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The Perfect Ten: Most significant MMO stories of 2011
2011 was an odd duck of a year for MMO news. A huge chunk of the year felt devoid of significant releases, but that was mitigated somewhat by the major launches of RIFT and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Titles got shoved back to 2012 or beyond, MMOs that we thought never would go free-to-play did, and the industry continually surprised us with revelations, ideas, and controversy. So in my last Perfect Ten of 2011, I put together the 10 most significant MMO stories of the year. Ten seems like an awfully small number for such a great big field, so I had the rest of the staff members chime in with their nominations just to make sure I wasn't too off-base with any of these. It was a whopper of a year, and Massively was there for all of it -- the ups, the downs, the queues, and the QQs. It's time to wrap it up with a pretty bow and dedicate it to the history museum!
The MMO Report: Surprisingly Commando-free edition
It's the end of the week, and you know what that means! Not only do we get to ramp up to enjoy a weekend full of gaming, but it's also time for the latest edition of The MMO Report. This week Casey takes a moment to look at World of Warcraft's April Fools' Day prank and tackles the discussion of DPS players paying tanks to tag along so they can get into instance groups faster. On a more somber note, Casey notes the layoffs at Sony Online Entertainment, which resulted in the shuttering of three studios and cancellation of The Agency; he also mentions Square-Enix's games coming back online after the recent tsunami in Japan. Also noted is the upcoming Mortal Online: Dawn expansion, which should offer even more gritty, naked PvP fun for all. From there, it's all silliness in Uncle Casey's Mailbag -- complete with some RIFT vs. WoW snaps, yet another edition of strange Schreiner shoops, and more silliness. We're also treated to a quick aside that reveals Casey has awesome taste in music -- much like our own. As always, you can check out this week's episode of The MMO Report tucked behind the break for your sanitary protection or over on the G4TV site every Thursday.
PlanetSide Next delayed, receiving resources from The Agency cancellation
Speaking to PlanetSide Universe, Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley confirmed that the upcoming PlanetSide MMO, codenamed "PlanetSide Next," would not be making its intended first-half of the year launch. SOE is "pulling out all the stops to make it great" when it's released "later in the year." PlanetSide Next will be the beneficiary of "additional resources" from the cancellation of The Agency. The update on PlanetSide Next is directly tied to last week's mass layoffs within SOE. The company eliminated 205 jobs, shut down The Agency and closed three studios.
SOE confirms studio closures, cancels The Agency
Following earlier reports of studio closures and mass layoffs, Sony Online Entertainment has issued an official statement regarding its "strategic decision to reduce costs and streamline its global workforce." The company confirmed the closings of its Denver, Seattle and Tucson studios and the elimination of 205 jobs. Additionally, SOE announced the cancellation of The Agency, the long-delayed, cross-platform spy MMO under development at SOE Seattle. The company said it's discontinuing production of the title to "focus development resources on delivering two new MMOs based on its renowned PlanetSide and EverQuest properties, while also maintaining its current portfolio of online games." SOE added that the Denver and Tucson studios' projects would be transitioned over to its San Diego headquarters. The company's full statement is posted after the break.
Sony Online Entertainment confirms layoffs, studio closings [Updated]
Sony Online Entertainment has confirmed the rumors that have been circulating since last night in a press release. The company is closing several offices, laying off staff, and discontinuing production of The Agency: "As part of a strategic decision to reduce costs and streamline its global workforce, SOE announced today that it will eliminate 205 positions and close its Denver, Seattle and Tucson studios. As part of this restructuring, SOE is discontinuing production of The Agency so it can focus development resources on delivering two new MMOs based on its renowned PlanetSide and EverQuest properties, while also maintaining its current portfolio of online games. All possible steps are being taken to ensure team members affected by the transition are treated with appropriate concern. "This strategic decision will have no impact on SOE's current portfolio of live games; additionally SOE will transition development efforts for the Denver and Tucson studios' suite of products to its San Diego headquarters. This strategic alignment of development resources better positions SOE to remain a global leader in online gaming and deliver on its promise of creating entertaining games for players of all ages, and servicing the 20 million players that visited SOE servers in just the past year." Massively wishes the best of luck to all those affected by this situation. [Update: Good news for fans of specific SOE games. SOE's John Smedley has told Planetside-Universe.com that "PlanetSide Next is getting more resources and will be out a little later in the year, but [SOE is] pulling out all the stops to make it great." An official post on the Vanguard forums notes that "there are no plans to sunset the world of Telon so long as its citizens continue to dwell in such sustainable numbers." Likewise, EverQuest players have been told that "EverQuest is not going anywhere." We'll keep you updated as we hear more.]
