Masthead Studios announced today that starting August 5th, it will be slashing the price of Earthrise and its subscription fees by 60%.  This brings down the price tag of Earthrise from $29.99 to $14.00 for non-Euro players and from €29.99 to €12.00 for our European readers.

Earthrise subscriptions will also be reduced with a one month subscription costing $14/€12 and a six month costing $50/€46, which turns out to be around $8.33/€7.66 per month.

This is the second major slash in price since Earthrise launched earlier this year when in May it slashed the games purchase cost by 40%.

Earthrise, just go Free2Play already, you know you’re heading that way anyway.  Saving players a couple of bucks on the game and subscription fees isn’t going turn this around for you, just take Global Agenda for example. They kept dropping prices for a year before finally going F2P and look at them now. Registrations skyrocketed, they increased their player base by a factor of 5x and are earning a lot more money then they did with subscriptions.

Free2Play isn’t a dirty word anymore. Hold out your arms and feel the warm embrace of F2P.

The next patch update for Earthrise went live today and it was a big one, containing updates and tweaks for just about every aspect of the game, not to mention the new Territorial Warfare feature.

In Territorial Warfare, new zones called siege territories are now opened and ready to be captured by guilds. Each zone has a set number of bases that can be captured and will provide guilds with economic bonuses. Guilds will also be able to build military structures within each base to help defend it from attackers. However like any structure, bases require maintenance and enter periods where they become vulnerable to attacks, so guilds with have to be careful about leaving their bases unprotected.

The other changes include combat, visual effect, interface, sound, world environment, party, quests, servers, items, graphics, creatures, bugs and more. The list is massive. If you want to check out the full patch log, head over to the Dev Earthrise forum.

It’s been almost two months since the rocky release of Masthead’s Sci-Fi MMO, Earthrise, and the reception is very mixed. While the concept is there and the industry needs a next-gen Sci-Fi title for players to sink their teeth into, Earthrise has a wide array of bug-related issues that are keeping it from its potential. Masthead Studios is fully aware of this, and has released an official roadmap, detailing their plans for the coming months.

In any case, the game is certainly massive, and the atmosphere is welcoming and daunting at the same time. Masthead is doing their best to provide an open environment that fosters all styles of play, while filling the world with as much content as possible. The graphics are so darn good that some players are getting more graphics lag than server lag, which is something I hadn’t personally experienced since Age of Conan.

Jump past the cut for the details on Masthead’s development plans for Earthrise…

Resurrection mechanics – The first feature chosen in February by the Earthrise community as part of the “Choose your game feature” official forum.

Quest hints on the minimap – Players will have a clear indicator on the minimap as to where they need to go to work on their quest task.

Parties will share battle points, levels of contribution and karma from a killed enemy.

Item and vehicle painting – Crafters will be able to produce paint and sell/give it to other players so they can personalize their armor, weapons and vehicles.

Guild diplomacy – Guilds will be able to declare war on other guilds and build allies. Guilds at war with each other will be flagged red and the affiliation of their members will not change if they kill each other. Guilds that are allies with other guilds will be considered one entity and all mechanics will work as if they were one guild.

Additional enhancements include:

1. Improved chat window with customizable tabs, font and messages.
2. Friends/ignore list.
3. Improvements to the monster AI.
4. Force attack toggle on and off.
5. Resurrection points will have an affiliation.
6. Inverse kinematics of the main characters.
7. Improved shadows.
8. Continued client and server performance improvements.

Today, Earthrise ships out to digital storefronts in the U.S., with retail channels only open in Europe for the time being. The post-apocalyptic scifi MMO offers a skill-based progression system somewhere in between Darkfall and Eve Online, so sandbox fans need not worry about running out of activities. Masthead Studios boasts an intricate and organic player economy, along with PvP combat that is designed to make a real impact in the land of Enterra.

