Joel Bylos has taken to the Age of Conan: Unchained site to post the latest game director's letter. In it, Joel discusses the multi-phased transition to single server tech similar to what is utilized by The Secret World. Then Bylos goes on to announce several significant changes including some PvP revamps and a delay in the overhaul of the tradeskill feature.

Let me try and give you a little inside information on how the process is currently looking.

Functionally it works in our internal builds, in that you can break down items (not all of them) and combine items and discover recipes.

However, it is missing most of the background work that needs to be done in order for it to work in the game and the game systems. This includes the Guild Renown system which will need to be updated to use the new crafting system, Battlekeeps and Guild Cities and even the much-loved Shrines of Bori PvP game. All of these features interact with the old crafting system on some level and they all require updates to be able to be used with the new crafting system.

Read more on the Age of Conan: Unchained site.

Zenimax Online has been a bit hush-hush on the business model for Elder Scrolls Online and we're finding this all a bit concerning. Read on and learn why in this week's Elder Scrolls Online column.

It really doesn’t matter how good The Elder Scrolls Online ends up being at launch. Subscriptions, even in their heyday, were always a losing proposition. For one, MMO game design suffered to keep paying players playing by padding out content and utilizing numerous arbitrary time sinks. But for the most part, players were willing to pay, as long as the game was good and could hold their attention. Back then every MMO developer out there was competing for your $15, but in today’s world, they’re really competing for your attention.

Read more of Michael Bitton's The Elder Scrolls Online: F2P or P2P? Keeping Hush on the Business Model.

We're excited to announce that MMORPG.com will be conducting monthly Guild Wars 2 structured PvP tournaments using our own custom PvP arena. We've even got some cool prizes in store for the winners of each tournament. But before we get to all that we need to solidify some of the details over the next few weeks and that's where you come in!

Are you a structured PvP aficionado? We want your ideas! We're aiming to start with 5v5 format matches, but the rest of the details are up for discussion. Have preferences for map types, rules, or any other ideas or feedback? Hit us with 'em in the comments below!

Guild Wars 2 players looking to explore the epic conclusion to the Flame & Frost live story event will want to check into the game beginning today. In addition to the storyline being brought to a close, players will also find some big changes in PvP, guild missions, a new dungeon and much more.

Custom PvP arenas allow players to host private matches, and customize their map settings! Spectator Mode allows invited players to observe a live PvP match from within the game. On April 30, we’re rolling out both of these in limited beta. Initially, creating a custom arena will be limited to a small pool of players, but playing in custom arenas and access to spectator mode will be available to all players. Read on for more details!        

Read the full list of changes on the Guild Wars 2 site.

The Guild Wars 2 living story, Flame & Frost, is about to come to its epic conclusion with today's release of The Retribution. We've had a chance to check out The Retribution ahead of the patch today and have a few thoughts to share. Read on and then head to the comments.

The Living Story in Guild Wars 2 has had a pretty big build up over the last few months.  The grand finale for the Flame and Frost storyline is finally here, and ArenaNet is ending it with a bang!  There are a few ways they could have ended this story arch.  Some of us thought a large series of dynamic events would be used.  Others felt they would use an instance like they did with The Razing.  While either of these could have worked just fine, you can’t go wrong with a dungeon.  Dungeons are such a big part of the MMO experience, so this type of ending just feels right.  ArenaNet showed us lucky members of the press the new dungeon for Retribution over this past weekend.   And I have to say, they did the right thing.

Read more of David North's Guild Wars 2: The Retribution is Satisfying.

I love playing PvP. But now that someone might be watching me, I might not be able to focus.

The Defiance website has been updated with a pair of developer blogs. The first announces the Outgun contest that will ultimately see the winner's real life likeness appear in a upcoming episode of Defiance. The second details how player feedback is utilized in development of Defiance.

This is different from direction. We have goals for Defiance, we have direction, and we have an identity for what Defiance is. These evolve over time, are implemented and then we gather feedback. Feedback can both affect direction and goals before we implement anything, or it is feedback on something that already exists in Defiance.

Does that mean we act on everything that we get through feedback? No. We process it and take it into consideration but it doesn’t mean it’s in line with what’s best for the game. (See also previous point on direction and identity.)So why discuss this now? I felt it relevant since we’re revising our development plans this week!

Find out how to enter the contest at the link above before heading to the feedback blog post on the Defiance site.

MMORPG.com has been given special gift codes for Shadowland Online that will give players free in game items worth $15!  Get your key now while supplies last!

Each gift pack will give you:

• 250 Diamonds
• 3,000 Gold Coins
• 150 Battle Achievement

Perfect World Entertainment is working with Valve to bring a Super League, an eSports league, into existence in Mainland China. The official sites have opened up for players and teams to begin signing up. Teams will face off in a round robin tournament before heading to a double elimination round.

Check out the Dota 2 Super League site and the official Chinese Dota 2 site.

Source: DotaLand.net

Blizzard Entertainment has announced that the Playstation 3 version of Diablo 3 is now available for preorder. The game will sell for $59.99 and will come with an in-game helm and will be localized in several different languages.

Players who preorder the PS3 version of Diablo III will receive an exclusive in-game item: the Infernal Helm, which grants an experience point boost to any character who wears it, accelerating their progression as they rise in power. Certain retailers will also offer limited-edition preorder bonuses—check with your local retailer for further information. The PS3 version of Diablo III will be available fully localized in English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Polish, and Brazilian Portuguese.

Find out about participating retailers on the Diablo 3 site.

In the second part of Becoming a Designer, Matt Miller talks more about what aspiring developers need to do to make their dreams come true. Read on and then offer your ideas in the comments.

