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SOE loses rights to Star Wars Galaxies(?)
#1
From Gamespot:

Quote:What we heard: Of all the Star Wars games, Galaxies has been the most controversial. After releasing it to mixed reviews in 2003, Sony Online Entertainment was criticized for completely overhauling the massively multiplayer online role-playing game's combat system in Spring 2005. The publisher drew even more criticism last November when it implemented a series of allegedly buggy new game enhancements that eliminated several character classes.

Given Galaxies' bumpy ride, and the fact that many game contracts expire after three years, it is not inconceivable that LucasArts, holder of all Star Wars rights, might want to shop around the license. According to informed sources in the industry, that's exactly what the company is doing. Two shops have been mentioned as talking with LucasArts--Cryptic Studios, home to MMORPG City of Heroes, and Canada-based BioWare, maker of the action RPG Jade Empire.

Of the two, BioWare appears the more likely candidate. Besides the fact it developed the critically acclaimed and wildly popular Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the developer just founded a new studio in Austin, Texas--home of SOE's Austin branch--which employs several ex-SOE staffers. The shop's sole project is an unidentified MMORPG set in a science fiction universe, just as Star Wars: Galaxies is.

What's the official line on all this? "The SWG license stuff is completely untrue," was a SOE spokesperson's terse response. "LucasArts and SOE have no plans to 'sunset' Star Wars Galaxies," said a LucasArts rep, referring to the practice of gradually phasing out a game. "It's had its fair share of hurdles, but it has also had its share of successes in its own right, so we aren't interested in abandoning it and focusing on the future."

However, what the LucasArts rep said next raised another interesting possibility--that another Star Wars MMORPG could be in the works. "We have had several developers approach us expressing interest in developing a future Star Wars online game," said the rep. (emphasis in the original.) However, if any such game is in the works, it will be a long time until it surfaces. "As of right now, it hasn't gone anything beyond that (that is, no conversations, no serious talks, no pitches, etc.)," assured the rep.

Despite the official denials, there is still much talk of all not being well at SOE Austin. Though potentially biased, a contact within another studio claims to have been peppered with resumes from SOE developers. The source claims that "over half of the [SOE Austin] coders and artists are scrambling for the lifeboats" because "they all seem to know they will be losing SWG." The studio has already seen one major departure--chief creative officer Raph Koster left this week "to pursue development interests outside of the company."

Heres the link

PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS TRUE!
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#2
if bioware got ahold of this thing I think that would be great!  sony really half arses everything in games to cut costs ect.  plus sony is betting the farm on the hugely overpriced ps 3 coming out around thanksgiving. 
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#3
which the PS3 was supposed to come out this spring.
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#4
yeppers it got delayed (big surprise lol)  if they have a working model at e3 in may I'll be impressed.  now just keep your fingers crossed that bioware ends up with galaxies hehe
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#5
Yes! They might even have ships in the first pack! Bioware makes great stuff! It would also be cool to have Hoth as  planet you could travel!
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#6
They'll have a working model at E3, they had one in Tokyo. However Sony half-arses their MMO's now, they used to be more dedicated, when their biggest project was EverQuest, but they tried too hard to make too much money too fast (Classic story of all these greedy bastages)

I personally feel that Sony needs to re-direct their interest. However I must say their most recent non-MMORPG released games have been amazingly impressive.
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