Cuppycake over at Cuppytalk has a problem with what I had to say about SOE in my previous SOE hires IGE posting. Apparently I am not looking at the situation from a business point of view? I must admit; she caught me red handed. I am not looking at this as a business person, because I'm not.
Don't get me wrong here, I am a firm believer in game developers being a business first and a developer second. The companies that fail to adhere to this principal have fallen by the wayside, a great many vaporware titles being left in their wake. However, believing this principal, and talking about it, does not mean I look at developments within companies with a business eye.
I am a gamer. I am the customer. This is where I draw my opinion from. But, for a moment here, let me turn a more analytical eye to this.
Once again, the main issue, is the fact that SOE already operates Station Exchange servers. They are trying a new business model. Cuppy may applaud them for the effort, but I do not. As I've stated, it legitimizes a practice that directly effects the game and more importantly, it's community. As long as I know that a developer does not support RMT, I can dismiss the actions of the RMT participants. As soon as a developer starts dipping their hand into the RMT cookie jar, I as a paying subscriber, can no longer justify anything I achieve.
The next point of contention is that SOE didn't just hire this guy. They created a position for him! In the business world that usually means they hand picked the person well before the hiring. If that isn't a red flag, then I have a car you might be interested in buying.
The basics of this situation stink, and we all know what they say: if it stinks like fish; it's fish. SOE created a position for a former IGE big-wig. SOE has been exploring RMT business models for their games. If any players want to avoid developer-sanctioned RMT, avoid SOE games at all costs.
My point is this. You're viewing as a customer - which is fine and legitimate. But consider yourself (as a customer) as simply a part of their money making scheme. Major game company EXECS (not devs, executives) are going to be worried about money. That's what they're paid to worry about. That is their job. They're not Joe Schmoe Gamer who went to school for designing games and now wants to share their passion for games with the world. They are hired to create revenue for the company and make business decisions based on that.
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to call you or anything. Just remember that this isn't any different than any other company hiring the competition. It happens. This guy is good at making money - and that's exactly what SOE hired him for. Company making money = company providing you games.
I do not understand how you could possibly think SOE should not hire this guy. Just because a company may be bad, does not make the employees bad. A VP of Business is simply that. The guy kills at making money and any company that tells you they are not out to make boat loads of money in this industry as a mainstream competitor is full of it.
ReplyDeleteYou complain about them creating servers where SOE can funnel players who like to pay cash for perks on seperate servers, yet you show animosity for IGE. Make up your mind! I would rather see RMT players on their own server where SOE can regulate the prices to under cut companies like IGE and keep the normal servers as clean as possible.
When it doubt, Business as usual. I agree with Cuppycake. Do you really think any of the people on the board of SOE care what us gamers think? Companies come out with a multitude of services to accommodate a wide spectrum of players, solely for more revenue, this is only the next step.
I'm going to have to disagree with you Heartless. You still can justify thing you archive in the game if you don't play on a Station Exchange server. Out of the 30 EQ2 servers only 2 are Station Exchange.
ReplyDeleteIf you play on the Station Exchange server and you no longer can justify your achievements, you made that choice your self, you could of played on a normal server, where you could justify you achievements. It just like any other game that you can buy plat for BUT the difference with Station exchange it weed out people who would of other wise down that on a normal server and put them on there own server away from the community that doesn't want that.
Which means theres less people who e-bayed there way to 70 on normal servers, because thous people have been drawn to the Station Exchange server. Which less ebayed people on normal server, doesn't sound like a bad thing to me.
The Mob are good at making money too.
ReplyDeleteBusiness is all about politics, you have to weigh up the damage to your company against the money you might make when employing this type of person.
Obviously SOE are not that bothered.
Also -
"Just because a company may be bad, does not make the employees bad. A VP of Business is simply that."
Sorry but its CEOs and VPs that make a company "bad" - they are the people that drive the company.
If this was a lowly employee - I would agree - but he is a former VP of IGE and would have pushed the company in the direction that are in now.
Heartless is dead right. The problem here is not that this guy is a good business man, or may be able to make a solid profit for the company, but rather that companies decide how they are going to accomplish success.
ReplyDeleteYou can choose to run an air-tight, ethical organization that is profitable and garners the respect of the business community and the companies clients, or you can develop an image of being a 'at any cost' profit company.
This guy may be clean as a whistle, and a saint in reality, the the industry presceptions speak volumes about him. That they would expose themselves to the PR problems this will lead to tells you how they think of themselves as a company.
It is a trend that Sony has been demonstrating. They release unfinished games, they talk out of the side of their mouths about RMT then move full circle when it suits them, they publically battle IGE then hire their top brass... Its not about building a respectable and profitable company anymore. They appear to be on a spirial or grab as much as we can before the jig is up, mentality.
Aside from EQ2, which took months before it was anything other than a joke in the industry, Sony currently has nothing to show for its efforts. With the real quality releases on the horizon that will be a further wrench in their gears, a move like this gives the impression that they are desperate and willing to try anything, regardless of the political cost.