The second biggest Trek project behind the new Star Trek movie is the massive multiplayer role playing game, Star Trek Online. Over the summer this game was taken over by award winning game-maker Cryptic Studios who hope to release it in late 2009. This week they have released some new information and screenshots on this exciting new Star Trek game.
At the Official Creation Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas last month Leonard Nimoy helped Crytpic Studios roll out their new Star Trek Online game and while there he talked to game site Warcry. The interview is now online and it includes some discussion of a particular scene in the new Star Trek movie. [Spoilers]
It has been just a few weeks since Cryptic announced their Star Trek Online and already they are providing more info on this exciting new massive multiplayer game. Just yesterday they issued their first ‘future history’ report bridging the gap between Nemesis and the setting of the game, plus they have updated their site with more answers on game details.
At1:30 PM (Pacific) Cryptic Studios held their ‘Star Trek Online Revealed’ event at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention. Leonard Nimoy helped them unveil this exciting new massive multiplayer Star Trek game. The presentation lived up to its name and revealed much about the new game, we have video, details and new screenshots below.
Tomorrow Cryptic Studios holds their "Star Trek Online Revealed" panel at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention (with a little help from Leonard Nimoy), but some details of this new MMORPG have already emerged. Cryptic’s Chief Creative Officer gave a pre-show interview to the AP that provided some details, plus CBS showed a few new screenshots at their Products presentation on Friday.
Next Spring, Star Trek joins the pantheon of franchises to get its own Scene It? Deluxe Edition DVD trivia game. This week the new Star Trek SceneIt? website went live and fans can enter a contest that awards cool prizes and a chance at having their questions included in the game itself.
J.J. Abrams is fond of saying that iPhones do more than an Original Series communicator (except speak directly to a ship in orbit, but lets not get picky). Recently Apple upgraded the iPhone software to '2.0' and launched the official Apple’s App Store. The service offers almost 1,000 free and paid apps in numerous categories. The only problem — a serious lack of Trek applications!
After running a countdown clock in their website for over a month, Cryptic Studios has officially announced they are the new developer for the Star Trek Online MMORPG. As predicted by TrekMovie on Sunday, Cryptic re-launched the official website with a few details, screenshots and a new countdown timer to Star Trek’s big Vegas convention in two weeks.
Since January when TrekMovie first linked Cryptic Studios and the MMORPG Star Trek Online (formerly being developed by Perpetual), it has become one of the worst kept secrets in the gaming biz. In early June Cryptic put up an un-labeled (but clearly Star Trek Online related) countdown timer on their website, and it hits 0:00 at midnight tonight (Pacific).
Mattel’s Star Trek Sceneit? game was first revealed at the New York Toy Fair in February, but at Comic Con 2008 we get the first good look at the game. Mattel was showing off new packaging, the board and a clip from the game. TrekMovie has those plus more details below. Plus Mattel has announced a new contest for fans to suggest trivia questions for the final game.
As reported from the Licensing Expo last week, Radica Games (a division of Mattel) is working on a Star Trek version of their popular hand-held “mind reading” game 20Q. But you don’t have to wait until the game is in stores. You can play a version of the game online at a new website launched today, and you will help make the programed AI for the hand held version even smarter.
Since January when TrekMovie.com first reported the demise of game developer Perpetual Entertainment, the future of the “Star Trek Online” MMORPG has been uncertain. Although TrekMovie has reported that sources indicate Cryptic Studios picked up the license, Cryptic continues to refuse to comment on any speculation, but today they dropped pretty big hint.
In January TrekMovie.com was the first to mention Cryptic Studios as the possible new home for the “Star Trek Online” MMORPG. Since then evidenced has mounted that Cryptic has the license, with the latest clue coming from sleuthing by board members of StarTrek-Games.com. Although Cryptic will still not officially acknowledge they are the new license holder, TrekMovie.com has independently confirmed with sources that they definitely are.
In January we reported that P2 Entertainment was looking to transfer the license for the MMORPG “Star Trek Online” after failing to secure new funding. Since then P2 shut down entirely (as their blank website indicates). In February both the official STO site as well as the largest fan site also shut down. However, in the last couple of days the official site has suddenly reappeared with the same old logo, but a new message “COMING SOON.”
Day 2 for TrekMovie.com at the New York Toy Fair was supposed to be all about Playmates and their upcoming line of figures and toys for the new Star Trek feature. Playmates did finally officially announce their movie license along with details on the the planned line. However (likely due to Paramount’s recent decision to delay the film) Playmates limited their Trek presentation to just a press release with no prototypes on display. But we do have pictures and details on a fun DVD game all about Trek from SceneIt?
For the last few months there have been mounting troubles at Perpetual Entertainment, the company making the “Star Trek Online” MMORPG, and now it appears that it has finally come to a head. TrekMovie.com has learned from a source that after failing to secure additional financing the company has stopped development on the game. However, all hope is not lost.
Last week Perpetual released their first in-game image from ‘Star Trek Online,’ which showed a space shot. Today WarCry have nabbed the first land-based avatar shot. WarCry also talk to Perpetual’s Daron Stinnett about recent reports and rumors…
There has been a lot of concept art from the folks at Perpetual, but in their latest DevLog they finally let loose with an actual in-game screenshot for the MMORPG Star Trek Online. Details below
Last month Perpetual Entertainment, the company producing the “Star Trek Online” MMORPG announced they were scrapping their launch title (Gods and Heroes) to focus on the Trek game. In the last couple of days some new reports indicate there are more changes in store for Perpetual and the Trek game. Shack News reports that Perpetual has been acquired by a new company and that this new owner wants to make changes in the plans for STO. Specifically changing the game to make it more appealing to ‘casual players’ by changing the payment model from a monthly fee to a free game where you pay for optional in-game items with real money (a new model being adopted by some MMORPGs, mostly in Korea). Shack News also reports that some Perpetual employees are not happy with changes and have left the project. But other reports cast some doubt on Shack News article
Bethesda just released the following trailer for Star Trek Conquest. The strategy game for Wii ($29.99) and PS2 ($14.99) is released November 13th.
