Rumor - SOE to purchase VG?

[kcxiv]

So why do people actually have a blog? So other can freaking read it. haha.

[Twobit Whore]

Originally Posted by Lost Ranger

Honestly, if you're going to write "this is why it doesnt matter to me" then why bother writing/posting about it at all?

I think you are reading that statement wrong, or maybe I am.

I don't see it as saying why anything involving Vanguard doesn't matter, I see it as saying it doesn't matter that SOE is in control. The rest of the blog sorta follows that line of thinking, in that SOE is just as (or more) likely to get VG back on track.

[Drajakur]

I don't understand this. It vexes me. Wasn't the whole point of VG to say 'fuck-you' to SOE and its creative vision? Isn't that why Brad and the others left to create Sigil rather than develop EQ2? And now, if this rumor is true, it turns out that their game is destined to become just another feather in the SOE MMO hat...which, lo and behold, it in fact already is in large part due to the fact that it is part of the Station Pass anyway?

Its like everything in the MMO universe was subtly re-arranged but, amazingly, ended up being exactly the same as it always was.

Vexation!

[Kolle]

blogs help unimportant people feel important

[Camerous]

I'm never gonna play the game again but maybe SOE buying it would be the best thing that could happen for you sad fuckers who do still play it.

At least it can't get any worse.. right?

[spentmotiff]

I'm sorry to hear it if it's true. Not that I have a big Hate-on towards SOE or anything, but I always hate to hear about MMO's failing. If this is true, then somewhere a company is going to deny funding for the next MMO being developed and that could be the next biggest MMO.

Translation: if the rumor is true and SOE buys VG and because of this a zombie apocalypse MMO is denied funding, I am SO going to be seriously pissed.

[Cuppycake]

Exactly Twobit Whore.

I didn't mean this issue doesn't matter to me. Obviously I care about this because I took the time to comment on it. What I meant is that to me, its not going to make much of a difference who holds the reins for Vanguard. I never cancelled my subscription because I intend to watch the direction and progression of the game. I've enjoyed what SOE has done for EQ2 and if it can be done for VG perhaps it will be a game that I enjoy playing in the future.

So why do people actually have a blog? So other can freaking read it. haha.

That's not actually true. I didn't think anyone would ever read my blog, its actually really weird to know how many people actually read it daily. The reason I have a blog is so I can have an unmoderated place to spout my opinions on things without clogging up threads on forums such as this one. In addition, its been great for networking. I also like to archive news and such so that I can look back and view it in the future. I can also control the backups of my database so that nothing I post is ever lost for good (like a lot of message boards that disappear.) If no one read the blog, I'd still post on it.

[Regime]

Originally Posted by Cuppycake

If no one read the blog, I'd still post on it.

lol suuuuuure

[Cuppycake]

Originally Posted by Regime

lol suuuuuure

Well, I'm not here to debate my blog. I removed the part of the post where I linked to it. This had nothing to do with my blog..I've had one for years and only in the past couple of months has it gained any readers other than my RL friends.

The issue on hand is this "rumor". Discuss away.

[Flight]

Originally Posted by Cuppycake

Exactly I've enjoyed what SOE has done for EQ2 and if it can be done for VG perhaps it will be a game that I enjoy playing in the future.

Agree with that. EQ2 is a terrific game now after being a right pile of crap on release. Anyone who hasn't been back to it really should give it a go.

The thing is with Vanguard, its not all that obvious how to fix it. It was obvious when EQ2 released which radical changes needed to be made. The whole game (Vanguard), from conception to completion, has been implemented without any kind of quality control - its not just in need of content its basically out of control.

The economy is trashed in favour of crafting. Crafting is about as much fun as poking yourself in the eye with a hot needle.

I was about to go into a ramble, but whats the point. The whole game is flawed and in need of massive fixing, because they used as many artists as the rest of the staff put together and next to no quality management.

[mek]

Originally Posted by redjunkopera

If VG sold the 100k-200k boxes someone was claiming, that should be $5-10M, plus cash from subs... plenty to continue development.

Admittedly posting in a VG thread is just adding another turd to the outhouse, but whatever.

Sure it might be barely fiscally manageable to continue development, but keeping MMOs on life-support indefinitely is SOE's specialty, and Sigil probably wants to forget this abortion of a "next-gen" MMO ever happened, cut their losses and move on to a new project. They got a $5-10M return on what, $30mil investment CONSERVATIVELY speaking? If SoE offers them $20mil for complete ownership... they break even, a relatively good deal. Whatever trickle of subscribers VG maintains - let's be generous and say 100k = 1.5mil/month = $18mil/year - that's barely going to cover infrastructure and development, when you consider Sigil's paying off VG's inital pricetag, plus the significant chunk that SoE is no doubt taking, the annual profit VG is making is minimal if anything at all.

[Vinen]

Originally Posted by Kolle

blogs help unimportant people feel important

.

[Gaereth]

Well, considering SOE stepped in a while back with money, servers, programmers, tech support, etc, etc to finish the game it makes sense for them to just cut out the middle man.

[Cuppycake]

Originally Posted by Camerous

I'm never gonna play the game again

I think I am going to bookmark this post so I can link to it later. *rolls eyes* Yeah right you won't play it again Cam. I give you one month with LOTRO before you're off to something else =P

[redjunkopera]

Originally Posted by mek

Admittedly posting in a VG thread is just adding another turd to the outhouse, but whatever.

Sure it might be barely fiscally manageable to continue development, but keeping MMOs on life-support indefinitely is SOE's specialty, and Sigil probably wants to forget this abortion of a "next-gen" MMO ever happened, cut their losses and move on to a new project. They got a $5-10M return on what, $30mil investment CONSERVATIVELY speaking? if SoE offers them $20mil for complete ownership... they break even, a relatively good deal.

Yeah but if that was the case why would Sigil buy MS out in the first place? Why not just let it die and have the loss of the mythical and wonderful Vanguard be MS's fault for killing the project?

It doesn't make sense to me that Sigil would go out of their way to buy something with a good chance of failing, just to sell it off after actually "failing".

The only reason I would imagine Sigil didn't let VG fade into distant memory like WISH, etc... is because it's Brad and friends' baby. And I don't think that would change. I think Sigil would run themselves into bankruptcy, rather than selling-out which would more or less be conceding failure.