Belated 2010 & Other Stuffs

Ok just for the record, no. This blog is not dead. I’m just really lazy with updating it.

Firstly, if anyone does actually read this, you’ll notice there’s no longer the .com, money is tight, things had to be cut.
Next up.. I’ve been pretty sick lately. So dealing with that. Now for everything else..

Still playing WoW. But also playing Borderlands, Torchlight & Left 4 Dead 2. Waiting on Bioshock 2.

I’m part of a podcast. Listen to it.

I’m planning to start drawing again, so I’ll eventually get around to posting some artwork, either here or on my DA or Tumblr. I’ll let you know.
This MAY include a webcomic. But no promises.. it’s been YEARS since I’ve drawn, need some practice.

As for this blog, not sure what I really want to do with it, but it’s nowhere near dead.
You want any updates or info.. check my Twitter.

Peace out, have a good 2010.

20,000 Email Accounts Compromised

Yesterday, it was revealed that 10,000+ Hotmail accounts were compromised and all of the usernames and passwords of these accounts were posted online. It was a major security and scam issue, but it was thought to only affect Hotmail users.

Unfortunately, Hotmail was only the beginning. GoogleGoogleGoogle has now confirmed that thousands of GmailGmailGmail accounts were compromised by an “industry-wide phishing scheme.” According to the BBC, the login data of over 30,000 Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Comcast, and Earthlink accounts have been posted online.

Google’s already taken action on the list, forcing password resets on the affected accounts. They also stress that it’s not a breach of security, but the result of certain users falling for phishing scams. The lists of emails have been removed from the web, but many scammers have surely downloaded these compromised lists by now.

Remember to protect your email accounts: change passwords frequently, check for any odd behavior, and never use the same password on multiple web apps.

Return of the Brood Mother!

Woke up this morning to the downloader grabbing the 3.2.2 patch.
Looks like it’s finally live! Here’s what to expect.

World of Warcraft PTR Patch 3.2.2

The latest test realm patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/test-realm-patchnotes.html

The latest patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/

The Brood Mother Returns
After years of lurking in her lair battling the many brave adventurers who travelled from afar to challenge her, Onyxia returns stronger than before to commemorate World of Warcraft’s five-year anniversary.

* Onyxia has been scaled to offer new challenges to level 80 players and is now available for testing in 10- and 25-player modes.
* Adjusted for modern raiding, but with the fundamental experience of fighting the Brood Mother still in effect, including the horrors of her Deep Breaths!
* Onyxia will now drop level 80 item versions of some classic loot items from the level 60 encounter.
* Brood of Onyxia, a very rare 310%-speed mount modeled after Onyxia herself will be available for the luckiest of challengers.

General

* Armor Penetration Rating: The amount of armor penetration gained per point of this rating has been reduced by 12%.
* Copied Test Realm characters will no longer be copied with their achievement history in order to better facilitate the character copy process.

PvP
Battlegrounds

* Players level 11 and higher will now always see a daily Battleground quest, as the quest giver will only offer daily quests for a Battleground in which a player is eligible to participate according to level bracket (i.e. players levels 11-20 will always be offered a Warsong Gulch daily quest, while players levels 11-50 will be offered either an Arathi Basin or a Warsong Gulch daily quest, etc.).

Death Knight
Pets

* Gnaw: This death knight ghoul ability now has a 1-minute cooldown.

Blood

* Heart Strike: Secondary targets of Heart Strike now take half as much damage.
* Subversion: Now also increases the critical strike chance of Scourge Strike by 3/6/9%.
* Vampiric Blood: Cooldown reduced to 1 minute and duration reduced to 10 seconds.

Frost

* Threat of Thassarian now also causes Rune Strike to use both weapons when dual-wielding.
* Unbreakable Armor: Cooldown reduced to 1 minute and changed back to granting 25% additional armor while active instead of flat damage reduction based on armor. The amount of strength granted has been reduced to 10%.
* Frost Presence: The damage reduction granted by this ability has been increased from 5% to 8%.

Unholy

* Bone Shield: This ability now has 3 charges instead of 4. Cooldown reduced to 1 minute.
* Dirge: This talent no longer grants additional runic power from using Obliterate.