A couple people asked in the comments about the time restriction. I’ve seen design tests at other companies that are rigidly timed, with websites that track the minute you download the test to the minute you submit it. We didn’t do that at Paragon. We simply asked the candidate when they felt they would have enough time to devote to the test, and scheduled email delivery of the test to that time period. They would then complete the test and return it. When the HR department delivered the test for “grading” (not a real thing), we were told how long the applicant had the test for.

Read more Matt Miller: Becoming a Designer - Part Two.

Shown during last weekend's Fanfest, CCP games has released the keynote video called "EVE Online: Origins". It's a fabulous visual look at the game's history. Check it out!

It's funny that the games we adore are called MMO-RPGs since it seems that much of the roleplay part of our games has disappeared. In our latest Social Hub column, we wonder where the roleplayers have gone and offer a few thoughts about how to recapture the magic. Read on and then leave your thoughts in the comments.

Many gamers that found their way to MMORPGs, came from MUDs, tabletop, or the D&D tradition. There were rulesets and lore and lots of people took the time to really conceptualize their characters. Of course, games had their more casual players back then too, but even they could often muster a “hail” now and then. There were RP servers and naming conditions. You wouldn’t see IPWNURFACE99x running around your server. Guilds were generally plentiful and if you wanted it, RP in many forms could be found if you looked. Today, it’s scarce to find an RP flag or sometimes even official RP servers. Things have become more splintered as the genre has both expanded and changed.

Read more of Christina Gonzalez's The Social Hub: Where Have All the Roleplayers Gone?

Welcome to another episode of Game On: Epic Slant Press Edition. Chris out this week and Adam is joined by announcer Patrick! The pair sits down with Mark Jacobs to discuss his Kickstarter project Camelot Unchained. Many interesting details about sieges, crafting, and the new building system come out.

Check out Game On: Interview with Mark Jacobs.

Neverwinter has entered the "soft launch" and is primed and ready to go for our open beta diary series. We'll be spending the next several weeks playing and reporting on Neverwinter and any changes incoming with the arrival of the open beta. Check out today's installment before heading to the comments to discuss your experiences.

All of the above is pretty standard stuff for MMOs these days but where Neverwinter really shines is in the vast number of options for customizing a character’s look. While the faces and hairstyles initially sort of fall into the “meh” category, simply clicking customize opens up such wide ranging choices as finger length, body size, whether or not boots have heels and much, much more. Finding just the right look can take players a good long while, something that D&D players are well familiar with and will appreciate.

Read more of Suzie Ford's Neverwinter Open Beta Diary #1.

This week's features recap covers everything Darkfall, Guild Wars 2, Neverwinter, and much more. Watch!

Check it out on our MMOFTW Features Recap page.

This week's recap covers everything from Dragon's Prophet's dragons to LotRO's newest expansion, Darkfall + Steam, and more! Watch and learn!

Check it out on this week's MMOFTW News Recap page.

Trion Worlds' Nathan Richardsson has taken to the Defiance site with a new blog detailing how important player feedback is to the development team when it comes to making "serious improvements" in the game. The blog covers XB360 issues, PC issues, cheating/hacking, items disappearing, PS3 issues with the "big patch" and much more.

PC cheats and hacks. Yes we take them seriously. Very seriously. We have a team from many departments constantly working on this. From engineering, to customer support, security, networking, business intelligence and game design. I‘m happy to report that we‘re now banning far more people, whether they successfully do it or just attempt to.

Our tools, detections, reporting and pre-ventive mechanisms have iproved considerably in the last two weeks after incrased focus on them. Some have been deployed, more is being deployed today, more coming. I know that some players linger in there for a while before we ban them but sometimes we just allow them so we can watch them. We like to watch.

Read the entire, and very frank, post on the Defiance site.

Marvel Heroes beta testers can finally begin speaking about the game now that the non-disclosure agreement has finally been lifted. Gazillion Entertainment surprised testers with an announcement late Saturday afternoon.

The non-disclosure agreement for Marvel Heroes has been lifted. bit.ly/12Ibl9r #MarvelC2E2

— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) April 27, 2013

CCP Games has sent out a boatload of announcements from this year's Fanfest. News includes the released of a special edition of EVE Online and the announcement that DUST 514 will be released on 5-14, May 14th. 

• EVE: The 2nd Decade Collector's Edition
  • EVE: The Second Decade Collector’s Edition contains a series of exclusive, collectible items specially crafted for the EVE Online enthusiast and celebrating the game’s tenth anniversary
• EVE Comic Partnership with Dark Horse Comics Announced for Winter 2013
  • ?Available Winter 2013, EVE: SOURCE will be a comprehensive source book and visual guide to the expansive universe that players experience in EVE Online and DUST 514. Developed in close collaboration with CCP’s creative teams, the 184-page, full-color hardcover and digital edition will immerse readers in the history and lore of EVE through stunning artwork and never-before-released material detailing the setting, backstory, races and factions of the EVE Universe.
• DUST 514 to Launch May 14th
  • CCP Games, the world’s leading independent developer of massively multiplayer games, has announced that DUST 514® will launch on May 14, 2013. The groundbreaking, free-to-play first-person-shooter launches on PlayStation®3, and players can join the war for galactic supremacy with the ease of a free download.
• EVE Universe Television Series Announced
  • The new television series will take its inspiration from the millions of people who have left their mark on the EVE Universe via stories submitted to the website. Kormákur's creative team, in collaboration with CCP, will create an original concept and storyline set in the EVE Universe, a future history of rival societies trapped beyond a wormhole in a dystopian sci-fi world.