Sigil Games, developers of the upcoming MMORPG Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, shocked quite a few people by announcing that they were buying the publishing rights from Microsoft so that they could co-publish the title with Sony Online Entertainment. We've already provided some speculation about what the "varying visions and direction for the title's development" between Microsoft and Sigil were, but a tipster (who asked to remain unnamed) from E3 provides another possible reason for the split. Our tipster claims to have spoken to several developers working at Sigil and at another development company that has Microsoft as a publisher -- we'd say the meat of the tip is on the same level of credibility as someone saying that the Government is tapping your phone (yes, I made a political joke -- the first comment to judge my political affiliation wins my apathy!).
According to our tipster, Microsoft intended to make Vanguard a Vista-exclusive title and Sigil didn't like it. The fact that XP users wouldn't have been able to play the game (limiting the user base quite drastically) and Windows Vista's notoriously slippery release date being the obvious disadvantages of such a move on the part of Sigil. If true, the motivation for Microsoft would have been that the title would be the first MMO to take advantage of Live Anywhere, Microsoft's online games platform which blends Xbox 360, PC and mobile phone devices: more Vista sales = profit!
It's credible that Microsoft wanted to use Vanguard as the first MMO to work with Live Anywhere but that Sigil didn't want its game to be Microsoft's guinea pig and therefore bought the publishing rights. With Vista around the corner, Microsoft wants to provide as much incentive for gamers to upgrade and by making big name games playable exclusively on Vista it can gain that incentive. At the very least we get a kick out of discussing the vague PR explanations of the reasons behind leaving a game's publisher during the beta stage. It's impossible for us to believe that simple, meaningless "varying visions" caused this massive, late in the game move.
Update 1: Brad McQuaid (Sigil CEO, creator of MMORPG Everquest) responds by saying "false rumor", but Joystiq commentator Jack Slater cleverly rebukes: "personally I would just deny everything if I was him, as there is no legal obligation for me to tell the truth on the forums but there is likely a legal obligation to keep the reason for leaving Microsoft undisclosed." Meanwhile, Ctrl+Alt+Del daydreams about how the meeting between McQuiad, Microsoft and Sony went. Funny stuff.
_thumbnail.jpg "i am 8-bit: 2008")
(Page 1) Reader Comments
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
As for not being WoW, thank god. Warcraft was fun for maybe 4 months. Everyone I know has quit it. Maybe they'll go back for the expansion if they add a drastic change of pace... that's doubtful though. There's no depth, challenge, or replay factor for WoW. You get 60 (two months tops), then you get your top end armor (another two months tops) and it's finished. You can cap out your two tradeskills fairly quickly in WoW, so then your only means of fun is twinking (which is fairly limited with level restrictions), and playing through with an alt of the other faction... since if you play through with the same faction you're going to do all the same quests and see all the exact same zones over again. The fact that you can solo all the way to 60 with relative comfort and speed with every class also diminishes it's fun factor. There is no need (aside from epic gear) to ever communicate or build relationships with other players in game... Oh yeah, and the auction house. Eitherway, kind of ruins the point of an MMO. No sense of fellow player...
Hopefully Vanguard fixes this, but according to CAD's Absath, it's just EQ2 by design. I hope that's a moments glance perspective though...
Reply
Oh let me guess
A 20 something male liberal democrat who has never work a 9 to 5 day in his life?
I win your apathy! Now that doesn't sound like you are 'paying your fair share'
Seriously another liberal in the press slaming the gov't on a GAME ARTICLE that has nothing to do with it. Yeah, and the media is not biased
Reply
Due to the tone of the joke I would assume that he is a disenfranchised Republican wondering when small government will return...
Reply
WoW is a good entry level game to the genre, but it's not enough to keep you coming back for more. The only reason why it is so successfull IS because it's a entry level game and can be played by your average joe (Kind of the same strategy that Nintendo is going for with the Nintendo Wii).
Please, stop comparing every MMORPG to WoW, cause not every MMORPG is the same as it. That is a good thing if you ask me.
Always,
Kendal
Reply
-Aradune Mithara (Brad McQuaid)
http://www.silkyvenom.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3794
Reply
Here's a link where I blurbed your editorial. Brad's response is a couple of posts down
http://www.silkyvenom.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3794
Reply
Reply
- It's not coming out for the PS3, as stated by the CEO of the company.