Druid
Balance

* Moonkin Form: This form now also reduces the damage the druid takes while stunned by 15%.
* Typhoon: The daze duration has been increased from 3 seconds to 6 seconds.

Feral Combat

* Infected Wounds: The debuff generated by this talent no longer stacks and instead causes the full effect with a single application.
* Predatory Strikes: This talent now also causes the druid’s finishing moves to provide a 7/13/20% chance per combo point to make the next Nature spell with a cast time below 10 seconds instant cast.

Hunter
Beast Mastery

* The Beast Within: The duration of this talent has been reduced to 10 seconds. In addition, hunters with this talent will do 10% additional damage at all times.
* Bestial Wrath: The duration of this talent has been reduced to 10 seconds.

Mage
Arcane

* Arcane Blast: The buff from using this ability now stacks up to 4 times instead of 3, and each application increases mana cost by 175% instead of 200%. In addition, the duration of the buff has been reduced to 6 seconds.
* Arcane Missiles: Casting this spell while both Missile Barrage and Clearcasting are active will cause only Missile Barrage to be consumed.
* Missile Barrage: The effect from triggering this talent now removes the mana cost of Arcane Missiles. In addition, the chance for Arcane Blast to trigger this talent is now 8/16/24/32/40%. All other listed spells continue to have a 4/8/12/16/20% chance to trigger it. This talent no longer has a chance to be triggered when spells miss.

Fire
Combustion: This talent now also increases the critical strike damage bonus of Fire spells by 50% while it is active. In addition, Living Bomb periodic ticks will no longer interact with the count or the charges on the talent.

Paladin
Protection

* Righteous Fury: The bonus threat from Holy spells caused by this talent has been reduced from 90% to 80%.
* Ardent Defender: This talent now reduces damage taken below 35% health by 7/13/20% instead of 10/20/30%.
* Blessing of Sanctuary: This blessing now grants 10% strength in addition to its current effects. Also, the strength and stamina bonuses from this blessing will no longer be lost when Blessing of Kings is removed.
* Judgements of the Just: The reduction in cooldown to Hammer of Justice provided by this talent has been reduced to 5/10 seconds instead of 10/20 seconds.
* Touched by the Light: This talent now provides 20/40/60% of the paladin’s strength as spell power instead of 10/20/30% of the paladin’s stamina.

Retribution

* Seal of Command: This ability now chains to strike up to 2 additional targets when it is triggered by an attack that can only strike a single target.
* Seal of Corruption and Seal of Vengeance: These seals will now only use the debuff stacks generated by the attacking paladin to determine the damage done by the seal and by the judgement.

Priest
Shadow

* Improved Spirit Tap: Mind Flay periodic critical strikes now have a 50% chance to trigger this talent.
* Twisted Faith now grants spell power equal to 4/8/12/16/20% of spirit, up from 2/4/6/8/10%.

Rogue

* Envenom’s scaling has been increased from 7% to 9% of attack power per combo point.
* Fan of Knives: The damage done by this ability has been reduced by 30%.

Assassination

* Master Poisoner: No longer increases the Deadly Poison application rate following a successful Envenom and instead now provides a 33/66/100% chance of preventing Envenom from consuming Deadly Poison.

Combat

* Throwing Specialization: This talent no longer causes Fan of Knives to interrupt spellcasting.

Subtlety

* Honor Among Thieves: A 1-second cooldown is now enforced on how often a rogue can gain combo points from his party via this talent.

Shaman

* Cleansing Totem: No longer pulses instantly when dropped.
* Flame Shock: The duration of all ranks has been increased by 6 seconds.
* Lava Burst: This ability no longer ever consumes a Flame Shock debuff off of the target.

Elemental Combat

* Shamanism: Your Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning spells gain an additional 3/6/9/12/15% and your Lava Burst gains an additional 4/8/12/16/20% of your bonus damage effects.

Enhancement

* Earthen Power: No longer causes Earthbind to pulse a persistent snare immunity aura. It does still remove snares from allies as an instant pulse, but there is no lingering immunity. Earthen Power now also brings Earth Shock’s melee attack speed reduction up to -15%/-20% (with 1 or 2 points in it, respectively).

