News
19 CommentsDefiance's first DLC adds complexity as well as content
By Griffin McElroy on Jun 16, 2013 06.16.13
Defiance, Trion Worlds' bombastic MMO shooter, has always seemed like a sturdy base product that was ready to be expanded. With its upcoming, first DLC pack, Trion plans to do just that. During a hands-on demo of the DLC at E3 2013, we got a chance to tool around with some of the content's biggest new features, which look to bolster the game in a number of meaningful ways. First up is a third playable race for characters to choose from: The gaunt, pale Castithans. If there were any mechanical differences to the class, they weren't apparent during our demo, but the aesthetic differences for the Castithans — a prominent race in the TV show's fictional, titular town — were striking. It's not just their pigmentless skin and hair tones that set them apart from the game's burlier races;...
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0 CommentsRift's Empyreal Assault update will bring bosses, Dendrome, quests and more
By Dave Tach on Jun 05, 2013 06.05.13
Rift's upcoming 2.3 update, Empyreal Assault, will bring more in-game items, new bosses, a new area called Dendrome and more to developer Trion Worlds' massively multiplayer online role-playing game, according to the game's official website. Trion Worlds announced last month that Rift will go free-to-play June 12, and Empyreal Assault will bring that fundamental change to the game. Other additions include new purchasable items, including mounts, weapon and wardrobe slots, open-world raids and bosses scattered across Dendrome, a new area that contains "lush jungles and windswept dunes." Empyreal Assault will also include weekly quests, a new Chronicle, a quest that takes players through an alternate timeline and new Strongholds "tuned for 10-70+ players." Earlier this year, Trion...
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7 CommentsTwitch announces full E3 2013 game streaming schedule, kicks off June 11
By Griffin McElroy on Jun 05, 2013 06.05.13
Twitch will be broadcasting game footage, previews and interviews for upcoming titles on the E3 2013 show floor, and revealed its full schedule for the event today via press release. Twitch's programming schedule includes video demos for titles like Saints Row 4, Murdered: Soul Suspect, Fantasia: Music Evolved and many others, including a few unannounced games which are expected to be revealed next week. All of Twitch's video content will stream live through its site and an embeddable video player. Polygon will also be on-hand at E3 all week to bring you coverage of the upcoming games in attendance. Twitch's streaming schedule is as follows, with all times listed as PT: Tuesday, June 11th 12:00pm - Saints Row 4 (Volition Inc./Deep Silver) 12:20pm - Dungeon Defenders 2 (Trendy...
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5 CommentsDefiance in-game event tasks players with finding a cure for a mysterious illness
By Alexa Ray Corriea on May 29, 2013 05.29.13
A new in-game event in Trion Worlds' MMORPG Defiance asks players to hunt down a cure for a mysterious new illness, according to the game's community page. The sickness has begun spreading across the Bay area, with treatment and research facilities set up in the Top Notch and Shandu's Consulate areas to aid efforts in nailing down a cure. Players must help biotechnician Eren Niden search for ways to combat the illness by finding three data recorders that may contain clues. The event includes one new Pursuit mission, "Hunting the Cure," and collecting all three recorders will boost Ark Hunters' EGO rating. The community page does not list a specific end date for the event. More details on recorder locations and reports on other players' progress can be found on the Defiance forums.
Deals
13 CommentsDefiance Steam sale knocks 30 percent off price, free weekend incoming
By Samit Sarkar on May 23, 2013 05.23.13
The Windows PC version of Trion Worlds' Defiance is discounted by 30 percent on Steam right now, and Steam players can also try out the game for free this weekend, the studio announced today. The sale drops the game's Standard Edition from $59.99 to $41.99, and the Deluxe Edition from $99.99 to $69.99. Along with the deal comes a discount on Bits, Defiance's in-game currency. Trion is also running a 72-hour free trial on Steam, from 4 p.m. ET today through 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 26. The second part of the promotion is on the TV side, with Syfy putting up the series' first six episodes for on-demand viewing as well as on its website all weekend long. On Memorial Day, May 27, the network will air those episodes from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. in a marathon session.
