Trion Worlds MMO adopting new business model beginning June 12; paid subscriptions will remain available.

Fantasy massively multiplayer online game Rift will adopt a free-to-play business model beginning June 12, developer Trion Worlds announced today.

According to the developer, free-to-play gamers will be able to experience the entire game world of Telara, which includes every dungeon, every zone, and every level. Free-to-play users will also receive “full access” to all content future game updates.

Rift creative director Bill Fisher explained that business model switch came in response to fan feedback.

“We have been listening to feedback from our players and watching the continuously developing MMO community, and are now ready to launch Rift as a premium free-to-play experience,” Fisher said in a statement. “After taking our time and planning a careful transition; we are very excited to bring an enhanced game experience to everyone, without barriers.”

When Rift goes free-to-play next month, Trion Worlds will launch an expanded in-game store offering up various mounts, boosts, and wardrobe items for purchase. Gamers who continue to pay a subscription will receive a series of “Patron” benefits, including extra currency, increased mount speed, and bonus experience, among other perks.

Trion Worlds will mark the June 12 free-to-play Rift re-launch with content update 2.3, called Empyreal Assault. This update will open an new zone, world event, chronicle, and more. A detailed breakdown of the new free-to-play version of Rift is available at the game’s website.

Rift launched in March 2011 and introduced the Storm Legion expansion the next year. A Rift Lite version was made available February 2012 that allows gamers to play for free until level 20. Blizzard Entertainment offers a similar service for World of Warcraft. Rift generated $100 million in revenue during its first year.

It is the latest MMO to adopt a free-to-play business model after launch, following Tera, Lord of the Rings Online, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, EverQuest II, Aion, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Bethesda has not said if its upcoming MMO game The Elder Scrolls Online will carry a subscription fee, though consultant Nicholas Lovell believes the game will launch with a subscription before going free-to-play.

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CEO Strauss Zelnick says making the “standard bearers of the industry” will not come easily.

Grand Theft Auto parent publisher Take-Two Interactive believes creating compelling titles for next-generation platforms will be complicated and costly.

Despite the challenges, CEO Strauss Zelnick believes his company is up to the task, due in part to a drive to be fiscally responsible and disciplined, as well as the cash it has on hand.

“There’s nothing straightforward about making what we hope will be the standard bearers of the industry. And there’s no question that developing for what will be next-gen will be complicated and for the type of titles we do, will be costly,” Zelnick said today in a post-earnings financial call.

“That said, we have a very strong balance sheet and we align our business with our costs; and one of our three strategic objectives is to be the most efficient company in the business,” he added.

Zelnick’s comments today don’t match up with what the executive said in November. At the time, he did not foresee a significant increase in development costs for next-generation games. In fact, he said the opposite would be the more likely scenario–that games would become easier to make.

“We don’t have a ramp up of operating expenses for next-generation,” Zelnick said at the time. “Do we believe the titles to be a whole lot more expensive to make for next-gen? And the answer is we do not. In many instances we believe that it may be somewhat easier to make titles for next-gen, depending on how the technology comes together.”

Today, Zelnick said that in time, development efficiencies may be reached, but right now it’s “too early to say” if that will be the case.

Take-Two’s next major project is Grand Theft Auto V, which launches September 17 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation. Wii U and PC versions are “up for consideration.” For more, check out an Ask GameSpot video feature on the game below.

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United States Vice President Joe Biden believes there is no legal restriction on ability to tax violent media.

United States Vice President Joe Biden believes it would be no problem to tax violent games. As part of a recent gun legislation strategy meeting with religious leaders, Biden said that an idea brought forth by Reverend Franklin Graham to tax violent media could be a smart move.

Participants in the behind-closed-doors session told Politico (via Game Politics) that Biden said there is “no restriction on the ability to do that; there’s no legal reason why they couldn’t” tax violent media.

He also said that that he would like to see a comprehensive study done regarding the impact of violent games and movies on young people.

Reverend Graham said that funds derived from the tax should go towards helping victims of gun violence, along with their families. Excise tax on violent media is nothing new, with multiple calls for such legislative action popping up since the Sandy Hook massacre and before the school shooting.

In a landmark 2011 decision, the Supreme Court sided with the video game industry, ruling that games are protected free speech under the first amendment.

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[UPDATE] Sony confirms new advertisement showing off next-generation platform is not the real deal.

