Vanguard is a tale of high expectations and the giant corporate belly. In fact, it only took four months after Vanguard’s release for Sony to gobble up the developers, Sigil. When Vanguard released in 2007, it was awarded the “Biggest Disappointment of the Year” award by Gamespy, noting the title’s lack of content, buggy performance, and the fact that the title was shoved out the door before completion.
It’s been a rocky two years for the title that was once touted as the Everquest 2 Killer. On the plus side, if anything just to get the good news out first, there will be more frequent (yet smaller) updates this year. Vanguard is looking at 2010 as a year to fix bugs, crush bugs, and fumigate the house. The developers are also looking at focusing on the story elements of the game, starting and ending chunks of storyline.
But the bad news, and there always is some, is that some planned updates have been shelved indefinitely:
- Alternate Advancement
- Halls of Shattered Souls
- Stiirhaad Mountains
- Pankor Zhi
- Nexus
Server mergers are also being planned, although nothing is set in stone at this point in time. But to answer a question asked on MMORPG:
So with the above features out, what is the team going to be working on in 2010?
Their resume. Everquest 2? That Star Wars casual MMO!
Most of us are aware that Sony likes to hold on to their titles until the bitter end, so your guess is as good as any as to what will happen to Vanguard in 2010. My prediction? Well, if Vanguard offers a lifetime subscription option at some point this year, consider how short that life time will be. I have a rule against predicting death, but there is very little doubt that Vanguard is on its death bed.
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