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General: John Smedley Interview
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
This past week, MMORPG.com writer Angie Webb had the opportunity to attend the Syndicate Guild Conference in San Diego, California. Sony Online Entertainment was there in force and luminaries included SOE president John Smedley. Angie had the opportunity to spend some time with Mr. Smedley to discuss SOE's stable of games and its relationship to the Syndicate. Read the full report!
The Syndicate is a fourteen-year-old guild with a wide variety of players run by Sean Stalzer. This guild is huge and professional, and has done many things for the gaming industry including testing and consulting for MMO companies. They are ordered, skilled, and they know their games. But, I’ll write more about them very soon
Read more of Angie Webb's John Smedley Interview.
Comments
The most interesting thing I got out of this was that he claims he still plays Planetside. I dont know if this is true or not. However last time I checked out PS they had merged all the servers including the european ones into one server, and the population was still worse then ever before. I think if he truly enjoyed PS he would be making an effort to increase the population (either lower or drop the monthly fee), which has not been done.
Though the statement gives me hope that they are still working on a sequel to planetside, although no information about it has come out since they acknowledged it.
Lol, so that's why he turned SWG into Planetside: Star Wars!
Planetside huh? I adore that game and have played it on and off for years and I seriously doubt he plays. Maybe if he actually played he would realize that it is in need of some serious help along with a few other games (Vanguard).
John Smedley:
"I’m glad to hear that, it means we’re doing something right."
You can almost hear the surprise in his voice when he says this.
I see this thread ending very badly.
Watch what you say people, remember this is in the "News Discussion" forum.
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why is Smedley still in the MMORPG business?
"I play FPSs more than I play any other kind of game" - J Smedley
This explains some things.
You should also know, many of the very people out making some of the games on this site and are most wanted, got the foot in the door, and learned the ropes at SOE.
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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
This interview is incomplete. Everytime MMORPG talks to Smedley their last question should be, " If you could go back in time and undo NGE, would you? "
In all fairness the interviewer wasn't going with the intent of hard-nose journalism. Likely he wouldn't have answered anything if it had began that way. Not excusing Smed or what he's done to SOE it's too well documented.
His remark though about MMO's if I was the Board of SOE - time to go dude! That's the President of Pepsi saying he drinks Coke!
Proud member of Hammerfist Clan Gaming Community.
Currently playing: RIFT, EQ2, WoW, LoTRO
Retired: Warhammer, AoC, EQ
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I never liked how John Smedley took sony he needs to be replaced all he has done is destroyed everything. John you can t make more money the way you run things this is nothing personal I do not wish anyone the worse. or there family but I would like him to move on to other company and let a new face, mind take over one that cares for players.
Didn't seem like a very cordial interview. Why did it end so abruptly?
Oh, so that explains why so many MMOs now-a-days suck.
Tried: EQ2 - AC - EU - HZ - TR - MxO - TTO - WURM - SL - VG:SoH - PotBS - PS - AoC - WAR - DDO - SWTOR
Played: UO - EQ1 - AO - DAoC - NC - CoH/CoV - SWG - WoW - EVE - AA - LotRO - DFO - STO - FE - MO - RIFT
Playing: Skyrim
Following: The Repopulation
I want a Virtual World, not just a Game.
ITS TOO HARD! - Matt Firor (ZeniMax)
Any competent journalist would know that you don't begin an interview with tough questions, you soften the subject up with a few fawning questions of the type asked here, and then you drop the bomb into his lap with the kind of question SandBoxGamer suggested.
This interview is very reminiscent of the ones Massively used to do with David Allen when he was still running Alganon. It comes across more as an advertising feature than an interview. Hugely disappointing and a completely wasted opportunity to step up to to the mark with some hard-hitting questions about some very controversial developments at SOE. Smedley was never once outside his comfort zone, and that means it was a cozy chat rather than an interview.
The Syndicate is not for everyone. They run the guild like a business. I play games to have fun, not be in a business.
Smedley is funny, for being a CEO of one of the larger developers in this genre, he comes off as so clueless at times, but then again the industry seems to have similar issues with that at most of the major studios.
And sorry Bloodworth, but your definition of successful and mine are miles apart. SOE has been bleeding players for years. They just had another round of major layoffs not long ago. They have not had a major hit since EQ. The best thing they have going for them is these kids games and there is not a lot of revenue in that segment. So please tell me how the man has been successful after EQ? The only thing I see is a one hit wonder who has struggled with poor decision after poor decision since.
They could have asked tougher questions without being abusive. For example, why did they pull the last few developers off Vanguard onto EQ2?
It always surprise me how many remarkable top managers knowing how better to lead even the biggest online entertainment companies read those forums...
Never mind asking Smedley questions , every online media company should never go near him , never again ask him a question. Atfer all do you think your going to get a true answer ?
http://www.speedtest.net/result/502097918.png
I would love for someone to ask him a simple gimme question about the actual workings of his games and watch as he is unable to answer it. Something like
"You have said that you play EQ2. Out of all the classes you play what is your favorite ability."
Or ask him how he likes to spend his aa or his favorite encounter in the last expansion.
The realy strange thing about all these interviews and conferences he is present with is how many times he references just how out of touch soe is with their performance and players views. Yes he understands players are not happy, but not why. He had to read a book to understand players viewpoints of why people were leaving eq2. He says things like that all the time.
As ofthers have said he is just so far out of touch with the games and players that his games have suffered as a result of it. For all the talk he does about his company turning a corner and listening to players, where is his forum presence? He is no where to be found unless there is a camera or an interviewer. Outside of that he is disconnected from his own games and that is why he never talks about the specifics of them. All he knows is the DCU has actiony combat, but I doubt he could name a specific aspect of the game that any average player could.
never heard of them.. probably never will again.
While it's true many of us old SWG vets still have the CU/NGE scars and sometimes they itch when smed talk's
when ever I see animosity toward smed, i'm reminded of what a great game developer SOE could have been, if they only had listened to the player base and to some extent that inner voice that sometimes the bottom line cancels out.
Future game developers and companys could learn a thing or two from what SOE/LA did in the past with SWG. My game company and team are all old SWG vets and we will never forget the past,it determines our future and the hope of future games to never forget.
Clearly I'm still perturbed over the CU and NGE, but i have learned to let go of unneedful name calling and hate post. it's just not beneficial or constructive for me to do so.
While I dont have anything against John Smedley or care about the stupid decision called NGE, I wonder why SOE still puts John Smedley in the foreground.
I mean, it clearly doesnt matter anymore what SOE does, the moment Smedley's name gets into the news every thread about him turns into a flamefest. This has to hurt SOE's business somehow. I dont think its smart to let him take interviews or put himself on the foreground anymore.
Well as least he is still as polarizing as ever. He might be a super nice guy, but I'd have to disagree with him on most of his business decisions. I am one of those burned SWG vets, but there is nothing really he can do or say that is going to remedy that situation at this point.
That is a good point SFG, but the follow up question is who would soe put out as a public face? Soe has a way of ruining the reputation of their public faces. Just look at how quickly players have turned on smokejumper from EQ2.
At this point one would have to ask, even if sony got rid of Smedley who would they replace him with? It isn't like soe has attracted any notable talent from the industry in years. In contrast they seem to be losing most of their top members for one reason or another.
If sony really wanted to show that soe was turning a corner they would do something about the image, because as it stands there are a lot of people who just do not trust smed or soe.