Sony cold on PS3 Xfire rumour

By Games Industry.biz Published 13 September, 2006

But Untold Legends will use it.

Sony has been quick to quash rumours that the PlayStation 3 will incorporate a version of PC messaging and matchmaking solution Xfire for online gameplay.

While the company has admitted that one launch title - SOE's Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom - will utilise Xfire, there are no current plans to use the Viacom-owned technology.

"We can confirm that Sony Online Entertainment is in talks with Viacom and Xfire for a single, specific PS3 game," said a spokesperson for Sony in a statement to 1Up.

"However, there are no announcements at this time regarding any discussions between SCEA, Viacom and Xfire," continued the statement."

The rumours stemmed from a transcript of an earnings report issued by Viacom which revealed, "Xfire just signed a deal with Sony to create a version of their platform for the new PS3, which will now enable Xfire to extend its reach further into the huge console gaming market."

Xfire is a PC application that allows players to send and receive instant messages, manage friends lists, voice chat and other social functions - features already available for Sony's rival Xbox 360, via Microsoft's Xbox Live service.

However, SOE's Chris Kramer also poured cold water on the idea that Sony would incorporate Xfire into the PS3 by clarifying: "SOE has been in talks with Xfire about potentially including some of their technology in Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom, our PlayStation 3 launch title."

"This proposed deal is completely separate and independent from the PlayStation Network Platform, and is something that SOE was examining specifically for Dark Kingdom."

Viacom recently acquired Xfire in a deal worth US$ 102 million.

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Comments (22) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Darkedge #1 5 years ago

    now xfire would be better than what they are using for most games - GAMESPY.
    That just makes me want to cry..

  • El_MUERkO #2 5 years ago

    I had hoped it'd be good news but we're back to the two biggest sacks of shite in the online gaming marketplace (SOE and Gamespy) working on the PS3s online content, I expext nothing less thant total shite.

  • Steroyd #3 5 years ago

    Sony's online is open meaning that the likes of Gamespy and Xfire can latch onto Sony's service, there was talk about Valve latching Steam onto Sony's service also.

    It's down to the developers choice and as long as it's free i'm happy.

  • Gurgeh #4 5 years ago

    "It's down to the developers choice and as long as it's free "

    Can each developer choose to charge?

  • Darren #5 5 years ago

    @Steroyd - But is it free?

    Last I heard was that Sony was leaving it upto individual publishers whether they charged for online gaming or not. There again online gaming is free on the PS2 isn't it?

  • space_ace #6 5 years ago

    well i'm cold on anything ps3! they even have ads in the champions league!?

  • mattigan #7 5 years ago

    But aren't we all missing a major point here.

    Untold Legends is a bag of wank!

  • alpha-0ne #8 5 years ago

    ""We can confirm that Sony Online Entertainment is in talks with Viacom and Xfire for a single, specific PS3 game,"

    So let me get this straight game sony be using different solutions even within sony?

    what a mess this does not sound like a unified service..
    Edited by 1 at 13/09/06 @ 15:06

  • rhinoxious #9 5 years ago

    "Last I heard was that Sony was leaving it upto individual publishers whether they charged for online gaming or not. There again online gaming is free on the PS2 isn't it?"

    Yes. but it also wasn't very popular. When it first launched you had to buy the network adaptor to use it.

    If you had got an FPS on PS2 that was as succesful as Halo2 was on XBox, then things may have been different regarding charging.

  • Steroyd #10 5 years ago

    yeah devs can charge for playing on the games online if they want.

    /Shakes fist at EA wankers.

    But they also could have charged per game on the PS2 if they wanted also. ;)

  • Xerx3s #11 5 years ago

    "It's down to the developers choice and as long as it's free "

    Can each developer choose to charge?

    Yes.

    But they also could have charged per game on the PS2 if they wanted also. ;)

    So it's either: No charge and a shite connection or charge per dev.
    Edited by 1 at 13/09/06 @ 15:10

  • Foxclose #12 5 years ago

    I think some individual publishers will love it being the ones in charge of what the consumers pays and not pays.

  • Netfreak #13 5 years ago

    wow. I'm SO convinced Sony has Xbox Live killer. :-|

  • The-Bodybuilder #14 5 years ago

    >"I think some individual publishers will love it being the ones in charge of what the consumers pays and not pays."

    Think?

    From what I've gathered, it seems most developers like the unification and control of LIVE by MS (so they don't have to). But publishers don't want a LIVE-like service, as they don't control it.
    And you know what equals control? Yep, money.

    I'm 99.9% sure than EA will charge for thier service. If people pay (and let's face it, with madden in america and FIFA here, many will), then expect activision to follow suit too. Squenix goes without saying, and all the others will follow suit.

  • Steroyd #15 5 years ago

    So it's either: No charge and a shite connection or charge per dev.

    not necessarily it'll be just like the PC....

    I hardly call 40 player online for free in Resistance shite. :)

  • skillian #16 5 years ago

    What would really work was if the public were allowed to run their own servers on Linux boxes or whatever. Free for everyone - except those paying for the servers ;) - and admins will strive to create good performance and a happy place to play.

    Is that even possible? I dunno.

  • Steroyd #17 5 years ago

    actually it's quite possible, the PS3 has a standard HDD so Sony is probably going to use that to their advantage also.

  • Freek #18 5 years ago

    Sony releases another bitt of news wich makes them look crap. Hey, atleast they're consistant!

  • jellyhead #19 5 years ago

    and then the argument will be "I'm paying now and the service is rubbish!" and the annoying reply from the Sony fanboys will be "Well what do you expect? You should pay more if you want a *good* service."

    Round and round we go. :(

  • Xerx3s #20 5 years ago

    not necessarily it'll be just like the PC....

    You are forgetting that the reason that (most) PC servers are so great is because of the fact that they are paid for by the gamers/clans/organisations. The pub's services don't have anything to do with them other than list them. I very much doubt that sony will somehow make it possible to rent a permanent pro server to host games out of it's controle.

    PC servers with the same quality lvl as XBL are just as much free as XBL. The only difference is that somebody (else) pays to server hosts instead of pub's, sony or ms.

  • alpha-0ne #21 5 years ago

    Xerx3s i agree it costs £40 a month to rent a 32 player server with most companies in the uk

  • BartonFink #22 5 years ago

    Man this is going to be one huge munge of a kludge.
    Messy Sony very messy.