Today we look at an letter from General Manager Patrick Buechner, detailing the current "State of SimCity". Buechner's article is a post-launch breakdown that discusses what Maxis has worked on since release. In the letter, Buechner reassures the community that the SimCity team is constantly on the lookout for ways to improve the SimCity experience.
EA has a new sheriff in town: Andrew Wilson.
Wilson, a 13-year veteran of the company, has become the new CEO of Electronic Arts. Wilson's background includes time as Executive Vice President, during which he oversaw their digital distribution platform Origin. Larry Probst, Executive Chairman of EA, calls Wilson an "inspired choice", and goes on to say that Wilson "has a powerful sense of respect for and commitment to (their) consumers." So what does this mean for EA’s future in online gaming?
Let's take a look at Wilson's own words, quoted from his introductory post:
"I envision EA as the World's Greatest Games Company. This is not about what we are aiming for or what we will become. Rather, it is about an unfaltering commitment to what we will be every day. This is an attitude that must drive our culture as one team.
I also believe EA's strategy is sound. Our focus on our talent, our brands and our platform together with our investment in next-generation consoles, mobile and PC free-to-play, as part of our ongoing transition to digital, is right. But we have plenty of work ahead to ensure our collective success."
Wilson also goes on to mention that his focus will be on three things:
"1. Continued transformation for our digital future;
2. Delivering amazing games and services across platforms; and
3. Instilling a culture of execution that will drive profitable growth."
Between Wilson's experience with Origin and his mention of EA's "digital future", he seems to be in a good mindset overall. Although EA's reputation has dwindled over the years, it's always exciting when the proverbial ship receives a new captain. We can only hope that Wilson can build upon EA's recent success, having raised over $10 million for charity with the Humble Origin Bundle.
Colt "ShdwFlm" Casey
Deputy Editor
In an unexpected move, EA has just announced that, effective March 30, John Riccitiello will step down as Chief Executive Officer and board member. The decision ends Riccitiello’s six year tenure at the top of the video game mega-publisher.
EA has not been without its share of controversies in recent years, ranging from the ‘EA Spouse’ blog slamming poor working practices, to being named the Worst Company in America for 2012. This month the publisher was pushed into handing out free games, following SimCity’s disastrous online performance since launch.
The firm has also struggled to gain traction in the MMO marketplace, with Star Wars: The Old Republic suffering from lackluster post-launch retention and a clumsily-handled free-to-play transition. Although the publisher has a stable of online titles including Need for Speed World and Battlefield Heroes under the ‘Play4Free’ banner, none have been a runaway success.
Taking over the helm in the interim is Larry Probst, who the board has appointed as Executive Chairman while they recruit Riccitiello’s successor. Probst previously served as the firm’s CEO from 1991 to 2007. In a press release, Probst stated that "John has worked hard to lead the Company through challenging transitions in our industry, and was instrumental in driving our very significant growth in digital revenues. We appreciate John's leadership and the many important strategic initiatives he has driven for the Company. We have mutually agreed that this is the right time for a leadership transition.
According to trade industry magazine MCV, Riccitiello will receive 24 months’ salary as part of the deal. Eyes are now moving to EA’s third quarter and full year results announcement, which are due to be shared on May 7th.
Scheduled for release on July 27, Need for Speed World (NFSW) is an ambitious racing-sim MMO developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts, based on the company's popular Need for Speed video game franchise. It's not the first to join the ranks of "massively multiplayer online racing games," or MMORGs as they're referred to in the MMO industry. The Trackmania series and Test Drive Unlimited are both successful titles in the MMORG arena, published across multiple platforms, from Windows to the PlayStation Portable.
Earlier this month EA hosted an open beta test for players, which ended last week. On July 13 and 14, the developers briefly revived the open beta for a final stress test and gave participants about $20 worth of "SpeedBoost" (the free-to-play MMO's version of RMT currency) to mess around with. We at ZAM thought this would be the perfect time to jump in-game and provide readers with an early preview of the MMORG's beta gameplay. In our first look at Need for Speed World, we cruise around the streets and find some familiar MMO staples and "level up" after winning a handful of solo and multiplayer races. We also get a little frisky with the police; it turns out that barreling through roadblocks and ramming cop cars off the road is just as much fun as it sounds.
EA recently unveiled its upcoming racing MMO, Need For Speed World, at the company's EA Showcase in London [via Massively.com]. Aptly named after the popular Need For Speed racing-sim franchise, Need For Speed World will feature a persistent world for gamers to race each other, including plenty of Web 2.0 integration with Facebook and other social media. According to the official Need For Speed World site, EA is already accepting up to 20,000 applicants for the MMO's beta-testing phase; interested gamers can sign up here. Strangely, the publisher isn't pushing a multi-platform release for Need For Speed World; the MMO will be PC-exclusive.