[UPDATE] Following the publication of this story, Sony confirmed with Kotaku that the PlayStation 4 advertisement is fake.

The original story follows below

A video published last night on YouTube claims to offer the first look at the PlayStation 4 itself.

The video, titled “Reveal PlayStation 4 PS4 E3 2013,” features a series of men and women staring into the camera while the familiar button symbols are shown reflected in their eyes.

A voice asks “You want to play?” while clips of games and the PS4 system itself cycle through.

It is unclear if the video is in fact an official Sony production or a fan mock-up. Sony was not immediately available to comment at press time.

The PS4 itself was not shown during the platform’s announcement in February, something competitor Microsoft was quick to point out. At the time, Sony president of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida apologized for keeping the system under wraps, noting its design had not yet been finalized.

“I’m sorry we did not show the hardware,” Yoshida then said. “But we have plans from now–in February–through the year for the launch. We like to disclose things based on what we think we really want to communicate first. And next time we will talk about these things.”

Sony’s E3 2013 presentation is slated for Monday, June 10.

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Developer working with Kaspersky Lab on upcoming hacking-based action game to avoid Hollywood-style depictions of hacking.

Hacking is a core element in Ubisoft Montreal’s modern day action game Watch Dogs and to depict scenes and ideas correctly, the developer has sought help from an established real-world security company.

Ubisoft Montreal senior producer Dominic Guay told Joystiq that the developer is working with Kaspersky Lab, a recognized antivirus and security company. Ubisoft submits concepts to the company and the feedback it receives guides development moving forward, Guay said.

“They have really hardcore experts there on hacking,” Guay said of Kaspersky Lab. “We send them some of our designs and we ask them feedback on it, and it’s interesting to see what gets back. Sometimes they say, ‘Yeah, that’s possible, but change that word,’ or, ‘That’s not the way it works.’”

The feedback from Kaspersky Lab, as well as input from Ubisoft engineers, is aimed at presenting a more realistic depiction of hacking, instead of a “sexed up” Hollywood version.

Set in Chicago, Watch Dogs puts players in the shoes of Aiden Pearce, a hacker who uses his smartphone to break into the city’s central operating system to control things like security cameras and also to obtain personal information.

Watch Dogs launches November 19 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC. The PlayStation 4 version will be available “at the launch” of the system, while a next Xbox iteration is rumored, but has yet to be revealed.

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EA Sports EVP Andrew Wilson unloads all 32,085 shares for $687,000 after company hit highest value since end of 2011.

EA Sports executive vice president Andrew Wilson has sold his entire stake in Electronic Arts.

Wilson onstage at E3 2012 with UFC president Dana White.

As revealed in an SEC document filed Thursday, Wilson has sold all 32,085 shares he held in the company at $21.42 each, earning himself more than $687,000.

Wilson now holds zero shares in EA and is the only EA executive in such a position. All other EA executives listed on the publisher’s website carry stock in the company.

An EA representative declined to comment on Wilson’s stock sale or give an update regarding the executive’s status at the company moving forward.

After announcing an exclusive Star Wars deal with Disney on Monday, full-year revenue of $3.79 billion Tuesday, and a FIFA license extension Wednesday, EA shares skyrocketed.

They closed Wednesday up more than 17 percent to $21.56, marking their highest level since the end of 2011.

If Wilson had cashed out earlier in the week, he would have received thousands of dollars less, as EA shares bounced between $17 and $18 on Monday and Tuesday.

EA shares are continuing to climb today, up 3.19 percent (+0.69) to $22.33 at press time.

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After going through several design iterations, Xbox maker reportedly uncertain if it will ship rumored streaming device.

Microsoft’s rumored plans for an “Xbox TV” set-top streaming device are reportedly in question.

Sources speaking with The Wall Street Journal (via Polygon) have indicated that the Xbox maker has created designs for a “simple” non-gaming set-top device that will stream video and “other entertainment options.”

However, Microsoft is reportedly not sure how or if it will move forward with the device.

The unnamed sources said the Xbox TV device has gone through “several” design iterations, including “recent” prototypes that operated with Microsoft’s Kinect technology.

A Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment to The Wall Street Journal and to GameSpot.

Microsoft’s overall ambition is to create “common experiences” between multiple products, the sources said, similar to the ecosystem in which Apple’s various products exist.

