http://www.massively.com/2008/10/27/soe-responds-to-the-announcement-of-star-wars-the-old-republic/

Positive, but realistic...

I was in shock at Smeds apparent honesty and class until I read this response....

"John: I think that it is fair to say we have proven ourselves in the last year or so. We've listened, after making the mistake of doing the NGE, and I think we now have a game that we're all really proud of. We have the game now that I wish we'd launched with. I wish we'd been given the time to make this game. Star Wars Galaxies is an incredible game and I think having a game with ground and space, inside the sandbox experience, it's something we're excited by.

Ask the playerbase and I think you'd get a lot of different answers, but mostly I get emails saying that the game is a lot of fun now. I'd say that while things were intense for a little while –and I definitely understand there are still some upset players - I think there are a lot more happy players."

The game now is the game you wish you would have launched with? Good god. The game still sucks and is emptier than ever, and it's barely a sandbox anymore. There are a lot more happy players now? If he is disregarding the players that the NGE so elegantly disregarded, then he could be right, otherwise the players he has now couldn't fill a server to pre-NGE capacity if they wanted to.

Surprisingly candid, maybe he has learned a lesson or three. Quite interesting that he even mentions sunsetting as an option though, I guess he's looking at that as a decision that's out of his hands though, seeing as MxO runs on 3 barren servers, SOE have proved they can keep dead games running as long as they like. This is probably an indication that he himself believes LA could pull the plug on SWG, if (I say when personally) SWTOR takes substantial numbers from SWG and/or makes SWG's subscriber base look ridiculously low.

First off let me say that I'm sure Bioware will make a decent game.

I'm also sure that *I* won't want to play it.  I've only been happy with two MMO's to be honest and I don't see BioWare make a UO or Pre-CU type of game.  Which isn't a bad thing and many people will love it.  I just won't be one of them.

I say this simply because.. in the interview he talks about:

1)  We'll look into the possibility of sunsetting the game when the time comes

2) We would be happy to co-exist in the online space with their game

3) Will we have enough subs after their game launches.

Oddly enough if Pre-CU was the version of SWG on the market I'm sure they would have "enough" subs.  As the games would be VERY different.  As it is... SWG is going to be the game that wasn't fully converted to WoW with Star Wars textures.  So it will be to similar to BioWares game.. but not as good.

So pretty much 1 and 3 are.. obvious conclusions with the current form of SWG.

This is just my opinion ... obviously.

Then again I'd have 9 accounts still running in SWG if it was still Pre-CU... and wouldn't have wasted money on various MMO's that I played for 2 to 3 weeks after launched and hit.. cancel.

I was going to list them but then realized it would be another two paragraphs.. odd.

Thanks for that Obraik, a realistic and humble look at the future of galaxies from the man himself.

I was one of the so called vets but I was never one of these people who wanted it to be crushed and wiped off the mmo map, I know a lot of people who still play it and have fun and I have no desire to see all there work and time just gone. I believe galaxies will continue for a long time to come.

"Star Wars Galaxies is an incredible game and I think having a game with ground and space, inside the sandbox experience, it's something we're excited by."

If there was still any doubt, NGE original concept is dead (and transferred to Bioware). Long live SWG!

About time :p

Originally posted by Distiler

"Star Wars Galaxies is an incredible game and I think having a game with ground and space, inside the sandbox experience, it's something we're excited by."

If there was still any doubt, NGE original concept is dead (and transferred to Bioware). Long live SWG!

About time :p

lol, so cos smed merely mentioned the word "sandbox" the NGE concept is dead? So there's 32 profs in a skill system in the game again? Whole, free roam planets are being introduced instead of WoW-esque instances? 

No? The NGE is here to stay

It's a metaphor jezzuz

I'm talking about the concept, the idea, etc that made LA bring the original NGE to SWG. The word sandbox or "world simulation" was banned and accused since then, until today.

I think one of the things that terrifed the drones of LEC was that SWG in its sandbox/virtual world mode attracted a lot of people who are more creative than George Lucas.

The problem with SWG now is it's still at its core the NGE: a rancor heinie sucking POS with classes and levels, with WoW style combat without the depth, with toons and mobs on crystal meth, with a boring loot based economy predicated on endless grinding, and vacant servers created by the NGE core itself.

Some brief moments of candor from this man. But what concerns is that he's not speaking to the player base thru the Oforums. Instead it comes off as spin (again) by speaking thru the media. It tells me that the ex subscriber/potential subscriber is who this is directed to.

