Allakhazam interviews Torrie Dorrell on the Living Legacy Campaign

[Calthine]

The <a href="http://livinglegacy.station.sony.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Living Legacy</a> program has come to EverQuest and EverQuest II, bringing with it months of events, special items, and a phenomenal program designed to bring former players back to Norrath. Last week Torrie Dorrell, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for Sony Online Entertainment, graced us with an interview on this unprecedented promotion.<a href="http://www.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=13930" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read more at Allakhazam!</a>

[Spyderbite]

Excellent interview. I hope that it pacifies many of the concerns people have had since this promotion was launched. I realize that those who just want the fluff items aren't going to be too happy about a couple of Torrie's responses, but most of the other propaganda has certainly been addressed. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Kendricke]

<p><i>"The complaints about no little goodies for current players, well, in looking at the forest from the trees here, I believe bringing additional players into these games is the best gift we can give our current players.  We're giving them exactly what they've been asking for with Living Legacy: advertising for and promotion of the game to bring old friends back and new players in, which makes the game a better world for our current players.  This is like complaining about a shiny someone picked up near you while you're opening an exquisite chest  <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> "</i></p><p>..except that I can still trade for the shiny, buy the shiny, or find the shiny eventually on my own - and oh yeah, someone had to go out and perform the effort to collect the shiny in the first place (which may have been in a dangerous area, could have required blue shiny goggles, or the red shiny earring).  While we're on the subject, the other player could also gain the exquisite chest items I found through other gameplay paths.  <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[dawy]

I'll say it again giving away the original game and all its expansions was a solid thing to do,its 10 years old now and if anything should have been done years ago but to give away everything EQ2 has to offer says to me at least help me i'm desperate for you to come and play here..A lot of people i played SWG with played EQ2 at launch havent come back to the game even though its free and that worries me if i'm honest becuase if they cant tempt those people back when its free what chance have they got when august the first comes round and people have to start paying again?.This game and every other MMO will take a big hit numbers wise when the WOW expansion comes along,to say otherwise is silly and i support to a degree this promotion but as i say to give it all away just seems a little desperate,i only hope i'm wrong.

[Spyderbite]

<cite>dawy wrote:</cite><blockquote>says to me at least help me i'm desperate for you to come and play here..<span style="color: #ff0000;">The Obama campaign says the same thing to me. Its all a matter of perspective. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></span>A lot of people i played SWG with played EQ2 at launch havent come back to the game even though its free and that worries me<span style="color: #ff0000;">Odd.. I can't even count how many of my friends have dropped everything and came back to EQ2 due to this campaign. I lost track around 20 or so. But, that's just my experience. I suppose everyone's will differ.</span>This game and every other MMO will take a big hit numbers wise when the WOW expansion comes along,to say otherwise is silly and i support to a degree this promotion but as i say to give it all away just seems a little desperate,i only hope i'm wrong.<span style="color: #ff0000;">Well, of course. Its just natural that those who played WoW at one time will go back and see if the things they left WoW for have changed for the better with each new expansion. Same thing happens when EQ2 has a new expansion. The curiosity seekers will abandon their game of choice for a short while.To date.. no one game has ever led to inevitable doom of another game. But there will always be a few Chicken Littles out there claiming the doom of all games as we know them when a new game and/or expansion is announced. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></span></blockquote>

[Daramm]

<cite>dawy wrote:</cite><blockquote>I'll say it again giving away the original game and all its expansions was a solid thing to do,its 10 years old now and if anything should have been done years ago...</blockquote>Three and a half, actually... EQ2 is by no means an "old" game.

[Kendricke]

<cite>Darammer wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>dawy wrote:</cite><blockquote>I'll say it again giving away the original game and all its expansions was a solid thing to do,its 10 years old now and if anything should have been done years ago...</blockquote>Three and a half, actually... EQ2 is by no means an "old" game.</blockquote>I believe he was referring to Everquest, which is probably why he differentiated his follow-up comment by specifying "but...EQ2". 

[dawy]

<cite>Kendricke wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Darammer wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>dawy wrote:</cite><blockquote>I'll say it again giving away the original game and all its expansions was a solid thing to do,its 10 years old now and if anything should have been done years ago...</blockquote>Three and a half, actually... EQ2 is by no means an "old" game.</blockquote>I believe he was referring to Everquest, which is probably why he differentiated his follow-up comment by specifying "but...EQ2".  </blockquote>Thanks for that Kendrick..it saved me having to do it <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[dawy]

