, PC, Warhammer, world of warcraft

Mythic VP and lead "Warhammer Online" designer Mark Jacobs said it wouldn't take a billion dollars for a competing MMO to take on "World of Warcraft" -- maybe only $100 million.

"When certain people throw out ridiculous numbers, you know they're throwing out ridiculous numbers because they want to scare off competition or they want to make themselves seem invincible and that sort of nonsense," he said, referring to a statement Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick made at an investor meeting earlier this year.

"Realistically, if you're going into this space for the first time, and you want to compete with 'WoW' and you want to compete with us -- because we're going into that same space -- you've got to make sure that you have at least 100 million dollars," he said.

When I sat down with Jacobs last week during a demo of the game, we talked about what makes an MMO successful. Having worked in the industry creating MUDs in the '80s, online games in the '90s, and Mythic's biggest hit "Dark Age of Camelot" in 2001, he had some advice for those wanting to make it in the MMO business.

So why is $100 million the magic number? Read More...

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Find Out What A Turkish Gamer Plays

Posted 8/28/08 12:06 pm EST by Patrick Klepek in International Gaming, mmo, Mobile

Gamers are everywhere these days -- even Turkey.

I learned this while taking in a short demo of the Turkish-developed medieval action RPG "Mount & Blade" yesterday.

Before this, I didn't even know there were Turkish developers.

Since I had one in front of me, I asked TaleWorlds co-founder Armagan Yavuz what Turkish gamers are interested in (other than his own game, obviously!).

Yavuz told me that cell phone and web-based games are very popular in Turkey. He also said an MMO set in Istanbul and a "Resident Evil"-like thriller also set in Istanbul -- are we noticing a pattern? -- are both well-known, though he couldn't recall the name for either.

Doesn't sound too different from what we play in the United States. Readers, what have you noticed people playing during your international travels?

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Five Impressive 'Warhammer Online' Features, From A Fan

Posted 8/27/08 12:14 pm EST by Tracey John in mmo, Mythic, PC, Warhammer

MTV News video editor Joe DeShano got a chance to play the "Warhammer Online" beta over the weekend. Here are his thoughts as a gamer and our resident "Warhammer" fanatic...

I sat down Friday afternoon on my computer, mouse and keyboard with soda by my side. I was ready for whatever was to come. I logged in. The patch loaded on my screen and then a splash page, "Warhammer Online."

I'll say this upfront: I loved "Chaos" faction. They always seemed to have the coolest miniatures and artwork. But I decided for my online experience I was going to go in a completely different direction though. The servers loaded and I noticed right away I had a problem getting into the game because of traffic. Finally I was able to get in and decided to play the "good guys." I picked a Witch Hunter (yeah, I'm that guy), battling for the Empire.

I clicked "Play" after a modest, but not-too-varied character creation and bam! I was thrust into the world of Warhammer.

Here are five things I noticed about Mythic's new game... Read More...

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My Weekend With 'World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King'

Posted 8/25/08 9:10 am EST by Tracey John in blizzard, Massive Weekend, mmo, PC, Top Entries, world of warcraft

MMOGs take a lot of time.

There's no way we can play them all, so what are we to do? In this periodic feature called "Massive Weekend," I decided to give an MMOG three days' time -- in between life's commitments -- to convince me that it's worth playing later on.

I recently had a chance to try the beta of the new "World of Warcraft" expansion "Wrath of the Lich King." Sure, I've already played the original game and the first expansion, "The Burning Crusade." But does "Lich King" add enough to retain my interest?

Read on to see how my "WoW"-filled weekend went... Read More...

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Mythic VP Brushes Off 'Warhammer' Credit Complaints, Wants To Talk To Anonymous Developer

Posted 8/21/08 5:08 pm EST by Tracey John in Giving Credit, mmo, Mythic, PC, Warhammer

Brushing off complaints from an anonymous developer who complained about a lack of credit for working on "Warhammer Online," the game's lead designer wants the ex-employee to stand up and let the world know who he/she is.

"If you really think that we're doing something wrong, at least have the balls to stand up and go 'Hi, my name is so-and-so,'" said Mark Jacobs, VP of EA-owned Mythic Entertainment.

He and I were talking about the recent Shacknews report that at least one ex-developer wants to sue EA for lack of credit. "[Leaving the person out of the credits] could be a mistake. I'm not saying it's not happening. I just don't know who the heck this person is. So come out, stop hiding behind the anonymity of the internet and the legal shield of 'I'm going to sue EA.'"

Jacobs and I discussed this during a longer conversation about just how creators of an MMO should and should not get credit. Read More...

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One 'Warhammer' Fan Gears Up For New MMO

Posted 8/21/08 12:14 pm EST by Tracey John in mmo, Mythic, PC, Superfans, Warhammer

MTV News video editor Joe DeShano is a gamer and "Warhammer" fanatic. Read on for his thoughts on the upcoming MMO...

I was eight.

It was Christmas and my brother was opening a gift that said, "To The Family; From Santa."

That gift was an Intellivision Entertainment System, and I had no idea what that meant. I quickly learned and became obsessed. Somewhere around the fourth hour of domination of "Tron: Deadly Discs," something got written into my DNA. I was a gamer.

Fast forward six years and my friend handed me a book called "Warhammer" by a company called Games Workshop. I was familiar with the company from a game I had played previously with him called "Talisman." So despite the fact that I thought he was crazy for buying a "game" that only had a book with no models or board, I decided to read it. I soon understood why he was freaking out. Read More...

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EA Open To Idea Of 'Harry Potter' MMO

Posted 8/18/08 10:23 am EST by Patrick Klepek in ea, Harry Potter, mmo, Warner Bros.

There are no more "Harry Potter" books coming. In a few years, there will be no more "Harry Potter" movies.

Will the production of new Potter games soon stop too?

"Lord of the Rings" hasn't had trouble living on past its literary trilogy, but we're only nearing the time where it's a concern for "Harry Potter."

Rumors of a "Harry Potter" MMO have circled for years. The setting fits perfectly. Earlier this summer, "Harry Potter" fan sites jumped on a Warner Bros. statement alluding they've been investigating the possibility.

The current Potter game producer, Electronic Arts, told me last week that they're interested in the possibility of a Harry Potter MMO, too. "I think there could be a fun MMO with Harry Potter," said "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" executive producer Jonathan Bunney.

Of course, that doesn't mean a "Harry Potter" MMO is actually coming. Bunney told me they're completely focused on finishing "Half-Blood Prince" and approaching the difficulties of "Deathly Hallows" being split into two movies. I'll have more on that later this week.

That said, do you want an massively multiplayer "Harry Potter" experience?

[Image Credit: Warner Bros.]

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'Perfect World' -- The Only MMO With 'Devil May Cry''s Nero Riding On A Velociraptor

Posted 8/15/08 2:05 pm EST by Patrick Klepek in mmo

Even though I've yet to sit down with an MMO, the genre fascinates me. I often find myself sitting in on demos of MMOs, knowing I won't try the finished game.

But Perfect World Entertainment gave me a compelling reason to try "Perfect World International" when it launches into beta next week: the possibility of witnessing "Devil May Cry"'s Nero [Not Dante!] riding a velociraptor and -- wait for it -- "Tekken"s Heihachi on a giant snake.

I may have just blown your mind.

Perfect World product manager Jon Belliss showed me both fan creations earlier this week, and I begged him to send me screens to share with all of you. You've already witnessed Dante, but for a look at Heihachi, keep reading.

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