He needs to treat his customers with dignity by speaking directly to them first. Afterwards he can do his "spinning" to the media.

Originally posted by efefia

Surprisingly candid, maybe he has learned a lesson or three. Quite interesting that he even mentions sunsetting as an option though, I guess he's looking at that as a decision that's out of his hands though, seeing as MxO runs on 3 barren servers, SOE have proved they can keep dead games running as long as they like. This is probably an indication that he himself believes LA could pull the plug on SWG, if (I say when personally) SWTOR takes substantial numbers from SWG and/or makes SWG's subscriber base look ridiculously low.

Wouldn't count on that trend continuing much longer ( the last sentence I highlighted is the kicker ):

Sony profit predictions plunge
By Tom Magrino, GameSpot Posted Oct 23, 2008 1:20 pm PT

Japanese electronics giant shows signs of susceptibility to weakening global economy as net income is revised downward a further 39 percent.

Sony Computer Entertainment may have turned a corner with its PlayStation 3, but Sony Corporation on the whole is ailing. As part of its first-quarter financial performance results in July, the Japanese electronics powerhouse saw its games division post revenues 17 percent higher than a year prior, due in large part to surging PS3 sales. However, those figures weren't enough to offset its foundering electronics and film-making businesses, which saw respective 31 percent and 57 percent declines year over year.

On the whole, Sony Corporation saw flat revenues of ¥1.98 trillon ($20.4 billion) during the April-June quarter. Ominously, net profits were off a substantial 47.4 percent over a year prior, falling from ¥66.3 billion ($684 million) to ¥34.9 billion ($360 million).

It now appears as if Sony's fortunes will maintain their downward trajectory. Today, the Japanese electronics giant revised its annual forecast for fiscal year 2008, saying it now expects revenues to fall 2 percent compared to a year prior to ¥9 trillion ($92.6 billion). The publisher also now anticipates that net income--that is, profit--will nose-dive a further 39 percent from estimates made in July, or 59 percent compared to the same annual period a year ago. For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009, Sony believes profits will now come in at ¥150 billion ($1.54 billion).

Sony attributed the grim earnings revision to a number of factors, not the least of which is the current global economic crisis. "We expect the results of certain businesses in the Electronics segment, such as the LCD television, compact digital camera, and video camera businesses, to be lower than the previous forecast due to a deterioration in the market environment brought on by the slowing global economy and an intensification of price competition," Sony said in a statement. Other contributing factors to Sony's revision include stock-market declines and price competition from rival electronics companies.

The strength of Japan's yen is also weighing heavily on Sony's gaming business, a segment heavily reliant on exported goods. Previous earnings estimates had been modeled on the belief that $1 would match up to ¥105, with €1 corresponding to ¥162. Sony now expects $1 to equate to ¥100, and €1 to buy ¥140.

Luckily the currency cloud had a bit of a silver lining. Sony now anticipates that it will sell 16 million PSPs during the year, up from previous estimates of 15 million. The handheld is selling especially well in Japan, thanks to the wild popularity of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G. The game will be released in the US next spring under the title Monster Hunter Freedom Unite.

Sony's economic woes may be indicative of a more severe issue within the company. As noted by financial news service Forbes, CLSA analyst Atul Goyal said in a recent note to investors that the yen's softness compared to other currencies was masking weaknesses within Sony's core businesses.

Forbes also cites a Tokyo-based analyst speaking under conditions of anonymity as saying, "This is just the beginning of a big earnings collapse. Given the track record of this company, it will under-deliver all the way." The Japanese analyst further added that there is a "good chance" Sony will post a loss for the fiscal year.

In an investor note obtained by GameSpot titled "Another Victim of the Consumer Spending Slowdown," Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson said, "Sony is in the precarious position of having high inventory and aggressive price competition as demand is dropping."

"Although Sony has revised its forecast downward, investors undoubtedly will question whether another cut is looming," observed Wilson. "Given the economic headwinds just a month young and the magnitude of the cuts we have seen from other consumer electronics companies compared with the 2 percent revenue reduction from Sony (4.5 percent, excluding Sony BMG), these concerns will likely continue to weigh on the stock."

Wilson also mentioned the rise in expected sales for the PSP, calling it the one bright spot in Sony's announcement today. Still, Wilson notes that the uptick will have only "a minor positive impact on results," and  Sony is still expecting to post a ¥30 billion ($309 million) loss from its games business for the full year.

