KOTOR MMO Official!?

[Evildrider]

http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/the-tech-observer/2008/07/17/ea-to-play-in-knights-of-the-old-republic

EA to Play in Knights of the Old Republic
N. Evan Van Zelfden in Los Angeles warns, watch out World of Warcraft. In an interview at E3 this week, Electronic Arts chief executive John Riccitiello said that EA is working on the next version of Star Wars game Knights of the Old Republic, and it will most certainly have a massively multiplayer online component to it.

"We've got two of the most compelling MMOs in the industry in development," said Riccitiello. The first title, based on the Warhammer property, will launch soon. "And the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about -- in partnership with Lucas, coming out of BioWare, which is, I think, quite possibly the most anticipated game, full stop, for the industry at the point when we get closer to telling you about it."

Does Riccitiello mean the oft rumored Knights of the Old Republic Online?  "Yes," he said.

Moving into MMOs is an essential component for any gaming company, and it's a big part of the reason Vivendi merged with Activision, for that company's World of Warcraft MMO.

Riccitiello told Portfolio.com that he was interested in owning World of Warcraft, and that he did discuss it, but it wasn't in the cards. "Because [Vivendi] couldn't afford control of EA, and I wasn't giving it up."

But EA is firmly on that path now, with a KOTOR MMO, which would sidestep the consoles owned by Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. "Increasingly, people are going to be talking about direct-to-customer in our business," said Riccitiello. "I think we'll be talking about it louder than most."

Today, two-thirds of the game industry is console systems and dedicated handhelds. "We expect in 2011 for it to be fifty-percent," Riccitiello said.

MMOs will also be useful as a way to expand into foreign territories.

"China's a growth market for us," he said. "We're launching some mid-session games on a micro-transaction model." In May of last year, the company announced an equity investment in a leading Chinese online game operator, The9, Ltd. "And there's a bunch more coming that we haven't announced. "

The company has stated that M&A is part of the strategy, and EA is looking for core game companies "only when they bring great [intellectual property] and great teams," he said.  The company is also interested in businesses that "help us build our platform in the area of Asia, online, and direct-to-consumer."

"One is strategic and new, one is core and profitable -- and we're looking at both," explained Riccitiello.

Future games aside, Riccitiello is most proud of EA's revenues, its console-business growth, and what's currently on display to the army of reviewers and game journalists in Los Angeles this week.

"We added almost a billion dollars to the revenue last year," he notes. "This year, we've told the street that we're going to add a billion to a billion-three."

And console games are a market that's doing well. "It's grown 30 percent year-to-date," says Riccitiello. "All three of the consoles are way up. The PC business in terms of it's aggregate of subscriptions/micro-transactions is also way up. "

But at the end of the day, it's about the games themselves.
 
"I think, hands down, there's not a publisher or a platform that's got what we've got," he says. In his own life, he sees how EA's games are making an impact: "I've got twenty-two nephews and nieces. A couple years there, I couldn't buy everything I wanted for them at the holidays. I can do the entire holiday -- and capture my mother for the first time -- at the EA store. That's never been the case before."




Sure looks like it!

[Evildrider]

Gah wrong forum!   

[Lucas]

Fap?

[Falconeer]

you want to be a AoC boy so bad, don't you? 

[Evildrider]

you want to be a AoC boy so bad, don't you? 

 

[Falconeer]

Well, don't dream it. Be it! 

[lesion]

Wrong forum layover...and we've arrived.

[Evildrider]

Wrong forum layover...and we've arrived.

Woot!

[slog]

While it would be cool, It's hard to imaging anything involving  LucasArts, EA, and Massive online game being successfull.  LucasArts puts out garbage for the most part and EA is so clueless when it comes to MMOS that they took the EA  out of EA Mythic.

[Mrbloodworth]

There are many sentiences and statements in that that confuse me. Such as the "sidestepping" comment followed up by the "console and handheld" comment.

Reads to me like the KOTOR MMO by bioware will be on handhelds.

[Nevermore]

But EA is firmly on that path now, with a KOTOR MMO, which would sidestep the consoles owned by Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. "Increasingly, people are going to be talking about direct-to-customer in our business," said Riccitiello. "I think we'll be talking about it louder than most."

Today, two-thirds of the game industry is console systems and dedicated handhelds. "We expect in 2011 for it to be fifty-percent," Riccitiello said.

Wait.  They're expecting PC Gaming to increase at a faster rate than console gaming?  Huh. 

[slog]

Is this the same EA guy that didn't know they had a MMO already?

[Mrbloodworth]

But EA is firmly on that path now, with a KOTOR MMO, which would sidestep the consoles owned by Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. "Increasingly, people are going to be talking about direct-to-customer in our business," said Riccitiello. "I think we'll be talking about it louder than most."

Today, two-thirds of the game industry is console systems and dedicated handhelds. "We expect in 2011 for it to be fifty-percent," Riccitiello said.

Wait.  They're expecting PC Gaming to increase at a faster rate than console gaming?  Huh. 

Like i said, on reading that again.

They are not going to put it on consoles (sidestepping), but expect the market for consoles and handhelds to be 50% in 2011.

 

[Murgos]

I like the 'direct-to-customer' buzzword.  This means, fuck you Best-buys and Gamestops, we're selling straight to the kiddies and taking all da monies!!!

They aren't going to be so happy when they find out direct-to-customer doesn't necessarily mean 'stop-at-publisher-on-the-way-to-Go'.

[Ingmar]

While it would be cool, It's hard to imaging anything involving  LucasArts, EA, and Massive online game being successfull.  LucasArts puts out garbage for the most part and EA is so clueless when it comes to MMOS that they took the EA  out of EA Mythic.

