SOE's *other* new MMOG - FreeRealms - is either genius or insanity

[Simond]

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=14275

"FreeRealms is fantasy, but it’s whimsical fantasy. It’s not RMT per se, the idea of selling special customizations is key. You can play the game completely free. It’s ad-supported, you can customize your avatar to your heart’s content, then there will sort of be an additional catalogue of items we’ll be selling that will allow people to customize even further."

He particularly noted: "It’s our first experiment in the fantasy space with this concept, what we call the ‘velvet rope’ model. We’re taking our cues from some of the other successful games in the Asian market, titles like Kart Rider. You know, Mario Kart except you buy your power ups? Games designed around that concept can be very successful, without the problems we see in unsupervised RMT. I want to expand the concept of customization into player selling to one another, and creating for one another. FreeRealms is going to be a big push in that direction."

When pushed further on some of the unique aspects for FreeRealms, Smedley explained: "One of the key features of the game is the notion of creating content for other players. We don’t want to evoke the feeling of ‘typical MMO’, we want a ‘crazy place you go to have fun.’ One day you might be on a race track, one day you might be on a soccer field, the next day you might be playing chess … or, you know, you can go fight some trolls."

He continued: "Our big goals with the game are whimsy and accessibility. User-generated content: I want to get it out of the space of buzzwords and into the game. Everybody talks about it, but it’s hard to pin down. I rather give people some lines, and say “color inside these any way you want.” Then you can’t just generate whatever you want, but you have users creating content themed towards our goals."

So how is this going to be possible? "We’re developing fairly robust tools towards that end. How about letting players make their own mini-games? The UI toolset we’re using is called ScaleForm, and our goal is to take UI customization to a level no one has seen before. This is being created right now, as we speak, and one of the goals is modification of the client/server interactions in ways that other players can see. It’s going to be pretty awesome."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/11/business/worldbusiness/11sony.html?_r=2&ref=business&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

While the company’s traditional fantasy and science-fiction games have been aimed at a hard-core male audience, Free Realms is basically aimed at children, especially girls. The game will be free to play in general, but will require paid membership for access to special zones and activities (hence the term “velvet rope”). In terms of microtransactions, players will be able to buy virtual in-game items like pets and clothing à la carte. And there may also be advertising inside the game.

To reach out to girls, Mr. Smedley realized he had to hire more women. The creative director and art director on the game are now women.

“I just can’t explain to a 30-year-old single male why 10-year-old girls like horses,” he said. “We were trying to figure out what pets to put into Free Realms and before, the lead designer was a guy and he definitely wanted things that could fight. And when we got more women on the team, it was like ‘No, no, no. We need puppies and horses in there.’ ”

I...I just don't know. 

[Nonentity]

I... huh.

This sounds kind of like the thing that Three Rings is doing (the puzzle pirates guys), in that 'Whirled' game.

http://www.threerings.net/whirled/

[Venkman]

I don't either. Honestly, this concept by itself has potential in that it's derivative of the types of MMOGs targeting emerging audiences by lowering the barrier to entry. But the reason SOE is shooting for numbers far larger than WoW is because this model (microtrans, with or without ad-revenue) requires far larger numbers than WoW, and because they think it's achievable due to what Habbo, Maplestory, Audition, Krazykart and a few others have achieved.

At the same time, all of that achievement has happened everywhere except the one market in which SOE has seen the bulk of its success.

the lead designer was a guy and he definitely wanted things that could fight. And when we got more women on the team, it was like ‘No, no, no. We need puppies and horses in there.

This is both sexist and, unfortunately, quite true of the industry. Nobody needs to look any further than the vast majority of games being sold to see the percentage of men in this industry. We're not talking "more than half" here either. It's how far into the 90th percent we are.

You need a good team that can look beyond their own rose-colored past, to understand consumer research, and has the support of their management. The notion that only one gender can talk about that gender is why things are in such a mess to begin with.

[schild]

Paging Mahrin Skel.

[Krakrok]

Word Mark      FREEREALMS
Filing Date     July 27, 2005
Owner     (APPLICANT) Sony Online Entertainment Inc. CORPORATION DELAWARE 10202 W. Washington Blvd. Culver City CALIFORNIA 90232

Domain Name: FREEREALMS.COM
Name Server: NS1.SONYONLINE.NET
Creation Date: 28-jun-2005

So it's been in developement for almost two years exactly.