- Something like 20 million people worldwide have no lives apparently.
Reply
Reply
And I agree with Kmowine, I like XP so where does this leave us with future PC games? Grudgingly installing a new operating system because ours has just become obsolete I guess.
Reply
As for Vanguard, it looks pretty good, but again, according to some sources it's just another EQ2. As for everything being compared to WoW, it's true that not everything should be compared to the game, but it actually isn't that bad, even later in the game, with maybe not a ton, but quite a bit of replayable content available. (BG's, expansion...)
Reply
Reply
Sorry guys don't have a feel about Microsoft:)
Reply
*Rant on*
The funny thing about PhD's is the average IQ of a doctor is only 115 because they are the only people stupid enough to continue going to school but intelligent enough to be able to. That, and you're willingness to work 12 hour days just reeks of misinformation and uneducated opinions.
*Rant off*
Actual Content in regards to the topic:
Do any of you really think that the CEO of a company would ever admit what the real reason is if they are keeping it under lock and key?
Personally I would just deny everything if I was him, as there is no legal obligation for me to tell the truth on the forums but there is likely a legal obligation to keep the reason for leaving microsoft undisclosed.
_GriM_
Mathematician
Reply
WoW and EQ# are fairly popular MMOs, therefore it is not out of the norm to hear these names crop up in a MMO comparison. Believe me, many people hear "WoW this...EQ that...WoW does this better, etc" almost as often as they will hear Chuck Norris jokes. You just have to grin and bear it.
Secondly, IIRC, WoW was made for the average gamer. Not the hardcore people. Hence why individuals who are considered "hardcore" tend to get bored quickly with such a game.
Thirdly, in reference to Vanguard: say no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil. I just hope it will be a refreshing MMORPG.
Fourthly, you can make friends in WoW if you want, Chris. Sure, you can level to 60 all by yourself, but you are correct. Where is the fun in that? There are 5-man instances . It is not an efficient way to level, but it's more fun than grinding.
I won't even touch upon your political joke, Mr. Quilty-Harper.
Cheers!
Reply
How dumb do you take worldwide gamers anyway? Vanguard is obviously not done and MS was getting irritated. When the contract came up for renewal, MS said good-bye. Sigil was probably more like good-riddance, too. They knew they had SOE to fall back on.
Is this really any big revelation? Any moron could figure out that a contract was drawn, it had a due date and if it wasn't met, we'll cya later. Does anyone really believe Sigil didn't prepare for the day when MS would put the pressure on if Vanguard wasn't delivered?
Further proof is in the fact that game isn't near done. MS sensed a stall. They opted not to renew and probably because technologies are moving too fast not to be publishing NOW. The more Vanguard waits to be done, the more it's going to have problems competing with what's in the lineup. So packaging it together with an All Access subscription would make better sense because it's not going to be done enough to compete on it's own.
This makes a hell of a lot more sense then some stupid Vista theory.
Reply
Reply
Reply
All in all Sigil would probably be happy if we all jsut beleived it was mostly them wanting to do whats best, and provide the best for us as prospect buyers :)
Reply
So lets try this theory, Microsoft tells Sigil to either come join them in moving forward and Sigil says "Gamers wont join in the march" (which is true, and the reason Linux is constantly gaining fans) so in order to make the game release Sigil just resorted to their "Back up plan". So you could basically see the quote of "Varying Visions" as partly true.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
The only temptation will be DirectX10 and maybe WinFS if it's later put in.
Reply
As far as the Vista rumor goes, it actually does make sense. While I won't say that is the actual reason, I could definately see Microsoft using such a highly anticipated release as fuel to push one of their other products. It isn't like Mircrosoft is known for their kindness and serving the public. But one way or the other it isn't going to happen, so who cares?
Sigil is releasing a 64 bit client and a 32 bit client so those of you who do want Vista can get it and others who don't can still play.
The only thing I don't want to see, is console gamers having the ability to play with PC gamers at the same time. If you want to offer them the ability to play the game fine, but give them their own server with their own 'dumbed' down UI.
Reply