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Part of the licensing deal probably involved some Online Pass style wording where George Lucas is paying for them to license it. Or not. Something crazy. But it's EA, so they are doing -something- else to win this deal.
Also, Bobby Kotick and Guitar Hero.
Also, Bobby Kotick and Guitar Hero.
So he talks up his own product and talks down a competitors'? Though you were above this. Even when analysts are saying you're wrong?
Thanks for making me feel even better for my upcoming purchase of SWTOR.
Thanks for making me feel even better for my upcoming purchase of SWTOR.
I dunno why but as someone that played EQ1 and WOW casually i really want SW:tor to fail miserably.I haven't touched a MMO in over two years but i think this feeling of hate comes from the recognition that all mmos are a waste of times these days and whatever magic there was in the beginning has most definitely died.
"the recognition that all mmos are a waste of times these days"
Replace the word mmos with.
TV, News, Politics, Video Games, Music, Religion, Humans, Anything else you can thing of.
Seriously, that's such a broad statement. Of COURSE MMOs are a waste of time because ALL video games are a waste of time.
Replace the word mmos with.
TV, News, Politics, Video Games, Music, Religion, Humans, Anything else you can thing of.
Seriously, that's such a broad statement. Of COURSE MMOs are a waste of time because ALL video games are a waste of time.
The magic tends to die at endgame, I've found.
Which is to say not because of any game itself, just the people playing it. I'm enjoying DCUO right now, but I don't know how eager I am to do the endgame stuff.
Which is to say not because of any game itself, just the people playing it. I'm enjoying DCUO right now, but I don't know how eager I am to do the endgame stuff.
His tears will taste oh so sweet when people move forward the dairy farm he calls a product line. Wow and CoD can't continue forever, then again people are stupid.
@hardy
But the time put in to an mmo gives you less worth back compared to most other games, making it the worst possible way to waste your time(except crappy mobile games and social games like farmville).
Also, something tells me this game won't be verry good. I got this feeling when for the second year in a row at e3 the only major info about the game was another trailer.
But the time put in to an mmo gives you less worth back compared to most other games, making it the worst possible way to waste your time(except crappy mobile games and social games like farmville).
Also, something tells me this game won't be verry good. I got this feeling when for the second year in a row at e3 the only major info about the game was another trailer.
I think the method to EA's madness is going to be fairly obvious. This will be a subscription based game but much like Blizzards recent actions, it will be loaded with fluff micro transactions.
Scifi fans, hardcore and casual alike, have proven time and again they will lay out copious amounts of cash on their favorite licenses. Yeah you'll be paying 14.95 a month, but if you want that shiny speeder bike or swoop racer mount instead of the crap land speeder, that'll be 10 bucks. Want that cute little whamp rat or mini rancor? 15 bucks please. How about a millennium falcon for your smuggler, just use your debit card for 25 bucks. Want some rare custom armor for that trooper? Caching!
EA will soak people laying this game with micro transactions. It may not be say one, but they will come. Activision already proved you can do it with sparkle ponies and pandaren monk pets.
Scifi fans, hardcore and casual alike, have proven time and again they will lay out copious amounts of cash on their favorite licenses. Yeah you'll be paying 14.95 a month, but if you want that shiny speeder bike or swoop racer mount instead of the crap land speeder, that'll be 10 bucks. Want that cute little whamp rat or mini rancor? 15 bucks please. How about a millennium falcon for your smuggler, just use your debit card for 25 bucks. Want some rare custom armor for that trooper? Caching!
EA will soak people laying this game with micro transactions. It may not be say one, but they will come. Activision already proved you can do it with sparkle ponies and pandaren monk pets.
@Ronin4life
I did the weekend beta, and while I was a bit disappointed graphically (I understand why). It wasn't a bad game at all. It played exactly like WoW.
Story telling was great obviously.
And considering how most new MMOs like Rift and Age of Conan, which do SO many things better then WoW, with WoW still remaining on top. Maybe a strong IP and a solid game everyone already plays will work.
It may be weird, but I think more of the same works in the MMOs world, as much as you and I disagree. MMO players like their routines, and what you and I would consider a waste of time, millions of people love it.
Change is obviously better from an industry evolution standpoint, but there must be a reason movies and games are so sequel copy-cap crazy so often.
