 Activision Investor Results and the release of SWTOR |
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Feb 11, 2010 - 12:44 AM - by Ryan
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To further solidify a Spring 2011 release (and subsequently, why it makes sense), Activision/Blizzard has plugged Starcraft II and the new World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion for 2010 release dates.
Activision | Blizzard - Quarterly Results
What does that mean?
Cataclsym this fall, SC2 this winter, Star Wars: the Old Republic next fall.
From a strategic business standpoint, Bioware is poised to crush the market with the timing of the release of SWTOR.
Again, why am I proselytizing a fall release? Because of the timing, I see Bioware wanting to kill with this opporutnity. If anyhting has been learned about making "the next MMO", it is all about timing. A great game won't do it alone. Want a real world example? You can't release an iPhone killer 6 mos. after everybody renews their 2 yr iPhone contracts. See Google Nexus One.
Then again, I could be wrong.
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Waiting for the SWTOR Beta? |
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Feb 09, 2010 - 8:35 PM - by Ryan
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I still haven't heard first hand of invites for the Star Wars: The Old Republic Beta test, so we can assume it's still in some form of internal alpha development.
In the mean time, I suggest you sign up for the Lego Universe beta. I am a huge fan of the Lego: Star Wars series of console games. If you haven't played them yet, do yourself a favor and pick up a used copy from Gamestop for $5.
Here is the link for the Lego Universe Beta sign up:
LEGO Universe begins beta signups - Massively
and
LEGO Universe : Beta
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EA Fiscal 3rd Quarter Results - No Mention of SWTOR |
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Feb 08, 2010 - 8:34 PM - by Ryan
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So, even though we have a tentative release date of Spring, 2011 for Star Wars: The Old Republic, mum's the word at the latest financial reporting:
Following the release of its fiscal third quarter results today, Electronic Arts outlined its preliminary release schedule for the coming year and beyond, including sequels to Dragon Age and Dead Space as well as a console version of The Sims 3.
Both Crysis 2, externally developed by Crytek, and "The Sims 3 on Console Title," as EA is tentatively referring to it, are due during the last calendar quarter of this year.
Crysis 2, the third release in the franchise, is due for both consoles and PC, marking the first time the series will appear in a non-PC-exclusive capacity.
In the first quarter of next year, EA's fiscal 2011 fourth quarter, the company says it will release Dead Space 2 for consoles (almost certainly Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the launch systems of the original game), as well as a new and currently untitled Dragon Age game for PC, console, and handheld.
It is unclear in this case if "handheld" refers to traditional gaming consoles like Nintendo DS and PSP, or to iPhone and other multifunctional devices.
Also on the slate is the still-mysterious "Shooter from Epic," announced back in 2008 as being in development for EA Partners by Epic Games and its subsidiary studio People Can Fly, acquired in 2007.
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Source was Gamasutra, but this article is out there on the streets.
One interesting item is the talk of a Dragon Age: Origins sequel already. The game hasn't been out for that long, and there are a few DLC's for it as well as the first official expansion comming soon. This is priced as the same as the original release - hopefully meaning just as much content. And already a sequel. This is only good news for SWTOR and the plans / capability of the EA/Bioware team to release new content on a regular basis for SWTOR.
With the going rate of Star Trek Online and the time it will take Blizzard to release the next gen MMO they often refer to, Star Wars: The Old Republic is going to be an epic release - both for the gamer and Bioware. 
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SWTOR Junkies Site Update |
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Feb 08, 2010 - 1:50 AM - by Ryan
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Well, it's that time again that I posted on how the site upgrade is going. (And of note, I am in a limited connectivity environment as I do some last minute business traveling, so the updates will be spotty for a while.)
The site upgrade is going along nicely. The design is still in the "comp" phase and should be finalized shortly. When this is complete, I'll move to coding and alpha testing on a sandbox system.
All said and done, the new site system will allow easier end user interaction with news articles on the front page. I'm looking to integrate member guilds and similar features as well.
As Bioware developes for the game, expect to see some sort of player armory integration as well. Time will tell on this feature.
Feel free to list any features you would like to see added.
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Friday Update |
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Jan 31, 2010 - 10:08 PM - by Ryan
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Hey everyone,
It’s only a few hours till tomorrow’s update but I wanted to go ahead and post this now. Tomorrow’s update will be Threat of Peace #25. We realize some may be a little dismayed by this, especially after all of the updates we were having towards the end of 2009.
While we have announced our target launch window, we also realize there is a lot of information to release between now and then. We met with the development team soon after returning from the holiday break and discussed some of the information we want to release. In going over that, we decided to wait on a few things to ensure we are giving the community the most accurate information possible. We understand that pretty much everyone would love to have all the information about The Old Republic now but we wouldn't be serving the community properly if we told you all about a particular feature or mechanic only for it to be completely different than the way we explained it when The Old Republic releases.
