IP Less-Than-Freely: MMOs Based on Licensed Properties

With the news that Jagex and Hasbro have signed a deal to do a Transformers MMO (guess all that Mech-based development wasn’t a waste then, Jagex) I was reminded of all the other MMOs based on popular nerd properties that have been indicated as “in development” but have had varying levels of success. And by … Continue reading »

DCUO: Economics Trumps Cosmetics

A lot of MMO developers don’t get in-game economies. They put them in the game, sure, but they don’t seem to spend a lot of time thinking about what that in-game impact is going to be. This is probably because: Doing in-game economies properly is hard, where most MMOs implement in-game economic frameworks like auction … Continue reading »

RIFT vs DCUO: The Little Things

I noted a while back that DC Universe Online’s uninstaller program didn’t work properly for some users and now, interestingly enough, it turns out that RIFT’s uninstaller program “may delete more files than it should“. This is a Bad Thing. What’s interesting is how both companies handled it. Sony Online Entertainment originally came back with … Continue reading »

DCUO: Untested Love

DC Universe Online’s first full content patch is due out very soon. In some ways it typifies Sony Online Entertainment’s issues with DCUO: It was originally scheduled for February 15 2011 and was marketed as such. But then it was delayed, with the explanation that “a date was put on a trailer that shouldn’t have … Continue reading »

The Blue Water for Marvel Universe Online

The superhero MMO category is made up of City of Heroes / Villains, Champions Online and now DC Universe Online. Where should the next proposed contender (Super Hero Squad Online is aiming for a very different crowd), Marvel Universe Online, be looking for in terms of untapped spaces a.k.a. blue water? To do this let’s … Continue reading »

How Many Players Does CoH/V Have In Q4 2010?

NCsoft’s Q4 2010 results are out and the result isn’t great for City of Heroes / Villains. As I discussed a few days ago, CoH/V saw a big Q3 2010 release with Going Rogue, its second paid box expansion (City of Villains being the first, back in 2005). GoRo saw a large jump in revenue … Continue reading »

DCUO: Money, Theirs and Ours

Anyone else wonder where Jens Anderson has gone? He used to be fairly high profile in promoting DC Universe Online, popping up to promote the game, but I haven’t seen any mention of him since December or so. He may just be busy, but you’d think that after working for five years on a title … Continue reading »

DCUO: A Week Is A While, Right?

DC Universe Online’s launch week sales figures are out. As far as physical units go, DCUO shifted: 151 000 PS3 boxes; and 45 000 PC boxes. DCUO apparently did good business on the PC in digital distribution, but I don’t have any good sources for numbers there. It does make Sony Online Entertainment’s comments that … Continue reading »

My Last DCUO Post For A While, Really

DC Universe Online launched on Tuesday 11 January 2011, the culmination of 5.5 years and US$50m in development costs. Barring any major events, I’m going to try to lay off direct DCUO posts for a while – I’m not playing it and yelling from the sidelines gets a bit dull. Plus, I’ve got other things … Continue reading »

DCUO Gets A TV Ad

I’ve just found out that Sony Online Entertainment did launch a TV campaign around DC Universe Online’s launch. The Facebook page shows one of the variants. If you’ve followed this title at all, you’ve probably seen the parts of the ad before. It’s certainly a better step than not having one (and I’d be curious … Continue reading »