Free Realms Hits 5 Million !!

Free Realms reached 5 million users !! Smed confirmed this at the GDC in his keynote. This game is slowly closing in on the juggernaut that is WoW, World of Warcraft. Here is the press release.

Tomorrow in Austin, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) president John Smedley will make it official. The company's free-to-play, kid-friendly PC game Free Realms has passed the five million registered users mark -- and surprisingly, it did so sometime last month, says Smedley.

The news of the game hitting the five million mark -- or rumors of same -- have been part of the game industry lexicon for so long, the milestone hardly comes as a surprise (although it is interesting to note the game tallied its five millionth registered user in August, not July as many game analysts had projected). Still, the accomplishment is a huge win for Smedley and the Free Realms team.

Since SOE released the game in late April, Free Realms has ramped on an exceedingly steep curve, adding a million gamers a month to its registered-user tally.

What might actually come as a surprise, however, is just how hard Sony Online staff works at maintaining the white-hot streak of customer acquisition. According to Smedley, kid-focused MMOs is not a segment for the laid back or investment-averse.

"This is a market where you have to stay fresh, and you have to stay ahead of the competition in a way that you don't have to do with your core MMOs," Smedley told VirtualWorldsNews.com this evening.

Smedley (right) calls the under-13 market which gravitates to Free Realms' unique style of cartoony, adventure-heavy gameplay and questing "definitely a tough market."

One where you need to be proactive as a marketer, unafraid to allocate resources, and constantly on the leading edge as an advertiser, he adds. "You have to be willing to spend the money and stay with your investment," Smedley says.

Smedley, who has been SOE's president since 2001, gives the impression that while he's up for the challenge of maintaining Free Realm's pace, it wasn't fully understood just how committed he and his SOE colleagues were going to have to be to do so.

"Because kids' mind hare is so constantly inundated with new games, new things on TV, it's literally necessary to remind them [about the game] on a daily or weekly basis," Smedley says.

The competition for mindshare, which he is says is on the rise, is mostly other games.

"On TV you see a Free Realms commercial immediately followed by a Wizards 101 commercial, immediately followed by a commercial for Disney's ToonTown or Club Penguin. You see this huge, dramatic amount of advertising for kids and it's definitely something you have to stay on top of."

Part of the problem is the ease of attracting kids. "It's so easy to get kids' mindshare," he emphasizes, "they'll quickly go from one thing to the next. It's definitely a very, very different marketing experience than it is for the rest of our core games."

One element of the business which Smedley believes gives Sony an advantage over other game makers competing for the same audience is the degree to which SOE analyzes gamer data.

"We've instrumented literally every single aspect of Free Realms in ways that few if any game has ever done," Smedley says. "We report every click every person does when they register." As a result of that focus, the team of five full-time data crunchers found (earlier in the launch) that 40 percent of the people registering were opting out on one particular screen. It seems that asking a 10-year-old for his or her birthday was a showstopper. "Ten-year-olds don't know what their birth year is," says Smedley.

But those tweaks are behind SOE now. For Smedley and the game's live team, now it comes down to building on success. First, there's ongoing research: "We are constantly bringing kids into our usability lab and product focus lab…on a monthly basis we have a bunch of new kids coming in."

Then there are brand extensions, which Smedley isn't shy about talking about. Of course, Topps has the Trading Card Game license, but Smedley hints at larger deals yet to be inked. "We are talking to some different manufacturers about working with us on plush and a few other toy lines," Smedley says.

And there is the leveraging of lessons gleaned from Free Realms that can be put against other, new games from SOE. "We have other games in this space that are coming next year." Built on the success of Free Realms, yes, but different games completely, Smedley says.

For the record, Smedley and SOE are releasing some interesting user data tomorrow as well, specifically the top five marketplace items:

1. Free Realms Digital Booster Pack
2. Humongous Health Potion
3. Skeletal Hoodie
4. Humongous Replenishing Potion
5. Humongous Energy Potion

And the game's most popular jobs:

1. Brawler
2. Pet Trainer
3. Demo Derby Driver
4. Kart Driver
5. Chef

Additionally, Smedley updated some of the game's demographics, stating 67 percent of players are male and 33 percent are female. "We were shooting for more females, but that's way better than the MMO audience which is [typically only] 15 percent female," says Smedley. He added that Free Realms stats show females outpurchase males by a 30-40 percent margin, and that 51 percent of Free Realms gamers are under 13, with around 75 percent under 18.


Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

There's a new card duelist in town. His name's Dominic, and he's in Briarwood helping Sir Wellington keep an eye on his archeological dig site. There have been thefts and attacks at the site, and Wellington needs help protecting it.

Dominic is the first link in a new card duelist quest chain. (You can get the new quest from Poe Tatters in Sanctuary.) While playing through the new quest, you'll meet new card duelists – and see a number of cards you've never seen before. No, the duelists aren't cheating by making up their own cards. These cards are previews from the brand new second set!

That's right, there's a whole new set of cards on the way! There is a bunch of new game mechanics in the second set, some of which are previewed in the new duelist quests. You could wait patiently to see the cards when they're played against you – or you could read on for an overview some of the new hotness from the second set!

Crush
One of the major new mechanics of the second set is the concept of "crushing" your foe in a battle. In order to "crush," your creature must not only win the battle, but must win by 4 or more. If you do, you gain an extra bonus effect – scoring an extra card, for example, or readying your creatures. With crush effects in play, you might find yourself playing tricks even when you're already winning. Winning isn't everything – not if you can win and crush at the same time.

Trickster
The second set also introduces "Trickster" creatures, which changes the way you think about defense. While a creature with the Trickster keyword is attacking, its foe uses its attack instead of its defense. For example, if a Trickster attacks Changeling Rock Warrior (which has 1 attack and 4 defense), the Warrior uses its attack (just 1) in place of its defense (its now-unused 4).

By swapping its foe's defense for its attack, a Trickster turns your opponent's low attack/high defense "wall" creatures into easy targets. But watch out for those high attack creatures for which Chaos is so famous. Attacking Shadow Talon Archer with a Trickster would be a mistake; not only does it have 3 attack, but its power-up gives an additional 3 attack for one blue gem. You'd be much better off attacking the archer's 1 defense with a non-Trickster creature.

Artifact Shards
There are four artifact shards in the second set – one for each sphere – and they feature prominently in the new quest line! What do these powerful artifacts have to do with Dominic and Sir Wellington? You'll have to play through the quest and find out for yourself.

What we can tell you is that the artifact shards are represented in the trading card game by new resource cards. These resources actually come into play zapped, and only take effect when you ready them. We'll be talking more about these ticking time bombs of arcane fury in the future, so watch this space for updates.

And Much More!
Like the new card duelist challenges themselves, this has been just a small preview of the cool new cards coming in the second set. There will be plenty more information on the new set in time, but for now, track down Poe Tatters and see if he has a new quest for you!


Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms News - Gold Nerf !!

Free Realms and the 6/22 patch. My, My, My. What a can of worms they opened up with that patch. On one hand they implemented guilds into the game which was awesome and well received by all. But, very sneaky and on the sly, they completely nerfed the gold rate drops and by back prices merchants pay for items. They did this totally unannounced, which is sooo Sony (Hello EQ nerfs) and left it for the players to find this out on their own. If this wasn't enough, the longest thread over at the Free Realms community boards has been going on for 3 days now with no word from Pex, the community manager, or any Dev at all. In other words, again so typical of Sony, they are aware of the outrage from the player base, but do not care and are not communicating anything to us, the PAYING Customer. It seems they only care about these World Records Free Realms and SOE are receiving, players be damned. Here's a new record for you, World Fastest decline in an MMORPG...

So, I was reading through the posts over on the MSG Boards and came across a very good post of how this effects the players in game...posted by stefferweffer.

Just something real quick on the math, cause I'm a number cruncher at work I saw someone earlier say they dropped what you get by 40%. This would be bad enough, but the drop was TWICE that amount. They dropped how much you get by 80 PERCENT!

Let's make it simple. A level 20 piece of armor, in this example, costs 10,000 gold (in game they are actually around 9500) from the vendor. Before this change the vendor would give me 5000 if I were selling him one of these - half the cost. In other words, I could sell him 2 level 20 pieces I had acquired and have enough to purchase 1 of my choice. Not too bad.

