There's been a lot of harsh criticism levelled at Sony
Online Entertainment after the recent changes in MMO Star Wars Galaxies; Gamespot have spoken to John Smedley,
president of SOE, to find out more about the reasoning behind the change. According to the interview, Sony wanted to
improve the Star Wars offering and try to hit the "critical mass" of people that any MMO needs to stay
alive—although the current user base seems sceptical about the changes, SOE did try to take all sides into account when
implementing them.
Smedley also talks about the move towards a free MMO based on micropayments and the "upsell model" as opposed to a
steady subscription fee, something which he also
mentioned at the Austin Games Conference. He
acknowledges that World of Warcraft may be leading the market right now, but he's optimistic about Sony's
chances in the near future, unsurprisingly. The corporate line is that the changes in SWG were necessary, and
good, but after admitting that the number of players isn't what they hoped for, and implementing changes that players
are unhappy with, the long-term picture may well show a decrease in player numbers—not the result they need.
