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SOE touts one million new DCUO players
The success notices keep rolling in for DC Universe Online. This time Sony Online Entertainment is touting the fact that one million new players have joined the game's community over the past week. Executive director of development Lorin Jameson says that the numbers are split 50/50 between the PC and PlayStation 3 platforms, and he also intimates that more good news is in the works for fans of the superhero MMO. "We have a lot of exciting things coming up for players to enjoy in the game and are thrilled at the initial enthusiasm for the game's free-to-play transition," Jameson said via press release. [Source: SOE press release]
DCUO producer's update says login fixes are coming
Sony Online Entertainment has released a new producer's update to keep disgruntled fans in the loop regarding the overwhelming demand for DC Universe Online. The superhero title, which opened the free-to-play floodgates a week ago, has been beset with overcrowding, huge load times, and "load screens of death" that leave would-be players stranded in no-man's land as they try to log into the game. Producer Lorin Jameson says that SOE is working hard to alleviate the problems, and the company released a PC client patch last night while a PlayStation 3 patch is awaiting Sony approval. "In the next couple of days we will be deploying other improvements like priority queuing for Legendary and Premium players, and soon we will be releasing Game Update 6 which has the conclusion to the Fortress of Solitude raid series and other game enhancements," Jameson wrote on the game's Facebook page.
SOE webcast fielding your DCUO F2P questions tonight
In case you haven't heard, DC Universe Online is going free-to-play sometime toward the end of October. Everyone's favorite DC Comics-flavored MMO (OK, the only DC Comics-flavored MMO) is also the star of this week's Sony Online Entertainment webcast. Executive producer Lorin Jameson and creative director Jens Andersen will be fielding your questions about superhero-sized free-to-play and the future for digital denizens of Gotham City and Metropolis. The webcast happens on SOE's Stickam channel; you can also catch it via the Stickam tab on SOE's Facebook page. What time, you ask? Set your alarms for 7:00 p.m. EDT, and check out this handy timezone conversion link if you're unsure how that equates to your local time.
Massively Exclusive: SOE's John Smedley reveals F2P model for DC Universe Online
For those of us who lack Batman's financial resources, maintaining several monthly MMO subscriptions can be a challenge. Sony Online Entertainment recognizes this, and as a result, the company has just announced that DC Universe Online will be officially joining the freemium revolution toward the end of October. The new business model will feature a familiar tiered access plan with three membership levels. The Free, Premium, and Legendary plans feature full access to the current game while offering different levels of "convenience and flexibility." Free players will be limited to two character slots, and new "downloadable game packs/updates, additional character slots, powers, and more" will be available for purchase via microtransactions. Premium players, i.e., folks who have spent at least $5 US on the game (including former subscribers and in-game item purchasers), will receive additional character slots, inventory slots, and higher cash limits. Legendary players will take home "maximum features and benefits" including free DLC, more than 15 character slots, and more than 80 inventory slots, all for the regular $14.99 monthly fee. DCUO will also continue to be available on SOE's Station Pass (and subscribing to the monthly all-in-one service nets you Legendary status in DCUO as well as access to all of SOE's MMORPGs). Finally, Massively sat down with SOE president John Smedley and producer Lorin Jameson to chat about the new model, and you can find that transcription after the break.
Alter-Ego: Update 3 and more in store
Good things are on the horizon in DC Universe Online, heroes, and villains! After having the chance to sit in on a roundtable discussion with Jens Andersen, Mark Anderson, and Lorin Jameson on Thursday, I am confident that the team in charge of the game's development is taking a good hard look at all the feedback it's been receiving from players. Aside from getting a chance to hear more about the soon-to-be-released Update 3, we were able to get a handful of answers for some burning questions that players have been asking about recently -- and some screenshots in the gallery below to give you a sneak peek! Additionally, we managed to get a hint of things to come, as we're certain anyone who was watching Thursday night's DC Universe Online stickam chat noticed. For those who didn't make it, don't worry -- I'll be running down several interesting points from that event too since it meshes well with the roundtable discussion. All you have to do to get the super-scoop is join me behind the break! %Gallery-50201%
Alter-Ego: Only doom in the hall
Just after my column went live last week, we saw the Sony Online Entertainment servers start to come back online. Those of us who consider DC Universe Online our MMO home were able to once again get our hero or villain on and meet up with friends we'd been relegated to catching up with on Facebook. (Don't get me wrong, Facebook is fine for what it is, but it can't compare with getting to bash virtual superhero or supervillain heads in alongside your league-mates!) As I mentioned last week, the restoration also came with a nice variety of goodies. With the added outage time tacked onto the 30 days, everyone was awarded 45 days of free play time, which isn't too shabby. I'd also note that the 45 days free applies to all Sony Online Entertainment game accounts you might have -- whether or not they were active at the time of the outage. This offers DC Universe Online players who may have opted to cancel after the first month the perfect chance to log in and check out the content updates that have gone live since launch, without having to spend a dime. The real question is this: What type of future might we see for DCUO in the aftermath of the outages, especially with so many players screaming that they were leaving? Join me behind the break as I look at our first week back on the mean streets.
