Have you ever wondered what a brainstorming session is like for the Fallen Earth team? Well, the newest video on the game's Web site shows a marketing meeting in action, and it's probably not what you'd expect (hint: they're kind of crazy). The video's obviously meant as a joke, but check it out to see some in-game footage if you haven't played the post-apocalyptic MMO yet.

Also, a server optimization patch was implemented today. You can read the short patch notes after the jump.

UPDATE: The Fallen Earth team has officially announced the game's launch and stated that while the MMO may be accessed today via digital download, "the game is scheduled to reach retailers nationwide by September 30." Also, it looks like the maintenance has been extended to 5 p.m. EDT.

Aion may have had the biggest MMO launch today, but players who prefer post-apocalyptic mayhem over celestial gameplay also have reason to celebrate as the Fallen Earth servers are scheduled to go live between 3-4 p.m. EDT after being down since 6 a.m. The team originally planned to have the servers up at 1 p.m., but announced on the official forums that it needed an extension to implement a patch. You can check out the patch notes after the jump.

While you wait for Fallen Earth to officially launch, you may want to read one of our two previews of the game. Chris "Xenophage" McGraw recently got the chance to see Fallen Earth up close and personal at the Penny Arcade Expo, while Christopher "Pwyff" Tom participated in the beta test. So do you plan to fight for your life around the Grand Canyon Province?

The Fallen Earth team has announced that the post-apocalyptic MMO will be available for purchase through Steam, which means you'll be able to download the game and play it from the comfort of your computer chair. Fallen Earth launches tomorrow, Sept. 22, and will unlock for purchase in about 23 hours on Steam.

If you're really interested in hopping onto the Fallen Earth servers early, you still have the opportunity to pre-order the game through Steam today. If you do, you'll also get an in-game Steam T-shirt that will give players who wear it a +5 bonus to the Scavenging, Nature and Geology skills, as well as a 10+ bonus to the Social skill.

This year we decided to cover PAX more aggressively than we have in the past and one of the by-products of that choice is our first annual PAX Awards. Even though the convention focuses on tabletop, PC and console games, MMOs were featured extensively, demonstrating they continue to become more and more popular in the gaming world. As such, due to our MMO focus we had to be extremely selective about what kind of awards we gave out and who we gave them to; however, we’re happy with the end result and we hope that you, our readers and the recipients of these awards will be as well. So without further ado, the Nominees!

Even though the Fallen Earth launch date has been pushed back to Sept. 22, the servers open at 2 p.m. EDT today for players who pre-ordered the game. Pre-order items, such as the custom ATV and Wasteland Runner mount, and prizes earned in the beta tests will be redeemable in the game.

If you didn't pre-order Fallen Earth but are interested in checking out this post-apocalyptic MMO, you may want to read one of our two previews of the game. Chris "Xenophage" McGraw just got the chance to see Fallen Earth up close and personal at the Penny Arcade Expo, while Christopher "Pwyff" Tom participated in the beta test.

The future isn't all shining, magical and fantastic, but that doesn't mean it can't kick serious ass.  In Fallen Earth, developed by Fallen Earth LLC and Icarus Studios, players will find themselves immersed in the post-apocalyptic hell of Arizona's Grand Canyon, circa 2156.  Nuclear war has ravaged the world and, in the aftermath, people have discovered that chivalry doesn't pay off as well as a couple of shotguns and an awesome motorcycle.  Get ready to don your best Mad Max Mohawk and Clint Eastwood snarl.

Perhaps the most impressive feature of Fallen Earth is the setting itself.  The development team has accurately recreated the entire Grand Canyon, based on satellite topography, and over 1000 square miles of unforgiving, non-instanced desert is available to explore.  The harsh landscape is populated by 70 towns, plus 10 non-instanced player-controllable PvP settlements.  Much of the game is focused around vehicles and mounts, but even driving a relatively speedy ATV we're told it will take around three hours of real-time to make it from one end of the game world to the other.  If you plan on hoofing it between locations you might want to stash a healthy supply of straight whiskey and cigars within arms reach of your keyboard, because the mutant monsters don't take kindly to non-grizzled adventurers.

Last week we reported the upcoming post-apocalyptic MMO, Fallen Earth, was slated for official launch on Sept. 15, while pre-order customers will have access to the early-start on Sept. 9. According to an announcement in the official forums yesterday, Administrator "Circatrix" said the official launch date has been pushed back to Sept. 22:

"In an announcement today, FALLEN EARTH, LLC, the creator of the self-titled MMO, noted that it plans to extend the launch date for Fallen Earth to September 22.

“Our main focus is to make sure that Fallen Earth is easily accessible to as many fans as possible," said Jessica Orr, product manager for Fallen Earth. "We are working on initiatives that are near fruition and we simply need more time."

Luckily for pre-order customers, they will still be able to participate in the early-start on Sept. 9, receiving an additional six days of play time before everyone else. Stay tuned for more Fallen Earth updates this month, and check out our recent Fallen Earth preview to learn more about the gameplay.

For as long as I can remember, I've been on the prowl for a game that manages to fuse my two favourite video game genres; first person shooters and MMORPGs. Of course, for anyone who's been as enthusiastic about the MMOFPS genre as I am, you may also realize that the attempts to make a solid MMOFPS are few are far between; Planetside and, technically, Darkfall qualify under this category. Personally speaking, I just don't believe that the technology is yet available to create a game that combines the large-scale player populations and meaningful progression of traditional MMORPGs with the fast-paced combat that typifies most first person shooters. Of course, there are still some very worthy MMOFPS games out there that are still trying to master the dual genre, and that's where Fallen Earth comes in.

Developed and self-published by Icarus Studios LLC and Fallen Earth LLC, Fallen Earth almost feels like an MMO cousin to the offline smash hit Fallout 3. Both games are set in a post-apocalyptic future, and both games focus heavily upon scavenging for items and surviving on wits and weaponry alone. In fact, scavenging for items and surviving on a plethora of homemade weaponry appears to be one of the main focuses of Fallen Earth's interesting spin on the MMOFPS genre.

If you know that you want to enter the post-apocalyptic world of Fallen Earth, the team just announced that you can now pre-order the game through the official Web site. Pre-ordering the retail version will get you into the open beta and give you early access to the live game on Sept. 9, while everyone else needs to wait for the official launch on Sept. 15.

Perhaps the best reason to pre-order the retail version of the game through the site is to get the Fallen Earth ATV, which provides additional protection for clones through elevated armor and defense skills and has more hit points, higher fuel efficiency and more storage slots than basic ATVs.

You can also pre-order Fallen Earth through Direct2Drive, which gives you the same open beta and early access options, as well as a Wasteland Runner in-game horse mount.

The Fallen Earth open beta is scheduled to end Sept. 1, which basically means the end of the world is coming for the testers. Since this game is all about the end of the world, the team is hosting an Apocalypse Party on Saturday from 3-6 p.m. EDT. You'll even be able to buy food items like Pandemic Potato Chips, Pale Horse Ale and the Oranges of Annihilation. While they might sound poisonous, this food will actually give buffs to your character.

Those who attend the party can also obtain in-game items that will be redeemable when the game launches on Sept. 15. Every player logged in on the test server on the half hour mark beginning at 3 p.m. will earn a Beta Clone Psychoactive Shot that grants the user +15 percent experience earned for one hour. You can earn multiple shots by remaining logged in throughout the party.