Rumor - SOE to purchase VG?

[Kuro]

If this happens, it is made of delicious irony.

[Lost Ranger]

Id like to say it could be healthy for the game, but that is under the assumption that Sony used the EQ2 team which obviously they wouldnt. So if this is true the game might just be screwed all the way around.

Which works for me heh. They can all come play LoTRO and Brad can sit at home nights knowing that his game lost, and they all went to play a Turbine product instead. Say that to yourself and not chuckle... I dare you :P

[Esmo]

Originally Posted by Vatoreus

but wouldn't it be so sweet? I could see Smed sitting in a chair, shadows covering half of his upper torso with a left to right slant, hands set in steeple position, index fingers tapping together every few seconds, with a wicked white smile of evil contemplation, setting into motion the fall of SGO.

The whole affair reminds me of the Apple/Steve Jobs vs MicroSoft/Bill Gates tech wars in the 80's.

Here's to hoping McQuaid gets some clues and comes back around in a few years with tech that changes something about gaming in a truly innovative fashion, not rehashed grind crap. Let him have his "iPod" moment.

[Itzena]

Originally Posted by Kuro

If this happens, it is made of delicious irony.

You mean something like:

[holydevil]

Wait, hold up.

Brad got beat by Turbine in terms of MMORPG success?

Wow, Brad, move on.

[Laerazi]

Somehow I don't envision Sigil working so hard to try and pull the game up, and then just selling it. That said, I could see them not being able to recoup enough money from release sales and having to sell more to SOE, to keep afloat.

Either way, as some people have already said, I don't think SOE having more control over the game is going to really impact the game in a negative way. I'd even go far enough to say that I'd be pretty happy for the game if it was put in the hands of managers/developers who have some concept of real project management and quality control. Sure, we'll probably end up with another version of EQ2, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The EQ2 division seems to have already learned it's hard lessons, drastically improving their release game. I'd like to not have to wait 2 years for Vanguard to go through the same growing pains (which obviously they already are).

It's still sorta funny/sad; all this time and hard work from many of the devs, on Vanguard, and it's going to get sold right to SOE because Sigil's higher ups who were supposed to keep the game on track (Brad) failed to do so. The fact that he pretty much had no clue as to what the majority of MMO players wanted in an MMO today was enough to make the game fail, let along poor management of it. I was continually surprised at how amateurly the game was advertised to the public and confused at how Brad saw these pitiful attempts at selling their game as being hugely successful (their mediocre E3 appearances, for example). I wouldn't mind if Brad just sank with the abomination he created.

/hyperborific, bitter, ex-Vanguard follower off

BTW anyone the many quotes from Brad saying they weren't going to sell to SOE?

[Froofy-D]

How times have changed since we first saw this.

[Twobit Whore]

Originally Posted by Laerazi

Somehow I don't envision Sigil working so hard to try and pull the game up, and then just selling it. That said, I could see them not being able to recoup enough money from release sales and having to sell more to SOE, to keep afloat.

Well if many of the same people working on it now were going to be brought in under SOE to continue work, then it makes sense. You wouldn't just have everyone involved with the game quit instantly and leave shit half done and then expect totally new people to pick up where they left off.

Those guys are just peons, trying to earn a paycheck.. no reason to get rid of them since they aren't the ones at fault here.

[Mkopec1]

Im sure SOE's budget does not include 100 peons, more like 10?

[Twobit Whore]

Originally Posted by Mkopec1

Im sure SOE's budget does not include 100 peons, more like 10?

Yeah, I am sure at some point there will be layoffs and cuts, but my point was you don't do that right in the middle of a big patch or game revamp, etc.

[Maxxius]

Originally Posted by redjunkopera

Sigil owns all of VG, I don't think they have anyone they need to answer to financially... at least not anyone that could MAKE them sell. . . . .

Guess you never ran a business, heheh. Try meeting payroll every week when little money flows in. I'm sure MS also didn't just write off all the millions they spent. Creditors can have a strong impact on a company's actions.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Sony should just take what good they can get from the Vanguard team, move it over to EQ2, and close the game down.

[gremlinz273]

Originally Posted by Froofy-D

How times have changed since we first saw this.

Honestly, I prefer the UI displayed there immensely over the one which shipped with the game.

[Itzena]

Found a graph in one of the rumour threads elsewhere, and if it's true, it throws a little more light onto Sigil's current situation.

[Lhon]

The question is why would SOE want to buy VG? Obviously they derive some benefit from it being on Station Pass, and they get a cut as publisher and infrastructure provider already, so why buy it?

One possibility is Sigil has told them they're bankrupt and going to shutdown the game. SOE would buy it to keep it alive and on Station Pass. This seems to be the reason implied in the original rumor. With this scenario SOE would likely buy it dirt cheap, and run it barebones, ala MxO.

A second possibility is SOE doesn't like the direction the game is headed, and thinks it's losing Station Pass value, and they think they can turn it around if they were in charge. Under this scenario VG would undergo pretty dramatic changes. The recent "new vision" comments might support this scenario.