Acclaim Games CCO David Perry has written an open letter to the Spellborn community on the recent announcement that Acclaim will be the North American publisher for The Chronicles of Spellborn.

Hi,
My name is David Perry, and I’m the Chief Creative Officer of Acclaim Games (the new Acclaim) that is now the #1 American publisher of Free-to-Play Online Games. Some of you “old school” gamers might remember me from the old Sinclair Spectrum/Amstrad CPC/Commodore 64/Amiga/Atari ST days, back before the MMO concept even existed!

The CEO of Acclaim (Howard Marks) was the Chairman of Activision Studios through their massive growth during the 1990’s, and together we travel the world in search of the best new games that we can possibly find. Right now we’re tracking over 400 MMO games (yes it’s insane!). My poor old gaming PC is literally peppered with games in every conceivable language, and I’ve just kept playing, patiently waiting for that WHOA! moment. The game that finally got us there is Spellborn. When we saw it running, our jaws literally dropped to the floor. “Who the heck made this? We need to talk!”

Read more here.

nvm

Broken link again. ARGH

I keep seeing more of these dead links guys (or that special porn one from a week or two ago...whew, luckily no on at work saw that). Can we proof read first or something?

Thank you

Really guys...I  mean come on....how hard is it to link to something?

tcos.com/            Like this maybe?????   Sheesh

Hope this helps....

Hi,
My name is David Perry, and I’m the Chief Creative Officer of Acclaim Games (the new Acclaim) that is now the #1 American publisher of Free-to-Play Online Games. Some of you “old school” gamers might remember me from the old Sinclair Spectrum/Amstrad CPC/Commodore 64/Amiga/Atari ST days, back before the MMO concept even existed!

The CEO of Acclaim (Howard Marks) was the Chairman of Activision Studios through their massive growth during the 1990’s, and together we travel the world in search of the best new games that we can possibly find. Right now we’re tracking over 400 MMO games (yes it’s insane!). My poor old gaming PC is literally peppered with games in every conceivable language, and I’ve just kept playing, patiently waiting for that WHOA! moment. The game that finally got us there is Spellborn. When we saw it running, our jaws literally dropped to the floor. “Who the heck made this? We need to talk!”

Two reasons why I knew this game was really cool:

REASON 1
I had been at the G-Star Game Conference in Korea, and I had a note in my notebook saying “Frogster ?" Spellborn” with a big giant STAR beside it. From the zillion games at the show, it was this game that really stood out to me. I remember going back several times just to take another look.

REASON 2
My staff (who absolutely LIVE for these kinds of games) have been bugging me like crazy. “Have you heard of this ‘Spellborn’ game? Come on Dave, you know people, can’t you get us a developer account?” One of them just asked me again today!

So now the word is FINALLY out! I just want to officially say to the creators that we immensely appreciate the hard work that’s gone into this game, and I know, that they know, that I know just how tough that work is!

So congratulations to the entire Chronicles of Spellborn team for making this game. We will make you proud in the USA/Canada and will soon have tons of gamers eager to play with you all in this amazing new world. I also want to say thanks to the Closed Beta testers that are helping with balancing. At Acclaim, our players & testers are highly valued, and we form player advisory boards for each of our games so that the Gamers have a voice to Myself, the CEO, the Acclaim Team & the Developers of the game.

At the keynote speech of this year’s Leipzig Game Developers Conference, and I reminded everyone of the three golden rules of running an MMO like this:

(1) Community
(2) Community
(3) Community!

A game like this, using a cutting-edge engine (thanks to the talent over at Epic), is an incredible opportunity for us all to grow this world, to make it a success and to make new friends.

So I look forward to meeting many of you in the world of Spellborn!

David Perry.
USA Director - The Chronicles of Spellborn
 

+++ Press Release +++

US Publisher for The Chronicles of Spellborn
– Acclaim will publish TCoS in North America –

Berlin, 2008/08/19: Frogster and the Dutch developer Spellborn are pleased to announce Acclaim Games as US publisher for The Chronicles of Spellborn. The renowned and tradition-steeped American company lead by industry veterans Howard Marks and David Perry has licensed the fantasy MMORPG as their focus title. Acclaim already has almost seven million registered users within their portfolio of currently five online games and is committed to start a large-scale marketing campaign until its launch in late 2008. Acclaim will give North American players a free-to-play zone while subscribers will be able to explore the entire virtual world.

David Perry is regarded as computer games developer guru, responsible for a number of blockbusters in the past 25 years. Having founded the developer studio Shiny Entertainment in 1993 he is one of the few internationally prominent masterminds of the games industry. His partner Howard Marks had been one of the co-founders of the new Activision in 1991, before he became owner of Acclaim in 2005.