I don't know why, and don't ask me to answer, cause I lost faith in humanity long ago. lol
The only thing I CAN say, is that from life experience, humans hate change, they HHHHHATE it. Anything that throws them off a routine and they will flip out, even if it's something unimportant like...MMOs.
Fucking stupid humans. lol
I did the weekend beta, and while I was a bit disappointed graphically (I understand why). It wasn't a bad game at all. It played exactly like WoW.
Story telling was great obviously.
And considering how most new MMOs like Rift and Age of Conan, which do SO many things better then WoW, with WoW still remaining on top. Maybe a strong IP and a solid game everyone already plays will work.
It may be weird, but I think more of the same works in the MMOs world, as much as you and I disagree. MMO players like their routines, and what you and I would consider a waste of time, millions of people love it.
Change is obviously better from an industry evolution standpoint, but there must be a reason movies and games are so sequel copy-cap crazy so often.
I don't know why, and don't ask me to answer, cause I lost faith in humanity long ago. lol
The only thing I CAN say, is that from life experience, humans hate change, they HHHHHATE it. Anything that throws them off a routine and they will flip out, even if it's something unimportant like...MMOs.
Fucking stupid humans. lol
wow is dying and the old republic will be the final nail, he's only trying to convince his investors otherwise.
no words will save a 8 year old mmo from it's death.
no words will save a 8 year old mmo from it's death.
I like all the hate people give MMOs. You all do realize that this game, like EQ, FFXI, WoW, & Rift stuck to a lot of the genre's conventions. Guess what? It's a Bioware MMO, just like WoW was a Blizzard MMO. It'll have polish and shine in the story department just like their other games do, and it'll play like other games in the genre.
If you like the genre, you'll like this game unless you are utterly devoted to another MMO and just can't stand the idea of losing it (I still have at least 3 friends who cannot POSSIBLY handle the idea of not playing WoW still) then this game won't be your thing. If you are like me and WoW was a game you played for almost 7 years, you've been waiting for a new place to raid and PvP for about a year and a half now. I think the leveling experience is just want needed the major change, and the Flashpoints I played were pretty fun though I didn't level far enough to play one that required a 'real' party structure yet.
All I can say to the article is that Kotick is worried about the 2 million WoW subscribers he's lost since the start of the year and that's been WITHOUT a major competitor releasing a new MMO. Seeing as I'm part of that 17% of the player base that just couldn't keep playing the game, I'm just waiting for the next reason for my time and as I'm still paying off college loans and have a car loan and a lot of other expenses (and that I can get my girlfriend to play MMOS :3 ) I'll be picking this up.
If you like the genre, you'll like this game unless you are utterly devoted to another MMO and just can't stand the idea of losing it (I still have at least 3 friends who cannot POSSIBLY handle the idea of not playing WoW still) then this game won't be your thing. If you are like me and WoW was a game you played for almost 7 years, you've been waiting for a new place to raid and PvP for about a year and a half now. I think the leveling experience is just want needed the major change, and the Flashpoints I played were pretty fun though I didn't level far enough to play one that required a 'real' party structure yet.
All I can say to the article is that Kotick is worried about the 2 million WoW subscribers he's lost since the start of the year and that's been WITHOUT a major competitor releasing a new MMO. Seeing as I'm part of that 17% of the player base that just couldn't keep playing the game, I'm just waiting for the next reason for my time and as I'm still paying off college loans and have a car loan and a lot of other expenses (and that I can get my girlfriend to play MMOS :3 ) I'll be picking this up.
I enjoyed the beta. Yes, mechanically it's basically WoW, but I was impressed with the care and effort BioWare put into crafting low level quests. Everything is fully voiced, and more importantly, voiced well. Everything has Dark/Light choices that let you define the morality of your character. It's a very nicely designed game.
If this game is a failure, then a LOT of money will be lost. However, if it's a long-term success, then EA stands to gain a steady revenue flow.
As for MMOs being a "worse waste of time" than other videogames, that's a completely and totally relative. If you enjoy it, and you feel like you're making progress and achieving something, then it doesn't matter what kind of game you play.
If this game is a failure, then a LOT of money will be lost. However, if it's a long-term success, then EA stands to gain a steady revenue flow.
