This is all to consolidate resources to the profitable titles. The key here is no ones getting laid off the teams that work on these games will simply be reassigned which means more resources for people who play EQ, EQ2, PS2, DCUO and future SOE games.
I don't think its shocking that these games are closing down, more that SOE kept them running as long as they did, you can be sure they kept them going as long as they possibly could, but if their not financing themselves then obviously other titles have to 'subsidise' them. Another poster mentioned planetside 1 as to why that game is still going, i am a bit surprised tbh, its a P2P game and weirdly enough, still has paying players, which seems to be bucking the popular trend these days, though in a way i am a bit surprised it wasn't sunsetted once Planetside 2 really took off, perhaps its one of the few profitable titles remaining in SOE's catalogue?
Wow i remember playing Free Realms with my Nieces who loved it. Butt its true what SOE said about kids growing up. Their more interested in things teen girls think about now.
Streamlining can be a good thing. Closing every one of those makes sense in their consolidation strategy. This isn't like CoH that had a thriving community and solid base.
This will leave EQ, EQ2, EQ:N, Landmark, DCUO, PS2 and Dragon's Prophet. Hopefully the latter can keep itself healthy. In any event SoE doesn't own that one, they just publish it. Runewaker could always move to another pub if it doesn't work out for them with SoE. In any event, that's quite a stable of decent games all with a diverse focus and appeal. The four they're closing seem like dead weight.
I'd expect Dragons Prophet to follow, some time later in the year, or next. Its a lack luster game at best, and has way too many technical issues to really be taken seriously. I'm really surprised that even SOE would publish it.
Originally posted by finnmacool1 Well if there was ever any doubt who the worse mmo publisher/developer in history is, this should put that argument to rest. What is that now, 7 of their games shut down?
None of them ever achieved any success. None of them were that good, Vanguard being the best of the lot and it was always troubled. EA is still by a large margin the worst MMO developer. Most of these were developed by outside studios hence not home grown. Only Free Realms was developed in house I believe.
I am not a big Smedley fan, but this was a good business decision.
Originally posted by finnmacool1 Well if there was ever any doubt who the worse mmo publisher/developer in history is, this should put that argument to rest. What is that now, 7 of their games shut down?
None of them ever achieved any success. None of them were that good, Vanguard being the best of the lot and it was always troubled. EA is still by a large margin the worst MMO developer. Most of these were developed by outside studios hence not home grown. Only Free Realms was developed in house I believe.
I am not a big Smedley fan, but this was a good business decision.
and i think EA still holds the honor of being the only games publisher to have a class action lawsuit brought against for it's failed promises and broken game (BF4).
"There are at least two kinds of games. One could be called finite, the other infinite. A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play." Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
Originally posted by Hariken Wow i remember playing Free Realms with my Nieces who loved it. Butt its true what SOE said about kids growing up. Their more interested in things teen girls think about. now.
Poor excuse, there will always be kids that take the place of those that grow up............
I said since day one from its launch that there was no market for a game like that.
Kids do not have a credit card, and fathers are not going to put up with 8 years old asking to buy them virtual goods when there are plenty of games aimed at kids that would cost them a fraction of the money they would spend on Free Realms
Smedley don't know the market his company operates, he should focus on the core MMO players, trying to get the casual crowd with shallow games is recipe of failure.
this many games shutting down all at once means only one thing.. SOE are chucking the towel in.. they finally realize they have done their customers very wrong and no longer have the player base to pay their bills.
this many games shutting down all at once means only one thing.. SOE are chucking the towel in.. they finally realize they have done their customers very wrong and no longer have the player base to pay their bills.
its almost like an addmition of defeat.
I wish but I didn't read that at all. They're just shifting resources to things that *might* give them more money and closing down things that were costing them those same resources.
I never really got attached to Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, because Vanguard was terrible during beta, and after it went F2P with restrictions, It feels ok but i still cannot get into it. Crafting in the game I dslike in the game compared to everquest 2 is because of the freakin action points are so low and the complications takes alot of my action points. I also dislike it how there is not alot of decent crafting quests to help me get decent crafting tools. People tell me to do the work orders but all I get is junk, and now it starting to feel a bit too grindy and i've stop playing it. Vanguard has sadly aged and have not been modernized and now it's getting axed out and tossed away.
Originally posted by Hariken I agree about Dragons Prophet. That has to be one of the worse programmed mmo's i've ever played. I don't get why SOE hasn't dumped it yet.