The company has begun to lay the groundwork for this initiative by telling its development teams to write applications using recently developed coding standards. The goal of this effort is to simplify the process by which developers can create programs for various devices, whether it be an Xbox, a smartphone, or a PC, the sources said.

The supposed Xbox TV device was first spoken of last year, when multiple sources told The Verge that this Xbox-branded set-top box would release in 2013 running on a modified version of Windows 8. It is rumored to being a “low cost” alternative to the next Xbox and will support casual games, but not “full” Xbox titles.

Microsoft is widely believed to formally unveil its next Xbox during an intimate event at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington on May 21.

This announcement will “mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV, and entertainment.” The event will be streamed through Xbox.com, Xbox Live, and Spike TV in the United States and Canada.

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New research finds frequent exposure to violent games can have numbing effect on teenagers, though no cause-and-effect relationship proven.

Frequent exposure to violent games can desensitize players to brutality, according to the results of new research.

The study, as explained by Health Day, focused on 30 teenage boys, aged 13 to 15, divided into two groups. One group played violent games for three or more hours a day (high exposure), while the other played such games for less than an hour (low exposure).

Researchers then tracked the boys’ attitudes after playing a violent game (Manhunt) and and a non-violent game (Animaniacs). Each game was played for two hours on separate evenings.

“Differences between the boys’ reactions emerged later in the night after gaming. During sleep, the boys in the low-exposure group who played the violent game had faster heart rates and poorer quality of sleep than those in the high-exposure group,” Health Day writes. “The boys in the low-exposure group also reported increased feelings of sadness after playing the violent game.”

The study, published in the May issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, concluded that both groups of boys exhibited higher anxiety and stress levels after playing the violent game.

“The violent game seems to have elicited more stress at bedtime in both groups, and it also seems as if the violent game in general caused some kind of exhaustion,” said Stockholm University researcher Malena Ivarsson. “However, the exhaustion didn’t seem to be of the kind that normally promotes good sleep, but rather as a stressful factor that can impair sleep quality.”

The researchers concluded that the disparity between the two groups’ responses suggest continual exposure to violent games could have a “desensitizing effect” on players.

Notably, however, the study did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between exposure to violent games and desensitization to brutality. In addition, researchers explained that adolescents with “certain traits” may be more attracted to violent games than others.

Violent games have been a heated topic in the wake of the December schoolhouse massacre in Connecticut that left 20 children and six adults dead. The shooter was reportedly a “deranged gamer.”

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CD Projekt Red confirms Redkit was available for a “brief moment,” but access has since been blocked.

The mod toolkit for The Witcher 2: Assassin’s of Kings was briefly available recently due to a mistake on the part of developer CD Projekt Red. Access to the tools has since been blocked.

“Just a word of clarification. We were running some tests on the website and it went public for a brief moment,” CD Projekt Red community manager Marcin Momot wrote in the game’s forums (via Edge).

Momot told gamers who were able to grab the Redkit to “have fun,” noting that the files are official. The modkit will be released officially in full soon, he promised, though an official release date was not provided.

“Please give us just a little bit more time (it’s almost here!),” Momot said. “We apologize for the confusion.”

CD Projekt Red aims to simplify the modding process with the Redkit. The goal is to give users the tools to establish their own worlds, quests, and branching storylines. The Redkit is a spiritual successor to the Djinni toolkit for the original Witcher, though the interface and workflow have been refined in the update.

The Redkit includes access to all assets from The Witcher 2, including character models, textures, shaders, animations, and sound effects. For more, check out GameSpot’s impressions of the technology.

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SimCity creator teases development ambitions, says building experiences around a person’s life can make gaming more mass market.

SimCity creator and industry veteran Will Wright has given a tease about what kinds of games he would like to make in the future.

Speaking during the Game Horizon conference this week (via Games Industry International), the designer said he is particularly interested in “basing games in reality” as a means to “capture a wider audience.”

“I’m very interested in how we build a game around a player’s life….I want to figure out how to bring games back into everyday reality, games that intersect with players’ lives,” he said.

Not only did Wright speak about his personal ambitions, but he also said the time is right for the industry to blossom, thanks to a proliferation of talented designers.

“We have a much bigger crop of skilled designers than we ever have,” he said. “Some of the greatest designers out there are just getting their start right now.”

Wright recently made headlines for his comments about the recent SimCity launch, calling it “inexcusable.” The game was marred by server woes at launch in March, but has sold over 1.6 million copies life-to-date.

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