Crispy Gamer News

Interesting bit of news out of the MMO world today, as Worlds.com Inc., a company known for creating virtual worlds back in the 90s, announced that it had filed a civil suit against NCSoft for patent infringement. Worlds.com is trying to enforce patent #7,181,690, which it was originally filed for back in 1996. The patent, in short, describes a “highly scalable architecture for a three-dimensional graphical, multi-user, interactive virtual world system”. In the broader scale, Worlds.com is claiming that the patent gives it controlling interest in the massive multiplayer online market. The first company it’s lining up in its legal crosshairs is NCSoft, the company behind the MMO games City of Heroes, Tabula Rasa, Guild Wars, and even the free to play MMO Dungeon Runners. In the suit, Worlds.com is seeking a permanent injunction keeping NCSoft from infringing on the patent in question, as well as unspecified monetary damages.

Based on a quick read through of the complaint filed in Texas court, it looks like World.com is going after NCSoft simply for its use of MMO technology. So why not go after Blizzard or Sony first? It looks like NCSoft was just the unlucky first case. Admittedly, it’s a smart move on World.com’s part, as NCSoft is a big enough target to help establish a case against other companies in the future should World.com win this first lawsuit, while at the same time, NCSoft it not so big as to have the huge bankroll for a massive legal battle. Win or lose, this’ll certainly be a case to watch in the coming year.

Virtual World Times has a full PDF copy of the complaint here.

(contributors: Hal Halpin, President, ECA; James Fudge, David Chapman)

We count down the top twenty-one news stories of 2008, though picking which were the very best proved to be a painful, gut-wrenching exercise. There were so many interesting stories this year; we watched the interactive entertainment industry grow - and then later - retract as the global economy wreaked havoc on every kind of business you can imagine; players got their first taste of WiiWare, Home and the New Xbox Experience; we watched as the big three slugged it out for North American supremacy in the latest round of console wars and we saw Blizzard dust off its classic franchises and move million of copies of its Lich King expansion.

Yeah, 2008 was a good year, but not without its share of triumphs, disappointments, joys and sorrow. Here are the stories that moved us, made us angry, scared us and made us think about the industry we cover.

We begin with #21 - #15, starting now.
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NCSoft has finally put a stake in the heart of Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa, announcing on the game’s official site that it plans to shut everything down on February 28th. This does not come as much of a surprise in the shadow of Richard Garriott’s departure last week. In a statement to the community, NCsoft  explained why it was closing the sci-fi themed shooter MMO, promised some special perks for those willing to play the game until it expires and offered a timeline for when subscribers can expect to stop paying. read the official statement after the break.

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Richard Garriott announced today that he is leaving NCsoft to pursue other interests. In a post on the official Tabula Rasa community site, Garriott directly addressed fans of the troubled sci-fi themed MMORPG, thanking them for sticking with the game despite some pretty difficult times. What started out as a pep talk to TR fans quickly turned sad for fans of Tabula Rasa and other games Richard has worked on over the years, because it at least sounds like he will be taking a serious break from game development. He is, at the very least, done with NCsoft. The full statement, after the break.

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NCsoft today releases Episode 6, The Lastavard – Inevitable Destiny and Episode U for its admittedly dated MMO, Lineage, in North America. This new update “represents a revitalization of NCsoft’s flagship MMO in North America, according to the company. Certainly, those that are still playing this game will appreciate all the new content and features this double update provides.

Episode 6 focuses on Girtas, the ruler of the otherworld, who has escaped and is terrorizing the land of Aden. Players can fight their way through the the Lastavard dungeon before facing off against the evil sorcerer Dantes, and then, Girtas himself. The release of Episode 6 and Episode U adds a bunch of new encounters, such as battling Varlok in Desire Cavern, confronting hordes of pirates from the Ship Graveyard, and exploring the new Haunted House and the rebuilt town of Gludin. Players may also spend time learning to cook or fish, or may choose to enter their pets in organized fighting matches.

More at www.lineage.com.

Earlier this morning, Orange County based development house Carbine Studios, a part of NCsoft, announced it has named industry vet Tim Cain as design director of the studio’s as yet unannounced massively multiplayer online property. Cain has been with Carbine since its start back in 2005 and was previously a programming director for the studio.

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Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has signed on to participate in NCsoft’s Operation Immortality, hoping to raise awareness of how disease can be better managed, cured and prevented through fully sequencing the human genome.

Stephen Hawking, who has also written several top selling books (”A Brief History of Time” and the children’s book “George’s Secret Key to the Universe”), will be sending his digitized DNA into space as part of NCsoft’s Operation Immortality next month when NCsoft’s Richard Garriott heads to the International Space Station. Lucy Hawking, who is the co-author of “George’s Secret Key to the Universe,” is also participating.
With their participation, the father and daughter team hope to raise awareness for the Archon X PRIZE for Genomics, a competition that will award $10 million to the first person or team that can sequence 100 human genomes within 10 days or less.

For more information on “George’s Secret Key to the Universe” and Stephen Hawking, go to