LucasArts isn't doing the actual development though, Bioware is.

[slog]

While it would be cool, It's hard to imaging anything involving  LucasArts, EA, and Massive online game being successfull.  LucasArts puts out garbage for the most part and EA is so clueless when it comes to MMOS that they took the EA  out of EA Mythic.

LucasArts isn't doing the actual development though, Bioware is.

They will still mess it up, just like SWG

[Evildrider]

While it would be cool, It's hard to imaging anything involving  LucasArts, EA, and Massive online game being successfull.  LucasArts puts out garbage for the most part and EA is so clueless when it comes to MMOS that they took the EA  out of EA Mythic.

LucasArts isn't doing the actual development though, Bioware is.

Only if they were as stupid as SOE and gave Lucasarts as much control as they had for SWG.
They will still mess it up, just like SWG

[Nevermore]

But EA is firmly on that path now, with a KOTOR MMO, which would sidestep the consoles owned by Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. "Increasingly, people are going to be talking about direct-to-customer in our business," said Riccitiello. "I think we'll be talking about it louder than most."

Today, two-thirds of the game industry is console systems and dedicated handhelds. "We expect in 2011 for it to be fifty-percent," Riccitiello said.

Wait.  They're expecting PC Gaming to increase at a faster rate than console gaming?  Huh. 

Like i said, on reading that again.

They are not going to put it on consoles (sidestepping), but expect the market for consoles and handhelds to be 50% in 2011.

 

But that's down from the 66% of the game industry that they say consoles and handhelds have now. 

[TripleDES]

Aren't already too much ex-SWG developers/designers at Bioware Austin? We'll be getting the same old NGE shit, I suppose.

[El Gallo]

They will still mess it up, just like SWG

I missed the LucasArts memo demanding that SWG be "SimBeru with HAM, the kids will love it."

[HaemishM]

This will be a trainwreck worth watching! 

[eldaec]

An interesting sentence fragment:

it will most certainly have a massively multiplayer online component to it.

I'm trying imagine what a massively multiplayer online component might mean, but it sounds like seperate MMOC and single player sections. There are a lot of problems I can see in trying to build such a product without at least one of the components being shit.




Anyway, if only someone had some kind of metering device for the amount of awesome in this product...

[SnakeCharmer]

I still wouldn't bet the farm it's a KOTOR MMO.

No official press release from either BioWare or Lucas Arts means they can always say "The reporter wrote and printed something out of context.  We aren't ready to announce what it is yet."  It's been a while since anyone at BW or LA has mentioned anything about their MMOs/projects, so it was time.  It's just a carrot to generate some interest - even if it's not KOTOR/SW ROBOT JESUS.

Somehow I don't think they're going to announce to the most rabid, obsessive, frothing nerds in the world that their train is coming home through portfolio.com.

Anyway, IF it is a new KOTOR game, I'm willing to bet it's console (how much would MS pay to have it 360 exclusive?) with really stout online co-op play.  Figure a mix of Mass Effect character customization, with the sandboxyness of both ME and GTA IV.

[Montague]

I'm hoping the "will have a massively multiplayer online component" is more the reporter's idiocy than a Riccitello quote.

Makes it sound like a "hai gusy weer teh MMO 2!" failure.

[NiX]

So, at no point is there anything official announced from EA's mouth? Great. My roomie just argued that Bioware can't do wrong and they've only made good RPGs.

[Fordel]

Take Mass Effect, add Light Sabers and Droid BeepBoopNRROONG noises.


You have KoToR Online.



Don't ask me why I Camel notate KoToR so badly, I can't explain it myself.

[Ingmar]

So, at no point is there anything official announced from EA's mouth? Great. My roomie just argued that Bioware can't do wrong and they've only made good RPGs.

Which one in particular are you thinking of that wasn't any good? The only thing that leaps to mind for me was the single player campaign from NWN...

[DraconianOne]

Jade Empire wasn't all that.

"I've got twenty-two nephews and nieces."

Which is so pointedly a way of saying "I don't have any kids of my own so no direct experience of what it's like having children" and also begs the question who the hell the target market is anyway.

Or something.

I don't know. I'm drunk and in charge of a computer.  Anything could happen.

[Soln]

What can one say?


Bring on the Nerd Fury! 


edit:  I'm gonna start.  First page.

[Fordel]

I love those squirrels so much. 

[Triforcer]

A SW MMO- it can't go wrong with that IP!!

[NiX]

Which one in particular are you thinking of that wasn't any good? The only thing that leaps to mind for me was the single player campaign from NWN...

NWN and Jade. Keep in mind their stable of great RPGs isn't that large and the top of their list is mostly Bioware + BIS. Not to mention the fact that it'll probably just be Bioware Austin, who had nothing to do with ME or the other RPGs original Bioware released outside of 1 person they've named.

Also, looking at Biowares site, they have the MMO and this Lucas/Bioware thing seperated on their games list. It's actually under Next Gen Game.

[UnSub]

A SW MMO- it can't go wrong with that IP!!

If they launch with both stars and wars implemented, they'll be on the right track.

[Murgos]

A SW MMO- it can't go wrong with that IP!!

If they launch with both stars and wars implemented, they'll be on the right track.

That's asking an awful lot.  Would you settle for cloudy skies and a mild feud?

[UnSub]

A SW MMO- it can't go wrong with that IP!!

If they launch with both stars and wars implemented, they'll be on the right track.

That's asking an awful lot.  Would you settle for cloudy skies and a mild feud?

Can I use a spaceship to fly amongst the cloudy skies?