If you decide to join in Earthrise’s official launch, you can expect a wide array of activites, from finances to firearms to faction warfare – and much more. Atanas Atanasov, producer of Earthrise and director of Masthead Studios, expressed his passion for the newly-released MMO,

“Our team has channeled years of dedication and hard work into Earthrise, and we are thrilled for those fans who have been following us this entire time, as well as those who are just now checking us out, to experience the world of Enterra. We are already working on updates and expansion packs to be integrated within the next few months, and are excited to continue to develop and enhance the world.”

If the rich and enthralling world of Earthrise interests you, head on over to the official site, load up, and ship out!

In an effort to bring players into the loop on Earthrise, Masthead Studios has unveiled a nifty Developer Roadmap for us to refer to whenever we feel lost. Moreover, this is a sure sign of Masthead’s capacity to segment and organize their workload – an essential characteristic for an MMO developer to have.

We’ve got updates all the way through April – two months after the game’s release. Here’s a quick breakdown of Masthead’s post-launch plans …after the jump!

February

• Exploration rewards

March

• Siege territories will be open for conquest
• Additional combat skills & tactics
• Added crafting blueprints

April

• Vehicles (player-crafted!)

Later in 2011

• Monster mines (resource mines that are patrolled by monsters)

As it stands, Earthrise is set to launch on February 4th, 2011 with an exciting list of features. I can’t put it into words any better than the Press Release can, so here’s a quotable list:

Top Earthrise features included at launch:

• A unique post-apocalyptic setting where the cloned remnants of mankind battle to survive and rebuild.
• Highly customizable characters with over 100 different skills, abilities and tactics.
• No artificial imposed “class” restrictions.
• Fast-paced, action-packed combat featuring dynamic targeting, adaptive power armor and hundreds of high-tech weapons.
• Sophisticated player-versus-player (PvP) mechanics that let players fight for the established order, join the revolutionary underground, or carve their own bloody path as an independent criminal.
• Character progression that keeps players advancing in their development with no limits.
• An advanced market-based economy with in-game supply and demand based on player activities and interactions.
• Deep crafting mechanics that enable players to design and manufacture unique items from blueprints and raw resources.

If you’re the type who lines up his expansion boxes to look like those game displays in Best Buy, then you might be interested in adding a rather provocative one to your collection.

Masthead Studios unveiled today the official box art for Earthrise featuring a dual-pistol babe wearing a skin-tight battle suit. Whether you’re offended or enticed by this buxom beauty in a box, it’s obvious that the main assets on display are hard to miss.

I personally think Masthead could have done more to convey the post-apocalyptic premise of the game. Metallic armor and suggestive blood spatter are nice touches to cover the sci-fi and combat focus of Earthrise, but maybe a couple more battle-worn supporting men or the inclusion of the official website’s background could have rounded out the cover well.

Although I know a lot of men would disagree with me on this, and are busy pushing back those boxes with silly fire-breathing dragons and superheroes to make way for this femme fatale. Earthrise launches next month, with sale distribution methods still to be announced. Stay tuned for that info.

This week, Masthead Studios has shed some more light upon the in-game experience of its upcoming sci fi-themed sandbox MMO, Earthrise. The details come in the form of a beta gameplay video, which depicts the recently updated beta client as well as some brand new in-game locations.

In the first few seconds of the video, we are shown a lush green landscape marked with the tasteful footprint of mankind at its most technologically advanced. A majestic player hub known as Sal Vitas Square reaches into the sky with glimmering metallic towers and mysterious floating constructs. The natural environment is prolific and ever-present; it seems that mankind has yet to make any negative impact upon Enterra’s ecosystem.

In name and concept, Earthrise seems the direct antithesis of Fallen Earth, but the sandbox element remains consistent (granted, Masthead and Icarus have approached their respective games in very different ways).

Finally, the Earthrise beta gameplay video sustains us with a decent helping of combat footage – both PvE and PvP. The character models and gear look positively sci fi, with all the fine details that we could desire. Think Mass Effect, and you get the idea. Player response to the video (and the beta) appears vastly positive, except for the glaring issue of character animations; combat and running animations are under particular scrutiny.

