The online studio Sony Online Entertainment sees great opportunities for Free2Play MMOs on consoles. With DC Universe Online already available on the PS4, Planetside 2 is set to follow soon, and a port of the zombie MMO H1Z1 is planned.
In a conversation with Gamasutra, the president of SOE, John Smedley, talks about the profits that the MMOs of his studio are making on the Playstation 4 and are expected to make in the future, the great potential of Free2Play on consoles, and the challenges associated with a port.
A DCUO player spends three times as much on the Playstation 3 as a PC player
DC Universe Online, a superhero/supervillain MMO, earns per player on the Playstation 4 three to three and a half times more than on the PC. On the Playstation 3, it’s still double.
With DCUO, being one of the first Free2Play games, they surely had advantages, so to speak, they were pioneers. However, Smedley believes that despite this, there is much potential on consoles and profit to be made.
Unlike “social games,” Free2Play MMOs have to offer real gameplay
Unlike so-called “social games” (such as on Facebook), studios need to provide real games to make money on consoles, not just “monetization machines.”
A port from PC to consoles comes with challenges. For instance, it’s essential to ensure that PC games work without a mouse. Planetside 2, the next project, which is on its way to the PS4, should be playable with a controller. A mouse/keyboard combo will not be supported.
SOE itself sees, even though Sony is closely connected to the Playstation, its own roots in the PC. Here, they established the identity of the current studio with Everquest.
I love reading the comments about the Gamasutra interview I did about F2P on consoles. People think we’re becoming a console first shop. NO!
— John Smedley (@j_smedley) January 8, 2015
Consoles are a great place for F2P, but we have always been a PC first company because that’s our heritage. We aren’t dumbing down PC ever
— John Smedley (@j_smedley) January 8, 2015
Smedley wishes for an Early Access on the PS4
Further challenges besides the port to consoles are seen by Smedley primarily in logistics. It is challenging to coordinate with Sony when the updates and patches for PS3 and PS4 might arrive. And this is said by SOE – the studio that is likely to be more closely connected with Sony than any other development studio in the world.
Smedley’s dream would be a kind of “Steam” for the Playstation 4. Smedley is a big fan of open development in constant contact with fans through a kind of “Early Access.” He would wish that something like this could also be possible on the Playstation 4.
The next SOE game after Planetside 2, which aims to make the jump to PS4, is H1Z1, which is about to launch on PC via Steam. And this is indeed as an Early Access game. A port to the Playstation 4 is also planned for H1Z1.
