In this month’s Gaiscioch Community newsletter, I just have to tell you how grateful I am to all of you. Through the chaos of the world, the games industry, and life, you always manage to brighten my spirits and show me the true power of friendship through gaming. You all are legends, and I hold my time shared with all of you dear.
Gaiscioch Community Roundtable - Feb. 28th
Join us for this month’s Gaiscioch Community Roundtable as we discuss what’s new and exciting in the Gaiscioch Community. We will be meeting in the Gaiscioch Roundtable channel at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET for a quick one-hour open mic night to share what adventures and events you’re hosting and discuss some new games on the horizon. Come share your thoughts!
Please welcome our newest members!
AluSeph, Avocado, Basil, Bruicelev, Dioneprey, Elric, Gierfrid, HariTheyezI2eb3l, Kayross, Labbe, LumosLumos, Lydia, madnessbane, MaubySan, MorgremNanoy, OGPatriot, Orograle, Otsala, QuietWolf, ragnar1234, Ragnarly, RegiisReverie, SaltyHumor, Samady, SertiPhyd, Silvermoon, Skub, SmithyJones, SunpunkTankhead15, TokieWartooth, Toxichartzz, Urdin, Wally, and Zergxy
Thank you to our Supporters!
None of this would be possible without your help! Thank you for your contributions via Patreon, Discord, and Twitch. You’re helping keep this community running.
Avohaiel, Birdee, Venorik, Radiologikal, WilliamBrandis, Phyrehart, Warchild, CerrisCharredOak, Blienmeis, Kageshukuun, Trithian, Borrys, Kritus, Varder, Flugh, Intp, CJ, ZoogieZork, Zuruta, Foghladha, verve, SirHenryVale, Talania, Robdalf, Tip, Ruuta, Dorda, Greyeagle, Rhynor, Rylssa, Jakemm, Izzy, Vinsinar, Pedro, Isha, SAI, Nikodemus, Radgasken, Benjoseph, Whoflung, Saile, CaptainBubbles, Kimbria, Zady, PJ, GrandpaMij, Tearlach, kmfeternal, Kaeleer, Happymancer, Weebitt, Gio, Oldgoat, Donaliam, Ariah, Shadeflayer, HousecarlKarl, Crickgy, LordSatwick, Burialsoup, evolOG, Sea, Smitty, Lilanya, ColossalUprising, Toughplyr, Ghengiz, Lexys, Viera31b, LeglessCheetah, Beliar, Wusfud, Nuldii, KaySlays, Thargond, DRHamp, Sudu, Randeth, Roac, Eiahn, Sindarin, Somercy2163, Zio, GrabGames, Mika, BananaPancakes, Jessica, Tanek, JustMike, CoreRed, Namrie, DemiBeard, Jairone, Lotheym, Aemrys, Wags, SeanBlack, REEIII, Anja, Carande, Booie, Lorax, Garyc, OolongXLII, Sudy, Atalle, Castyn, Haggal, xrist04, TheGreenRanger, Arkin, Hyabusaa, Caellius, MisterUrth, Rakerburn, Skittlefart, Devoutbishop, Beardtongue, Nubba, Tirwen, Helbourne, Malocclusion, Elsimer, Tpeyra, Wendy, IAncientt, Neoyoshi, TheCruelKing, Harkonis, Bialust, Dracojan, Kirial, Ir1shguy, soggyhamster, Arsnocte, Aalwein, Rofii, Magesw, CKMo, xRolandx, Nicholas1, SHenanegenz, Foxman150, Braves, SunderCats, Crow, Elidien, Avengelyn, TimoDaOne, Proffy, Sekkerhund, Ckemikal, Kado, Rayko, Kiobio, Joseph, AluSeph, Soprema, Aylune, and Thelen
A Dramatic February Comes to a Close
The Games Industry Lost Its Mind a Little This Month.
This month was a bit of a massacre when it came to the tech/gaming industry. Let’s break down a few of the big stories.
Microsoft loses Phil Spencer & Sarah Bond, Replaces them with Microsoft AI Exec Asha Sharma
Phil Spencer began his Microsoft journey in 1988 and helped them launch the original XBOX in 2001. He was a legend in the industry and has decided to retire. On his heels came the announcement of XBOX President Sarah Bond’s resignation and the appointment of Microsoft AI Executive Asha Sharma to fill the role of Microsoft Gaming’s CEO.
