Stardate 50911.03.2015. A pair of new trailers for Cryptic's MMO Star Trek Online have materialised off the starboard bow and we have begun our investigations. The first appears to offer pure gameplay footage from both away team and space combat.

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The second is identified as belonging to a 'Future Past' series of trailers, which contain extensive information on historical events of the era. We are studying... Read more

With the early 2010 launch of Star Trek Online fast approaching and the closed beta underway, publisher Atari has sent forth new screenshots of the sci-fi PC MMO. The latest from Champions Online developer Cryptic Studios, Star Trek Online does not yet have a specific launch date. An Atari representative told Shacknews that it should launch in February, with various retailers listing it for release on February 2.

The closed beta phase of Cryptic's upcoming MMO Star Trek Online began today, according to the company. "We're pleased to begin sharing our addition to Star Trek's legendary story with the public," offered STO producer Craig Zinkievich. "We know fans of Star Trek, and fans of MMOs, will be incredibly impressed by what they see when they play Star Trek Online."

Those hoping to get into the beta can still sign up on the official site. Otherwise, you'll be waiting until February 2010 for the PC game to launch.

Curious as to what's been happening in the thirty years since Jean Luc Picard took care of Romulan Praetor Shinzon? How fortunate, then, that this trailer tackles the subject.

Coming from Champions Online developer Cryptic, Star Trek Online is slated to launch in February 2010. While a specific launch date has yet to be announced for the sci-fi PC MMO , various retailers are currently listing it for release on February 2.

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With the targeted "by March 31, 2010" launch of Star Trek Online looming, developer Cryptic today began taking applications for a closed beta test later this year. Outside of those who have guaranteed beta access because they bought a six-month or lifetime subscription to Cryptic's just-launched superhero MMO Champions Online, participants for the Star Trek Online beta will be randomly selected.

In an accompanying press release, executive producer Craig Zinkievich said "closed beta registration is an important step in bringing Star Trek Online to the public," with the studio also billing STO as "the first MMO to offer both space and ground game play."

Cryptic has unveiled two Champions Online subscription offers which grant closed beta access to Star Trek Online, including a lifetime subscription costing a grand $200.

A $60 six-month subscription to the superhero MMO offers a 33% saving over the regular monthly fee of $15 and grants an exclusive "art deco" costume set. The $200 lifetime subscription also packs an in-game action figure, further exclusive costume sets, eight extra character slots, and a mirror universe outfit to wear in Star Trek Online.

Champions Online is released for PC on September 1, following a limited open beta which will begin on August 17. An Xbox 360 version is due to arrive late this year.

Executive producer Bill Roper's previous MMO Hellgate: London also offered a lifetime subscription for $149, which proved to be good for only fifteen months as developer Flagship Studios faced financial woes and the servers shut down in Feburary this year.

New details on the projects being handled by City of Heroes veterans Cryptic Studios emerged out of studio owner and publisher Atari today via financial documents.

First up was word that the Xbox 360 version of the super-powered MMO Champions Online will arrive by the end of the year, at some time between September 1 and December 31. The PC edition of Champions Online is due to launch on September 1.

Next, Atari confirmed that the next MMO out of Cryptic, Star Trek Online, is expected to launch no later than March 31, 2010. No platforms were mentioned, though the company has previously said that STO is coming to "both console and PC formats."

Finally, the company teased that Cryptic is working on a "series of new games based on Atari's existing and historically successful IPs," but offered no further information.

Following the success of JJ Abrams' flare-filled Star Trek film, it appears that developer Cryptic is jumping on the bandwagon with these new Star Trek Online screenshots. The MMO is planned for release on PC and consoles sometime in the future.

Developer Cryptic has issued a new batch of Star Trek Online screenshots, and, in an improvement over previous sets, this one lacks the once-requisite dull interior shot.

The MMO is due to hit PC and consoles. We don't know exactly when, but ...someday.

A new batch of Star Trek Online screenshots have been released by developer Cryptic. As with past updates, we see some space, a few characters, and a dull interior shot.

There's still no word as to when the upcoming MMO will hit PC and consoles.

Cryptic has released four new screenshots of its upcoming PC and console MMO Star Trek Online.

As seems to be the trend, the shots present a number of exciting exteriors from the frontier of space, along with a dull interior shot of some kind of cargo bay.

A few more screenshots from Cryptic's upcoming Star Trek Online have arrived, illustrating exactly what players will someday find in the PC and console MMO.

Cryptic has released a pair of screens from its upcoming, un-dated console/PC MMO Star Trek Online.

One of the images shows a Federation spacecraft on the boundary of space, with a mysterious asteroid colony set before a large, unexplored planet.

The other shows some crates.

Recently Cryptic Studios released more details on Star Trek Online, and now the first trailer has been unveiled.

