SOE: 1 Month and 1 Week Till Destiny of Velious is supposed to be released.

[Metaphysix]

And we still have no new information, or anything.

After coming back into playing the game lately (Double XP suckers me in everytime), I can say that I am thoroughly disappointed in SOE's PR and Marketing division.

So what's really going on?

Is it that SOE is in hot water and isn't really sure if they'll release the new expansion? Perhaps the internal testing's going badly? Has the company just given up on trying to revitalize the game? Maybe even a free expansion to make up for the lack of content over the last few expansions, that people have griped about lately?

Are we waiting to see how DCUO does in sales before any game decisions get made?

Or is it really something as insulting to the playerbase as what a rep wrote in this forum; that advertising over the holiday was pointless, because of another larger game was doing so for its new expansion... and that EQ2 would also advertise in those areas?

What are you hiding from us? And if it's nothing and my assumptions fall under the tinfoil hat club... why are you still not trying to sell people on Velious?

[Iskandar]

Blizzard's advertising blitz certainly didn't stop Sony's own FreeRealms and Star Wars Adventures from firing off commercials at the top and bottom of every hour on Nick Toons and The Hub every day in December. It also didn't stop LotRO from firing off commercials about once an hour on Cartoon Network and SyFy, as well as a few on BBC America and FX. DDO even had a couple of shots in there, as did a few of the F2P games like Wizards 101. And Trion's Rift Beta promotions were generating a lot more talk online than Blizzard's expansion.

But, to be fair, I hear EQ2 had some ads in a few gamer magazines. How many gamers who go out of their way to read a niche magazine devoted to gaming news and reviews will have either not heard of EQ2 or not already played EQ2? I've said it before about "preaching to the choir"... c'mon guys, pick a target market that's not already made up its mind!

SOE is on the right track with their FreeRealms and Star Wars ad campaigns -- targetting the kids and adults who watch cartoons and anime, people who may not necessarily be die-hard gamers but are still interested in something fun to play. Now if they'd just use that same approach when marketing EQ2....

[Metaphysix]

Iskandar wrote:

Blizzard's advertising blitz certainly didn't stop Sony's own FreeRealms and Star Wars Adventures from firing off commercials at the top and bottom of every hour on Nick Toons and The Hub every day in December. It also didn't stop LotRO from firing off commercials about once an hour on Cartoon Network and SyFy, as well as a few on BBC America and FX. DDO even had a couple of shots in there, as did a few of the F2P games like Wizards 101. And Trion's Rift Beta promotions were generating a lot more talk online than Blizzard's expansion.

But, to be fair, I hear EQ2 had some ads in a few gamer magazines. How many gamers who go out of their way to read a niche magazine devoted to gaming news and reviews will have either not heard of EQ2 or not already played EQ2? I've said it before about "preaching to the choir"... c'mon guys, pick a target market that's not already made up its mind!

SOE is on the right track with their FreeRealms and Star Wars ad campaigns -- targetting the kids and adults who watch cartoons and anime, people who may not necessarily be die-hard gamers but are still interested in something fun to play. Now if they'd just use that same approach when marketing EQ2....

Believe it or not, I have subscriptions to every major US based PC/MMO gaming mag.

I'd love to know which one they were in, if only to feel a little more at ease.

Free Realms and Star Wars did indeed get advertising. My wife mentioned it to me a few days back. That's what initially stirred my concern.

I'm not an expert analyst here, but I'm definitely an old hand at the MMO market now. I've been playing and testing online games on and off for over a decade now and this just doesn't add up somewhere.

When there's next to no anticipation from a company about to release an expansion to an existing product, that already has a release date, content summary online, et al... there's something definitely wrong.

[Morghus]

How can you people not realize that SOE no longer really wants to give EQ2 "premier new game" treatment? EQ2 is old, it isnt getting any new people in, on almost all websites that show their expansion trailers, you can see by peoples' comments that it is a laughing stock. Why waste money trying to advertise or support it, when it makes decent enough money on its own so that you can spend the money it makes to fund your other projects?

