Station – MMO Fallout

Station All Access Could Become Cheaper

So not everyone is happy about the recent announcement that Sony Online Entertainment would be replacing the free five hundred Station Cash included with subscriptions and All Access passes, but John Smedley would like to explain a few things. In a Reddit Ask Me Anything, Smedley has explained that the change was for a few reasons. First to allow for larger items to be obtained more quickly, second to deal with the problematic accrual of Station Cash on accounts, third because gamers on SOE’s growing list of console games cannot use Station Cash, and finally because of a new plan for All Access:

We are considering (and are likely going to move forward with) a plan that means if you subscribe to one of our games you are a subscriber to all our games (this applies to PC titles only btw).. all for the current $14.99 a month. That’s a benefit most companies simply can’t offer because they don’t have our portfolio of games.

All Access for SOE’s library currently costs $20. So why is this accumulation of points an issue? User Israellopez explains it best:

In accounting something you owe someone (sc cash) is a liability. Its a benefit that we are given but some of us don’t use, and that’s a problem for accountants. Because on the books the business is saddled with a debt that is just virtual. Its not like it owes a webhosting company a six month Bill, but in accounting they are both liabilities. Its similar to gift cards at a small store, the money paid into a gift card is not income, it’s a liability until it is used … and typically the spend is more then the gc amount. I expect that if the 500sc was more often than not spent in 2 months the accountants wouldn’t care. However I expect that it was accumulating, and increasing on the number of memberships.

In the case of player studio items, Smedley says in the thread that Sony may allow users to buy the items with free station cash and simply eat the cost themselves in terms of providing royalties to the creator. The AMA is still in progress, so head on down.

(Source: Reddit)

Sony Online All Access Changing In February

Sony Online Entertainment has announced upcoming changes to gold membership in Everquest, and not all players will be happy. Instead of the monthly stipend of 500 station cash, members will be able to purchase one item up to two thousand station cash, sans bundles, studio items, etc.

The week of February 3rd, 2014 we will be making a very important change to the Gold Membership level in EverQuest The current benefit of receiving 500 Station Cash (SC) monthly will be replaced with a new program that allows you to select one single item valued up to 2000 SC each month. Nearly all items within the games’ Marketplace will be available for this selection. Players Studio, bundles and additional exclusions may apply. This new benefit must be claimed each month that you are a member as it will not carry over to subsequent months.

The new plan benefits those who save up their station cash for large single purchases, while those who use their stipend to buy multiple cheap items may feel the value of their subscription lessen.

(Source: Eqwire)

Sony All Access Pass Gets Better Every Day

Sony Online Entertainment’s All Access Pass is one of the few services you will find these days where prices have gone down while benefits have increased, dramatically. Priced at $20 a month, Sony’s All Access pass only continues to add games to its library as the months continue . Currently, Access Pass offers premium services for all of the following games:

Bullet Run
Clone Wars Adventures
DC Universe
Everquest
Everquest II
Free Realms
Pirates of the Burning Sea
Planetside
Vanguard

All Access also grants $5 in Station Cash per month. Over the next year or so, Sony will also be adding benefits for their upcoming MMOFPS Planetside 2, hardcore fantasy MMO Wizardry Online, as well as Everquest Next, all without adding to the total cost of All Access. So as far as the idea of subscriptions in MMOs, Sony seems to have the right attitude on roping in players.

Double Station Cash, December 20th Only

On the 8th day of Christmas, my Sony gave to me: Double Station Cash. So you missed the triple Station Cash deal from the seventeenth and still want to get a good deal this month on fake money. Well you are in luck, because all day today* any purchase that you make either through Station.com or by redeeming a Station cash card (as seen above) will net you double the purchase value. Note that this does not include purchases made by mobile/SMS methods.

Double Station Cash is just another one of Sony’s daily deals in the twelve days of Christmas.

*Today means until midnight Pacific Standard Time

John Smedley on Everquest, Free To Play, Vita, and More

For the record I tried to hold off on the “are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I make no promises. In an interview with Gamespot, Sony Online Entertainment’s President John Smedley sat down to talk about Everquest, DC Universe, and more. Most important, Smedley mentioned that Sony has no intent on shuttering Everquest at any point in the foreseeable future.

I look at EverQuest the way I look at Dungeons & Dragons. We’re on version 4 of D&D and people are still playing in droves. Look at Magic: The Gathering…15 years I think of an awesome game. So we are big believers that this franchise is going to be there for a very long time, and we’re investing in it a lot.