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According to Cryptic chief creative officer Jack Emmert, players will begin their voyage as the captain of a small Starfleet or Klingon Empire ship, able to customize their characters as previously existing Star Trek species or create entirely new races. As with the sci-fi series, exploration and scientific discovery remains a prominent focus.

Developer Cryptic Studios has revealed new information from the ongoing development of Star Trek Online, the studio's MMO adaptation of the classic sci-fi franchise.

According to Cryptic chief creative officer Jack Emmert, players will begin their voyage as the captain of a small Starfleet or Klingon Empire ship, able to customize their characters as previously existing Star Trek species or create entirely new races. As with the sci-fi series, exploration and scientific discovery remains a prominent focus.

"You'll venture through space exploring new civilizations and life-forms," Emmert told the Associated Press. "You'll also beam down to planets and have adventures inside your ship. It's a galactic-wide game. There's going to be tons of space to investigate. We have a great system for exploration, which will allow for almost infinite possibilities."

While familiar locales such as Vulcan and Bajor will be accessible, the time period of Star Trek Online—set "a few generations" after the Next Generation... Read more

Months after Perpetual Entertainment ceased its work on Star Trek Online, City of Heroes developer Cryptic Studios has confirmed the rumors that it is now handling the sci-fi MMO and will be bringing the once PC-only effort to "both console and PC formats."

The MMO will feature "customizable ships and characters from the Klingon Empire and United Federation of Planets, ground, space and shipboard gameplay and unique options for player-generated content set in the Star Trek universe," going by a post on the game's official site.

It is unclear how much of Perpetual's original work will be reflected in Cryptic Studios' rendition of Star Trek Online. The project is now powered by the studio's internal Cryptic Engine technology, with the first gameplay footage due at this year's Star Trek Convention on August 10--suggesting many of Perpetual's assets are being re-used.

While details on the game's release date or console platforms were not provided, an Xbox 360 edition is a safe assumption, as Cryptic's upcoming Cryptic Engine-powered superhero MMO Champions Online is due out on both PC and Xbox 360 next spring.

The mystery of which studio is handling Star Trek Online may soon be at an end, going by a new countdown clock on Cryptic Studios' website. The countdown, which concludes on July 28, uses an early piece of STO concept art as its background. Left, Star Trek Online concept art. Right, Cryptic Studios' website.

Originally under development at Perpetual Entertainment, the PC MMO was transferred to an unknown studio when Perpetual closed shop earlier this year.

Rumors soon began circulating that City of Heroes and Champions Online developer Cryptic would be handling the game and was hiring former Perpetual employees. Those reports are technically unverified, though the countdown implies their validity.

Thanks to Binge Gamer for the heads up regarding the countdown.

Cryptic Studios, developers of the successful MMORPG series City of Heroes (PC), confirmed that the company has been interviewing employees of P2 Entertainment, reports TrekMovie.com.

Though the studio would not confirm if it is currently handling the development of Star Trek Online (PC), Cryptic's tapping of P2 employees seats the studio as the most likely candidate to continue the project. P2 Entertainment was revealed yesterday to have ceased development on the title, transferring the license to an unknown developer.

Rumors of Cryptic's involvement began with a story published this morning on w00tstudios. The company was previously known to be working on the superhero MMO Marvel Universe Online (PC, X360), though rumors strongly suggest the project has been scrapped, with Cryptic refusing to comment one way or another.

Both Cryptic and P2 were reached for comment, but have not responded as of this writing.

WarCry is reporting that P2 Entertainment—formerly Perpetual Entertainment—will no longer be developing Star Trek Online (PC), according to "multiple sources at the San Francisco based developer".

The game will be developed under another Bay Area studio to whom the license and content—but not the code, WarCry notes— have been transferred. P2 will continue onward with a refocusing of their business strategy on the casual games market and continue work on the Perpetual Platform.

P2's bowing out is the latest in a series of bad news that has plagued Perpetual throughout Star Trek Online's development, including a liquidation and sale of the company and a lawsuit brought on by Kohnke Communications last month.

Perpetual Entertainment has released the first in-game screenshot of its upcoming PC MMO Star Trek Online, highlighting the game's context-sensitive interaction system.

"In a nutshell, the Interaction System controls every non-combat, player-to-NPC interaction in the game," wrote Perpetual's Mike Stemmle. Formerly of LucasArts, Stemmle is credited as a co-designer on LucasArts' cult-classic PC adventure Sam & Max: Hit The Road and was the project lead on the company's heaven-hell management sim Afterlife (PC).

"If you want to talk to a Ferengi shopkeeper, it goes through the Interaction System," he elaborated. "Need to get some additional phaser training at the local Starfleet Academy? That's the Interaction System. Want to beam down to a planet? Interaction System. Responding to a distress call from a crippled starship? That's the Interaction System, too."

In the update, Stemmle did not comment on recent reports that Perpetual is pursuing a "more casual" direction with Star Trek Online due to new management, which has allegedly resulted in a few voluntary resignations within the company.