From a hugely ambitious Buy-to-Play MMORPG to a Free-to-Play title, Elyon (formerly A:IR) has seen big ups and massive downs. That rollercoaster ride has come to an end, as publisher Kakao Games today announced the closure of Elyon’s Europe and…
North America
Game news from North America
ArenaNet – Guild Wars 2 developer hiring for Unreal Engine 5 project based on established IP
Perhaps long overdue, ArenaNet recently posted a few job listings hiring for a new “unannounced project.” While using the Unreal Engine 5 is definitely not a surprise, the said project is further described as “an established online fantasy IP.” It…
DeMeta – Ultima Online veterans announce new game and teases blockchain MMO
Richard “Lord British” Garriott, best known for games such as Ultima, Ultima Online, Lineage, Tabula Rosa, and Shroud of the Avatar, yesterday announced he has formed a new games development studio, DeMeta, with Todd Porter, a founding producer of Dungeons…
Com2uS – Korean gaming giant becomes seed investor in new play-to-earn NFT studio
Com2uS, which is busy building a metaverse of its own, today announced it has made a strategic investment in 5X5 Gaming, a new Play-To-Earn NFT game developer based in San Francisco, California. Founded by Deniz Gezgin, the studio is now…
Squad Battle – New PC battle royale from Netmarble begins Pre Alpha recruitment for US gamers
Other than Overprime, Netmarble is once again building up its PC list of games with Squad Battle! In case you did not know, Netmarble started its gaming business via online PC games before becoming a mobile juggernaut back in the…
ARC Raiders – Nexon unveils co-op PVE shooter from studio headed by former EA executive
Prepare to enlist and resist ruthless mechanized threats descending from the skies in ARC Raiders, the first official game from Nexon’s western subsidiary, Embark Studios. Unveiled today at The Game Awards, ARC Raiders is a cooperative third-person PvE shooter where…
DokeV – Pearl Abyss debuts “ROCKSTAR” music video at The Game Awards
[Game website] Pearl Abyss debuted a brand new ROCKSTAR music video at The Game Awards today featuring their latest IP, DokeV. The Game Awards, endearingly known as the Oscars® for the games industry, attracted over 83 million views last year.…
Elyon – Kakao Games announce conversion to Free-to-Play business model
Publisher Kakao Games today announced that the NA and EU server of Elyon will be transitioning from a Buy-to-Play model to a Free-to-Play one due to competition from other games. Developed by Korea-based Bluehole Studio, the team which made TERA,…
Lost Ark – Amazon Games announces Fall 2021 launch in North America and Europe
[Steam page] Amazon Games, a division of Amazon.com, and Smilegate RPG today announced the award-winning MMOARPG Lost Ark will be available in North America and Europe (see below) on PC in Fall 2021. Players can sign up now at playlostark.com…
ANVIL – Sci-fi action game finds global distribution partner and taking part in E3 2021
First announced back in January, Korean developer Action Square has found a global distribution partner in the massive telecoms company SK Telecom for its Xbox and PC title, ANVIL. Taking part in E3 2021 held in Los Angeles later this…
Black Desert Online – First co-op dungeon Atoraxxion announced for both PC and console versions
Pearl Abyss today announced that Atoraxxion, the game’s first co-op dungeon, will launch later this summer on both Black Desert Online and Black Desert Console. The dungeon will be released in four themed parts — the first, Vahmalkea, will be…
Amazon Games – Past failures left behind as Amazon pushes forward with 4th game studio
Amazon Games, formerly known as Amazon Game Studios, today announced it has opened a new game development studio in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal studio, which joins Amazon Games development studios in Seattle, Orange County, and San Diego, will focus on…
Activision Blizzard – Company with USD 8 billion revenue in 2020 fires more employees due to COVID-19
Activision Blizzard, which drew in USD 8.09 billion in revenue for the year ended December 31, 2020, has fired 50 employees earlier today. The reason? COVID-19. The company cites the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on both the viability of live productions…
Blade & Soul – Western server to receive Unreal Engine 4 update this summer
Following the news of the new Unreal Engine 4 upgrade for the Korean server of Blade & Soul, NCSOFT has made a statement for the Western server. This summer, the Western server of Blade & Soul will be upgraded to…