According to Gamasutra, Atari announced in an earnings report today that it is looking to sell Cryptic Studios, having "determined that external development creates more flexibility in the changing marketplace." In the meantime, Atari will continue to support all current Cryptic projects, including Champions Online and Star Trek Online. Development on Neverwinter will continue as planned for the time being.

Cryptic Community Representative WishStone has addressed the news on the official Star Trek Online forums:

"Right now I have no further details other than what has been mentioned elsewhere. Support for Champions Online and Star Trek Online will be continuing as normal, our staff is working hard on their projects (and the folks from the Champions team deserve an extra cheer for their new stuff by the way) and there are no planned changes to the way any of our games and projects will operate.

So Stormy is here, I am here, Dan and the gang are here, your GMs and QA staff are working hard. It sounds way more dramatic than it actually is."

According to WishStone's post, this move should not affect players of Cryptic's games.

Have you ever wondered how Cryptic designs costume sets in Champions Online? Lead Artist Brad Stokan has posted some concept art for the upcoming archer set, as well as his thought process behind adding some custom weapons:

"We've taken note of the response towards the weapons and gadgets incorporated in the Retro Sci-Fi and Pulp concepts, and I'm leaning towards packing in a themed weapon or two with certain costume sets in the future. With that in mind, I thought we'd explore some possibilities for themed bows and matching quivers."

Most players on the official forums seem to enjoy the look of the set. What about you?

Champions Online Executive Producer Shannon "Poz" Posniewski has left Cryptic Studios to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. No, that's not a joke. According to Cryptic, Poz has left the company to "vacation" and explore Africa. Here's what he had to say about his departure:

"Working at Cryptic Studios has been incredible for me. Both the Cryptic team and its fans are amazing, and working with them over the last eight years has been hugely rewarding. I'm very proud of everything we've done for Champions Online: Free for All, and I know there's more great stuff coming. But for me it's time to recharge a bit; for something new and completely different. I'm thinking open skies, tall mountains and perhaps death by exposure."

Producer Rob Overmeyer will be stepping up to fill Posniewski's shoes and run Champions Online. Will Posniewski ever return to Cryptic? It's unclear from the announcement, which is titled "Poz Hits Pause," but remember that Craig Zinkievich left the company to spend time with his family and ultimately returned as Cryptic's COO.

Good luck climbing Kilimanjaro, Poz!

Cryptic has announced that the Resistance Adventure Pack will be coming to Champions Online in May. Players level 11-40 will be able to participate in Resistance missions, either solo or with groups of up to five players.

While you wait for Resistance to launch, Cryptic has added account-wide costume slots to the C-Store. You can also now pick up the Rainbow Flight travel power upgrade. See it in action in the video below.

Champions Online Producer Rob Overmeyer is a busy guy. Not only did he just publish a lengthy State of the Game address for April, but he also answered a whopping 41 questions in the latest Ask Cryptic segment. Here are the highlights from the State of the Game letter:

• With the next update, nearly all instanced missions in the game will be able to scale to team size similarly to the Adventure Packs.
• This weekend they are opening up Serpent Lantern to all Silver Players to play for free. 
• The Resistance Adventure Pack is tentatively scheduled to go live on May 17.
• Hideouts are launching in July. They are personal spaces for players to hang out and socialize in, and they're customizable. At launch there will be four different hideouts: Mom’s Basement, Cave, Arcane and Moonbase.
• The Devastator Archetype is now available in the C-Store. Rainbow flight will be added next week. May includes a new costume set and more devices like Be Vampire and Robot Sidekick.
• Cryptic will continue to add more costume sets. Some are classic while others are more modern.
• The first Comic Series is in development and they are currently working on the third issue. The Comic Series is comprised of 5-6 issues that are released on a weekly basis.
• The State of the Game and Ask Cryptic segments will be published on alternating months from now on.

Cryptic Studios just released a trailer for the Devastator archetype, which will be be available in Champions Online: Free for All on April 21. The trailer says the archetype is available now, but Cryptic has confirmed the release was delayed.

Check out the trailer below to see the barbaric Devastator in action!

Whether your taxes are done or you're scrambling to meet the deadline, Cryptic Studios is offering a tax relief weekend sale in both Star Trek Online and Champions Online. Everything in both the Star Trek store and the Champions Online store is 20% off until April 18 at 10 a.m. PDT. Some items are excluded, so double check the price before you hit the buy button.

In addition lifetime subscriptions for both Star Trek Online and Champions Online are 20% off until April 18 at 10 a.m. PDT. You can purchase either subscription for $239.99 throughout the weekend. Remember, Champions Online is free-to-play, but the lifetime subscription will give you all the benefits of a paid Gold Members in perpetuity.

Do you want the chance to win an Alienware laptop? All you need to do is "like" the Champions Online Facebook page and participate in their sweepstakes survey. That's it!

The first laptop winner will be chosen once the Facebook page hits 40,000 likes. The second winner will be selected at the 50,000 likes mark. The page currently has a little less than 28,000 fans, so you still have time to enter the contest. Good luck!

Bear with us, because this may get a little confusing. Last month, Jack Emmert was appointed CEO of Cryptic Studios following the departure of John Needham, who is now Gazillion's CEO. Emmert was formerly Cryptic's COO, and that position has been filled by none other than Craig Zinkievich!

Zinkievich is no stranger to Cryptic Studios. He was the executive producer of Star Trek Online for two years before ending his seven-year run with Cryptic in July 2010 to spend more time with his family. Now he's back as Cryptic's COO and will will oversee the production and operations of the studio's live games and those currently in development.

"It’s great, after a break, to return to the studio that has always felt like home to me," Zinkievich said. "I have always believed in Cryptic’s potential to make great games and I'm excited to be part of the business going forward."

Feel like fighting some zombies in Champions Online? GM Tiyshen will be hosting another Zombie Apocalypse event today, April 12, from 11 a.m. to noon PDT and 3-4 p.m. PDT. Level 40 Archetypes are welcome to take out the undead horde with their fellow Champions.

GM Tiyshen will be in Millennium City prior to the match if anyone has any questions. You can also head over to the event thread in the official forums for more information.