We definitely have some new reveals and announcements coming up but I wanted to inform everyone that our next couple of updates won't be those. And while I'd like nothing better than to tell you what is on the horizon, I can't for the very same reason as I talked about above. We have a plan on what information we want to release and when we want to release it but we always make sure the rest of the team is confident with the information we are releasing before we put it out there.
We know that some of you come here weekly and some even daily no matter what information we release because you enjoy interacting with the community. But we also know that some come here for new information and we want to make sure you get that when it is made available. Here are our suggestions on making sure you know what's going on with The Old Republic if you don't wish to check the forums.
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 SWTOR Release Date and Update |
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Jan 18, 2010 - 12:27 AM - by Ryan
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Star Wars: The Old Republic is now slated for a Spring, 2011 release date. This date is in line with what has been speculated on SWTOR Junkies. Remember, that it is just a tentative date: more than likely it will be bumped to the right. It's a safe bet that Fall, 2011 will more than likely be the release time frame.
Speculation Dates:
Star Craft II - Summer/Fall 2010
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm - Fall, 2010
Diablo III - Spring/Summer 2011
Star Trek Online Expansion - Summer 2011
(I think a Guild Wars expansion goes in there somewhere as well.)
After participating in the Star Trek Online Beta phase, I can honestly say that SWTOR is going to be the competitor for the Warcraft Franchise. There has yet to be a new game on the market with as strong a content offering as what SWTOR promises.
Fan Friday Update:
Understandably, not everyone is going to like the update every week. That is why we do a variety of updates and not just the same thing every week. That said, not every week can be a "big" week. Some weeks we have videos, some we don't. Sometimes we have media assets that show off the game, sometimes we have assets that talk more about the thoughts and lore behind the game. Sometimes we reveal something new, and other times we delve a little deeper into something already known.
That all said, there are things we are just not ready to discuss at this time. We do not want to talk about "Feature X" or "System Y" only to have it not appear in the game. We'd much rather wait until "Feature X" is actually working the way we desire and then we'll talk about it.
If we did talk about things that weren't working the way we want, there is the potential it changes between then and launch. Then, if a player had his or her heart set on something we simply "announced" and then it wasn't there or completely different than they were told, that player will feel lied and betrayed to. This does more of a disservice to the community rather than making them wait for solid information to be released.
As for the Developer Corner, one of the nice aspects about it is we can release information there that sometimes doesn't quite fit our "bundled" approach. When we do a reveal, there are a variety of assets with a common theme. But sometimes there is just something cool that we want to show off that isn't a reveal or part of a bundle; the Developer Corner gives us an avenue to display things just like that.
So, while Fan Friday is highlighting some of the great community contributions, it now also lets us spotlight developer creations that didn't fit in some of our other updates.
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SWTOR Junkies Changes |
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Jan 07, 2010 - 11:40 PM - by Ryan
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Over the coming weeks, SWTOR Junkies will be getting a complete site revamp in preparation for Operation Spring Push.
SWTOR Junkies was established in June, 2009 in order to create a community of fans for BioWare's upcoming MMO-RPG release, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Since that date, SWTOR Junkies has been updated on a regular basis yet done so without the community authenticity that a site like this was created for. There are several reasons as to why. The biggest and most important reason is/was the rate of information flow from BioWare itself. This flow rate has a natural evolution for the release of a major gaming title increasing as the release date approaches. SJ is a firm believer in burn-out of rehashed information.
The point is that SWTOR Junkies is now poised to launch full force, with a re-grand opening for Spring 2010. Included is an extensive site upgrade bringing many new features.
So, I ask you to stay tuned, create an account on the forums, and enjoy the community.
- Ryan
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The Imperial Agent Is Shaping up to be an Interesting Class Choice |
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Jan 05, 2010 - 8:40 PM - by Ryan
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Conclusion
Playing the Imperial Agent isn’t for everyone. He’ll never be out front with a Lightsaber or torching Droids with a flamethrower, and he’ll never receive fame and recognition for his successes. The Imperial Agent lives in the shadows and, when he does his job right, no one ever realizes he was there. His best weapons are a sniper rifle, his gadgets and his ability to charm or lie his way through any situation. He works for an Empire that places little value on an individual operative’s life.
It’s going to be rough. It’s going to be fun.
For those of you giving it a try, one last word of advice: Whatever you do? Don’t trust XXXXXX.
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Source Here
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A Christmas Day Update |
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Dec 26, 2009 - 6:23 AM - by Ryan
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Inspired by notorious characters such as Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, the Sith Inquisitor and Sith Warrior take different approaches to their rise to power. The Sith Warrior achieves victory through pure aggression and might while the Sith Inquisitor excels by cunning ambition and Force manipulation.
From storyline, to art style, to combat tactics, each design decision was made to support the dark side themes of power, domination, and destruction.
Watch Developer Dispatch: Designing the Dark Side, and learn how Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ developers created this dominating force.
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Source here.
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