Totally forgot that one was one of theirs, but you could be right, perhaps the next announcement is that it will be dropping the title later on this year too, if their cleaning house it would make sense.
this many games shutting down all at once means only one thing.. SOE are chucking the towel in.. they finally realize they have done their customers very wrong and no longer have the player base to pay their bills.
its almost like an addmition of defeat.
Really? or it could mean they are bolstering their current games and future games as anyone with a brain would understand.
I must admit, Vanguard on the way is sad, I played it once for like a month, and saw why people didn't play it much. It was entertaining to a point I suppose. The other games I never heard anything about so not really surprised.
This could be just some pot stirring, but I was just thinking, SOE shutting down some titles, Brad McQuaid doing a kickstarter of a new game and people hoping but not sure if the kickstarter will reach its goal. Think SOE could be looking to pick up another game that is supposed to closely resemble some of it's other games? Not to mention people they have worked with before?
I never really got attached to Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, because Vanguard was terrible during beta, and after it went F2P with restrictions, It feels ok but i still cannot get into it. Crafting in the game I dslike in the game compared to everquest 2 is because of the freakin action points are so low and the complications takes alot of my action points. I also dislike it how there is not alot of decent crafting quests to help me get decent crafting tools. People tell me to do the work orders but all I get is junk, and now it starting to feel a bit too grindy and i've stop playing it. Vanguard has sadly aged and have not been modernized and now it's getting axed out and tossed away.
Still think that Vanguard should have had the development resources pumped into it instead of into EQ2, which imo, that game was a total disaster, Vanguard though would have made a great 'follow on' from EQ1, but it never really stood a chance, its a shame to consign it to the 'might have beens' but i think in the end without a lot more work, it was kind of inevitable.
Originally posted by finnmacool1 Well if there was ever any doubt who the worse mmo publisher/developer in history is, this should put that argument to rest. What is that now, 7 of their games shut down?
Yet more low income people will be seeking handouts and F2P games. *Slaps hand.*
Surprise surprise........... Smedley Midas touch hit once again.
I keep saying that Smedley is not the right person to lead SoE, I am so puzzled on the reason why the board didn't fire him yet.
He keeps investing money in games people don't want to play for then shutting them down after only few years.
Great manager..............
I am pretty sure Free Realms made money. Clone Wars Adventures and Wizardry (only one I can pretty much assume didn't make money at all released recently) and we all know its highly doubtful Vanguard actually made much of profit, though I am not sure if it did in its first year or two due to box sales and initial subscriptions.
Until we have facts that point to the contrary, Smedley as much as many people dislike him, has made SOE profitable. Until he faceplants the company, and PS2 is a hit for many as will EQN and EQ:L, he won't be going anywhere anytime soon.
A great manager turns a profit, but also knows when its time to rid itself of stuff no longer turning a profit margin that is acceptable to the company. So far he has proven to be a great manager for SOE though a few titles where certainly not of his choosing (SWG and I assume SW:CWA) as Lucas had a hand in both of those no doubt.
They just released the 24 man raid on Vanguard and they say they don't have the resources, this is a rash decision obviously brought on by their new incoming payment structure, which I will not be getting now obviously as I loved Vanguard and played Wizardry on occasion and had put some money in it.
I can understand why they had to close down SWG cause of intellectual property, but come on, there is no reason for this, this sucks, yes i'm not happy and it seems EQN is putting everything else to pasture for them, wouldn't doubt if EQ1 and EQ2 followed after EQN's release.
Almost had me back Sony, thanks for at least showing your hand early this time.
Originally posted by finnmacool1 Well if there was ever any doubt who the worse mmo publisher/developer in history is, this should put that argument to rest. What is that now, 7 of their games shut down?
A worse developer would have chosen to just keep these dead games alive and kept on wasting more money and resources on them. This gives me hope that they are finally moving in the right direction.
Originally posted by finnmacool1 Well if there was ever any doubt who the worse mmo publisher/developer in history is, this should put that argument to rest. What is that now, 7 of their games shut down?
A worse developer would have chosen to just keep these dead games alive and kept on wasting more money and resources on them. This gives me hope that they are finally moving in the right direction.
TBH they did leave them going to long so point mute
Comments
we know of 3: EQN, EQL, and an unannounced game for SWG vets
Surprise surprise........... Smedley Midas touch hit once again.
I keep saying that Smedley is not the right person to lead SoE, I am so puzzled on the reason why the board didn't fire him yet.
He keeps investing money in games people don't want to play for then shutting them down after only few years.
Great manager..............
