In this round-up, we highlight some of the notable jobs posted in big sister site Gamasutra's industry-leading game jobs section this week, including positions from Snowblind Studios, Diesel Games, Pandemic Studios, RealNetworks, Armature Studios, and more.

Each position posted by employers will appear on the main Gamasutra job board, and appear in the site's daily and weekly newsletters, reaching our readers directly.

It will also be cross-posted for free across its network of submarket sites, which includes content sites focused on online worlds, cellphone games, 'serious games', independent games and more.

Some of the notable jobs posted in each market area this week include:

Valentine's Day is coming up, so all of the publishers of localized Asian MMORPGs are gearing up for related in-game events, and OGPlanet are the first to let us know of what they're up to, announcing events for their MMOs La Tale and CABAL Online.

In CABAL Online, they're holding the "Pandamonium Event" where players can purchase pet pandas and costumes for said Pandas, and players who buy a bundle—of Panda plus costume—are to be entered into a chance to win 1000 Astros, OGPlanet's item shop currency.

In La Tale, players are being asked to create small movies about their characters and post them to the OGPlanet forums, with participants to receive in-game items—10 Golden Darts of Luck—and the winner to receive an in-game item, the Kanzo Stone.

That's not particularly Valentines-related, so they're also announcing a La Tale Valentines fashion contest, where players must post screenshots of their characters wearing Valentines item on the OGPlanet Forums. Again, participants are to receive in-game items— an XP Reassign Puzzle —and other prizes include Warp Crystals and the Iris Ring.

Developer Multiverse has announced the launch of Battle, the company's first web-based title based on its development platform. Battle is a multiplayer "gladiatorial combat" title where players use weapon and magic attacks to defeat their opponents.

As well as being available on their own website, Battle is playable at social network sites including Facebook, MySpace and Friendster, and casual games portal Kongregate.

According to the company, Battle was developed to "showcase what's possible" with their technology.

"Battle is the first glimpse of a whole new level of excitement in casual games. While new players can begin having fun in seconds, experienced gamers will be thrilled to finally see in a web browser the kind of action and graphics they've found on consoles and in massively multiplayer online games," said Corey Bridges, co-founder and executive producer, Multiverse. "We're confident Battle is going to redefine players' expectations of what's possible in casual games."

[From time to time we hope to include guest editorials from members of the virtual world industry—and if you consider yourself to be one and have something to say, please let us know—and this week, David Chang, Executive VP of Business Development and Marketing at Gamescampus, discusses what he feels is the error of calling certain MMOs "free to play".]

I would like our industry and media to consider is changing how we refer to our game category. In my personal opinion, the term “free to play” rings hollow and in many cases is completely inaccurate. In calling our games “free to play” I think our industry generates a lot of unnecessary cynicism and calls our product quality into question.

Unless the game is completely monetized by advertising, then the publishers are relying on a certain percentage of people who play the game to find enough enjoyment out of the game to be willing to pay for enhanced features and items. I feel from reading the commentary out there that there is a significant portion of people that feel like the term free to play is a bait-and-switch.

First we should look at our business model as a service that needs to be completely in tune with how a new generation is learning to pay for things; that is, only those things that benefit them, while expecting many other services to be completely without charge. Although it is not a perfect comparison, I do believe there are similarities with Google. For example:

Google doesn’t charge most consumers anything for consuming their most popular service—search. Google search is certainly a very useful free service! However, Google relies on all of the free traffic and searches to power its money making services—paid search and other value added services.

This is perceived to be acceptable because these paid services finance the very useful search service and allows it to be offered for free. In fact, the free search service has been deemed to be so useful, people do not give a second thought to the fact that Google reads very sensitive information about you—what you search for, and what your emails contain (if you use Gmail).

In our game model, almost all content is completely without charge. In fact, we actually rely on most people not paying as the game communities would be really small without them! The truth is that we need the free community to be active, happy, and engaged with the games we publish, if they are not, then we would have very few people that opt to buy a game item.

Development studio Outsmart has announced that it has launched a Facebook application for their 3D virtual world SmallWorlds. Users can embed SmallWorlds within their Facebook profiles and interact with the virtual world on Facebook.

From within Facebook, users can fully use all of the features of SmallWorlds, such as avatar creation, room decoration and playing games, and can also make their Facebook profiles accessible to other users of SmallWorlds.