It is my understanding that SOE isn't really grouped into different sections like an EQ2 team, or a SWG team or w/e. Pretty sure they all share office space with each other, and even trade around their devs. The guy we had working on shader 3.0? He is working on a different SOE game right now from what I hear, and won't be back until he is done with that other game.

[Darkor]

Morghus wrote:

How can you people not realize that SOE no longer really wants to give EQ2 "premier new game" treatment? EQ2 is old, it isnt getting any new people in, on almost all websites that show their expansion trailers, you can see by peoples' comments that it is a laughing stock. Why waste money trying to advertise or support it, when it makes decent enough money on its own so that you can spend the money it makes to fund your other projects?

It is my understanding that SOE isn't really grouped into different sections like an EQ2 team, or a SWG team or w/e. Pretty sure they all share office space with each other, and even trade around their devs. The guy we had working on shader 3.0? He is working on a different SOE game right now from what I hear, and won't be back until he is done with that other game.

Its SoE's last chance. If velious fails i am done with the Everquest world aswell as Sony Online Entertainment. That means 1 station access account, 2 regular accounts aswell as plenty extra-dollars for using services like character transfers etc.

This post is not meant as a threat, its just a fair warning. I am putting all my money on this expansion pack.

[kcirrot]

Ajjantis@Nagafen wrote:

Morghus wrote:

How can you people not realize that SOE no longer really wants to give EQ2 "premier new game" treatment? EQ2 is old, it isnt getting any new people in, on almost all websites that show their expansion trailers, you can see by peoples' comments that it is a laughing stock. Why waste money trying to advertise or support it, when it makes decent enough money on its own so that you can spend the money it makes to fund your other projects?

It is my understanding that SOE isn't really grouped into different sections like an EQ2 team, or a SWG team or w/e. Pretty sure they all share office space with each other, and even trade around their devs. The guy we had working on shader 3.0? He is working on a different SOE game right now from what I hear, and won't be back until he is done with that other game.

Its SoE's last chance. If velious fails i am done with the Everquest world aswell as Sony Online Entertainment. That means 1 station access account, 2 regular accounts aswell as plenty extra-dollars for using services like character transfers etc.

This post is not meant as a threat, its just a fair warning. I am putting all my money on this expansion pack.

Despite being very positive about the game as a whole, I agree with this stance.  Velious needs to be a game-changer for me.  There are a number of MMOs coming out this year that I want to play and it's harder to justify EQ2 in my game mix.  I'm not angry about anything in particular, I'm just getting to a point where the game doesn't offer enough enjoyment for $15 a month.

[Rainmare]

I'm in the other camp with this I think....there's not one game out there coming that appeals to me. not 1. I hate the DC comics...so not interested in a dc mmo...guildwars and Rift supposedly have built in PvP no matter your prefeance...so no there too. too many mmos are seemling tryin gto do RvsR and Faction vs faction PVP stuff to get FPS people to play or something. So I'll stick here prolly till EqNext...unless they come up with something that is decent that has no pvp in it.

[Carpediem]

The expansion isn't showing up at best buy, amazon or gamestop yet. Guessing they aren't sure if they will be able to keep that Feb 8th release date and haven't announced anything yet because of that.

[Kigneer]

Metaphysix wrote:

Is it that SOE is in hot water and isn't really sure if they'll release the new expansion? Perhaps the internal testing's going badly? Has the company just given up on trying to revitalize the game?

Maybe they're watching the fireworks with Blizzard and Cata?

Cata is bad, no lipstick on that pig is going make it look better.

[Banditman]

Rainmare@Oasis wrote:

. . . and Rift supposedly have built in PvP no matter your prefeance. . .

Not true.

If you attack another player, yes, you get flagged for PvP.  If you do not attack another player, you are not flagged and cannot be attacked.

[Wingrider01]

Carpediem@Antonia Bayle wrote:

The expansion isn't showing up at best buy, amazon or gamestop yet. Guessing they aren't sure if they will be able to keep that Feb 8th release date and haven't announced anything yet because of that.

