Shortly after the release of Age of the Chosen, Auran was able to confirm that it had even more updates in the pipeline, but surely, three months on, what developers are left have to be operating on two cornflakes and half a can of Red Bull?

Apparently not. MMORPG.COM managed to get a hold of Auran’s CEO Tony Hilliam at GDC 2008, and Hilliam was able to reassure the site that the 13-year old company is committed to Fury. Yet, my eyebrows couldn’t help but elevate at a few of Hilliam’s comments:

Tony informed me that the game has done pretty well in Australia, and wasn’t far behind their expectations for that region.

According to previous comments by Hilliam, Australian sales surpassed that of the States, which the man himself conceded was far from a good thing. It also seems that Oz sales have been upgraded from “okay” to “[have done] pretty well”.

Obviously the game isn’t going to go much farther without additional funding or a sale, and Hilliam says that Auran has a few options:

Tony said that there were several interested parties, but he couldn’t say much as nothing had been finalised at the time of the interview.

I’m surprised there’s any activity at all after the sledging Hilliam gave the Oz development scene not long ago. Still, you have to give the guy credit for not giving up on his baby.

Catching Up With Fury [MMORPG.COM, via Blue's News]

We asked online producer Paul White for some additional info on what Auran has planned for Fury going forward:

At the moment we are tweaking following the Age of the Chosen update (some fixes went in on Tuesday, more next week) and also working on an improved tutorial (existing tutorial is boring and too text heavy) and additional features like crafting and gametypes.

Crafting? Looks like Fury may be borrowing ideas from its more PvE-orientated competitors. Before this can happen however, Auran wants to focus on making the game as solid as possible:

Our first priority is to ensure the game is stable and fun and then add more content and features in. Whilst I cannot give you an exact date when each of these things will be available I would expect them to start appearing early next year.

Despite the disappointing news surrounding Auran from last week, the company is still breathing.

The release, which can find after the jump, doesn’t contain much more than this. It does mention that the game saw “record numbers” of new players when the Age of Chosen update went live, but Auran has not specified exact figures.

“FURY” Free2Play, Age of the Chosen Goes Live!

Brisbane, Australia – December 19, 2007

Auran successfully released their first free content update the Age of the Chosen on December 14. Record numbers of players logged on, created avatars and fought in the new war zones.

“The 1v1 dueling arenas were the most popular game of the week, closely followed by Bloodbath Training Grounds and then the new Carnage PvPvE war zone, “ said Tony Hilliam, Auran CEO. “The feedback from players was that performance had improved considerably, and the new item system kept the forums busy all week.”

With a major focus on ease of use, accessibility and fun, the Age of the Chosen update extends FURY game with new features and major improvements including:

• 1v1 Dueling arenas
• New Carnage PvPvE game type
• Incarnation Testing Arena
• Major Equipment Improvements
• Updated Tutorial
• Revised Sanctuary Zones
• Improved Interface
• Enhanced Performance
• and much more

In addition, the Age of the Chosen brings a new Free to Download, Free to Play option to FURY. For the first time, players can download FURY and play free forever. As Chosen, players can learn every ability, use any items, battle in all 6 game types, and experience all of the fun FURY has to offer. They can then choose to upgrade to “hero” status buying the retail box or purchasing the game online.

To see the full list of changes the update brings check out http://www.unleashthefury.com/index.php/fury/news/patch_notes_14_december_2007_age_of_the_chosen/.

To download FURY and get straight into the action visit http://www.unleashthefury.com/free2play/.

The latest updates and happenings in the world of FURY can always be found at http://www.unleashthefury.com

According to the release, the free mode, called “Chosen”, will give players access to all game types, weapons and abilities. Chosen however will gain gold and essence at a reduced rate and will be unable to swap goods with other players.

If a player is willing to spend a bit of cash, an upgraded “Hero” mode is available that will increase the gold and essence gather rate. Players are also free to buy gold from Auran directly.

This news however is foreshadowed by this grim statement from Auran CEO Tony Hilliam, included with the release Kotaku Australia received from the company:

We will then have some bad news to follow (unless a miracle occurs), but there will be a very positive end to the week.

A mixed message if I ever saw one, especially considering the events of earlier today.

If you’d like to shape your own opinion of events (which I encourage you to do) check out the full release after the jump.

“FURY” FREE TO PLAY FOREVER

Age of the Chosen Free Content Update

Cockpit, Austin, TX – December 10, 2007 – Gamecock Media Group and Auran Games today announced a new Free to Download, Free to Play option for their fast paced arena combat game FURY. The new business model will begin with the release of the first major free content update “Age of the Chosen” on December 14, 2007.

“FURY was built around giving players options that suit their play style and their wallet,” said Tony Hilliam, CEO of Auran. “With the AotC update, we are introducing a new player category called “Chosen”. As one of the Chosen, players can access all game types, equip all weapons and unlock all 400 abilities – and they can play as much as they like absolutely free. This is a fantastic opportunity for players to jump into battle with their mates and discover the frenetic pace of the fastest RPG combat ever. Chosen will earn less gold and essence, and will not be able to trade with other players.”