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3 CommentsDefiance developer Trion Worlds hit with layoffs
By Samit Sarkar on May 17, 2013 05.17.13
Trion Worlds, the studio behind the new MMO Defiance, has suffered layoffs as it transitions into a post-launch phase for the game. A representative for the studio confirmed the layoffs in a statement to Polygon. The rep did not comment on the severity of the cuts, except to say that reports of them being as high as 70-80 percent of the studio are "grossly exaggerated." According to the statement, the layoffs do not affect the development of Rift or Trion's other games, which include the real-time strategy title End of Nations. The rep also denied reports that Trion employees were being escorted out of the building or won't receive severance pay. Here's the full statement: To best position Trion in a rapidly changing industry, we have reorganized our teams and are expanding our...
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3 CommentsDefiance 1.020 patch live, introduces TV tie-in events
By Megan Farokhmanesh on May 13, 2013 05.13.13
Patch 1.020 for shooter-MMO hybrid Defiance, which introduces players of the game to a tie-in character from the SyFy TV show, is now live, Trio Worlds announced via press release. The TV show introduced Rynn, a character intent on unleashing dangerous Hellbugs, last week. Following an unfortunate series of events, Rynn escapes in what is "the last of her you will see for now, unless you're playing the game," the press release reads. As part of the cross-promotion, players will have to band together to bring Rynn back to justice "in order for her to appear back in the show." The game will feature three Hellbug Season Missions: The Vagabond, Piper Investigation and Paying the Piper. Players will track and attempt to recapture Rynn across the span of all three. Defiance launched in...
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6 CommentsDefiance creators look toward next-gen, DLC and TV crossovers after a rocky start
By Griffin McElroy on May 13, 2013 05.13.13
Trion Worlds is spinning a lot of plates with its MMO-shooter hybrid Defiance, a circus act that has garnered the title no small amount of attention. The game was built on a foundation of promise; a promise that it would stretch across genres, platforms and even media categories. Regardless of how well those promises were fulfilled, Defiance's post-launch story has been defined by just one thing: Like so many online games before it, Defiance has suffered crippling server performance anxiety in its first month on the market. The past four weeks have seen the game oscillate between states of server instability, from annoying but intermittent server crashes to, in the case of some platforms, several day-long outages. Patches deployed ended up causing more problems than they fixed, leading...
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13 CommentsSyfy renews MMO crossover show Defiance for second season
By Dave Tach on May 10, 2013 05.10.13
Defiance, the TV half of the transmedia project from Syfy and Trion Worlds, has been renewed for a second season, according to a press release from Syfy. Production for the second season's 13 episodes will begin in August and is scheduled to premiere in 2014. Defiance currently airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. and follows a cast of characters in 2046 after an alien invasion decimated Earth. Trion's massively multiplayer online role-playing game tie-in takes place in the same world, but in San Francisco, and the developer just announced five upcoming downloadable content packs headed to the multiplatform MMO. "Bringing the rich world of Defiance to life has been in incredible team effort," said Mark Stern, president of Original Content for Syfy. "We couldn't ask for better partners than Kevin...
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2 CommentsDefiance receiving five DLC packs this year, Patch 1.020 coming this month
By Jenna Pitcher on May 10, 2013 05.10.13
Five DLC releases are planned for massively multiplayer online game Defiance this year, with major Patch 1.020 update expected this month, Trion Worlds announced today. Each DLC release will include a free component, a paid component and a store update.The first DLC pack, tentatively called Enter the Castithan, will include the following for $10: - Access to play the Castithan Species - Access to a new Story Mission Line with new Battle Arena Game Mode - Access to the new Castithan Battle Arenas - Castithan Charge Blade & Ceremonial Mask as a reward from Story Mission Line - A unique version of the Raptor, a new 4 player truck of doom - A unique Castithan version of an outfit - A Charge Weapons Starter Pack - Access to New Pursuits - New Xbox and PS3 Trophies and...