Or logically it will be 100 percent digital download with no retail box

[Carpediem]

Wingrider01 wrote:

Carpediem@Antonia Bayle wrote:

The expansion isn't showing up at best buy, amazon or gamestop yet. Guessing they aren't sure if they will be able to keep that Feb 8th release date and haven't announced anything yet because of that.

Or logically it will be 100 percent digital download with no retail box

I really hope not. That would be foolish on their part.

[Iskandar]

Carpediem@Antonia Bayle wrote:

I really hope not. That would be foolish on their part.

Unfortunately, it really depends on how well the boxes have sold in the past when compared to digital downloads... if the boxes account for only a small percentage of sales, they could save quite a bit by going full digital.

Design, printing and production of the boxes and manuals, printing and burning of the CDs, and the final packing and distribution process are all cut from the equation with digital downloads -- and all that can tally up fast, especially if they outsource much of the process to 3rd party vendors. And if those boxes just sit unsold in a warehouse or on a store shelf, that's basically just wasted production and cost.

I wonder what percentage of the SF boxes they produced went unsold, or the TSO boxes... that unsold product would most likely just be destroyed, which only adds to both the expense (shipping to an incinerator or recyling facility) and the loss (writing off the production costs for those units and then paying for their destruction). With digital downloads there's never any product lost, since it's all digital.

Considering the massive advertising campaign and major media blitz underway (/sarcasm off) for what was once touted as their flagship product, I'd really not be surprised if this is a digital-only expansion release.

[Tyrus Dracofire]

i know why they (SOE) isnt presenting pre-order, they have been taken over by Atari market team, the worst folks, most hated in MMO-RPG market.

Atari was a reason they killed Neverwinter Nights series. Hasbro suing them for license rights with Crypt Studio.

so maybe SOE got stuck with no distributors or game editors while Atari is still in hot water in courts that might delay pre-orders.

that just my opinion, just making wild theory, well, maybe my jokes doesnt seem funny now.

[Metaphysix]

Tyrus@Butcherblock wrote:

i know why they (SOE) isnt presenting pre-order, they have been taken over by Atari market team, the worst folks, most hated in MMO-RPG market.

Atari was a reason they killed Neverwinter Nights series. Hasbro suing them for license rights with Crypt Studio.

so maybe SOE got stuck with no distributors or game editors while Atari is still in hot water in courts that might delay pre-orders.

that just my opinion, just making wild theory, well, maybe my jokes doesnt seem funny now.

Wow. That sure was a wild theory.

Neverwinter's coming out this year, by the way.

Hasbro Sues Atari Link For Those Interested: http://kotaku.com/5428864/hasbro-su...-atari-responds

[Wingrider01]

Carpediem@Antonia Bayle wrote:

Wingrider01 wrote:

Carpediem@Antonia Bayle wrote:

The expansion isn't showing up at best buy, amazon or gamestop yet. Guessing they aren't sure if they will be able to keep that Feb 8th release date and haven't announced anything yet because of that.

Or logically it will be 100 percent digital download with no retail box

I really hope not. That would be foolish on their part.

actually no it would not be. Not having to worry if the corporate buyers of the brick and mortar stores even want to carry the product on the end cap space in the retail outlets. There would be no issues of overseas distribution with the buyers of the outlets over there.

Logon, pay with credit card or station cash, account is flagged and ready to download. If I recall correctly the eq1 exapsnion was digital only - even amazon purchase was a download and not a physical box.

[Carpediem]

The problem with that is, with no real advertising how are they going to get new players? A lot of people loved Velious in EQ1 and could walk by the PC games section of Best Buy or Gamestop and see the box.

With digital download only, it will only be people that are already playing, or word of mouth (which isn't much these days).

[Hecula]

Based on the fiasco of international distribution that was SF and the general outcry and lost subs that created, my guess is this expansion will be a completely digital release. I'm still not convinced we'll get a release in Feb. I see it easily being pushed back to May or June.