Sony has quite the load on their hands, with upcoming MMOs Planetside 2, Everquest Next, and the transition of DC Universe to free to play later this month. The developer has also shown interest in revitalizing their much-neglected MMO Vanguard, as well as a heavy hand in development for Free Realms and Clone Wars Adventures. In the same interview, Smedley also confirmed that SOE plans on utilizing the Vita for its own products, but would not comment on specifics. All I know is that if Everquest is ported over to Vita, I can kiss my productivity and wallet goodbye.

When asked about the changing environment of the MMO pricing model, Smedley commented that although the market is shifting toward free to play, the subscription model definitely still has its place, especially with The Old Republic coming this December. In essence, the subscription isn’t going anywhere until the fat lady sings.

This is good news, especially after Ten Ton Hammer published a rather in-depth article on the issue of cheating in Everquest. You can read up on that here.

Sony’s “Back To School” Sale: Double Station Cash

Sony’s “Back to School Bonanza” sale strikes me as odd, given spending more on MMOs isn’t even on my list of priorities once I go back to school in September. Either way, put down your Ramen and tell your homework exactly where to shove itself, because between September 2nd and 5th, Sony is holding a double Station cash event. You can redeem a cash card on the above dates and receive twice as much cash.

Check it out here. Certain games will be having specials during the above period including cash shop sales and double experience.

Sony's "Back To School" Sale: Double Station Cash

Check it out here. Certain games will be having specials during the above period including cash shop sales and double experience.

PSN and SOE: They’re Coming Back Today!

By the time you view this video, PSN may be activated in your area. Today begins phase 1 of Sony’s restoration services for the Playstation Network, rolling out in various countries and states one by one. Players will be able to sign into the Playstation Network and download a patch and reset their passwords (this is mandatory). Gameplay services are also being restored on the PS3 and PSP, as well as access to services like Hulu, Netflix, the friends system, and Playstation Home.

If you live in the states, check out this page to see if PSN service has been restored in your area.

On the Sony Online Entertainment side of things, service appears to be restored. Those of you with subscriptions will see that your next billing period is listed as “45 days,” from an unknown billing source. For your games you do not subscribe to, you will see 45 days free game time listed as “pending.” I was not subscribed to DC Universe at the time of the shut down, and I still received 45 days free.

There are a few perks not mentioned in the previous announcement players can take part in. In Everquest, for example, housing decay has been deactivated for 30 days. Either way, welcome back everyone! PS3 users have a bit more to wait, but PC Station users can dive right in.

PSN and SOE: They're Coming Back Today!

If you live in the states, check out this page to see if PSN service has been restored in your area.

SOE Hacked: Important Information

So the chickens have come home to roost, or however that saying goes. Earlier today, I talked about how Sony Online Entertainment had shut down its entire service following an investigation that may have changed their stance on SOE’s database being safe from the hack that took down the Playstation Network last month and resulted in everyone’s information spewed all over the net. Sony has issued a press release, and the news is not good:

Stolen information includes, to the extent you provided it to us, the following: name, address (city, state, zip, country), email address, gender, birthdate, phone number, login name and hashed password.

Customers outside the United States should be advised that we further discovered evidence that information from an outdated database from 2007 containing approximately 12,700 non-US customer credit or debit card numbers and expiration dates (but not credit card security codes) and about 10,700 direct debit records listing bank account numbers of certain customers in Germany, Austria, Netherlands and Spain may have also been obtained – we will be notifying each of those customers promptly.

Sony originally believed that SOE was not compromised as part of the PSN hack, but investigations that concluded yesterday revealed that the system was indeed broken into by an unauthorized party. It is important to note that the main credit card database was not hacked, at least according to Sony. It may not be a bad idea to get a new card, however.

We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the attack and as a result, we have:

1) Temporarily turned off all SOE game services;

2) Engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened; and

3) Quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure to provide you with greater protection of your personal information.

If it makes you feel more comfortable, I suggest going to your bank/credit card issuer, and requesting a new card. You’ll have to live without the card for a week or so, but that’s a small price to pay if Sony’s database was stolen and they are able to get through the encryption. I’m not trying to cause undue fear with these articles, but any information regarding identity theft should be taken very seriously.

If you use your Sony password on other websites, I highly suggest you get a new regular password. SOE’s services remain offline.

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