In addition, Outsmark has announced new games for SmallWorlds—Fast Draw, a Pictionary-like game and Quiz, a single-player quiz show game—and additional payment options, with US, UK and Ireland-based users able to purchase a SmallWorlds VIP membership and in-world currency Gold via mobile payment system Zong, credit card or PayPal.

“We’ve developed a fully browser-based platform that requires no downloads and enables audiences to engage in synchronous, interactive online experiences with their friends,” said Co-founder Darren Green. “We believe that audiences will embrace and enjoy the SmallWorlds application on the Facebook Platform because it’s a seamless experience that combines social media with fun and entertaining content.”

More news from MMO publisher Aeria games—they've announced that they have acquired MMORPG Luminary: Rise of the Goonzu (yes, that is really its title) from nDoors for release in the European market.

Rather an interesting decision of nDoors there—considering it's completely comfortable publishing its titles in North America, such as the recently covered Atlantica Online—and the game is an interesting take on the usual MMORPG, drawing itself closer to something like eRepublik.

In Luminary: Rise of the Goonzu, players choose a profession and attempt to rise through the game's "society" to become a community leader, with the world featuring both a political and economic system as well as all of the questing, item crafting and so on normally featured in these kind of games.

"Luminary: Rise of the Goonzu promises to offer an enjoyable gaming experience with the high quality service and support of Aeria Games," said an Aeria Games representative. "As one of the best known games in Korea and other Asian countries, Luminary joins a list of successful MMO games being published or will soon be published in Europe by Aeria Games."

Virtual world/avatar service operator WeeWorld has announced that users in its community can now send and receive virtual "gifts". 25 Valentine's Day gifts and non-holiday related presents have been launched for users to purchase and gift.

The Valentine's gifts include candy hearts, roses, "kiss-me" frogs and balloons, and there are also "anti-Valentines" gifts on offers such as broken hearts.

According to WeeWorld, "30-50 percent of users regularly send personal messages to their friends" and the new gifting system allows them to send "premium" messages by purchasing or earning WeeWorld points—by spending time on the site and playing games—which can be spent to purchase gifts.

“Our users are actively engaged in the WeeWorld community, and they wanted to be able to send personalized virtual presents to their friends. Since launching our gifting capabilities, we’ve seen an explosion of interest from WeeWorld users,” said Lauren Bigelow, General Manager of North America and SVP of Marketing, WeeWorld. “They are sending thousands of virtual gifts per day, and we expect them to send even more gifts this week to their friends and valentines as Valentine’s Day quickly approaches.”

Hey look! An MMO portal that we haven't noticed before! NHN USA—the North American subsidiary of the Korean Internet company—has announced that it has patnered with CyberStep Communications to include the MMO fighting game SplashFighters on its online games portal ijji.com.

So what is SplashFighters? Well, apparently it's a 3D arena brawler with a cute sort of "super-deformed" style. The game features " nearly 2 million possible weapon combinations" and includes soccer and capture-the-flag modes as well as traditional fighting.

The game also includes all of the traditional avatar customization and socialization options you'd expect.

“SplashFighters’ nonstop action is sure to keep any online adventure seeker on their toes, and we are thrilled to add the game to ijji.com’s ever-growing and diverse lineup,” said Philip Yun, CEO of NHN USA. “With valuable channeling partnerships like we now have with CyberStep to bring SplashFighters to ijji.com’s seven million community members, we will continue to offer an unparalleled online gaming selection and experience.”

Prince Edward Island-based developer Telos International has announced it is scheduled to release its MMO, City of Sinners & Saints during "Summer 2009."

Developed using the Multiverse platform, the company states City of Sinners & Saints has been designed "for the next generation of social networkers looking for an expanded experience on a website."

The title is to feature a "virtual friendship manager", allowing users to track other users online and observe their "top ten" friends, "animotes" allowing users to gesture with their cel-shaded avatars, quests to earn in-game currency with which to purchase clothes, a "living space" and other virtual goods.

“City of Sinners & Saints is being specifically built for the next generation of virtual world travelers,” says Sean Yeomans, president, Telos International. “Our vision is to offer a new kind of experience beyond the normal boundaries of social networking. The city is a place where visitors can enjoy rich content of cartoon-style graphics, comedic story lines, casual games, and social related quests that offer endless hours of challenging yet light-hearted fun.”

