SOE making casual Star Wars MMO?
Uses Free Realms engine, rumours say.
Ten Ton Hammer is quoting an "inside source" as saying that Sony Online Entertainment is making a casual, browser-based Star Wars MMO.
It seems the rumoured game will use the engine that powers SOE's recent free-to-play game Free Realms, and share a setting with the cartoon Clone Wars film, TV series and games.
If the reports are true, the new game would be the third massively multiplayer Star Wars title, sitting alongside BioWare's forthcoming Old Republic and SOE's own, long-running Galaxies.
Free Realms launched in May this year and quickly amassed 4 million registered users. It features slick streaming technology that allows it to launch from a browser after a very short download, despite being a fully 3D and quite graphically rich game. The gameplay is a blend of simplified MMO combat and addictive mini-games, and the business model mixes low-cost subscriptions and micro-transactions. Read our Free Realms review for more information.
SOE is currently working on a PS3 version of Free Realms - as it is with all its current projects - so if the rumoured Star Wars development turns out to be real, PS3 and PC versions would be entirely possible.
We've approached SOE for comment. More when we have it.