More changes coming from SOE.

Everquest Next had two pre-production builds proposed.

one build was extensive with a large budget of 100 million dollars. It was Everquest on steroids, thats its nickname around the water cooler.

the other build proposal is extremely casual. Its known around the cooler as everquest invades farmville. its budget is very small, 20 million dollars.

the farmville version was approved.

in addition, more cuts are coming within SOE. Several hundred subcontract workers have 6 month contracts expire december 31st. They will not be renewed

basically the team that was working on the Everquest on Steroids build lost the contest and is being let go

yes, it was kinda considered a contest. the better build got the money, the loser build employees got fired essentially. quite an incentive program by SOE.

If you are an Everquest fan, dont expect a true sequel. the farmville version is going to be designed for the young 19-24 facebook / hip / young san francisco up and coming executives type of people.

quite a bit of dissension over this target market as many dont believe they exist in enough numbers to support this project after launch. some thought is that by the time the game is launched, the economy will have rebounded so its foolish to design around a free to play model and a particular target market thats unproven and outside the mmo norm

Thanks for the juicy tidbit admriker444. Any word on Planetside 2?

I already knew that this was going to be a casual player game focused on PvP, however, I had no idea that a much more in depth EQ was even being considered. After the epic fail DCUO was, I am not surprised they went on the cheap with the next EQ game. Look what $50 million and 5 years did for DCUO.

I feel badly for the sub-contracted employees, but they knew the beast they were dealing with. I hope the find new employment come new year, unless they can get out of their contract earlier.

$OE's days of making huge, in-depth MMO's has long passed. Cheesy Browser games are about all they are capable of designing.

Great info!!!

God...how sad. Smed is so convinced he's right on the pay to play model being dead that he completely overlooks the REAL reason his games have failed...HIM!

Good games will still be able to charge a subscription fee. Bad games, F2P or not, are just that...BAD games.

His whole justification for the whole "F2P is the way of the future" is based on what? His shit games? Yet, at the same time, he goes and tells people that he could see SWTOR selling 2 MILLION games...and mentions how they'll be the last big name P2P MMO.

What does he see in SWTOR that he's unwilling to invest in his own companies future that would justify a subscription fee AND 2 million subs? Nah...he'd rather do things on the cheap...just like DCUO.

What a fucking snake that asshole is.

TUX426 wrote:
he thinks DCU failed because of the economy, not bad design. yes he is that delusional.

the free to play model he advocates has to do with the economy. and it was argued by others that the economy will pick up eventually. given a 4 yr development time frame, by the time an mmo is launched sub fees would be more viable again

I havent heard anything about planetside 2.

the info i got was centered around a staff meeting and a memo announcement about the build they were going with.

one interesting note...the more hardcore build team always felt the game was rigged (the contest). they were sure smed championed the casual cheap build and would never choose their vision for EQ Next. the money had already been allocated so essentially it was just busy work for them.

and thats how soe runs. they wasted millions on a pre-production design build they had zero intention of ever using.

admriker444 wrote:
He-he, this sounds so much like our federal government. Spending for the sake of spending.

Smedley blaming the economy for the failure of DCUO must make him sleep better at night. What a tool.

Kazara wrote: Again...what a sick individual he is. These are peoples lives and careers on the line and he treats them like puppets.

HIS failures are what have damaged SOE
HIS foolishness is what destroyed SWG
HIS arrogance is what sunk DCUO
HIS choices
HIS decisions
HIS "visions"

HIM HIM HIM!!! It's Smed!!! Smed is the companies cancer...not whatever division he's letting go and not whatever guy was in charge of HIS projects...SMED...SMED alone is the dipshit that drove the company into the ground.

To continue to drive his company off a cliff and to continue to mess with contractors and employees lives the way he does is just repugnant.

Why SCE didn't just absorb $OE and kick Smed to the curb years ago proves he either sucks a mean dick or knows where too many bodies are buried.

Shayde wrote:
apparently Smedley has a lot of control over his own position. a rumor around the cooler is only the president of Sony could remove him. and it would be very costly.

believe me, Ive asked repeatedly why the hell wasnt this jackass fired by now. my source says everyone asks the same thing all the time. but its believed he would have to step down on his own or sony would have to pay a shitload of money to remove him.

it seems like the only reasonable explanation why he remains in his position. but its just a rumor, nobody knows.

Whatever it would cost to fire Smed is less money than he's cost Sony.

At the very least they could let him retain his position but take all authority away from him.

They could hire a random bum off the street who would do a better job than he has.

admriker444 wrote:
This would be in line with the rumor or two I heard about Veriant's original acquisition by Sony, which in turn BECAME SOE. And Smed was majority shareholder of that at the time.

Regardless, it doesn't matter. But by now, the amount of money Smed has lost Sony likely far exceeds whatever it would have cost to get rid of him years ago.