Microsoft Europe's David Gosen has questioned the gaming industry's seasonal approach to game releases in a recent interview with MCV. According to Gosen, the focus on Q4 and Christmas releases has put the sustainability of new IP into question, and that a second or third release window will be good news for the industry. Great news for my wallet as well, since I won't have to buy all the major releases I want in one big go. More after the jump.

Patch 3.1 for Blizzard's World of Warcraft is definitely coming soon - "promptly," in fact, as blue poster Wryxian said. The Dual spec patch has been the source of much excitement and anticipation among WoW players, although some are left in doubt due to "lack of info" on it. Wryxian, however, responds to that, saying: "The patch is definitely coming... shortly."

Come April 7, 2009, players of Square Enix MMO players will be introduced to the publisher's new Square Enix Account System and Square Enix Security Token. These new security details will be implemented across the board in the territories of Europe, Japan and North America, specifically for added security on Final Fantasy XI.

Turbine has released the latest update to Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria. The expansion is now on Book 7: Leaves of Lorien, which adds new features and gameplay enhancements. Check out details and screenshots after the link.

Now don't go thinking this is another one of those depressing economic news - it's not. It's just your average depressing video game convention news, like E3. A press release just went out announcing that this year's Leipzig Games Convention has been canceled, but they will be holding a new event in its place called Games Convention Online.

Let's take a short break from the Tokyo Game Show as we bring news to the MMO crowd. The first retail expansion pack to Lord of the Rings Online, Mines of Moria, has been given a release date. Expect it be available on November 18. Pre-order pricing details after the link.

Heads up, Age of Conan gamers! Funcom has announced that it will be merging servers in both the US and in Europe. They also mentioned that the long-awaited DirectX 10 version of the game is almost ready for launch on the test server. Details in the full article.

Well, finally. Blizzard has announced the official release date for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. They also revealed what will be included in the game's limited Collector's Edition.

MMO gamers itching to try out EA Mythic's Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning will finally be able to do so this September 7, when the game's open beta phase finally goes live. Players in North America can access the open beta buy pre-ordering the game or by visiting FilePlanet.com and signing up for a limited number of available slots. Find out more about this exciting open beta event in our full article.

Gamers based in Europe will be getting a new event to enjoy in Nexxon's MapleStory. It seems that various monsters such as Bubbling, Lazy Buffy, and Trixter will be randomly dropping summer geared items. In addition, players can also get new gear from the Cash Shop. Find out more in the full article.