360°

Sony To Offer Free Monthly Updates Instead of Paid DLC for DCUO

President of Sony Online Entertainment John Smedley said that if you decide to play DC Universe Online, you won't have to worry about any additional costs besides your regular monthly fee.

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techland.time.com
Myst4845d ago

I see Sony is making all the right moves as of late for this game. May have to pick this up as I did enjoy the beta..

Commander_TK4845d ago

I hope u meant "Sony" as in "Sony Online Entertainment", and not "Sony" as in "Sony Computer Entertainment".

MintBerryCrunch4845d ago (Edited 4845d ago )

and your point is? SOE is owned by Sony Pictures Digital and SCEA

Jihaad_cpt4845d ago

Well it's all owned by Sony Corporation = Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Online Entertainment, Sony Pictures, Sony BMG, Sony Financial Services, Sony Electronics, Sony Ericsson (50%)

Myst4845d ago

The other two have stated it best before I could. Big corporations despite having separate branches are still a part of the bigger one. So either way all due still gets paid to the one.

Ratchet5104845d ago

SONY is all of SONY same shit.

visualb4845d ago (Edited 4845d ago )

no...He meant Sony, as in "SONY"

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4845d ago
Raoh4845d ago

SOE is now a part of the playstation brand. it, vaio and errickson got merged into one department.

Graphics4845d ago

How is it free when we pay a fee? Thats what mmo subscriptions are for..

Pillage054845d ago

@graphics
Games like WOW have paid expansions as well as the monthly fee like the recently released cataclysm. The fee generally goes to server maintenance...general updates to engine/gameplay updates/balancing, and keeping hackers/bots out. I think they're just saying no big paid add-ons. Most likely they'll be putting in more frequent but smaller add-ons. New quests, maybe new areas.

DeadlyFire4844d ago

If you pay a monthly fee why would you want to ever buy DLC on top of that? A waste to pay for such a thing.

30sec4845d ago

It's getting harder and harder to resist this game. The beta was an absolute blast.

DirtyLary4845d ago

Do it. You wont regret it. This game is a fresh reset to the standard mmos.

jut4204845d ago

Couldn't have said it better myself. I've never played an MMO before, but the constant praising of this game is making me want to at least try it out

joydestroy4845d ago

i'm with you dude. each time i see an article about it on n4g, guys are saying it's a lot of fun.

Clarence4845d ago

Pick it up. You want be sorry. Plus the first 30 days are free.

Kewl_Kat4845d ago

You're not helping my wallet!

PostApocalyptic4845d ago

Just remember this, joining a pvp server just expands the action aspect of the game. But be warned, you will get ganked since the pvp is more open and the game forces you to do missions in the same areas as opposing pvp players.

It takes longer to complete missions -- you will die a lot -- so don't get frustrated. But still, it's fun and forces you to learn how to fight. :)

I joined a pvp server for this reason. I should have done the same for WoW four years ago.

For a more casual experience, join a PvE server.

Clarence4845d ago

Thats great information for people to know. PvP makes you feel like your actually in a world were anything came happen. Definitely do PvP if you want a more action pack game experience.

Delive4845d ago

What I'm waiting to see is after the free 30 days, who is going to continue to pay? I'm playing the heck out of it now in hops to Plat it in 30 days. Then if the "FREE" content does not warrant $15 extra dollars, I'll cancel the sub till they go free to play.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4845d ago
Wh15ky4845d ago

Is this game really that good? I mean is it worth £34.99 to buy then £9.99 a month to play? I would hate to see this become the norm.

Killzoned4845d ago

When you buy the game, are you given any free days to play before you make your first payments to continue playing. For example 15-30 days trial? that comes along with the game

evrfighter4845d ago (Edited 4845d ago )

thom is right...This has been the norm for years now. I'm kinda surprised by the statement however. Were they considering charging a monthly and paid DLC to top it off?

That is nowhere near the norm. Sony would have failed horribly had they decided to go that route. Just considering it doesn't make them look too good.

@Sj
an expansion pack and DLC are completely different. An expansion pack can be bought retail and have quite a bit of content not to mention they are usually released every other year after vanilla game launch...go look up what DLC means and try again.

what you're thinking of is a cash shop. To have to pay for a sub and STILL have a cash shop in many pc gamers eyes is considered a rip off. Not the norm.

sjaakiejj4845d ago

@evrfighter

Actually, that is kind of the norm, or did you miss the million expansion packs that have released for World of Warcraft, (or any other big name MMO for that matter)? Those expansion packs are essentially DLC.

Wh15ky4845d ago (Edited 4845d ago )

I've never played an MMO, are they worth the money? and why are they so expensive?

Edit:
Thanks for the response Dac2u.

Dac2u4845d ago (Edited 4845d ago )

There are now 17 expansions for Everquest, also made by SOE. I expect they'll give away some free DLC, but how long until the first paid expansion?

