Monolith sells Matrix Online to SoE

[Rasputin]

http://www.sonyonline.com/corp/press_releases/061705_warnerbros.html

There's your official-official.

[Soln]

Truly, this is bizarre.  I am still waiting, of course, for AOL to be spun off...

[HaemishM]

http://www.sonyonline.com/corp/press_releases/061705_warnerbros.html

There's your official-official.

Thank you, now you may speak on it without being considered rumor-mongering IRC twats.

Also, funny they still don't link that announcement from their front page.

[AOFanboi]

Also, funny they still don't link that announcement from their front page.

Or that Data Noe One does not mention it either.

[schild]

Funnily enough, even now - when it's true, I still don't care. Maybe in 1999 back when The Matrix and SOE and DC Comics could have had a profound effect on my social life, I would have. But now? I'm just pissy we actually have two threads about it.

[Rasputin]

Thank you, now you may speak on it without being considered rumor-mongering IRC twats.

Also, funny they still don't link that announcement from their front page.

It wasn't ever just a rumor. If it was, I'd have called it a rumor, as opposed to unnamed sources.

Because those sources need to find jobs.

[schild]

By the fact it was leaked to you guys, I'm pretty sure most of the people in the "know" figured out who it was damn near immediately. You may have been trying to do the right thing, but you probably fucked them. But we'll see. Either way, the Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes news is more interesting.

All SOE did here was hurt their image in my eyes. They went from the manufacturers of some bad games and Planetside to buying sinking ships as well.

[WayAbvPar]

All SOE did here was hurt their image in my eyes.

Really? The only way they could worsen their image in my eyes would be to rape my grandmother on national TV, and then eat a few infants or something.

[Toast]

It's hard to comment on the acquisition without knowing the underlying details.

Matrix Online has only sold somewhere near 50,000 copies since release. The game had to be running in the red.

SOE probably got a ridiculously low price for taking this albatross. SOE can now leverage it's massive existing infrastructure to operate for next to nothing, incrementally. It may still lose money, but it will add another draw for the all-access pass.

Maybe there was something in the game code they wanted to acquire? Maybe they'll be able to patch the holes and make some money off this little niche game.

[Simond]

Maybe there was something in the game code they wanted to acquire?

Getting the DC comics license seems more likely to me.

[Trippy]

MxO Sony Acquisition FAQ

[Margalis]

The last one is a doozy:

Will events continue after this change takes place?
We’re very interested in hearing from our subscribers in regards to which content and features of the game should continue in the future.

Translation: No, you're fucked.

[Surlyboi]

Matrix Online CU

Followed shortly by Path of the Jed...er One

Finshed out with MxO expansion 1 Agent Smed's Wild Ride.

[jpark]

THe Matrix Online and Star Wars in the same stable. Two bad tastes that taste even worse together.

I'll believe it when I see the press release. Rumormongering with big names isn't very tactful.

Edit: I should note, I'm not surprised The Matrix is dead. I am surprised that:

1. Someone would buy it.
2. It would be SOE.

Too bad there is no one to take EQ2 off of SOE's hands :)

[Abel]

Too bad there is no one to take EQ2 off of SOE's hands

I think EQ2 is actually still making quite a lot of money, though probably well under SOE's expectations.

MxO on the other hand is one of the most disastrous MMO releases ever and must have made a huge pit of debt that WB wanted to get rid of ... Likely SOE will slash down it's staff and support to minimal levels and then continue to run it as a small yet profitable niche MMO. It has enough players to make money if it can be freed from the big up-front investments.

Tied with the WB superhero deal I think this is actually a smart move from SOE.

[Riggswolfe]

Well, if I was ever tempted to try MxO I am no longer. They'll do a combat revamp and try to patch EQ combat code in.

As for DC....

1) I don't like DC nearly as much as Marvel. So the world isn't that big a draw for me. (Though, playing in Gotham City could be kinda cool)

2) I seriously doubt they'll do superhero combat as well as COH did it. So why bother?

3) It's Sony. They fucked up Star Wars. They'll fuck this up. It'll have slow paced combat and many built in time sinks. That's no longer acceptable to me. WoW is about as slow as I can tolerate my combat now, and I still have daydreams of putting COH style combat into WoW somehow.

[HaemishM]

The last one is a doozy:

Will events continue after this change takes place?
We’re very interested in hearing from our subscribers in regards to which content and features of the game should continue in the future.

Translation: No, you're fucked.

To be fair, they were fucked the minute they decided to buy the product. This is just fucking with a different dick.

As for EQ2 making money? Ummmm, maybe? I tend to not believe it's making all that much, what with the huge fucking budget and underwhelming hint of subscriber numbers lower than SWG. But then, I could be wrong, since SOE doesn't release exact numbers since they aren't top dog anymore.

