LEGO Universe’s servers close down permanently at midnight EST (9:00PM PST/5:00AM GMT/4:00PM AEST).

Players are invited to share their memories and experiences on the game’s forum, and an FAQ on the closure is available, giving details on refunds for incomplete subscriptions and a sad summary of the game’s fate.

“After one year the game has nowhere near as many subscribers as we needed to be able to keep it running,” the FAQ states, apologising for breaking relationships with kids and ruining their relatives’ presents.

NetDevil’s bricktastic effort launched in October 2010 after more than two years of delays.

Thanks, Massively.

According to Brevik, NetDevil had already started Lego Universe as a work-for-hire project before the studio was originally purchased by Gazillion.

“The transition of members of our team to the Lego Group allows us to conclude the work-for-hire segment of NetDevil’s business and lets us expand our internally-published, free-to-play game businesses,” said Brevik. “We’re proud of the Lego Universe game that our team built, and we are certain that it has a bright future.”

A “minor staff reduction” at NetDevil was confirmed as well, with most of the staff being “retained by Lego,” reports Joystiq, while NetDevil devs not working on the Lego game will continue with Fortune Online and whatever is going on with Jumpgate Evolution.

NetDevil’s animator Toby Cochran posted on his blog earlier today that staff members at NetDevil were being laid off, and alerted to the redundancies via Facebook posts, followed up by formal phones calls later in the day.

“I personally think it’s pretty terrible to find news out that way and not to be correctly notified,” he wrote. “We all were receiving phone calls tonight and I just got mine about 2 hrs ago.

“From what we’ve been told a handful of artists will be kept on board and continue working on Lego Universe. But at the moment that will be a very, VERY small team. As the count continues to rise on Facebook, they’ve cut over 20 people.”

NetDevil was acquired by Gazillion in 2008, and the firm raised over $60 million in 2010 towards MMO development.

Thanks, GI.biz.

Codemasters has filed a lawsuit against NetDevil and its parent company Gazillion Entertainment for the continued delay of the MMO Jumpgate Evolution.

NetDevil has been working on the MMO for quite some time; last year we heard it had been delayed after entering the Friends & Family phase of testing, with no date on the horizon.

Codemasters filed the lawsuit citing breach of contract after it handed over $1.4 million to help underwrite the game’s development. The publisher also claims Jumpgate Evolution was to be released by February 24, 2009, but after many delays and a small showing at E3 this year, it has yet to ship.

The space MMO is based on a remake of NetDevil’s Jumpgate. As of July, the game had over 250K applicants sign-up to test it in beta.

NetDevil recently released LEGO Universe in North America and Europe, published by Warner Bros., and its parent company, Gazillion, is also working on Marvel Superhero Squad for Marvel.

Thanks, Massively.

NetDevil has released the E3 trailer for LEGO Universe, and it’s posted below.

The game’s out on October 12 for those that pre-ordered the game, and launches publicly on October 26 for both PC and Mac.

It will run you $39.99 and comes with a 30-days worth of free play time – after which it’s $9.99 per month, $49.99 for six-months, or $89.99 for an entire year.

The subscription plan for LEGO Universe has been revealed on the MMO’s official website, and the pricing seems to be about the norm.

The game itself will run you $39.99 and comes with a 30-days worth of free play time.

It will then run you $9.99 per month, $49.99 for six-months, or $89.99 for an entire year – which like all MMO plans, is cheaper when you pay in bulk.

Those who decide to pre-order will get an exclusive mini-figure and a code to redeem the mini-figure as a playable in-game character.

Find out more through here.

It’s out in the fall, and the disc is playable on both PC and Mac.

Those who fancy trying their hand at battling the dark forces of Maelstrom in LEGO Universe, can now sign up for Beta testing of the MMO.

Who knows, you may get a key.

NetDevil is now accepting Beta applications for users to test for bugs, and the like, so go sign up here.

Eventually, the game is planned to launch on platforms other than PC, but for now, that’s the system of choice for the MMO.

A trailer debuting the game was released in early January at CES, where it was shown to the public for the very first time.

It honestly looks a bit of fun, so why not try it out.

Thanks, TheDutchSlayer.

