There are many multi-billion dollar corporations at the top of the pack no matter what industry you look at. Gaming is no different with massive companies like Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and Activision (just to name a few) having hefty shares of the market in their own respective rights. However, there is also another genre of gaming companies not focused on console gaming but instead on social gaming. FarmVille, as you’re sure to know, was created by Zynga back in 2009 for Facebook and has managed to amass well over 50 million active users. Incredible for such a seemingly simple game? You bet.
In fact, it seems that Zygna’s business model is so impressive that it has managed to pull John Blakely, a high ranking Sony Online Entertainment exec, to the company. Not much is said about what Blakely’s new role will be like a Zynga but his past includes working on games such as Everyquest II and D.C. Universe Online.
Sony has shut down three SOE — Sony Online Entertainment — studios located in Denver, Seattle and Tucson. On top of that, half of the workforce in the Austin studio has been laid off as well. And on top of that, Sony Online Entertainment headquarters in San Diego have seen big layoffs as well. In all, one third of all SOE employees have been let go.
So far only SOE Seattle has been working on a somewhat big title: The Agency, while the other studios were doing minor games like Legends Of Norrath and PoxNora. The remaining workforce is working on the next EverQuest game, and a PlanetSide sequel. SOE has made notable titles like EverQuest, DC Universe Online, The Matrix Online, and Star Wars Galaxies.
What? You didn’t see this coming? I mean, FreeRealms is marketed almost dominantly towards kids so it’s no surprise Sony has taken appropriate action.
Anyways, it was recently announced that a deal between Sony Online Entertainment and Topps was inked resulting in a FreeRealms trading card game.
The first batch shiped to retailers includes 180 different trading cards broken down into both booster packs and starter decks. Kotaku is reporting that the starter deck will sell for $9.99 and include 40 cards, a playmat, an exlusive in-game pet, t-shirt and racing cart. The booster pack, however, will ship with just cards and will sell for $3.99.
The real thing that will have kids coming back for more, however, is that eat set will include a loot card which players can redeem for a virtual items.
Having been released as a closed beta back in February, Sony has decided to finally take the wraps off of their free MMO Free Realms — It was recently announced that Free Realms will be leaving its beta stage and be released to the public tomorrow, April 28th
Free Realms is a different kind of MMO, focusing on exploration, mini-games, and pet training (among other things) instead of hand to hand combat. Of course, it includes hand to hand combat but Kotaku reports it is completely optional.
This unqiue approach makes Free Realms a good experience for young and old gamers alike.
Comic book veteran Marv Wolfman has joined artist Jim Lee and writer Geoff Johns in helping Sony Online Entertainment flesh out its upcoming superhero MMO DC Universe Online.
Wolfman is best known for being the creator of Blade; he also wrote the popular cross-over Crisis on Infinite Earts for DC. He has also worked for Marvel, where he wrote issues of Amazing Spider-Man and helped co-create Black Cat with Keith Pollard. His role in the development of the game will be to expand upon the in-game storylines already created by Johns.
DC Universe Online is due out early next year on PC and PS3.
Making sure the PS3 gets its fair share of MMO action, Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley confirmed that the company is committed to console MMOs, noting that all future MMO titles will see console release.
"I would say that we would be one of the early adopters on [bringing MMOs to consoles], and we plan on becoming one of the dominant players in the MMO space on consoles," he said. "We see that marketing coming; we think it’s there now, so we want to get a good market share there."
The studio is currently working on The Agency and DC Universe Online, both of which will be released simultaneously on PC and PS3.
I’ve stated it over and over again that the PSP is a poor, poor platform that is ignored by the developers and inundated with bad ports despite having excellent hardware and potential to be great.
Sony Online Entertainment seems to be on the path to make the platform stand out, as company president John Smedley has publicly opened up the possibility of MMO games for the PSP that could make it better than the DS finally.
Speaking at a panel conference on the future of the genre, Smedley commented on the PSP’s wireless internet capabilities and how well the console has sold worldwide, noting that the company sees a future where we will see “full MMOs that are designed for the PSP.”
However, we won’t be playing World of Warcraft on our handhelds anytime soon. “You could have a pet-training system that literally connects to our online gaming where you can mess around with your pet," said Smedley, specifically citing SOE’s upcoming free-to-play MMO FreeRealms.
That concept might eventually evolve into a full blown handheld MMO that changes based on connectivity. Let’s hope for the best!
