The Shrine

Square Enix wants to turn Eidos' games into "Persistent Online Experiences"

And here's the promised conclusion.

They also list their franchises as:
-Hitman
-Tomb Raider
-Deus Ex
-Sleeping Dogs
-Just Cause

They say not every Eidos franchise will be turned into an persistent online experience, but noted that many are very well suited to this. Those five above are the series they listed within a couple paragraphs of this statement, with Sleeping Dogs and Just Cause specifically called out for their long term player engagement.

So now, in my new role I look at our wider portfolio and it’s clear to me how we move forward.

We’ve created some of the most incredible worlds and characters in gaming. The iconic red tie and silver ballers of Agent 47, the unique vision of the future in Deus Ex and the hostile beauty of the Island of Yamatai in Tomb Raider and working together with world class studios to deliver the dark noir of Batman Arkham Asylum, the neon lit Hong Kong of Sleeping Dogs and the tropical playground of Panau in Just Cause 2 - all worlds that tens of millions have enjoyed spending countless hours exploring. Oh, and there is also the depth and beauty in the worlds created by our colleagues in Japan!

...

Overall as a games business – studios and publishing - we have walked away too early from some of the worlds that we have invested so much time and energy in. If we were to ask people that loved our games whether they would enjoy new content or deeper experiences in these digital playgrounds the answer would overwhelmingly be “yes”.

And for me, this is where the future starts. We see the opportunity for some of our games continuing beyond a traditional beginning, middle, and end. We can have them become extendable and more persistent - with an opportunity to build and grow across games. To design in a way to keep our games alive for years instead of weeks. I’m not talking about an MMORPG – although the concept is similar - I’m talking about creating persistent online experiences built on the foundations of the games we are well known for. Now, this doesn’t apply to every game, there is no one solution that works in every case, but as a wider goal it’s certainly something which some of our franchises are incredibly well suited to and something I want to explore further.

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/DarrellG ... change.php

New CEO is toxic. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Wada was the lesser of two evils.

I can't wait for the next Deus Ex app. I just love what they've been doing with one of the five best PC game franchises ever conceived. Gosh darn I don't know what you have against them.

Edit: Sidenote: I've always wondered if "an" was correct with MMORPG. I know it's more of a 'sound' grammatical rule than one having to do with letters but it's nice to get some confirmation about a fake word lol

Yeah, I think the last few years are the first time where I really couldn't care less about Square's future. Just their licenses are interesting, and I hope they sell Xenogears to Monolithsoft.

And here we go

Square Enix trademarks Deus Ex Universe, Hitman Sniper, and Hitman Go

"Deus Ex Universe" <- Persistent Online Experience

"Hitman Sniper" <- iPad (or perhaps Sniper Challenge and/or Sniper Challenge sequel)

"Hitman Go" <- Also iPad

To their credit, a Deus Ex MMO does sound cool. But, I wouldn't bother playing it because I don't trust Square's handling of it, and I would be much more likely to play a single player game in that universe.

SineSwiper wrote:To their credit, a Deus Ex MMO does sound cool. But, I wouldn't bother playing it because I don't trust Square's handling of it, and I would be much more likely to play a single player game in that universe.

We will have Cyberpunk 2077 before that ever comes out, and we both know CD Projekt is the more capable design house.