Moving beyond EverQuest

[Trippy]

Moving beyond "EverQuest"

Moving beyond "EverQuest"
 
Sony looks to expand its online gaming division beyond the world of swords and sorcery.
April 27, 2005: 9:49 AM EDT
Game Over is a weekly column by Chris Morris
 
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – With things going pretty smooth in Norrath these days, the company behind "EverQuest" is looking to branch out.

Rather than sticking with the swords and sorcery that have served it so faithfully for the past six years, though, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) is focusing on more modern weapons this time around.

While the company won't make any formal announcements about its next massively multiplayer game for quite some time, president John Smedley told me recently that a new action title is in the works. And if things go according to plan, it will make its debut at E3 in 2006.

It won't be SOE's first foray into an action-based persistent world. "PlanetSide," a massively multiplayer online first person shooter launched in May 2003, has been moderately successful, but hasn't come close to the success of "EverQuest". So what's different this time?

"We know what we're doing now and we're going to take it to the next level," said Smedley, who declined to give any firm details on the game at this point.

SOE's expansion plans go further than action games. Despite the company's failed attempt to bring strategy gaming to the online gaming world with "Sovereign," that genre remains a personal favorite of Smedley's.

"We're always looking for the right idea and we didn't have it [with 'Sovereign']," he said. "We will be in the strategy market. It's just a matter of timing. We'll get it eventually. ... Our goal is to be the dominant player in every major genre."

SOE has long been the king of the massively multiplayer online game hill. Roughly 800,000 people currently pay a $13 per month subscription fee (though some get discounts for year-long subscriptions) to play its games.

The launch of Blizzard's "World of Warcraft" last year has proved to be the stiffest competition SOE has faced, however. In less than four months, Blizzard signed up 1.5 million subscribers. (The game is currently available in several more countries worldwide than the latest version of "EverQuest".) Smedley said he's been watching the trends closely.

"Does it concern me? Yeah. I'd be lying if I didn't say it was," he said. "'World of Warcraft' has proven Blizzard is a dominant company. On the other hand, we're still very strong and remain the market leader – and we're branching out into a multi-platform arena. I think there's enormous potential in the console space."

Among those console interests is Sony's (Research) handheld PSP. SOE's "Untold Legends" (a hack and slash role playing game) has proven to be the system's best selling game. Despite the PSP's internet capabilities, however, the game doesn't allow players to connect and play across long distances. An in-the-works sequel will address those complaints.

SOE is also in talks with select wireless providers that would let owners of its PSP games to freely and automatically log onto their Hot Spots in public areas (such as coffee shops and airports). The plan, said Smedley, is if you enter one of those Hot Spots and decide to play for a bit, you'll be able to log on without having to configure your PSP with a username or password – and without having to pay the usual fee.

In return for the bandwidth, the wireless provider would likely get advertising in trade, perhaps on a game's loading screens, perhaps in game. Negotiations are continuing.

"I'd say we're about 70 percent of the way there," said Smedley.

If the deal happens, it won't be the first sort of in-game advertising SOE has handled. The company recently started a test program allowing "EverQuest II" players to order a real-world pizza without leaving the game, simply by typing "/pizza".

The program has been a success. SOE extended its deal with Pizza Hut and is currently in talks with other pizza providers. It's also exploring similar ideas, but Smedley said he wouldn't want to add them unless they provide an incentive for the player.

"Let's say we do '/cd'," he said. "You type that in and with one click pay for [the compact disc] and it gets sent to you. The important thing to me is that the users get a deep discount. We don't want to spam the users. I want this to be something they see as a benefit."

Though the numbers for massively multiplayer games aren't bad, they remain a niche in the gaming industry. To expand SOE's potential audience, the company will soon announce smaller puzzle games for two and four players. While those games won't be massively multiplayer or have any sort of persistent world, it's not out of the question for the long term.

The quicker way to introduce a larger audience, though, is through well-known names, said Smedley.

"What it takes to bring the masses is familiarity," he said. "If EA (Research) took NASCAR online ... and made that more commercial – say, starting with 16 players, then 32, then the MMO space – that's how you're going to grow the space."

[WayAbvPar]

When is someone going to drive a stake into Smedley's black heart and steal his money hat?

[Stephen Zepp]

So let me get something straight: He thinks that even though WoW has just under twice his subscription numbers, all paying the same price, SoE is still the "market leader".

