Yarrr! From the fourth of this 'ere month, FilePlanet subscribers can stress test Pirates of the Burning Sea: The year is 1720 and the New World is on fire.England, France, and Spain have unleashed their forces on the Caribbean. Naval officers captain massive warships through bloody engagements at sea. Freetraders charge through blockades and smuggle the war material needed to conquer the enemy’s ports. Privateers raid enemy shipping, looting ships of their treasure and rival nations of their glory.Through it all sail the Pirates. Bloody, bold, and resolute, they serve no flag and heed no king. They live free, fight hard, and obey only fate.Signups have begun today, so get your key now.

The9 - the Chinese company that runs World of Warcraft on the Mainland - has purchased an over 50% stake in MSN China (which was originally launched as a 50-50 joint venture between Microsoft and Shanghai Alliance Investment, an attempt to get around government regulations). Despite having WoW in their stable, The9 lags behind Shanda and two other companies for market share; the acquisition of MSN China, plus the deal made earlier this year in regards to an active role for development on the 360 and XBLA could change that.

"The purchase of MSN China's stake is part of The9's strategic layout. It is aimed at to build up a cross-business platform just like the one of Tecent Group, which is covering instant messaging, cyber game, online communities, and online auction," says spokesperson of The9.

Besides new deal, in March this year, The9 also joined hands with Microsoft on XBOX 360. However, the two parties did disclose the detail about the cooperation.

Insiders close to the company say that their cooperation focuses on the software platform of XBOX online games. For this purpose, The9 has founded a special video game department.
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Richard Garriott, creator of the widely acclaimed fantasy role-playing realm of Ultima, light-jumped into the future with his first massively multiplayer online game project, Tabula Rasa. With his sci-fi MMOG ticking off its last few checks before launching into cyberspace on October 16, Lord British is planning to get his own first-hand look at the inspiration for his latest creation.

Space Adventures Inc., a privately owned space-exploration company, announced today that it would be rocketing the acclaimed game designer out of this world in October 2008. Garriott, the son of former NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, plans to dedicate his journey to the International Space Station to scientific study.

"It is my goal to devote a significant amount of my time aboard the space station to science, engineering, and educational projects... We need to be adventurous in mind and simulate our intellects to answer today's most daunting scientific questions and to invent tomorrow's technological marvels," he said.

Garriott is the sixth space tourist to fly with Space Adventures. The first, American businessman Dennis Tito, secured a seat to the final frontier for a reported $20 million in 2001. Ga

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Pre-Order and You Could Earn 10 Free* Days of Tabula Rasa!

AFS recruits who pre-order Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa and play during the beta are eligible to receive 10 days in addition to their first month of subscription beyond the time included with the full retail box activation*.

To receive your reward simply:

1. Play the Tabula Rasa Beta.
2. Have a level 15 or higher character on our beta server by 11:59pm (Central Time) on Friday, October 12, 2007.
3. Purchase the full retail version of Tabula Rasa.
4. Pay for a minimum of one month of subscription or activate with a valid game time card by February 15, 2008 in order to be eligible for this offer.

Make sure your level 15 or higher character must be on the same game account that you apply the pre-order and full retail serial codes to. Promotion only applies to US beta accounts upgraded with either a US retail code or a US Collector's Edition code.


* Players must purchase the pre-order version and the full retail version (physical or digital) of Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa and apply both serial codes to the same account, have a level 15 or higher character on our beta server by 11:59pm (Central Time) on Friday, October 12, 2007, as





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A common problem with many nascent massively multiplayer online games is convincing enough testers to put up with a not-yet-finished product long enough to accurately check maximum server loads. However, that shouldn't be a problem for Australia-based developer Auran, as today marks the beginning of the Fury Challenge, a $2 million prize tournament for the fantasy MMOG.

Beginning today, interested players can sign up for Fury's open beta and begin competing in the first weekend-long tourney. The second weekend competition begins October 5, and those who preorder the game will be able to partake in a midweek practice session running from September 31 to October 4.

Players can compete as many times as they want in Fury's seven different tournament ladders, but only their top 10 performances will be logged for prize considerations. A sampling of the prizes at stake include Dell XPS computers, Nvidia GeForce 8600 graphics cards, Logitech peripherals, and GameStop gift cards ranging from $ 10 to $ 500 dollars. A full rundown on the tournament, as well as beta registration, Fury client download, and a full list of prizes, is available at the Fury Challenge Web site.