I'd expect Dragons Prophet to follow, some time later in the year, or next. Its a lack luster game at best, and has way too many technical issues to really be taken seriously. I'm really surprised that even SOE would publish it.
None of them ever achieved any success. None of them were that good, Vanguard being the best of the lot and it was always troubled. EA is still by a large margin the worst MMO developer. Most of these were developed by outside studios hence not home grown. Only Free Realms was developed in house I believe.
I am not a big Smedley fan, but this was a good business decision.
and i think EA still holds the honor of being the only games publisher to have a class action lawsuit brought against for it's failed promises and broken game (BF4).
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
Poor excuse, there will always be kids that take the place of those that grow up............
I said since day one from its launch that there was no market for a game like that.
Kids do not have a credit card, and fathers are not going to put up with 8 years old asking to buy them virtual goods when there are plenty of games aimed at kids that would cost them a fraction of the money they would spend on Free Realms
Smedley don't know the market his company operates, he should focus on the core MMO players, trying to get the casual crowd with shallow games is recipe of failure.
SOE.....lol
Should be renamed "SOL"
this many games shutting down all at once means only one thing.. SOE are chucking the towel in.. they finally realize they have done their customers very wrong and no longer have the player base to pay their bills.
its almost like an addmition of defeat.
I wish but I didn't read that at all. They're just shifting resources to things that *might* give them more money and closing down things that were costing them those same resources.
I never really got attached to Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, because Vanguard was terrible during beta, and after it went F2P with restrictions, It feels ok but i still cannot get into it. Crafting in the game I dslike in the game compared to everquest 2 is because of the freakin action points are so low and the complications takes alot of my action points. I also dislike it how there is not alot of decent crafting quests to help me get decent crafting tools. People tell me to do the work orders but all I get is junk, and now it starting to feel a bit too grindy and i've stop playing it. Vanguard has sadly aged and have not been modernized and now it's getting axed out and tossed away.
Totally forgot that one was one of theirs, but you could be right, perhaps the next announcement is that it will be dropping the title later on this year too, if their cleaning house it would make sense.
Really? or it could mean they are bolstering their current games and future games as anyone with a brain would understand.
I must admit, Vanguard on the way is sad, I played it once for like a month, and saw why people didn't play it much. It was entertaining to a point I suppose. The other games I never heard anything about so not really surprised.
This could be just some pot stirring, but I was just thinking, SOE shutting down some titles, Brad McQuaid doing a kickstarter of a new game and people hoping but not sure if the kickstarter will reach its goal. Think SOE could be looking to pick up another game that is supposed to closely resemble some of it's other games? Not to mention people they have worked with before?
I'm not betting on it but food for thought...
Still think that Vanguard should have had the development resources pumped into it instead of into EQ2, which imo, that game was a total disaster, Vanguard though would have made a great 'follow on' from EQ1, but it never really stood a chance, its a shame to consign it to the 'might have beens' but i think in the end without a lot more work, it was kind of inevitable.
Yet more low income people will be seeking handouts and F2P games. *Slaps hand.*
I am pretty sure Free Realms made money. Clone Wars Adventures and Wizardry (only one I can pretty much assume didn't make money at all released recently) and we all know its highly doubtful Vanguard actually made much of profit, though I am not sure if it did in its first year or two due to box sales and initial subscriptions.
Until we have facts that point to the contrary, Smedley as much as many people dislike him, has made SOE profitable. Until he faceplants the company, and PS2 is a hit for many as will EQN and EQ:L, he won't be going anywhere anytime soon.
A great manager turns a profit, but also knows when its time to rid itself of stuff no longer turning a profit margin that is acceptable to the company. So far he has proven to be a great manager for SOE though a few titles where certainly not of his choosing (SWG and I assume SW:CWA) as Lucas had a hand in both of those no doubt.
They just released the 24 man raid on Vanguard and they say they don't have the resources, this is a rash decision obviously brought on by their new incoming payment structure, which I will not be getting now obviously as I loved Vanguard and played Wizardry on occasion and had put some money in it.
I can understand why they had to close down SWG cause of intellectual property, but come on, there is no reason for this, this sucks, yes i'm not happy and it seems EQN is putting everything else to pasture for them, wouldn't doubt if EQ1 and EQ2 followed after EQN's release.
Almost had me back Sony, thanks for at least showing your hand early this time.
A worse developer would have chosen to just keep these dead games alive and kept on wasting more money and resources on them. This gives me hope that they are finally moving in the right direction.
Vanguard had interesting crafting and nothing else I tried 2 times to return but meh.
TBH they did leave them going to long so point mute