MMORG

Buzz Watch: Project Lore and Monetizing Gaming Communities

Authored by Jay Baage on July 15, 2008 - 8:08am.

There are a lot of new websites out there which are trying to monetize the gaming communities and their interest in game guides, cheats and promos (as well as social networking). A few days ago I published a piece about how Will Farrell and the people behind FunnyOrDie.com are launching a gaming site called PwnOrDie.com. Now Alex Albrecht (from Diggnation and The Totally Rad Show) is launching a new site and a World of Warcraft online video show called Project Lore, with the mission to put best multimedia MMOG game guides in one place. Check it out.

DMW Vlog: PlaySpan's Tony Colafrancesco on Trading Virtual Goods

Authored by Jay Baage on June 24, 2008 - 7:21am.

The market for virtual goods and currency in games such as World of Warcraft is booming and some analysts estimate that it's worth approximately $1.5 billion. I caught up with PlaySpan's Tony Colafrancesco in between panels at our recent LA Games Conference and asked him some questions about the current problems users run into when trying to trade virtual goods or currency, including gold miners and virtual gangsters, and how Playspan is working to bring some order to the chaos. Playspan claims to be the first publisher-sponsored in-game commerce network for microtransactions with a combined user base of over 10 million gamers.

Report: Chinese Online Games Market to Triple in Five Years

Authored by Jay Baage on May 2, 2008 - 9:59am.

Shanghai - China’s online video game market is expanding rapidly, with sales forecasted to grow from $1.7 billion in 2007 to $6 billion in 2012, according to a survey released by Niko Partners today.
“This market is attractive because it is leading the way for online games,” said Lisa Cosmas Hanson, managing partner of Niko Partners, according to VentureBeat.

Chinese Online Games Firm The9 to Host "Hellgate: London"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 30, 2006 - 12:54pm.

Shanghai - Chinese online game operator The9 said on Tuesday that it has acquired an exclusive license to operate game publisher HanbitSoft's "Hellgate: London" massively multiplayer online roleplaying game in China.

Sony Online Entertainment at Work on "EverQuest II" Expansions

Authored by dmw on May 3, 2006 - 9:17am.

San Diego - Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) announced on Wednesday that it is at work on two expansion packs for its "EverQuest II" massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. The expansion pack "Echoes of Faydwer" will be released on Nov. 14 for $39, while the adventure pack "The Fallen Dynasty" will be released in June for $7.99, or at no cost to subscribers to SOE's Station Access service.