NetDevil has released a trailer for LEGO Universe, which was shown to the public for the first time during CES this week, and it looks extremely fun.

Posted over on Joystiq, the trailer shows all sorts of cool LEGO-y things, adventures, and loads of LEGO men and women we have come to love over the years.

Set to launch on PC before eventually being made available on other platforms, the game has no set release date, it’s planned for the second half of this year.

There’s also some screens through here.

Loads of stuff happened this week in MMO land, and some of it is posted for you after the break.

Should you choose to click on through, you will find why Turine is suing Atari, get caught up on The Green Lantern and DC Universe’s Beta status, hear about new goodies coming to EQII, lament the collapse of the bank in EVE Online, and there’s loads of other stuff along with news on a couple of MMOs you may have never even heard of.

Go on, hit the link. You know you want to.

• Mabinogi’s new content update, Ancient Secrets of Irinid, added an African themed zone called Courcle and flying mounts. To get folks excited for this, Nexon put out three new videos for it. Massively has ‘em, go have a watch.

• Speaking of videos, BigDownload has a slew of ‘em for CrimeCraft, showing off different abilities. Go watch.

• A new developer diary is posted over on the Black Prophecy website. In it, creative director Timo Krahl and art director Nick Ebenhoch chat about the game’s design and graphics. It’s a decent read.

• CitiesXL will be released on October 9 in stores and via digital download via Direct2Drive, GameTap, Impulse, Steam, Trygames, etc. Good to know. Full thing through the link.

• Dawntide is a sandbox MMO from Danish developer Working As Intended, and Massively had the opportunity to sit down and have a chat with Christian Hummeluhr, Dawntide’s producer. In the interview, he discusses races, combat, skills, the size of the world, and loads more. Hit the link to read all about it.

• Some Champions Online videos have popped up over on FileFront and they are more than worth the watch. Also, Cryptic’s Randy Mosiondz tweeted this week that a superpower in the game could be “light”. Why not we say! But if you are considering playing this game you should head over to Massively for 10 things you should know before starting.

• The EverQuest II website is detailing the upcoming update, Shards of Destiny. Currently on the test server, one of the many things players are trying out is Chronomagic which allows players to adventure with lower level players in a lower level quest. It looks like it is going to be a rather large update. If you play, you will want to study up on it.

• EVE Online’s player run bank is 1.2 trillion ISK in the red, and accounts have been frozen. How did this happen. Long story. You can try the forums though, which explains it rather well. Or Massively. Both would be best.

• The Fallen Earth crew had an Apocalypse Party (end of Beta basically) from August 29, from 3 to 6 p.m. ET (GMT-4), which included in-game food, drinks and entertainment and gave away seven login prizes that are redeemable after the game launches.Open Beta closes on September 1, and more can be found through the link.

• IGG is prepping to launch Lords Online. To get you psyched, the site has been updated with more information and screen shots. Cool.

• TibiaME, the first mobile MMO has broke the 10k subscribers mark. In 2008, TibiaME more than doubled its subscriber base, with 105% growth since January 2009. Altogether, TibiaME now has an active player base of around 40,000 players. That’s quite a lot.

• SOE has unveiled The Green Lantern for DC Universe Online. He looks just like what you would expect. The Green Lantern. Evil Avatar has nine screens of him in action. Have peek. Also, Gamasutra sat down with senior producer Wes Yanagi who said that the game is still in pre-alpha and “in the next several months” SPE will start discussing open and closed Beta plans. The devs are also currently running the game with cross-compatibility with PS3. Go read about it.

• Looks like Turbine’s suing Atari for not ponying up the money it was supposed to for D&DO despite the royalties received. In tun, Atari are saying that Turbine is withholding information an funds, and Turbine says it’s an attempt by Atari to get out of the contact so it can concentrate on funding a Neverwinter Nights MMO rumored to be in development by Cryptic. Still with us? Good, maybe you can explain it to us then. Anyway, in all seriousness, you should read up on this as it could get ugly. Rock, Paper, Shotgun has it all broken down for you via Eurogamer.

