Cryptic Studios has been acquired by the Chinese MMO maker Perfect World, reports Gamasutra. According to the report, the company paid approximately $50.3 million for the studio, and acquired a 100% equity interest in Cryptic. Atari had been looking to sell Cryptic recently, having only acquired it in 2008.
Atari is divesting its interest in Cryptic Studios, developer of Champions Online and Star Trek Online, looking to sell it, Gamasutra reports. The publisher only acquired Cryptic in December 2008.
"In line with the previously stated strategy of fewer but more profitable releases and further expansion into casual online and mobile games, the Company has determined that external development creates more flexibility in the changing marketplace," Atari explained in an earnings report. Read more »
[Update: 10:30am] According to a GameSpot interview (as spotted by Shack user valcan_s), Neverwinter will "focus on cooperative play, requiring players to log into a server to start a session" encouraging play with others. Players will be able to play the game solo if they prefer but it will be "a much harder way to play." Read more »
Former Flagship CEO and Blizzard Executive Bill Roper has left Cryptic Studios, where he served as design director and executive producer on Champions Online before accepting the position of chief creative officer back in March.
While Roper has not announced specific plans for the future, he did write that "over the past few months my entrepreneurial spirit has become restless, and I've made the difficult decision to move on and look for new opportunities." Read more »
Champions Online and Star Trek Online developer Cryptic is said to be working on an Neverwinter Nights MMO, according to the sources of Variety's Chris Morris.
The rumblings fit with owner Atari's past comments, including a vow that it would revive classic franchises, such as those under the Dungeons and Dragons banner, and word that Cryptic is prepping "a series of new games" based off Atari properties. Read more »
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. Read more »
Cryptic Studios has confirmed that it recruited players for the now-underway Champions Online closed beta from super-powered rival City of Heroes and other PC MMOs.
Rumors of such practices emerged via Massively earlier this week, after the official City of Heroes website warned players and forum-goers of solicitations from "another game company trying to lure you to their competing product." Read more »
MMORPG developer Cryptic Studios has been acquired by Atari parent company Infogrames, the companies have revealed.
The announcement specified that Atari will now be able to "create unique, high quality MMO games on 18 to 24-month cycles."
Following the failure of Flagship Studios and Hellgate: London, former Blizzard Entertainment director Bill Roper has joined Cryptic Studios, the MMO developer announced today.
Roper will serve as Design Director on Champions Online, Cryptic's new massively multiplayer online superhero title based on the Champions role playing game.
Said Cryptic Studios CEO John Needham, "Bill brings a ton of creative energy to the Cryptic office and we're thrilled to have him join our team. His years of gaming and online experience are huge assets to all of our projects, and Bill will assist us in furthering our studio's vision to create innovative, exciting MMO gameplay."
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. Read more »
Cryptic Studios, developer of the superhero MMO City of Heroes, have today announced their next project: Champions Online, a self-published superhero MMO based on the popular pen-and-paper game Champions RPG.
The key bullet point of Champions Online will be customization, with Cryptic boasting a "near infinite" amount of character-defining traits.
With Marvel Universe Online (PC, X360) officially canceled and the studio no longer involved with City of Heroes (PC), the latest effort from superhero MMO developer Cryptic Studios is Champions Online, a super-powered MMO planned for PC and consoles.
Word of the project comes from a writeup detailing gaming publication Game Informer's March issue. No further details are available at this time. Read more »
Ending months of speculation, Microsoft Game Studios VP Shane Kim has confirmed that Marvel Universe Online is no longer in development.
According to Kim, the project's cancellation and was "an amicable decision" reached by both Microsoft and Marvel, and stemmed from the changing MMO landscape.
"Clearly there are emerging models that have come about," he told MTV Multiplayer, pointing to alternative business strategies such as ad-supported play and item-oriented microtransactions. Read more »
Following the cancellation of Star Trek Online, reports are coming in that members of the P2 Entertainment development team have today been laid off.
A WarCry article on the matter cites multiple sources at the company, though P2 has issued no comment at this time. Read more »
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. Read more »
"I really don't know where you got the "accounts made" thing. That's certainly something CRYPTIC ..."
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