As if the idea of 100% voiced dialogue trees wasn't ambitious enough in an MMO property, word has now come out that EA and BioWare are expecting to have two million subscriptions for Star Wars: The Old Republic. In a genre where only one game has ever exceeded two million subscribers at $15 per month, that's a very high standard to put yourself up against. There again, we are talking about Star Wars, beloved by geeks the world over. We're also talking about BioWare, who have blown many gamers away with the awesomeness of Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins.

The other thing that gives us pause is the recent discussion in regards to some "potential pricing twists" that Dr. Ray Muzyka of BioWare mentioned while talking to the folks at Kotaku. While subscriptions are being mentioned, others have noticed some indications for microtransactions as well. Whether we're looking at a blended model like Champions Online, more the traditional sub with less-often used macrotransactions like World of Warcraft, or something else altogether remains to be seen. In any event, it's certainly going to be interesting to watch whether or not Star Wars: The Old Republic will be able to retain the subscriber numbers they hope to.

In a recent GDC 2010 interview with UGO, BioWare's Dr. Ray Muzyka said of Warhammer Online, "Right now it's [a] really profitable business unit within my group." Muzyka went on to say they've actually seen more people come into the game since enacting the free-to-play model on the game's earlier levels, and that he personally felt they were working.

In fact, by the sounds of it, Warhammer Online is due for some interesting announcements in the future. Another of Muzyka's comments on the title was, "We have new content planned and all kinds of cool expansions for it." We don't know how much more clear cut a message can be than that. And hey, it's good news! We're looking forward to our playable Skaven and Lizardmen, Mythic and BioWare.

It's that time of year again for Final Fantasy XI -- the time for running about spewing letters of the alphabet, frantic searching, and egg-scrutiatingly bad puns. Yes, the Egg Hunt is here again, a celebration of all things related to spring and denying birds easy access to their offspring. And while not all of the puns and tongue-in-cheek humor will go over easy, the official announcement has both a short humor piece and instructions to keep you from getting fried.

The short version is that as you scramble about Vana'diel, you can make a point of talking to the event moogles or trading them eggs. They'll offer up one lettered egg per day for free, and more if you shell out additional eggs. Assemble the first three letters of your character's name for the simplest prize, or go for a more challenging collection like seven of a kind to get even better rewards! While it's one of the sillier and less lore-filled holiday events in Final Fantasy XI, the Egg Hunt should still provide ample opportunity to enjoy some quality time with fellow adventurers. Read the full announcement for all the details, and possibly to prepare yourself for the onslaught of puns. (We've even laid out a few to help.)

Working in the business of making games is the dream of many gamers -- it's a field we love, with a whole lot of obvious perks and the chance at making a permanent impact on the field. Of course, once you dig a little deeper it becomes clear that making games isn't necessarily a fun ride. The field is full of contentious personalities, greedy publishers, "fans" who frequently heckle your every step, and a high profit margin expected with little turnaround time. And let's not forget the very real possibility of having the rug yanked out from under you midway through development.

Still, none of this stops people from being attracted to the field, and those in the thick of it generally wouldn't trade it away even if they had the option. For all the downsides, the rewards are... well... any time you see a game go live that you're proud to have worked on and all of the fans who genuinely like your work. So what about you? Do you want to take part in the up-and-down ride of the game industry, or would you rather just enjoy the end result?

News of last week's shakeup of the Alganon team has been sparking a lot of talk in the gaming community, and the fans aren't the only ones with something to say. Derek Smart is taking Alganon back to the drawing board in a big way, but he's still finding time to maintain his policy of very open communication: "The fact is that in our industry, the less you say, the more people will fill in the blanks for you."

You're not going to find many blanks to fill in here. Gamasutra reported the news Monday, and Smart posted some clarifications to the story in the comments section. He had quite a bit to say over the next 24 hours, and Hue Henry and Jason Blood stopped by to add their voices to the conversation as well. The discussion that followed was interesting to say the least, and offered quite a bit of insight into their thoughts on the matter.

The comments section, while long, is well worth a look, particularly if you're familiar with the participants or a fan of Alganon.

We all love to keep up with what's been going on in our favourite MMOs, whether the news is delivered by dedicated news sites and blogs or live radio shows and pre-recorded podcasts. There's certainly no shortage of fan-run podcasts and blogs in the EVE Online community but occasionally one will stand out from the crowd. Originally started up in 2007, the "PODDED" podcast had limited success with a run of only 11 episodes. After a relaunch in 2009, hosts Dillon Arklight and War Childe seemed to find their feet and have since seen their listener base grow. Posted on an irregular schedule, the PODDED podcast explores everything that's happened in the world of EVE since the last episode, from news and devblogs to coverage of major nullsec wars.

To celebrate the one year anniversary of their relaunch, Dillon Arklight and War Childe are giving away one year's worth of EVE game time! To enter, you'll need to record an original piece of EVE-related audio comedy. It must be no longer than 3 minutes and can be any form of comedy. Some suggested ideas include an EVE parody song, reading an original EVE short story, creating a fake EVE advert or just doing some general comedic gags. If you think you've got what it takes to produce a funny EVE-related audio clip of three minutes or less, get your submission in by April 28th for a chance to win. Full submission guidelines are available at the PODDED podcast homepage.

Just under a month ago, CCP announced Tyrannis, the next big expansion for EVE Online. Tyrannis centres around the planets of New Eden, which have so far played a purely visual role in the game. The expansion promises to open these planets for exploration and industrialisation, with players scanning for juicy mineral deposits and setting up vast, sprawling industrial networks. An early prototype of the planetary interaction feature has even been put on the EVE test server and players can help develop the expansion by giving their feedback.

CCP typically release two expansions per year and Tyrannis has been roughly slated for this year's summer expansion. Although the summer expansion can sometimes come as late as July, CCP have just released a new teaser trailer confirming a May 18th release date. This gives the developers just over 8 weeks to get the expansion into shape. This should give the team more time to work on the next expansion, which most are hoping will be Incarna. Skip past the cut to watch the official Tyrannis teaser.

The free-to-play MMO market just got a bit more crowded as GamesCampus has announced its forthcoming MMORTS called Soul Master. The game looks to innovate by marrying traditional Hero units from the real-time strategy genre with the level of individual style and character control commonly found in MMORPGs.

"Soul Master is unlike anything else currently out there and definitely what players have been waiting for," said GameCampus' David Chang. The game, scheduled to enter closed beta testing in June, will feature resource-driven RTS combat and progression in addition to persistent individual character development.

GamesCampus promises fast-paced combat, likening the experience to "the high-speed action of a character versus character brawler and the tactical elements of a squad-based RTS." Additionally, the game is set to feature robust PvP content as well as boss raids, co-op missions, and various scenario modes for PvE players. Stay with Massively for further Soul Master coverage as we get closer to the beta test, and don't forget to check out the teaser trailer after the cut.

If you're in Boston next week for PAX East and you suddenly find yourself shirtless, we may be able to help. We'll be giving away Massively t-shirts at the expo throughout the weekend of March 26th - 28th, and you can bet we'll be having some fun while doing it.

We'll have two contests involving Twitter: one as a scavenger hunt for swag (appropriately named the Swavenger Hunt) and one as a hide-and-seek contest based on tweeted photos around the expo floor. Plus, we'll be sure to have a small informal meet-up with readers while we're there. Follow along after the jump for a schedule of events and details on how you can win yourself a Massively t-shirt. Shirtlessness not required.