[Miss_Jackie]

Iskandar wrote:

Blizzard's advertising blitz certainly didn't stop Sony's own FreeRealms and Star Wars Adventures from firing off commercials at the top and bottom of every hour on Nick Toons and The Hub every day in December. It also didn't stop LotRO from firing off commercials about once an hour on Cartoon Network and SyFy, as well as a few on BBC America and FX. DDO even had a couple of shots in there, as did a few of the F2P games like Wizards 101. And Trion's Rift Beta promotions were generating a lot more talk online than Blizzard's expansion.

But, to be fair, I hear EQ2 had some ads in a few gamer magazines. How many gamers who go out of their way to read a niche magazine devoted to gaming news and reviews will have either not heard of EQ2 or not already played EQ2? I've said it before about "preaching to the choir"... c'mon guys, pick a target market that's not already made up its mind!

SOE is on the right track with their FreeRealms and Star Wars ad campaigns -- targetting the kids and adults who watch cartoons and anime, people who may not necessarily be die-hard gamers but are still interested in something fun to play. Now if they'd just use that same approach when marketing EQ2....

You know.. I saw an advert for EQ2X in Mad Magazine. Where's the advert for EQ2? Or even EQ1?

[Vlahkmaak]

Morghus wrote:

How can you people not realize that SOE no longer really wants to give EQ2 "premier new game" treatment? EQ2 is old, it isnt getting any new people in, on almost all websites that show their expansion trailers, you can see by peoples' comments that it is a laughing stock. Why waste money trying to advertise or support it, when it makes decent enough money on its own so that you can spend the money it makes to fund your other projects?

It is my understanding that SOE isn't really grouped into different sections like an EQ2 team, or a SWG team or w/e. Pretty sure they all share office space with each other, and even trade around their devs. The guy we had working on shader 3.0? He is working on a different SOE game right now from what I hear, and won't be back until he is done with that other game.

Why is it a laughing stock.  EQ2 is the best mmo out there atm.  Its more enjoyable and immersive than Aion, Warhammer, WoW, and Conan.  Has a much more solid (if not tedious) crafting experience.  I'd have to say I prefered crafting the way it was at release - crafters having to work together etc., and sub combines for sub combines.  If EQNext is targeted to be a more difficult, large scale, game along the eq1 line - which is wholely an asumption on my part - they should revisit the old crafting process.  I doubt it will be though to many current games are going the way of wow. 

[NrthnStar5]

I am amazed that beta is supposed to start tomorrow and we still have such limited information. We don't have an xpac mini site, no new screens, no new info whatsoever. It's almost like going into beta blind... I'm starting to wonder if the release date is going to get pushed back or something.

SOE, please start treating us like a AAA MMO again. please and thank you =-)

[SgtPmpkn]

I was hoping for an indication that Beta invites have at least been sent out, or in the process of being sent out.  As been said there has been no information on the expac and very little on the Beta process.  A little communication or information will go a long way with this games' population in the year of a good number of new titles coming out.

[Kigneer]

Metaphysix wrote:

Neverwinter's coming out this year, by the way.

Oh, god no.

That series was so bug filled (and godawful) I just tossed the game never looking back.

[Juull]

The Beta information I read said that they would begin processing applications when they returned from the holidays on Monday, 1/3, and would start issuing invitations on Wednesday, 1/4.  Since it's Tuesday, I have high hopes for tomorrow (but not before noon my time, mind you).

That said, add me to the camp of people who are starting to get anxious.  Just tell me how I will be able to get the expansion and what it is going to cost.  I (like a lot of other people, even ones who have broadband internet and nice computers) have a fairly tight budget for entertainment these days, and I want to PLAN for the expense, dangit.

[Kigneer]

Carpediem@Antonia Bayle wrote:

The problem with that is, with no real advertising how are they going to get new players?

Personally, I don't think SoE wants new players, and content with a niche market.

