Darkfall will launch a massive free expansion update the first week of July, something that the Darkfall team has been working on for a while now. This expansion includes major new features and major content, PvE, and PvP updates.
In the last few patches we had implemented several major optimizations making it possible to support even larger battles and sieges and more concurrent users than ever before. As a result, massive battles now run smoother than ever. We've seen some of the largest and the highest frequency of massive battles this past month, which has helped us find even more ways to optimize the Darkfall experience.
As a result of these optimizations we've also been able to keep sales open most of the time. We're still being careful because Darkfall resubscription rates remain very high even though this is a time for exams and/or vacations. It's still difficult to buy Darkfall but we hope that after the US servers have launched it will be easier for new players to learn about and to buy Darkfall.
To that effect, a new site is coming, along with new forums for Darkfall players only. These forums will be readable by the public and only players with active accounts will be able to post in them. The current public forums will remain active for anyone to post in, but moderation will be stronger. This because we're getting people from other communities with the sole intention of disrupting our forums. The Darkfall community has always been a source of good feedback, constructive criticism, and inspiration for the Darkfall developers and we'll keep it that way by doing away with the non-constructive elements.
Our next major patch will be included in the Darkfall expansion the first week of July.
Stardock's new digital rights management system "GOO" has found its first full-time adopter in strategy publisher Paradox Interactive. The company's upcoming RTS title Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim will be the first of its games to use the DRM.
GOO--which stands for Game Object Obfuscation--makes use of Stardock's Impulse Reactor platform to protect publishers from PC piracy, using a simple EXE encryption and serial key check to verify purchase of a game.
The system is garnering attention because it allows customers to re-sell both retail and digital copies of PC games. Any title that uses the DRM can be put up for sale on the Impulse Marketplace, with the publisher recouping much of the "used" price, minus a Stardock transaction fee.
"In our testing, we found GOO to be very effective in protecting our titles, while at the same time offering a less obtrusive user experience," said Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester. "GOO meets our needs while protecting the rights of our consumers."
Worms 2: Armageddon Slated for Next Wednesday on Live Arcade
Sequel to the 1999 Worms game will only run you $10.
It's been a full decade since Worms: Armageddon was first released, and yet Team17 is still chugging along and is ready to release a direct sequel, Worms 2: Armageddon, next Wednesday, July 1, on the Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft points ($10). A PC release will be coming later in the year, according to Team17's official Facebook page (via Kotaku), but in the meantime Xbox 360 owners will be able to enjoy a number of improvements over the original Armageddon and the existing XBLA Worms that was released back in 2007.
Among the additions to the new game are weapons like the bunker buster, electro magnet, sentry gun, and concrete donkey, as well as the new fort and rope racing modes, and persistent fire. The full feature list can be found here, or you can check out the trailer above for a look at what to expect from next week's release.
Electronic Arts subsidiaries BioWare (Mass Effect, Star Wars: The Old Republic) and Mythic Entertainment (Dark Age of Camelot, Warhammer Online) are to be combined into a new "studio group" led by BioWare co-founder and general manager Ray Muzyka.
Mythic revealed the restructuring today on its official website, with BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk serving as chief creative officer of the new group and Mythic co-founder Rob Denton now acting as general manager of the Mythic division. Denton will report to group general manager Muzyka, and BioWare's studios "remain unchanged."
Denton replaces previous Mythic general manager, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning lead designer, and fellow co-founder Mark Jacobs. The studio revealed that Jacob's last day at the EA-owned studio was yesterday, June 23, noting that "we thank Mark for his contributions at Mythic and wish him the very best going forward."
A sequel to the film adaptation of Hitman is in production, according to a new report by movie site IESB.
Writer Kyle Ward, also attached to the Kane & Lynch adaptation, is handling the script for Hitman 2. Producers Adrian Askarieh, Daniel Alter and Chuck Gordon will return.
The original Hitman was released in 2007, with Deadwood veteran Timothy Olyphant in the starring role. Despite dismal reviews, the film eventually raked in $99.9 million at the box office.