Originally posted by Abrahmm

I was in shock at Smeds apparent honesty and class until I read this response....

"John: I think that it is fair to say we are going down the toilet in the last year or so. We've lost a lot of money, after making the mistake of doing the NGE, and I think we now have a game that we are ready to shut down. We have the game now that I wish we'd never made. I wish we'd been given the time to go to space with Lord British. Star Wars Galaxies is an incredible boring game and I think having a game with ground and space, inside wow clone experience, it's something we ashamed by.

Ask the playerbase, if you find them and I think you'd get a lot of different answers, noob, let me a lone, i play it cose its in station exchange, but mostly I get emails saying that the game is a big pile of smelly **** now. I'd say that while things were good at the start –and I definitely understand there are still some upset players - I think there are a lot more happy players. Ha ha ha"

 

Corrected. Sorry i couldnt resist and I'm not even a swg hater.

Originally posted by Zorvan

 Sony is still expecting to post a ¥30 billion ($309 million) loss from its games business for the full year.

I'm no business analyst but this sounds like the makings of a potential restructuring.

Time to trim the fat perhaps?

I respect the fact that he admits the NGE was a mistake and not many here will disagree. SWG has radically improved from Xmas 2005 and it continues to get better.

To say it isn't sandbox is ignorant as the only place in the game, as planets go, that is not is Kashyyk. People very mistakenly say that Mustafar is not but it follows the same format as the rest of the planets and I have grinded there on several occasions.

Kashykk was not a bad idea as a planet but was stupidly implemented (No day and night cycles, no weather, invisible walls etc). It still stands as a good place to level and the quest lines there are fun (especially the Avatar station).

I would have rather seen Hoth as a "whole" planet but unfortunately that is not going to be the case. I will reserve judgement on this "Heroic instance" until after I have played it.

In conclusion, what did some of you expect? He said the NGE was a mistake. He said that he believes the game has improved (which I would agree with). It's suffered greatly because of that mistake (NGE) but it's still  the most open ended game out there and SWCARTOONTOR is not going to replace it and I still doubt it will effect the SWG population (except maybe in the 1st month).

Finally, of course the game will shut down one day. I'd still say that is at least 3 years away at the minimum.

S

Originally posted by Sharkypal

I respect the fact that he admits the NGE was a mistake and not many here will disagree. SWG has radically improved from Xmas 2005 and it continues to get better.

To say it isn't sandbox is ignorant as the only place in the game, as planets go, that is not is Kashyyk. People very mistakenly say that Mustafar is not but it follows the same format as the rest of the planets and I have grinded there on several occasions.

Kashykk was not a bad idea as a planet but was stupidly implemented (No day and night cycles, no weather, invisible walls etc). It still stands as a good place to level and the quest lines there are fun (especially the Avatar station).

I would have rather seen Hoth as a "whole" planet but unfortunately that is not going to be the case. I will reserve judgement on this "Heroic instance" until after I have played it.

In conclusion, what did some of you expect? He said the NGE was a mistake. He said that he believes the game has improved (which I would agree with). It's suffered greatly because of that mistake (NGE) but it's still  the most open ended game out there and SWCARTOONTOR is not going to replace it and I still doubt it will effect the SWG population (except maybe in the 1st month).

Finally, of course the game will shut down one day. I'd still say that is at least 3 years away at the minimum.

S

Many of the people still playing swg are more Star Wars fans than they are swg fans.  Most of the people I know that still play are only playing because its the only game in town for their Star Wars fix.  Once SW:TOR comes out (if its succesful and good) you can start counting down the swg's final days.  While I don't think its 3 years away, I'm willing to go as far as 2 years till we see swg shut down.

BTW, theres not that many people left in swg as it is today.  Maybe, at most, 20k players.  Any game that struggles to get even 1 or 2 servers at a heavy (or even medium) load can't have many more players than that.  Theres no way swg can survive the hit it will take if the new mmo is a success with player numbers like that.

Originally posted by Ginaz

Originally posted by Sharkypal

I respect the fact that he admits the NGE was a mistake and not many here will disagree. SWG has radically improved from Xmas 2005 and it continues to get better.

To say it isn't sandbox is ignorant as the only place in the game, as planets go, that is not is Kashyyk. People very mistakenly say that Mustafar is not but it follows the same format as the rest of the planets and I have grinded there on several occasions.