Having a huge game gives them a WoW population. SoE never has been a community feedback type publisher (it's trying, but you get the feeling if they could just program and never speak to the public -- like EA does it -- they would in a heartbeat). So having raging 15 year-old nerds on their hands would be a disaster, and too often they're not into lore but the next XBox "gogogo" DPS release. It would ruin the game from the ground up, as EQ2 isn't that type of game. It's one of the last "classic" style MMOs, and the only one with the content to go with it. It's a niche game, with it's own culture and own style (which is why we love EQ2).

Another factor to is the culture of this game as it is now. I agree EQ2 needs new blood, as the community is getting to be dinosaurs (I mean it). Too set in their ways, fighting every step of the way with SoE to ridiculous levels at times, that I wouldn't blame SoE to go on strike. I was here in TSO and all the bickering (even stalked ingame by a guy who took what I said on the forums personally), and it's the main reason why I quit the game. Don't know about others, but they too could've gotten the same treatment and left. The community drives others out, closes the door and ruminates. That's not a healthy environment for new players (which I was). I was pushed out and went to play a game most similiar to EQ2. Worked my way upto the top from level 1, from a newbie to a hardcore raider in 1 year. But I had help. I had advice. I had support. Not only for my class, websites rich in content to help me learn more about my role. I never got that level of help as a new player in EQ2. I love the game alot, but that experience soured me to the community itself.

So I come back because I wanted something I remember that isn't radically changed (like Cata did to WoW). I'm happy to see a world that is familiar, to have appearance slots/housing and actual guild halls/ and harvesting not as a secondary profession (god I even missed the music...EQ2 even has a theme). Things I never forgot in WoW and missed.

Been "homesick" and stuck between two games. One has the content and things I love, and the another I can play to end-game without the roadblocks EQ2 has.

Don't believe I'm the only one. You will meet a lot of EQ players in WoW, and you can sense they miss it too. But their friends and family (and my own family is also in WoW) are there, and it's hard playing alone...especially in a community that treats new players like pariahs.

Like I've said two years ago, EQ2 is not friendly to new players. And my treatment is an excellent example how and why people don't stay in EQ2. The community doesn't accept them and even tells them to kiss off.

So maybe SoE understands this, and keeps the game a niche market for niche players who like it just like it is, until it's down to 1000 players to finally turn off the lights.

[Sigtyr]

Kigneer wrote:

Like I've said two years ago, EQ2 is not friendly to new players. And my treatment is an excellent example how and why people don't stay in EQ2. The community doesn't accept them and even tells them to kiss off.

Well SOE changed this with EQ2EX and I believe that EQ2 Lives inability to retain new players was a big influence in the decision to launch EX, probably not as big as the opportunities of the new payment model but important and Smokejumper has talked about attracting and KEEPING new players with EX. And as I understand EX is full of new players having a blast so it must have worked out well

As I see it there are good reasons to assume that there has been a shift in development away from the "cutting edge" customers towads making a more challenging game for "general customers" as the decisions to "dumb down" content for regular players while keeping the advanced game on the  same difficulity (or higher as in TSO) obviously only divided the playerbase even more. There is an excellent summary on Eq 2 wire of what Smokejumper have written on these topics in various threads on these forums on

http://eq2wire.com/2010/12/04/looki...ious/#more-6418

I am exited in Velious and I hope it will be great but the marketing push (if any) will be for EQ2EX. EQ2 Live has not been welcoming to new player in a long time (well maybe on the smaller servers, AB went downhill a lot in 2010).

[Kitsi]

Miss_Jackie wrote:

Iskandar wrote:

Blizzard's advertising blitz certainly didn't stop Sony's own FreeRealms and Star Wars Adventures from firing off commercials at the top and bottom of every hour on Nick Toons and The Hub every day in December. It also didn't stop LotRO from firing off commercials about once an hour on Cartoon Network and SyFy, as well as a few on BBC America and FX. DDO even had a couple of shots in there, as did a few of the F2P games like Wizards 101. And Trion's Rift Beta promotions were generating a lot more talk online than Blizzard's expansion.