[A final - we promise - reminder for anyone who hasn't signed up for GDC 2009 and still wants to. You can save 30% on registration by doing so today or tomorrow.]

Organizers of the 2009 Game Developers Conference are reminding potential attendees that early registration for the March 23rd-27th San Francisco conference ends on Thursday, February 12th, with 30% discounts only available until that date.

Game Developers Conference, which is run by Think Services, as it this website, has been running a weblog covering the major GDC news this year, which includes the latest information on the Moscone Center-located conference.

Major recent announcements include major keynotes from Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima, with his GDC debut 'Solid Game Design: Making the ‘Impossible’ Possible', and from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, with a lecture named 'Discovering New Development Opportunities'.

In addition, organizers have profiled each of the individual Tutorials and Summits on the GDC website. These Summits, which take place on the Monday and Tuesday of GDC, include standalone events devoted to AI, casual games, mobile games, game outsourcing, education, independent games, serious games, localization, and online worlds.

The main GDC event takes place from Wednesday to Friday, and includes major three-day tracks regarding audio, business and management, game design, production, programming, and visual arts. In hundreds of lectures, major developers from all the year's big games (from LittleBigPlanet through Gears Of War 2 and Fable II) will discuss the art and science of game creation.

On the Wednesday night of GDC, the flagship Independent Games Festival Awards and Game Developers Choice Awards, honoring the best titles of the year, will take place. Other major events at the show include the Independent Games Festival Pavilion, located on the Expo Show Floor, which will also have exhibits from major tools companies and game publishers.

Early registration savings for the 2009 Game Developers Conference end at midnight PDT on Thursday, February 12th, and more information about registration and content is available at the official GDC website.

[Each day, Worlds in Motion will be taking a closer look at individual virtual worlds. We'll start with a nuts-and-bolts overview, then move on to an in-depth tour, to be followed up with a conclusion-- all with the aim of bringing you all the essential info and details on each world in the rapidly-developing virtual landscape.]

After last entry's turn-based battle MMORPG Atlantica Online I thought we'd head back into the space of "true" virtual worlds with a look at the browser-based, pixel art heavy CityPixel, which offers a pixilated version of New York for users to explore and live in.

We just had an editorial from GamesCampus, and they've now announced their Valentine's Day promotions—all based around its MMORPG Asda Story.

The company is offering the "Share Your Love Event" which gives gifts to all users who are over level 24 within the game, and is asking them to share them with other players under level 24. The prizes are to be given three times a day and include in-game items like vehicles and potions.

The "My Valentine Pet Event" incorporates the game's recently launched pet system, with pet eggs now dropped by enemy monsters more regularly, and monsters will also drop letters—spelling "Love"—which can also be transformed into a pet egg.

Finally, they're offering the "Secret Candy Formula Event" in which players will be able to craft Valentine's Day candy that will boost their health.

We received a fairly broken-English press release in our inbox recently related to the Age of Heroes Online, a mobile MMORPG published in Russia and Ukraine, and we'll do our best to decipher it for you.

Published by Nomoc, the title was officially released to Russian and Ukranian operators at the beginning of 2009, and is now being played by over 20,000 players. Thanks to the positive response, Nomoc are planning on releasing the title in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kirghizia.

The company are to also launch an English-language server, and have commited to continually adding new quests, locations, levels and races to the game in future.

Age of Heroes Online is a fairly traditional MMORPG—featuring a three week trial before a subscriber fee kicks in—but it does also offer micro transactions for players who wish to gain more experience or make the game easier.

"Until recently business potential of such a complicated mobile MMORPG as Age of Heroes Online could leave people asking questions—even players who have played similar games are simply not used to seeing such titles on mobile phones. Similarly, local players are completely unaccustomed to paying for online games—they most often play on pirate servers with cracked versions, even for popular games," said Evgeniy Korobka, president Nomoc. "Nevertheless, introduction of commercial services in Age of Heroes Online showed our players are ready to pay for a high-quality product. Maybe that is the reason why subscriber fee of one dollar doesn't seem very high even for those who are used to pirate versions, and the cost of the services by microtransactions is lower than that—they don't exceed 50 cents. Now the number of players who pay for the game is rapidly growing."

