The Elder Scrolls Online
Fans of The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) are looking forward to 2017 and exciting developments within the game.
Matt Firor Teases ESO fans
Developed by ZeniMax Online Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks, a “Gold Edition” of the game was released in September 2016. Developer Matt Firor confirmed that player housing (Homestead) will be launched in 2017 and teased ESO fans with his announcement that " trust me, the wait will be worth it. We'll talk a lot more about the amazing new things that are coming to ESO as early as we can in the New Year”.
The New Life Festival
Players of the popular multiplayer online role-playing video game were able to take part in The New Life Festival (Thursday 15th December until Wednesday 4th January 2017) – but only once they had tracked down Breda outside Windhelm. Featuring up to nine different daily quests, each quest was themed for Tamriel's different races and was located in their respective zones.
Gift Boxes
Upon completion of each quest, players received a New Life Gift Box and a random assortment of New Life Festival goodies. Every New Life Gift Box contained a consumable version of a New Life-themed Memento, a Skinchanger style item (Wolfsbane Incense) and a random crafting material (Provisioning ingredient, Alchemy reagent, or Health glyph).
Magnanimous Title
Those players who completed all of Breda’s tasks received a special new dye – New Life Cerulean – as well as the New Life Celebrant achievement. The “Magnanimous" title was granted to those players who had completed all of the New Life-related achievements. Even those who wanted to drown their sorrows could - drinking Breda's Magnificent Mead, which was located in a keg near Breda, earned you double XP for two hours (and a sore head!).
Fifa 17
Yet again, the world’s leading football simulation scored a hat-trick of successes in December 2016.
December 2016 saw FIFA 17 (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows) take part in Sony's 12 Days of Christmas PS4 sale in a bid to boost sales before Christmas and establish FIFA 17 as the world’s number one football game. Although no official sales figures have been released, sources close to FIFA 17 suggest that many football fans grabbed big discounts on the FIFA 17 Standard, Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions.
FUTmas*
On December 16th, for a limited time only, FUTmas* returned to FIFA Ultimate Team™, offering limited time pack offers and daily Squad Building Challenges (SBCs). The week leading up to Christmas Day featured players whose shirt numbers matched the date the challenge went live: for example SBC’s on the 16th December featured players who wear the number ‘16’ in real-life.
Mystery Packs
For the first time in FIFA, Mystery Packs were awarded as SBC rewards from the 25th to 27th December as part of the FUTmas competition.
FUT Champions
From December 16th to 28th, players were able to compete to become FUT champions without squad requirements for Daily Tournaments and Weekend League Qualifiers. With daily rewards on offer, it wasn’t just your team that ended up winners.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
2016 was a year for Final Fantasy XIV (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Macintosh operating systems, Microsoft Windows), culminating in a Free Login Campaign to entice players back into Eorzea.
Stormblood
As the game's second expansion pack, it added 6 new zones and increased the level cap to 70 and introduced flying in Heavensward. However, the release of Stormblood next year will officially mark the end of PlayStation 3 support for Final Fantasy XIV.
Patch 3.4 released
Patch 3.4 of this multiplayer online role-playing game saw several improvements to gameplay including multitude of new adventures in the realm of Eorzea.
Free Login Campaign
During December, users in possession of a valid Square Enix account were able to play FINAL FANTASY XIV free of charge, for a limited time. Only users who had previously purchased and registered FINAL FANTASY XIV and had been inactive for the previous thirty days were eligible for this free offer that lasted from Thursday December 1st until Wednesday January 4th 2017.
However, upon reading the terms and conditions, many users were disappointed to find that they only had four days of free play before they were asked to subscribe. Those players who chose to subscribe during the free period then forfeited the remaining duration of free play.
SWTOR: Star Wars: The Old Republic
With the release of the film ‘The Force Awakens’ in 2015, the Star Wars franchise enjoyed a profitable 2016, with The Old Republic voted one of the games of the year by many gamers.
Life Day Event – Snowflake Mission
From December 13th to January 10th 2017, fans of Star Wars: The Old Republic saw the launch of the ‘Life Day Event’, offering more than ten levels. Users celebrated Life Day with three weeks of snowball fights and a special Snowflake Mission. Every snowball thrown during the Life Day Event gave users the chance to receive Snow-Covered Parcels.
Festive Rewards at the “Master of Ceremonies”
In the Galactic Trade Market sector in the Imperial and Republic fleets, players could collect festive rewards in exchange for Snow-Covered Parcels. Users loved the feature whereby the “Master of Ceremonies” also sold Fireworks and Snowball Bombs in exchange for credits.
The World of Warcraft
As always, there were lots going on in the World of Warcraft community during December 2016. The multiplayer online role-playing game, released by Blizzard Entertainment, continues to attract new players and fans.The Great Collegiate Dungeon Race Concludes
December 4th marked the end of a six-week World of Warcraft (Microsoft Windows and OS X) crusade as teams in the Great Collegiate Dungeon Race battled to conquer Mythic Keystone dungeons. They competed for a share of $20,000 in scholarship prizing in the Grand Final with UCI eSports winning the competition and $10,000.
Make-a-Wish Christmas Charity Appeal
WoW Players had the chance to adopt Mischief, a curious fel kitten who followed the Burning Legion into Azeroth. By purchasing either Mischief for $10, or her plush companion in the Gear Store for $14, players helped to raise money for the Make-a-Wish Organisation.
