Cyanide sent out word that they are developing Dungeon Party, a free-to-play MMOG for PC. They are going for a humorous, more casual game, as Patrick Pligersdorffer, CEO of the studio, describes the title “as a game that leads two teams of intrepid players deep into a dungeon in search of treasure. Each team not only has to overcome the dirty tricks of the other side, but they also have to survive the numerous traps and monsters that lie within. The first team that gets out alive, WITH THE TREASURE, is the winner.” Here’s more:

DUNGEON PARTY is a free MMOG for the PC platform. Two teams of up to 5 players compete over one or more rounds and victory is only assured when one of them gets out of the dungeon with the treasure. Players can choose from one of 6 character types and they can customize their hero with various items of clothing or other objects that might come in useful in a dark corner! Regular tournaments promise games of even greater intensity and will allow all players to measure themselves against the best, thanks to a real-time ranking system. Get ready to don your finest magic robes or your must sturdy armor and let’s see if you have what it takes to become masters of the dungeon.

It is due out during Q4 2008.

This blog post on the Spacetime Studios website carries word that publisher NCSoft has cancelled the MMOG the studio was working on. According to their projects page, the game, dubbed Blackstar, was a “unique space combat MMO” that featured fast shooting action as well as traditional RPG elements. The cancellation of the game has caused the loss of a dozen jobs, however, they do not have any ill feelings towards the publisher; they are also looking for a way to continue with the IP. Here’s more:

The cancelled game was our primary project and we have a complete MMO engine w/ networking infrastructure, tools suite, and next-gen rendering engine. The company remains extremely committed to the IP and once all mutual obligations have been completed between the publisher and ourselves we intend to explore every possible avenue to see that our team’s collective vision come to fruition.

Stormfront Studios, the developers of the original Neverwinter Nights game, has been honored by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at the 59th Annual Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards ceremony. They have been recognized for the groundbreaking MMORPG that made its debut on AOL and was offered from 1991-97.

Don Daglow, who led the design of Neverwinter Nights, accepted the award for Stormfront and its publishers. “These games are not just entertainment,” he said. “They build new kinds of communities and create deep people-to-people relationships. They influence people’s lives in the same way as great books, inspiring movies and iconic television shows, and we’re grateful to the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for this honor.”

The series has been pretty successful, spawning successors in the form of hit games from BioWare.

MMO publisher and developer NCSoft recently opened Carbine Studios, the latest addition to its stable of development teams. Carbine is currently working on an unannounced MMO that promises to “break new ground in massively multiplayer gaming.”

Among the studio’s staff are a number of veterans, including Kevin Beardlsee who was the lead developer of World of Warcraft. Other notables include sixteen other Blizzard employees, Tim Cain (co-founder of Troika Games) and Jeffery Gaffney (Turbine).

The studio behind EVE Online, CCP Games is expanding into North America, according to an announcement. Their new office is located in Stone Mountain, GA and will serve as the company’s North American headquarters.

As expected, the new studio will work on maintaining and upgrading the world of EVE Online. However, it will also focus on developing new titles. The company hopes of providing more than 100 design and development positions within the next year.

A demo for Call of Juarez can now be downloaded for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live. The game, which was released last year on PC, is set in the Wild West and follows the exploits of Billy and Reverend Ray.

In patch news, an update for Dungeon Runners is now available. Referred to as “Chunk #1″, the update for the game includes PvP worlds, support for multiple characters, item linking over its chat system, a new high level dungeon and a variety of new skills and quests.

A v1.27.0 version of the MMO World War II Online has been released. This forum thread offers word on what’s new on the patch, which is available automatically from within the game, as well as through this page.

10tacle Studios and developer Reakktor Media have revealed details behind Black Prophecy, their upcoming action-MMO. The game will take place in space and will emphasize on space exploration and deep space combat. It will contain both single-player missions and multiplayer battles, having players experience a story penned by award-winning German sci-fi author Michael Marrak.

By the mid 26th century humanity has conquered the universe and colonized countless planets. Yet life in space requires a great deal of adaptation. Bred for just these conditions, the cybernetically adapted Tyi and the biogenetically optimized Geniden have outgrown their creators to become the new ruling races. Their uncompromising battle for total mastery of space leads humanity into the sphere of influence of an ancient alien life form - a life form which tolerates no other cosmic civilizations but its own. In this battle against an overpowering enemy, players must first choose which of the two rival factions they wish to join as they try to save humanity.

The game is set for release during Fall 2008. Below are the first four screenshots.

