Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) is a computer game development division of Sony that mostly creates massively multiplayer online games. SOE is best known for producing EverQuest, PlanetSide, and Star Wars Galaxies, which have gained hundreds of thousands of subscribers. SOE also owns Verant Interactive.

History

EverQuest was Verant's breakthrough success and the franchise continues its popularity with Sony Online Entertainment.

Sony Online Entertainment and Verant's history can be seen as starting with Sony Interactive Studios America (SISA), an internal game development studio of Sony that formed around 1995. In 1996, John Smedley was put in charge of SISA's development of an online computer role-playing game that would evolve into EverQuest. He hired Brad McQuaid and Steve Clover as programmers for the game in March.

In April 1998, Sony Online Entertainment was formed by merging Sony Online Ventures with Sony Pictures Entertainment. [1] (http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/19841) Within months SISA was renamed 989 Studios. EverQuest, which was credited to being developed by 989 and published by SOE at launch, entered beta in 1998.

Towards the end of 1998, 989 Studios shifted strategy to making PlayStation console games only. The company's computer game/online development branch spun off, initially calling itself RedEye Interactive and then soon after Verant Interactive. [2] (http://www.cdmag.com/articles/017/143/verant.html) EverQuest was released in March 1999 and promptly earned commercial success.

After EQ

SWG was a big production that attempted to reach out to the vast Star Wars audience.

In April 2000, Verant hired former Ultima Online developers Raph Koster and Rich Vogel forming its office in Austin, Texas to develop Star Wars Galaxies. [3] (http://www.cdmag.com/articles/027/103/verant.html) SOE acquired Verant on June 1, 2000 and eventually promoted Brad McQuaid to be SOE's Chief Creative Officer. [4] (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/everquesttheruinsofkunark/news_2580857.html) In October 2001, McQuaid resigned and went on to found Sigil Games Online, drawing many of the original developers of EverQuest from SOE. [5] (http://www.sigilgames.com/000003.php)

SOE released Star Wars Galaxies in 2003, which saw rapid growth as expected. That year the company explored relatively untouched MMO territory with the MMOFPS PlanetSide and the PlayStation 2 MMORPG EverQuest Online Adventures. SOE also produced the EverQuest expansions The Legacy of Ykesha (March) and Lost Dungeons of Norrath (September).

As of 2004, John Smedley is the president of Sony Online Entertainment. SOE's headquarters are in San Diego, California and it has another studio in Austin, Texas. The company released EverQuest II in November 2004 and continues to maintain its other online games.

SOE has also produced several EverQuest expansions and spin-off video games, including Champions of Norrath (for PlayStation 2) and Lords of EverQuest (PC).

SOE also makes more casual online games through Station.com (http://www.station.com/), such as Jeopardy! Online and Wheel of Fortune Online, Infantry, Cosmic Rift, and Tanarus.

References

• Keighley, Geoff (August 2002). The Sorcerer of Sony (http://www.business2.com/b2/web/articles/0,17863,514908,00.html). Business 2.0 (http://www.business2.com/).

External link

• Sony Online Entertainment's corporate site (http://sonyonline.com/)