There's a rumor that NHN Games will acquire Webzen several days ago. They denied it through announcement though, Webzen is still in a predicament.

And whether the rumor is ture or not, they are joining hands with each other this time at least. Hope Webzen can survive and make more good MMOs for us.
-------------------------------------------



Publisher NHN USA, a subsidiary of Korean internet company NHN, has announced that it has secured the rights to publish the PC release of MMO first-person shooter Huxley in North America and Western Europe in late 2008. The title will arrive via gaming portal ijji.com. Details for publishing the Xbox 360 release were not revealed.

Developed by Seoul-based studio Webzen, Huxley combines the fast-paced gameplay of the first-person shooter genre with the character development of MMOs. The developer sold Huxley’s Chinese rights to MMO operator The9 for $35 million in February 2007.

NHN USA’s ijji.com portal claims over six million registered gamers. The site hosts a diverse selection of free-to-play online titles, each with optional micro-currency models offering purchasable in-game items. ijji.com currently hosts Gunbound Revolution, D...

My company hold an auction last week, and I finally won a WII by costing 315010 points.

I'm looking forward to have it for a long time. As u know, a distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and detect movement in three dimensions. That means, I can use it to play some sport games at home!

And later I bought some games such as


MARIO & SONIC At The Olympic Games


Biohazard4


WII SPORTS


Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Ya, I really have fun with playing these games! I will buy another Wii Remote so that my friends can play it with me. So, crazy weekend, I'm coming!...

Online entertainment company KingsIsle Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans for Wizard101, an elaborate 3D virtual world in which magic and sorcery come to life as players embark on a quest that involves a massive cast of good, evil and frequently silly characters. Designed to fill the void between online play sites for the very young and Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games with mature adult interaction, Wizard101 (www.wizard101.com) puts players in the fantasy role of a Wizard apprentice at the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts.

"While the fantasy adventure storyline and collectible card elements of Wizard101 have broad appeal, as a parent I take the responsibility of creating a positive online environment for younger players very seriously," said KingsIsle CEO Elie Akilian. "Wizard101 is a destination for tweens and teens that's creative and witty, but still safe. We've set the bar high for this game."

J. Todd Coleman, an MMO veteran and the creative mind behind Wizard101, is heading up development of the game, which has been in the works for three years. In the game, players will adventure through magical 3D environments as they learn, collect and...

Ever since the format shift from the grand E3s of past years to the now formal, subdued E3, companies have passed on attending the convention altogether, focusing on individual press events. The ESA has released an updated list of exhibitors scheduled to appear at this year’s E3 Media and Business Summit; it includes major publishers such as Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and others, though the lineup is now devoid of Activision and Vivendi, both of which have left the ESA as well as the event.

Additionally, id Software, NCSoft and Her Entertainment will not be present at the event. However, LucasArts will still be present at the event, despite their recent withdrawal as a member of the ESA. Below is the full list of exhibitors:

1UP Network Akella Atari Inc. Bethesda Softworks Capcom USA Inc. Crave Entertainment Codemasters D3Publisher of America Deep Silver Disney Interactive Studios, Inc. Electronic Arts Eidos Interactive Fox Interactive Media Indie Games Jagex, Ltd. Konami Digital Entertainment America LucasArts Majesco Entertainment Company Microsoft Corporation Midway Games, Inc. MTV Games Namco Bandai Games America, Inc. Natsume, Inc. Nintendo of America Inc.

...

Nnooo may have the answer for Pokemon fans looking for more: an MMO being pitched to the folk at Nintendo.

Pokemon + MMO = ?



A Pokemon MMO would involve a huge world for players to roam about in simultaneously, co-operate and complete - being able to see and communicate with real human players.

The company have also drafted up ideas for an online James Bond game and an MMO featuring folk from the X-Men universe.

Would a smaller developer be able to take on such a big project? In any case some fresh ideas from smaller studios could be the inspiration needed to take the series further.

Anyway I wish Nintendo will consider it, either develop Pokemon online itself or authorize other company to develop it.

--------------------------------------------------------------
licences page details below:

We have ideas for stuff that we don’t own. Let us help you make them fun.

In addition to the downloadable  game we are developing the next generation of games consoles we have several game designs and concepts based on existing licenses.

X-Men MMO
A concept for an MMORPG set in the X-Men’s universe

BSG
A concept for a Battle Star Galactica game (not a flight sim either)

Pokemon MMO
We hav...

Vigil Games' General Manager David Adams and Studio Creative Director Joe Madueira recently sat down and gave out a few new details about the upcoming Warhammer 40,000 Online MMO.