MindArk has announced that they’ve licensed CryENGINE 2 that is powering Crysis, for use in Entropia Universe, its MMOG that uses real cash economy. The transition to this new engine is expected to be finished by mid-2008 and will be available to all its partners.

Creator MindArk PE AB’s CEO Jan Welter Timkrans explains, “The upgrade of Entropia Universe will be built around the spectacular features supplied by CryENGINE 2, offering a complete and immersive experience to Entropia participants. It will create synergies between the proven and safe Real Cash Economy backbone, the Entropia storyline with colonists fighting to establish a new world, and the very life-like visuals supplied from CryENGINE 2.” He continues, “When we saw what the engine was capable of, we immediately understood that it would be perfect for Entropia, as both MindArk and Crytek are pioneers in their respective fields.”

The second bit of MMOG news comes from GOA, who today announced that more than 300,000 players have signed up for the Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning closed beta test, making it one of the most popular MMOG ever. The closed beta test began in June, with the game amassing so many gamers in a little more than a month.

They are still accepting applications for the beta, so if you’re interested to contribute to that number, you’re more than welcome to do so. WAR is set for release during the first quarter of 2008 and will feature revolutionary Realm vs. Realm gameplay.

Ever wonder why MMO players are so… extremist? One such case comes from Brazil, where a gang used a girl to set up a date with the top scorer of online game GunBound, who they then proceeded to threaten with a gun to transfer his online score to them.

Thankfully, police have caught the culprits. As for the score itself, it is on sale on a website for 15,000 reals (approximately US $8,000).

Cryptic Studios has announced that they have hired a new Design Writer, John Layman, for working on the Marvel Universe Online, a MMO currently in development for PC and Xbox 360.

Layman is a twelve-year veteran of the comics industry, having worked on prominent series like Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness, House of M: Fantastic Four, Gambit and many others. He has also worked on several games, including Metroid: Hunters (DS) and Marvel Trading Card Game (PSP).

No information on the MMO itself was disclosed.

NextGenBooks.com and author Darren Reid have announced that they will be bringing a new point and click fantasy adventure to PCs and consoles dubbed The Half Broken Crown: The Broken Kingdoms. Based on the best-selling author’s upcoming novel, the game will incorporate MMO elements which will allow all online players to communicate and solve puzzles through collaboration and cooperation.

The game will see players working in the same world as the upcoming novel, but decades after the events in the book. The game will be played from the first-person perspective and will be heavily reliant on puzzle solving rather than combat.

It will be released later this month and will be free to play with optional micro-transactions available to enhance the player’s experience. The main game will feature over 100 unique screens; episodic content will be released throughout the course of the year, with each episode ranging from $2-5, depending upon its complexity.

The game will launch through NextGenBooks.com and will be playable through browsers with specific and individual versions designed for PC, Mac, PS3, PSP, Wii and DS. All, except the DS and PSP versions, will support the multiplayer components of the game.

This Open Letter to CCP brings to the spotlight a bunch of complaints to the developers of Eve Online. The letter covers allgeations of developer misconduct, among other things, which this forum post on the game’s official forum discusses and states how efforts to bring this to light have been seemingly quashed till now.

Feeling thirsty while fragging people? Want chicken fry with that? Double Fusion and K2 Network have announced their partnership to integrate dynamic in-game advertising in War Rock, an upcoming free MMOG.

Launching February 6, War Rock is a tactical FPS with lots of weapons, vehicles and multiple battle modes. It is currently in open beta and, as a member of K2’s Free2Play series, will be free and open to all, though players will have the option to purchase access to extras.

Capitalizing on the resultant 18-34 year-old male demographic, Double Fusion will offer 2D and 3D ad and product placement opportunities within the game world. Advertisers will also be able to sponsor organized competitions, maps of new areas, items or services.

Tired of your Second Life? Want to see what all the hype about First life is? Well, you’re already in it, bub, and it ain’t getting better than this. A perfectly made parody site of the highly popular MMOG Second Life has made its mark on the web, and it’s damn awesome. Just to show how awesome it is, I’m going to quote a bit from its Teen First Life:

“I like totally tried to get into First Life and those dudes were like, sorry man, you’re totally not old enough. I was like, WTF! Then I found out about Teen FL, and everything’s cool now.” –Aaron, 15

America’s teens, your First Life dream world awaits. Hang out at the mall! Embarass yourself in gym class! Get acne! Experiment with mind-altering recreational drugs! The First Life world is your oyster.

To check out what the fuss is all about, get a First Life.