JohnSmedley
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'EverQuest' co-creator joins Amazon Games Studio in San Diego
Amazon is firing up new locations for its Games Studio (AGS) offices along the West Coast and infusing it with some legacy blood. John Smedley, one of the original creators of the seminal MMO Everquest, will be helming a new team operating out of San Diego. Apparently, they're already working on a project harnessing both Amazon Web Service Cloud and Twitch.
Sony Online's former chief opens his own game studio (updated)
John Smedley may have left Sony Online Entertainment just months after its acquisition, but he's still staying true to his roots. He recently co-founded a studio, Pixelmage Games, and is already off to the races building his first title: meet Hero's Song, a crowdfunded action role-playing game with a few unique twists. It's more "measured" than frantic hack-and-slash titles like Diablo III, and it revolves around a system of gods that shape the world, the challenges when you die (if you lose, you're dead forever) and your future. You can even become a god, if you're good enough. Unsurprisingly, Hero's Song will be playable both solo and online against many other adventurers.
SOE President talks console MMOs, rivaling WoW
GameDaily had a chat with Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley about the recent Sony corporate shuffle and what's going to happen to SOE as a result of this. According to Smedley, the change is "an opportunity and not a restriction" as SOE will have better proximity to SCE and will possibly develop more intimately for the PS3. He backed up his opportunity claim by stating that console MMOs have a huge potential for growth as consoles are stable online-capable platforms, and already have a large user-base. He even says that console-based MMOs could possibly rival the success of World of Warcraft."Console online gaming in general I think is going to be one of the next huge phases of growth in the online gaming space," said Smeldey. With SOE currently working on PS3 versions of The Agency, a DC universe MMO, and Free Realms, there's no doubt the company is putting action to words. However, could any of you see any one of these titles possibly going toe-to-toe with the king of MMOs? Console MMOs as World of Warcraft beaters, perhaps not yet. Better console MMOs soon? Most likely.
PS3 likely to sell 'movies, music, TV'
Sony is working on a media store, combining its vast movie and music empire with its Trojan horse PS3 system. Late at night, James Bond movies and Beyoncé music will sneak out of the PS3 to take over your living room.It's easy to anticipate the PS3-as-media-store angle; corporations love that synergy. John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment gave us a few general notes about the plan. While he said Sony had "no announcement yet," about these media sales, he said that the ready-for-launch PlayStation Store, is "set up to offer any DRM type of content," including "movies, music, and TV [shows]." (Sony had already announced that the store will offer game downloads and add-ons.) Smedley went as far as saying that Sony is working with content providers, so while unofficial, the media store seems inevitable to us.Here's hoping that Sony maintains the HD attitude and sells HD movies online. Or what if we could rent those titles on the cheap? That sounds like another way for the PS3 to attract a broad audience.
Sony Gamer's Day reveals new PSP-PS3 details
Sony's Gamer's Day has just wrapped up, and we're learning new details from around the web. Unfortunately, details of new firmware didn't seem to be revealed. Highlights from the event include: Demonstration of Remote Play at work: the PS3 started playing the trailer to the upcoming Bond flick Casino Royale. Then, the video was interrupted and then resumed on the PSP. It sounds exactly how it should've worked. John Smedley from Sony Online Entertainment demonstrated PSone download functionality (pictured). The games, as expected, can be transferred to your PSP. Mr. Smedley hinted at future PSone emulation on the PLAYSTATION 3 console. Downloadable games will $14.99 or less. To compare, N64 Virtual Console games on the Wii will cost about $10, so we're hoping Sony prices the games a little bit lower to be a little bit more competitive. That seems to be it for now. Stay tuned to Joystiq to see all the PLAYSTATION 3 news from the event.[Via 1UP]
ESRB needs exposure, change
Next-Gen's Aaron Ruby editorializes that the ESRB needs major change, saying that the rating system has too many confusing options that are best suited to movies instead of games. (Is there a clear difference between "mild violence," "intense violence," and "violence?" Is it measured in volume?) The site follows up with Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley's response, saying that Next-Gen got part of it right -- the game industry needs to be proactive and speak for itself.Ruby and Smedley agree that the ESRB doesn't do enough to educate parents and non-gamers about games. We've seen the Penny Arcade ESRB campaign in PC Gamer and other enthusiast magazines, but we want to find ESRB ads in mainstream publications and on prime-time TV. As Smedley notes, the game industry needs to speak for itself if it doesn't want the Jack Thompsons to speak for it.Read - Opinion: Is the ESRB Broken?Read - COUNTERPOINT: ESRB Not the Problem
