Online game publisher Bigpoint has had massive success with its first big Hollywood license. Battlestar Galactica Online is celebrating its one year anniversary with nearly 10 million registered players worldwide. Based on the internationally popular Syfy television series produced by Universal Cable Productions, Battlestar Galactica Online (BSGO) is a free-to-play, browser-based space combat MMO that combines high-quality graphics with intense gameplay.

ArenaNet has spent the past five years creating a brand new type of massively multiplayer online (MMO) game with Guild Wars 2. The developer, along with publisher NCsoft, has opened the game to fans for the first time over the beta open weekend. Whether playing the game over a weekend or when the final game ships, here are the Top 10 things to do in the new-and-improved fantasy world of Tyria.

Sony Online Entertainment is readying its latest massively multiplayer online (MMO) game with PlanetSide 2. Creative director Matthew Higby was on hand at GDC 2012 to outline the impressive on-the-fly switch between flight, tanks and infantry in the new action shooter. Hiby discusses the multitude of combat options in this cool new MMO experience in the exclusive video interview below.

En Masse Entertainment, the company behind the upcoming action MMO, TERA, showcased new end-level content—the Temple of Temerity—to select media at the Game Developers Conference (GDC 2012). With TERA’s North American release of May 1 just around the corner, the production team had plenty of updates to share, including a new level 60 cap and the game’s nexus system, a persistent-world random event that throws players into challenging high-level, action-heavy battles. Checkout the video below.

NCsoft has revealed the pre-purchase program for Guild Wars 2, the most anticipated online role-playing game (RPG) scheduled for release in 2012. Starting April 10, players who pre-purchase the Guild Wars 2 Collector’s, Digital Deluxe, or Standard Editions will receive guaranteed entry into all beta weekend events and a three-day headstart prior to launch, giving them the opportunity to be among the first to secure their character and guild names. As a bonus, players who pre-purchase any edition will also receive an exclusive Hero’s Band, which will provide their characters with a broad range of power boosts as they venture into the world of Tyria in Guild Wars 2.

Trion Worlds, a leading publisher and developer of premium games for the connected era, has completed an $85 million round of strategic growth equity financing, led by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (Teachers’), one of the world's leading pension funds focused on direct investments in both public and private equities. Also participating was current Trion investor Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bertelsmann AG, a leading international media company. Trion will utilize the financing to further grow its worldwide premium online games business. The game maker is currently working on End of Nations, which can be seen in the exclusive video interview below.

En Masse Entertainment is launching its fantasy massively multiplayer online (MMO) game TERA to North America on May 1, 2012. The upcoming release of TERA will be available in standard and Collector’s Editions at retail and online stores. Marking a new era in gaming, TERA sets a new standard by delivering true action combat to players who want more than the stale and repetitive gameplay that exists in today’s MMOs. The developer talks about the new game, which is powered by Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3, in this exclusive video interview below.

Hollywood and gaming continue to converge with Bigpoint’s Battlestar Galactica Online. Over 7 million registered users have engage in space combat, either fighting for the Cylons or for the Colonials in an assortment of spaceships from the films and television series. Now, Bigpoint is giving one lucky fan a chance to bring home a real life-sized Cylon.  By simply logging in and playing the game five times in December, gamers are entered into the sweepstakes. Unfortunately, players won't be bringing home Cylon Tricia Helfer, who talks games in the video below.

A lot of Xbox Live Arcade games are overlooked each year.  Some are merely overshadowed by bigger releases – or retro titles with smaller price tags.  Others are unfortunately released at a time when bigger and better retail games hit the market, as everyone is busy playing them.  And amongst these overlooked games is Fusion: Genesis, a top-down space adventure made by the team at Starfire, made up of former Ensemble Studios members.  (That’s the team behind Halo Wars.)  It’s a shame that this didn’t pick up on the masses (at least, not yet), because sci-fi fans of Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and other epics would be right at home here.

NEVERDIE Studios, creators of the ROCKtropia Virtual World, a sophisticated, next-gen, cash prize-based game world with mythology drawn from pop culture, has launched a unique, in-game event for players of its recently released massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, Hunt The Thing. This new movie-length MMO event is inspired by Universal Pictures’ current thriller The Thing, now in theatres nationwide. The game was developed using Crytek’s CryENGINE2 technology.

Finally...the wait may soon be over.  After many months of speculation in the "will they, won't they" sense and news about continuous add-ons for the game, we've finally gotten word when Star Wars: The Old Republic will fly out of Bioware's camp and onto computers everywhere.  It turns out that the wait won't be that long at all...and many Jedi fans will be happy come Christmas morning.