Updates on
onGamers follow up on a rumor they reported of layoffs at Blizzard's San
Francisco office (thanks
GameInformer). Their original story quoted anonymous sources reporting
layoffs, but after hearing from Blizzard, the only part of the story that's
confirmed is the departure of David Ting, the former president of the IGN Pro
League that
Blizzard acquired last year.
Apparently Blizzard's decision to relocate 10-15 employees inspired Ting's
decision to leave. "Due to the relocation of major portions of the SF team to
Irvine, I have decided it is time for me to pursue other opportunities within
the Bay Area," reads Ting's statement on the matter. "I will be staying with
Blizzard for a period of time to help with the transition as well as continue
working on a few corporate initiatives. I have enjoyed my time at Blizzard as an
employee and as an avid player of their games, and look forward to more exciting
games to come."
A
Kickstarter campaign has commenced for
Dungeonforge, Collective Dream
Studios' upcoming action/RPG where one of the players acts as the dungeon
master. The game had an unsuccessful
Indiegogo campaign
last summer, but now they are hoping
to build on the momentum of their recent
Steam
Greenlight approval. Their goal is $60,000, and they are promising backers a
Special Edition with a unique look for all the characters.
A
new teaser trailer
shows off more of
The Repopulation, showing alpha gameplay footage from
the upcoming post-apocalyptic MMORPG. Word is: "It includes footage of the newly
introduced Mounts, Sniper Scopes, and Melee Combat, along with an assortment of
combat and fly bys of various areas that were not seen in earlier footage." The
already-funded
Kickstarter campaign is heading into its final day, and there are still
additional stretch goals in play.
Continue here to read the full story.
The Revised SOE All Access Program FAQ has details on Sony's
new unified
subscription system. As noted on
Polygon, this includes word that this will soon include the next step in
their plans to make the original PlanetSide
a free-to-play game. Here's word on the future of their MMOFPS:
Q: I
don’t see PlanetSide 1 mentioned anywhere, are they eligible for this program?
A: We will offer PlanetSide 1 as free to play game for everyone when the new
program rolls out, on or about April 2, 2014 (or sooner!). Please note that PS1
has no Marketplace and will not see further game development. We know that a
large number of people have played it in the past, and we hope you’ll enjoy it
again, on us.
I caught up with the first three episodes of the second season of Banshee last
night. I don't know if it really qualifies as great TV, but I sure do enjoy it,
and I think it does a pretty impressive job as one of those dramas that manages
to succeed without any sympathetic characters and a minimum of comic relief,
making it a very unconventional show, in spite of its reliance on formula.
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