Warrior
Arms

* Sword Specialization: Now has a 2/4/6/8/10% chance to proc an extra attack, up from 1/2/3/4/5%.

Protection

* Critical Block: This talent now grants a 20/40/60% chance to block double the normal amount instead of 10/20/30%.

Dungeons & Raids
Shadowfang Keep

* Wailing Guardsman: Screams of the Past will no longer have multiple applications on a target. Recast time has been increased.

Ulduar

* Increased the cooldown on Immortal Guardians’ Drain Life ability in the Yogg-Saron encounter.

Achievements

* The Achievement “Iron, Dwarf Medium Rare (25 player)” now requires 25 kills, down from 50.
* The Frostwolf Howler and Stormpike Battle Charger Achievements will now be awarded when a player learns the respective mount spells.

Professions

* The blacksmiths of Orgrimmar grew tired of running to the rear of the city to craft items and have installed a new anvil & forge at the General Store in the Valley of Strength.

Engineering

* The Mind Amplification Dish no longer changes the appearance of your helmet.

Inscription

* Added a recipe for Runescroll of Fortitude. This item grants a stamina buff equal to the highest rank of Power Word: Fortitude (untalented) to all players in the raid. The effect of this runescroll is exclusive with other stamina scrolls and Power Word: Fortitude.

Leatherworking

* Added a recipe for Drums of Forgotten Kings. These drums increase all stats by 8% for all players in a raid. The effect of these drums is exclusive with Blessing of Kings.
* Added a recipe for Drums of the Wild. These drums grant a buff equal to the highest rank of Mark of the Wild (untalented) to all players in a raid. The effect of these drums is exclusive with Mark of the Wild.

Items

* The Black Heart: This item’s animation has been changed and no longer resembles Hand of Protection.
* Death Knight Tier-9 Tanking 4-Piece Set Bonus: Now decreases the cooldown on Vampiric Blood, Unbreakable Armor, and Bone Shield by 10 seconds instead of 20.
* Druid Tier-8 Healer 4-Piece Set Bonus: The amount of healing this set bonus grants on the initial cast of Rejuvenation has been reduced by 50%. In addition, this set bonus no longer has strange interactions with Harold’s Rejuvenating Broach.
* Libram of Obstruction: The buff to block value from this relic is now exclusive with the buff to block value from Libram of the Sacred Shield; it is impossible to have both buffs at once.
* Libram of the Sacred Shield: The block value buff from this relic has been increased to match its item level.
* Relics: All buffs provided by relics (idols, librams, totems and sigils) now share an exclusive category such that gaining a buff from one of these items will remove all other buffs gained from items in this category.
* Totem of Quaking Earth: Attack power value increased to 400.

Glyphs

* Glyph of Bone Shield: This glyph now grants 1 additional charge instead of 2.
* Glyph of Flame Shock: Redesigned. This glyph now makes Flame Shock periodic damage able to be critical strikes.
* Glyph of Mind Flay: This glyph no longer reduces the magnitude of the movement reduction on the Mind Flay victim.
* Glyph of Scourge Strike: Redesigned. This glyph now causes Scourge Strike to extend the duration of Frost Fever and Blood Plague by 3 seconds each time Scourge Strike is used on a target, up to a maximum of 9 seconds.
* Glyph of Typhoon: This glyph now increases the range on Typhoon by 10 yards in addition to its current effects.
* Glyph of Unbreakable Armor: Now increases the armor gained from Unbreakable Armor by 20%.
* Glyph of Vampiric Blood: The glyph now increases the duration of Vampiric Blood by 5 seconds instead of 10.

User Interface
Battleground Queuing

* Players may now only queue for no more than two Battlegrounds at a time.
* The dialog box for entering a Battleground match has been changed to reflect the following options: “Enter Battle,” “Leave Queue,” and “Minimize.”
* The time a player has to enter a battle when selected has been reduced to 40 seconds when not already in a Battleground and 20 seconds when in a Battleground.
* Players already in a Battleground can now choose “Enter Battle” for a new Battleground under any circumstance (i.e. while dead, in combat, falling, etc.).
* A new Battleground will not launch until the maximum number of players on each side are in the queue (i.e. 40 players per side for Alterac Valley).
* The size of the Focus Frame can now be adjusted via the Interface Options menu.