“Chosen players can purchase game gold from the FURY store or upgrade to “Hero” status to earn more Essence and Gold. Retail stores sell the “Hero” status pack, along with a free month of “Immortal” status, so this is $30 value for the new price of $19.99 (in US stores). As a Hero or Immortal players can unlock abilities faster and purchase better gear, but the matchmaker then ensures they are playing against other players of similar skill and rank.”

FURY: Age of the Chosen is a massive free content update that introduces two new game types aimed at the new player. “Carnage” throws two teams into battle with the aim of returning blood tokens to their base faster than their opposition. Blood tokens are gained from killing bots, not other players, so the action is indirect competition rather than head to head. The 1v1 Elimination game type means games will spawn faster and matches are more evenly balanced.

For more on FURY, visit www.unleashthefury.com. Also, be sure and visit http://www.unleashthefury.com/ageofthechosen/ for information on the Age of the Chosen update and new business model.

About Auran
Established in 1995, Auran is one of Australia’s largest and most respected game developers. Boasting an 80 strong international development team, Auran is currently working on three titles; the world leading Trainz Railroad Simulator, now in its 6th Edition with more than 1 million copies sold; BattleStar Galactica for XBLA; and Fury, the innovative PvP MMO game that is set to revolutionize the world of competitive online gaming.

About Gamecock Media Group
Based in Austin, Texas, Gamecock Media Group offers a welcome solution to the bloated and originality-starved video game industry. A well-funded, independent, artist-driven company, Gamecock favors the most innovative and original video game developers in the industry. Publishing games for all platforms, Gamecock offers its developers a high degree of participation, freedom and financial incentives, allowing them to perform and create to their utmost ability. For more, please visit www.gamecockmedia.com.

The update, entitled “Age of the Chosen“, will feature a buttload of changes, including a new 1v1 game mode; improved user interface; tweaked equipment and combat mechanics, and numerous bug fixes.

Auran expects to deliver the content update by December 14, which is roughly two-and-a-half weeks from now.

Press release and more information after the jump.

For Immediate Release: Brisbane, Australia, November 26, 2007

Auran Games today announced details of the first Free Content Update to its fast-paced arena combat game FURY. The huge new add-on, titled ‘Age of the Chosen’, is expected to go live on the FURY servers on December 14th 2007.

A new website detailing the changes is now available at: http://www.unleashthefury.com/ageofthechosen

This free content update is available to all players and brings many improvements and enhancements, as well as introducing additional game types and maps to the world of FURY.

Auran CEO, Tony Hilliam, explains: “We set out with the goal of making FURY fast and fun for all players. The Age of the Chosen add-on focuses on helping new players prepare for the furious action as well as introducing a host of features requested by our hardcore fans. Feedback from new players was that the pacing was too fast and confusing. To remedy this and help players grow into the game, we created the ‘Carnage’ game type. Carnage pits two teams of four players in indirect competition where the focus is killing bots to earn points rather than simply smashing your opponents into submission. We’ve also improved the tutorial and created practice areas where players can spend time getting used to FURY’s uniquely fast paced combat.”

“We’ve also made a number of changes to combat by increasing player survivability, lengthening the decision making time and increasing combat feedback. Furthermore, and in direct response to player’s requests, we’ve made significant improvements to all items in the game. Tiers and rarity will be more meaningful and there will be greater incentives to choose higher Tier armor. This of course means players can spend even more time tweaking their favorite Incarnation to keep within our 1000 Equip Point limit.”

“FURY has always been about player skill over button mashing and we think players will really enjoy the improvements to the combat system”, said Cameron McNeil, Lead Systems Designer. “We’ve also made a number of changes to the Sanctarum vendors, improved the User Interface and added a ton of bug fixes and polish to the game. We are looking forward to a large number of our customers and free trial players checking out the changes as we continue towards our goal of making FURY the Number One PvP game in the world.”

The list of changes include:
• New ‘Carnage’ game type with three maps.
• 1 v 1 Elimination game type with four maps.
• Improved tutorial.
• Streamlined interface.
• NPC number and placement changes.
• Rebalanced and improved equipment system.
• Combat mechanics changes.
• Improved combat feedback.
• Bugs fixes, performance improvements and general polish.

For full details on the changes visit http://www.unleashthefury.com/ageofthechosen.

The add-on is expected to be available for download on December 14, 2007.

Contact Information.
Website: http://www.unleashthefury.com -and-
http://www.unleashthefury.com/ageofthechosen
Contact: Phil ‘Vortal’ White
pwhite@auran.com

About Auran
Established in 1995, Auran is one of Australia’s largest and most respected game developers. Boasting an 80 strong international development team, Auran is currently working on three titles; the world leading Trainz Railroad Simulator, now in its 6th Edition with more than 1 million copies sold; BattleStar Galactica for XBLA; and FURY, the innovative PvP MMO game that is shaking up the world of competitive online gaming.

This document includes certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Auran’s ability to improve their services. These statements are based on the current expectations or beliefs of management of Auran, and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances.