Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
General: Grinds My Gears: Can SOE Make It?
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
MMORPG.com's Jon Wood spends some time this week talking about the future for Sony Online Entertainment in a post-PSN hack world.
)
The question burning in my mind, and the minds of many others these last few days is a simple one: Can SOE make it in a post-PSN hack environment.
I’m not going to spend time re-hashing the ins and outs and specifics of the incident. it suffices enough to say that security issues forced Sony to close down its PlayStation Network and that later, as a result of the same security breach, Sony Online Entertainment was forced to shut its servers down on May 2nd, and kept them down until May 14th, denying their players access to their games.
Check out the whole article, here.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
Btw whole article link appears to be broken
"They essentially want to say 'Correlation proves Causation' when it's just not true." - Sovrath
Looks like even an article about SOE can't make it.
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
Yeah, link's broken, but I'll bite anyways.
I think "Maybe".
SOE are busily performing damage control right now....they've opened up their games for free to all former players for 30+ days to try to bring back some old subs.
The question is weather this will be enough.
Many people I know who were still playing SOE games were basically zombies......they didn't realise their game died a long time ago, and were just going through their daily motions because they didn't know any better, or anything else.
Hell, I know some SWG players that would probably shatter if they tried to get out of their chairs after all these years
I'm thinking that some of these people may have actually tried other games during the down time, and discovered life all over again, so to speak.
And most of the vets will likely log into their old games and realise why they left to begin with. I know I always do, during the free time SOE likes to give out.
I have a hard time imagining that this isn't the beginning of the end for the current incarnation of SOE. But then, I never figured they'd be around THIS long with their record, so go figure, I guess.
I think their future was in danger even before the hack.
DCUO dramatically underwhelmed. Their flagship MMO, EQ, has been on life support for quite some time, and its successor EQ2 probably doesn't even have twice the subs that EQ currently does.
Take a look at any of those game's forums, and there are some pretty old threads on the first page. Any unbiased MMO vet knows that forum activity is an indication of population.
Speaking of biased - I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the only people who even played SOE games before the hack were pretty staunch supporters of SOE. So a little thing like having their personal information stolen will not stop those players. However, this certainly can't help an already battered reputation.
I don't think it's a question of IF SoE can survive.. but rather SHOULD they?
And honestly, I don't have that answer yet. If the end result is a more customer driven company then I think they SHOULD survive. If not, then Darwinism will take over.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/news/local/chibrkbus-sony-alerts-customers-of-another-hack-20110520,0,4899967.story?track=rss
Sony was re hacked already for game point's in japan.
Its going to be tough.
One point you have forgotten is the fortune its costing them in credit management company fees also. Even bulk buys for 27m customers then they still wont come cheap lets guesstimate SOE manages to get these services for £2 a pop then thats still £50+m.
There may well be insurance for this type of thing I honestly have no idea but at the same time insurance premiums would sureley take a massive hike.
Throw in the numerous lawsuits that will happen as America is just that way inclined and I feel it could bury them.
PSN will be fine Sony give a crap about that I can't see SOE being afforded that same courtosey of backing from its parent.
They are in trouble, that much is clear. And I think we will see a few of their less popular game closing down or more games joining VG in the no update club.
SOE can still make it, but they need a success soon. If EQ Next do badly as well the whole company can go under if Sony themselves doesn't put in money.
A gamecompany needs a large game now and then. SOE needs desperate a few good programmers, EQ2 is not really more or less fun than Wow but it's crappy coding assured that people picked Wow late 2004 and early 2005.
SOE need EQ NEXT to release in good shape, being enough different so the players wont get the same Dejah vu Rift gave them and still be true enough to the original game. If SOE pull that off they will grow again, if not I don't see how they can last.
SOE is not the only MMO company that need a hit soon, but this entire affair made things a lot more urgent.
I think SOE is in dire straights but I don't hope they fail. I hope they adapt and start doing good things for the MMORPG scene. With the economy slumping I fear that failing developers will scare away the investors needed to keep this expensive genre alive. One of my best friends finally broke into the dev industry after years and years of hard work and no money when he landed a job at Sony. I want to see people like him employed and successful. As MMORPG gamers we need two things: good games and successful companies.
Will SOE fail? I agree with you, OP, if they don't turn the boat around now this trip isn't gonna last forever. This was a major milestone for them. Part of me hopes they go the meaner/leaner route. I'd love to see some of those station pass games sold off to smaller companies for revival while SOE as a whole re-focuses on the EQ franchise.
Can SOE make it? Wish I was in a position to know, that's for sure.
I don't really have an opinion right now about SOE. The "security" breach just highlights what is going on in the world these days. Not long ago the FBI released a very public notice to banks about cash transfers to paticular cities in China. Because hackers have been getting into business accounts regardless of how secure (as in besides account access there are multiple other requirements to transfer the money including phone approval) and transferring money out of the accounts.
World wide they say over a billion dollars has been stolen this way. So its not an excuse its just that in my view anything connected to the net is not secure. (even closed systems can have data stolen on site, employee or other wise).
Anyway as far as SOE making it... What would help is if they released a really good game. Pretty much the same answer for any other company out there in the MMO market.
I sure hope not! I have Everquest for screwing up the Warrior class! It was the worst game ever and SOE deserves to go away for their utter incompetance.