As for MMOs being a "worse waste of time" than other videogames, that's a completely and totally relative. If you enjoy it, and you feel like you're making progress and achieving something, then it doesn't matter what kind of game you play.
Right statement, wrong reasoning.
This game likely wont profit EA not because of George Lucas, its because the pay-to-play structure of MMOs are quickly going the way of the dinosaur and free-to-play is becoming the future.
This game likely wont profit EA not because of George Lucas, its because the pay-to-play structure of MMOs are quickly going the way of the dinosaur and free-to-play is becoming the future.
@pokota
Would I need to get into the Star Wars universe before trying this game out? I'm one of the few nerds out there who never saw, read, or played anything Star Wars related. I'm still looking at what MMOs to sink my time into and I'm choosing between this and The Secret World.
Would I need to get into the Star Wars universe before trying this game out? I'm one of the few nerds out there who never saw, read, or played anything Star Wars related. I'm still looking at what MMOs to sink my time into and I'm choosing between this and The Secret World.
"We don't really know the deal behind the game, but I am sure EA wouldn't enter into anything that it wouldn't stand to make bank on."
Mirror's Edge, anyone?
Mirror's Edge, anyone?
I played the beta and loved it. I think players will appreciate the quality of the game and EA will make shitloads of money on it. Kotick says what he says because he owns WoW and that's just part of never ending war between two companies. While EA is also an evil juggernaut of this business I really like what direction they took in recent years and how Riccitiello is managing the company.
@Ace829
I watched and enjoyed the first three Stars Wars movies, but I've only seen one of the last three, so I'm not a Star Wars fanboy by any means. I know next to nothing about the Sith, the Republic, or much of anything else that features prominently in this time-frame, but it's really a pretty basic plot.
Light versus Dark, Empire versus Republic. I don't think you need to have a ton of first hand knowledge, as long as you're average or above at learning from context. There are also the codex entries for people like us who don't know all the details.
I played the Bounty Hunter and Smuggler, and I never felt lost. There were often options to ask questions about things if you needed more information. I think what I liked most is that you start on the fringe, with the quests themselves leading you further into the Empire/Republic conflict. The starting points are more about defining your character, and the situation your character finds themselves in at a local level. It seems like a set-up where you can learn as you go along, so I think someone unfamiliar with the Star Wars story would be OK.
I watched and enjoyed the first three Stars Wars movies, but I've only seen one of the last three, so I'm not a Star Wars fanboy by any means. I know next to nothing about the Sith, the Republic, or much of anything else that features prominently in this time-frame, but it's really a pretty basic plot.
Light versus Dark, Empire versus Republic. I don't think you need to have a ton of first hand knowledge, as long as you're average or above at learning from context. There are also the codex entries for people like us who don't know all the details.
I played the Bounty Hunter and Smuggler, and I never felt lost. There were often options to ask questions about things if you needed more information. I think what I liked most is that you start on the fringe, with the quests themselves leading you further into the Empire/Republic conflict. The starting points are more about defining your character, and the situation your character finds themselves in at a local level. It seems like a set-up where you can learn as you go along, so I think someone unfamiliar with the Star Wars story would be OK.
The desire for a Publisher to get a foot into the steady revenue stream potential in the paid subscription MMO genre is VERY strong. EA would GLADLY loose money on this venture to wrest some of Blizzard's paid-MMO customers away. However, I'm not sure the STAR WARS name itself is enough to keep them for an extended period.
However, there are die-hard SW fans that would never consider a paid-MMO subscription for anything less than the STAR WARS branding. I'll keep my opinion of those fanatics to myself...
However, there are die-hard SW fans that would never consider a paid-MMO subscription for anything less than the STAR WARS branding. I'll keep my opinion of those fanatics to myself...
I did the weekend beta. It looked great and ran nicely on my old terrible computer. Story was solid for each character. Voice acting was excellent. My only complaint was the UI, which had some good points but overall needs more. I couldn't even change the color on it.
I predict success.
I predict success.
I still don't like the look and feel of the game. It's to much like WoW to me.
It doesn't look like Star Wars.
It doesn't look like Star Wars.
as much as i don't like kotick he might actually be right though i'm not sure about it being related to licensing and more of the fact that i can't see the game being popular for longer than a month or 2 unless they really do something to give it some longevity.
well i played wow a couple of years ago but didnt really intrest me. i got invited for the bta for SW: the old republic last weekend and i was impressed at how much fun it was. it felt more like a rpg then a mmo. so i think i will be buying the old republic.