Mail System Auto-Complete Feature

* The inline auto-complete feature for the mail system has been added back into the game. The mail system will now have both the pre- and post-3.2.0 auto-complete features available.
* Added a label to notify players that the Tab key will allow players to navigate through the character names listed via the auto-complete feature.

For additional notes on Lua and XML changes please visit the UI & Macros Forum: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/board.html?sid=1&forumId=11114

Bug Fixes

* Coliseum Trinkets: Some spells that should have triggered these trinkets will now trigger them (such as Holy Nova and Fel Armor).
* Death Knight Tier-9 DPS 4-Piece Set Bonus: Now grants the correct chance for disease damage ticks to be critical strikes.
* Hunter Tier-9 2-Piece Set Bonus: Critical damage from Serpent Sting will now work properly with the Mortal Shots and Expose Weakness talents.
* Lightweave Embroidery: This tailoring item enhancement will no longer trigger from the periodic healing granted by the warlock spell Fel Armor.
* Mote of Flame: Corrected a typo in the tooltip.
* Paladin Tier-9 DPS 2-Piece Set Bonus: Now grants the correct chance for Righteous Vengeance ticks to be critical strikes.
* Shard of Flame: Corrected a typo in the tooltip.
* Val’anyr, Hammer of The Ancient Kings: Healing from Prayer of Mending now triggers the shield from this item. In addition, a bug was corrected which would cause the shield points to be overwritten rather than stack up as intended.

Death Knight

* Rune of Razorice: The frost vulnerability granted by this enchantment will now increase the damage done by Frost Fever as intended.

Druid

* Balance of Power: Misleading tooltip reworded. The tooltip previously reported an incorrect value for the increased chance to hit with spells. The actual benefit of the talent is unchanged.

Hunter

* Master’s Call: This ability now correctly removes the snaring component of Infected Wounds, Frostfire Bolt, and Slow.
* Trap Mastery’s (Survival) tooltip now states the correct amount of snakes summoned.
* Volley: The AP coefficient of Volley has been increased from 0.0586 to 0.0837. Base points did not change. (not listed in patch notes)

Mage

* Arcane Missiles: Ranks 12 and 13 will now properly cause players to enter combat.

Paladin

* Hand of Freedom: This ability now correctly removes the snaring component of Infected Wounds and Frostfire Bolt.

Priest

* Divine Aegis: Ranks 1 and 2 will now work with Holy Nova.
* Glyph of Power Word: Shield now correctly uses the Priest’s spell critical chance instead of the target’s.

Rogue

* Vanish: This ability now correctly removes the snaring component of Frostfire Bolt.
* Honor Among Thieves: This talent will now work properly again if two rogues with different ranks of the talent are in the same party.

Shaman

* Grounding Totem will now properly protect against the Death Grip spell.
* Lava Burst can no longer deal critical damage to targets who are immune to critical strikes (due to, e.g. Roar of Sacrifice, Blessed Resilience).
* Lightning Shield: This spell will no longer set off some trinkets when it is cast.
* Stoneclaw Totem’s pulses will no longer break stealth on nearby hostile units.
* Thunderstorm and Shamanistic Rage can no longer be used while Frozen, Cycloned, Sapped, or Incapacitated.

Warlock

* Demonic Circle: This ability now correctly removes the snaring component of Frostfire Bolt.
* Fel Armor: This spell was unable to set off trinkets and other effects. That has been corrected.
* When using Shadowbolt or Incinerate while having Backlash and Backdraft active, only Backlash will now be properly consumed.

Faction Transfers

The new World of Warcraft Faction Change service is now live. As we mentioned previously, we’ve been in the process of developing a new service for World of Warcraft that will allow players to change their faction from Alliance to Horde or Horde to Alliance for a fee. After purchasing a Faction Change for a character, a player can choose any race of the opposite faction that is compatible with the character’s class. For more information on the Faction Change service, please read the FAQ, or visit the Faction Change page to get started.

Based on further community feedback, we have also decided to offer a race change service in the future. Players who choose to switch races will be able to change their race within their same faction and class. Additional details will be released at a future date.