Report: Three SOE studios close, layoffs abound
Following a series of tweets from George Broussard, co-owner of 3D Realms, which indicated that Sony Online Entertainment would be undergoing layoffs and possible studio closures around its five locations today, Kotaku reports that a source "familiar with the matter" has confirmed the closures of SOE's Denver, Seattle and Tucson studios. Additionally, half of the Austin staff has been reportedly laid off, along with a "sizeable" number of workers at SOE's San Diego headquarters. In all, the layoffs are said to affect nearly one-third of SOE's total workforce. Notably, SOE Seattle has been the lead development studio of The Agency, which had been slated to launch in the second half of the year (after a long delay). Neither SOE Denver nor Tucson has been working on anything as high profile as The Agency, though both have continued to operate a number of SOE titles, including Denver's Legends Of Norrath and other digital card games, and Tucson's PoxNora strategy game.U Update: SOE has issued an official statement confirming the report and providing further details.
Rumor: SOE to close The Agency studio
Rumors have been flying since yesterday afternoon that it's the end of the line for The Agency's studio. George Broussard, one of the minds behind the Duke Nukem games, made several announcements on Twitter last night that the studio will be closing today: Word that Sony Online Entertainment Seattle is having layoffs and that studio closure is possible. To be more clear, the layoffs may be SOE wide and not just limited to Seattle. So, Austin, San Diego, etc... SOE Seattle and other studios (Denver is rumored) will be closed tomorrow. Good luck to all impacted. In addition, Kotaku is reporting that these layoffs could affect nearly one-third of SOE's total staff. Sony Online Entertainment has not released any statement or announcement to confirm this, so it's uncertain whether Broussard has inside information or is merely getting a jump on April Fool's Day. We'll be watching for official word back from SOE, so keep your eye on Massively for more.
Free Realms PS3 due 'sometime early Feb.,' Planetside Next in Q1 or Q2
Sony Online Entertainment just did the impossible and launched an MMO on a console ... and it's got several more on the way in the near future. According to SOE president John Smedley, the long-awaited PS3 release of Free Realms has been submitted to Sony and will be out soon. "If I was a betting man," Smedley told Eurogamer, "I'm betting sometime early February it gets launched on the PS3 in SCEA. And probably, and this is a guess, sometime in March for SCEE. And that will use a free-to-play business model on PS3." And that's not all! The Planetside sequel currently code-named Planetside Next is on the way to unspecified platforms. "We're looking at late first-quarter, early second-quarter [2011]," Smedley said. He even reaffirmed plans to release The Agency in the second half of 2011. "We're not giving out a specific date yet because we don't know it," he said. In addition to those, "There are [unannounced projects]," Smedley said. "Can't even disclose a number, but a lot."
SOE's Smedley says MMO copycats incoming, drops hints on PlanetSide Next release
Big things are happening at SOE these days, and whether you're talking about the newly minted DC Universe Online or the company's PlanetSide followup and spy-centric The Agency, it's an exciting time to be a fan. Eurogamer brings us a bit of info regarding potential release windows for both PlanetSide Next and The Agency, and the former looks to be gracing our desktops much sooner than we expected given the general lack of information to date. "We're looking at late first quarter, early second quarter [2011]," says SOE head honcho John Smedley in regard to the long-awaited PlanetSide sequel. Players will have to wait a bit longer to get their espionage fix, as The Agency is still slated to arrive "late this year." Why so long? It boils down to SOE's desire to differentiate itself from the competition. "There's some stuff coming out in the next two or three months, MMO-wise, and a lot of it is generic copycats of other games," Smedley tells Eurogamer. He also talks a bit about the impending arrival of Free Realms on the Playstation 3, intimating that the free-to-play title will spread its console wings in early February.