Now, after these changes, instead of giving me 5000 gold the vendor gives me 1000 gold!? Now I would have to acquire and then sell him TEN of these just to purchase ONE that I want. I'd also have to sell TWELVE of them to have enough money to purchase my level 20 weapon (which I feel I should get for free by the way - just for getting that far).
It's like taking your used DVDs to a guy in town who gives you $5 a piece, and sells them for $10. Good for him. Now imagine that the next time you bring him a video he says he now gives only $1 per video, but still sells them for $10 each. Wouldn't you be ticked off?

There can be one, and only ONE reason I can think of to make it harder for players to get money, and that is so they will pay REAL money for Station Cash items (that always have even better stats, have you noticed, than level 20 gear). I did it myself almost immediately when I started playing, but I can afford it. MANY CAN'T, and that is what bugs me about this the most.
So just know that if you say "Forget this 'grinding' stuff, I'm spending $5 or $10 for the BEST stuff, and be able to use it at level ONE!", you are doing exactly what you are "supposed" to do.
Just my humble opinion.

Now you may ask yourself why am I making a big deal about this change in the game?
It is because I really like and enjoy playing Free Realms on a casual basis. I think Sony has struck gold with this game and how the implemented it. As a long time gamer and old EQ player from '99, I really want this game to succeed because it was fresh, fun, cutting edge, and has tons of potential to change the genre. We expect changes to be made to the game along the way, like the Bruno nerf. This is expected.
But as paying customers, we do NOT expect a change so drastic it changes the way the game is played. It went from a nice casual game experience to a Grind Fest. Which is not what we signed up for.

Dev's. Did you know this changed your game?
From casual to Grind...

Yes the world is the same, dungeons the same , and quests are the same, but the game is now not a fun casual game. To gain any progress as a character in trade skills or certain job professions, one must now Grind to do this.
If the amount of gold in the game was too much, then implement a way for people to spend there gold. Introduce new weapons and items. Introduce the player housing, which I imagine noone will be able to afford now as I'm sure houses will cost an astronomical amoutn of gold. How are we going to be able to purchase a house when we can't even afford the upkeep of our pet??

In short, this change was too drastic and changes the style of play. And, for the sanity of your players, announce the changes you are making to the game. This has been stated many times in the past.

Oh, and thanks for introducing the tier 1 story line to the game. That was much needed.


Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Everquest Documentary - EverCrack

Everquest is making big headlines today with the announcement of a new documentary on the phenomenal success of their MMORPG. The documentary is appropriately titled EverCracked. I love it :) It is slated to be released at the 2009 Sony FanFaire in Vegas on June 26th.

Here is the press release from Sony ...

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) and The Jace Hall Show are pleased to announce the creation of the epic documentary based on the monumental entertainment property, EverQuest®. EverCracked! The Phenomenon of EverQuest chronicles the trials and tribulations leading to the development, launch and success of the hit massively multiplayer online game which celebrated its tenth anniversary in March 2009. The full-length film will debut at the 2009 Fan Faire in Las Vegas, NV on June 26.

“When we began mapping out ideas for EverQuest, we never anticipated it would endure to create such a powerful cultural impact over the next decade and beyond,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “As part of the continued 10th anniversary celebration, this film does a fantastic job at revealing the story behind the game and how the team created a franchise that forever changed the landscape of online entertainment.” EverCracked! celebrates EverQuest’s legacy by taking a look at the past, present and future of the franchise. The film, hosted by veteran video game developer and personality Jace Hall, includes never-before-seen footage and interviews with industry moguls and longtime players. EverCracked! details the events, products, personalities and art that graced the world of Norrath over the years, with many tongue-in-cheek moments that befit EverQuest’s own sense of fun and humor. “EverQuest was such an influential title; many people don’t realize just how daunting of a task it was to create,” said Jace Hall, President of HD Films. “With this documentary we were able to tell the epic story of the game and the people behind it while incorporating the light-hearted signature of the Jace Hall Show.” In addition to the film’s premier screening, SOE will host numerous EverQuest 10th Anniversary activities throughout Fan Faire in Las Vegas, NV from June 25-28. Online registration is open now. Please visit http://www.soefanfaire.com for more information.

I have no idea who Jace Hall is and if he is even a big gamer, but I can't wait to see it. With all the jaw dropping facts we have learned about Verant, SoE, Brad McQuaid, and Vanguard, I only thought it was a matter of time someone made a documentary about this. Although this will probably not touch upon all the drama, it should still be very good.

Maybe some day I'll write a post about all the drama chronicling the past 10 years of the MMORPG industry.

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.