• From now until September 8, Lineage II is running the Eva’s Inferno event. Looks like the god of destruction, Gran Kain, and his minions are causing trouble across the land and it’s up to you to help the goddess Eva thwart his evil plans. The official website has more on this.

• Allods Online is now in closed Beta, and Astrum Niva are accepting sign-ups. The free to play game has a $12 million budget behind it, and a very interesting premise. Hit the link to sign up for the Beta and find out more.

• Get a closer look at the gameplay you can expect when playing as a warrior in Dragonica Online by watching a trailer for it posted on FileFront. The THQ/ICE joint venture looks rather cute.

• LEGO Universe’s Producer, Ryan Seabury, recently sat down with Wired and talked loads about the upcoming MMO. Seriously, there’s loads there. Anything and everything you wanted to know about the game. Looks like NetDevil is going with a monthly subscription model as well. “We undertook a large amount of research and have announced plans for a monthly subscription model for LEGO Universe,” said Seabury. “An interesting thing to point out here is that this decision was far less a financial concern than it was about the user experience. We concluded that of all the myriad payment methods available in today’s online world, a subscription model is the best way to provide a trusted online experience that the whole family can enjoy.Players will be able to purchase in-game creations, but the details are not finalized yet.”

• Blue Mars is a free to play MMO with “bonding activities” and is made up of independently operated cities full of activities, and attractions such as shopping, avatar customization, personal spaces, and games like dancing, racing, and golf. Cites on Blue Mars are tied together with a unified login system, a global Avatar ID, and “platform wide participation based reward system that encourages users to explore, play, and make new friends.” Sound like Second Life to us. Anyway, apparently an anonymous source has told Massively that the game will go into Beta on September 2 – so if you want to see what the fuss is about, go here and sign up.

Loads of Beta news this week in MMO round-up.

IncGamers made good on its promise, and has posted part-two of its Aion Beta preview, Mortal Online’s second stage of Beta testing begins soon, CrimeCraft started its Beta and Alganon is prepping for one.

Loads of MMO are going to be coming out soon, and there will be more than just fantasy offerings on the table. Sci-fi, apocalyptic, modern, and steampunk are all heading our way.

Hit the jump for more on the week in MMOs.

• Mortal Online’s second stage of closed Beta goes live August 3, and 2,000 more players will allowed in with more being accepting between now and when the grand total reaches 10,000. If you preordered the game, you and others who did the same will be let in every other week until September 14.

• Karos Online, where players take the role of a hero determined to defeat the curse of darkness falling over the world of Asmara, has a new video featuring the classes over on Eurogamer France. The hunter looks totally badass. It’s expected to enter closed Beta during mid-August, and will launch this fall.

• Alganon is a fantasy MMORPG with seven classes that can be played using a Dual Role System. More can be found out about the game on its official site, but if you are interested in playing after reading up on it, you may wish to sign up for the private Beta test that is currently underway. If you miss your chance, a public Beta begins in September.

• IncGamers has posted part-two of its Beta impressions for Aion: Tower of Eternity. We are really digging the way this game is shaping up. Is digging even used as terminology anymore? Dunno, but that’s how we feel and maybe you will too afterreading up on it. Of further interest, IGN has revealed the sorcerer class in the game.

• CrimeCraft has gone into open Beta in the US and Canada. The game is expected to go live August 25, and if you want to participate, Vogster’s partnering with IGN and FilePlanet to give you an opportunity to download the client.

• Runes of Magic’s The Elven Prophecy expansion will take players to the sea bed when it goes live in September. Players that are at least level 50 can enter the new dungeon at the Weeping Coast and come face to face with the Naga Queen and other denizens. IncGamers has some very pretty shots of the area. Have a look.

• Trion, the developers behind the SyFy Network MMO Heroes of Telara, is hiring folks with PS3 experience and each job listing mentions the SyFy project – unless it is working on a second one. The MMO is to be tied to a show on the cable/satellite station. Sounds interesting to say the least. Hopefully we’ll see how the logistics will work out soon. Thank, Massively.