Last week EA released a handful of in-game screenshots and wallpapers, which you can check out at this link. Scheduled for release sometime in the second quarter of 2010, Need For Speed World will join a sparse lineup of similar "massively multiplayer online racing games," or MMORGs. The Trackmania series is another popular online racing-sim, but Need For Speed World promises to include RPG-like progression and other MMO-styled elements that transcend the usual multiplayer racing genre. News site Hexus Gaming scored a video interview with Jean-Charles Gaudechon, Lead Producer of Need For Speed World, at the recent EA Showcase; check out the video here [via MMORPG.com]. For more info about the MMO, visit the media section of the official site and stay tuned to ZAM.com for more news as it's released.
EA's fantasy-themed BattleForge (a hybrid RTS/CCG-styled MMO) finally made the switch to free-to-play, after suffering months of lackluster sales. Although it's a game we haven't given much coverage in the past, it's worth mentioning since the previous pay-to-play model is probably what kept most curious gamers at bay. Originally priced around $50 US at launch, box sales were dismal, despite favorable reviews and a successful micro-transaction model. (Each of your "players" in BattleForge are represented by virtual, collectible cards that can be purchased via in-game booster packs and decks.)
A couple months later, EA dropped the price down to $30 with the hopes of making the game more accessible. Finally, in late May, they did away with the "box price" altogether, offering the BattleForge client as a free download with a limited number of cards and a few other minor restrictions. In-store retail boxes are still available, which come with 3000 in-game points that can be used to purchase new cards. EA is hoping that by moving to the free-to-play model with micro-transactions to drive revenue, the game will finally begin reaching the majority of its target audience.
What do you think of this "MMORTS-CCG" hybrid? Leave a comment and let us know if you think BattleForge is a game you'd like to see ZAM cover from time to time.
It is now official: There's a War coming to Russia. Warhammer, that is, and as of the 13th, they have 
announced a totally Ruskie version of their MMORPG which will release on February 5th. Additionally, the servers will be regional and they will be offering Russian language support. First released in North Amerca, Europe and Oceania in September, this will be the first major expansion-of-base for Warhammer, showing that it has what-it-takes to compete with the current king of MMO's, WoW. Additionally, our Russian friends will be offered three different packs, including the collector's edition, limited edition steel book and a simple jewel case version.
Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning® continues its worldwide march as Mythic Entertainment™, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio, today announced that the fully localized Russian version of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning will go live on February 5, 2009. The Russian version of WAR will feature a fully localized gameplay experience as well as regionally-based servers and customer support.
And those of you getting this will be lucky enough to get a brand-new, non-CD Coaster to go with it! We here at Allakhazam are full of envy and spite, but we will just have to get over it.
The Associated Press is reporting EA's income is falling, and layoffs of 6% of jobs at the game developer's studio will occur!
Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. posted a wider quarterly net loss Thursday and said it is laying off about 6 percent of its work force to cut costs as it heads into the most lucrative season for the games industry.
Higher development and marketing costs led to the bigger loss for the July-September period. The quarter's revenue surpassed Wall Street's forecast thanks to the success of games like "Spore" and "Madden NFL 09," but the company did not exude the cheery optimism that has characterized the video game industry in the past few months even amid the economic turmoil.
"Considering the slowdown at retail we've seen in October, we are cautious in the short term," said John Riccitiello, chief executive, in a statement. "Longer term, we are very bullish on the game sector overall and on EA in particular."
What this means for Warhammer Online remains to be seen!
Our second guide is for the Ekrund starting area . We've made adjustments to the Nordland guide as well. You will notice we're starting with the Order areas. As soon as the third Order starter guide is released we'll get those Destruction guides to you!
If you have any input into the guide we would love to hear your suggestions on how we can fill out the series more!
Some more important information regarding open beta, which starts tomorrow morning sometime!:
There has been a little confusion out there in the community and so we wanted to clear a few things up. First, there's no truth to the rumors that Open Beta is going to start at 12:01 AM Sunday. We do plan to open the gates tomorrow morning, though, and we'll let you know here on the Herald as soon as we do. We expect to have a fairly smooth transition from Preview Weekend Plus into Open Beta.
If you are already participating in Preview Weekend Plus, or if you are a member of our Closed Beta test:
You will not need to take further steps to play the Open Beta. Just log in as you have this weekend and enjoy the plunder, chaos (or Order <wink>) and adventure that ensues.
If you have an Open Beta association but were not invited to participate in Preview Weekend:
All you need to do is be sure that you have entered your Standard Edition or Collector's Edition Preorder Open Beta Codes into the Mythic Account Center. (http://accounts.eamythic.com ) Then, when the announcement is made here on the Herald tomorrow, log in and FIGHT!
WAR is getting closer - and your chance for glory is near!
Discuss the open beta and your plans in our forums !
