A crushing recession brought the world economy to its knees last year, sending storied corporations and even countries to the poor house. Yet, even in these most harrowing of times, venture capitalists and angel investors still scrounged up enough cash to fund a few up-and-coming and already established businesses.

VentureBeatreports companies behind various videogames, virtual worlds, and industry-themed websites received over $885 million in 2008.

At the top of the list is China-based 9You, creators of the virtual world GTown, who received $100 million “for virtual entertainment community.” Following closely behind is Big Fish Games with $83 million “for casual downloadable games.”

Some of the notable MMO related funding includes $40 million for Turbine “for massively multiplayer online games,” $29 million for Zynga “for social games,” $22.9 million for GoFish for a “youth-oriented ad network with focus on virtual worlds,” $17 million for Playfish “for social games,” and $10 million for IGG for “casual massively multiplayer online games.” In addition, there are over a dozen other online-gaming relate

The preparations for this year’s annual Independent MMO Game Developers Conference in Las Vegas, NV are underway, and tickets are now available for purchase. The conference aims to bring small MMO developers together to form partner-/friendships, give them a platform for exposure to the press, and earn recognition amongst the industry. Early bird tickets to the event cost under $200, whilst late registrations and door sale tickets will cost $229.99.

The event will offer five main genres this year, with the most prominent being Design and Development, Visual and Audio, and Alternative Platforms. Many basement publishers and developers will be attending the event with plenty of merchandise and demos to display their talents and services to journalists and investors, and to one-up their competition.

“Indie developers are the future of online game development. The location and registration options give more people the opportunity to attend the conference,” said Brian Green of Near Death Studios. “I am glad we are keeping the price for the conference as low as possible, so that people on an Indie budget can attend, too.”

Despite the unavoidable comparisons, th

CyberSports’s flagship title, “Football Superstars,” has reached an amazing achievement recently: it has amassed a massive user count of 250,000 players. For such a new game that was just fully launched to the general public, this represents a great achievement — something that the developers can hold proudly above their heads.

“Breaking the 250,000 barrier is an incredible achievement,” said Phil Booker, CyberSports’s head of sales and marketing. “It’s fantastic to see the results of the combination of strategic partnerships that we have set up and our marketing strategy using pay per click, search engine optimization and viral marketing paying off with such a large number of registrations.”

Of course, no one could do it alone, and Booker wanted to thank a few people. “We’ve had great support from DBD Media and Infectious Media amongst others, and with their continued support, the registrations will continue to grow and ‘Football Superstars’ will be the success that our hard work promises.”

The online football game has also enjoyed partnerships with companies as big as Reebok, where each new use

Right now, if a young teenager from the US walks into a US army-recruiting center he receives a copy of the military MMO, “America’s Army 2.” The US’s way of upping the recruitment rates by giving players an opportunity to see what life in the US military is like, the game takes you from the training stages of a young recruit right up to Special Forces level with Airborne and medic training in between. Alongside the news of a new US President, President Barrack Obama, the US Army has announced that they will be launching the latest version of their game, “America’s Army 3,” later this year.

Developers promise current players of the game and those who intend to play the new version an updated and revamped version of what is already a brilliant free-to-play FPS. The developers will be using Unreal Engine 3 and will incorporate all the good aspects of “AA2,” such as realistic weapons, ballistics and vehicles into the new version. They have also pledged that the game will be easier to play, download and install.

“In ‘AA3′ we’ve taken all of the best features in ‘AA2,’ incorporated feedback from the

Today, OGPlanet has announced an addition to their 2D sidescrolling MMO, “La Tale“: player versus player combat!

Players can now enter the “Fight Arena,” and compete in fights with 2, 4, or 8 players at a time. When entering the arena, all combatants will receive a boost to stats and skills in order to make the action more hectic. Knock your opponent down, and you get points. At the end of the fight, contenders will receive points that can be used to purchase special items.

“Now that we’ve implemented the Fight Arena, ‘La Tale’ players can really find out whose skills are the strongest,” said Ross Park, a producer of the game. “Our arenas are designed to give players a pure PvP combat experience that rewards the top player with top honors and bragging rights.”