• A student studying game design and programming along with an artist are creating a game based on the Twilight novels – but contrary to rumors earlier in the week, it is not an MMO. It’s a student project. A game, yes, but nothing commercial. However, BrainJunk Studios is currently developing an action RPG based on the vampire werewolf novels, so anyone disappointed in the MMO aspect of the news can breath a sigh of relief. You will be able to play around in Forks, Washington soon – just not as an MMO.

• Blueside, the folks behind Kingdom Under Fire, has unveiled ‘Project T’, an action MMORPG to be published by Neowiz Games in 2011. Not really sure what it’s all about but it is described by the devs as a “stylish action and various aspects of online experience, some of which can be as sweet as a bed of roses or as bitter as a bed of nails.” Alrighty then. More over on CVG.

• Gates of Andaron, a free-to-play fantasy MMO, has gone live. The game is full of magic and gives you the option to wield both white and black forms of it, loads of RvR play are boasted, and you can play as a commander with up to 49 players doing your bidding. Rock, Paper, Shotgun has videos of it here.

• Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited will miss its August 6 launch date and will instead go live on September 9. Turbine’s Fernando Paiz, the game’s executive producer, said in a mailer that more time was need for the relaunch what with the ongoing Beta and the influx of players. Better to have everything in working order at the beginning than have people screaming at you later.

• Mythic has announced via a lovely press release that Mondain’s Legacy, the four-year-old expansion for Ultima Online, will now be free and included as part of main client for the game. This should help get you al caught up in time for the Stygian Abyss expansion when it goes live this summer, if you have never played it or stopped long ago. Good times. Good times.

• Seems as though a multitude of World of Warcraft players had their accounts suspended due to chargebacks being filed against accounts handled by PaymentOne. Many of the WoW players affected are saying that they have never even used PaymentOne’s services to cover the game’s monthy fee. Those who feel they have been wronged are being asked by Blizzard to contact account services to try and get it resolved. This is not the first time PaymentOne has been outed for fraudulent handling of accounts. More on GamePolitics.

• A new developer diary for Jumpgate Evolution by lead producer Hermann Peterscheck, titled “Combating Combat”, talks a bit about the class balancing system in the game. Balancing was created with PvP in mind, as NetDevil felt it would be easier to deal with PvE at later date than actual player-on-player brawling. Currently, plans include 4-6 classes, each with “endless possible configurations within those groups.” Cool. More through the link.

NetDevil has revealed that its upcoming MMO, LEGO Universe, could bridge the generation gap between parents and their children.

“I talk a lot about the visual divide between generations, and I feel it quite acutely between, say my mother and my son,” the game’s creative director, Ryan Seabury, told Eurogamer.

“His grandmother I can’t drag onto email kicking and screaming. I’ve tried three times. But he’s going to grow up with email as just part of his vocabulary – it’s not like a new concept or anything. So how are they going to communicate? How are they going to have a relevant conversation?

“I look at LEGO as a language, as an idea. She understands it: she bought it for me when I was a kid. My son likes it, I like it. So even though she may not be playing LEGO Universe, I’ll be playing LEGO Universe, he’ll be playing LEGO Universe and there’s a relevant connection there.

“Good games are fun to play, no matter what. There’s a lot of depth that we can offer that will be there. Obviously it’s family-friendly so it’s going to be in a different context to some of the more adult-themed games. But if you like LEGO and if you like playing MMOs or connecting with your friends and playing games then you’re probably going to like LEGO Universe.”

Jonathan Smith, head of Traveller’s Tales agreeed, stating that LEGO creates a world where parents can come together with their children.

“Online games and the online communications experience are very accessible and children are ready for that, immersed in that, and parents are not,” he said. “So this is where the children can actually lead the parents by the hand and show them what to do, and that can be a really powerful experience together.”

A Beta test is expected for the game in 2010. More through the link.

Codemasters Online and NetDevil announced today that Jumpgate: Evolution has reached 250,000 Beta sign ups in North America and Europe.

“This is a fantastic achievement for everyone involved with Jumpgate: Evolution,” said Codemasters VP David Solari.

“We have received overwhelming support for the game since the commencement of its Beta sign up last year and our fans have been clamoring for the Beta. We expect our fans to agree that it was well worth the wait.”

The MMO is set in space and promises loads of combat with an ever-expanding universe.