Faction Transfer FAQ

What is the Faction Change service?
Our Faction Change service is designed to allow existing characters the opportunity to change their designated faction (from Horde to Alliance or Alliance to Horde).

How do I begin the Faction Change process?
To begin the Faction Change process, please visit the Account Management page, select the Faction Change option, and carefully follow the instructions provided.

How much does this service cost?
Each Faction Change costs $30.00 USD (not including applicable taxes). This covers a single Faction Change for a single character.

Is this service taxed? If so, how can I tell if my purchase will be taxed?
Players in select states in the U.S. may be subject to taxation when using our Faction Change service. This list includes, but is not limited to:
- New Mexico
- Texas

Can I change multiple characters’ factions at once?
No. The Faction Change service only allows one change per transaction. If you would like to change multiple characters’ factions, you will need to pay for each one separately.

At what level can I change a character’s faction?
Characters level 10 and above are eligible for a Faction Change.

Will PvP realm restrictions prevent me from changing a character’s faction?
No. PvP realms no longer possess any faction-based restrictions. You may now play Horde and Alliance characters on any realm you wish.

Will this service allow me to customize a character and select a different name once its faction has been changed?
Yes. Each Faction Change purchase will also provide the target character with an included re-customization and optional name change.

When I change factions, can I select any race for the character?
You may select any race of the new faction provided that it is available for the character’s class.

Does that mean I can use this service to change the character back to its original faction?
Absolutely; however, this will require purchasing another Faction Change.

When I change a character back to its original faction, can I select any new race?
Yes. As noted previously, though, you will only be able to select a race that is available to the character’s class.

Will I be able to select Cataclysm races and class combinations for a character once they’re available in game?
Details are not available at this time. As development continues, though, we hope to provide more information.

How often can I change a character’s faction?
You may change a character’s faction every 60 days.

What happens after I initiate a Faction Change?
Once your payment has processed and after you have remained logged out of the game for at least 30 minutes, you will see a new button to the left of the character’s name upon next login. Clicking on this button will allow you to select the character’s new faction and race, as well as customize the character’s look and name. These steps will greatly resemble the character creation process.

To complete the Faction Change, press the button labeled “Click to change your character’s faction” and confirm your selections. If you do not wish to change the character’s faction immediately, you may do so at a later time.

What will happen to the character’s old name?
If you opt to change the character’s name, the name will be locked from use on the realm for 90 days. You are not required to change the character’s name, though; this is simply an option we provide included with the Faction Change.

What will happen to the character’s equipment when I change its faction?
Equipment which is not considered faction-specific will remain unchanged by this process. Faction-specific equipment, however, will be automatically exchanged for a cross-faction equivalent. You can view a full list of faction-specific equipment and their cross-faction equivalents here.

**Please note that neither enchants nor socketed gems will be affected by an exchange.**

Will the rest of the inventory (materials, alternate currency, etc) be affected in any way?
As with equipment, items which are not considered faction-specific will remain unchanged by this process. Faction-specific items will be exchanged for a cross-faction equivalent. You can view a full list of faction-specific items here.

What will happen to the character’s mounts when I change its faction?
Mounts which are not considered faction-specific will remain unchanged by this process. Faction-specific mounts will be exchanged for a cross-faction equivalent. You can view a full list of faction-specific mounts and their equivalents here.

What will happen to the character’s non-combat pets when I change its faction?
Non-combat pets will not be affected by this process and will be available once the character’s faction change completes. This even includes faction-specific non-combat pets.

What will happen to the character’s achievements when I change its faction?
Achievements which are not considered faction-specific will remain unchanged by this process. Faction-specific achievements will be exchanged for a cross-faction equivalent. You can view a full list of faction-specific achievements and their equivalents here.

What will happen to the character’s titles when I change its faction?
Titles which are not considered faction-specific will remain unchanged by this process. Faction-specific titles will be exchanged for a cross-faction equivalent. You can view a full list of faction-specific titles and their equivalents here.

