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.

ArenaNet sends word that music from Guild Wars has been chosen to be performed as part of “PLAY! A Video Game Symphony”, a worldwide symphonic tour featuring music from a number of games, which kicks off on January 19, 2008.

The company notes that it is a great honor for them and the game’s composers. The music of Guild Wars is also featured on CD in special edition packages of the game.

There’s news for underwear perverts - NCsoft has announced the formation of a new development studio in Mountain View, California that will be dedicated to develop the City of Heroes property, which, the company mentions, is now owned 100 percent by NCsoft. The previos ownership was split between NCsoft and Cryptic Studios, the original developer of the project.

The new studio will be built around key members of the City of Heroes team from either companies, including the art, programming and design team leads.

“We’re happy to announce that NCsoft has acquired full ownership of the City of Heroes IP,” said Brian Clayton, NCsoft executive producer and manager of the new studio. “Our plans are clear. We are now in a position to make a major reinvestment in the City of Heroes product line. With our existing Cryptic and NCsoft team as the core, we will be able to run our current service without any interruption to our players, expand our studio to deliver triple-A content, and take City of Heroes to new heights.”

While formal plans for the IP are still slated to be announced in the future, it was implied that a sequel to the popular MMO is being developed right now.

NCSoft and Destination Games send word that they will reward participants in the Tabula Rasa beta test by giving them an exclusive in-game emote. Here’s the deal: “Your characters will receive access to /throat; use it to show n00bs that you’ve been blasting Bane before blasting Bane was cool.”

The reward will be given only to those who login to the beta anytime between October 25 and October 26. It will become available starting at the end of November around Thanksgiving.

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).

NCSoft Europe sends word that the Guild Wars edition of the award-winning Gaming Razer DeathAdder mouse is now available to buy online.

The Razer DeathAdder is the world’s first 3G infrared sensor gaming mouse that provides precision and faster game play - all encased in a beautiful, sleek and ergonomic design. Razer™ is the world’s leading manufacturer of professional gaming peripherals and has a history of unsurpassable quality in their products. They are also working alongside NCsoft Europe as their official partner for upcoming gaming events.

“We are delighted with the look and performance of the Guild Wars Razer DeathAdder Mouse,” said Véronique Lallier, Marketing Manager for NCsoft Europe. “The Razer DeathAdder is the perfect companion to our Guild Wars players’ gaming experience and the ultimate Guild Wars gaming accessory.”

The mouse is available from the PlayNC online store for £48.

Long-in-development MMORPG Tabula Rasa has finally gotten a release date: October 19, with pre-order customers beginning their three-day head start on October 16.

Gaming legend Richard Garriott is behind Tabula Rasa, which combines a vast, persistent game world with a narrative and fast-paced action. It is set in the near-future, having players create characters that must fight to save humanity against hostile alien enemies while trying to gain control of the universe. The game features several unique elements like a Character Cloning System that allows players to explore different character classes without having to create a new character, and dynamic battlefields.

The game will be available in the two usual versions: standard and Limited Collector’s editions. Both versions will require a monthly subscription to play.

Singapore-based Cherry Credits, a provider of micropayments solutions, has announced that its New Economy eXchange Technology (NEXT) micropayments engine has been adopted by major online games publishers including Acclaim, NCSoft, and many others. The NEXT system offers publishers access to previously unavailable teenage and young adults market.

Currently the system has been employed in Lineage II from NCSoft, 9Dragons, BOTS and 2Moons from Acclaim, Trickster Online from Ntreev USA and more.

In-game ad agency Double Fusion has debuted technology separating ad integration from game development and allowing for dynamic placements of ads. Previously developers had to hardcore the ads into the game itself.

Dubbed fusion.runtime, the tools will give developers the ability to create new ad placements in finished game as well as back-catalog titles. Ubisoft and NCSoft have already begun using these tools. In fact, the recently released free ad-supported Ubi games Far Cry, Prince of Persia and other make use of these tools, allowing for integration of ads in the menu and loading screens.

“Game makers that want deep interactivity in their ads, or want pinpoint control over system resources, will benefit from our [previous] fusion.sdk solution,” said company co-founder and CTO Hillel Rom. “For those game makers that don’t have time in their development process to incorporate an SDK, or want to add advertising to back catalog titles, or perhaps want to avoid bothering the original developer in the case of games licensed from other regions, fusion.runtime opens up the revenue possibilities by delivering great advertising experiences.”

Failed action-MMOG Auto Assault has been shut down, according to the game’s official website. Word:

With Auto Assault closing down tonight, we wanted to thank all of you for creating a tremendously cool and dedicated community of Wastelanders. We just didn’t want to give you guys a wild, crazy event tonight, but something else that may be just as fun. In the coming days those that are eligible will be receiving a “Parting Gift” message in your e-mail inboxes, with opportunities to take a part in some of our other products, including Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa and City of Heroes. It’s our way of saying “Thank You” to the diehard Auto Assault fan base and we hope to see you in are other virtual worlds.

Marking its territory as one of the most popular MMORPGs around, Guild Wars has sold over four million units in just over two years, its publisher announced. The game first launched in 2005 and has its first true expansion, Eye of the North, coming on August 31; a sequel is also in development.