For more information on Jumpgate or to sign up for Beta, hit the link.

Whoops. NetDevil’s delayed Jumpgate Evolution, offering no new time-scale for the MMO’s release.

“Jumpgate Evolution is nearly feature complete, but since entering the Friends & Family phase of testing we’ve been able to bring new eyes onto the game and get solid, crucial feedback from actual players and fans,” said a rep in this forum post.

“Based on these results, it is clear that the product needs more time to meet its objectives.”

Space will have to wait, clearly. Full thing through the link. Thanks, Massively.

NetDevil MMO Jumpgate Evolution will probably run on your computer, if the game’s minimum specs are to be believed.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Minimum Specifications:

Windows XP/Vista, Intel P4 1.4GHz or better (2GHz if using Vista), 512MB RAM (1GB if using Vista), 64MB Graphics Card, Direct X® 9.0c, Broadband connection, 2x DVD ROM Drive, 8GB free hard disk space

• Recommended Specifications:

Windows XP/Vista, Dual-core Intel Pentium D, 2GB RAM, 256MB Graphics card with vertex and pixel shader capability.

Sign up for the beta here. There’s no date on it as yet.

‘When Darkness Falls’ on the Universe, will you be ready to fight?
Jumpgate Evolution unveils stunning new gameplay video and accessible space combat for all, thanks to highly scalable PC requirements and extensive peripheral support.
2nd April 2009, (3.00pm GMT) – Jumpgate Evolution, the eagerly-anticipated sci-fi epic MMO from Codemasters Online & NetDevil today asks gamers whether they’ll be ready to fight the dark forces of The Skein ‘When Darkness Falls’ on the Universe, with the release of a stunning new gameplay video. The video is now available to view at www.jumpgateevolution.com Furthermore, gamers on a broader range of PCs than most MMOs will be able to experience the thrills of massive space conflict, thanks to the game’s high scalability and extensive peripheral support.

Jumpgate Evolution has been designed specifically with a wide range of PC specifications in mind, with machines running minimum specs as low as an Intel P4 1.4GHz processor* and will feature full peripheral support, along with intuitive controls for complete pick up and play accessibility. Almost anyone can take to the stars and battle to become an intergalactic hero in this spectacular massively multiplayer online space combat game.

As today’s video demonstrates, gamers will be able to enjoy breath-taking visuals and exhilarating combat action, and the scalability of the game means they can literally play anywhere, on anything that meet the game’s generous minimum spec. From today’s high-powered gaming rigs down to five-year-old PCs, as well as a wide spectrum of laptops, Jumpgate Evolution caters for almost everyone.

Adding to Jumpgate Evolution’s richly immersive space combat experience is full support for a number of different control methods. While keyboard and mouse controls are offered as standard, Jumpgate Evolution boasts a full range of joystick and game controller options, including the Microsoft Xbox 360® Controller for Windows®, to ensure the most realistic flight experience possible. No matter what your preferred system is, Jumpgate Evolution offers instinctive, comfortable, and responsive flight controls to suit even the most demanding space pilot.

In-game mechanics have also been designed to make Jumpgate Evolution as accessible to both new and experienced MMO gamers as possible. The simple pick up and play control system completely removes the need for any tutorials. Instead players learn through a combination of missions and encounters designed to introduce new pilots to a career in space, while helpful hint messages are relayed through the game’s sophisticated heads up display system.

“We’ve designed Jumpgate Evolution with low specification requirements in mind to ensure it runs fantastically on all types of PC’s,” commented Scott Brown, President of NetDevil. “While it looks amazing on high-end systems, Jumpgate Evolution is still a fantastically exciting and great looking game on older PCs. Better still; having lower system requirements means more players can enjoy the game. Ultimately this means we can have more players in each sector at once, making space combat in Jumpgate Evolution so much more thrilling.”

“The combination of highly scalable PC requirements, multiple peripheral options and simple, yet fun to master controls means we’re opening up Jumpgate Evolution to a much wider PC playing customer base than might have previously experienced massively multiplayer online games,” said David Solari, Vice President, Codemasters Online. “As a thrilling, all-action, twitch-based space combat game, Jumpgate Evolution offers something completely unique and highly accessible to the MMO market.”

