Welp, tomorrow's the big day! Looking forward to the announcement.

www.soepress.com/release.asp

SAN DIEGO, CA & TOKYO, JAPAN (March 13, 2008) — In a strategic move to closely align itself with the strong growth of the worldwide online gaming market, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) announced today that Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) will report to Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO, SCEI, effective April 1, 2008. The new structure is designed to mutually benefit both companies by further accelerating the PlayStation business through SOE’s strong online gaming expertise.

“I am excited to be able to work with SOE even more closely, as online games and services become a more integral part of the PS3 entertainment experience,” Hirai said. “This new structure will allow us to take full advantage of the extensive breadth of expertise of the two companies and increase our range of exciting entertainment offerings to our consumers.”

San Diego-based SOE is currently part of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Under the new structure, SOE will continue to develop its games for the PC and the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system, and SOE President John Smedley will report to Hirai.

“We are thrilled to become a part of the incredible team that has made PLAYSTATION 3 the premier platform for next generation online gaming,” said Smedley. “This move is going to broaden our capabilities and expand the development of our products into new and exciting directions.”


About Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold Legends™, and PlanetSide®, as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxies™, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Denver, CO and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development.

About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufacturers, distributes and markets the PlayStation® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system and the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®) system. PlayStation has revolutionized home entertainment by introducing advanced 3D graphic processing, and PlayStation 2 further enhances the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP is a new handheld entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio. PS3 is an advanced computer system, incorporating the state-of-the-art Cell processor with super computer like power. SCEI, along with its subsidiary divisions Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and Sony Computer Entertainment Korea Inc. develops, publishes, markets and distributes software, and manages the third party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets worldwide. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is an independent business unit of the Sony Group.

I think this is the news from the person's source that which it is the end of the week and this is a big announcement. Looks like Smedley answers to someone now and probably is not long for his job now. And more than likely over the next few months we will see perhaps what is to become of $OE's titles as well either they will be fixed or rolled back to profitable versions and expanded to make money and subs again, or the plugs pulled......

Nah, I'm waiting for the big announcement that says...

with the whole d2d thing going on i asked someone who i know and trust about what is going on. and here we go.

swg subs are now under 8k and la has not been happy for the last few months. they are now demanding that the pre-cu system be put back into the game. $OE however still claims that it cannot be done so 
LA is pulling the plug on the game.

by this friday there should be news about this from $OE who are already trying to spin it as it is being moved over to la. even tho it will be shutting down. and what do the nge fanbois get for their useless defending of $OE?

they get nothing. even if they pre-paied for a few months they won't even get free time on any of $OE's other games.

also from what i've been told everquest one along with planetside and matrix online will be shutting down as well in the next 3 months.

we won the war people.

anyone else think that tomorrow will be nothing again and all these rumors will once again = epic fail ?

I guess you didn't catch my all so subtle sarcasm.

Originally posted by firefly2003

I read on another forum site this guy heard from a source that the actual sub number was around 8k and since the problems with the server populations in SWG that LEC isnt to happy with the numbers and demanded that the Pre-CU system be put back in the game,. in which $OE's response it cant be done  so LA is supposedly this week a announcement will be made that SWG is going to be shut down, along with Planetside, and Matrix Online,  in the next 3 months. This is just a rumor I believe but knowing $OE it oculd be very well true..

Hey also is the so say we all a stargate ori refference?

they just announced the 56 month vetrean rewards. Why would the cancle it and make those kind of annoucments.

Originally posted by phosphoros

If it's true, I'll eat my socks.

i'l take you up on that bet

PLEASE DO PULL THE PLUG!

I do not like seeing how mistreated my good old game is. It's like that guy Prometheus who got cursed with eternal pain and suffering by having an eagle eat him alive each day and when he finally died he regenerated just to face the same thing over and over...

Originally posted by MuppetHero

they just announced the 56 month vetrean rewards. Why would the cancle it and make those kind of annoucments.

Originally posted by sh4dowst4lkr

 

 

Hey also is the so say we all a stargate ori refference?