@Wh15ky:
Depends on what you're willing to pay for, I've never had a problem paying a monthly fee for a game like UO, WoW, Shadowbane, or Everquest. In general, there's enough content to keep you playing for hours every single day for months. Whereas, many games these days give you 5-10 hours at $60 and you're done playing them. It costs a lot to keep a game running plus, most devs are pretty good about adding new content at no additional cost.

ezcex4845d ago

Are you sure you're not confusing patches with expansions. There have only been 3 expansions for WoW so far. The Burning Crusade, Wrath of The Litch King and Cataclysm. I see 3, not millions. 3 expansions since 2004.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4845d ago
Killzoned4845d ago

I wanna buy this game but am unsure at the moment, Since the PS3 and PC version aren't really cross platform. I mean which version will have more players?
How many players can fit into a single server?

Kon4845d ago

Choose the PS3 version. We need to have more MMO on consoles.

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140°

Sony Patents To Prevent You From In-Game Harassment By Reading Your Emotions

A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.

Profchaos22h ago(Edited 22h ago)

I hope this is one of those patents that never comes to fruition.

I already dislike the fact you can pay a significant amount for a online service buy associated games and content on said service and get banned from that service over potentially a misunderstanding the bans are already handed out for flimsy reasons

I'd rather see money invested in a ban that simply removes the offensive players ability to communicate with unknown players allow them to continue party chats with friends but not with Joe blow on cod.

exputers18h ago

Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.

Profchaos3h ago(Edited 3h ago)

How rediculas really. You can't say a word that's allowed in most PG films and prime time TV but the game is based around killing the enemy team using guns, explosives etc.

It's just backwards.

just_looken5h ago

What your talking about is called block list

In 2006 a spaceship dropped of the playstation 3/xbox 360 i say that that generation was the last great gen with game functions/tech that has yet to comeback

Anyhow the playstation 3 if you block listed a id they could not talk to you in chatroom with either text or voice. But that was pre mind fucked 2018 when people were more human than sheep.

But hey gta 6 is coming out billion dollar budget without a single player custom character creator and without singeplayer coop off/online something saints row 1-3 had on the xbox 360.

z2g15h ago

Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.

phoenixwing14h ago

Cmon where's the pictures of your children. Don't hold out on them.

H914h ago

At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath

jambola11h ago

I genuinely get a bit worried sometimes when a friend says something that could be offensive In a party
Because I have no trouble believing some bans would happen when in a private party for saying something wrong

SegaSaturn66913h ago

I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.

Popsicle13h ago

Terrible idea. Not only do I not consent to providing my biometric data, the potential for mishandling biometric data is almost a certainty. Positive stress and negative stress can produce similar changes in biometrics. Interpreting the precise emotion a person is feeling is not only invasive but could be easily misconstrued. I hope this never comes to fruition.

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130°

Sony Could Increase Your Game's Difficulty If It Sees You Complain About It

Sony has recently published a new patent that wants to dynamically handle the games' difficulty and gameplay based on the player's emotions.

jznrpg1d 6h ago

This is something I might use. Sometimes I play some good games but they don’t have difficulty option and are a little too easy.

Profchaos1d 6h ago

Souls games will be like that players struggling make it harder

PassNextquestion1d 5h ago (Edited 1d 5h ago )

I think if used correctly it could work well

jambola1d 1h ago

cool idea
cool idea for horror games especially
the way it's explained here sounds like it could never be forced hopefully, so that's ok with me

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280°

Sony Taps Bungie's Head of Revenue to Lead Live-Service Games

Sony has recruited Bungie's head of revenue Jaremy Rich to head up its live-service gaming division, Rich has announced on social media.

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techraptor.net
ChasterMies21d ago

Please do not put Destiny’s monetization into Sony’s first party games. The monetization is what’s driving players away from Destiny.

just_looken21d ago

The new temp boss is the sony cfo bean counter so i can see this being a thing get every penny.

Cacabunga21d ago

PlayStation officially losing it.. fans will never support gaas games

just_looken21d ago

@car

The new boss did a interview in japan he wants to tap into the mobile market like nintendio so he give 0 fucks about gamers/fans

https://www.pushsquare.com/...

Redemption-6421d ago

@Cacabunga
You only speak for you and those who think like you, but most fans will support what they want. Playstation and PC fans are literally supporting Helldivers 2 and that is a gaas. Maybe you wouldn't, but many more would if they like it.

Huey_My_D_Long21d ago

@Redemption-64
Look, Im not making any judgement calls about this guy, but I will say that Helldivers 2 GaaS model is unique to Helldivers, and legit the only other game I can think of thats similiar was the Avengers game except HD2 pass is still better.
The fact that you can earn in game currency in a way that doesnt make you feel like you have to grind forever, as well you being able work on that pass that you bought...on your own time without a time limit...that right there is fucking huge to me, and I can't name any game other than avengers that avoided trapping players with FOMO logic...I think GaaS on HD2 shouldn't be compared to the rest of the industry...it should be copied.

Einhander197221d ago

Cacabunga

Helldivers 2...

Redemption-64

In Europe it's a 60 40 split favoring PC.
In the US its a 60 40 split favoring PS5.

So PlayStation owners supported the game just fine, it's not getting carried by PC or anything like that.

