343 Industries takes over Halo Wars Community support
As of March 1st 2010 343 Industries’ Halo Waypoint team will take over support of both Halo Wars and the Halo Wars Community at HaloWars.com. Community Manager Jon Goff from 343 has made his introductions in the general discussion.
Hey everyone,
As most of you know, Halo Wars and HaloWars.com are transitioning more closely into the Halo Waypoint family.
As of this weekend, Halo Waypoint will oversee both Halo Wars’ matchmaking and stat tracking servers, as well as HaloWars.com as we continue to bring the Halo universe together as never before.
Before I continue, the Waypoint team would like to thank the amazing group at Robot Entertainment, who have spent the past year working closely with the Halo Wars community, helping to build a vibrant, dedicated fan base, and we look forward to supporting the Halo Wars community as the Halo universe continues to expand and evolve.
Jon then continues to expand on some of the most frequently asked community questions – whether or not there will be a Halo Wars sequel of even any additional DLC. The response is as expected – no.
Will there be a Halo Wars 2?
There is currently no information to share about the possibly of future Halo Wars games. We understand the desire from the Halo Wars community for another installment of Halo Wars, but for now the focus in regard to Halo game titles is squarely on supporting Bungie as they prepare to launch Halo: Reach this Fall.
Will there be more Halo Wars DLC?
Likewise, there is currently no new information on additional Halo Wars DLC.
The transition from Robot Entertainment to Halo Waypoint indicates Microsoft’s reduced commitment to the title for the near future as Halo Wars loses its developer. It is currently unclear whether some small bugs outstanding from the last title update will be resolved. Two of these include the issue that units can use the Y-Ability across the entire map and secondly there are missing cut scenes in the Halo Wars game menu. Robot Entertainment has advised that these issues are now the responsibility of Halo Waypoint.
Whats next for Robot Entertainment?
Losing Robot Entertainment in the Halo Wars community is a sad thing. No one is better placed to support the game and its community than the games developer and Robot had the majority of people from Ensemble Studios working on the titles support. However, this is not the end of Robot’s community presence on other games. Robot will continue to provide support for both Age of Empires and the Age of Empires Community. Also expect Robot to be hard at work on a brand new community for thier upcoming video game project. Robot are expanding thier community team to no doubt make the future community as, or even more vibrant and exciting than ever before. Stay tuned.
(Quick update) 343 Industries takes over Halo Wars community
*very* quick posting from me to let fans know that 343 Industries are now on site at HaloWars.com. New moderator Glyph has made his first introduction posting here:
http://www.halowars.com/forums/thread/823883.aspx
I’ll post more information soon with details. Meanwhile take a look and join in the discussion.
NewToy’s “We Rule” live in the Canadian App Store – Worldwide release incoming!
Great news for NewToy their latest iPhone game We Rule has now been approved by Apple and is live in the Canadian AppStore. No doubt it will soon be available worldwide very shortly so keep an eye on your App stores!
The game is a free download so if you live in Canada check it out right away!
NewToy’s “We Rule” iPhone game website goes live and in review at Apple
NewToy have announced the launch of the official We Rule website for their upcoming iPhone game over at the Ngmoco community. http://werule.ngmoco.com/ The website has a bunch of screenshots for the upcoming game, here are some examples:
Your kingdom. Your rules. Take charge of a living kingdom. Farm, build and expand your realm. Check back at anytime, anywhere.
Looking forward to seeing this game go live and enjoying the success of previous NewToy titles!
Looks like something is brewing over at Bonfire Studios
In case you haven’t noticed the Bonfire Studios website went offline recently with a new web page advising the studio is “re-fueling” its website. Could this mean the ever so silent Bonfire Studios is about to show details of their upcoming video game? Or is it going to be a whole new website of teasers? Time will tell!
Looking forward to seeing what the Bonfire team come up with on thier new website! Keep a sharp eye on http://www.bonfire-studios.com/
Ngmoco VidDoc of NewToy’s “We Rule”
Ngmoco have released a video blog where Matt Roberts walks us through a preview of the game. My first impression is that it looks very similar to the Farmville genre – “Social gaming” on Facebook. With We Rule you’ll have much greater control than just planting and harvesting crops, theres building management and the ability to visit other kingdoms and trade merchandise. While it should be noted the game does require a persistent (always on) data connection it should be great to play casually when your on the train or bus for instance. Coverage depending of course!
