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Matrix Online Sold To SOE?

Posted by Zonk on Thu Jun 16, 2005 06:53 AM
from the unplugging-the-tanks dept.
Role Playing (Games)
SirBruce writes "Corpnews is reporting that two separate sources have told them The Matrix Online has been sold to Sony Online Entertainment. Monolith is getting out of the MMO business altogether. SOE has also acquired the rights from Monolith for another MMO that was in development but recently cancelled a DC Comics MMOG. (ed: Remember the DC vs. NCSoft squabble?) Most of Monlith's MMO employees are being laid off with SOE taking over." Commentary at Plaguelands. Obviously at this point still just a rumour, so have some salt with this news.
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  • Thanks (Score:5, Funny)

    by AtariAmarok (451306) on Thursday June 16 2005, @07:20AM (#12831250)
    Thanks. I was wondering why Morpheus was back in the game, but was now trying to sell everyone PSP's: "Free your mind by looking at this cool color screen!"

  • Correction (Score:2, Informative)

    by twl1973 (877541)
    It is Marvel vs. NCSOFT.

    And it's still ongoing.

    • Re:Correction (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Babbster (107076) <aaronbabb&gmail,com> on Thursday June 16 2005, @07:58AM (#12831488) Homepage
      Makes it that much more hilarious that the link provided SAYS "Marvel/NCSoft Litigation Update" right at the top of the page. It keeps getting better, too, in that Zonk "edited" both this post AND the earlier one. Seriously, editors, you could AT LEAST visit and skim the provided links before putting up the story...

  • SOE (Score:3, Interesting)

    by EddieBurkett (614927) on Thursday June 16 2005, @07:48AM (#12831415)
    As someone who plays Star Wars Galaxies, all I have to say is HAHA!!!!!

    Yet another IP for Sony to acquire and then squander away the potential while they focus on EQ.
    • The matrix franchise is OVER. They had something going in the first movie. The sequels were absolutely butchered. So is every video game.

      Some people said the original was only good because the plot was a copy of Neon Genesis. When the original was over, the W Brothers proved they had zero screenwriting talent.

      • They were blatantly copied from the scripts some female writer thought up (who apparently also wrote the Terminator script). She sued WB and the courts agreed. Apparently the sequels were no longer stolen from her work, making it clear how "skilled" the Wachowskis are at making movies.

        http://www.popandpolitics.com/articles_detail.cfm? articleID=1494 [popandpolitics.com]

        Might be complete bullshit though.
        • The absurdity of the claim is that her one script is the basis for BOTH The Terminator and The Matrix. I suppose we should believe that she was the first to think of the idea of war between humans and machines. To make things even more absurd, they offer up the phrase "I'll be back" as proof that The Terminator was a copy, when the writers of that movie have already said that they didn't quite understand why people latched onto that phrase when it was considered by them to just be part of the normal dialo
          • Well, there ARE common traits between Matrix and Terminator (one hero destined to fight the machines tht want to wipe out humanity...) but you're right, they're so loose you could sue half of Hollywood with them. But then it might be interesting to see what Hollywood would do if they couldn't use the same three stories over and over again...
          • The thing about the Matrix is, you can point at so many obvious influences which a crazy old lady in Salt Lake City is unlikely to be at all familiar with.

            1. Gnosticism and Gnostic Christianity

            2. "Wire Fu" movies

            3. Japanese anime ("Ghost in the Shell, in particular")

            4. Comic books.

            5. Older "alternate reality" sci-fi. (For example... There was an episode of Doctor Who in the 1970s in which The Doctor battled The Master in a virtual computer-generated world, also known as "The Matrix", in which laws of
            • rather judgemental aren't we?

              Perhaps I could qualify as a "crazy old man" in SLC that does actually have extensive knowledge in the things you mentioned as well as:

              1. Eastern Philosophy with its ties to our perceptions being what creates the realities we each live in. This ties further with being able to do 'impossible' things.

