Sony's MMOs Invade Consoles
In an interview over at MTV Multiplayer, Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley admits that despite the lackluster response for EverQuest on the PS2 back in the day, Sony is forging ahead with publishing MMO's on consoles like the PS3 and even the PSP, apparently. While Free Realms will hit the console six months after PC's, The Agency and DC Universe Online will be released day and date with the PC version. He's typically cagey when asked about the business model and whether console players will be willing to shell out monthly subscription fees, claiming that they're still evaluating, basically. But the really surprising answer is this one:
MTV Multiplayer: So you would say all of SOE's MMOs will appear on consoles from now on?Smedley: Yes.
Realizing what a huge user base consoles have, they'd be fools not to pursue that audience, especially as Smedley claims that the games are coded in such a way that porting from PC to PS3 is not that big of a deal. And with consoles now online in a big way, I think developers are looking for that World of Warcraft that will become the console MMO. Of course, MMO's take ages and a fortune to develop because of their sheer size, so I don't know how many other developers will follow suit. Smedley also mentions the huge casual audience, citing the success of Cooking Mama of all things. He's hoping to take a sizeable bite out of that pie as well with games like Free Realms and DC Universe Online.
Personally, I've avoided MMO's because gaming is enough of a time suck without being drawn into a virtual world that I can't seem to pull myself out of. The Elder Scrolls games were bad enough... But I'm seriously interested in DC Universe Online, and it could help push me towards finally buying a PS3. We'll see!
Sony Online: 'DC Universe' To Be Female-Friendly, 'EverQuest' Returning, Console MMOs On The Rise, More [MTV Multiplayer]
Wootini
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 6 October 2008
· Comments (1)
Other stuff like this: dc universe online, free realms, john smedley, mmos, ps3, psp, soe, sony, the agency
That's all well and good but if they think people will pay for access (like Xbox-Live) and pay the monthly fee then they will be sorely mistaken.
Free MP access and then monthly sub will be the only way to get this off the ground properly.