Sign up at the official site for a chance to receive a beta key.

This game’s development is alive and kicking. Masthead Studios has announced a new version of the beta client for its upcoming MMO Earthrise, planing to distribute additional invitations to many fans, in the next days.

“We are incredibly excited for our fans to experience firsthand the significant updates we have made to Earthrise over the past few months,” said Atanas Atanasov, producer of Earthrise and director of Masthead Studios.  “The development team has been working around the clock to continually add new gameplay functions and we are thrilled for our community of testers to become further immersed and share their thoughts with us.”

The new beta client version for Earthrise, features upgraded combat and tactic skills, crafting, teleports, insurance and better graphics and animations. Thousands of invitation keys will be released by Masthead, letting lots of new fans to explore the world of Enterra.

If you’re game for it, simply go to the official beta application section, on the Earthrise website, and pray the “MMO gods” for a beta key. If you want more information about this post-apocalyptic sci-fi MMO, go to the official website.

Finally, here it comes. Masthead Studios has just announced the Earthrise digital release date, and it’s going be next January February 4, 2011, for the joy of all sci-fi MMO fans who have been waiting eagerly for this game to come. The wait is not over, but almost. We hope Earthrise to be a good game and so Masthead does, as stated on the press release:

“The Masthead team is thrilled for the fans who have been following Earthrise closely to now be able to play the game that they have been so eagerly awaiting,” said Atanas Atanasov, producer of Earthrise and director of Masthead Studios.  “We have worked incredibly hard to make Earthrise the best sandbox MMORPG on the market, and we can’t wait for players to fully experience all of our hard work and become immersed in Enterra.”

As many of you know, Earthrise is the upcoming post-apocalyptic, sci-fi MMORPG set in the distance future, bringing an skill-based advancement, great PvP, player-driven economy and many more features through a sandbox-style.

These are some of the key features:

• Unique sandbox environment, allowing players’ actions to influence the entire game world.
• Distinctive, high-tech post-apocalyptic setting.
• Sophisticated Player vs. Player (PvP) mechanics.
• Dynamic third-person combat featuring dynamic targeting, customizable power armor and hundreds of high-tech weapons.
• Deep crafting mechanics that allow players to design and manufacture unique items from blueprints and raw resources.
• Friendly to casual players, with challenges designed for the hardcore audience.
• Single, massive world. Earthrise will run on one server for players in all regions.

For more information, go to the official website of the game. If you’re game for it, get ready, cause now the Earthrise Digital Release Date has been announced… a playable thrilling future is about to come.

(Updated to fix release date)

The MMO gaming world is complex. Usually, these type of games have different versions, depending on the continent where is being published, we all know which famous games I’m talking about. Some games are the same in the whole world, but published by different companies under an agreement with the original developer.

Earthrise will be published in Europe by Iceberg Interactive, as stated in a recent press release to announce the agreement between both companies.

“When we first laid eyes on Masthead Studios’ marvellous artwork for Earthrise, we were immediately convinced that this was a great title for us to add depth and diversity to our already promising MMO line-up. We set course on the MMO-sea earlier this year, we have been enjoying the journey so far, and think Earthrise will appeal to many MMO gamers out there.” says Erik Schreuder, CEO at Iceberg Interactive.

“We are excited to partner with Iceberg Interactive for publishing and distribution of Earthrise in Europe,” said Atanas Atanasov, producer of Earthrise and director of MastheadStudios.  “We are confident that the Iceberg team is truly dedicated to the commercial success of Earthrise, bringing our unique and compelling sandbox style gameplay to their established MMO fan base and we can’t wait for players to experience the world of Enterra first hand!”

Good news for the Europeans sci-fi MMO lovers, as they now know a company takes over the responsibility of bringing Earthrise to one of the most important MMO markets, behind the US. Masthead Studios and Iceberg Interactive agreement for Earthrise, shows things can be done in advance in case of future problems, avoiding what happened with certain fantasy game, inspired by certain British writer’s famous novels.