Personally, David Perry is very excited about ‚TCoS’. “My poor old gaming PC is literally peppered with games in every conceivable language, and I’ve just kept playing, patiently waiting for that WHOA! moment. We’re tracking over 400 MMO’s around the world but the game that finally got us there is Spellborn. When we saw it running, our jaws literally dropped to the floor. This MMO is absolutely stunning, using the graphics engine from my friends over at Epic. We have millions of gamers that will be anxious to experience this amazing new game for free” comments David Perry, the USA Director for Spellborn on the successful deal.

What lies hidden, must be found
With The Chronicles of Spellborn players enter into an impressive online scenario with scenic landscapes, majestic cities and the remnants of an ancient civilization. Alone or with a party of allies, PC adventurers step into a huge fantasy realm consisting of varied shard worlds floating in the magic Deadspell Storm. Those who want to prevail in the grippingly staged combats of The Chronicles of Spellborn need to apply their mighty arsenal of spells, melee and ranged attacks skillfully. Battles with bloodthirsty creatures, hostile peoples and human opponents in PvP battles are waiting. An innovative and tactically challenging combat system with shooter-like controls and rotating skill deck provides a fresh breath of air for the dusty MMORPG genre. Thanks to the largely extended Unreal Engine 2.5, The Chronicles of Spellborn boasts stunning 3D graphics, spectacular effects and countless elaborate details. More information, images, videos and a form for the beta registration can be found on the official website: www.tcos.com.

About Acclaim Games Inc.
Acclaim is a revolutionary company with a familiar name. Three years and 7 million registered users ago, former Activision CEO Howard Marks purchased the Acclaim name looking to revive one of the video game industry’s former giants. With the help of renowned game director David Perry, Marks succeeded. Today, Acclaim offers some of the finest in multiplayer online gaming while using a new, free to play business model. Acclaim strives to offer its users a fun, community-oriented experience with a selection of titles ranging from casual browser games to hardcore MMOs. To learn more, visit www.acclaim.com.

About Spellborn NV
Spellborn NV is a computer games company residing in the Netherlands. It has grown from a midrange internet company to the top of the Dutch games industry. With a team of 50 gamedesigners and programmers Spellborn NV has developed ‘The Chronicles of Spellborn’ over a period of more than 3 years now.

About Frogster Interactive Pictures AG
As a holding with different shares in the computergames industry, the Frogster Interactive Pictures AG based in Berlin is focusing on the growth sector of Massively Multiplayer Online Games. The company licenses, operates und markets different online games in the German speaking market and internationally. Its Korean joint venture Frogster Studios Co. Ltd. based in Seoul develops MMO games and markets their own as well as licensed virtual worlds in Asia. At their headquarter in Berlin and in Rheine and Seoul, the Frogster group employs more than 80 staff members in the fields of marketing, community management, customer support, IT, web design, web development, sales and administration. Internet: www.frogster-interactive.de

http://tcos.com/sbforum/viewtopic.php?t=14350

I remember commenting on an MMORPG article and the link not working, the response I got was that there is a delay between posting a link and it becoming active...

So I guess give it 10 minutes before jumping all over them about it every time.

Hell Yeah : )

Thats the kind of open letters we want to see more of.

This is GOOD news actually.

I have been waiting for a game to do several things differently

1. A new payment model than monthly

2. Unique combat with good graphics and gameplay

I REALLY hope this is the ticket. And I already have an Acclaim account...all signed up and ready to go.

Woot!

Originally posted by Noggin

I remember commenting on an MMORPG article and the link not working, the response I got was that there is a delay between posting a link and it becoming active...

So I guess give it 10 minutes before jumping all over them about it every time.

The problem is that it hasn't been several minutes... it's been several hours. Plus on other news links, the links work fine pretty much right away.

The article though posted here in the comments is much appreciated though, thanks!

Originally posted by openedge1

This is GOOD news actually.

I have been waiting for a game to do several things differently

1. A new payment model than monthly

2. Unique combat with good graphics and gameplay

I REALLY hope this is the ticket. And I already have an Acclaim account...all signed up and ready to go.

Woot!

just to make sure there is no confusion, there will be only ONE free to play zone. If you want access to the rest, you'll need to pay monthly :)

Originally posted by Noggin

I remember commenting on an MMORPG article and the link not working, the response I got was that there is a delay between posting a link and it becoming active...

 

So I guess give it 10 minutes before jumping all over them about it every time.

Look at the time stamps....it was like 90 minutes so yeh....whatever....

I want this game!!!!!

Originally posted by L0k1-

Originally posted by openedge1

This is GOOD news actually.

I have been waiting for a game to do several things differently

1. A new payment model than monthly

2. Unique combat with good graphics and gameplay

I REALLY hope this is the ticket. And I already have an Acclaim account...all signed up and ready to go.