SOE welcomes players back, Mark Anderson named DCUO's new game director
"It's good to be back!" Many Sony Online Entertainment customers have said this these past few days as the studio's titles came back online after a two-week absence. They're not the only ones, either; many of the leads to SOE's host of MMOs are saying the same thing today. Eight developers representing a large portion of SOE's library posted "Welcome back!" messages on the Station Blog, expressing a mixture of relief, happiness, and hopeful visions for their games' futures. Several of these developers have also used the opportunity to show that they were working hard during the break. "We're incredibly glad to have our worlds back online again," EverQuest II's David Georgeson said, "and we really appreciate you all being so patient with us while we strengthened the castle walls." There's certainly a lot of information to digest in these eight posts. Lorin Jameson dropped the news that Mark Anderson's been moved up to become DC Universe Online's latest game director, while Georgeson hinted at a "major new feature set" for EQII that's in the works. Several of the devs mentioned that the downtime will result in a delay of future patches and expansions so that they can be properly tested. You can read the full assortment of "Welcome back!" posts at the Station Blog.
Sony Online Entertainment senior producer becomes Zynga Austin GM
At Sony Online Entertainment in Austin, Texas, John Blakely headed up projects ranging from Star Wars Galaxies to DC Universe Online. Now, Blakely is leading Zynga's Austin-based offices, acting as general manager for the studio in a move spotted this past week. Blakely's LinkedIn profile indicates he's been with Zynga Austin since some point in April of this year. SOE confirmed Blakely's departure in a statement, thanking him for "the passion and leadership he brought to work every day," and noting that the company "fully supports him in his future endeavors." Zynga could not be reached for comment as of publishing, though it stands to reason that the social media giant isn't exactly unhappy with the acquisition. Executive director of development, Lorin Jameson, will fill Blakely's spot at SOE.
John Blakely leaves SOE for Zynga
These days fans are hungry for any word from Sony Online Entertainment, which has been mostly quiet following the hacking intrusion that required Sony to take down its MMOs on May 2nd. While we have received some news out of the company, unfortunately today's word is a sad one: John Blakely, SOE's vice president of development, has left the company to join Zynga. Kotaku reports that Blakely's LinkedIn resumé mentioned that he left SOE in April to become a general manager at Zynga in Austin. SOE has confirmed his departure, thanking Blakely for his "passion and leadership" and stating that he has been replaced by Lorin Jameson. Jameson was the executive director of development at SOE's Austin studio. In addition to being SOE's VP of development, Blakely filled the role of executive producer for DC Universe Online and senior producer for EverQuest II during his stay at the company.
GDCO 2010: Running MMOs for the long haul
In a year that seems overshadowed by the premature demise of big-budget titles, the question on everyone's mind is just what does it take to not only successfully launch an MMO, but keep it going for the long haul? At GDC Online this past week, several devs who find themselves struggling with this very issue got together for an informative panel entitled "Strategies for Successfully Running an MMO from Launch and Beyond." At the panel, Lorin Jameson (SOE), Nathan Richardsson (CCP), Jeff Hickman (EA Mythic), Jeffrey Steefel (Turbine), Rich Vogel (EA-Bioware) and Min Kim (Nexon) stepped up to the plate take a swing at the common pitfalls, the unseen consequences and the harsh realities of the industry. So if you're curious about why some titles thrive while others fall apart or why a particular MMO makes it to launch and beyond while another fades into obscurity, hit the jump and see what these industry experts have to say about the enormous and complex task of getting an MMO to lift off -- and then keeping it soaring for as long as possible.
Star Wars Galaxies' new producer hints at future content
Just yesterday we noted that Star Wars Galaxies has a new producer, as long-time friend of the game Lorin Jameson moves into a directorship position for SOE-Austin. The new producer, Christopher "Dotanuki" Field, sat in with the forum-goers last night to answer a number of their resulting questions. Here are some highlights: They are aware of player concerns over server population, and have something in the works right now to address it. Hoth (coming in Chapter 11) is planned as a strictly PvE experience, and at the moment they don't plan on space combat to be a part of the instance. More on Hoth: It will be both indoors/outdoors, and "There are going to be things in Hoth that you've not seen before in Star Wars Galaxies." Droid Commander is right now slated for Chapter 12. They're already at work on a new holiday for the year, something we haven't seen before. A fan asks if the Hoth battle means they're advancing the gameworld's timeline, to which Field responds: "We're not changing the timeline. It's going to be very self-contained and not linked to the game world like our other Heroics." Spy additions/changes are planned for Game Update 6, as are issues with the City system. Five year veteran rewards will be coming with Game Update 5 (coming next week to TC). They're working on some more new weapon models for the game, especially welcome given the new Weaponsmithing system coming in GU5. Before signing off, Field answers a fan who asks what SWG should offer players: "SWG should offer players compelling Star Wars content that makes them feel like they're part of the Star Wars universe. Most of all, it should be a fun game to play. I would hope that SWG has something to offer for all play styles. Whether you enjoy leveling up, Heroics, crafting, casual play, etc... it should always be enjoyable."