Developed by the highly experienced US-based MMOG developer NetDevil, Jumpgate Evolution is an exhilarating space combat MMO, set in a vast expanding universe, that allows players to choose from one of three playable nations and engage in an intense action-packed gaming experience. While embarking on an immersive and accessible space adventure, players can trade valuable commodities, take part in awesome intergalactic battles, meet and play with friends, and live out the dream of an elite hero.

For more information on Jumpgate Evolution or to sign up for BETA visit www.jumpgateevolution.com

*Minimum Specifications:
Windows XP/Vista, Intel P4 1.4GHz or better (2GHz if using Vista), 512MB RAM (1GB if using Vista), 64MB Graphics Card, Direct X® 9.0c, Broadband connection, 2x DVD ROM Drive, 8GB free hard disk space

Recommended Specifications:
Windows XP/Vista, Dual-core Intel Pentium D, 2GB RAM, 256MB Graphics card with vertex and pixel shader capability.

Increased performance will be noticed on more powerful systems.

For full system requirements please visit www.codemasters.com/support
Not compatible with all integrated sound/graphics solutions (inc. laptops).

Last movie from the Codemaster US event yesterday, this one being for MMO Jumpgate Evolution.

There’s tons of gameplay footage in there, and some of it’s absolutely beautiful.

The space-based effort’s now confirmed for June. Get the new shots from Eurogamer.

Lego Universe has been delayed, and will not be released this year as expected.

Lego is also unsure if the MMO will arrive in 2010.

“Within the company we have made a strategic decision within LEGO to make a delay of LEGO Universe. It will not be coming out in 2009,” said business development bossman, Mark Hansen.

“The reason is, we have a luxury right now, the business is going good. We have products launching that are not digital, the physical products, with them going so well we don’t want to take focus away from them.”

Lego Group’s annual earnings report will be released on Monday.

Talking to Massively, Lego Universe project lead Mark Hansen has said that other IPs such as Indiana and Star Wars may be included in the MMO, although if anything is to happen it’ll be as an addition to the launch game.

“I think that IPs would be great to see in the game,” he said. “It’s not for the first launch.”

There’s still no date for this, but if there was ever an online game with “promise,” here it is.

Full thing through the link.

After the break. The Space-based NetDevil MMO doesn’t have a release date as yet, but seems pretty solid from the look of this. The footage was shot at PAX. Have a look.

Codemasters Online has inked a deal that will see Game Factory Interactive publish NetDevil MMO Jumpgate Evolution in Russia.

No release date’s been given. Read the press release after the break to check we’re not lying.

August, 2008 – Codemasters Online and Game Factory Interactive (GFI), are pleased to announce a licensing deal that will bring the highly anticipated massively multiplayer online space game, Jumpgate to Russia, former USSR countries and the Baltic Region. The game will be fully localised for the Russian territories with Game Factory Interactive publishing and operating the game across the region.

“It was important for Jumpgate Evolution to have the right partner in Russia”, commented David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online. “We selected GFI due to their expertise and in-depth knowledge of the Russian market. We are very excited to be launching this incredible title with them and have every confidence they will make it a huge success.”

GFI Director, Slava Plotnikov added, “We are very excited to begin working with one of the top developers and publishers of online gaming content in the world. Signing this licensing deal is the next step in securing our position as a professional market player across the region. I am sure that this is the start of a long-term partnership between both companies and we look forward to working closely with Codemasters Online and NetDevil on this incredible next generation MMO”.

Developed by the highly experienced US-based MMOG developer NetDevil, Jumpgate is the definitive elite space combat MMO allowing players to choose from one of three playable nations and engage in an intense action-packed universe. Embarking on an immersive and accessible space adventure, players can trade valuable commodities, take part in dangerous intergalactic raids, meet and play with friends and live out the dream to become an elite hero or a mercenary space trader. The game features both a rich and varied universe to explore and has been designed for experienced and novice MMO players alike.

For more information on Jumpgate or to sign up for BETA visit www.jumpgateevolution.com

There’s not much to go on in there aside from some on-screen art, but you do get to see what’s going on with the game’s development team, which is better than nothing.

