THERE: THERE, an early “Social” virtual world launched in 2003, is shutting down, effective March 9th, 2010. (source: raph’s web site)

You can read a farewell letter at the official site from There.com CEO, Michael Wilson which lays out some reasons for the cancellation. Yep, shock shock, it’s money woes. Good luck to the devs and loyal players in their new endeavors.

“But, at the end of the day, we can’t cure the recession, and at some point we have to stop writing checks to keep the world open. There’s nothing more we would like to avoid this, but There is a business, and a business that can’t support itself doesn’t work. Before the recession hit, we were incredibly confident and all indicators were ‘directionally correct’ and we had every reason to believe growth would continue. But, as many of you know personally, the downturn has been prolonged and severe, and ultimately pervasive.”

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GILFOR’S TALES: Is GILFOR’S TALES the web-based MMO I’ve been waiting for? I’ve just uncovered this new, free-to-play, flash-based, online fantasy game and have dipped my first toe into its Beta waters. Is it deep? Is it too cold to swim around in for very long? I don’t know yet. Watch some video below and hit the official site for more.

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TERA: Yeah, you’re right. I wanted to get Bluehole Studio’s awesome company name into the headline for this post. Ahem…now, onto business.

En Masse Entertainment, a subsidiary of Korea’s Bluehole, has announced a new fantasy MMO entitled, TERA (The Exiled Realm of Arborea). The game features an art style that bears a resemblance to LINEAGE II (boasting the same Art Director) and promises “stunning graphics”, a “tactical combat system” and six races, only two of which are humans and elves.

Hit the official TERA site for the FAQ, newsletter sign-up and the usual media and early details. Glance below for a few choice screens. It’s pretty, that’s for darn sure.

“En Masse…is focused on selecting high quality online games and adapting, refining, and positioning them so they are perfectly suited for audiences in Western markets. Formed in 2009, En Masse is comprised of talented veterans whose collective portfolio reflects the most recognized and celebrated IPs from leading companies including Blizzard Entertainment, Microsoft Corp., Electronic Arts Inc., ArenaNet and NCsoft.”

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GODS AND HEROES: Stop the presses! Long deceased MMO, GODS AND HEROES: Rome Rising may be more undead than dead as of today.

Blues and Gamasutra are reporting that Heatwave Interactive has bought up the rights to Perpetual’s canceled GODS AND HEROES MMO and intend to refurbish and launch the game in 12 to 18 months. Heatwave Interactive, formed in 2007, is run by Anthony Castoro, who has worked on a wide range of MMOs, from ULTIMA ONLINE and STAR WARS GALAXIES to RF ONLINE and ARCHLORD.

I was looking forward to G&H and felt saddened after its 2007 death. While I refuse to get my addled hopes up at this early stage - I’m pleased to hear the news. Let’s watch how this one plays out. Here are a few ancient G&H screens below to jog your possibly fond memories.

“Gamasutra quote: …thanks to this new acquisition, Heatwave now has all of the assets and information pertaining to Gods and Heroes, including source code, as well as server logs and contact info for the 100,000 beta testers who participated in the game’s 2007 closed beta.”

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AGE OF CONAN: Here’s the latest trailer from Funcom and AGE OF CONAN. The video shows off the newness found in the ‘Rise of the Godslayer‘ expansion which currently lacks a release date. Enjoy.

” ‘Rise of the Godslayer’ will deliver a wealth of new content and features for players across several level ranges, all set in the fading eastern empire of Khitai - a mysterious and fabled setting within the world of Hyboria.

Continue your adventures with your existing character or start off fresh with a Khitan - an all-new character race. Unearth ancient treasures, battle new monsters and traverse the lengths and breadths of the world from the back of majestic new mounts such as the Tiger. Choose a side in the conflicts between the Khitan people, fight for your faction and reap the rewards as you unravel the story of the Godslayer!”

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WORLD OF TANKS: WarGaming.net have announced a new “MMO Action game” called WORLD OF TANKS. Have a looker at the humorous debut vid below and hop to the official site for further intel.

“World of Tanks is a team-based massively multiplayer online action game dedicated to armored warfare. Throw yourself into the epic tank battles of World War II with other steel cowboys all over the world. Your arsenal includes more than 150 armored vehicles from America, Germany, and the Soviet Union, carefully detailed with historical accuracy.”

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ALLODS ONLINE: Russian-made MMO ALLODS ONLINE hits Open Beta tomorrow, February 16th. Characters created during OB will not be deleted, so, for all intents and purposes, feel free to call this a “Soft Launch”.

ALLODS looks damn fine and has tickled my jaded attention span. I might be forced to check it out in spite of myself. For game info and the client download hit the official site. For in-depth advice and analysis click over to Keen and Graev. ‘Allo ‘Allo ALLODS!

“Demons have already started trickling in though our portal networks and it’s only a matter of time until they break through! The time has come for our great champions to step forward and defend our world!”

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RUNES OF MAGIC: Clicky click below for the latest trailer from the folks at RUNES OF MAGIC. The upcoming ‘Fall of the Demon Lord’ Patch 2.1.6 features the new Demon Stronghold instance, fresh open combat in Bloodbath Valley, additional Elven Elite skills and more.

“Join a security force of 12 heroes and take part in the new raid instance of the Demon Stronghold. Take your stand against the Demon Lord and bring his reign of terror to an end.

The people of Candara are counting on your skills and power. Your fate lies in your own hands.”

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LEGO UNIVERSE: NetDevil’s LEGO UNIVERSE is finally heading into Beta and looking for interested persistent block testers.

Hop on over to the official site to sign on the dotted line. Don’t get your hopes too high for immediate acceptance though - looks like it’s going to be a slow drip rather than a cattle call for testers right now.