If you have any questions please ask. I have moved on to WoW from eq and no longer have any desire to play a dead game. Thank you. (posted by another selling his account in EQ1)
I have been a SoE customer since the EQ1 days, but really, you are very much right. SoE has to really do a LOT of work to get its customers back. When the free 45 days expires I think my account will as well. The real problem is when you are down for a few weeks, me, as a customer expet the game to come back up with a game update, or to have the game update very quickly. When the newest producter letter came out and announced that there would be 0 real new content with the update, and no new raid, what is the point. it is hard to really put in the effort to raid every week when I have finished my T2 set. Sure I could try and get the PVP T2 set, and I might after the super server merger, but really, what is the point, the T2 set is bearly better than the T1 PVP gear, which is VERY easy to get.
I might come back for EQ Next, only because I am an EQ addict, yes I admist it, I am addicted to EverQuest.
Has the security breach changed my opinion on SOE? No. Why? Because years before the security breach I had already formulated the opinion that SOE was an arrogant, chiseling totally "bleep" company I wanted nothing to do with.
Honestly Jon, I think the question you should be asking is whether it would be a good or bad thing for the industry if SOE did go under.
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
Well, it can be pretty hard to stomp a cockroach. Even then, you can't be sure of killing it. And the blasted thing just keeps running on the slimist of pickings....
They can survive. But this might be a better oppurtunity to shutdown, trim away all the fat from the division, and attempt relaunching their core online brands with new ideas, new people, new software, and a new strategy. It would mean the end of most of their current underpreforming mmo games. But they need a drastic act to rebuild their reputation and cast away the slime coating their image from over the years to start "growing again" anyway.
Sustaining itself just isn't good enough. And it's not like they can't make a good game.
I agree and have been saying the same thing in regards to the security issue. It happens and could happen to anyone ..no matter how secure . SOE just gets all the hate because of some poor gaming decisions...for the record..I still think the SWG changes were mostly on the Lucas side...because frankly..he's a greedy fuck and wanted all the cash he could get after hearing WOW go..cha-CHING!!!.
Will SOE make it ? Despite what others may desire... I hope so. Even having a fraud issue with my info..likely caused by the breach but easily rectified on my end... I still play their games from time to time and would like to retain that option. Many others still play their games and enjoy their beloved worlds that other companies would have scrapped by now...e.g. Vanguard and possibly SWG. Also..i don't want anyone to lose their jobs..especially with the current state of the global economy and the woes in Japan post earthquake that are also affecting the company. There are plenty of normal Jack and Jills working on these properties who would suffer just because someone wants Smedley's head (among others) on a pike for poor decisions made years ago.
Some statements make me embarrassed to have read them.
I'm a Pre-CU SWG Vet and I absolutely loathe SOE. But I also loathe filthy basement dwellers who decide to dabble into International Crime, so in this one I'm actually rooting for SOE. I hope they shut down some shitty games, close some servers, and release something playable (not by me, though) to get back in the game, at least enough to not have to fire all of their employees. Except anyone involved with SWG. That whole Dev team, Community team, and SOE's management team can all get hit by the same bus. But everyone else is okay in my book
EQ2 is a solid game but it's not enough to keep SOE afloat long term. All their other games are crap and they don't have much in the pipeline. The few Everquest Next screenshots we saw were not impressive.
Sony has to be willing to make some major changes and shake things up and then re-invest in the MMO market by hiring some quality game designers.
After 4+ years of leadership from John Smedley it's clear he's part of the problem because he hasn't been part of the solution. First things first, Smed needs to go.
Can I also suggest to SOE that an excellent way to make a start on getting rid of the 'old SOE' for a fresh slate would be to sell Vanguard to a company that would care for it and actually develop it?
Please?
Let something good come of it all
To answer your question, no the security breach does not change my view of SOE. It is just another step in the misadventures of this company. It isn't something that on its own would cause me to walk away from a company, but this is just another straw on the camels back.
SOE is in a very tough spot right now. Dwindling player base for many years, 3 consecutive years of layoffs, studio/game cancelations, massive turn over in their senior level leadership and now the loss of 45 days worth of subscription revenue and customer confidence over security.
Sure SOE needs to make some massive changes, but honestly the time for change was years ago. What we are seeing now is just the results of the decision not to make much needed changes some years ago.
EQ3 is going to require a lot of cash, time and developers to make something that will be a big success in the current market. Unfortunate for SOE time, money and developers does not seem to be resources they have an abundance of at the moment.
[quote]Finally, I wanted to talk about games that are left to languish with the Station Pass. Instead of getting the developer attention that they deserve, with a full team to pull some of them up by their bootstraps, games just seem to wither and die on the vine, and no one wants to see that happen to a game that they’ve invested time and money into.[/quote]
My thoughts exactly. Vanguard ( i don't and havn't played it) is probably an example of a game that could have been saved and turned into a very profitable game. There are thousands of people that don't play this game for this one reason alone. Why get attached to something you are destined to lose very shortly.
Unfortunately for all of you, SOE will be around for a long time to come.
Why would they do that? This way they can stifle their competition by letting the game languish, actually make a bit of money off its slow demise, and if they ever want to, use the license for their own sequel. Selling the game to some other company who would actually put effort into improving it, would set it up as direct competiton, and SOE is nothing if not Byzantine.
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "