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John Smedley
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Not according to this fine poll. MMORPG.COM Polls Do you currently play a SOE published game? Yes 23.1% No 76.9% Based on 12814 votes.
SO if you are saying that this poll represents the MMO community. That is almost 25% of the community playing SOE game...leaving the other 75% playing WoW and the other 300 MMOs on this site. Based on that poll...that would put SOE as one of the best...not one of the worst.
As for why SOE doesn't fire him? SOE don't look at the community...they look at the money. He finds the way to bring in a few extra bucks...so he keeps his job for another year. Once he starts causing SOE to loose more money than he makes...they they will perhaps get rid of him.
This is a dumb topic, I;m sorry. He has a job because, unlike you, he knows what he is doing and is successful at what he does. Also, not everything Sony does, is because of him, please try to come back to reality at some point ok?
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"Anyone posting on this forum is not an average user, and there for any opinions about the game are going to be overly critical compared to an average users opinions." - Me
"No, your wrong.." - Random user #123
"Hello person posting on a site specifically for MMO's in a thread on a sub forum specifically for a particular game talking about meta features and making comparisons to other titles in the genre, and their meta features.
How are you?" -Me
Ever see a coach in the NFL that wins a super bowl early in his career and then the team owner's hang on to him for years because they think he's a great coach. The thinking is: If he did it once, he can do it again. (see Brian Billick)
It's kinda like that.
I see plenty of coaches that did perform great in the past but did not do a good job in the present, geuss what........................... they got fired or seeked another club talking footbal (dutch) here. Same applies to any other business I am know with.
Basic fact if people do not do their job wel enough they get fired, should make all those anti Smedly people think, but nah instead they enjoy ignoring fact cause for some reason they can not see beyond their own little hate against the guy.
Ever see a coach in the NFL that wins a super bowl early in his career and then the team owner's hang on to him for years because they think he's a great coach. The thinking is: If he did it once, he can do it again. (see Brian Billick)
It's kinda like that.
I see plenty of coaches that did perform great in the past but did not do a good job in the present, geuss what........................... they got fired or seeked another club talking footbal (dutch) here. Same applies to any other business I am know with.
Basic fact if people do not do their job wel enough they get fired, should make all those anti Smedly people think, but nah instead they enjoy ignoring fact cause for some reason they can not see beyond their own little hate against the guy.
The difference being that those coaches made tangible errors that cost them money/wins. However Smedlys "Failure" is only a players perception borne of the ignorant on the forums.
Trust me, if he could not perform his job, or did not grow the company he would be gone. It is moronic to think otherwise. As you said.
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"Anyone posting on this forum is not an average user, and there for any opinions about the game are going to be overly critical compared to an average users opinions." - Me
"No, your wrong.." - Random user #123
"Hello person posting on a site specifically for MMO's in a thread on a sub forum specifically for a particular game talking about meta features and making comparisons to other titles in the genre, and their meta features.
How are you?" -Me
I'm sure he hasn't been fired because he makes SoE a lot of money. Unfortunately, the products he produces are no longer MMOs I like to play. I love Vanguard, but he has that game on minimal support while investing a lot of money into products like Free Realms.
I think the MMO market that consists of EQ1 and Vanguard lovers like me is a small segment of the total MMO picture.
You can't fire Smed.
He's the pantomime villain of the MMO world.
WIthout him, who would we hate?
Playing: EVE, Final Fantasy 13, Uncharted 2, Need for Speed: Shift
You can say what you want about Smed but he turns a profit for his company and he is not afraid to try new things in the MMO space. SOE has 6 or 7 MMO's that are live and 2-3 in production. What other company has that? Yeah they are not for everyone and they are not on top as far as subscribers go but most of them are making money and have turned profit.
Many people fail to realize that you don't need 13 million subscribers to be a successful studio. If SOE doesn't offer a game that is for you, then move on and find something else?
I just wonder why smed hasn;t gone all balls out on his cash shops and make them tuly useable.
If we are gonna have a cash shop AND a sub fee, sell me my damn epic while your at it.
Smed is a tool.
You really think smed has never made an decision that cost his company money?
Rushing EQ2 to market to beat wow? Anything related to what has developed with swg, from another early release to the nge? That is just for kicks. Imagine you had to walk into your bosses office and explain the peformance of a game with the star wars IP tied to it or having to close half the game servers a year after EQ2s release and right during the largest explosion of new players in mmo history.
I am sure there are plenty of blunders at soe and don't think it is to beyond reasonable to think smed has made some choices that screwed things up royaly. Especially when he admits to making big mistakes
What do you really think soes overall marketshare is today compared to 2004, when they were boasting numbers that totaled up to over 1 million combined subs in their games?
Trust you that he is growing the company? Maybe in non mmo related projects, but the mmo side of the company doesn't seem to be fairing all that well so far.
Not according to this fine poll. MMORPG.COM Polls Do you currently play a SOE published game? Yes 23.1% No 76.9% Based on 12814 votes.
LOL as if MMORPG.com represents the whole MMORPG community.......Seriously I hope you where just making fun.....
Lol I totally agree Jestor. This is one of the worst communities for an overall aspect of people expecting to much and bashing new games instead of giving them a fair chance after launch, and I am in not defending any games, as most all have there own different flaws at first and the great ones will work through it.
The average person on the site that replies has to be under 16, because there bitter and expect to much to cater to them and right away!
Me! Me!
Not according to this fine poll. MMORPG.COM Polls Do you currently play a SOE published game? Yes 23.1% No 76.9% Based on 12814 votes.