It's from Battlestar Galactica (the new series)

The simple thing here is to look at corporate interests.  LA want their Star Wars brand online and loved.  SW:G in SOE's hands is simply never going to achieve that again, they blew it.  The Force is not with them.

If you had the money and franchise IP that LA holds, who would you go with for a new MMO?  Obvious answer: Blizzard.   SoE has always dreamed of taking on Blizzard, but at the end of the day they have a tarnished reputation and a very poor track record.  From an IP licensing perspective, you want to team up with the best - which based on subscription numbers is well, Blizzard.

So sure, yet another rumor about pre-CU servers etc etc.  But long term, it simply makes commercial sense that SW:G will be toast sooner or later so that it does not dilute LA's online brand when they try again in the MMO market.  And try again they will, after all WoW is printing money, they will still want a slice of the pie.

The basic point is that the Star Wars franchise has always been about merchandising, and money.  There is no way they can be making anything out of SW:G now given the empty servers.  It's simple logic - if someone makes a toy that doesn't sell, get someone else to make a better toy and sell it.  They will, and SW:G will either limp along forgotten or, more likely, have its IP license withdrawn - they would have included performance clauses and warranties in there for sure, or a flat time-frame (e.g. 5 years).

Sooner or later time will definitely be up for SW:G.

Originally posted by MuppetHero

they just announced the 56 month vetrean rewards. Why would the cancle it and make those kind of annoucments.

For the fact that SOE is notorious for misleading its customers.  It launched an expansion 2 days before the release of the NGE knowing good and well that the expansion was not compatible with the NGE.   They had to back peddle really fast and offer refunds because the threat of a lawsuit loomed over their heads in a California Court for pulling such a move on its customers.

Would SOE offer rewards and then pull the plug?  In a heart beat!

Is it dead yet?

  They'll likely transfer all that crap over to the PS3 then pull the plug.  Afterall, we wouldn't want the diehard console players to feel left out, would we? 

  No damn way!  ...Costly, mystifying anguish for each and all!

 YES! ..Grab your ankles and prepare to be boarded consolers! 

 Sailors of the steam ship 'USS SOE' want you!    GL!  

  ..Cigaretten?  FFS, SWG needs to die.

Originally posted by phosphoros

EQ is still a cash cow for SOE. It's silly to think they;d can the game honestly.

Where did the OP say they were shutting down EQ?

6:50pm EST....still nothing...i think all you need to kick your "sources" out of your forum/blogs...though there is still 5+ hours left.

never beleive anything but actual press releases

Originally posted by Sonno

Originally posted by firefly2003

I read on another forum site this guy heard from a source that the actual sub number was around 8k and since the problems with the server populations in SWG that LEC isnt to happy with the numbers and demanded that the Pre-CU system be put back in the game,. in which $OE's response it cant be done  so LA is supposedly this week a announcement will be made that SWG is going to be shut down, along with Planetside, Matrix Online, and EQ1 in the next 3 months. This is just a rumor I believe but knowing $OE it oculd be very well true..

Linky to this other site?

the person thought he was slick by editing it out when he realized his "source" was full of sh*t

If this game went back to how it was day 1 bring back advertiseing the game is born anew it would be once again an amazeing game.

Originally posted by Teala

 

Originally posted by MuppetHero

they just announced the 56 month vetrean rewards. Why would the cancle it and make those kind of annoucments.

For the fact that SOE is notorious for misleading its customers.  It launched an expansion 2 days before the release of the NGE knowing good and well that the expansion was not compatible with the NGE.   They had to back peddle really fast and offer refunds because the threat of a lawsuit loomed over their heads in a California Court for pulling such a move on its customers.

 

Would SOE offer rewards and then pull the plug?  In a heart beat!

Oh yes they will for sure.

Although I cancelled all my accounts as soon as I saw the NGE horror, I never demanded a refund for the ToOW preorder for some reason. SOE will count on fools like myself to actually never do the ultimate thing and "call the bluff", sort of saying. Although it was a minor sum of money for me, I still think back at it and blame myself for being such a fool!

Don't ever trust SOE!