Good to see the CEO's and top execs still act like 5 year-olds on a playground. -_-
My one and only EA purchase of the past 2 years. Activision can talk as much crap as it wants, it will not deter me from my Star Wars experience.
My one and only EA purchase of the past 2 years. Activision can talk as much crap as it wants, it will not deter me from my Star Wars experience.
Well there's 2 things I think that's going on here, and neither of them are far from the truth:
First, No MMO profits right out of the gate. Its VERY naive to think one will/does, and I'm pretty sure those who say they have aren't telling the full truth. It takes most MMO's over a year after their launch to turn a profit, and I forget what the term is for that year but it amounts to being placed on deathwatch from the womb. Some games -like Rift or WoW- make it. Many games -Like DCUO- don't even make it the full year. Some games make it a full year and still crumble under that weight (Many Cryptic games come to mind)
So that's something Bobby is probably talking about. The license is going to profit Lucas because I'm pretty positive (if I understand licensing right) its already been paid for, and he'll get kickbacks from the sales and subscription fees. EA won't turn a profit in the first year, even if they weren't working with/for Lucas, and if they even turn one after that (I think they will, but that's just an opinion) Lucas is still probably going to get a cut of it, which only eat at those profits.
2) Lucas is going to be kind of dicky with those rights (like Kotick is implying most of all). And he probably will, Lucas' intentions are always kind of sketchy.
Personally, I don't believe he'll bleed EA dry, but I can imagine that kickback percentage is going to be high enough to place a limit on EA will do with the game -And I hope it won't cause the game to suffer from it. Plus, I'm pretty positive the license is going to extend to other products.
I think there's already talk of character plushies being made for some of the games companions, so I don't think its far fetched to say that -since its Lucas- a full line of toys will be made at some point. Then theres the flat out collectors market; I mean they've already sanctioned a statue to be packed with the collectors edition, its not out of the question that the buzz for this game will be so big that they'd want to cash into the same sort of thing Blizzard did 3-5 years into WoW's life, right off the bat. And I'd hate to see the kind of profit he could turn doing something with his own FigurePrints (http://www.figureprints.com/) or at least working with them on making player characters into artwork.
Overall, I'd be surprised if EA will have any control at all over any of those parts of the license beyond helping Lucas shill his wares and running -what sounds like from Kotick's statement- his game. Lucas will most likely hold those cards close to his chest, specially since he could turn a buck on them with or without the game being up and running.
Hopefully EA will be able to better deal with Lucas then Sony seemed to. This sort of thing could very well be one of the building blocks that lead Sony to go down such a shitty path with SWG -another Star Wars MMO that had a huge amount of promise when it was about to launch.
First, No MMO profits right out of the gate. Its VERY naive to think one will/does, and I'm pretty sure those who say they have aren't telling the full truth. It takes most MMO's over a year after their launch to turn a profit, and I forget what the term is for that year but it amounts to being placed on deathwatch from the womb. Some games -like Rift or WoW- make it. Many games -Like DCUO- don't even make it the full year. Some games make it a full year and still crumble under that weight (Many Cryptic games come to mind)
So that's something Bobby is probably talking about. The license is going to profit Lucas because I'm pretty positive (if I understand licensing right) its already been paid for, and he'll get kickbacks from the sales and subscription fees. EA won't turn a profit in the first year, even if they weren't working with/for Lucas, and if they even turn one after that (I think they will, but that's just an opinion) Lucas is still probably going to get a cut of it, which only eat at those profits.
2) Lucas is going to be kind of dicky with those rights (like Kotick is implying most of all). And he probably will, Lucas' intentions are always kind of sketchy.
Personally, I don't believe he'll bleed EA dry, but I can imagine that kickback percentage is going to be high enough to place a limit on EA will do with the game -And I hope it won't cause the game to suffer from it. Plus, I'm pretty positive the license is going to extend to other products.
