SOE to Distribute Turbine Expansion Packs

voncheesebiscuit writes "Sony Online Entertainment (developers of Everquest, EQ2, and Star Wars Galaxies) and Turbine Entertainment Software (developers of Asheron's Call and Asheron's Call 2) announced today an agreement whereby SOE will distribute the upcoming Asheron's Call and Asheron's Call 2 expansion packs. Interesting news, what does this mean for future Turbine games and other MMP's as Sony increases its visibility in the space?"

Comments

Good news

[ufob_ceo]

After the split with Microsoft I was wondering how the retail operation would shape up. This looks like step in the right direction to me.

Re:Good news

[Teh Suq]

Sony can only improve on the distribution of Asheron's Call games. I realize this is only for the expansion packs at this point, but nobody was worse at putting boxes on the store shelves then Turbine's previous distributors.

Visibility?

[Dragoon412]

I don't think there are many MMO players out there who aren't painfully aware of Sony's existance in the MMO field. Or more accurately, aren't painfully aware of Sony's inpetitude.

Sony set the bar so low for customer service and game quality with EverQuest that they've become something of a running joke amongst many players.

Case in point: How many of you old EQ players remember Sony bringing down the EQ servers for a patch scheduled for 4 hours, bringing them back up 12 hours later, then, when no one can connect to their servers, blame each and every players' ISP for the problem. Then, when they finally did fix things, they'd have to take the servers down for yet another emergency patch. Or how about being told by a guide that he can't help you, even though you're stuck in a wall, because it's against policy to assist players unless their problem is one of a few SOE-confirmed bugs.

Anyways, my point is, I don't think Sony increasing their visibility is going to have much of an effect because everyone already knows they're around, and their reputation is laughably bad. I'd be more worried about SOE using this as a way to screw Turbine.

Re:Visibility?

[Dachannien]

Or how about being told by a guide that he can't help you, even though you're stuck in a wall, because it's against policy to assist players unless their problem is one of a few SOE-confirmed bugs.

As a former member of the EQ Guide Program under Verant, before the program was eviscerated by SOE, I can refute this assertion.

Determining that someone is stuck in a wall (such as the portcullises in Permafrost, people were always standing underneath those and getting pushed up into the space above them when they lowered) is incredibly easy. All you had to do was /goto the person in question, and then when you determined that you were stuck there along with them, you either /zoned back in and walked around to find them, or asked for the name of someone nearby to /goto. Then you just /summoned the stuck person, exchanged pleasantries, and were off.

A guide who didn't put even this minimal amount of effort into their work had no business being a guide.

Since then, SOE has indeed dismantled the Guide Program, and hasn't instituted volunteer CS in any of their newer games. Obviously, the old AOL wage lawsuit put the fear of The Man into the industry, because (to my knowledge) there aren't any games out now with volunteer CS. And to be perfectly honest, it has hurt the quality of these games tremendously.

Re:Visibility?

[tvalley000]

I don't think there are many MMO players out there who aren't painfully aware of Sony's existance in the MMO field. Or more accurately, aren't painfully aware of Sony's inpetitude.

Sony set the bar so low for customer service and game quality with EverQuest that they've become something of a running joke amongst many players.


I read the PR carefully, and it doesn't state that SOE will be doing anything more than distributing the titles. The quote from Jason clearly outlines the advantages that Turbine is receiving from this agreement: Exposure to retail.

Turbine has an in-house Customer Service department. While they've had their problems in the past (I challenge you to find one MMO company out there where there haven't been complaints lodged against the customer service department), they're certainly no Verant/SOE.

Re:Visibility?

[Teh Suq]

because (to my knowledge) there aren't any games out now with volunteer CS.

Anarchy Online still has the ARK program running.

Re:Visibility?

[obsid1an]

I agree. They should use the "Blizzard Downloader." Much better right? Or how about bring all the servers down for 16 hours of maintenance, and when they are back up they are actually worse than they were before. Oh I know, make people wait in line for 30-60 minutes to get into the server. However, since Blizzard is doing these things it is ok.

Re:Visibility?

[Anonymous Coward]

What the fuck are you even talking about? Blizzard has nothing to do with this conversation, and wasn't even mentioned in the parent.

Smacktard.

Brilliant!

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, nice move by SOE. From developing software to distributing it.

This way the buisness depends less on the overall success of a certain title and more on the genre at large. Believe it or not, SOE actually has some smart marketing people. I mean just look at the "reviews" of their games on IGN. *cough* bought *cough*

Star Wars Galaxies was a pile of crap when it came out. I am still amazed they pulled anything out of that. Pure brilliant marketing.

Turbine runs the ingame help, not Sony

[Hubbell]

And turbine's ingame helpers suck. They have permabanned people for swearing on the Player Killer server, the one server where you would expect to find swears, yet dish out 5minute squelches on the NPK servers and rarely ban for swearing unless you use racial/homophobic slurs.

Re:Turbine runs the ingame help, not Sony

[Teh Suq]

I don't think you should expect to see swearing in any game. Really, can you be any more uncivilized? Swear out loud if you really have to. Type it in and you risk the penalties of breaking the game rules.

Re:Turbine runs the ingame help, not Sony

[ufob_ceo]

I've had nothing but good experiences with Turbine's support staff - always quick to respond and always a quick resolution.

Re:Turbine runs the ingame help, not Sony

[moonbender]

Really, can you be any more uncivilized?

Yes, easily. And in about ten thousand ways, all much worse than saying "shit" (oh, no!). Among all the rudeness that you routinely experience on the web and in online games, swearing doesn't even appear on the radar. I hate it when people (yes, the FCC, that is you) are so unsophisticated about swearing, they're just interjections for crying out loud, they don't even mean anything, really.

Re:Turbine runs the ingame help, not Sony

[Teh Suq]

It's very simple. The game has rules. Swearing in game (actually having to type it in) is against the rules. Break the rules and get banned. If you don't like their rules, don't play their game. You do not have the right to swear in their game. You do not have the right to do a lot of other bad things. Most any of them will get you banned. Swearing is just the tip of the iceberg. Swearing isn't cool. Swearing isn't adult. Swearing isn't mature. Learn to blow off steam in a less rule-breaking way.

Re:Turbine runs the ingame help, not Sony

[moonbender]

See, that's what I was talking about, one of the more annoying things people do on the internet is display an extremely condescending attitude. Now that should be banned.

Rejuvenating AC

[skreeech]

Having actually marketing could be what the best games available needs to stop it's downward slide.

Can't help but love AC's pvp(unless you play a melee)

Out of the pot and into the fire...

[TheOnlyJuztyn]

If they thought microsoft was bad for not letting them develop these expansion packs in the first place, just wait until SOE demands they place a large 'Star Wars Galaxies' advertisement billboard in the middle of the marketplace.

Re:Out of the pot and into the fire...

[skreeech]

ijbol

*i just burst out laughing