Fury defies conventio

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When I last saw Star Trek Online, it was March and I was at Perpetual Entertainment's studios in San Francisco. There were a few early (and impressive) terrain builds, a handful of character sketches and a group of extremely excited designers and artists working on the project.

Fast forward to the Austin Game Developer's Conference, where I had the opportunity to sit down with Daron Stinnett, Executive Producer of Star Trek Online. Where was the project now? "We are in pre-production, so we have our tools and technology in place." said Daron, "We have our ground game-play prototyped, our space game-play prototyped, we have our art style set, we have the design of the world well understood and mapped out. We know where our players will be visiting and the races they'll meet along the way. In 2008 we are heading into production to produce the massive volume of assets needed to create this universe."

Star Trek Online will have classes similar to existing MMOGs, although they are called "professions". I asked if they will be tightly focused and defined, or if they'll have overlapping skills, allowing development of the quintessential "mage-tank". Stinson responded, "We are going to make

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From the Press Release:

Codemasters Online is pleased to announce the opening of a new server for the hugely popular free-to-play MMORPG ArchLord. The new world, Evengarda is set to expand the world of Chantra to unprecedented levels allowing players to create new characters on a fresh new world all from the same starting level.

To celebrate the launch of Evengarda, Codemasters Online have announced a one month treasure hunt taking place on the new world to reward new players. During this event hundreds of Silver, Gold and Platinum chests will be spread far and wide across the new world, as players come in search of these hidden treasures.

For further information and to download ArchLord the 100% free-to-play MMORPG, visit the games official website.

Rumors of Google's plans to create a virtual world that rivals that of Second Life have popped up once again over the weekend. The company could now be collaborating with Arizona State University to test the 3D social network, which may be tied into Google's current applications of Google Earth and Google Maps.

ASU students received a questionnaire yesterday, screenshots of which were originally posted by a MacRumors forum member, that hinted strongly at Google's plans. Specifically, the questionnaire intro says that students will be able to test a product that will be publicly launched later this year by a "major Internet company," and the graphic makes reference to 3D modeling, video gaming, and avatars. It proceeds to ask questions about students' involvement with social networks like MySpace and whether they have Gmail accounts. The social network referenced by the questionnaire is currently being dubbed "My World."

As the Google Operating System blog points out, ASU has had a heavy affiliation with Google in the past: ASU was among the first to test Google Apps, the university depends heavily on Google Maps, and all ASU campuses have full 3D models in Google Earth. Google even

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Online gaming portal GameTribe.com is to bring free to play MMO games to the UK, GamesIndustry.biz can reveal.

The service launches a beta phase today, as it appoints former Amazon and Playboy exec Faisal Ahmed as head of UK marketing.

The service has three titles ready for play – MMORPG Dream of Mirror Online, which already boasts 400,000 registered users in Taiwan, 3D platformer KongKong and street football game Kicks, a title that has chalked up over 450,000 users in Korea.

"We're excited to bring these acclaimed MMO games to Europe," commented Ahmed.

"Combined with GameTribe’s expertise in games, we’ll be providing the best service to European gamers," he said.

All games will be free to play, with contextual items available for purchase to customise the experience. Following the beta phase, the commercial site is expected to launch in October.

Electronic Arts is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the classic MMO game Ultima Online, which originally launched on September 25, 1997, with special in-game activities and rewards, plus a new amnesty program that invites former players back to try out the major game update, Ultima Online Kingdom Reborn, for free.

The "Return to Brittania" campaign will allow past subscribers in good standing to play for free through October 9, 2007 using their former account name and password.

During the in-game 10th anniversary celebration, players both old and new will be able to take part in a monster hunt with special prizes including an ankh pendant necklace, map of Brittania, an Ultima Online commemorative sculpture and virtue armor set. Additionally, all players will receive 10 décor tokens and a wand of fireworks in their characters' inventory.

Gamasutra is also planning a 10th anniversary celebration of its own for Ultima with a special feature on the game, to debut in the near future.

"Ultima Online has thrived for 10 years and achieved the status of an MMO classic, thanks in large part to the devoted player community," said Mark Jacobs, VP and general manager, EA Mythic. "We are very ex
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