I think there's already talk of character plushies being made for some of the games companions, so I don't think its far fetched to say that -since its Lucas- a full line of toys will be made at some point. Then theres the flat out collectors market; I mean they've already sanctioned a statue to be packed with the collectors edition, its not out of the question that the buzz for this game will be so big that they'd want to cash into the same sort of thing Blizzard did 3-5 years into WoW's life, right off the bat. And I'd hate to see the kind of profit he could turn doing something with his own FigurePrints (http://www.figureprints.com/) or at least working with them on making player characters into artwork.
Overall, I'd be surprised if EA will have any control at all over any of those parts of the license beyond helping Lucas shill his wares and running -what sounds like from Kotick's statement- his game. Lucas will most likely hold those cards close to his chest, specially since he could turn a buck on them with or without the game being up and running.
Hopefully EA will be able to better deal with Lucas then Sony seemed to. This sort of thing could very well be one of the building blocks that lead Sony to go down such a shitty path with SWG -another Star Wars MMO that had a huge amount of promise when it was about to launch.
Ppl like it because it says Star Wars, if it said Space RPG, it would fail both critically and sales-wise, and would be mocked for being a WOW clone.
I did play it from Friday till Monday. Thanks to me being on vacation from work and my fiance having to work being in retail and all, I clocked 30 some hours in it. It was a ton of fun, and I know it won't be for everyone, but I certainly enjoyed questing around in the Star Wars universe.
Numerous times myself and other players spammed the chat with WoW comments about how we were just space-rogues and where the barrens chat might be.
I am sure it will have a sturdy fan base, but the hype will end eventually. Hopefully though it holds on to make a profit and keep the players happy who enjoy it.
Numerous times myself and other players spammed the chat with WoW comments about how we were just space-rogues and where the barrens chat might be.
I am sure it will have a sturdy fan base, but the hype will end eventually. Hopefully though it holds on to make a profit and keep the players happy who enjoy it.
@LSD89:
I think you are wrong there. I want a new science fiction MMO, not necessarily looking for Star Wars. When I played TOR, often I felt like I could have been in some non-Star Wars universe, and I was perfectly fine with that. I could have been playing Anarchy Online's long lost cousin of a game. It seems to have just enough Star Wars to make it a Star Wars game, without cramming it down my throat. I think it borrows from Mass Effect and WoW a lot on the mechanics, which isn't a bad thing.
Potential to build on? It has it. I had fun. We shall see in 6 months, but it will have a good enough start to last.
I think you are wrong there. I want a new science fiction MMO, not necessarily looking for Star Wars. When I played TOR, often I felt like I could have been in some non-Star Wars universe, and I was perfectly fine with that. I could have been playing Anarchy Online's long lost cousin of a game. It seems to have just enough Star Wars to make it a Star Wars game, without cramming it down my throat. I think it borrows from Mass Effect and WoW a lot on the mechanics, which isn't a bad thing.
Potential to build on? It has it. I had fun. We shall see in 6 months, but it will have a good enough start to last.
As someone who played WoW for a couple years, I really liked Old Republic. Liked it more than WoW. The combat feels more visceral, you're always fighting twos and threes. The trooper rifle butt is great, and the grenade explosions are really satisfying. The story is much, much better, and they've only begun to explore the lore. They took a hundred tiny things that bugged me about WoW and improved them.
I think EA will be fine with this game. How is Lucasarts taking some off the top and adding little in return different from Activision's relationship with Blizzard?
I think EA will be fine with this game. How is Lucasarts taking some off the top and adding little in return different from Activision's relationship with Blizzard?
SWToR wount kill wow :D the thing that could kill wow is wow it self and by the looks of it wow is already loading a gun to shoots its self in the head with pandas and pokemon in wow. On the other hand swtor has an epic questing line, its basically mass effect in star wars universe with 8 somewhat similar and somewhat distinct story lines :D
Did they stress test the servers?.. 500'000 subscribers huh..
Warcraft Already has a large portion of the MMO public in their pockets.. The few that stray to this will eventually get sucked back.. Anyone who has played Warcraft for a long enough period of time knows what I'm talking about here.
Sadly I'm sure bioware has spent a lot of time and put a lot of love in this.
Warcraft Already has a large portion of the MMO public in their pockets.. The few that stray to this will eventually get sucked back.. Anyone who has played Warcraft for a long enough period of time knows what I'm talking about here.
Sadly I'm sure bioware has spent a lot of time and put a lot of love in this.
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