Tom Chilton, lead designer for World of Warcraft, has talked about the possibility of removing the subscription fee. In an interview with PC Gamer, Chilton said that he can forsee a future in which charging a subscription fee no longer makes sense.

He explains that the change to a free World of Warcraft could happen if the game needs to stay competetive, even with Blizzard itself.

“If another game comes along and blows us away it may not make sense for us to have a subscription fee. Or even further down the line, when we have another MMO out.”

Of course, this is probably not a viable option at present. Blizzard’s hugely popular MMO takes a lot of time and energy to maintain, with Blizzard committing huge resources to supporting its player base.

Final Fantasy XIV, the next MMO from Square Enix, has a new trailer video. A number of recognizable elements appear in this video, including some new versions of previous mobs we saw in Final Fantasy XI, including Gobbues and Treants.

Final Fantasy XIV is due later this year for PS3 and Windows PC platforms. A beta for the game will also go live shortly.

A new trailer for Warhammer 40K has surfaced, as well as the finalized name for the game.

The MMORPG from Vigil will now be known as Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online.

More details on the game are promised later this year.

A new video of Final Fantasy XIV released by Square Enix, staged as a top-secret break-in to get a look at the FF14 Beta. The video shows off the character creation process, and the wider range of customizations available to players. Have a look:

Final Fantasy XIV Online is due to hit the MMO scene on the PS3 and Windows platforms later this year.

If you play Final Fantasy XI, then you probably know that the next version update will raise the game’s level cap. The long-standing level 75 limit is on its way up to 99, and with it come new abilities and spells.

Among those are the new weapon skills, and Square Enix has given us a preview of the new attacks to come to FFXI. No news on their damage, or any new skillchains, but we know the names of the new weapon skills.

Of course, Square Enix is trying to maintain interest in its game, especially in order to keep everyone interested until Final Fantasy XIV comes out.

Square Enix has sent out a message to its Final Fantasy XI subscribers to let them know it’s facing a security breach on its servers. One of the company’s registration servers was compromised, and some account information, including login and password information, as well as some registration details, may have been stolen.

Final Fantasy XI players are being reassured that credit card information has not been stolen. Also, customers who linked their PlayOnline accounts to the newer Square Enix Account system should be safe.

All players affected by the breach have had their passwords changed, and new passwords are being sent to their registered addresses by regular mail. Meanwhile, options are available to reset passwords for those with valid emails listed.  FFXI players who can still log in with their original passwords have not had their accounts compromised.

BioWare has revealed a new planet that can be explored in the upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. The icy world of Hoth will be featured in the game.

The Old Republic site describes Hoth in this era as a “massive starship graveyard”, where remains from a great Imperial-Republic war are scattered throughout the area. In the newfound peace, both groups visit the planet to scavenge among the wreckage, with the occasional small conflict still breaking out.

The timing isn’t too bad, either, as this week marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, which opened with Hoth.

Have a look at some of the concept art:

Star Wars: The Old Republic is currently scheduled for release in Spring 2011.

The June update to Final Fantasy XI will include the end of the Wings of the Goddess storylines, which have been gradually rolled out since the expansion’s release in late 2007.

The expansion, which offers three versions of its storyline, one for each of the nations of Bastok, San d’Oria and Windurst, will finally bring these stories to their epic conclusions. The Wings of the Goddess storyline opened up a link to the past of the game’s world of Vana’diel, allowing players to travel through time and experience an earlier, war-torn version of the FFXI world.

The next version update also introduces a level cap increase to Final Fantasy XI, as Square Enix begins the rise from the long-standing level 75 cap to a level 99 cap.

Final Fantasy XI is itself now in its eighth year of life since its first Japanese launch. The game also has three new “Abyssea” add-on scenarios going live in the near future, beginning with Vision of Abyssea, which will go on sale for $10 US alongside June’s version update.

A specific date for the update has not yet been announced, but Square Enix is targeting mid-June.

Square Enix has revealed new details about Eorzea, the world of its upcoming MMO, Final Fantasy XIV.

For one, the world map of Eorzea has been revealed:

Technically speaking, this is a map of Aldenard, a continent of Eorzea. You can expect that this map will expand as Final Fantasy XIV does — just like its predecessor FFXI gradually showed us more of Vana’diel.

We’ve also learned a little bit about the city-states where players may begin their FFXIV journey. Of course, they’re a bit reminiscent of the FFXI starting cities as well:

• Ul’dah is described as a “bustling commercial hub” in the middle of the southern deserts. The city itself is a fortress, with towering walls and guard posts surrounding a central citadel.  Despite this, the city is perhaps best known for its recreational uses: its wealth has lead to the building of battle arenas and gambling halls.
• The forest nation of Gridania can be found in the eastern lands of Aldenard. Wooden buildings can be found amongst the lush trees and rivers of the area. The Gridanians live a life in harmony with nature, participating in trades of their natural resources.
• Limsa Lominsa can be found on the western island of Vylbrand. The city itself actually expands over many small islands connected by bridges. This port town has the sea to thank for its wealth, both from the fishing industry and from trade and shipping to the other city-states.

Yoichi Wada has also recently commented that Final Fantasy XIV will be released in this fiscal year — which means sometime between now and the end of March 2011.

More on Final Fantasy XIV as we get it!

]]> http://www.galbadiax.com/blog/2010/05/20/ffxiv-map/feed/ 0 http://www.galbadiax.com/blog/2010/01/16/star-trek-online-lifetime/ http://www.galbadiax.com/blog/2010/01/16/star-trek-online-lifetime/#comments Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:31:41 +0000 Colin Temple http://www.galbadiax.com/blog/?p=289

Cryptic Studios, the company behind Star Trek Online, is offering an alternative to the standard monthly pricing model that most MMOs run on. Instead of paying per month, or per year, would-be starship captains can put down a larger amount upfront, and guarantee their lifetime access to the game.

I’m saying “lifetime” a bit liberally here, meaning as long as Star Trek Online stays online, although there are probably enough Trekkies in the world to keep it alive much longer than Tabula Rasa, even if it turned out to be underwhelming.

Those who pre-order the game can sign up early and get the full lifetime membership for $239.99 US. Wait until after the game launches and the price will go up to $299.  The lifetime membership has the added bonus of offering two extra character slots above the monthly subscription, which costs $14.99 per month. These two slots are also available to annual subscribers, who pay $119 per year.

Unique to the lifetime membership, however, is the ability to play as a character who has recently been liberated from the Borg collective.

All subscription options are in addition to the purchase of the game itself, which will come packaged with a 30-day free subscription.

Star Trek Online launches February 2 in North America, and February 5 in Europe.