I need to go to the business school he did...or not!

[Samwise]

Depends on what two quantities he's comparing.  If he's comparing money made by WoW vs. money made by EQ2, yes, that's obviously false.

If he's comparing money made by Blizzard vs. money made by SOE, maybe not.  SOE makes a hell of a lot more games than Blizzard does, even if no individual game is as profitable as WoW has been.

[Strazos]

The numbers given there suggest that WoW is outpacing all of SoE, not just EQ or EQ2.

But whatever, I'm banking on an exodus to start from WoW soon, when people realize the endgame blows.

[Bunk]

Ah, but if you add up all the money Sony MMoGs have made over the years then they are the clear market leader... I guess.

I don't care. I play no Sony MMoGs right now and my WoW account has been sitting dormant for three weeks. On the otherhand, I was playing AC1 last night and enjoying myself. Go figure.

[Hoax]

Yeah the WoW exodus should get into full swing sometime after the release of Battlegrounds, no matter how much the Honor system is proving to suck the sheep-like masses wont have their hopes of non-suck fully destroyed till Battlegrounds.  Which are barely even +1 Shiney to the shitty RvR "content" of DAOC.

[Merusk]

The numbers given there suggest that WoW is outpacing all of SoE, not just EQ or EQ2.

How many PsPs have been sold?  They fall under the SOE banner, which I find highly amusing each time I see someone go fanboy on the PSP after getting in a few digs at SOE itself. ;)

[schild]

PSPs go under SCEA. Not SOE.

Untold Legends goes under SOE.

[Yegolev]

But whatever, I'm banking on an exodus to start from WoW soon, when people realize the endgame blows.

You mean, when they realize that Battlegrounds will not actually make questing in Hillsbrad possible.

[Alkiera]

PSPs go under SCEA. Not SOE.

Untold Legends goes under SOE.

Article did state that Untold Legends was "the best selling game for the PSP".  Whether that means it's sold better than everything else, or that they see it as a 'best seller', which happens to be for the PSP, is anyone's guess, tho.  Either way, that's a decent amount of income, I'm sure.

Alkiera

[schild]

Untold Legends was the best seller at EBGames and Gamestop.

IIRC, Wipeout: PUre was the best selling game. Or Twisted Metal. I forget.

[Strazos]

Both remakes of mediocre games, regardless.

[schild]

The original wipeout was not mediocre. It's quite easily in the top 5 racing games of all time.

The middle wipeout, however, was total shit.

[Abel]

Which are barely even +1 Shiney to the shitty RvR "content" of DAOC.

The "shitty" RvR content in DAoC still stands as easely the most popular PvP model ever created in an MMORPG, which by extension doesn't bode so badly for WoW. There is a reason why Blizz copied DAoCs PvP model rather then such amazing "successes" as pre-Trammel UO or SB.

Or this could also say something about the general state of PvP in MMORPGs ... Hmmmm ...


To remain on topic : if SOEs total account nr stands currently at 800k they must have lost some recently and that in a market that with WoW got much bigger. Not a good sign.

[Trippy]

The "shitty" RvR content in DAoC still stands as easely the most popular PvP model ever created in an MMORPG

NCsoft might disagree with you.

[Abel]

NCsoft might disagree with you.

Ok, I should have stated "Western MMORPGs"

btw, if we include NCsoft in the discussion, they should be by far the market leader in terms of players, not SOE or Blizzard. Though I have no idea who is generating the highest revenues of those 3.

[Hoax]

Did I say DAOC RvR was unpopular?

Or did I say it is shit?

Besides you can attribute DAOC's successes directly to the GRIND they involved with their shitty PvP system.

Take a look at Planetside for what happens when you have DAOC's RvR (read: horribly pointless pvp) at a fast pace, without artifact/realm pts and whatever other grinds they've got these days to keep people sinking cash into that worthless game.

Blizzard learned from this and created the ub3r catass pvp lewt grind of doom, aka contrib pt grind so you can USE l33t pvp gear.

As was pointed out afterwards, LineageII holds amazing numbers.  I think we can all agree though that game is the most vile fucking grind ever created by anyone and that the people who play it should all be classified as masochists. 

[Jayce]

Oh, if only I had a dime for every mass exodus predicted from an MMOG that didn't ever quite transpire...

I'd have a better business model than SOE!!

/thread topic tie-in +1