Take a look at the VicDoc below to see what its like:
Robot Entertainment to hand over HaloWars.com to Waypoint
Hot of the press from HaloWars.com. Today an announcement was made by Robot Entertainment Community Manager, Duncan “Aloysius” Stanley talking about the end of Robot’s primary involvement with the Halo Wars Community. The announcement reads as follows:
On February 28th, 2010, Halo Waypoint will be begin to officially support both Halo Wars and HaloWars.com. Waypoint staff will transition in over the next month to support operations of HaloWars.com and the Halo Wars matchmaking and stats servers. Over the past year, Robot was very proud to roll out 4 Title Updates for Halo Wars, provide technical support on the forums and provide a place for volumes of fan fiction. Robot was proud to be a part of this community for the past year, and we hope we served you well.
Along with supporting operations, Halo Waypoint has exciting plans for Halo Wars. Look for announcements in the near future.
So long and thanks for all the fish!
This was quite an unexpected announcement as in most cases the developer is responsible for the games communities. For example, Rare looks after Banjo and Lionhead looks after the Fable communities. However, it seems Microsoft is not so keen to continue having Robot watch over the Halo Wars community. Presumably, now a year on from Ensemble’s closure the agreement struck between Robot and Microsoft to look after the Halo Wars community has expired and possibly as a result of cost cutting Microsoft are bringing the management of the website in house.
Come February 28th a new moderation team will be drafted in from Microsoft’s, 343 Industries – the “Waypoint” team. Its been a bumpy road for Halo Wars fans having to go through another major change in the way the game is supported. First the closure of the original developer Ensemble, then the removal of the second developers community presence. Microsoft do not seem to be treating the strategy version of the Halo IP very well!
Although the announcement states “exciting plans for Halo Wars” are in the works, one must wonder how “exciting” these plans can be without a developer attached to the game anymore.
Hopefully there will be more details to follow about this announcement in due course.
What about Age Community?
Some good news is that the Age of Empires community will still be looked after by Robot Entertainment as before.
Robot Entertainment preparing for new game website launch
Robot Entertainment has updated its hiring page with some interesting new job positions. The company is looking for a new web developer, web graphics artist and a community manager. One can deduce that these new positions must be to help Robot launch a brand new community website for their next upcoming title. Much in the same way Ensemble did with Age of Empires and Halo Wars it is expected that this new community website will run in a similar way. With the Halo Wars community website the forums were online years before the game was released to allow players to engage in the games development with developer blogs and concept art. Hopefully with these new positions at Robot we can look forward to an excellent engaging community website for the mystery title!
It certainly looks like Robot are up to something and that once these positions are in place we can expect a website to be launched in the future. Of course with a website launch also comes a press release about a new game, it looks like there are exciting times ahead!
Check out the job listings below:
Position: Web Developer
POSITION ID: 10WEB01
LOCATION: Robot Entertainment, Inc. office located in Plano, Texas, USA
Robot Entertainment is looking for an experienced, web developer to join the company full-time. An ideal candidate will be comfortable working in a collaborative environment creating web experiences that support and interact with our computer gaming entertainment products. A web developer with game industry experience is a plus, but well qualified candidates looking to enter the games industry will also be considered.
Responsibilities:
- Create and develop websites using standards-compliant HTML/XHTML and CSS markup
- Collaborates with other developers to implement interactive content and graphics
- Maintain and update existing sites with fresh content and graphics when needed
- Work closely with artists to explore creative ways of delivering great experiences under tight constraints
- Create dynamic and scalable interactive Flash applications
- Contributes design and quality control ideas
Qualifications:
- Minimum 3-5 years of related experience
- Strong HTML/XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, Action Script 3, ASP .NET C#, and XML/web services skills
- Highly proficient in Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, InDesign and Dreamweaver
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work with other creative people and take input at a fast pace within deadlines
- Experience in the gaming industry a plus
- Willingness to work additional hours when needed
This is a full-time, professional exempt position. Open to United States citizens or those individuals who are legally residing and working in the USA. Robot will not facilitate or sponsor candidates for US work visas or US residency “Green Cards” for this position.
Position: Web Graphics Artist
POSITION ID: 10WEB02
LOCATION: Robot Entertainment, Inc. office located in Plano, Texas, USA
Robot is searching for an experienced Web Graphics Artist to design our new game website experiences. The ideal candidate will have a keen sense of aesthetic design and layout, plus a penchant for intuitive user interfaces. This person will also feel at home in a collaborative team environment while maintaining ownership of the design. This is a great opportunity for a web artist looking to apply their skills and knowledge in exciting new challenges.
