It would appear that the production of a Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning-related MMO from Curt Schilling's 38 Studios and their subsidiary, Big Huge Games, have ramped up this week with the hiring of two massive players in the massively-multiplayer online realm.

Over the past several days, even the most casual of MMO fans have had something to shout about. First came even more evidence substantiating the already highly likely Elder Scrolls Online, which we examined in detail. Next, the media got some serious hands-on time with Mists of Pandaria, the fourth (and cutest) expansion to the World of Warcraft, and it looks interesting, to say the least. We also learned that The Old Republic will be expanding players' story arcs in future updates, but the internet was not content with resting quite yet.

We have been aware of a potential 38 Studios MMO for quite some time, known only as 'Project Copernicus' before now. Despite already having an all-star studio, Schilling and friends have made some very impressive appointments as development on 'Copernicus' looks to be gearing up. John Blakely has served as both the general manager at Zynga Austin and VP of development at Sony Online Entertainment, where he oversaw the development of both DC Universe Online and EverQuest II, among others. Mark Hansen served as the senior director at Playwell Studios as one of the leads on LEGO Universe, the sadly ill-fated MMO that failed to gather enough of an audience to sustain itself.

Blakely's new position at 38 Studios is senior VP of development, meaning he will directly oversee the development of the game. Hansen has been made senior VP of business operations, which puts him in charge of everything related to the publishing of the title. These two should, given their experience, provide a foundation that could make the Kingdoms of Amalur MMO more than just another uninspired spin-off.

Basically, if you were at all worried about the world of Amalur going out of style, perish the thought! Along with this MMO, The Legend of Dead Kel DLC just made its way to consoles and PCs, further expanding the already enormous landmass. If Amalur is a virtual world you would like to call home, you have a lot to look forward to in the coming months and years.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and The Legend of Dead Kel expansion are available now for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.