What will happen to the character’s reputation levels when I change its faction?
Upon changing factions, the reputation level associated with the character’s previous race will become the reputation level of the new race. All other racial reputations will be converted according to the following chart:

Orc (Orgrimmar) ↔ Human (Stormwind)
Tauren (Thunder Bluff) ↔ Gnome (Gnomeregan Exiles)
Undead (The Undercity) ↔ Night Elf (Darnassus)
Troll (Sen’jin) ↔ Dwarf (Ironforge)
Blood Elf (Silvermoon) ↔ Draenei (The Exodar)

Additional faction-specific reputations will be converted into their cross-faction equivalents (if a cross-faction equivalent exists). You can view a full list of qualifying faction-specific reputations and their equivalents here.

Faction neutral reputations will not be affected by this process, and faction-specific reputations which do not possess an equivalent will be lost.

What will happen to the character’s quests when I change its faction?
Quests which are active in the character’s log at the time of the Faction Change will be cleared and all quest items associated with these quests will be destroyed.

With this, completed quests that are considered faction-specific will be removed from the list of completed quests and no longer count towards any running “quests completed” totals. Should you ever elect to change back to the original faction, the original list of completed quests will be restored. Completed quests that are considered faction-neutral or possess a cross-faction equivalent will be unaffected or automatically exchanged without any detriment to the quest completed totals.

What will happen to the character’s flight paths when I change its faction?
All flight points associated with the character will be reset and you will receive a new list of flight points which are appropriate for the level and new faction.

What will happen to the character’s “Friends” and “Ignore” lists when I change its faction?
The character’s “Friends” and “Ignore” lists will be reset following a Faction Change.

What will happen to the character’s Guild and Arena team(s)?
The character will not be affiliated with any Guild or Arena team following a Faction Change. Guild and Arena team tabards will be removed and Arena team ratings will be reset as a result. If the character is a Guild Master, you will not be able to perform a Faction Change.

What will happen to the character’s honor and Arena points?
Any honor points, Marks of Honor, and lifetime honorable kills will not be affected by this process. Earned Arena points will carry over, as well; however, any pending Arena points accrued after the last maintenance period, but before your Faction Change is initiated, may be lost.

What will happen to the character’s mail and auctions?
Active mail and auction items will prevent a character from Faction Changing, so please be sure to pull all mail from the mailbox and take down any auction items prior to initiating the Faction Change process. These items will be handled as normal inventory.

Is there a gold limit for Faction Changes?
Yes. Characters possessing too much gold for their designated level bracket will not be eligible for a Faction Change. Please use the following table as reference.

Level 10 to 30: 300 gold
Level 31 to 50: 1000 gold
Level 51 to 69: 5000 gold
Level 70 to 80: 20000 gold

Where will the character be located after the Faction Change is complete?
Once the Faction Change is complete, the character will be moved to the capital city of its new race.

What will happen to the character’s Armory profile?
Once you have completed the Faction Change process, the character’s Armory profile will be updated to reflect any faction, racial, gender, or name changes. Please note that our Armory system is still in beta at this time, so the character’s profile may not immediately display the updated information.

Will this service share a cooldown with the Character Transfer, Character Name Change, or Character Re-Customization services?
No. The Faction Change service will not share its cooldown with any of these services.

Can I use this service to change race on my existing faction?
No. We will be releasing a Race Change service in the near future for this purpose.

Will this service share a cooldown with the Race Change service?
Yes.

Can I purchase a Faction Change for a character that has a pending Name Change or Re-Customization or is in the process of being transferred?
No. Before you may initiate a Faction Change for a character, please complete any pending Name Changes, Re-Customizations, or Transfers. These pending transactions will prevent you from initiating a Faction Change.

When will I be charged for the character’s Faction Change?
You will be charged immediately upon pressing the confirmation button on the Faction Change page.

Is there any way to cancel a Faction Change while the process is pending?
Because your payment method will be charged immediately upon confirmation, you will be unable to cancel the process once you have pressed the confirmation button and the Faction Change process is underway.

Is there any way to reverse a Faction Change once it’s completed?
No. Once a Faction Change is done, it is permanent. You may, however, purchase another Faction Change to switch back to the original faction once the service cooldown time has elapsed.

And with all that said.. here is my personal thoughts on this.
Lok’tar Ogar! FOR THE HORDE!

