The Fallout
The Fallout
- TucksPa
Since the arrival of the Combat Upgrade early last year the once content community of Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) has been in turmoil. Instead of being a patch, or a Publish, or even an Expansion, the CURB was a complete overhaul of how the game was played. Countless players left the game in disgust citing that it just wasn't their SWG anymore. None of the changes were what the community was asking for. It changed at the core how combat was done. Many players returned after time so the impact was minor in terms of the overall subscriptions to the MMO.
After a while players learned to live with the CURB and many turned to the 'light side' and became fans of it. But little did they know that the CURB was just the beginning. Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) had more up their sleeves. A new overhaul that had to have been in development since before the CURB was released was waiting in the wings. Where the CURB changed how combat was done, the New Game Enhancements (NGE) changed virtually everything else.
Where SWG was once a place to live in the Star Wars Universe; as a Smuggler, or an Entertainer or an Artisan and more, now it is a point and click shoot-em-up with little need for the various special skills once held in high demand. With improved loot rewards, the need for crafters has diminished significantly. Where once you could fully customize your character with dozens of profession options, now you are forced to choose one of nine.
To call the NGE an overhaul is an understatement. It's a brand new game. The problem with this is that the fans and veterans of the game didn't WANT a new game. They wanted their game polished and improved. The executives at SOE wanted a higher bottom line. In a previous editorial here at SWG LQGaming, the way the changes have been implemented was discussed in depth. Now we must look at the results of those actions and the consequences for SOE.
If the CURB caused uproar in the community then the NGE has caused an all out riot. More players than ever are leaving the game in disgust: closing multiple accounts and telling their friends to do the same. But what's more, they are swearing of ANY SOE product. No EverQuest, no EverQuest II, no Matrix Online. Some are swearing off of Sony products in general but I think they'll find that harder than they think.
Ultimately they feel betrayed. Why invest themselves in the game, or any game by SOE, if there exists the possibility (even likelihood) that it will suffer an overhaul at SOE's whim? It's apparent to these players that SOE isn't listening to them but instead looking at the market and trying to "reinvent the wheel". Any businessman will tell you that that is how business MUST operate. They exist to make a profit.
So what impact will these disgruntled players have on SOE overall? It's all in the numbers really. MMO subscriptions for SWG peaked at over 300,000. Not bad, but not great in today's market. If we are to assume that several thousand of those players have left the game due to the NGE and are boycotting SOE, what does that mean? Will it hurt SWG? Will it hurt SOE?
As for SWG, this site has stood by the statement that the NGE will make or break the game. It may take several months for it all to flesh out, but if the number of subscriptions doesn't rise significantly then it will be considered a failure. If they do rise significantly, with those all-important new subscriptions that SOE is banking on, then the game is saved.
Now let's look at the worst case scenario for SOE: SWG fails and is ultimately shut down. Will that hurt SOE's bottom line? Sure. About as much as a kick in the shins hurts you. If all the players that are swearing off SOE products follow through with their threats, will that hurt SOE's bottom line? Not really. Why? Because the numbers required to make any type of lasting impact on a company as large and diverse as SOE would need to be in the tens of thousands at least. The fact that their other games are not suffering the same fate as SWG lessens the likelihood of players swearing off of the games that DO work. That's akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Most players realize that different teams run different games. So the person or persons responsible for the publicity nightmare that is SWG right now are not the persons responsible for SOE's other titles. The only one you'd be hurting to swear off of SOE products is yourself. I am by no means suggesting that players forego any plans of boycotting. It is your right. I am just trying to be realistic about it. I could be completely wrong and the voices of the discontented may be heard high enough up in SOE to make a difference.
Either way we must all bid farewell to the game we knew and loved as SWG as it is indeed no longer the same game. The only choice that remains is whether we play this new game they've given us or move on to other games. I for one will continue to play and continue to be a voice for both SOE and the Community. For it is only with information that any choice can properly be made and any resolution can ever be reached. How will your voice be heard?
After a while players learned to live with the CURB and many turned to the 'light side' and became fans of it. But little did they know that the CURB was just the beginning. Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) had more up their sleeves. A new overhaul that had to have been in development since before the CURB was released was waiting in the wings. Where the CURB changed how combat was done, the New Game Enhancements (NGE) changed virtually everything else.
Where SWG was once a place to live in the Star Wars Universe; as a Smuggler, or an Entertainer or an Artisan and more, now it is a point and click shoot-em-up with little need for the various special skills once held in high demand. With improved loot rewards, the need for crafters has diminished significantly. Where once you could fully customize your character with dozens of profession options, now you are forced to choose one of nine.
To call the NGE an overhaul is an understatement. It's a brand new game. The problem with this is that the fans and veterans of the game didn't WANT a new game. They wanted their game polished and improved. The executives at SOE wanted a higher bottom line. In a previous editorial here at SWG LQGaming, the way the changes have been implemented was discussed in depth. Now we must look at the results of those actions and the consequences for SOE.
If the CURB caused uproar in the community then the NGE has caused an all out riot. More players than ever are leaving the game in disgust: closing multiple accounts and telling their friends to do the same. But what's more, they are swearing of ANY SOE product. No EverQuest, no EverQuest II, no Matrix Online. Some are swearing off of Sony products in general but I think they'll find that harder than they think.
Ultimately they feel betrayed. Why invest themselves in the game, or any game by SOE, if there exists the possibility (even likelihood) that it will suffer an overhaul at SOE's whim? It's apparent to these players that SOE isn't listening to them but instead looking at the market and trying to "reinvent the wheel". Any businessman will tell you that that is how business MUST operate. They exist to make a profit.
So what impact will these disgruntled players have on SOE overall? It's all in the numbers really. MMO subscriptions for SWG peaked at over 300,000. Not bad, but not great in today's market. If we are to assume that several thousand of those players have left the game due to the NGE and are boycotting SOE, what does that mean? Will it hurt SWG? Will it hurt SOE?
As for SWG, this site has stood by the statement that the NGE will make or break the game. It may take several months for it all to flesh out, but if the number of subscriptions doesn't rise significantly then it will be considered a failure. If they do rise significantly, with those all-important new subscriptions that SOE is banking on, then the game is saved.
Now let's look at the worst case scenario for SOE: SWG fails and is ultimately shut down. Will that hurt SOE's bottom line? Sure. About as much as a kick in the shins hurts you. If all the players that are swearing off SOE products follow through with their threats, will that hurt SOE's bottom line? Not really. Why? Because the numbers required to make any type of lasting impact on a company as large and diverse as SOE would need to be in the tens of thousands at least. The fact that their other games are not suffering the same fate as SWG lessens the likelihood of players swearing off of the games that DO work. That's akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Most players realize that different teams run different games. So the person or persons responsible for the publicity nightmare that is SWG right now are not the persons responsible for SOE's other titles. The only one you'd be hurting to swear off of SOE products is yourself. I am by no means suggesting that players forego any plans of boycotting. It is your right. I am just trying to be realistic about it. I could be completely wrong and the voices of the discontented may be heard high enough up in SOE to make a difference.
Either way we must all bid farewell to the game we knew and loved as SWG as it is indeed no longer the same game. The only choice that remains is whether we play this new game they've given us or move on to other games. I for one will continue to play and continue to be a voice for both SOE and the Community. For it is only with information that any choice can properly be made and any resolution can ever be reached. How will your voice be heard?