SOE's The Agency delayed until late 2011
Whatever happened to The Agency? Inquiring minds want to know, and since Sony Online Entertainment's internal memos haven't been given the WikiLeaks treatment, we'll have to take company president John Smedley at his word. "There was a moment in time in our company where we looked at our own stuff with a clear eye and saw we have to do better," Smedley told Kotaku in a recent interview. Translation: it ain't ready 'til it's ready. While the spy MMO's launch would seem to be quite a ways off, fans should be glad to hear that it hasn't been shelved entirely. We haven't seen hide nor hair of the title since E3 2010, but hopefully the extra time will serve to boost the game's stock in the same vein as SOE's other upcoming MMO. DC Universe, originally scheduled to launch last November, has apparently benefited from the extra test cycles if the scuttlebutt surrounding yesterday's NDA-drop is to be believed.
The Agency not due until second half of 2011
Despite earlier intentions for a 2010 launch, it seems that Sony Online Entertainment's spy MMO The Agency has been delayed once more, this time being pushed into the second half of 2011. In a recent interview, Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley noted as much, saying the game still "needed a lot of work." "There was a moment in time in our company where we looked at our own stuff with a clear eye and saw we have to do better," Smedley explained. "DC Universe was held for a year-and-a-half from when we wanted to launch it and now I'm very happy with it." And we don't blame him -- when we last played The Agency it felt a bit underdone. Hopefully the folks at SOE Seattle will take the extra year to make a truly worthwhile multiplayer experience.
SOE layoffs detailed, EQII and Vanguard affected
Layoffs in any industry are never pleasant, and in a smallish community like that of the professional game developer, they can be even more trying. As we reported yesterday, Sony Online Entertainment recently announced the decision to serve 35 employees with their walking papers, and speculation has run rampant in the absence of official information. Two of the developers now looking for work checked in on the EQ2Flames forum to confirm the news and thank the community for their support. SOE's big-budget fantasy titles look to be the most affected by the moves. EverQuest II loses Brett "Timetravelling" Scheinert, responsible for various raid designs on the Sentinel's Fate expansion. Rumored Vanguard losses include William "Wigin" Bidermann and Jason "Ikik" Weimann, as well as Joel "Raijinn" Sasaki, the game's community manager. Finally, Steve "Saavedra" Kramer, a former EQII designer and most recently working on The Agency, was also let go. SOE also terminated two as-yet unnamed marketing employees. [Update #2: While we now have confirmation that Jason "Ikik" Weimann was not among those let go (as originally rumored), we're still attempting to clarify the rumored departure of the other Vanguard dev. Joel "Raijinn" Sasaki's departure has been confirmed as well. We'll update the post as soon as we receive additional info.]
SOE suffers cutbacks as 35 employees are laid off
Four percent doesn't sound like a lot, but when it comes to Sony Online Entertainment, it represents nearly three dozen employees who no longer have a job. G4 reports that the company has let 35 people go from its full-time workforce in an effort to "better align the company's resources against areas of growth that meet consumer demand in today's online market as well as improve operational efficiency." The company is being tight-lipped as to the specifics of the cuts, including who was let go and from which development teams. This may come as a surprise to some, especially when you consider that SOE is riding high off of its Free Realms mega-success and is poised to launch several new titles including The Agency, DC Universe Online and Clone Wars Adventures. Hopefully we'll hear more details soon, but in the meantime you can read the full announcement over at G4.
This week on The MMO Report
You may remember last week's MMO Report being part one of an epic two-part episode. Crazily enough, this week brings us part two, and it's back to the Los Angeles convention center for more of Casey Schreiner and his E3 interview shenanigans. This week's show features interviews with Steve Garvin and Lance Robertson, lead designer and executive producer, respectively, on Jumpgate Evolution, Jason Robar, co-founder of Amazing Society and part of the braintrust behind Marvel Superhero Squad Online, Rory McGuire, lead designer on The Agency, and Sony Online Entertainment's Chris Cao, game director for DC Universe Online. "You pick up that controller or that keyboard and you're literally punching dudes in the face; you're not waiting to take a turn. This isn't an MMO that's dressed up or sped up, it's one that's on crack. It is action all the time," Cao says, when asked how the game compares to previous superhero MMOs. Check out all the MMO Report E3 action at G4TV or after the jump.