To those who are up-to-date on “La Tale” and enjoying the new PVP option, how is it? And what kind of rewards are there to choose from?

This week, a new free-to-play browserMMO aimed at the younger crowd hit the market: “FusionFall.” It’s no ordinary two-man-team MMO, either; the good people over at Cartoon Network are behind it, and the game incorporates many of the channel’s fan’s favorite characters. The game has been up and running now for almost three days, and it has received growing support from fans of the TV network and completely new users.

“With ground-breaking game play and our international development with Grigon, ‘FusionFall’ expands on our commitment to producing quality games,” wrote Turner in the game’s launch release. “We know kids will enjoy teaming up with their favorite Cartoon Network characters in this new dynamic world.”

“FusionFall” is available to download free of charge from its official website; there are also optional monthly subscription fees of $5.95 per person, which will unlock premium content. The game is clearly aimed towards families, and there is a second price plan that a family registers with, giving up to four members access for just $9.95 per month.

Some of the characters from the Network which

This month, Jagex revealed the details of a new “RuneScape” quest — the first since the Christmas-themed quests in mid-December.

The quest, which has the attention-grabbing name “In Pyre Need,” is aimed at mid-level characters that may have completed most of the quests in their immediate area. The details of the quest involve helping a damsel in the distress in her “hour of need”; unless of course, in the words of the developers “you’re chicken.”

“The phoenix, an ancient creature from ‘RuneScape’s’ distant past, is in need of your help,” says the official post on the “RuneScape” website. “While flying to her roost she was injured, and now she lies wounded and dying in the depths of her fiery cave. By chance, a knowledgeable priest has discovered her home, and now he waits for an adventurer with the necessary skill and courage to aid the phoenix in her ‘hour of need.’”

The news post goes on to say that, once you have completed the perilous quest, you may return to the cave and receive a special reward along with the ability to summon a dragon during battle.

After

YNK Interactive has announced a new dungeon for their MMORPG, “Rohan: Blood Feud.” Titled “The Fire Temple Garden,” the dungeon is designed for high-level characters level 80 and up, and is the first of many treats in store for players over the course of 2009 according to the game’s developer.

The Fire Temple Garden is split into four regions: The Blazing Temple, The Ring of Flames, The Lamp of Flames, and Kasa’s Tower. To get into the areas, you’ll need to complete some new quests. In total, 16 new quests are now available to players.

Posted by Brendon Lindsey

Want to get a guaranteed spot in the upcoming “Star Trek Online” beta? If so, head on over to the official “STO” website, where they have a new “Planet Exploration” contest underway.

To enter, send Cryptic an email with information on the new planet pictured below. You can tell them about the planet’s history, make a scientific log, or even come up with what daily life for its inhabitants is like. Entries can be no more than 500 words, and need to be emailed to contest@crypticstudios.com by January 29, 2009 to be eligible. One first-prize winner will receive a guaranteed spot in the “STO” beta, a special title for his forum profile, and get his entry in the game. Two runner-ups will get the special forum title … but unfortunately no guaranteed spot in beta.

There’s less than two weeks left until the contest ends, so what are you waiting for?

Posted by Brendon Lindsey

Gala Incorporated has recently announced that they will be launching the first-ever Arabic language MMO, localizing the Korean hit “Rappelz” for an Arabic audience. They have said that the Arabic version will be available across North African territories and in the Middle East, areas that have been highlighted as future hotspots for online gaming.

The translation is launching today and is expected to reach record amounts of Internet activity from the territories mentioned below. The game has also had various last minute modifications so that it will fit in better with the culture of Islam. These modifications include changes to the sound effects, to monsters, and alterations to the costumes of females so that they are less revealing.

Some of the countries where the Arabic version of the MMO will be made available include: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, UAE, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Palestine, and Somalia.

In a recent press release, the company said that The Gala Group will continue to strive to expand its online businesses in order to provide superior games to players around the world. How