All future SOE MMOs to appear on consoles

[Queasy]

Link

MTV Multiplayer: What role do you think console MMOs will play in the field?

Smedley: I think they?re going to introduce a lot of new people [to MMOs]. Studies show that a lot of people who have consoles also have PCs. However, they also show that most of the people that have a console play their console as their primary gaming device. Though I think what?s going to happen is you?re going to see a whole new generation of players that have been playing ?Resistance? now start getting introduced to MMOs. I think it?s going to be a cool way for them to experience games that have been on the PC for a while, but have a totally different kind of gameplay on the console.

MTV Multiplayer: In your keynote, you had mentioned, by having MMOs on consoles, there will be additional returns. But has there been a significant cost?

Smedley: No, not really. Because we developed our codebase such that the engine will run on across both [platforms]. So there was some up front investment, certainly, but we?ve invested in making sure that the technology runs on both. We?re adapting controls and some of the communication features but we?re trying to keep the same primary game.

MTV Multiplayer: So you would say all of SOE?s MMOs will appear on consoles from now on?

Smedley: Yes.

DC Universe and MAG are also mentioned. Smedley also goes on to hint that another version of Everquest is in the works.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Hopefully the console players will be on the same servers as the PC players of the same game. Population is a problem on several SOE MMO servers. It would be nice to unite the games rather than segregate them (IE EQ1 and EQ: Online Adventures).

Maybe with EQ3, Sony can finally shutdown EQ1, EQ: Online Adventures, EQ2, and Vanguard: SOH to encourage people to play EQ3 (and shift all of the software development teams from those games to it so that they have only one fantasy MMO (would stop the cannibalization that is going on now)). Then have EQ3 be the same game and on the same servers for both the PS3 and PC. A linux port would be nice as well.

 

[jdport]

SOE hasn't had a decent MMO since the original Everquest, which they pretty much destroyed.... so I guess I don't feel too bad about having an xbox360.