Responsibilities:
- Work with creative staff to design inspiring websites that extend and enhance the visual appeal of our games
- Generate artwork that is consistent with the game’s look and design
- Work closely with the web developer to create dynamic web content using current technologies like Adobe Flash (or equivalent)
- Maintain ownership of the web design from concept through launch and updates
Requirements:
- Successful background in website design with major online or integrated web agency
- Well developed sense for intuitive user interface design
- Highly proficient with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Flash (or equivalent)
- Strong traditional 2D sketching and composition skills
- Creative, self-motivated, enthusiastic, and flexible
- Enjoys brainstorming and iterating within a team environment
- Passion for computer/video games a plus
* Submit online portfolio or work samples with resume to be considered.
This is a full-time, professional exempt position. Open to United States citizens or those individuals who are legally residing and working in the USA. Robot will not facilitate or sponsor candidates for US work visas or US residency “Green Cards” for this position.
This is a full-time, professional exempt position. Open to United States citizens or those individuals who are legally residing and working in the USA. Robot will not facilitate or sponsor candidates for US work visas or US residency “Green Cards” for this position.
Position: Community Manager
POSITION ID: 10CMW01
LOCATION: Robot Entertainment, Inc. office located in Plano, Texas, USA
About the Job:
- Building a strong community connection is a significant piece of Robot Entertainment’s future. We are looking for the right person to extend the company’s vision in a community outreach effort that engages our fans.
- This is an opportunity to make a substantial contribution to our team by taking ownership of all community efforts.
- We want a self-starter who welcomes input and excels in a collaborative environment
Responsibilities:
- Build and boost our community connection by improving adoption, engagement and satisfaction
- Use marketing savvy in promoting Robot and its games to the media and fans
- Champion the community’s needs to the development teams
- Inspire passion, excitement and dialogue through contests and other promotional programs
- Collaborate with the development team to define, design and create new community features, plus enhance existing ones
- Oversee public points of contact (email, forums, social networks), moderators (internal and external) and evangelists
Requirements:
- Positive, growth-oriented attitude towards community management and communication
- Comfortable working with the rhythms of the game development process
- Passion for helping people and empowering community members to find answers
- Excited about the challenge of building a community from the ground up and nurture it in the upcoming years
Desired Skills:
- 3+ years managing an active online community for a computer/console game company
- Experience with social media and other cost effective buzz-generation techniques
- Familiarity with virtual goods economics
- RTS game player and fan of the Age of Empires franchise are pluses
- Working knowledge of community platforms, systems and website software
Experience building and managing a small team
NewToy announce new iPhone game “We rule” in collaboration with Ngmoco
Budding iPhone developers NewToy lead by ex Ensemble programmers has announced a new iPhone project in collaboration with Ngmoco a well known publisher on the iPhone platform. The new game titled “We Rule” sees players creating thier very own unique kingdom where they can heavily customise the kingdoms realms, shops, businesses, buildings, banners and crops. The official blurb from the Ngmoco website continues:
You will collect taxes from your citizens and manage a variety of shops and businesses – from bakeries and inns to lumber mills and ore mines.
There do not seem to be any screenshots of the game yet, but stick around and we’ll try and dig some out. Meanwhile check out what you can from the the graphic below. Certainly seems to be a big project but no doubt the Bettner brothers at NewToy are up to the task. For more information on the game the press release follows below and a link to the website.
ngmoco has a new social game, We Rule, in the works. We’re excited to share it with you.
In We Rule, you will govern your very own kingdom. You will act as a city planner and landscaper—customizing your realm with buildings, banners, and botany. You’ll decide what crops to plant and ensure they are harvested on time. You will collect taxes from your citizens and manage a variety of shops and businesses – from bakeries and inns to lumber mills and ore mines.
We’re also pleased to announce we’re collaborating with App Store star Newtoy to create this innovative, next-gen social game. Newtoy has a strong development pedigree on a host of platforms – before iPhone and iPod, the team helped create Age of Empires and Halo Wars. More recently they’ve engineered smash mobile hits Words with Friends and Chess with Friends.
Soon you’ll have a chance to build a kingdom of your own. We’ll be revealing more about the game soon. And if you’d like access to exclusive info and screens, chat with gamemakers and help us make We Rule better, join the ng:community.
