GDC: Wrap Up
Managing Editor Jon Wood writes this article wrapping up our 2007 GDC coverage.
Today marks the end of our coverage from the 2007 Game Developers Conference. As a whole, the show was a great success for all of us here at MMORPG.com, and we hope that you enjoyed reading about all of the games and companies that we were able to cover this year.
As an end-of-show article, I wanted to put together some of the pieces that didn't make it into the full article coverage:
Sony Online Entertainment
I had a few minutes to sit down with Alan Crosby of SOE. With rumors circulating (as they seem to every now and again), that the relationship between SOE and LucasArts was about to be terminated, I asked the question and was told that the relationship was fine and that there are still a few more years left on the licensing contract. In fact, the game only recently released Chapter 5, which I was told "gives entertainers some love". The Star Wars Galaxies team is now moving on to Chapter 6.
;)
Recently, SWG conducted a poll asking players what they were looking for from Chapter 7. The current players asked overwhelmingly for more PvE content.
In general, "SOE's future is bright," and they have a lot going on. Their studios in Seattle, Austin and San Diego are all ramping up with their various products. I am told that we should "stay tuned, there is lots of stuff coming up".
City of Heroes / City of Villains
Cryptic Studios and NCsoft are continuing on with the expansions for their successful City of Heroes / City of Villains franchise. The upcoming expansion, Issue 9: Breakthrough introduces Paragon City and the Rogue Isles to the new Invention System that will allow players to use accumulated salvage to create useful items. This new crafting system will be instant (no crafting bars). You can learn more about Issue 9 in our recent interview with Matt "Positron" Miller, here.
;)
Icuiti
Just before we left for GDC, our newsroom published a press release from a company called Icuiti. You can find that press release here. Icuiti promises to be "the first Video Eyewear specifically designed for online game play and Internet communications. It allows fans of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) and virtual social worlds to fully immerse themselves, look around and communicate with each other."
;)
For those of you who, like me, have no idea a) what that would look like and b) whether or not that would even work, I can honestly say that I had a brief chance to try the headset on and jump into World of Warcraft for a few minutes. All I can tell you right at this moment is that yes, it does make things look 3D and is probably the closest thing that I've seen to the "virtual reality" that people were so crazy about. You literally put on glasses and feel like you're inside the game world. One model even turns the camera as you turn your head.
MMORPG.com will be bringing you more information on this new piece of hardware, as we have been promised a review unit so that we can whether or not this product would be $399 well spent for the MMO gamer.
Well, that about does it for our 2007 GDC coverage. We hope you enjoyed it. On April 14th, MMORPG.com is headed down to the Indie MMO Game Development Conference in Minneapolis, so stay tuned for coverage of that event.