Preview: The Agency's Player vs Player mode
For me, the selling point of MMOs is the huge, open world; a world full of other actual human beings who I can interact with and who can interact with me (almost like real life!). So when I snuck in some time with The Agency at Sony Online Entertainment's E3 booth this year, it was hard for me to shake the feeling that I was playing an Unreal Tournament-style, Ijji.com shooter (one powered by a modified Unreal Engine 3, no less) rather than an MMO. Sure, the Deathmatch trappings of my demo didn't help, but neither did lead designer Rory McGuire's explanation of how the game's Player vs Player works. Essentially, interactions with other players are instanced into online multiplayer matches (30 players max), as seen here. The results of these battles are said to be reflected in the game's hub world -- locations can be taken by "U.N.I.T.E." or "Paragon" in multiplayer and those locations will show up as belonging to one of the game's two factions. From what I played, however, I'm not confident that what I've come to expect from an MMO -- the feeling of being in one huge world with other human beings -- is present in The Agency.%Gallery-3830%
E3 2010: Your complete Massively coverage roundup
The 2010 edition of the gaming nirvana known as E3 has come and gone, and Massively was there to bring you three days of exclusives, firsts, and hands-on impressions for all your favorite MMORPG titles, studios, and developers. This year's Expo saw plenty of news and announcements regarding highly anticipated games, as well as plenty of information on assorted titles large and small. We thought it best to collate our coverage into a complete and concise roundup post for your viewing pleasure, so read along after the cut to make sure you didn't miss anything. You can also check out all of our E3 galleries along the way.
The Daily Grind: What's your E3 highlight?
Whew! This past week has been a rollercoaster of craziness, a carousel of attractions and a mirror maze of sights from E3. We certainly hope you've enjoyed the coverage here at Massively, from interviews to exclusive peeks to mind-snapping trailers. As we all continue to sift through the mountains of E3 information, we'd love to know what you consider to be the expo's highlight, your own personal "Best of Show" award. Was it the brand-new trailer of the previously hidden Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium Online? The exceedingly awesome new SWTOR cinematic? The in-depth look into DC Universe Online? Or perhaps you're a Marvel fanboy and Super Hero Squad Online's gotten you revved up? Could it be the exciting conversations with Final Fantasy XIV's devs? The Agency's PvP side or LotRO's brand-new zone? Or perhaps you found yourself charmed by one of the smaller titles, such as Forsaken World, Taikodom, Swordsman Online, Battlestar Galactica Online and Zentia? If you were asked -- and hey, we're asking you! -- what's your E3 highlight? Who gets the blue ribbon and who ends up empty-handed?
E3 2010: The Agency blows up in our faces... and it's a good thing
After seeing the new trailer yesterday for SOE's The Agency, we thought nothing could get us more revved up about this upcoming title. We were wrong. DEAD wrong. Ahem. Sorry. For aspiring Mr. and Ms. Kiss-Kiss-Bang-Bangs out there, The Agency is promising all of the hot, high-tech spy action that you can handle. Step into the shoes of James Bond, Jason Bourne, Inspector Gadget or Maxwell Smart, grab your favorite weapon, and throw yourself into one of many exciting locales where you and other players will compete for all the secrets and bragging rights. At E3, Massively got the chance to sit down with The Agency's Senior Producer Josh Hackney and check in on how this title is progressing. Hit the jump to read about specialized roles, PvP and why mindlessly spraying hot lead in all directions is completely passé.
Sony Online Entertainment reveals The Agency trailer
Have you been passing the time playing Covert Ops while you wait for Sony Online Entertainment to give us more news about The Agency? If you remember, when they announced their Facebook game, they promised that the full-blown MMO is still coming. They held true to their promise. Massively will be speaking one-on-one with SOE tomorrow, but in the meantime, we have a shiny new trailer to show off. Crouching on buildings sniper-style, exchanging a few hundred rounds of ammo in a fancy hotel lobby, and a firefight as you run through the city streets -- what more could you want? Follow along after the jump for the new trailer, and don't forget to keep an eye on Massively for our talk with the Sony Online Entertainment team at E3. [via Big Download]
The Agency PvP trailer features the least discreet spies ever
The latest trailer for Sony Online Entertainment's espionagetastic MMO, The Agency, shows us a side of the world of counterintelligence that we rarely get to see: Action-packed deathmatches. How else did you expect the game's player vs. player element to pan out? Though eight-hour-long rounds of competitive target surveillance might be more thematically appropriate, we don't think they'd be very entertaining after the first few minutes.