The Collector’s Edition bug has bitten Tabula Rasa, which will also receive the exclusive treatment. NCSoft will release the collector’s edition will exclusive in-game items, including a special character emote, exclusive dye recipes players can use to create unique armor colors and an unique pet. Players will also receive a briefing from Richard Garriott’s alter-ego in the game (General British), classified maps, an Allied Free Sentients (AFS) field guide, dog tags, an AFS challenge coin and a special edition poster. It will also come with a making-of DVD and one month of free gameplay.

“The Limited Collector’s Edition we have put together for Tabula Rasa is loaded with cool things for players who really get into the role-playing aspect of the game,” said Executive Producer Richard Garriott. “Regular players will find the maps and field guide useful as they move full-force into the game’s fast-paced action. Other items, like the dog tags and challenge coins, bring home the ‘brothers in arms’ feeling of this game even when you aren’t playing.”

Tabula Rasa is set for release this Fall.

The newest expansion to City of Heroes, dubbed Issue 10: “Invasion” is now live, letting City of Heroes and City of Villains players join forces to thwart an attack by aliens hell-bent on destroying Earth. Invasion is free to current subscribers and includes a major redesign of the Rikti Crash Site zone as well as a Rikti co-op task force where heroes and villains team up to defeat alien bosses.

The kick off invasion featured in Issue 10 continues the City of Heroes tradition of global events, and in this case the Rikti attack in constant waves through most of the games’ zones and threaten both Paragon City™ and the Rogue Isles™.

“The Rikti maintain a very powerful position in the lore of City of Heroes and the Rikti invasion event we had during the beta stage of the game is still talked about by veteran players,” said Matt Miller, Cryptic Studio’s lead designer for City of Heroes and City of Villains. “We felt the time was right and it fit into the narrative of the game to unleash another invasion — with a vengeance — and transform the Rikti Crash site into the heart of the new alien incursion.”

The Rikti Crash Site zone has been renamed the Rikti War Zone and is the epicenter of the Rikti’s assault on Earth. The Rikti War Zone, designed for player levels 35 to 50, allows both hero and villain players to work together on missions. Centered around the crashed Rikti mother ship, the Rikti have a variety of new powerful weapons including Rikti Pylons and UXBs or “unexploded bombs.” The Rikti Pylons are heavily armed defensive points surrounding the crashed mother ship which need to be defeated in order to gain access to the ship.

Issue 10, however, provides players with powerful new tools used to combat the Rikti. The Vanguard base established in the Rikti War Zone includes a special Vanguard Workbench that allows players to create special costume pieces as well as Vanguard Support Machines, or “heavies”, that serve as deadly pets in altercations with the Rikti.

“This expansion unleashes total war where aliens and earthlings get great new weapons to bludgeon each other with. We think this will be great fun,” Miller said. “The fact that both heroes and villains need to join together to defeat a common enemy is a comic book convention that helps to add greater depth and excitement to City of Heroes and City of Villains.”

The Rikti co-op task force, set for player levels 45 to 50, can be obtained from the leader of the Vanguard in the Rikti War Zone and delivers high-level adventures for teams composed of both heroes and villains.

New players interested in the game can purchase the Good versus Evil Edition, which includes both games, as well as a set of exclusive bonus items. Customers also receive the first month for free, with following months going for £8.99 / €12.99.

Starting tomorrow, you can enjoy the prerelease bonus pack for Guild Wars: Eye of the North, the first expansion for the free-to-play MMORPG. The bonus pack includes exclusive in-game items and access to the Sneak Peek Weekend set for later this Summer.

The bonus will be available from retailers across North America and Europe as well as the NCSoft store and through the official Guild War online store.

Players who pre-order Guild Wars: Eye of the North will gain access to the Sneak Peek Weekend, August 24-26, 2007, where they will be able to log into the game for a first look at Eye of the North. Players will be able to explore the Far Shiverpeaks region of the world, home of the barbaric Norn. Everything players obtain during the Sneak Peek Weekend, including items, XP, Heroes, and loot, will be permanent and available when the expansion goes live.

The Guild Wars: Eye of the North prerelease bonus pack also comes with exclusive weapons, including the Glacial Blade, the Hourglass Staff, and the Darksteel Longbow. These new weapons are based on the winning designs from the Guild Wars Design-a-Weapon Contest held earlier this year. In addition, the prerelease bonus pack includes a Guild Wars Trilogy Trial DVD that provides access to all three of the Guild Wars campaigns for a special trial promotion lasting 10 hours or 14 days, whichever comes first*.

Eye of the North is set for release on August 31.

Now that Deluxe editions are all the rage, NCSoft Europe sends word that it will launch the Good Versus Evil Combined Edition, a retail package combining City of Heroes and City of Villains.

To make it all the sweeter, the Combined Edition will include special in-game prestige travel powers and new hero and villain costume pieces. However, these items will also be available to current City of Heroes and City of Villains players via direct serial code purchase beginning September 29, so Combined players aren’t really very special.

Combined Edition will make its debut on store shelves throughout Europe on September 29 for £15/ €25. The retail package comes with 30-days of free play after which players only need to pay £9 per month to have full access to both of the games.