Not to be mistaken with EA Mythic's Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, this game is all about futuristic weapons, Space Marines, and killer Kans. Adams shared a few of his thoughts on the game and what makes it different from every other game:

First off, unlike a fantasy MMO, guns play a major role in the dynamic of combat. The gameplay will be much more intense, focusing a lot on fire-fights, tactics, cover and general brutality (which is befitting a game set in the grim future). Secondly, the sheer scale of Warhammer 40,000 lends itself to experiences players have never seen in an MMO.

Veterans of the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game should know that the game will be set in the 41st millennium, way after the Horus Heresy when the Space Marine civil war broke out and the emperor is injured so badly that he has to be enclosed into the golden throne.

So far, the list of races hasn't been revealed yet although Adams promised that "races important to Warhammer 40,000 lore (not to mention the fans) will b

...

There're some interesting news I come across recently, all about new methods to play games.

Look at this project: RApid Gaze Based Interaction Techniques with on-line virtual environments for motor-impaired users. Yup, is it amazing? He researches on playing games with eyes. There has been success in using eye gaze as mouse emulation for meeting the demands of desktop environments, e.g. communication, virtual keyboards.

I'm intereted in playing games this way, but I guess my eyes might ache if I play too much lol.

And what's more? What about Brain Waves? Right, it is possible too.

Head Games: Video Controller Taps into Brain Waves





By the end of this year, San Francisco–based Emotiv's sensor-laden EPOC headset will enable gamers to use their own brain activity to interact with the virtual worlds where they play. The $299 headset's 14 strategically placed head sensors are at the ends of what look like stretched, plastic fingers that detect patterns produced by the brain's electrical activity. These neural signals are then narrowed down and interpreted in 30 possible ways as real-time intentions, emotions or facial expressions that are reflected in virtual world characters a...

Webzen is still in financial trouble according to its 2008 Q1 Earnings Results. It's said that webzen continued its loss for 13 quarters. So the development of project "Parfait Station" and "Kingdom of warriors" was stopped yet. And they would check that whether continue those projects or not.  I'm sad to see webzen, the developer of my former favorite MMO "Mu Online" to be in hot water. Although Mu Online is still popular in many countries, webzen is no longer the good company be4. They lost main developers and most of their games such as "SUN" and "Huxley"were not that successful in fact.



Kingdom of warriors, we might can't see this game in future

On the other side, NCSOFT's "Black Star" which was stoped once is now back to development phase. Spacetime Studios announced that it has acquired the rights to the Blackstar IP from prior publisher NCsoft, giving the company full ownership of all the tools, technology and IP from their previous publishing deal.

Some rise, some fall, just the same as someone born and someone die. I should be get used to it, right?...

After Activision/Vivendi confirm they would skip E3, NCsoft, Foundation 9 announced that they would bypass E3 '08 too. Vivendi, Warner Bros, Bethesda, and several others are all currently missing from the Entertainment Software Association's E3 Web site, as is international superpublisher Activision.

So, what's E3 ever meant to us be4? Preview of new games? Show girls? A chance to communicate with those game developers? A festival of game industry? I think both of you can find different meaning for yourself. But since last year, it seemed almost disappeared and so few ppl are still concern about it. Because it's just become a conversation of game developers.

I know many developers think it's useless to spent too much money on it. So no wonder why its scale was reduced. But in this year, even many major game developers skip it. So, what's the future of E3? I'm afraid that if this status continues, E3 will not exist any more and will become a history in game industry.

Who can save E3? Do you want the hilarious E3 back again?

...

It's not doubt that EA's "The Sims" and "The Sims2" are the most successful simulate game in the world since "The Sims" released on 2000. But it's strange that "The Sims Online" was a failure at all. Now it's even forced to be closed on August. What a sad news! Hope EA would develop a new online game about "The Sims" in future.

----------------------------------

It is with mixed emotions that today we are announcing the EA-Land experiment will soon draw to a close. Since 2002, EA-Land / TSO has attracted a very special group of players (of which you are one) and we certainly appreciate your participation in the EA-Land community. The lifetime of the game has drawn to an end, and now we will be focusing on new ideas and other innovative concepts in the games arena. We’d like to thank everyone who has taken part in this online community as a unique experience in the virtual world.

Below are some facts about how the site and service will be closed. Please see also a special message from the team that maintained EA-Land, to the community that played it.

Key Facts:

On August 1, 2008, the game EA-Land / TSO will no longer be in service an

...