There are so many good ways to do a DC Comics MMOG. Unfortunately, SOE will probably pick all the bad ways first.

[Velorath]

There are so many good ways to do a DC Comics MMOG. Unfortunately, SOE will probably pick all the bad ways first.

Look at it this way, instead of a grind to make the content drag out longer they can just get Geoff Johns to write the stories for each mission with his "pad them out to fill a tpb" style.  They can throw in cutscenes of the same wordless panels being shown over and over at diffent sizes.  Or they could take a lesson from Bendis over at Marvel and have entire missions that just involve heroes talking back and forth.  Any time that your character gets nerfed, they can just say the Justice League mindwiped you for some reason making your character less effective.  Camping for hours waiting for a mob to spawn?  Nah, you're just staking out a building waiting for the criminals to show up.  Ultra-rare loot that only the top catasses can get?  You don't think they hand out Green Lantern rings to every fucking guy on the street do you?  Get ready for EQ in tights Haemish.

[HaemishM]

Arrrrggh, you just kicked me directly in my comics jimmy.

[Kegien]

Time for 80 people to find new jobs :(

According to official papers filed at the Employment Security Department of Washington and reported by the Puget Sound Business Journal, Monolith Productions has laid off 80 employees at its Kirkland, Washington offices. The layoffs are related to Monolith's sale of the Matrix Online game to fellow MMO creator Sony Online Entertainment - previously, no layoff figures had been given by either company.

Monolith Productions is currently a subsidiary of Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, following an October 2004 acquisition. The developer employed around 200 staffers prior to the layoff. The last day for the laid-off staffers will be August 15th, according to the Employment Security Department filing.

However, it's important to note that some of the staffers will continue on the Matrix Online project at Sony Online Entertainment, which would otherwise have to maintain and support the game without any of its original staff - speaking to industry site GameDAILY late last week, SOE's Chris Kramer commented: "We've extended job offers to more than 25 members of the MxO team."

[Alkiera]

Time for 80 people to find new jobs :(

According to official papers filed at the Employment Security Department of Washington and reported by the Puget Sound Business Journal, Monolith Productions has laid off 80 employees at its Kirkland, Washington offices. The layoffs are related to Monolith's sale of the Matrix Online game to fellow MMO creator Sony Online Entertainment - previously, no layoff figures had been given by either company.

Monolith Productions is currently a subsidiary of Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, following an October 2004 acquisition. The developer employed around 200 staffers prior to the layoff. The last day for the laid-off staffers will be August 15th, according to the Employment Security Department filing.

However, it's important to note that some of the staffers will continue on the Matrix Online project at Sony Online Entertainment, which would otherwise have to maintain and support the game without any of its original staff - speaking to industry site GameDAILY late last week, SOE's Chris Kramer commented: "We've extended job offers to more than 25 members of the MxO team."

Well, assuming 'more than 25' is at least 26, and that those 26+ are included in the 80, then only 54 or so people need to find new jobs.

Still, sucks to be them.

Alkiera

[HaemishM]

SOE and WBIE... learning to be raging douchebags TOGETHER!

[WayAbvPar]

Does this mean Vosx has to move out of town? He just got here!

[Kegien]

It rains too much here anyway... San Diego sunshine ftw

[Trippy]

Does this mean Vosx has to move out of town? He just got here!

Those that were offered jobs at SOE and accepted will be working out of the SOE Bellevue office where the ex-Mythica guys are located.

[Samprimary]

You people need to start an MxO deadpool.

I checked the MxO forums, and liked reading all of the threads that read, essentially, "What the fuck, I'm trying to cancel my account but WB won't accept my petition to quit."

and

"LET ME QUIT GURRAMIT, WHAT'S THE BILLING ACCOUNT PHONE #?"

and (this is real)

"Sooo I called the number to cancel my account....It said I needed to call this wierd 9 didget number to do so. It also said that this call would cost $4. What is up with THAT?? This is the biggest bunch of bull I've ever heard of regarding this game. (which is saying a lot!!) Is this for real??? Am I just gonna have to cancel my check card and get a new one to keep from getting screwed over??"

[HaemishM]

To be fair, he should have known he was getting screwed over the minute he bought the game, unless he never saw Revolutions or Reloaded.

[Furiously]

Well - I can guess that is one thing SOE will improve - the canceling process. They have made it relatively painless to quit their subscriptions.

[WayAbvPar]

Well - I can guess that is one thing SOE will improve - the canceling process. They have made it relatively painless to quit their subscriptions.

Now, if they can just lessen the pain to subscribe in the first place, they may be on to something.