torchlight posts

Big Download just got off the phone with Runic Games' PR head Wonder Russell who gave us a little more info on today's surprise announcement of Torchlight II, the sequel to 2009's sleeper hit action-RPG game. Russell told us that while the developer isn't yet ready to release screenshots of Torchlight II, she did confirm that a playable version of the game will be on display at Gamescom in Germany later this month and also at PAX Prime 2010 in Seattle in early September.

Russell also confirmed to us that the previously announced plans for a Torchlight-based free-to-play MMO game have been delayed as the development team at Runic Games is now working sole on Torchlight II. Russell said that the MMO project will be back up to speed once Torchlight II is completed.

In a little bit of a surprise, developer Runic Games has announced plans to release Torchlight II, the sequel to their critically acclaimed fantasy action-RPG. The original game sold more than 500,000 copies but many thought Runic Games' next project would be a free-to-play MMO based on Torchlight's fantasy world.

Instead Torchlight II, due for release as a digital download in spring 2011, will be a direct sequel to the original's fantasy action-RPG with the addition of co-op online multiplayer via a free matchmaking service. The game will also feature four customizable player character, new quests, new monsters and even a new feature allowing for characters to own pets.

It's the last day of June. Has it been a great month for you? Perhaps June could have treated you better? Whatever your disposition you can't deny the fact that Steam's summer sales event has been pretty spectacular so far. Today the PC game download service has got a new batch of games that have had their prices cut drastically for just one day only. Check out the games before the sales end at 1 pm Eastern time on Thursday:

• Flatout: Ultimate Carnage - $2.50
• Shatter - $2.50
• Red Orchestra Ostfront 41-45 $2.50
• The Void - $5
• Red Faction Guerrilla - $5
• Torchlight - $5
• Left 4 Dead - $6.80
• The Guild II + Expansion - $12.49
• Mass Effect 2 - $23.99

It's no secret that developer Runic Games plans to follow up the success of their downloadable action-RPG Torchlight with an MMO that's set in the same fictional fantasy world. PCGamer's web site reveals, via Runic's president Travis Baldree, that the development team wants the MMO to play "as close to single player as we can get it.:" The title will be free to play but will support microtransactions for its revenue source.

The microtransaction business model is certainly gaining more and more supporters from both developers and players but oddly enough Baldree won't be participating in his own game's business plan, saying, "I will never, ever buy a microtransaction item. I'm that kind of player. And the game has to be enjoyable for me, too."

The popularity of Modern Warfare 2 for the PC continues over to the new Stimulus map pack. This past week saw the multiplayer level pack for Infinity Ward's hit shooter was number one on Steam's top 10 sales list for the second week in a row. The main Modern Warfare 2 game is number two on the list this week, followed by Battlefield Bad Company 2 at the number three spot..

Toirchlight returns to the top 10 slot in the number four position after a price sale and its release via Steam for the Mac. The rest of the top 10 list (as rated by revenue) is below:

1. Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package - Infinity Ward/Activision
2. Modern Warfare 2 - Infinity Ward/Activision
3. Battlefield Bad Company 2 - Digital Illusions/EA
4. Torchlight - Runic Games
5. Civilization IV Complete Collection - Firaxis/2K-Games
6. Steamplay Indie Pack - Various
7. Left 4 Dead 2 - Valve
8. Tropico 3 - Kalypso Games
9. Telltale SteamPlay Pack - Telltale Games
10. Counter-Strike Source - Valve

We knew that Runic Games' debut title Torchlight was a big sales hit when it was first released back in October. Now the developer has finally revealed that the fantasy action-RPG has sold over 500,000 copies since its launch as a downloadble game. Furthermore that number was actually achieved weeks ago.

It's likely that sales has gone up quite a bit since then, especially this week with the release of the Mac version of the game via Steam and this weekend's $9.99 sale of the game on Steam and Direct2Drive. Oh, and Runic Games just moved into new offices this week in their Seattle home. All in all its been a big week for the Torchlight development team.

The long awaited launch of the Mac Steam client is now available to download, but it looks like Valve, at least as of this news post, has yet to go live with the client's Mac Game Store. Our sister site Joystiq reports that Mac users can still purchase games via the official Steam web site.

At the moment there's not an official list of games for the Mac launch of Steam although it's looking like it could be as many as 50 titles could be available for Mac users. Many of them will be able to be downloaded for free if users have already bought the PC version of the game via Steam. We will update this post when we get a definitive list of launch titles for the Mac client.

Update: Valve has now turned on the big switch to the Mac game store and indeed well over 50 titles are available to download for Mac players. You can check out the full list of games after the jump. One note: Torchlight is now on sale for both the PC and Mac for just $9.99.

One of 2009's surprise PC game hits is now heading for the Mac as part of Valve's Steam launch on Wednesday. Valve has confirmed that Runic Games' action-RPG Torchlight will be included to purchase and download when the Mac client of Steam is made available. If you already own the PC version you will be able to download the Mac port on Steam for free.

Valve also announced that their own game Portal will be available to download Wednesday via Steam and that new games will be added to the Mac Steam client every Wednesday. Valve also announced that all Source Engine licenses will get access to the native Mac OS X version and that all Mac developers will be able to use Steamworks features like achievements, leaderboards, auto-updating and more.

It's Monday and that means a new batch of games at the PC game download site Direct2Drive are now on sale from now until next week. It's the third week of their first annual spring sale and they have marked down over 20 games with savings of at least 40 percent. Most game have price cuts that are even bigger. Here is just a partial list:

Civilization 4: The Complete Edition - $9.95
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - $14.95
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI - $9.95
Battlefield 2 Complete Collection - $14.95
Star Trek Online - $29.95
The Saboteur - $14.95
Caesar IV - $4.95
Sid Meier's Railroads! - $4.95
Torchlight - $9.95
X-Com Complete Bundle - $4.95
NBA 2k10 - $9.95

At PAX East, just a few hours after NVIDIA announced the launch of the 400 series GPU, a panel comprised of John Kreiner (Terminal Reality), John Abercrombie (Lead Designer at Irrational Games), and Michell Shuster (Co-owner of LanSlide Gaming PCs) came together to discuss the future of PC gaming. Moderated by Jeff Kalles from Penny Arcade, the panel took questions from the audience to figure out where PC gaming is headed, given the trends and approaches publishers are taking combined with the leaps in technology. Although the room was almost filled to capacity with PC gamers and all three speakers are self-described fans of PC gaming, the mood quickly turned a grim comparison with console gaming. It soon became clear that the future of PC gaming was already going through a long, dark and ominous tunnel into the unknown. The only question is whether there's any hope of seeing light at the end of it.