Woot!

 

just to make sure there is no confusion, there will be only ONE free to play zone. If you want access to the rest, you'll need to pay monthly :)

It is the fact that you will be afforded the option to review the game and how it plays based on the FTP model. I will bet on many a player going for full pay.

My understanding is Acclaim is notorious for the "cash shop" play style. I see no reason they will not try to incorporate it here.

Originally posted by openedge1

Broken link again. ARGH

I keep seeing more of these dead links guys (or that special porn one from a week or two ago...whew, luckily no on at work saw that). Can we proof read first or something?

As someone already posted, the "add a post" and "add the link" seem to be seperate processes.

In response to that usual dross (as factual as it may well be), how about you (at MMORPG.com) get your back-end developers to write some code that lets you do both at once? Hm? Or, optionally, have it postpone the post until after the link is added? (having written such code for contractors, in the past, I know it's possible :P.)

Broken links make you look amateur and unprofessional; even more-so as they happen on a continual basis and only add frustration to the instant email notifications as they are made, effectively, useless.

How about getting the problem fixed instead of making excuses?

---

As for the open letter: woo! Looking forward to giving it a try. :)

openedge there are a few reasons why it wont happen..

1.The devs have already responed over at the official forums saying it wont happen.

2.The game is just not setup for cash shops,I mean there are no stats on armor,there are no power increasing pots or healing pots to buy.

3.The devs took along time in finding a publisher for NA as they didnt want any publisher that wanted to big a say in what they game should be.

4.Dont forget that acclaim are only 1 of 3 publishers for this title,mindscape and frogster the other 2.

5.LIke I said the devs have confirmed I think 3 times"TCoS will be a pay to play title with no item malls" because people like yourself have been saying acclaim will turn it into a cash shop f2p game.

Originally posted by daylight01

openedge there are a few reasons why it wont happen..

1.The devs have already responed over at the official forums saying it wont happen.

2.The game is just not setup for cash shops,I mean there are no stats on armor,there are no power increasing pots or healing pots to buy.

3.The devs took along time in finding a publisher for NA as they didnt want any publisher that wanted to big a say in what they game should be.

4.Dont forget that acclaim are only 1 of 3 publishers for this title,mindscape and frogster the other 2.

5.LIke I said the devs have confirmed I think 3 times"TCoS will be a pay to play title with no item malls" because people like yourself have been saying acclaim will turn it into a cash shop f2p game.

So unique combat with monthly fees for a kill10x style of game.

Sounds familiar (*Cough* AoC *Cough*)

Bummer. Combat still looks good. But, then so did AoC.

Originally posted by daylight01

At the keynote speech of this year’s Leipzig Game Developers Conference, and I reminded everyone of the three golden rules of running an MMO like this:

(1) Community
(2) Community
(3) Community! 

hey, this one is really good.

its not about gameplay, its not about graphics

its all about making community happy

Originally posted by openedge1

This is GOOD news actually.

I have been waiting for a game to do several things differently

1. A new payment model than monthly

2. Unique combat with good graphics and gameplay

I REALLY hope this is the ticket. And I already have an Acclaim account...all signed up and ready to go.

Woo

waht we all know as the monthly payment model is ,imho,the only real way to go, every other payment model has been a scam,and  never ever ever give us what they promise, f2p =player pay for mnthly and then get everything cool and the f2p people are left wanting, item malls = its really ahrd to get anything in game,and you have to buy stuff to keep up with the other players,and you pay more than 15 a month just to play,then theres the entopia online thing, you  dont get anything back that you payed into it, so dont think you will, and anything else is just combinations of, variations of, or just the same things with diferant names

   Im just glad they finally got a publisher....This game seems to be very hush hush and I think alot of us were getting concerned if we'd ever even see it in the US.......I think its a good idea to have one area be free......I think there is some interest in this game but alo of people would want to try it before paying a monthly......

so actually what you are saying is that you want a f2p game with the quality of a monthly fee game? while i would really like taht to hapen, i dont htink its going to hapen, unlike single player games taht are high quality then released with not alot of patches and content updates,mmo games are constantly being updated so they charge more, and yes they dont have to charge as much,but 15 a month isnt a horible amount of money to spend each month,and it has been shown time and time again, that you dont get the same quality game out of a f2p or item mall game,and dont bother with any example of a f2p game being high quality because youll be wrong

Guys
I used to be a forum moderator/volunteer game master for 2Moons(David Perry's game and Acclaim) and yes.Acclaim will probably do the cash shop.
However,do not get excited too much.Acclaim will probably use GameGuard as anti-cheat and that will cause many issues.
In any case,I would suggest you check 2moons.acclaim.com to see for yourself what happened with 2Moons