<cite>Spyderbite@Venekor wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>dawy wrote:</cite><blockquote>says to me at least help me i'm desperate for you to come and play here..<span style="color: #ff0000;">The Obama campaign says the same thing to me. Its all a matter of perspective. <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />" width="15" height="15" /></span>A lot of people i played SWG with played EQ2 at launch havent come back to the game even though its free and that worries me<span style="color: #ff0000;">Odd.. I can't even count how many of my friends have dropped everything and came back to EQ2 due to this campaign. I lost track around 20 or so. But, that's just my experience. I suppose everyone's will differ.</span>This game and every other MMO will take a big hit numbers wise when the WOW expansion comes along,to say otherwise is silly and i support to a degree this promotion but as i say to give it all away just seems a little desperate,i only hope i'm wrong.<span style="color: #ff0000;">Well, of course. Its just natural that those who played WoW at one time will go back and see if the things they left WoW for have changed for the better with each new expansion. Same thing happens when EQ2 has a new expansion. The curiosity seekers will abandon their game of choice for a short while.To date.. no one game has ever led to inevitable doom of another game. But there will always be a few Chicken Littles out there claiming the doom of all games as we know them when a new game and/or expansion is announced. <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />" width="15" height="15" /></span></blockquote></blockquote><p>Being from the UK i would have voted for Hillary if i could have but i know what you mean <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />.</p><p>I'll say this i'vee been very vocal about this game (pre ROK) and how good it is but sadly a lot of people on my friends list back SWG just havent come back and to me at least thats a worry if you cant give a game away free then something has gone very wrong,maybe it was the godaawful launch thats stopped them coming back i really dont know and as i say its a worry.</p><p>Personally ive profited from this promo my twins have thier accounts back now thier exams are over (education comes first <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />) and its great its cost me nothing to have them back online with me,as for the fluff that doesnt bother me either i have more than enough of that in my homes that i've collected over the years,but SOE should thorw the paying customers something,not the spin of "more players to play with",for me a free server transfer would be nice or something similar just to show good faith to everyone who's stuck with the game through thick and thin.</p>

[Razlath]

<cite>Kendricke wrote:</cite><blockquote><p><i>"The complaints about no little goodies for current players, well, in looking at the forest from the trees here, I believe bringing additional players into these games is the best gift we can give our current players.  We're giving them exactly what they've been asking for with Living Legacy: advertising for and promotion of the game to bring old friends back and new players in, which makes the game a better world for our current players.  This is like complaining about a shiny someone picked up near you while you're opening an exquisite chest  <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />" width="15" height="15" /> "</i></p><p>..except that I can still trade for the shiny, buy the shiny, or find the shiny eventually on my own - and oh yeah, someone had to go out and perform the effort to collect the shiny in the first place (which may have been in a dangerous area, could have required blue shiny goggles, or the red shiny earring).  While we're on the subject, the other player could also gain the exquisite chest items I found through other gameplay paths.  <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />" width="15" height="15" /></p></blockquote><p>It is good to hear an official response on this even if it is not the response I would have liked.  I am sad to see such an obviously false "it is like" used however.  Kendricke points out the flaws in that statement rather adeptly.</p><p>The end result is that EQ2 has sent the following message with this statement:  "Content in the game will continue to be exclusionary and will be made available only to those we deem worthy of any given piece of content.  We will give it to who we want, when we want, where we want, and there is nothing you can do about it if you aren't someone we decided to give it to."  It is a sad answer for a service based on community where all content released at a given time should be available to all subscribers at that time.  I am very glad that some are deliciously happy with the promotion.  I am personally very excited by the number of people I have seen come back.  I however consider this approach to be a mark against SoE.  It is a good thing the game is good enough to overshadow some of the most recent turns things have taken both in this promotion and development decisions.  I would seriously encourage SoE to take a look at some of the concerns raised in relation to the current development trend and marketing trend of EQ2 brought up in these forums before the previous statement ceases being true.</p>

[Ama]

<cite>Spyderbite@Venekor wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>dawy wrote:</cite><blockquote>This game and every other MMO will take a big hit numbers wise when the WOW expansion comes along,to say otherwise is silly and i support to a degree this promotion but as i say to give it all away just seems a little desperate,i only hope i'm wrong.<span style="color: #ff0000;"><b>Well, of course. Its just natural that those who played WoW at one time will go back and see if the things they left WoW for have changed for the better with each new expansion. Same thing happens when EQ2 has a new expansion. The curiosity seekers will abandon their game of choice for a short while.</b>To date.. no one game has ever led to inevitable doom of another game. But there will always be a few Chicken Littles out there claiming the doom of all games as we know them when a new game and/or expansion is announced. <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />" width="15" height="15" /></span></blockquote></blockquote><p>I still stick by what Tommy Lee said in Men In Black "A person is smart people are dumb dangerous animals and you know it."</p><p>It's deffinately the crowd format and it goes back and forth back and forth back and forth almost never stopping.  Only way it ever stops is if one game stops releasing updates or they release common repetious content forcing their players away. </p>