Kashykk was not a bad idea as a planet but was stupidly implemented (No day and night cycles, no weather, invisible walls etc). It still stands as a good place to level and the quest lines there are fun (especially the Avatar station).

I would have rather seen Hoth as a "whole" planet but unfortunately that is not going to be the case. I will reserve judgement on this "Heroic instance" until after I have played it.

In conclusion, what did some of you expect? He said the NGE was a mistake. He said that he believes the game has improved (which I would agree with). It's suffered greatly because of that mistake (NGE) but it's still  the most open ended game out there and SWCARTOONTOR is not going to replace it and I still doubt it will effect the SWG population (except maybe in the 1st month).

Finally, of course the game will shut down one day. I'd still say that is at least 3 years away at the minimum.

S

Many of the people still playing swg are more Star Wars fans than they are swg fans.  Most of the people I know that still play are only playing because its the only game in town for their Star Wars fix.  Once SW:TOR comes out (if its succesful and good) you can start counting down the swg's final days.  While I don't think its 3 years away, I'm willing to go as far as 2 years till we see swg shut down.

BTW, theres not that many people left in swg as it is today.  Maybe, at most, 20k players.  Any game that struggles to get even 1 or 2 servers at a heavy (or even medium) load can't have many more players than that.  Theres no way swg can survive the hit it will take if the new mmo is a success with player numbers like that.

So says the naysayer crowd. I've been hearing this for 3 years from a group of people who are a little too obesessed with their own importance (and whose predictions have yet to be correct).

I play with quite a few people and they play because they enjoy the game, not because they like SW. I HATE SW now, it's a cartoony joke and it is not representative of the films that I enjoyed as a child.

I think your assesment is dead wrong. SWTOR is squarely aimed at the WoW crowd and there aren't too many WoW fans playing SWG anymore, even if there were there during the initial implementation of the NGE.

Enjoy CARTOONTOR. I'm sure it will be consistent with the shallow nonsense we have come to expect from Lucas.

Smedly is a putz.

The NGE is not getting better. More bugs, more boring collections even in the Hoth instance, instances instead of actual content and limited choices and customization.

I could go on but, theres no point.

SWG COULD be the opposite of what SWToR is gonna be but, they are dead set on making it more like WoW. Had SWG stayed the sandbox type game, it would have no problem co-existing with SWToR.

Originally posted by Abrahmm

I was in shock at Smeds apparent honesty and class until I read this response....

"John: I think that it is fair to say we have proven ourselves in the last year or so. We've listened, after making the mistake of doing the NGE, and I think we now have a game that we're all really proud of. We have the game now that I wish we'd launched with. I wish we'd been given the time to make this game. Star Wars Galaxies is an incredible game and I think having a game with ground and space, inside the sandbox experience, it's something we're excited by.

Ask the playerbase and I think you'd get a lot of different answers, but mostly I get emails saying that the game is a lot of fun now. I'd say that while things were intense for a little while –and I definitely understand there are still some upset players - I think there are a lot more happy players."

 

The game now is the game you wish you would have launched with? Good god. The game still sucks and is emptier than ever, and it's barely a sandbox anymore. There are a lot more happy players now? If he is disregarding the players that the NGE so elegantly disregarded, then he could be right, otherwise the players he has now couldn't fill a server to pre-NGE capacity if they wanted to.

Abrahmm, we've disagreed on things in the past but what you said here is absolutely true...

Once again they are wrong or totally lying.

The game isn't a sandbox anymore.

The Halloween events had no SW Feeling, copy paste of EQ II.

They are barely fixing stuff. Hot as an instance is a plain joke, It should have been a planet and even the first to be added after launch.

The combat system is half finished as the game engine doesn't support real FPS mechanics.

They could stay alive alongside with SWTOR IF they go back to Pre-CU sand-box system, fix it and add content.

Yes it might be a niche. Still you could be surprised. When people get bored to play the same cookie cutter hero than anybody else in TOR they'll jump into SWG.

In it's actual state SWTOR will beat the crap out of SWG.

Give me the bucks and I'll make a Dark Forces + Tie Fighter MMO and even kick Bioware in the nuts ;) Not that I don't respect them!

It seems even Smedley realizes that the new game probably means the end for SWG.  I actually believe it will come as a relief to him and SOE.  SWG has been a tarnish on the industry, on LucasArts, and mostly on SOE.

LucasArts is equally guilty for the lack of ethics used during the CU/NGE time period.  SOE took the heat but LucasArts was right there with them in terms of guilt.