But, to be fair, I hear EQ2 had some ads in a few gamer magazines. How many gamers who go out of their way to read a niche magazine devoted to gaming news and reviews will have either not heard of EQ2 or not already played EQ2? I've said it before about "preaching to the choir"... c'mon guys, pick a target market that's not already made up its mind!

SOE is on the right track with their FreeRealms and Star Wars ad campaigns -- targetting the kids and adults who watch cartoons and anime, people who may not necessarily be die-hard gamers but are still interested in something fun to play. Now if they'd just use that same approach when marketing EQ2....

You know.. I saw an advert for EQ2X in Mad Magazine. Where's the advert for EQ2? Or even EQ1?

Personally, if you expect to actually see EQ2 (Live) advertising, you are fooling yourself.  SOE hasn't advertised EQ2 in prior years and with the introduction and "success" of the Extended game mechanic (per Smokejumper) I would be STUNNED to see any advertising related to the EQ2 we old timers know and love.

Oh..lol..Mad Magazine.  Read that in my teens/20's.  Target audience anyone? 

But hey, perhaps I could be pleasently surprised and SOE will actually advertise EQ2.

[Eugam]

Sigtyr@Antonia Bayle wrote:

Kigneer wrote:

Like I've said two years ago, EQ2 is not friendly to new players. And my treatment is an excellent example how and why people don't stay in EQ2. The community doesn't accept them and even tells them to kiss off.

Well SOE changed this with EQ2EX and I believe that EQ2 Lives inability to retain new players was a big influence in the decision to launch EX, probably not as big as the opportunities of the new payment model but important and Smokejumper has talked about attracting and KEEPING new players with EX. And as I understand EX is full of new players having a blast so it must have worked out well

As I see it there are good reasons to assume that there has been a shift in development away from the "cutting edge" customers towads making a more challenging game for "general customers" as the decisions to "dumb down" content for regular players while keeping the advanced game on the  same difficulity (or higher as in TSO) obviously only divided the playerbase even more. There is an excellent summary on Eq 2 wire of what Smokejumper have written on these topics in various threads on these forums on

http://eq2wire.com/2010/12/04/looki...ious/#more-6418

I am exited in Velious and I hope it will be great but the marketing push (if any) will be for EQ2EX. EQ2 Live has not been welcoming to new player in a long time (well maybe on the smaller servers, AB went downhill a lot in 2010).

EQ2 EX will end where EQ2 is now, just it will be worse due to different accounts of bronze/gold/platin. They will be even more divided. The problem of EQ2 live is the top heavy community and the mechanics. If you only have 2 alts you learned to like over the years, then it is a lot of work to keep them up-to-date item and AA wise. I am just talking about legendary/experts. The game is to item and lately to AA heavy. Compare it with KoS where the questlines gave you exp, armor and jewels without any grind. It was more about the journey then the goal.  I am not against token, but we need a mix of  heroic questing and tokens. Since we cant go back AA-wise, There needs to be something to allow new players to catch up. The holy cow raid has to rebalance. The meassure hast to be the number of players and not itemization. Else its another artificial divider of the community.

Since battlegrounds we know that a continental/worldwide gaming is possible. One thing i could imagine would be a worldwide LFG mechanism for players from 1 to max-20 levels. Once grouped there should be inter-server teleport. Details like item and money transfer can be solved by locking any money (minus a few gold for food and repair lol) or tradable items in your bags or so. Mentoring should decrease stats  a bit more when grouping worldwide. Its unfun as lowbe when a fury is tanking, healing and dps'ing the whole dungeon. He should just die like any lowbe class when pulling a room.

Lower level players also need hirelings like the guys in Outer Vault. That way they are able to see more of the dungeons. Just the NPC tank should taunt a bit and the healer heal like a wardens fairy, while both buff HP or WIS etc.

[Iskandar]

I see the content itself as being FAR more of a barrier to new players than the community. I've seen quite a few new players ask questions on Crushbone and get answers and help offered from a score of people, even people giving away sets of crafted gear to new players. The community is fine -- don't let a handful random jerks who use the anonymity of chat channels to bully and annoy folks fool you. You'll see that type in every game on the market, and it's best to just add em to /ignore.

