Speaking of MMO's, Colette, have I got a story for you! If I may speak bluntly, and I shall, it seems as no surprise that SOE's Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is not doing well. Or in their words: "...right now Vanguard is doing decently but not as well as we hoped." Don't you just love it when they pour sugar on cankers?

Let's reminisce back to when I sat down with the (SUPER NICE) Sigil folks back at CES. Before we even got started, I put my tactful foot in my mouth: "That looks like the old Everquest 2!" As expected, I got uber grilled for saying that and glaring looks from across the sofa. They were quick to point out the moving shrubbery, etc etc etc. Fine, so it was prettier. I shrugged apologetically and performed the upwards eyebrow shitface grin of honesty, letting them defend it without going for the jugular. Nobody wants to walk out of a nice PR meeting with a battle axe through their heads. I was civil to Sigil.

Vanguard was also by far more ambitious than EQ2 with its real estate and fellowship concepts. But it was still very EQ2ish; clearly. Did it appear to me like a game that filled a gaping void in the current MMO space? I just couldn't see it. Life is short, so I figured I'd shut my trap and watched how the Warcraftites would judge it when it hit in the market. Obviously, most didn't care for it. A breaking official statement from SOE now echoes my gut reaction...

"SOE is in discussions with Sigil regarding the future of Vanguard and Sigil Games in Carlsbad. Talks are going well and first and foremost, our primary concern right now is what's best for Vanguard and its community. We want to ensure that this game and its community have a healthy future. The specifics that we work out over the coming days will all be with that single goal in mind."

What does that mean? It means that right now Vanguard is doing decently but not as well as we hoped. If you haven't read my last long post that outlined some of the things that went wrong during development, etc., please do. So the bottom line is that SOE is going to be getting more involved with Sigil and Vanguard - our relationship is going to become even tighter - much tighter. At this point I can't say much more than that.

Does this mean an acquisition? I can't say at this point.

Does this mean more or less people at Sigil? I can't say at this point.

Does this mean management changes at Sigil? I can't say at this point.

Is Vanguard dead? Nah. But it's obviously bleeding. I hope that whatever comes out of this implied acquisition or restructuring does more than keep it afloat. In fact, maybe they'll be smart enough to stop positioning it as a premium MMO and get this out to the bargain aftermarket asap before mass hysteria breaks out. Can't blame them for the vague update, though. It's typical -- even if the plane is going down in burning flames, flight instructors are trained to keep passengers calm and high on oxygen.

Take in the full sedative in at VGneGro.com

[Artwork by Atheistium]