Mytheon posts

After very quick closed and then open beta tests, the fantasy online free-to-play action-RPG Mytheon is now open for business. Publisher UTV True Games has now announced that the long-in-development game is officially launched. For a limited time players can purchase Mytheon's in-game currency at 25 percent off its normal price.

Just as a recap, Mytheon was first announced in 2008 with True Games working with developer Petroglyph on the title. The game was closed to being launched in mid-2010 but then tensions surfaced betweek True Games and Petroglyph that resulted in a lawsuit over the game's source code. While the lawsuit was later settled the game's development move from Petroglyph to True Games' own internal studio in China. The game started closed beta testing again in early February and began open beta testing just a few weeks ago.

After only a few weeks of closed beta testing the folks at developer/publisher UTV True Games have announced that the fantasy multiplayer action-RPG Mytheon is now entering the open beta stage again. The game had previously entered into open beta in 2010 before being shut down as the company took over full development duties from the game's previous developer Petroglyph.

The game is now available for anyone to download and play from Mytheon's official web site. There's no word yet on how long the open beta period will last but the final version of Mytheon is expected to launch sometime later this year.

Mytheon has had plenty of hands-on previews and gameplay videos, but this trailer is not one of them. Rather, it's a cinematic detailing the grief of Zeus as he attacks a group of mortals that dare to defy him. While it's not quite as good as other cinematics, it's also for a free-to-play game, so we can't be too overly critical. Zeus's voice-acting wavers between genuinely emotional and unintentionally hilarious, mostly because of the tremors, and the animation is a little bit stiff, but it's still a trailer worth watching.

Download Mytheon 'Zeus' Trailer
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The multiplayer free-to-play action-RPG Mytheon is now reopening for closed beta testing. Developer and publisher UTV True Games has sent over word that the game is allowing players who participated in the game's previous closed beta test to try out the new version of Mytheon along with new beta testers. As we previously reported, Mytheon's previous developer Petroglyph is no longer involved in the making of the game as UTV True Games took over its development in 2010.

Returning closed beta testers will be given "exclusive VIP treatment" when they log onto the game. Beta testers can also expect "in-game giveaways, leaderboard driven PvP matches, and mythology-based trivia with special prizes." Mytheon is expected to finally and officially launch later in 2011.

We've been following the development of UTV True Games' upcoming free-to-play fantasy multiplayer action-RPG Mytheon ever since the game was first announced back in December 2008. Indeed we posted up the first interview about the game the day of it's official reveal. The game was originally developed by Petroglyph and in 2010 it seemed to be getting close to its official launch. In February the game went into its closed beta phase and in April it started its open beta test.

And that's when things got ... interesting. In May 2010 UTV True Games filed a lawsuit against Petroglyph claiming that the developer was holding the source code to the game "hostage". A few weeks later everything seemed to be OK again as the two companies announced that their legal issues had been resolved and that Mytheon would officially launch on July 13. But that wasn't the end of it as it was later revealed that the launch date for the game was pushed back indefinitely. In the end both companies admitted in the summer of 2010 that Petroglyph was no longer involved in the development of Mytheon.

The open beta for the game was shut down in September as UTV True Games announced that the development of Mytheon was now under their own internal development team. Tonight, Big Download can exclusively reveal that Mytheon, under the company's Beijing studio, will restart its closed beta test by the end of January.

The press release, which you can check out after the jump, has more details about the relaunch of Mytheon including word that previous beta testers of the game will be contacted soon via email. Those users will be able to use their old beta accounts in the new closed beta test and will also get "exclusive keys and in-game rewards in the coming weeks" before the beta test begins. The press release does not indicate when Mytheon will officially launch. Big Download also has the first screenshots from the new version of Mytheon which you can check out in the gallery below this post.

It's been an interesting summer for UTV True Games. The free-to-play game publisher was supposed to launch Mytheon with developer Petroglyph in July but later it was revealed that Petroglyph was no longer developing the title and True Games had taken over with plans to launch the title pushed back to sometime in 2011. The company also revealed plans for another internally-developed game, Faxion Online.