Casual game developer and publisher Phantom EFX has announced the launch of a casino-themed virtual world, Reel Deal Live!. Offering casino play without wagering real money, the company claim it is " suitable for people of all ages."

Though it's largely a gambling title, according to the developer, players are given "casino quests" on the road from "simple tourist in a casino" to "one of the most powerful gamblers around."

The game is a subscription-based title, starting at $8.99 a month, and users who are willing to sign up for a year are given an "exclusive slot machine" as well as savings on the subscription.

“In these tough economic times, destination hot spots like Las Vegas and Atlantic City might seem a little too rich for most pocketbooks,” said Phantom EFX CEO Aaron Schurman. “With Reel Deal LIVE, people can get that same big casino style excitement without the cost of a trip or the risk that comes with wagering real money. And for those looking to learn the ropes in a risk free environment, this is a great learning tool.”

MMO publisher OGPlanet has announced some more Valentines promotions, this time related to their MMO fighting game, Rumble Fighter.

Players are to be able to purchase Valentines-themed in-game clothing items, and users who "gift" items in the clothing line to other users will also receive a gift of their own.

In addition, the "Lovely Screenshot Event" is underway, with five prizes of in-game currency to give away. Players can post entries on the OGPlanet forum.

Finally, the "Valentine Fever Event" rewards users simply for playing Rumble Fighter—every user who plays at least seven hours during the week of the contest will receive in-game items.

Each day, Worlds in Motion will be taking a closer look at individual virtual worlds. We'll start with a nuts-and-bolts overview, then move on to an in-depth tour, to be followed up with a conclusion-- all with the aim of bringing you all the essential info and details on each world in the rapidly-developing virtual landscape.]

After last entry's turn-based battle MMORPG Atlantica Online I thought we'd head back into the space of "true" virtual worlds with a look at the browser-based, pixel art heavy CityPixel, which offers a pixilated version of New York for users to explore and live in.

South Korean MMORPG publisher NCsoft's sales were up 5 percent year over year to KRW 346.6 billion ($248.6 million) in 2008.

The Seoul-based company's net profit, however, decreased dramatically by 40 percent for the year, primarily due to Aion: The Tower of Eternity's later-than-expected launch in Korea.

NCsoft also attributed its declining year-over-year profit to increased marketing spend for Aion's launch and updates released for its Lineage MMORPG series.

For its fourth quarter ending on December 31st, the publisher reported a quarter-over-quarter increase of 26 percent to KRW 99 billion ($71 million). Net profit was also grew 60 percent over the previous quarter to KRW 5 billion ($3.6 million).

Those fourth quarter sales were divided over several territories, with Korea accounting for 56 percent of the total with KRW 55.4 billion ($39.7 million), Japan at 19 percent with KRW 19.2 billion ($13.8 million), and North America at 12 percent with KRW 12.2 billion ($8.7 million).

Taiwan contributed 4 percent with KRW 3.5 billion ($2.5 million), while Europe brought in 3 percent with KRW 3.4 billion ($2.4 million). Royalty income was also counted at 5 percent with KRW 5.3 billion ($3.9 million).

Korea, Japan, and North America saw significant quarter-over-quarter sales gains of 19 percent, 95 percent, and 21 percent respectively.

During the October to November period, Lineage sales increased 9 percent to KRW 28.9 billion ($20.7 million), as did Lineage II by 20 percent to KRW 41.9 billion ($30 million), City of Heroes by 11 percent to KRW 6.9 billion ($4.9 million), and Guild Wars by 33 percent to KRW 4.9 billion ($3.5 million).

MMORPG Aion, which released in November 2008 in Korea, generated KRW 9.7 billion ($7 million) in sales. The CryEngine-powered title is slated to release in China in the first quarter of 2009, and in Europe and North America in the fourth quarter.

NCsoft expects to see year-to-year sales grow by 36-44 percent in the new fiscal year to KRW 470-500 billion ($337.1-358.6 million).

"We anticipate full scale growth in 2009 based on the successful launch of Aion in Korea and the upcoming launch of the product in territories worldwide," says the company's CFO Jaeho Lee.

[The preceding article by Eric Caoili also appeared on Worlds in Motion sister site Gamasutra.]