              2. The 'Matrix' in many other 'forms'. Neruomancer? Strange Days? Shadowrun? Many other books with similar concepts, even if they aren't of a technical nature like the Matrix?

              3.
              • I don't get it: you offer basically an extension of the same argument and yet somehow this proves the opposite point to what the original poster tried to make? Maybe I should have taken the blue pill...
                • Original poster says this sort of thing couldn't come from anyone from someone from Salt Lake. They're apparently not edumacated like the west coasters are! Me in Salt Lake saying he's incorrect. better?
        • Ok, for a supposed 2.5 billion dollar judgement, it's made very little news. No hits for "Sophia Stewart" on any major news sites.

          It's a hoax.
          • I've read an article that was written by Stewart herself or at least contained a whole load of quotes, she claimed it wasn't in the news "because the media cartels don't want you to know". Yeah, right, don't forget your tinfoil hat, they might steal your script ideas with their mind readers.

            Would be nice if Snopes did some research on that, it has no entry unfortunately.
        • Ever read Neuromancer? Because half of The Matrix is ripped off from that book. Heck, they even had a cyberspace called "the matrix" in it. Also from The City and the Stars by Arthur c Clarke, Ghost in the Shell and many, many more. They basically threw all these ideas together, and called them their own. Now they're not even bothering. They're talking an already established comic book, making a movie out of it, and calling it their on.
      • You're right about that. About all that was genuinly left interested in the Matrix were the 'philosophical' idiots that thought that there was still some great meaning and master plan behind the two terrible, terrible sequels.

  • Never thought I'd hear myself say this (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Winterblink (575267) on Thursday June 16 2005, @08:57AM (#12831900) Homepage
    ... but this might be a good thing for MxO. I've played several Sony MMOs, and MxO, and I have to say that MxO is just terrible. People may bash Sony for their games, but that's nothing like what's been done by Monolith.

    Sony might actually be able to look at what's been there and revamp the game so it actually includes things like fun gameplay and content. There's a LOT of potential in what's already there in MxO, but I think it needs a more experienced hand to guide it to being something great.
    • Blinky! -waves from EVE-

      I personally think that any MMO SOE touches slowly becomes devoid of fun and logic, all for the purpose of making a dollar. MxO was pretty bad and can only get worse from SOE's money grabbing tactics.

      I just feel bad for the staff that will be let go and the players who invested time and money into it. It had a lot of potential.

  • Station Access - GREAT! (Score:3)

    by jasonmicron (807603) on Thursday June 16 2005, @08:57AM (#12831901)
    Now all SOE has to do is add it to the Station Access payment plan and my $21.95 / month goes even further!
  • I thought about a year or so ago, Jason Hall (CEO of Monolith) came on in charge of WBE and then WB promptly purchased Monolith. I can only assume this was a pre-arranged deal to do with MxO as it was under development for several years, so Monolith was expecting something for the work.

    I don't belive WB would just spit Monolith & the Matrix name out to there arch rival so soon after launch, I'm almost sure they'd rather it die before doing this.

    I sure do hope anyways, cause god I hate SOE.
    • The official word people:

      The companies also disclosed that Sony Online had acquired Warner's "The Matrix Online" game. All 25 staff members currently operating the subscription-based massively multiplayer online game have been offered their existing position under the new ownership.

      Sega of America will continue to manage distribution of "The Matrix Online," while Warner will oversee content development and relinquish operational involvement. Ubisoft withdrew from its involvement with the property in early

  • A new twist... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by OverDrive33 (468610) on Thursday June 16 2005, @09:50AM (#12832254) Homepage Journal
    I'll bet SOE will turn poor SWG (I'm a player) into even more of a Star Wars blasphmey by having it turn out that SWG is ACTUALLY another Matrix, and for only $69.99 + $10 a month you can get "out" of the Matrix into the 'real world' which actually turns out to be EQ2.

