News
2 CommentsEn Masse Entertainment adds cloud-based installation to TERA: Rising
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Apr 03, 2013 04.03.13
TERA: Rising players will be able to access the game without a download or installation process through Happy Cloud, Inc.'s cloud-based solution, publisher En Masse Entertainment announced today via press release. According to the release, Happy Cloud's streaming services will eliminate 90 percent of the game's initial download and the entirety of its installation. The download, which contains images, video, sound and more, rounds out at about 22 GB. En Masse Entertainment's COO, Soo Min Park, said that improving this wait time has been a "priority" for the company. "Using Happy Cloud's system is an easy way for us to get more players into TERA's immersive, 3D world," Park said. "Taking a graphically rich, fast-paced game such as TERA: Rising, which contains hundreds of hours of...
News
6 CommentsTeenage cancer survivor creates social gaming network for young people in treatment
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Feb 15, 2013 02.15.13
A teenage cancer survivor has started a non-profit organization aiming to help children and teenagers in treatment connect with other patients through video games, reports The Huffington Post. Founder Steven Gonzalez was inspired to start the Survivor Games group due his "love for video games" and experience being treated at MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital in Texas. Gonzalez was diagnosed with a form of leukemia five years ago with a two percent chance of survival. After undergoing chemotherapy and a double cord blood transplant he had to remain in a sterile environment for 100 days. While isolated, Gonzalez would play video games, and during that time built Play Against Cancer, a video game tailored to cancer patients. Gonzalez wrote that the program will utilize the "healing...
News
21 CommentsWarren Spector: 'I'm not ready to retire yet'
By Michael McWhertor on Feb 07, 2013 02.07.13
Game designer Warren Spector spoke at the DICE Summit today, one week after the closure of his Disney-owned studio, Junction Point, telling attendees that he's "not ready to retire yet" and still has games he wants to make. Spector opened his speech by clarifying that he wouldn't be talking about "the elephant in the room," the closure of Junction Point, Disney Interactive or the last eight years, "other than to say I worked with an amazing team on some amazing projects." "It's all good," he said, before launching into his talk, "The Graying of Gaming," in which Spector spoke about the aging gaming population, of which he is a part. "I had a little wake-up moment last week in the wake of events," the 57-year-old game designer said, following the shuttering of the studio he...
News
3 CommentsTERA: Rising subscription-free date set for Feb. 5
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Jan 30, 2013 01.30.13
TERA, Bluehole Studio's fantasy massively multiplayer online game, will no longer require pay-to-play subscriptions after Feb. 5, the company announced via press release. TERA: Rising, as the game is called, will launch in North America and Europe with new content: the Crucible of Flame, a multi-level dungeon, and three new PvP battlegrounds. Rising will also include three player status types for a customizable experience. Standard will give players full access to in-game content for up to two characters per server. Consumable, cosmetic and convenience items can be purchased from the in-game store. The Founder status grants all current subscribers additional character slots and bank tabs, as well as a special mount. Players can still get founder status after launch by buying a...
Culture
1 CommentEn Masse Entertainment hires Halo and Nexon veterans, promotes from within for CEO
By Dave Tach on Jan 03, 2013 01.03.13
En Masse Entertainment, publishers of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game TERA, has promoted its former vice president to CEO and added Halo and Nexon veterans to the corporate management team, according to a press release from the company. Chris Lee, En Masse's former vice president of publishing is now its CEO. Soo Min Park, a former vice president at free-to-play developer and publisher Nexon America, will serve as the company's new COO. Bryan Koski, the former group marketing manager at Microsoft for the Halo franchise, has taken the role of director of marketing. While at Microsoft, Koski also worked on the Fable and Forza franchises. "The additions to our management team are all about building the foundation for a strong future in 2013 and beyond," said new CEO...
News
8 CommentsTERA going free-to-play in Korea and Japan
By Samit Sarkar on Dec 26, 2012 12.26.12
TERA, the fantasy MMO from Bluehole Studio, is being turned into a free-to-play title in Korea and Japan by NHN, the game's publisher in those territories. "The industry has shifted in this direction and the Korean gaming market has always been on the forefront of this shift," explained En Masse Entertainment community manager Catherine "Minea" Park on the company's forums. Citing market differences among the various regions in which TERA is available, Park said TERA "currently remains a subscription-based game in North America and Europe," where it is published by En Masse and Frogster Interactive, respectively. According to MMO Culture, which translated the Korean announcement, TERA will become free-to-play in the country Jan. 10, while the free-to-play conversion in Japan will be...
News
1 CommentTERA updates include better rewards and a new battleground, and a gift from Santa
By Dave Tach on Dec 20, 2012 12.20.12
Planned updates for TERA, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game from En Masse Entertainment, include revamped rewards, a new battleground and new factions, according to a post on the game's website by Catherine "Minea" Park, TERA community manager. The Crucible of Flame dungeon will offer "better rewards" based on difficulty and performance. Champions' Skyring will bring a new three-on-three battleground that prevents players from using any consumable items. Finally, TERA will receive two new but currently unnamed reputation factions, amid tweaks to existing factions. The updates, which will roll out over "the next few months," also include tweaks to crafting and gathering. Park concluded her post writing that those who enter the code "[slaysanta]" before 2:59 a.m. ET...
Feature
115 CommentsHigher calling: The new gospel of Christian games
By Patrick Stafford on Dec 20, 2012 12.20.12
Christian Games Developers Conference Christian Games Developers' Conference Tim Emmerich More than 100 developers gather every year at the Christian Games Developers Conference to discuss how they can make their games better. It's a diverse group, representing five continents in the conference's best year. It's a serious affair. They have volunteers, plenty of discussion. Even matching t-shirts. The conference was founded in 2002 by Tim Emmerich, a soft-spoken engineer who works at HP to pay the bills. He wanted to improve what he thought was a lack of support and experimentation in the Christian games community. "My expectations have been really blown away by the conference," Emmerich says. "I was just expecting 12 in the first year, and we got 30. Now we're...
Deals
5 CommentsAmazon Gold Box deals include Assassin's Creed 3 for $33
By Samit Sarkar on Dec 11, 2012 12.11.12
There's been no shortage of deals this season on Assassin's Creed 3, and another good one comes in today's Amazon Gold Box, which is all about video games. Ubisoft's latest assassin simulator is available all day for $33 and includes three $3 credits on Amazon: Instant Video, Digital Games and Trade-In. Lightning Deals on the MMO TERA and Grand Theft Auto 4 & Episodes from Liberty City: The Complete Edition are no longer available, but here are some of the discounts coming up later today: 10 a.m. ETRhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure 11 a.m. ETNeed for Speed Most Wanted 1 p.m. ET This headset puts you in the middle of the action with Dolby surround sound and a stunning 3D audio environment. 3 p.m. ETDishonored 7 p.m. ET Headset built for both the new GamePad controller...
News
14 CommentsPreventing piracy helped Football Manager studio hire 17 new developers
By Emily Gera on Nov 09, 2012 11.09.12
Preventing the piracy of Football Manager 2012 helped U.K. studio Sports Interactive hire 17 new developers, studio director Miles Jacobson told MCV. According to Jacobson, the studio took measures to ensure the 2012 release of the long-running franchise was more difficult to crack, which resulted in a two week period in which the game was not pirated. The extra revenue was then invested back into the studio by hiring "17 or 18" more staff members. "Last year the measures we took meant the game wasn't pirated for two week," said Jacobson. "And the extra sales we got in that two weeks is why we have managed to hire more staff this year. "The new game has a new system being used, and as of the time of talking the Beta hadn't been cracked. If we can hold a few more weeks, it would be a...