This caused a massive uproar, as Asha Sharma has no gaming experience at all, with all of her experience coming from AI, her engineering at Meta and Instacart, and she serves as a board member for Home Depot.
IGN posted a wonderful article about the topic that I encourage everyone to give a read. Time will tell what fate awaits the Microsoft Gaming Lineup, which includes Elder Scrolls Online, World of Warcraft, and future MMORPGs.
New World’s Second Coming?
In another dramatic turn of events, Alistair McFarlane, the game director of Rust, has offered to buy New World from Amazon for $25 million dollars. In the following weeks, he announced that he had now signed an NDA and can no longer discuss the potential sale. We will have to just wait and see what comes of this. Can New World have a second life? What are your thoughts?
Read more about this dramatic plot twist
The Elephant in the Room: Ashes of Creation
This, by far, is the most dramatic twist of the month that affects a good chunk of our community. Ashes of Creation was a game that had some serious potential for our community, and now it seems like a far-fetched glimmer of dust in a forgotten galaxy.
There’s been a lot of discussion about this and a lot of misinformation and snowballed conclusions. I think in the coming months, as the multiple lawsuits playout we’ll see the true story emerge, but as it stands now, all we know is Steven Sharrif exited stage left in the most dramatic way. His leadership team then resigned as well. The new owners of the IP laid off the entire team without pay, and Ashes now drifts online until the servers go dark forever.
Accusations flew from all parties involved. The truth will likely come out through the court cases. For now, everything is just speculation and assumptions. We won’t know the whole story until the court cases are completed. For now, grab the popcorn and let’s commiserate with each other on the loss of one of the most promising looking MMO’s we’ve had in a while.
The Great AI Resignation
While not specifically about gaming, I think it’s going to have a profound effect on the industry all the same. This past month, we saw a number of key players in the AI Sector resign from their positions:
Mrinank Sharma | Head of Safeguards | Anthropic | Left with Ethical concerns & stark "world in peril" warning
David Silver | Chief Scientist | DeepMind | Leaving to found Ineffable Intelligence
Zoë Hitzig | Researcher | OpenAI | Opposition to ads in ChatGPT
Ryan Beiermeister | VP Product Policy | OpenAI |Fired for her opposition to "Adult Mode" & Safety concerns
Tony Wu & Jimmy Ba | Co-Founders | xAI | Left due to their strategic shifts and looking towards their “Next chapter”
Geoffrey Hinton | Godfather of AI | Google
I believe this is just the tip of the iceberg, and we will be seeing many more in the coming months. These companies have been operating at multi-billion dollar losses, and the bubble is about to pop. We will see who survives.
What’s Going On in Gaiscioch?
Overall, our community is growing and exploring several new worlds.
Guild Wars 2
Guild: Gaiscioch na Rall
Our Guild Wars 2 chapter has been riding on some of its most active numbers since launch, and we are continuing to grow. We are reducing the rotation of our 500 person roster, and many of our members are now rotating at 2 months. Our goal is to get 500 active players in the roster. If you ever go on leave and end up being rotated out, you can simply request an invite, and we’ll get you back in the Roster asap.
Our Weekly Event Lineup:
Sun. @ 9:00 AM PT: From Rags to Riches - Mika
Tues @ 10:30 AM PT: Namrie’s Fractal Event - Namrie
Tues @ 6:00 PM PT: Cal’s Rift Hunting- Rebooting - Caludon
Wed. @ 4:00 PM PT: GW2: New Player Adventures - Lv. 2+ - Foghladha
Thu. @ 9:30 AM PT: Darcy’s Guild Wars 2 Storyline Event The Icebrood Saga Chapter 1 - Darcy
Fri. @ 8:00 AM PT: Great Hunt for Achievements - Mika
Fri. @ 4:00 PM PT: GW2: Beginner Friendly WvW - Foghladha
Sat. @ 8:00 AM PT: Having Fun Doing World Completion - GmaFog
Conqueror’s Blade
Server: Elysium Peak | Guild: Gaiscioch & GaisciochDubh
The war continues as we wrap up our 25th season this week. We have 2 wars left, and so far, we’re looking pretty solid going into the final week. We’ve faced off against Warborn, ImperialGuard, NoEvil, and the Cohorts in the past few weeks and came out on top. Things are really heating up for our final showdown.