“Sign up now for your opportunity to become one of our chosen heroes that must answer the call. Your mission is to test LEGO Universe for bugs, so prepare yourself to strap on your suit of armor and help your friends battle the dark forces of the Maelstrom!”

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FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS: Bethesda have unveiled a first-look trailer for FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS. We get some lovely CG and a repeat performance of Ron Perlman’s deep VO. No actual gameplay as of yet - but still exciting. The game is set for Fall 2010 and Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, and Games for Windows users are in luck. View it.

“Experience all the sights and sounds of fabulous New Vegas, brought to you by Vault-Tec, America’s First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation. Explore the treacherous wastes of the Great Southwest from the safety and comfort of your very own vault: Meet new people, confront terrifying creatures, and arm yourself with the latest high-tech weaponry as you make a name for yourself on a thrilling new journey across the Mojave wasteland. A word of warning, however - while Vault-Tec engineers have prepared for every contingency,* in Vegas, fortunes can change in an instant. Enjoy your stay.

* Should not be construed as a legally-binding claim.”

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Much has happened and much is threatening to happen in the world of persistent gaming of late. Let’s take a quick look at some MMO stories in the news.

Red 5 Studios have laid off workers and restructured. As a result, we may never see (here in the US at least) what the company has been working on in secret for FIVE YEARS! Kind of ironic. Red 5 at 5 years old basically cancels their game for North America. I’m disappointed. I’ve been paying attention for half a decade. Although it’s hard to feel too beat up when I never actually knew what it was I was looking forward to.

WONDERKING ONLINE, a free-to-play fantasy title from Ndoors, has launched this week.

GLOBAL AGENDA and STAR TREK ONLINE open for service in a few days. Early adopters are already busy leveling up.

Blizzard has revealed Season 8 Arena armor for WORLD OF WARCRAFT.

and BATTLEFIELD HEROES has added Vampires and Werewolves (watch below).

In non-MMO news; the fantastic MASS EFFECT 2 has already sold 2 million copies in the few days it’s been available and RED DEAD REDEMPTION has another must-watch trailer online. Have a great weekend!

Battlefield Heroes, Global Agenda, Mass Effect, Red Dead Redemption, Star Trek Online, Wonderking, World of WarCraft, gamebunny | No Comments »

DRAGONICA ONLINE: Here’s the latest DRAGONICA ONLINE vid from THQICE. This looker shows off a new end-game dungeon known as Van Cliff Mansion. Maybe they should have called it “Van Pelt” Mansion and players would have to fight bosses Linus and Lucy. Hmmm, might be a copyright problem there I suppose.

“Dragonica Online’s newest end-game dungeon invites brave heroes of the Dragon Fellowship who have reached level 60 and above to venture past the iron gate and explore the very bowels of the labyrinthine mansion. Fight terrifying monsters and your own mounting fear as you face off against the forbidding GateKeeper, the menacing Rahnoff the Werewolf, and Count Van Cliff himself.”

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As I searched around the intranetz and through my promo emails today looking for something, ANYTHING, of interest to report on - a few “Deep” thoughts occurred to me.

1. APB (ALL POINTS BULLETIN) claims a release date of “March, 2010″. It is now nearing the end of January, 2010. We are conceivably six weeks away from the launch of the game. So far, there is no news of an Open Beta, Collector’s Edition box or of Pre-Oder bonuses, etc. We normally see info of this type when close to a game’s supposed release date. Any day now we should hear important news from Realtime Worlds regarding the APB release or latest launch delay.

2. The following MMOs are still under development and presumably heading for eventual release, despite having been in production for 5 to 10 years; ADELLION, ATRIARCH, GOON WORLD and HERO’S JOURNEY. Guys, please. Can you just cancel or release something already? I’m tired of caring. Especially you, HERO’S JOURNEY. Don’t tease me like that…anymore…for six years.

3. There are no known MMOs, available or in development, based on these potentially lucrative IPs; Harry Potter, Warner Bros. cartoons, POKEMON, GRAND THEFT AUTO.

That’s enough Deep Thoughts for one day. My brain hurts.

“APB Beta FAQ: Yes, there is a beta…We’re starting small but we’ll be adding more people to the program as time goes on. If you’re not selected at the start of the program, don’t despair, we’ll keep your details and we’ll invite much bigger numbers into our beta as we approach release.”

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MASS EFFECT 2: OK, so we’ve been inundated by MASS EFFECT 2 vids over the past few months, but this here baby is the official “Launch” trailer. Zap the clicker below for all the dramatic action. I’ll be picking up my copy of ME2 on Tuesday. How about you?

“This is the launch trailer for Mass Effect 2. Watch Commander Shepard, Tali, Garrus, Grunt, Thane, Miranda, Jacob and the rest of your squad get ready to try to survive against the Collectors with the fate of humanity in the galaxy at stake!”

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A long-rumored ELDER SCROLLS MMO has been somewhat confirmed by clever video game journalists. Court records related to Bethesda versus Interplay have revealed a “World of Warcraft type MMO” and VG247 and Duck and Cover have provided “details”. (source: blues)

If rumors are to be believed, ZeniMax Media, Bethesda’s parent company, have been working on an ELDER SCROLLS MMO since “late 2006″, have spent “tens and tens of millions of dollars” and have nearly 100 devs slaving away on the project. This could be good. Investigate the links above for more!

“D&C Quote: At this point, we know that Zenimax Media, Bethesda’s parent company, opened up an MMO division headed by Dark Age of Camelot’s Matt Firor and have been working on an unannounced game. What we didn’t know was that Bethesda let slip some information in the court case against Interplay, and now they have filed to redact those statements so their competitors can’t find out about it.”

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