Looks like there is a bit of trouble over at Perpetual Entertainment, the young company that is building the "Star Trek Online" MMORPG slated for early 2009. Their launch title, the Roman-themed "Gods & Heroes" game, was to premiere sometime this year but has suffered from various delays and now it appears it is being put on indefinite hold. According to an official announcement the move was to allow the company to focus on Star Trek Online, and TrekMovie.com has been told that STO is still on track and will actually benefit from the move.
Perpetual’s Star Trek: Online MMORPG is still over a year away, but in a new ‘DevLog‘ they are showing off quite a bit of new artwork for the game. In the past they have shown large matte painting vistas, such as this Vulcan Village… …now they are showing individual components, plus a ‘killer’ surprise (below)
Daron Stinnett, Executive Producer for the MMORPG Star Trek Online, has revealed a few more details for the exciting project in a new interview with WarCry Network. Although the game is not slated for release until early 2009, Stinnet said that they have completed work making ‘prototype regions’ for both the space and the ground components of the game and they are now focusing on getting the two to work together ‘as a single game.’ [good to see it have both: Star Wars Galaxies was released with only ground gameplay and charged extra for a space expansion kit a year later]. Perpetual seem to be taking the right approach to the space component, recognizing that Star Trek handles space in a unique way…
Recently new artwork has been revealed for the only two Star Trek games currently in development. First up Perpetual has put up out their second ‘DevBlog’ for their upcoming MMORPG game "Star Trek Online." This one is written by one of their QA testers describing playing an early build of the game and taking on a "real, blinking, breathing, snarling Gorn, who apparently happened to enjoy brandishing energy weapons." Unfortunately there is no screenshot of the Gorn, but the the blog has a small (concept art) Gorn image. Plus there is also new large concept art image of a Vulcan village.
News on Star Trek: Conquest, 2007’s sole Trek game release, continues to trickle out. Now on Bethesda’s Blog Lead Designer Frank Arnot sheds more light on the Wii (and PS2) strategy game. Regarding the back story, Arnot describes it as a time where "all the major races are at war. Age-old alliances are forgotten, diplomacy is dead." So it would appear that although the game allows you to play as any of the combatants of the Dominion War (Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Dominion, Breen & Cardasian), they are in 6 separate camps and not 2 alliances. Arnot also lets out that you will encounter Ferengi, Borg, Orion and Xindi (bringing them into the 24th century for the first time). More info on the on the Bethblog .
Last week TrekMovie.com reported a game called ‘Star Trek Conquest’ showed up on the Gamefly rental service. At the time Bethesda was playing mum, but today they have released details for the Wii (and PS2) game.’Conquest’ is described as a ‘blend of strategy and intense action.’ The game is being developed by 4J Studios (who also made last years PS2 game Star Trek Encounters). Players can take control of Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Cardassian, Dominion, and Breen forces and lead them in a campaign to control the Galaxy, one planet at a time in a turn-based strategy game. TrekMovie.com conjectured that the game would be a ‘Dominion War’ game but it seems to be less DS9 specific and more generic to the Next Gen era. Conquest will be the first Trek game for the Nintendo Wii and Bethesda promises it will ‘fully utilizes the Wii Remote.’
Haven’t heard much from Bethesda since they launched a slate of Trek games in 2006, but this week a new game titled ‘Star Trek: Conquest’ has come out of nowhere. It has shown up at the Gamefly rental service (which is known to leak games from time to time). Gamefly only provide a game category (Action/Aventure), a release date (11/03/07) and box art (pictured right…click to enlarge). The Nintendo Wii is the best selling new game platform and so it is a natural for the Bethesda to take advantage of it. From the looks of it this is a new game and not a port of one of the other games. Hopefully the game will take advantage of the Wii’s unique ‘Wiimote’ controller.
The second biggest Trek project going on besides the new Star Trek film is ‘Star Trek Online’ the MMORPG being built by Perpetual Entertainment. Just this week Perpetual have added a ‘DevLog’ to the official STO site. The first DevLog written by story designer (and avowed hard core Trekkie) Mike Stemmle discusses the process for making each of the planet designs from concept to 3D build in the "World Machine." Here is a final result
The massive multiplayer Star Trek game ‘Star Trek Online’ is still a year and a half away, but Perpetual Entertainment is already building buzz about the project. Last week they showed off some of their work at the Game Developers Conference and today they put some of that artwork (below) on the official site. Now that things are starting to happen TrekMovie.com decided it was time to make first contact with Perpetual. Executive Producer Daron Stinnett made it clear that the game (like Star Trek XI) is just in pre production, but there are already 35 people working on it full time. Stinnett is a long-time fan of the franchise and apparently when the word went out that Perpetual were giving Trek the MMORPG treatment, the Trekkie game designers came calling. "A lot of great talent was attracted by it…people really excited to be part of a new vision of Star Trek," says Stinnett.
JJ Abrams is a bit of a nerd and has a thing for technology. In a new interview with Wired, JJ Abrams talks about his influences and his views on technology. Of course he also talks about Star Trek XI. On the subject of why he chose to direct : When I read the script I couldn’t imagine — I’d feel like an idiot if I let someone else (direct) it. It’s clearly a fun, emotional and wild adventure. And I thought, if I have a chance to do it, how could I not take it? That was why I signed up. This is going to be an incredibly fun movie. I can’t believe that they’re letting us do this.