No date as yet. Have a look.

The footage shows the first real look at the title being played, and fluid combat is the name of the game. Hodges says in the second movie that Jumpgate’s playable with a joystick, which should give you some idea of how “immediate” control is.

The game’s out next spring. You can sign up for the beta here. Thanks, Massively.

The trailer is little more than a teaser, but with the backdrop being outer space it should have many peoples’ interest piqued. There’s an article along with the trailer, discussing a few of the game’s features.

It’s out later this year.

By Jerry Burns

“The more a child plays, they collect more coins and more bricks. The more you play, the more you get to build things,” said project head Mark William Hansen.

The piece adds:

Lego Universe will initially launch as a PC game, available in stores or as a download, and may eventually be available on other gaming platforms. It will operate as a pay-as-you-go subscription service at a “competitive price”, Hansen said.

Worth a read, that, especially given the game’s likely to be large beyond belief.

Speaking in this RPS interview, MMO developer NetDevil’s Hermann Peterscheck has talked in detail about moving on from the closure of the NCSoft-published Auto Assault.

“Obviously after the game didn’t do as well as expected and was eventually turned off, that’s a very difficult thing to get through,” he said. “As a team you end up spending years of your life working very long hours and when that doesn’t pay off the way you expect, then that’s certainly a painful thing. We ended up spending a lot of time thinking and evaluating why things didn’t go better and learned a lot of lessons from that which we are applying across the board.”

Auto Assault, the post-apocalyptic, car-based MMO, was turned off in March 2007. Check out the rest of the interview for lots more on NetDevil’s current baby, Jumpgate Evolution.

Developer Netdevil’s director of business development, Mark Hansen, has said that the core driving factor behind Lego getting into the MMO space with Lego Universe is to “bring alive” children’s Lego fantasies. That and making a metric truckload of money, obviously.

“What’s really unique now is that the technology is at a level where we can get more than just a single child into a single-player game,” he said. “Now we’re looking at getting a mass of children into an area to play and interact with Lego. One reason for that is simply consumer demand – kids have been asking us about playing online with Lego and their friends. They see the space and the technology – things like Club Penguin – and they want something like that. We see the uniqueness of building a massively multiplayer online game to add on value to the physical product that we have. When the child sits and plays on the floor with an army and a castle and his Lego knights – that’s what we want to bring to the MMO experience, what’s in the child’s mind. It needs to be alive, we can bring that dream alive.”

Lego Universe has no release date as yet, but a trailer’s planned for this year, apparently. The game is to feature innovations such as being able to build anything from Lego in the game then ordering the exact Lego kit online.

Codemasters MMO Jumpgate: Evolution will be released in the back end of this year, developer NetDevil has confirmed.

“We are planning on launching in the second half of 2008,” lead producer Hermann Peterscheck told VG247. “It’s really exciting to announce our partnership with Codemasters Online. They are already running some of the biggest MMO’s and have extensive experience – there’s only a handful of companies out there with their kind of breadth and depth of experience.”

The space-based game was recently picked up by Codemasters, and will be shown playable for the first time at Connect 2008 in Birmingham, UK, next month. NetDevil is an experienced MMO developer, having previously created the NCSoft-published Auto Assault. The move to Codemasters for Jumpgate appears to have been a good one for the outfit.

“There was also an instant chemistry between the way we are working on Jumpgate and the people at Codemasters Online,” said Peterscheck. “They are very responsive to our goals as a developer, which are in line with their goals as well – and in fact we have learned a lot from their experience – so it’s a great mutually beneficial relationship.”

Read all Hermann’s responses to our questions after the link.

VG247: It sounds like launch plans are progressing pretty quickly. You must be pleased to finally be able to announce a publisher. Do you have a specific date for Europe and the US yet?

Hermann Peterscheck: We don’t have a specific date, but we are planning on launching in the second half of 2008. It’s really exciting to announce our partnership with Codemasters Online. They are already running some of the biggest MMOs and have extensive experience – there’s only a handful of companies out there with their kind of breadth and depth of experience. There was also an instant chemistry between the way we are working on Jumpgate and the people at Codemasters Online. They are very responsive to our goals as a developer, which are in line with their goals as well – and in fact we have learned a lot from their experience – so it’s a great mutually beneficial relationship.