Now Smedley appears to be resigned to whatever happens to the game.  It's pretty obvious that most SWG players will try the new game, and it's safe to say that at least some will like it and subscribe to it.

SWG is 5 years old, it will be 7 years old when TOR launches.

Smedley didn't sugarcoat.  I bet he wants rid of SWG more than anyone.  I think the Trading Card Game is an attempt to milk as much money from SWG as possible for the next 2 years.

Originally posted by Antarious

First off let me say that I'm sure Bioware will make a decent game.

I'm also sure that *I* won't want to play it.  I've only been happy with two MMO's to be honest and I don't see BioWare make a UO or Pre-CU type of game.  Which isn't a bad thing and many people will love it.  I just won't be one of them.

I say this simply because.. in the interview he talks about:

1)  We'll look into the possibility of sunsetting the game when the time comes

2) We would be happy to co-exist in the online space with their game

3) Will we have enough subs after their game launches.

 

Oddly enough if Pre-CU was the version of SWG on the market I'm sure they would have "enough" subs.  As the games would be VERY different.  As it is... SWG is going to be the game that wasn't fully converted to WoW with Star Wars textures.  So it will be to similar to BioWares game.. but not as good.

So pretty much 1 and 3 are.. obvious conclusions with the current form of SWG.

This is just my opinion ... obviously.

Then again I'd have 9 accounts still running in SWG if it was still Pre-CU... and wouldn't have wasted money on various MMO's that I played for 2 to 3 weeks after launched and hit.. cancel.

I was going to list them but then realized it would be another two paragraphs.. odd.

If SOE would have added proffession specific content, general game content and fixed the bugs, that some how still plague SWG even today, There wouldn't have been a reason for the CU nor the NGE and definitly a new SW mmorpg.

SOE shot themselves in the foot and after reading what the Smed said will probably do something SOE has never done, and that is sunset one of their mmo's.

The facts are easy to describe. SOE never delivered a true SW epic mmo, a top notch sandbox game yes, but little other than that.

Originally posted by SWGcasualty

Smedly is a putz.

The NGE is not getting better. More bugs, more boring collections even in the Hoth instance, instances instead of actual content and limited choices and customization.

I could go on but, theres no point.

SWG COULD be the opposite of what SWToR is gonna be but, they are dead set on making it more like WoW. Had SWG stayed the sandbox type game, it would have no problem co-existing with SWToR.

 

And the hologrind was SOOOOO exciting. You guys are hilarious, seriously.

S

PS : You are right about not going on, there is absolutely no point.

This game doesn't need to be 'sunsetted'.  It could be saved, and people are working right now to save it.  Unfortunately it is not SOE's developers.

Hopefully some form of the game will always be around.  I would like to revisit the precu when it is returned to us, no matter who is running it.

Originally posted by efefia

Surprisingly candid, maybe he has learned a lesson or three. Quite interesting that he even mentions sunsetting as an option though, I guess he's looking at that as a decision that's out of his hands though, seeing as MxO runs on 3 barren servers, SOE have proved they can keep dead games running as long as they like. This is probably an indication that he himself believes LA could pull the plug on SWG, if (I say when personally) SWTOR takes substantial numbers from SWG and/or makes SWG's subscriber base look ridiculously low.

Well... SOE is pretty sick in how they do some business and what they actually do to games, and I'm all for bashing the hell out of them.  But I also beleive you have to give credit where credit is due.  SOE doesn't have a track record of shutting the doors on any of their games, no matter how dismal the game may be or how low the population is.

However, some games, like say MxO, probably have a dev team of one or two guys - so though SOE offers the game... that doesn't necessarily mean they support it.

It really bugs me whatt hey did with SWG though.  If they just put some of that money they supposedly make from all of those supposedly real subscriptions... then they would have a decent game on their hands.  It wouldn't compete with these newer games being released without a graphics overhaul, but it would be a decent game.

It doesn't sound like the Smed expects SWG to exists beyond TOR's release.  It is nice for hi to finally admit that he has no standards for quality, considering he claims to be proud of the current version of SWG, the absolute worst MMO on the market.

I sill find it odd that nobody from SOE has made any comments, beyond Valara's cut and paste post, about the future of SWG.  When taken with the Smeds comments, SWG's future doesn't seem very bright (not that it did before, but the Smed doesn't seem to think the game is going to last very long past the release of TOR).