All future Sony MMOs console-bound

By Oli Welsh Published 6 October, 2008

Including the next EverQuest.

After revealed that he was keen on bringing MMOs to PSP, Sony Online Entertainment boss John Smedley has spoken more about his company's console development strategy, and it amounts to this: every future SOE game is console-bound.

Asked by MTV if all of SOE's MMOs will appear on consoles from now on, Smedley simply said, "Yes".

This will include the return of EverQuest to consoles. Sony's first foray into the consoles was the PS2's unsuccessful EverQuest Online Adventures.

"It's pretty safe to say that EverQuest has not seen its last game," Smedley said, asked whether the company would be returning to compete with World of Warcraft and Warhammer Online in fantasy RPGs. "So we've got our own cards to play there, and I think we will play them at the right time. But the quality level will be something that people will be very happy with."

SOE's first PS3 release will be the console version of the kids' MMO Free Realms, which Smedley said would be released "about six months later" than the PC version.

Subsequent PS3 titles The Agency and DC Universe Online, however, would be "day and date" with the PC versions.

Smedley wouldn't be drawn on the pricing model for the console games, but admitted that "there's a chance, maybe [the games] won't be subscription-based. Maybe the free-to-play model is the right one to use there, too."

He discussed the company's experimentation with micro-transactions with the EverQuest trading card game, but stressed that it wasn't decided. "We don't know yet. We're going to find out with Free Realms, and adapt as we see things go," he said.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (11) Latest comment 3 years ago

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  • lennon #1 3 years ago

    Interesting. Now if only Blizzard woudl get on with it I might start subscribing to WOW again.

  • Dizzy #2 3 years ago

    The next EQ? Are they even gonna bother?

  • muftak #3 3 years ago

    oo EQ i hope they do , love the world and lore of everquest .

  • ZuluHero #4 3 years ago

    Me too. I even left WoW for EQ2 and still loving it. I find it more involving, the crafting is better, it has player housing and people are really friendly. Plus after 4 (?) expansions the world is HUGE!

    The good thing about doing console MMOs is that you know it will run smoothly and look nice out of the box. Its only now, after yet another upgrade, the game is running at a nice level graphically and not running like a dog framerate wise :)

  • login_name #5 3 years ago

    I hope this doesn't mean they're gonna over simplify them all.
    Edited by 1 at 06/10/08 @ 09:48

  • Triggerhappytel #6 3 years ago

    "SOE's first PS3 release will be the console version of the kids' MMO Free Realms, which Smedley said would be released "about six months later" than the PC version."

    You're forgetting Untold Legends...

  • WinterSnowblind #7 3 years ago

    @login_name

    They have to, so the elitest PC fanboys can understand them. ;)

  • Nill #8 3 years ago

    @login_name

    They'd just be digging their own graves. By simplifying they'd stand no chance to Blizzard, and all for trying to win over the console-crowd, which is not a certain success at all.

    We'll see how it'll work out. I think they'll have an extremely hard time catering to both markets, but should be interesting.

  • makeamazing #9 3 years ago

    There are lots of MMOs in development... console MMOs just not sure it will work.

  • AhSoul #10 3 years ago

    I don't see why it couldn't work? No reason why you couldn't do WoW on a console as long as the interface was done well.

    For example on the 360 pretty much everyone has headsets, so you could talk to those you group with, or use that little keyboard for text chat.

    Everything else is just working out the control scheme and the subscription model.....

  • TriggerHippie #11 3 years ago

    Everquest on the PS2 was actually a lot of fun. Don't see why it can't work on the ps3