SOE expects half its business to come from PS3

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 9th 2009 at 7:27PM }

Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley expects PlayStation 3 to account for half of the company's business going forward. Speaking with GameDaily, Smedley expressed his belief that there's an audience for MMOs on PS3, suggesting that PSN has "great user base potential" (17 million strong these days).

Smedley believes that those playing PS3 games aren't the same ones playing MMOs. So he thinks putting MMOs on the PS3 is going to bring in new players. With diverse titles like Free Realms, DC Universe Online and The Agency in the works, maybe SOE can get something to click with the console crowd.

Tags: john-smedley, soe, sony-online-entertainment

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Moptimus Slime (Leader of the Ryan Scott Defense Force, in honor of the Jan. 6 Massacre) @ Jan 9th 2009 7:33PM

Where do they expect the other half to come from? The land of dreams?

Levi @ Jan 9th 2009 11:03PM

you're kind of a troll I think.

sumtone @ Jan 9th 2009 7:34PM

MMO? how is it? i brought Phantasy star Universe never open it... would FF 12 be consider one?

Moptimus Slime (Leader of the Ryan Scott Defense Force, in honor of the Jan. 6 Massacre) @ Jan 9th 2009 7:34PM

Where do they expect the other half from? The land of dreams?

ANTCEP @ Jan 9th 2009 7:42PM

the pc maybe? they did make everquest.

HitNRun @ Jan 9th 2009 7:46PM

SOE makes MMOs primarily for (and for all I know, exclusively for up til now) the PC. They and their subsidiaries made Everquest, EQ2, Star Wars Galaxies, the games listed in the article, and more controversy than John Carmack and Cliffy B. combined.

PSN: Aggie_CEO @ Jan 9th 2009 7:57PM

yea dude......look up SOE and their Games before you stop popping off at the mouth.....

Joeshie @ Jan 9th 2009 8:03PM

SOE doesn't make MMOs. They buy out all the good ones and ruin them.

B @ Jan 9th 2009 8:23PM

They're pretty good at ruining MMOs they got right and making terrible licensed ones. But thank you SOE, for introducing us to mindless grinds.

HitNRun @ Jan 9th 2009 7:44PM

""Smedley believes that those playing PS3 games aren't the same ones playing MMOs.""

The question isn't the appeal the PS3 has to potential MMO players. It's the appeal SOE games have to potential MMO players.

PSN: Aggie_CEO @ Jan 9th 2009 7:57PM

nothing like Second life as you cant by land......nore can you get married....robbed etc.......

and how has it failed????? they already made $1 million off of it in under a MONTH since its release........I'm willing to bed they put $2-6 Million into it.......at its CURRENT rate it will have made $10 Million by the end of this year......so wanna try that "Fail" comment again??

jmarto @ Jan 9th 2009 7:58PM

I think it is safe to say that they expect the other half of their business to also come from the PS3

acrana @ Jan 9th 2009 8:01PM

No the other 50 percent is probably going to be from micro transactions they are doing now for games that have subscriptions

marauder800 @ Jan 9th 2009 8:25PM

"No the other 50 percent is probably going to be from micro transactions they are doing now for games that have subscriptions"

And Sony expects microtransaction on which system? Think it through.

PSN: Aggie_CEO @ Jan 9th 2009 8:32PM

^^PC........DUH

Levi @ Jan 9th 2009 11:14PM

I'm willing to bet quite a bit of that $1m they brought in from Home is from micro transactions..On the PS3

Shangheli @ Jan 9th 2009 8:03PM

if 1 million people bought $1 item each out of the "17 million" people then you would have $1million cash. It's not as impresive as you think.

And MMO's cost like $15-$20 a month.

PSN: Aggie_CEO @ Jan 9th 2009 8:10PM

Ummmmmm thats the thing.......most items in Home are .49.....so cheap that millions of people are buying things.......not to mention the Summer homes which are $6....clubs are $4(soon to have monthly fees if you want to have more than $32 people) so out of those 12 million accounts maybe only 1-2 million actually bought items.....some people spent as much as $30 in home......

and MMOs on the PC cost money.........they have already said they are working out ways to get "The Agency" and "DC Universe" to be free on PS3......i.e. advertisements and Micro-transactions.......but by your OWN logic Home isnt an MMO as it doesnt COST anything.......

and you STILL didnt tell me HOW home has failed......