Happy Birthday.com

September 2nd, 1969… 40 years ago.. The Internet was born. Today marks its 40th birthday!

In fall 1969, computers sending data between two California universities set the stage for the Internet, which became a household word in the 1990s.

On September 2nd 1969, in a lab at the University of California, Los Angeles, two computers passed test data through a 15-foot cable.

Stanford Research Institute joined the fledgling ARPANET network a month later; UC Santa Barbara and the University of Utah joined by years end, and the internet was born.

Disney Acquires Marvel

Quoted from Joystiq

You probably heard the news today (oh boy) that Disney will soon acquire Marvel Entertainment. The deal will see shareholders receive $30 plus 0.745 shares of Disney stock for each share of Marvel they own. The transaction is expected to total approximately $4 billion. Of course, all we want to know is what will become of Marvel’s booming licensed game business.

In a conference call following the announcement, Disney CEO Robert Iger briefly mentioned the company’s plans regarding Marvel licensed games. He noted that Marvel “has smart licensing agreements with some of the best video game manufacturers in the business” and that even though Disney has been “moving in a vertically integrated direction,” it’s possible that it will pursue a “blend of licensed games as well as self-produced and self-distributed.” He concluded that Disney has the “luxury” of deciding “what’s best for the company” as the current Marvel licensing deals begin to expire.

In other words, expect Disney to bring at least some Marvel development in-house to its Disney Interactive Studios. It’s important to understand the potential impact Disney’s hold on Marvel could have. There are many, many Marvel games out there. Just to name a few, THQ, Activision, Sega, Gazillion and Capcom all have recently-released or upcoming Marvel titles. Activision in particular fills out a hefty portion of its portfolio with Marvel games, including Spider-Man, the recent Wolverine and the upcoming Ultimate Alliance 2. These companies may soon be faced with losing these properties altogether.

Update: Speaking to paidContent, Disney CFO Tom Staggs also had a few things to say regarding Marvel’s game business. Scaggs noted that Marvel has “a number of good strong licensing agreements,” adding that Disney will “enjoy the benefit of those deals.” He also stated that Disney will “broaden the base of properties that [its] leveraging within Marvel,” and concluded that there’s an “opportunity” to expand Disney’s gaming business as well.

Damn…

Rumour: Blizzards New IP F2P?

So looks like there’s a few rumours kicking around about Blizzards unannounced MMO project. And they all seem to be saying the same thing, free to play!

(Press Release) – Aug 29, 2009 – Breaking News — Rumors of Blizzard’s new MMORPG have leaked! Blizzard Entertainment, the folks behind the enormously popular fantasy MMORPG World of Warcraft, have been working on a new MMORPG for the last few years now. Blizzard even confirmed that they were working on a new MMO back during the Burning Crusade London Launch event when Itzik Ben Bassat, the vice president of development, said “When we announce our next MMORPG it’s not going to be another WOW–we’re not a company that tends to tread the same ground,”. He also added that this new MMO would “…be something innovative and new that really brings entertainment to another level.”

Since Blizzard announced that they’re working on a new MMORPG, the internet has been rife with speculation about the project. According to the rumors we’ve heard the new MMORPG may be free to play. We have confirmation from several sources that there have been serious discussions about implementing a free to play model with optional micro transactions but until an official announcement is made, this story remains a rumor

It wouldn’t be an unprecedented move if Blizzard’s new MMO really were free to play. More and more major game publishers are jumping on the ‘free to play’ bandwagon. Electronic Arts for example just recently entered the free to play market with their online MMOFPS Battlefield Heroes and strategy game BattleForge. Sony has had enormous success with their free MMORPG ‘Free Realms’. Many prominent individuals in the gaming industry have already praised the ‘free to play’ model as the future of gaming. Peter Moore, the current CEO of Electronic Arts, has already stated that free-to-play was absolutely “the future of where our key franchises are going”. Many old pay to play games have already gone free to play including RF Online and ArchLord with Chronicles of Spellborn confirmed to go free to play by next year. Funcom’s Age of Conan is also rumored to go free to play soon.

I think this could be an interesting approach. Heck.. it’s working for Sony w/ Free Realms. So hey.. why not?!