Gamescampus.com and MaxOn soft partner to bring the popular fantasy anime MMORPG to North America later this year.

San Jose, Calif. (June 24, 2008) - San Jose-based online game publisher, Gamescampus.com (www.gamescampus.com, run by OnNet USA), announced a publishing deal with MaxOn Soft Corporation to launch its newest game, Asda Story, in the U.S. market. The game will launch
later this fall.

"We are very pleased to announce our new partnership with MaxOn Soft which allows us to bring this wonderful product to the U.S. market, "said David Chang, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Gamescampus.com. "Asda Story has already built a successful following in Korea and Japan. It is an exciting and innovative 3D MMORPG, and we have every confidence it will be a major success in the U.S."

Based on a colorful, bright and cheerful world, Asda Story is a free to play exciting fantasy-style anime 3D MMORPG game that features a unique 'Soul Mate System.' The unique party system offers two players the ability to align to become 'soul mates' and allows them to wear unique costumes and use special skills. Another key feature of the game is the '

The unnamed MMO was revealed by CEO Geoff Iddison during a panel discussion at today’s GameHorizon Conference in Newcastle.

Dubbed ‘Nextscape’ by Iddison, the game was said to incorporate – as Runescape does – a variety of business and subscription models to drive consumer engagement, he said.

However, although the company has run its successful Runescape MMO since 2001 – offering biweekly content updates - with the new property due to join it early next year, Iddison said that Jagex’ real value isn’t its IP, but its infrastructure.

“We’ve got an infrastructure behind Runescape which is the real silver of the Jagex, the value of the company,” said Iddison. “It’s not the game, the game is going to come and go,” he said.

“The infrastructure is the thing that can scale. Runescape has 10 years of good growth – but the infrastructure is infinitely scalable,” he added of Jagex’ vast operation of servers and online support teams.

Although Jagex employs 400 people at its Cambridge, UK HQ, only 25 per cent are dedicated to development. Half the staff are focused on content and support whi

Ghost Online (Global version), the highly anticipated action-oriented 2D Massively Multiplayer Online Role Play Game announces the launch of its Beta Phase, presented by MGame USA, Inc. ( http://www.netgame.com ) in partnership with Game&Game ( http://www.gamengame.com ).

Konami has told Eurogamer that it will be announcing its European Metal Gear Online beta plans "shortly".

Its comments follow (at a safe and undetectable distance) word earlier that sign-ups to the MGO beta in Japan appear to be inaccessible to those of us with Western-originating IP addresses.

The full game is due out around the world alongside Metal Gear Solid 4 on 12th June, so Konami had better get its skates on.

click here to find more info at Euroganer : Europe will get Metal Gear Online beta

Metal Gear Online first Impressions

NCsoft and Epic Games have announced a deal that will allow the Korean MMO developer to develop two as yet unannounced MMOs using the Unreal 3 Engine. There is no word on specifically what games those will be.

NCsoft Announces Unreal Engine 3 License for Two Upcoming Projects

World-renowned online game developer expands on Unreal legacy

SEOUL, KOREA (March 25, 2008) - NCsoft® Corporation, the world's leading developer and publisher of online computer games, today announced that it has reinforced its relationship with Epic Games, Inc. by licensing Unreal Engine 3 to develop two unannounced, top-tier massively multiplayer online games. NCsoft has achieved spectacular results working with the Unreal Engine over the years, shipping the highly successful Lineage® II, and the soon to be released Exteel ™, using Unreal Engine 2.

"Unreal Engine 3 has a well structured rendering pipeline, and its graphical quality is superb thanks to advanced lighting and shadowing systems," said Young-muk Choi, lead programmer, Development Unit, NCsoft. "Tools within the Unreal Editor empower us to instantly produce and optimize our outputs, and we especially love how the engine enables

Video games and TV sets could be subject to a 1% sales tax in New Mexico if a coalition of environmental groups has its way.

              The tax idea, initiated by the Sierra Club, would raise an estimated $4 million a year, to fund programs aimed at giving school kids an outdoors education.

Michael Casaus, the New Mexico youth representative for the Sierra Club, referred to the tax proposal as part of the “Leave No Child Inside” movement, and said:

              We believe it is such a nominal tax that consumers won’t feel it too much, especially if they are educated about where that money goes.

Click here for more details about Tax on video games

 If gamers  live in New Mexico, they will sonn be paying an additional 1% tax when they feed their gameing habit --!

i do hope tax about videos games will not be spread out to all over world LOL,or we will cost a lot  when we play thousands of new mmorpgs

American teams focused on money rather than innovation

EA Partners' Nick Button-Brown has told GamesIndustry.biz that he believes European developers are more creative than US studios, as North American teams are focused on making money rather than taking chances.

As director of business development for EA Partners, Button-Brown sees rich pickings in Europe as the publisher continues to work with independent studios – a new deal with a German developer is expected to be announced very soon.

"There's more creativity in Europe than there is in America," said Button-Brown, speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz at Game Connection. "The Americans are much more refined in their processes, it's all about the money. There are less chances taken and there is more money being thrown at developers in the US."

"Taking less chances means there's less failures, but I can't see the US having ever come up with Grand Theft Auto. There are a lot of really good European developers and they all bring slightly different things and there are big cultural differences as well, that they are willing to exploit," he added.

Click here for more info

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