Now comes word that True Games has plans to announced yet another MMO game sometime during GDC Online on October 5-8. The game will be shown to media who tour the company's Austin, Texas headquarters during the event.

Earlier this week we reported that publisher news.bigdownload.com/tag/true-gamesUTV True Games had announced that the upcoming free-to-play action-RPG Mytheon had "fully transitioned into the hands of our Developer" suggesting strongly that the game's main developer Petroglyph was now off the project. Late on Friday Petroglyph's co-founder Mike Legg confirmed to Big Download via email, "We are no longer involved in the development of Mytheon."

Earlier this year True Games filed a lawsuit against Petroglyph to obtain the game's source code but a few weeks later the publisher and Petroglyph announced the quick resolution of the lawsuit. In his email to Big Download this week, Legg says, "We reached a mutual agreement with True Games that resolved the remaining legal issues." That would suggest that there are no hard feelings between the two companies.

True Games will shut down the currently running open beta test of Mytheon on Tuesday, August 31 and says it plans to start inviting players back sometime in the first quarter of 2011. Meanwhile Petroglyph's upcoming downloadable strategy game Guardians of Graxia is supposedly close to being released and the developer's near-future themed RTS game End of Nations for publisher Trion Worlds is due for launch sometime in 2011.

After seemingly coming back together, the development team at Petroglyph seems to have permanently parted ways with publisher UTV True Games over the release of the upcoming free-to-play multiplayer action-RPG Mytheon. This week the game's official message boards had a post from Mytheon's community manager at True Games, stating that the title "has fully transitioned into the hands of our Developers at UTV True Games." No mention of Petroglyph was made.

According to the message board post, True Games plans to end the game's current open beta test on August 31 to make "improvements" to the title. The post says the dev team will provide "early invites to the game in the first quarter of 2011". The forum posts adds, "We remain committed to offering Mytheon as a top quality free-to-play game at official launch with polished gameplay, enhanced features and expanded content: a game worthy of the excellent players that have already joined us for its early testing."

Officially announced in December 2008, development of Mytheon seemed to be going well until May of 2010 when True Games sued Petroglyph over the source code for the game. Only a few weeks later things seemed to be back on track as True Games and Petroglyph announced that their legal issues had been resolved and that Mytheon would launch on July 13. However True Games announced later that the game would not make its planned release date after all. We have emailed Petroglyph to get their side of the story.

With Mytheon's official launch date now set for July 13, the development team at Petroglyph and the publishing team at UTV True Games have announced a special limited offer for folks wanting to play the free-to-play online action-RPG title. The deal is called the Mytheon Champions Pack which is being offered to the first 2,000 people for $129.95.

So what do you get for that amount of money, especially for a game that's designed to be free to play? For one thing you can get lots of in-game items that would normally be bought via microtransactions including "2500 Mytheon Coins, 50 Flowing Vitality Elixirs, 50 Elixirs of Combined Wisdom, 25 Death Defying Elixirs, one Item Lottery Pack and one Large Stone Bundle." Normally those items would cost a total of $94.50 in the game. All inventory slots will be opened (another $20 value), one exclusive unique weapon per class will be added and there will be a 15 percent discount on all Mytheon coins for the lifetime of the account

The Champions Pack also offers some non in-game special items including your name in the game's credits, a limited edition t-shirt, a limited edition poster signed by the development team, entry into the final version of the game four days before the official July 13 launch date, early access to any new content and special early beta access to the game's first expansion pack. People who purchase the Champions pack will also be entered into a giveaway contest with the prize being a trip for two to Las Vegas.

After being announced in December 2008 and after going through a number of months of beta testing, publisher UTV True Games and developer Petroglyph has announced that the free-to-play multiplayer action-RPG Mytheon is now set for its official launch online on July 13. The game is currently in open beta.

Along with the launch date announcement comes word that the legal issues between UTV True Games and Petroglyph have now been resolved. UTV True Games filed a lawsuit against Petroglyph a few weeks ago saying the developer was holding the source code for the game "hostage". However it looks like things are patched up between the two companies. No details on the resolution were announced.