But the sheer volume of content that EQ2 offers is both its bane and its blessing... it has far more content than most other MMO's out there, and offers a massive variety of quests and zones at almost every level (some tiers are still a bit limited). But when a new player starts, they're often encouraged to level levellevelLEVEL NOW OMG DO IT DOITDOIT!!! Other people in their guilds or groups will often not be interested in reading the quest lore, watching the antics of some funny mob, or admiring the beautiful scenery... they've been there and done that already, maybe even six years ago -- now they just want to plow through.

This often winds up making the new player feel like they're missing something, that they're lagging behind, or worse -- that they're a hindrance, holding others down when they try to help them. They want to see the sights and actually experience the game... but there's all this pressure to get the levels, to get the AA, to get the gear... that sucks the fun right out, especially when all you want to do is just play the dang game! Beleive me, I've been there, I've felt that -- it's why I eventually gave up EQ1, because I just didn't have enough time to keep up with everyone else in the maze of AA grinding, faction grinding, and zone flagging it became.

The lower-tier revamps have done a lot to help address that. Sure, I'd rather see new content for all my level 90's... but I'd also like to see a steady flow of new players who will keep the game alive and active. You don't need to reinvent the game to do that either -- simply making the lower tiers nicer will help with it... smoothing out the exp curves will help, too, and will help those new players to "catch up" with the established older players. And SOE is already doing just that -- ingame, they've definately been working to keep the game alive and kicking at all levels.

Now, if they'd just... oh, I dunno... maybe advertise that the game is still here, all alive and kicking. Maybe try and get... oh, I dunno... new players, people who are looking for a fun game to play with the family, and all they ever see advertised is WoW, WoW, and WoW because they don't read those niche magazines and websites that SOE currently focuses its efforts on. Heck, at the very least they could just pull ONE FreeRealms ad and replace it with an EQ2 ad... EQ2 revenue paid for much of FreeRealms anyways -- I say it's time to call in the favor!

[Miss_Jackie]

Kitsi@Lucan DLere wrote:

Miss_Jackie wrote:

Iskandar wrote:

Blizzard's advertising blitz certainly didn't stop Sony's own FreeRealms and Star Wars Adventures from firing off commercials at the top and bottom of every hour on Nick Toons and The Hub every day in December. It also didn't stop LotRO from firing off commercials about once an hour on Cartoon Network and SyFy, as well as a few on BBC America and FX. DDO even had a couple of shots in there, as did a few of the F2P games like Wizards 101. And Trion's Rift Beta promotions were generating a lot more talk online than Blizzard's expansion.

But, to be fair, I hear EQ2 had some ads in a few gamer magazines. How many gamers who go out of their way to read a niche magazine devoted to gaming news and reviews will have either not heard of EQ2 or not already played EQ2? I've said it before about "preaching to the choir"... c'mon guys, pick a target market that's not already made up its mind!

SOE is on the right track with their FreeRealms and Star Wars ad campaigns -- targetting the kids and adults who watch cartoons and anime, people who may not necessarily be die-hard gamers but are still interested in something fun to play. Now if they'd just use that same approach when marketing EQ2....

You know.. I saw an advert for EQ2X in Mad Magazine. Where's the advert for EQ2? Or even EQ1?

Personally, if you expect to actually see EQ2 (Live) advertising, you are fooling yourself.  SOE hasn't advertised EQ2 in prior years and with the introduction and "success" of the Extended game mechanic (per Smokejumper) I would be STUNNED to see any advertising related to the EQ2 we old timers know and love.

Oh..lol..Mad Magazine.  Read that in my teens/20's.  Target audience anyone? 

But hey, perhaps I could be pleasently surprised and SOE will actually advertise EQ2.

Actually I'm in my 30's and I still read MAD Magazine... Just  because you get older, doesn't mean you automatically get crotchedy and old minded.

Anyway, my point was.. they're advertising Extended. why not EQ2?