Sony Entertainment has confirmed that their free-to-play MMO, Free Realms, will be opening its doors to the public in April.

In addition, those of you anxious to get playing ASAP can look forward to the beta, which will be starting in a couple of weeks.

The game’s initial release will be strictly for the PC (sorry Mac users), though plans are in the works to make the game available for the PS3. And as a “sorry it took so long” gift, Sony will be offering exclusive content to the PS3 crowd.

I’m really looking forward to trying this one out.

Via | Massively

Image: Sony

BioWare is resetting the Star Wars MMO with Star Wars: The Old Republic. For Star Wars fans this should be good news. After all, the last Star Wars MMO started out well and then … well, failed. Miserably. But it had a lot of promise before Sony broke it.

In this video, developers from BioWare discuss the upcoming MMO.

Are you excited about The Old Republic or should LucasArts leave well enough alone?

For those parents out there looking for a more kid-friendly MMO to sit your kids in front of - or even if you suffer from the Peter Pan Syndrome - here’s some news: The Cartoon Network has launched their very own browser based MMO, FusionFall. The game sees characters from well known cartoons like Powerpuff Girls and my personal favorite Dexter’s Laboratory, as well as a few others.

If you want to try-before-you-pay, the game gives you an option to play for free for a bit before you make the final commitment of $5.95 a month (other payment options also available).

It sounds like a cute, fun game for kids of all ages.

Check it out at FusionFall.com

Via | Joystiq

Good news for those of you familiar with the upcoming MMO from Hi-Rez Studios, Global Agenda. The company is now accepting beta signups. The game, for those unfamiliar, features the use of the Unreal Engine 3, and focuses on mission-based action. It’s set in a not-so-distant future, filled with espionage and tactical covert operations.

More features:

• Fast-paced ranged and closed combat
• RPG-style character progression
• Solo or cooperative team missions
• Player-created agencies
• Create, extensively customize and develop an agent character
• Compete in a technology race for advanced weaponry

In other words, this MMO sounds pretty kick-ass on paper. And if you want to see if it lives up to all the promises, testing out the beta might give you an idea.

Sign-up at the official site.

If you’re still not sure, check out the trailer below for a better idea on how the game looks.

It’s an exciting day for EVE Online fans, as CCP Games has finally announced the official name for the next expansion: Apocrypha. I like it. The expansion is set to launch on March 10.

Here’s a couple of things that you can expect with this March release:

• Wormhole exploration - this will allow players to uncover new technologies and use this to create the next generation of ships.
• Epic Mission Arcs - “These branching, far-reaching mission strings are full of meaningful stories and more intelligent and deadly adversaries.”

I admit my time with EVE Online was rather short, as it failed to win me over, but I’d never deny that it’s a beautifully designed game.

Apocrypha will be offering a New Player Experience for those of you who want to check it out but aren’t EVE Online veterans. Check your favorite games store on March 10 to grab a game box for yourself.

Have fun in New Eden!

Via | Massively

Image: CCP Games/Atari

Erling Ellingsen, product manager for Age of Conan, stated in an email to MTV that the game’s Xbox 360 version was still very much in development and hadn’t been hampered by staff cuts.

He was careful, however, to state that they don’t yet have a release date:

Our aim is for this to not affect development of ‘Age of Conan,’ or any of our other games, at all. We are sticking firmly to our plans. The Xbox 360 version of the game is still in production, but as before we are not committing to any specific dates. I wish I could give you more information, but I can’t at the time being.

Allegedly, the 360 version should be hitting shelves sometime in 2009. It’s unclear, though, whether the staff cuts might prolong its release. But at least it’s nice to know the project is still moving swiftly along and hasn’t been thrown aside.

Via | MTV

Image courtesy of Funcom.

I’m fairly certain most of the MMO gaming population is currently in Northrend, but for those still stuck at work (you mean you didn’t take off?), I wanted to wish you all a happy WotLK release day. I’m currently waiting for the game to finish downloading and installing (thank you, MMO Champion). And then it’s bye bye Outland, hello frosty cold new place.

I’m taking the wait time to think about the most pressing question I believe most players ask themselves upon launching a new expansion: What to do first?

Which of my 70s do I want to level to 80? Should I start off with a Death Knight? Where do I want to start off my adventure? Should I focus on leveling my professions or just plow ahead through the levels?

Ah, Blizzard, you really know how to fill our heads with important, life-altering questions.

What are you guys planning to do first? I think I’ll focus on my mage first. No…. my druid. No… my priest.

Hmm…

Image taken by Ingrid Diaz

Thanks to a friend’s heads up, I managed to grab the Collector’s Edition for WotLK off Amazon the other day minutes before it was sold out all over again. News comes from WoW Insider that the Collector’s Edition is once again back on sale at Amazon. This time for $129.79. Ouch. Guess they’re really trying to cash in on people’s desperation.

If you’re really desperate for a CE, you might want to hit Amazon ASAP before it gets sold out again. After all, it’s not going to be any cheaper on eBay. You can also probably turn a profit - as many tend to do - by selling your hard-to-find CE after there’s no more available.

Via | WoW Insider

Image: Amazon

It was only nine months ago that Blizzard’s insanely popular MMO World of Warcraft reached the jaw-dropping amount of 10 million subscribers. We’d been counting up ever since it hit five million, then six million, etc. Well, now there’s a new milestone: 11 million. There’s undoubtedly a pool of cash at Blizzard headquarters the Blizz team takes turns swimming about in.

Personally, my household is responsible for four of those 11 million subscriptions and we’re just two people. There’s that guy that has like thirty-six accounts. I’d be curious to know how many individual players this actually amounts to. Not that Blizzard cares. They’ve got the shiny monies coming at them no matter what.

Well, congratulations, Blizzard. It’s been four years and I’m still playing religiously. You must be doing something right. Bring on the twelve million.

Via | Joystiq

Image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.

There’s been no new details revealed about the planned World of Warcraft movie that we heard about last year, but rumor has it that Sam Raimi (Spiderman) could be a potential candidate for the director’s seat. In an interview with MTV, Raimi stated:

“In the world of video games, it’s usually more of an environment or a scenario, not character-based … but they certainly could [be better]. There’s ‘World of Warcraft’ — what an awesome video game! It has such great, adventurous characters in it and such fantastic landscapes and rules. … You could make a brilliant ‘World of Warcraft’ movie — as fine as any of the best superhero movies — if you had the right writers and directors.”

While this is far from any sort of confirmation whatsoever, it does warm my heart a little to think that someone like Raimi might take the reigns on the WoW movie. I’m a die-hard WoW addict, and the thought of a film based on the game both excites and terrifies me. The potential is there, in the right hands. But it could also turn out to be a disaster.

I’m remaining optimistic that whoever makes the film will do a good job. No matter what, I’ll be there on opening day with pointy ears on. But it’s still a long ways away.

Who would be your perfect director? Peter Jackson? Uwe Boll? (Haha!)

Via | Yahoo!