So it’s still slated for June release. Anyone here know anyone who is playing beta and has ventured an opinion, vague or otherwise, on how good it actually is? They’re up against stiff competition, but they have a unique setting going for them.
is it going to make it for June? I sincerely hope it does, but the hype meter on this is almost non existant.
They keep saying June. Yeah, the lack of hype concerns me too. Even so, I’m pretty likely to turn a blind eye unless something particularly negative stands out, partly because of the saturation of fantasy settings.
The sheer number of WW2OL migrants to POTBS suggests that this game is brilliantly flawed in some spectacular fashion.
Not a lot of hype on this, but I have no doubt that it’ll eventually launch, unlike a game like Gods&Heroes. Someone who knows told me that a lot of the PotBS people are ex-Microsoft with enough money to work on it until it gets done - so even if it DOES slip I am sure they’ll get it out soon enough, without the money problems that plagued Vanguard, for instance.
There was a devlog a few weeks back that seemed to mean the launch date will be pushed back one more time. Doesn’t sound like a big delay though.
gah, June was perfect for me, I’d just have shipped a game and be hungry for some huge timesink I could waste my daytimes on.
I went to a focus group for this and it was pretty good. Suprisingly stable.
^^^
Really? How did they find/select you? Beta tester?
It’s because he’s Awesome™.
According to dev logs they claim to be in the final stages of content testing, feature development and “polish”. They make it sound as if they could have met a June XXth deadline had they needed to. However, the dev log doesn’t blame testing or content for the delays, it blames distribution.
Apparently, they say they have no signed distribution deal at the moment, and have not decided on a marketing strategy. They reference the tried and true marketing blitz including endcap purchases and shared advertising costs with the big retailers, but don’t seem to have anyone lined up who could manage this. They claim to have 68 employees in the dev logs, so it’s not sounding like a company with the resources to self publish on a grand scale. Sounds like they’re still negotiating or even shopping for a publisher, and that will effect ship date more than anything.
I haven’t seen anything lifting the NDA on the game though, so more information outside of dev logs and speculation is probably going to be hard to find. I do know that Disney plans to release it’s Pirates of the Carribbean game in June, only a week or two after the release of the movie. I would assume that would be a VERY poor time to release a competitive product. Better to wait until the initial PotC buzz wears off and people start looking around for a deeper, more involved game, THEN offer them PotBS as an alternative.
LOL45
They’re gonna ship the POTC MMORPG in June? This June?
Oh man, this will be entertaining.
It is sounding like they may release it a little later than June, for one or two reasons that don’t relate to the quality of the product. So will July or August be as entertaining?
I have no idea how many people it takes to produce an mmo, but assuming that’s a small number it would indicate they recognize they have a niche product and have realistic expectations for it. It may also indicate that they’re prepared to deliver something really deep for the non-mainstream audience, a la Eve Online.
Though hopefully with a more modern interface.
Forgot to mention, there’s a link somewhere on their forums showing updated models (there’s a great before-and-after post). So any screenies you might see out there may not accurately reflect how good it will end up looking. Don’t know about the interface, though.
The good news is that they have a publisher.
The bad news is that it’s Sony.
We’re assured that the game will not be another Vanguard or SWG. Not that there’s any reason it should be. The release date at this point is “Fall.”
I actually think that Sony picking it up is good news. SOE isn’t the evil company that it used to be, and EQ2 is an excellent example of this.
I know people see Sony as the devil but I think this is good for Flying Labs and POTBS.
They bring a lot to the table for the game and having spoken to Russell at Flying Labs lots in the past he will not give up control of the game design and direction to Sony or anyone else for that.
POTBS was originally going to be over Steam so Sony bring things like the launcher/patcher to the table (yes I know it is the worse patcher in the world).
The problem I see is the perception of the gaming commuity (its Sony again!), but also the retailers who were burnt with Vanguard. Sony needs to start splashing the ad cash.
Sony PP has 2 great games coming soon with POTBS and Gods and Heroes and I hope they both do well.
VTL
Here is the breakdown:
Flying Lab Software
• Game Development
• Community
• Customer Support
• Server OperationsSony Online Entertainment
• Billing
• Launcher
• Retail Distribution
• Localization
• Marketing
Looks like they have their priorities sorted out. I am really looking forward to this game, and determined to beat my MMO cynicism and get into it. Roll on open beta…