Posted 09/04/09 at 01:58:49 AM by Nathan Grayson

What? Were you expecting Atari put on an impish grin and let an, “Oops! You got me!” while a studio audience chortled in the background? Nope – in response to Turbine’s recent lawsuit over a purported Dungeons & Dragons Online contract breach, Atari’s firing back. The gist of the publisher’s argument: Whatchu talkin’ ‘bout, Turbine?

“Last week, with no warning, Turbine filed what can only be viewed as a frivolous lawsuit against Atari. This action can ultimately do a great disservice to D&D fans and to the MMO community at large. Turbine’s actions also appear intended to divert attention from the contractual obligations that Turbine owes to Atari,” said a prepared statement by Atari.

“In response, today Atari served a motion to dismiss the entirety of Turbine's lawsuit. Atari also filed a separate complaint to recover monies owed to Atari resulting from an independent third party audit of Turbine. While Atari hopes for a quick and fair resolution, it remains fully committed to the D&D communities worldwide and will vigorously protect the franchise and its own integrity in this matter.”

This may be a contract dispute, but we’re thinking Atari and Turbine might as well invite their divorce lawyers over while they’re at it. We just can’t see this ending with the two companies on decent terms. Hurt feelings and bruised egos, here we come!

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Posted 06/09/09 at 11:45:01 PM by Nathan Grayson

Subscription fees are no fun, but for some reason, quickly deflating your wallet through the age old art of shopping is! D&D Online developer Turbine understands this, and is revamping its MMO to suit your primal, non-committal money spending instincts.

Titled Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited, this new version of the sadly overlooked MMO will be completely free-to-play. Well, mostly. Downloading the game and creating a character will be as easy as one-two-free, but a new establishment known as “the DDO Store” looks to be an ever-looming temptation. Just a few clicks around the shop and you’ll be the proud new owner of unspecified “additional content and items,” but – if iTunes and other such storefronts have taught us anything – the Store’s aim will likely be to nickel-and-dime your paychecks into penniless oblivion. And thanks to miniscule individual price tags, you might not even notice you’re spending more than the game’s original subscription fee!

Fortunately for those compulsive shoppers who’ve decided to heed our warnings, all hope is not lost. For a “low monthly price,” the “new” DDO VIP program (read: subscription) will act as your golden ticket to the entire game. Sure, you’ll still be able to buy weapons and armor and whatnot from the DDO Store, but at least you’ll have access to all of the game’s adventure content from the get-go. 

DDO Unlimited’s beta launches today, and the final product goes live this summer. We figure it’ll at least be worth a look, but just remember: There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.

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