Sony Online looking at PSP MMOs

By Oli Welsh Published 30 September, 2008

Starting with extensions of home games.

Speaking to MTV, Sony Online Entertainment boss John Smedley has said the EverQuest developer is considering the PSP as a viable platform for fully fledged MMO games.

"I think PSP is something that we're definitely looking at; 34 million worldwide really opens your eyes, and they're all connected," Smedley said.

He revealed that the company - previously part of Sony Pictures, the Japanese giant's movie arm - started looking seriously at PSP when it merged with the rest of the game business, Sony Computer Entertainment, in April this year.

"And as we've kind of got our heads up looking around the world within Sony Computer Entertainment, we're really starting to see a big push for PSP. We think it's a world-class device; In the future, we see full MMOs that are designed for the PSP."

But extensions of SOE's home MMOs for PC and PS3 will come first. Stressing that nothing was finalised, Smedley mentioned the possibility of a pet-training system for the company's forthcoming casual MMO, Free Realms, or offline levelling in a more traditional MMO.

SOE has already experimented with extending its EverQuest II and Star Wars Galaxies MMOs with trading-card games, something which could work well on the handheld. It will also be leading MMOs' charge onto consoles next year, with PS3 versions of Free Realms and The Agency.

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 (8) Latest comment 3 years ago

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

  • Widge #1 3 years ago

    Sounds very pocketstation-y. Like in FF8, you could do chocobo training and gumf. If you weren't from the UK.

  • Goffee #2 3 years ago

    One part of me thinks this is ace, with pay-per-month accounts, you'd get around the piracy problem.

    However, any game would have to have huge appeal to justify the infrastructure investment - which would make for either a FF, Star Wars or *cough* Sonic MMO, none of which really appeal - I'd prefer something that was unique to PSP, how about a Discworld MMO - that'd be a laugh!

  • Widge #3 3 years ago

    The ability to go for a POO at home and go MMO would be great. Christ I'd install a kettle in the old thunderbox.

  • dominalien #4 3 years ago

    I'm not interested in MMOs at all, but I believe this is a genuinely good idea.

    Next thing you know, companies will be banning PSPs in the office due to employees spending hours in the toilet.

  • Ryze #5 3 years ago

    'and they're all connected'

    Yeah bollocks. Just like all laptops in the world are connected, eh? They all have Wifi adaptors, and that's alll that the PSP has.

    Connected to what? There's no network but the Internet - no way to see or communicate with anyone else online unless you go through the game loading bollocks.

    Flawed by default.

  • linksdad #6 3 years ago

    Ryze, you are correct, this idea is totally flawed. When on the move you generally arent connected. When at home why would you want to struggle with a PSP?

    If they want to bite size it up for playing offline while travelling the monthly fee better be extremely cheap or free or the value isnt going to be there. If there isnt a monthly fee it defeats the purpose (for the developer)

    Now if he was talking about offline extensions of a proper MMO franchise, he might be on to something. Again they would struggle to justify charging extra, you have already bought the game and are paying the monthly.

  • Chufty #7 3 years ago

    There's a big Console-MMO shaped monster looming over the hill yonder.

    In this time of financial turmoil, that's where you should be buying your shares...

  • mechamonkey #8 3 years ago

    PSO and Monster Hunter online would have been a good start, although not strictly MMO.