Shangheli @ Jan 9th 2009 9:24PM

home doesn't cost anything because it's not worth anything.

sk8monroe81 @ Jan 9th 2009 10:31PM

aggie sony spent more than 2-5 million on just advertising HOME alone.. lol
you are so off.

between marketing, research, development, testing, beta, quality control, management, workers, errors, etc..
home has cost sony much more money than you think.

i would gestimate 25 - 100 million was spent. its hard to tell.

but keep in mind that running home costs sony money every day.
much more than we think.

did you know that magic mountain spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on electiricty bills alone in a month?

Inect @ Jan 9th 2009 10:39PM

Only 3.4 million have downloaded home that means 1/(3.4) people that have spent a dollar or 2/(3.4) have spent $0.50. Get your facts straight.

Chris @ Jan 9th 2009 10:57PM

Is Sony nuts? Do they really think MMOs will keep the PS3 on life support? It's not like MMOs are this gigantic success story. It's just that one of the most popular games ever made happens to be an MMO. It's not like the entire genre is full of runaway blockbuster hits. I think they're reaching on this one.

Levi @ Jan 9th 2009 11:12PM

So much trolling.

Home may suck ass, but with the report that it already brought in a million is pretty decent. Whether you or sk8 think it's relevant or not, it's promising. Of course they aren't going to recoup all of what they spent right away, but I would think bringing in a million per month would be more than enough to cover the server costs, as well as quickly make back what they spent on it and start making a profit.

Let's not forget that Home is full of advertising space, which Sony gets royalties on, I'm sure.

This is nothing but good things for everyone. People who like Home support Sony, who then keep supporting Home. This will help support the PS3 division of Sony in general. With the continuing success (3rd place or not) that the PS3 achieves, the 360 continues to have competition, which is even good for 360 owners.

Levi @ Jan 9th 2009 11:15PM

The PS3 is just as competent a gaming console as your precious 360, and you are nothing but a troll by saying what you said.

Little Big PSN ID: johnnynumber5 @ Jan 9th 2009 11:25PM

Look at all the trolls that come for ANY story about Sony or the PS3. This site is seriously getting out of control.

You guys are fucking pathetic.

Little Big PSN ID: johnnynumber5 @ Jan 9th 2009 11:28PM

Funny enough your going to play a console that makes you pay money to play your games online. Then, you go and say don't hold your breath that a PS3 MMO won't have fees. Maybe your just conditioned to pay for everything so you think everyone else has it the same way.

The Fatass of Kickassness @ Jan 10th 2009 12:07AM

Haha, shut up, Starcasm. PS3 'fails' as a gaming console? How, exactly? This is 2009, even the Wii has games, for god's sake.

jmwhiteiv @ Jan 10th 2009 12:29AM

""Smedley believes that those playing PS3 games aren't the same ones playing MMOs.""

----

and that's exactly why SOE is making a push onto the PS3. because SOE has poisoned the well on PC. MMORPG players won't play SOE's games anymore, because they go out of their way to ruin them in the most shady and unethical manners possible.

PS3 players don't know much about SOE, so they don't know SOE's reputation like the playerbase they've been constantly spitting on for the past 8 years or so does.

SOE is looking for new suckers, because the old suckers aren't falling for their crap anymore. Word of advice, PS3 players. STAY AWAY. Stay far away. When you see that SOE logo on that game box, PUT IT BACK on the shelf.

GGCAN @ Jan 12th 2009 8:48AM

And look at all the 360 trolls coming here as they're scared the PS3 is finally making headground.

If Home made a million in a month, I don't think this is a failure.

So much hate for the PS3, but if the 360 people keep wanting to buy another console cause their previous one red lighted...let them go ahead and make money for MS...