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General: SOE Acquires Octopi
Szark
News ManagerMember Posts: 4,420
SOE has announced that they have acquired Arizona based Octopi, the creators of the online collectible strategy game PoxNora.
SAN DIEGO, CA & TUCSON, AZ – Jan. 19, 2009 – Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) now owns the ground-breaking, critically acclaimed PoxNora online collectible strategy game and the other key assets for future game development from Tucson-based Octopi, LLC. As part of the acquisition, members of the Octopi development team will form the core of SOE’s new Tucson studio, focusing on the continuing support of PoxNora as well as working with SOE’s Denver studio on new trading card and strategy game projects. The transaction closed Friday, January 16, 2009.
“Our strategy and trading card games have been successful beyond our wildest dreams,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “Expanding with a great product like PoxNora and the outstanding development team from Octopi gives us a chance to extend our strategy game offerings and enhance the ones we already field.”
"We could not be more excited about becoming part of the Sony Online Entertainment family," said Dan Kopycienski, president of Octopi. "We have always been passionate about developing unique and creative games for our customers, and now with the support of SOE, we will have the opportunity to take our products to that next level."
Based in Tucson, Arizona, Octopi, LLC. are the developers of PoxNora, a successful online game that combines aspects of traditional card games with turn-based strategy games to give players a unique game experience. Seven successful expansions provide a strong base for current success, as well as building a sturdy foundation for the future.
The new SOE Tucson studio will work closely with SOE’s Denver studio on maintaining and expanding SOE’s lineup of strategy games, as well as pushing into new genres and developing new projects.
Read more here.
Comments
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I really wish they would put some of this money into their own games rather than buy up failing IPs from other developers. . .
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That's because John Smedly lives in a different dimension. And in his dimension all his games are a stunning success!
No doubt it is a lot cheaper to maintain a game than to create it from scratch. They must see it has a stable fan base and worth the investment to maintain
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SOE are the dying IP scavengers of the MMO world. Nothing but vultures.
Even EA's 'buy a creative studio, then sequel the IP to death' strategy looks more noble than what SOE does.
SOE's logo on the box spells failure. Proven time and time again.
It's all about the trading card games . . .
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Is it really a failure, or is it more of a sign of SOE's newer strategy for their games? After all, PoxNora is a collectible game, which means that if you want to be competitive and not just stuck with the free starter kit you get in the beginning, you've got to spend money in the game's store.
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SOE are the dying IP scavengers of the MMO world. Nothing but vultures.
Even EA's 'buy a creative studio, then sequel the IP to death' strategy looks more noble than what SOE does.
SOE's logo on the box spells failure. Proven time and time again.
Interesting. I loved my time in VG -- great PvE game IMO. I'm playing EQ2 now and having a good time with it. And let's not foget that they have DC Online and The Agency coming out too in addition to any secret projects they're working on.
SOE screwed up with SWG (and Lucas should share in that blame as well). Other than that, they're not a bad company IMO, and they're much better than you give them credit for.
Interesting aquisition here. So now SOE can offer :
- Online RTS
- TCG's both virtual and hardcopies through Topps (Free Realms)
- MMO's with the themes of sc-fi, fantasy, FPS, Superhero, Spy and Pirates
- Casual games (Cosmic rift, Infantry and tanarus)
- Micro transaction (Free Realms, The Agency) and flat rate sub models for their games
- Possible games on PC as well as PS3
Thats alot of options for one gaming company to offer, plus if they tie it all in the Station Launcher under one feee it will be hard for other companies to compete. If you get bored with fantasy, you can switch to antoher MMO, pla a card game or now play an RTS without having to cancel a sub and switch to another company.
EA just jumped aboard the PS Home as well so lots of good news for them lately. I think we are going to see an turn around for SOE in the coming year or so.
"If we don't attack them, they will attack us first. So we'd better retaliate before they have a chance to strike"
SOE wants to be the leader in everything. Unfortunately that kind of strategy always leads to be second rate in everything. Smedley has so little vision it is pathetic. There are a lot of 12 year olds out there that could run his company better.
While the microtransactions look like a winning strategy it really is strictly a front loaded design. When players don't have to put much effort into something they generally don't feel bad about leaving. Hence player loyalty and length of play are shorted dramatically.
I feel sorry for Octopi, won't be long before SOE moves a few to another location and lays off the rest. Best get those resumes out there fast.
PoxNora is actually a decent game.
Well that was until SOE acquired it...
Crap, there goes the neighborhood!
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soe is the used car salesman of gaming
Anyone ever play the game Monopoly? Or have you only heard of it?
yes infact....you know...SOE and EA seem to hold some kind of...i dunno how you would put it...monopoly...yeah thats it...they hold a Monopoly
someone really need to impose some limits on these companies before its too late
MMO wish list:
-Changeable worlds
-Solid non level based game
-Sharks with lasers attached to their heads
yes infact....you know...SOE and EA seem to hold some kind of...i dunno how you would put it...monopoly...yeah thats it...they hold a Monopoly
someone really need to impose some limits on these companies before its too late
SoE holds a monoploy? So you cant play any other games besides there? No, not really a monopoly. Centurytel (My internet provider) has a monopoly, because I cant get anything but them, and cant get internet without long distance phone service.
Currently restarting World of Warcraft
It sounds good on paper, but myself (and the majority of other gamers) don't want to spend $1000+ a year on a sub+cards+micro+console. Not to mention, ALOT of gamers won't go near anything with SOE on the box. They've ruined all thier games in one way or another. Acquiring a new game will not change the fact that SOE's greed will ruin any game they acquire, develop, maintain, or whatever it maybe. That's why SOE is drowning in BILLIONS of dollars of debt. SOE is the Wall Street of the gaming world, spend spend spend, but doesn't have any money to spend.
Nice! SOE can somehow tie this card game into their Station Pass service and use it as another excuse to raise the monthly price a few more dollars.
Wow, more TCG is just what SOE needs... Not. They should focus on making MMOs instead. But I guess TDC are cheap to make and can generate a lot of money.
Still, they have already 2 of those already and to be honest, SOE worst MMO is tons better then them put together.
before everyone don's their tinfoil hats: SOE is a company and their goal is to make money not entertain you.
Yeah but one directly correlates with the other. If they're not entertaining you, they're not making money.
I forsee even more RMT schemes and desirable in game items being introduced that causes you to have to spend extra real money to get from this.
It's a recession year. SOE isn't exactly known for making the best games, but they sure think that your $14.95/month isn't enough to play them.
Wow SOE just keeps swallowing them up. They got Lord of the Rings Online TCG (which they are shutting down) and now this. What's next, Magic Online?