LOL as if MMORPG.com represents the whole MMORPG community.......Seriously I hope you where just making fun.....
I am all about the fun , Like the PreCU.
Unaware of the Jestor?
http://about.me/JestorRodo/
Friends enjoy his classic Vblog - https://www.facebook.com/GoodOldReliableNathan
please link this video of smed!
second!in most asia !and i could be wrong here they use coffe shop or stuff like that for their gaming fix so when they pay the easiest way to be different is trough item shop.most just cant afford the price of a brand new comp that can play say aion at max setting.plus the monthly fee for internetnet connection!so they go coffee shop playing!or its like us in the 1980s.i remember we could play at home on the supernintendo!but it was way cooler on fridays to go hang out at the arcade buy a soda pop.put some money in the machine and play with friends.i couldnt care less if i spent 40 buck on that fridays night i was with friends often met a nice girl or girl met some very fine boys.cant met people in the house.
its probably whats going on ,and since they probably didnt event have arcade days in the 1980s ,this probably is it!
Zam network did the interview last year - but posted here this week:
http://everquest.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=16616
He does confirm that Station Cash will be in every game going forward. He claims that as far as in game item sales that the line they are drawing in the sand is at experience potions - nothing else more game changing. He actually says that enough that you almost believe him.
In truth, the reality of cash shops is hard to nail down. Blizzard sells gender changes, SOE sells server transfers etc. These are services we want as players anyway. I'm not a fan of in game items, even for cosmetic reasons but I can pretty much ignore it and not use it - my choice. Aside from the fact that people willing to spend money will outlevel me, it doesn't hurt my game experience as long as that is where they continue to draw the line.
Here is a link from Summer 2007 where Smedly talks about the direction he wants to take soe and how he intends to make money.
LINK
Snippet from the interview
“Right now our revenue is almost all subscriptions,” John Smedley, the unit’s president, said in an interview. “In two years, we would like to see no more than 50 percent of our revenue coming from subscriptions, and five years from now we think less than 10 percent of our revenue will come from subscription sources.” -John Smedley
This is where the driving force behind soes game design is coming from. They do not design from a desire to make great games, but rather to adhere to a revenue model. That is why free realms is doing so terrible. It isn't a fun game, but rather a cheap skin glued on top of a revenue model with a few clones of popular web java games tacked on to replace actual mmo gameplay. That is why they had to change from free to play to subscription base, because that is how they think gaming issues are solved, with revenue changes.
Smed is obviously not doing a good job. Just look at the mile stones he sets in the interview and compare the results
So far I can't see any reasons why this guy is still in charge, other than maybe there is no one even remotely capable to replace him.
Ask John Smedley to talk about revenue models, micro transactions or marketing strategies to increase income and he will talk your ear off. His answers will ooze with passion and enthusiasm on the subject. A subject that he simply cannot shut up about.
Ask John Smedley what makes a video game fun and you will be lucky to get a one line blurb out of his mouth before he segways right back into a discussion about revenue.
so viewing his interview from beginning of 2009 ,if i understand what he wants is
F2P2P GAME for all of their game lol!so you ll pay monthly and then you ll have to pay again to have exclusive item only avail in their shop!
this idea will kill the mmo market totally!and its probably what microsoft and soe and nintendo want since this would mean more
ps3 or xbox or wii sold!
this keem is so elaborate and fucked up some boss of smed have too much time on their hands the boss of smed should be fired
gees even the marketing guy who cooked up this idea truelly want to ruin soe.
soe is too big they dont see this thats for sure!by the time they understand it will be too late!
He must be doing something right if he hasn't been fired yet.
Oh, and by the way, we're all playing games, he's working, to support himself I would think.
Of course he'll make choices we don't like, if he keeps his job, that's the path he'll take.
"The question that sometimes drives me hazy: Am I, or the others crazy?" - Albert Einstein
of caurse he wont get fired hes doing what his boss tell him to do nothing more nothing less!
be a good boy and say to the people what i want said smed!
smed do !smed keep his job!the day smed stop ,is the day smed will be out of work!
of caurse he wont get fired hes doing what his boss tell him to do nothing more nothing less!
be a good boy and say to the people what i want said smed!
smed do !smed keep his job!the day smed stop ,is the day smed will be out of work!
A job, giving him money, and allowing him to support himself, and if he has one, his family.
"The question that sometimes drives me hazy: Am I, or the others crazy?" - Albert Einstein
of caurse he wont get fired hes doing what his boss tell him to do nothing more nothing less!
be a good boy and say to the people what i want said smed!
smed do !smed keep his job!the day smed stop ,is the day smed will be out of work!
I don't think SOE/Smed had a lot of oversight when soe was in the movie division of sony. It isn't like there are game designers working at Sony Pictures to tell Smed what to do. In 2003/2004 soe was making crazy amounts of money and I bet Sony Pictures was very hands off as long as they were doing well and let soe reinvest a decent percent of their revenue into growing their business.
However I suspect he has spent a good number of years since 2004 trying to hide the massive marketshare they have been losing by cutting costs anywhere he can and increasing money grabs anywhere possible. That is why their RMT efforts went into overdrive and the hyperspeed they rushed expansions out the door.
That decline most likely got to big to ignore and that is the reason soe was restructured into the gaming division, because it wasn't performing well and lacked any quality oversight by people who make films.
Smed now has to answer to a boss that has a clue about the gaming market. He might be receiving orders or at least having to get certain things approved, but the buck very much stops at him.