wraggster
August 5th, 2012, 14:11
SWTOR going free was the "only way to go", says SOE's Smedley
In a Reddit Ask Me Anything event, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) president John Smedley said that Electronic Arts and BioWare were making the "right decision" by taking Star Wars: The Old Republic free-to-play. Smedley has dealt with the Star Wars brand in the past, as SOE once ran Star Wars Galaxies, the first MMO based on the brand.
"It is the only way to go for new games. It was the right decision for SWTOR (which is a fantastic game). Wait till you see our next round of games after [Planetside 2],"said Smedley (http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/xlir0/iama_john_smedley_22_year_game_industry_veteran/c5nefyy) when asked about SWTOR free-to-play shift.
Smedley also had some choice words for those talking about the decline of the PC industry.
"I hate it when people talk about the decline of the PC industry. It's idiotic garbage spouted by morons that can't count where the players are playing. It's not like League of Legends reports numbers to NPD. The players are playing F2P games on the PC not going to retail," he said (http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/xlir0/iama_john_smedley_22_year_game_industry_veteran/c5nezj9).
The full AMA thread (http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/xlir0/iama_john_smedley_22_year_game_industry_veteran/) can be found here. Planetside 2's beta event begins next Monday, August 6, 2012.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-08-03-swtor-going-free-was-the-only-way-to-go-says-soes-smedley
In a Reddit Ask Me Anything event, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) president John Smedley said that Electronic Arts and BioWare were making the "right decision" by taking Star Wars: The Old Republic free-to-play. Smedley has dealt with the Star Wars brand in the past, as SOE once ran Star Wars Galaxies, the first MMO based on the brand.
"It is the only way to go for new games. It was the right decision for SWTOR (which is a fantastic game). Wait till you see our next round of games after [Planetside 2],"said Smedley (http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/xlir0/iama_john_smedley_22_year_game_industry_veteran/c5nefyy) when asked about SWTOR free-to-play shift.
Smedley also had some choice words for those talking about the decline of the PC industry.
"I hate it when people talk about the decline of the PC industry. It's idiotic garbage spouted by morons that can't count where the players are playing. It's not like League of Legends reports numbers to NPD. The players are playing F2P games on the PC not going to retail," he said (http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/xlir0/iama_john_smedley_22_year_game_industry_veteran/c5nezj9).
The full AMA thread (http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/xlir0/iama_john_smedley_22_year_game_industry_veteran/) can be found here. Planetside 2's beta event begins next Monday, August 6, 2012.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-08-03-swtor-going-free-was-the-only-way-to-go-says-soes-smedley