In addition to the close of the 25th season Roses, the announcement of the next season is generating some massive hype. Dubbed “Conqueror’s Blade 2.0,” we’re looking at a massive rework of gameplay systems and even territory wars. I will be paying close attention to the changes and will bring you an exclusive issue focused on the changes coming to Conqueror’s Blade. Be sure to follow the Conqueror’s Blade topic.
Our Weekly Event Lineup:
Mon. @ 4:00 PM PT: CB: Battalion Practice (Siege & Events) - Foghladha
Tue. @ 4:00 PM PT: CB: Bandit Raids & Warmup Sieges - Foghladha
Tue. @ 5:30 PM PT: CB: Territory Wars - Foghladha
Fri. @ 6:00 PM PT: CB: Battalion Practice (Siege & Events) - Foghladha
Sat. @ 11:00 AM PST: CB: Last Chance Bandit Raids - Foghladha
Sat. @ 4:00 PM PST: CB: Warmup Sieges - Foghladha
Sat. @ 5:30 PM PST: CB: Territory Wars - Foghladha
Adventures
We have a couple of extracurricular events on the calendar each week for those looking to explore additional worlds with friends.
Weekly Event Lineup:
Sun. @ 7:00 AM PT: Where Winds Meet: Sunday morning Wind Gusts - Jairone
Mon. @ 6PM PT: StarRupture Coop Party - Foghladha
The Adventure Lineup
This month, several new games arrived on our doorstep unexpectedly. Let’s highlight a few big adventures you can play right now!
The Quinfall
Type: MMORPG | Server: Chicago, Channel 2 | Guild: Gaiscioch
Embark on an adventurous journey to explore the Quinfall universe. Be a part of unique battles and an immersive story with dozens of different professions in the depths of medieval times in an all-new MMORPG experience.
StarRupture
Type: 4-Player Coop
StarRupture is a first-person open-world base-building game with advanced combat and tons of exploration. Play alone or in a group on this sublime and ever-changing planet, extract and manage resources, create your complex industrial system, and fight off hordes of alien monsters.
Epitome
Type: MMORPG
Welcome to the system of Epitome. Explore a world woven from the threads of reality. Here, we, the Archons, my creations, rule over their unique realms, shaping and distorting them according to their desires. This is no mere adventure - enter Epitome and strive to become an Archon.
Coming Soon
World of Titans
Type: MMORPG
World of Titans is a high-fantasy MMORPG built by MMO players who miss that feeling of logging into a world that actually feels alive. Form parties, build guilds, dive into dungeons and raids, and fight for your faction in a story-driven world.
Scars of Honor
Type: MMORPG
Set on the war-torn continent of Aragon, two alliances - the disciplined Sacred Order and the relentless Domination - battle for survival as an ancient Ice Dragon stirs in the frozen North.
Choose your faction, race, and class, then build your hero through a modern MMO combat system, evolving talents, personal Scars, meaningful crafting, and endlessly replayable Evershifting Dungeons.
The Horizon
A few new exciting games dropped onto our horizon this month. Give these a look and let us know what you think!
Darkhaven
Type: MMORPG
Darkhaven is a next-generation ARPG brought to you by many of the original creators of Diablo and Diablo II. Explore a procedurally generated and fully destructible open world unlike any other in this solo or multiplayer adventure.
Over The Top WWI
Type: MMOFPS | Launches: March 6th
Join 200-player battles in Over The Top: WWI - an intense shooter set in the gritty backdrop of World War I. Pick your class, choose from a vast arsenal, including rifles, artillery, airplanes and powerful tanks, and experience the chaos of fully destructible battlefields.
Under a Rock
Type: 10-Player Cooperative
A procedural open-world survival craft game for 1-10 players. Explore a primitive but dangerous place with a different evolutionary path; here, wildlife is oversized, Neanderthals still exist, and curses are real.
Share your thoughts!
Which new games are you most looking forward to? Be sure to comment below or visit our #Adventure-Discussion channel in Discord. We love hearing your feedback.
Be sure to check out tomorrow’s Steam Next Fest story!