SOE Partners with Perpetual Entertainment
jkdove writes "In a surprising move coinciding with the launch of the new Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising site, Perpetual Entertainment announced its new publishing partner, industry powerhouse Sony Online Entertainment. From the announcement: 'Today has been a most exciting day with the announcement of Sony Online Entertainment Platform Publishing as our Co-publisher for 'Gods & Heroes' and a complete re-launch of our website! I know that I have talked about Publisher/Studio relationships before in previous posts, but with this announcement, I feel that it is important to let you know how this relationship will affect you, the players of Gods & Heroes.""
Thanks, SOE, for giving me a reason to stay away!
You better watch out, there may be dogs about . .
What are you people talking about, they are PUBLISHING the game, not making it. The developer still remains the developer, SOE just probably has a bigger publishing network to get games on the shelves than a smaller company does.
Because of the rootkit incident, a large number of the fan-base for this game (computer users with an active internet connection) will be the same demographic affected by the rootkit.
Granted, I'm sure the developers are going to make money hand over fist, but at what point is someone going to come out with a direct-download distribution system for Windows that will allow, neigh REQUIRE, that you burn the ISO files off before playing the game?
I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that if you sell me a downloadable ISO file AND a CD-Key that you would have my sale. It would be the perfect channel for online distribution, and then we would see less and less of these small developers having to share their profits with the likes of large publishing companies just so that their product will be sold in Wal-Mart.
Just like microsoft was the publisher of Asheron's Call and Turbine was the developer...
yeah right. MS's influence fucked up that game soo hard.
AVOID SOE AT ALL COSTS... They are so ethically challenged they make Enron executives look like saints. Yes, they are that bad...
They release stuff half finished, make earth shattering changes to games overnight (right after charging you for the expansion of course), and have managed to revamp and nerf SWG to the point where it has barely 50,000 subscribers.
Corporatism != Free Market
Well, I was looking foward to Star Trek Online, because SoE had nothing to do with it... but... ... ...
*sobs*
You will be baked, and there will be cake.
of SOE at Penny Arcade!!!
No, this is not a good parallel. This is more like Sony's Station Publishing (which I guess is Platform Publishing with a different name) being the publisher and distributor of AC's Throne of Destiny expansion pack. MS was the full publisher of the original AC, they had design oversight. Station Publishing just put the game on shelves, they had nothing to do with the development process beyond that and marketing.
Not a good example.
The Turbine engine was the main product Turbine was selling. AC was work they had originally done but for funding they sold to Microsoft. After release Turbine won a contract to continue work on AC.
AC2 was the same way Microsoft owned the IP of the AC world, they then contracted out to Turbine to use the new Turbine Engine to make a new game with the specifications they requested.
Meanwhile later in the same article "As the recognized leader in online multiplayer gaming in North America, partnering with SOE's Platform Publishing division to publish Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising was an easy and obvious choice," said Chris McKibbin, co-founder and president of Perpetual Entertainment. "Nobody understands the retail channel for online games better than SOE." ,Perpetual Entertainment was going to be the "New Hope" for the disreguarded Sci-fi MMO players that SOE left high and dry after two years of game play pulling the plug on the game and replace it with a kiddie Kandy-ass version aka NGE.
Was Mr Mckibbin receiving sexual favors while making these remarks? Currently working on Star Trek on-line
Someone From Lucas Arts better wise Mr Chris up . I see an immediate ban by the veteran players of SWG if Smedley and his fellow incompentences get their hands on Star Trek MMO. Maybe we should warn him? developer@perpetual.com , its time to take actions before another famous franchise gets F'ed over by SOE.
Heh, I see /. hasn't changed much. Just mention "SOE" and the flamethrowers turn on. Of course, this is the same userbase that bent over backwards convincing itself that waiting 30 minutes to start playing a competing game is a feature. If the queue were found in an SOE game the complaining thread here would top the 1000 post mark.
Not saying SOE is pure as driven snow, but hey, try and see past your bias, guys.