FinalFantasyFanatic21d ago

@just_looken,
I'm perfectly fine with the way Nintendo entered the mobile market, I never touched their mobile games, meanwhile, the console/handheld stayed the way it is. As for being a bean counter, he's probably going to reel in these massive budgets that Sony's studios have had lately, I haven't played Spiderman 2, but I cannot see how they almost tripled the budget for that game.

@Redemption-64,
That's an exception to the rule, I'm expecting a lot of these GAAS games from Sony to fail, to be fair, they only need a few to succeed, but I would have preferred that they put more of their resources into other types of games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 21d ago
DivineHand12521d ago

True their monetization is driving players away and at the same time, their decision to chop out content and convoluted systems is keeping new players away from the game.

Joe91321d ago

I don't think that will happen based on how things worked out at Naughty Dog now that we know what we do, seems they had the option to fully commit to live service games or stay making single player experences so they gave up on their live service game. We are not sure how things came about with Bend making a live service game but I hope that was not a forced situation. Sony doesnt seem like they are forcing studios to switch up but we will see, Sony's bread and butter is single player games it is how they dominated the console market.

Obscure_Observer21d ago

Yeah, I though Sony learned something from all their failures in the LS segment under Bungie´s disastrous leadership and supervision which led to games been cancelled, studios closed and all the people laid off.

Looks like Bungie still plays a major role in Sony´s LS initiative and Sony is not backtracking on their GaaS plans.

S2Killinit21d ago (Edited 21d ago )

Are we forgetting that Destiny is also a highly successful franchise? I feel like that definitely deserves mention here.

Besides, there is no reason why a person cant learn from past experiences.

Joe91320d ago

I agree, people act as if Destiny flopped when it came out lol it took 9 to 10 years for the numbers to fall yet people are still playing it add the success of Helldivers 2 no wonder Sony is going forward down this path.

S2Killinit20d ago

Personally, I see no problem with Sony also having service games as long as they make good ones, and more importantly they deliver the AAA story driven games that they are known for. So yeah, I agree 100% with you.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 20d ago
Christopher21d ago

I mean, this person made some pretty bad decisions at Bungie. I hope they've learned from them because I definitely don't see those type of ideas as good for PlaySation in general.

CrimsonWing6920d ago (Edited 20d ago )

Honestly, what’s to learn from? How to make people happily continuously dump money into a single game over its life-time? Buy season passes continuously for several years with a smile on our faces?

GaaS is a design decision that is everything wrong with this industry. The fact that Helldivers 2 did so well and people defend the monetization because it was $40 and is a fun game, scares the sh*t out of me to see that the door is open and all shift will probably be to replicate that in future games. We already know the ROI for traditional game dev cost isn’t doing it for them.

I thought with Jimbo leaving we’d see a change for the better… I’m not so sure now.

S2Killinit20d ago

Service games are being offered by everyone. Sony cannot afford to only create single player AAA games. No one can. They already said they will be doing both.

Abnor_Mal21d ago (Edited 21d ago )

Ps5 gamers in 2023 seemed to play more live service types of games, so regardless to how people feel about them, numbers don’t lie and Sony is going where the money is. I mean look at the excitement around Helldivers2, people are showing that they want live service games.

Christopher21d ago

They play long-time existing live service games like CoD, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Destiny 2, and the like. Mass majority of new live service games are considered failures and aren't moving gamers away from older games.

just_looken21d ago

Yep the huge issue with live service is they need paid players along with a reason to play them.

You forgot mobile market that also taps into that player base as well as the eve online style games there is only a certain amount of krakens/whales blind supporters compared to the amount of live service games we have its not sustainable math wise.

700 restaurants making food for every seat for 1000-3000 eaters just does not work out

Einhander197221d ago (Edited 21d ago )

Christopher

I am not a big live service fan and literally own zero of the games you listed, but that is not true, unless you call games that aren't the top games to be failures.

There are tons of live service games that are profitable.

Games don't have to be the biggest game ever they just need to make more than they cost.

I challenge you to show professionally prepared data that shows that more live service games fail than make enough to keep going.

Because all the data that I have seen shows that live service is less of a gamble than making a big AAA budget game which needs to survive off retail sales.

FinalFantasyFanatic21d ago

I sometimes wonder if we're at saturation point, where it's hard for a new game to join those ranks unless it's particularly exceptional, people only have so much time and money to devote to these types of games.

romulus2321d ago

Correction, they have no issue playing good live service games

shinoff218321d ago

Lol it's not even a quarter of the ps5s sold. Helldivers may have been a hit but let's not say most are enjoying it because truth is most(the real most ) don't care about it.

S2Killinit20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

I play what is fun. If a live service game is good I’ll play it as long as its not a money scheme which Helldivers is not.

And Im a single player gamer.

mastershredder21d ago

How do you kill a franchise that already been killed?
Destiny’s grind, cash-in-on-playbass-cha-Ching, and pop-culture-insertion mainstream-me-too bs totally killed any rep Bungie had. Sony/Bungie, if you are doing this to ward-off players, it’s already working.

crazyCoconuts21d ago

Headline truncated:
"... off a cliff"

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