    MMORPGs need something fresh, and by a singular company starting to own a lot of the larger ones... I don't see that happening.
    • Does size really matter that much? Almost every game out there (with few exceptions like Eve) splits players up into servers that cap out at what, 1-3k per server during peak times.

      So as long as there are enough subscribers for a small handful of servers, what do you get from the other 30 you don't play? More development funds I suppose, but then with 30 servers there's probably RP servers and PK servers and hardcore servers and all sorts of other crap that means more dev time is spent balancing for them,
      • If CoH is the best of what's out there, then I'd just stop playing MMRPGs entirely.

        Actually, I did (after playing CoH), and now only play some occasional games of guild wars.

  • Wow (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Phil the Canuck (208725) on Thursday June 16 2005, @09:55AM (#12832288)
    If they put MxO on Station Access, I'll play it again. I guess the other good news is that within a year or so, everyone will be able to have their very own "The One" character.

  • Change of business plan? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Alarash (746254) on Thursday June 16 2005, @10:17AM (#12832471)
    Hi there,

    I'm wondering something, and maybe some of you who took marketing/business courses might help.

    Is SOE changing its business plan? I remember SOE developping and keeping alive one (EQ) and then two (SWG) MMORPG at the same time. Then EQ2 came out, and they had 3. Then they created a company along with Turbine (Asheron's Call I & II, with Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons and Dragons Online currently in development), so they can publish their games (and possibly use the "All access pass" options for both SOE and Turbine games) easily.

    But if I remember correctly, the first developper/publisher that rolled out new MMO at a very fast pace was NCSoft. For the last 2 or 3 years, these guys just keep on releasing more and more games (Lineage, Lineage II, City of Heroes, Guild Wars, with at least two games in developpement - Auto Assault and Tabula Rasa, and possibly a third, heroic fantasy one developped by former Blizzard employees).

    So my question is : Are SOE and Turbine trying to "eat" NCSoft's market share, beat them at their own game if you will, even if they have to merge and buy crappy games (like MxO, no offense to the ones who like it) so the other doesn't buy it ?

    • Sony also have Planetside in their lineup, which I believe that they bought the parent developers of during development, however I'm not certain on this.
      • Hi,

        Maybe my post wasn't too clear. Sorry for that. I also should have posted a source. The name of the company created by SOE is Station Publishing [sony.com]. Let me quote the home page for you:

        " Station Publishing(TM) offers developers and publishers the opportunity to capitalize on Sony Online Entertainment's experienced and robust marketing, PR, sales and distribution services. Station Publishing meets the needs of a growing number of companies who may not have the capability or inclination to undertake this

  • Story Confirmed (Score:5, Informative)

    by SirBruce (679714) on Thursday June 16 2005, @02:06PM (#12834651) Homepage
    Div Devlin at http://www.gamerifts.com/ [gamerifts.com] also has the story confirmed. Unless the same source leaked it to him, Corpnews, and me, I'm pretty sure this isn't just a rumor. As I was the only one who got the DC Comics tip, that would seem to indicate there are different sources involved here. All the job openings previously listed on Monolith's web page have also disappeared.

    Bruce
  • With SOE taking over, Matrix online is gradually evolve in World of Warcraft just like EverQuest did.
  • Now all we have to do is wait for sony to incorporate their new nueral interface technology, and we can all finally be "the one".
  • Read the bottom of the page, it says everything is false.... legal disclaimer says its a parody site..
    • 7 people getting laid off because their bosses wanted quick money? I care.
    • No, that's the sound of all fifteen Matrix Online subscribers screaming out in agony as the Empire approaces. And then... Silence.
      • Not to pick nits or anything, but I'm pretty sure I've seen fifteen real players in a pitched battle near a hardline all at the same time, so there must be at least twenty subscribers. Possibly more, if you assume that they don't all get on at the same time.

        In any case, I'm really not happy with the way the game plays now - you pretty much can't get experience points without shooting someone, which isn't my idea of a good time - so I wouldn't mind some fresh thinking. Of course, it's not clear that the

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