There’s always going to be the elephant in the room of EVE Online when people talk about Jumpgate. Aside from the flight controls (which we’ve already reported), what are the major differences between the two games? Do you consider EVE and Jumpgate as competitors?

There are many differences between the two games. Obviously the big difference is that in Jumpgate you fly the ship in a sort of action way, whereas EVE is much more of a strategy type game. However I would say that’s like saying the only difference between Everquest and WoW is that WoW is slightly “easier.” I think that as with most creative things, the devil is in the details. In Jumpgate, for example, you jump in your ship, do a few missions, gain a rank, get some good loot drops, go back to a station and upgrade your ship. You might do the same thing in EVE, but the subtle differences add up. In EVE gaining rank is a sort of asynchronous training system. It’s also not a combat, quest, advance centric game. I would say we are much closer to Freelancer or Wing Commander with an online component than that we are EVE with an action component, if that makes sense. Of course EVE is a competitor – in a sense all online games are and, in fact, all games are competitors. I like to believe that if you make a great game people will play it. I suspect that we will get quite a few people who simply have no MMO that meets their needs, as opposed to pulling people from other games – although I expect we will have that as well.

What sort of reaction have you had from the MMO community in general?

From the people I know of, the reaction is very positive. I think that because we are seen as having good graphics and are focusing on a more action-friendly, low time commitment gameplay, we hit a nerve with a lot of players. There’s also a much bigger ex-Wing Commander, ex-Privateer community out there than people would think – and these people tend to say things like, “It’s about time someone made a good space combat game again.” Well, we think so too. The thing that we are very aware of is that the MMO community is incredibly well connected. When you play a bad console game you are unlikely to call your friends and tell them. However in the MMO world you are likely to get on your guild chat and trash the game you just had a bad experience with. Similarly, if you have fun, you are likely to tell everyone that you just had this great experience and all your friends should jump in as well! We are very aware of what people are saying; the weaknesses and worries they have, as well as the things they like. We want to make sure that when we put stuff out there, we are confident that it will be well received – screen shots, videos, beta, everything.

Are you expecting to attract users from existing games or is the main target group for Jumpgate new users?

As above I think this is a bit of a trick question. “Who is the game’s target?” is a very important question; however if you look at the library of most gamers you will often find the same titles over and over again. Why is that? Is it that everyone likes RTSes or does everyone like Starcraft? Is it that everyone likes FPSes or do people like Bioshock? I think gamers like good games; and if a game is exceptional it transcends it’s genre. I’ll let you think about which games those might be, but I suspect if you did a poll you would find many of the same names come up again and again. So; I think that if we make a decent game we will get people who like space combat games, space games in general and some people who love MMOs. If we make an exceptional game we will get people from all over and some whom have never played an online game. I sincerely hope we can make one of those exceptional games.

If you’re thinking of going to Connect 2008 in Birmingham next month, sign up for your tickets with the code COCON21 and you’ll get a 20 percent discount.

The two-day community event will give you access to all of Codemasters Online Gaming’s MMOs – D&D Online, Archlord, LotRo, RF Online and the newly confirmed Jumpgate: Evolution – as well as NetDevil, Jumpgate’s developer and Turbine, the team behing Lord of the Ring Online.

Pre-reduction tickets range from a mighty £100 for a VIP pass to a less strenuous £30 for a single day pass. A normal full weekend ticket is £55. So don’t forget to use that code if you fancy popping along.

The discount offer lasts a week, so if you’re going to do it, get on it.

In this chat with gamers on Jumpgate: Evolution, the space-based MMO newly confirmed to publication by COG, developer NetDevil has distiguished the game from CCP’s much-loved title EVE Online by saying its combat and spaceship control will be more fluid.

“Well obviously EVE is a point and click flight scenario and we’ll have free flight combat,” said a spokesperson. “That’s a large difference. Our space will contain both PVP and PVE models but we’re really not ready to release those details yet. I can say, that it will be fun.”

The game will be playable at Connect 2008 and will release for PC this year. Thanks, Blue.