According to GamesIndustry.biz, Gameforge has laid off around 100 of its 450 employees as they struggle to reach a more "efficient organisational structure," says CEO Alexander Roesner. Unfortunately, these changes do not bode well for Gameforge's published MMORPGs, including the ones they acquired after taking over Frogster. Yesterday, Frogster founder and CEO Christoph Gerlinger left the company after nearly seven years.

We've already seen Mythos Europe close its doors on October 27th (Mythos Europe was published by Frogster), and this is also casting serious doubts on Gameforge's ability to publish Star Trek: Infinite Space, unless a co-publishing deal can be found. Bad news indeed!

Gameforge's upcoming Star Trek - Infinite Space browser MMO is set in the Deep Space Nine universe, so it only seems fitting that they'd talk with DS9 actors about the game. The company sat down with Nana Visitor (Kira) and Rene Auberjonois (Odo) to dicuss their thoughts on the show making a comeback as an MMO. You can listen to their answers in the video below!

Gameforge has released a two-part video interview with Star Trek veterans Michael and Denise Okuda, who are acting as consultants for the company's upcoming Star Trek - Infinite Space browser MMO. Both have served as technical consultants and art supervisors on various Star Trek series, including The Next Generation.

The Q&A focuses mainly on the Okudas and their history with the Star Trek franchise. While it doesn't provide much information on the game, it demonstrates that Gameforge is trying to capture that Star Trek feel by consulting with the Okudas. If you're a Trekkie or Trekker, watch the videos below and sign up for the Star Trek - Infinite Space beta to earn some in-game perks!

Gameforge just launched its new Star Trek - Infinite Space site! Players who register to participate in the beta for the upcoming free-to-play browser game will now get a few perks, including the ability to reserve their character name. They'll also receive an exclusive badge that can be shown on their character once the game is launched.

If you've already registed for the beta, you'll have to register again to be eligible for the nickname reservation and the limited edition badge. Head over to the new Star Trek - Infinite Space site to sign up for the beta.

The latest starship of the week to grace the Star Trek - Infinite Space site is the Federation Intrepid Class, which fans will recognize from Star Trek: Voyager. Gameforge has released three gameplay screenshots of the ship in action, which you can view above and after the jump. Click on any image to view the larger version.

According to the game's site, this browser-based MMO is still scheduled to launch this summer with a beta coming soon. While summer is quickly drawing to a close, Gameforge tweeted yesterday that the launch window is "definitely this year." Expect more Star Trek - Infinite Space news to come out of Gamescom next week.

Gameforge just announced that Chris Hülsbeck will create the score for Star Trek - Infinite Space, the upcoming free-to-play browser-based MMO set in the Deep Space Nine timeline. Here's some information on Hülsbeck's background from a press release:

"The renowned computer game music composer became famous with his soundtracks for milestone games such as Turrican 2 and The Great Giana Sisters. Today, he can look back on 25 years' experience in the computer games industry. In 2008, the Cologne based WDR Radio Orchestra performed 'Symphonic Shades', a classical re-interpretation in honor of his music. Hülsbeck marked the 8-bit era as one of its outstanding musicians and stands as an example for many of today's DJs."

A sample track from the soundtrack is currently available as a free download on the game's official site. The entire soundtrack will be available for free once the game launches this summer.

Gameforge has released three new screenshots from Star Trek - Infinite Space, the free-to-play MMO that's scheduled to launch in the summer of 2011. If you're intrigued at the thought of a casual, browser-based Star Trek game, check out the screenshots in our gallery and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Star Trek - Infinite Space is set in the Deep Space Nine timeline. Players will be able to join the Federation or become a Klingon. Head over to the game's official site for more details or to register to participate in the testing process.

Last month, German-based publisher Gameforge announced that it had teamed up with developer keen games to launch a free-to-play casual browser-based Star Trek MMO in the summer of 2011. Well, the publisher just released the first cinematic trailer for Star Trek - Infinite Space on the game's preview site, and it focuses on some epic space battles.

While the trailer doesn't show us much besides some starships shooting each other, it does give us a taste of what we can expect to see in the game, which is set in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine timeline. It looks like there will be a lot of conflict between the factions, and it will be up to players to choose sides. You can see for yourself after the jump.

Also, players are currently able to sign up for the alpha testing phase, which is scheduled to begin later this year.

German-based publisher Gameforge announced today that it has teamed up with developer keen games to launch a free-to-play casual browser-based Star Trek MMO in the summer of 2011.  Star Trek - Infinite Space will be set in the Deep Space Nine timeline and will feature the input of expert Star Trek consultants Denise and Michael Okuda.

It's safe to say that this casual free-to-play game will provide a vastly different gameplay experience from Star Trek Online. Will you check out the game once it launches? What are your thoughts on the Deep Space Nine setting?