Will Square Enix new efforts with FF XIV pay off in the end?

It seems like Square Enix are really eager (and hungry) to gain more players for their mmorpg game "Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn". Because just recently Square Enix launched a free trail version (14-days) of Fantasy XIV. There will however be "some" limitations on available in-game activities in the free-trail version.

In case you wonder what those limitations might be. You can read more about it on the Lodes stone homepage). Square Enix has also added a reward system ("recruit a friend and earn rewards!") to A Realm Reborn.

And you can read all about it in the press release down below =)

Press release:
"Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm, August 1st 2014 – Players can now try out the critically acclaimed FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn online adventure for free. The 14-day free trial program allows new players an opportunity to join over 2 million adventurers worldwide who have already begun their journey throughout the realm of Eorzea.

By downloading and installing the free trial software, which is available at http://www.ffxiv-freetrial.com/en/, players can play for free for up to 14 days from account creation to a maximum level of twenty. Free trial players will have certain limitations on available in-game activities. More details are available on “The Lodestone,” the official FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn community page http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/friend_recruit/ .

The online game offers a wealth of playable content updates, including the recently released, Defenders of Eorzea the Patch 2.3 update. It features Frontline, the three-faction PVP where up to 72 players can go head-to-head in direct combat; Chocobo Raising, where players can train their favourite feathered companion to reach its full potential.

Also starting today is the Recruit a Friend Campaign an easy way to invite your friends to play via the FINAL FANTASY XIV: Mog Station. As a special bonus, if an invited friend becomes a subscriber, you’ll get to enjoy a number of special In-Game Rewards."

If a friend subscribes for 30 days, you’ll receive:
Friendship Circlet (For Recruiters and Friends)
- Increases EXP earned by 20% when below level 25.

Aetheryte Pendulum (For Recruiters):
- Teleport to the aetheryte closest to New Adventurers on your friend list free of charge.
- The Aetheryte Pendulum can be used for any New Adventurers on your friend list, even if you have not invited them via the Recruit a Friend campaign.

If a friend subscribes for 90 days you’ll receive:
Draught Chocobo Whistle (For Recruiters)
- A special hand-carved whistle used to summon a draught Chocobo, capable of accommodating a second passenger when partying with others.

/Robin E
The Gaming Ground

DragonJam Studios want to expand their crew. Do you want to join them?

Have you ever wanted to work in the video game industry? Well, then this might be your chance to get one foot into that industry. Because DragonJam Studios (the makers of "Formula Wincars") just happen to be searching for country managers to join their team.

So if you´re interested in becoming a part of the DragonJam Studios team. Then you will find everything you need to know down below. Good luck people!

Press release:
"If you ever had interest in how to make a game go viral all around the world, you’ll surely have read articles in sites for videogame developers like Gamasutra or Gamesauce, and it’s always the same thing: the key is to not only translate the game, but localize it. This obviously, is easier said than done, and eventually it’s one of two things: it’s either too expensive to do it properly or you just don’t do it the right way.

Some communities of players like Russians do not like when games reach their markets google-translated, or with ridiculous pricing like simple exchange-rate prices without rounding to more familiar local numbers. As a result, they refuse to play these games.

Since spending a huge amount of money and hiring an expensive localization studio is not an option for DragonJam Studios (remember the indie thing?), they came up with a good idea.

Why don’t they look for players among their early adopters who take care of these duties?

It matches their core idea of a game made for and by players, and this way they guarantee that they’ve got people in their team who really care and that’s because they’re players too.

DragonJam don’t want you to think badly of them, they announce a fair deal for both sides, with incomes based on a percentage."

Country Managers this way come
What’s a Country manager to do? Well, basically he’ll take care of the community he’s in charge of: Attend tomails and provide local support in its own language (we all are able to communicate in English, but when trouble come, you do appreciate someone speaking your mother tongue on the other side of the line), promote tournaments and ensure that every player receives their real life prizes when winning, check out there are not any language translation issues, moderate forums, and above all….give us players’ feedback and ideas to include them into the game.

They’ve made some contacts already, but still have many Country Manager positions available. So if you think that your profile matches these requirements and REALLY feel like doing it, come on! Drop them a line at [email protected]

About Formula Wincars:

An innovative MMO-Racer!
Formula Wincars takes racing genre as a starting point and adds the possibilities of online competition offered by today’s MMO titles. It aims to be the craziest racing arcade game ever holding wild races among players all around the world.

The game counts with a wide range of customizable cars and drivers and a host of wild circuits full of secrets and shortcuts, with elements to charge and level up your driver’s special skills during the race, building a much deeper experience than other online racing games.

Multiplayer competition will be the core of Formula Wincars, focused on competitive gameplay with up to eight simultaneous players, racing both individually or teamed up in 4 vs 4 co-op strategic challenges.

Easy to learn, hard to master!
Beginners will feel comfortable from the very first play, and more expert players will also find the fast response, speed and accuracy required for high-level competition.Regarding the visual aspect of the game, we decided to create our own colorful style looking for originality but without becoming unreal. We achieved this by mixing up a cartoonish look with a realistic touch creating our own recognizable look.

Formula Wincars : Mario Kart meets League Of Legends
DragonJam Studios has listened to all those players demanding a game like this which takes MMO games mechanics as seen in successful titles such as League of Legends or World of Tanks, and implements them in the arcade racing genre, receiving enthusiastic feedback and international support from the very beginning to this day.

Follow all the latest Formula Wincars news on the Formula WincarsTwitter @FWincars and the official Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/FormulaWincarsGame
www.formulawincars.com

Release Date: End of 2014
Platforms: PC, Mac and Linux
Price: Free-to-play

About DragonJam Studios:
Formula Wincars has been on development for 10 months by Dragonjam Studios, a small indie developer based on Madrid. A total of 10 people work daily on making Dragonjam´s first game come true. The ‘cast’encompasses promising young talents and professionals of proven quality that have worked on prestigious companies such as Electronic Arts, Rovio or Gameloft. Some of the games that our fellow workers have worked on in the past are FIFA 13, Battlefield 4, Mass Effect 3, Skara: the Blade Remains, and Roving Rogue.

/Robin E
The Gaming Ground