[Righ]

Maybe more, maybe less. They pre-emptively register lots of domains, and they may assign games to them later for all we know. Perhaps they once intended to call it sadbird or soapwheel. ;)

[Krakrok]

They should just cut straight to the chase and call it 'Horses, Kittens, and Puppies, Oh My!'.

[Righ]

Rabbits, ponies and kittens, oh my! RPK Online.

[Viin]

Well, at least they decided to hire two women into the team. Having 2 women out of ~50 positions will surely help them reach out to women gamers.

Err. Green.

[pxib]

Sorry, Sony. There's no there There.

Just because it's your accounting department's wet dream doesn't mean it's anybody's reality.

[Trippy]

There didn't have horses, though.

[Raph]

And actually, There has done just dandy in its new skins "Virtual Laguna Beach" "The Hills" and "Pimp My Ride." Together, they're definitely larger than EQ, possibly larger than EQ + EQ2.

[Endie]

The second I read the OP, i thought "Raph".  Were you involved back in its early days?  Did it draw on some stuff you wrote about?

And, um, does it compete in the same space as a certain other upcoming product about which just about everyone has had a guess?

[Hoax]

Good idea, about time a western dev house w/ some money took this game model seriously.  I'm not super thrilled they are going with the kiddy/girl/social/pet/avatar angle, but I'm not surprised and I dont think its a bad idea either.

[HaemishM]

My first thought was, "It's SOE. You know they'll fuck it up somewhere."

But then I saw IT HAS PUPPIES!

And I knew everything would be all right.

PUPPIES!

[Yegolev]

Reading that, I suddenly smelled fat stacks of cash.  I predict it will do well.  Big name, casual market, etc.

[Merusk]

Good idea, about time a western dev house w/ some money took this game model seriously.  I'm not super thrilled they are going with the kiddy/girl/social/pet/avatar angle, but I'm not surprised and I dont think its a bad idea either.

You don't have a little girl.

It's very fucking hard for daddy to say, "No."

[SnakeCharmer]

My first thought was, "It's SOE. You know they'll fuck it up somewhere."

But then I saw IT HAS PUPPIES!

And I knew everything would be all right.

PUPPIES!

[schild]

[Nonentity]

Jesus - people still use Tripod?

That's like hosting an animated gif on Geocities.

[Signe]

Love this game.

[schild]

Love this game.

[raydeen]

Love this game.

[Montague]

Love this game.

[schild]

Shit. Wicked burn.

[Montague]

Shit. Wicked burn.

I didn't want to have to go nuclear but with the rapid escalation I felt I had no choice.

[schild]

Shit. Wicked burn.

I didn't want to have to go nuclear but with the rapid escalation I felt I had no choice.

You made a grown man cry. Well played.

[SnakeCharmer]

I'm missing something and I have no idea what it is.

The puppies are cute though, you have to admit.

[schild]

I'm missing something and I have no idea what it is.

The puppies are cute though, you have to admit.

You linked to a picture that you no doubt have cached that was hosted at Tripod.

Obviously the joke isn't funny anymore. Can't be helped.

[SnakeCharmer]

Actually I did a search for boxer puppies after the big blazin' exclamation by Haem.

*shrug*

I'm not up on my intarweb humor I suppose.

[Simond]

Rule 94: Thou shalt not leech images from random site you find on Google, as they can be replaced with goatse at any time.

[Endie]

Actually I did a search for boxer puppies after the big blazin' exclamation by Haem.

I'm sorry I missed that now: I love boxers.  As in the dogs.  But according to the wife they drool too much so I have collies instead. They'll have to suffice instead.  Sadly, I was unable to host them on compuserve.

[MrHat]

Rule 94: Thou shalt not leech images from random site you find on Google, as they can be replaced with goatse at any time.

I'm still sorry for that incident.

[vex]

I'm sorry I missed that now: I love boxers.  As in the dogs.  But according to the wife they drool too much so I have collies instead. They'll have to suffice instead.  Sadly, I was unable to host them on compuserve.

Why wouldn't you just keep your dogs at home with you?

V

[Endie]

I'm sorry I missed that now: I love boxers.  As in the dogs.  But according to the wife they drool too much so I have collies instead. They'll have to suffice instead.  Sadly, I was unable to host them on compuserve.

Why wouldn't you just keep your dogs at home with you?

V

 

I'll keep setting 'em up, you keep knocking 'em away.