NCSoft - "a definite lack of commitment at Microsoft to online gaming with 360"

[Fafalada]

Aren't the xbox 360s in japan and other asian markets going to come with the hardrives.

I have no idea - I haven't seen a single piece of info about what MS plans are for asian regions outside Japan.
And Japan is the one market most Korean gaming companies don't give a squat about.

Wll, I'd like to see similar comments from them if PS3 doesn't have a built in HD.

They would need to commit to PS3 development first...

But MS made this information known quite a while ago. Surely they would have backed out before now.

It depends what kind of commitment has been made And maybe they were/are still hoping to force MS to change the HDD policies in regions of their interest.
At any rate I don't see why people keep dragging Sony into this argument - NC barely touched the Playstation in the past, and hasn't exactly shown any signs of changing that in the future, so I don't know what the heck money hat theorists are going on about.

 

[jvd]

I have no idea - I haven't seen a single piece of info about what MS plans are for asian regions outside Japan.
And Japan is the one market most Korean gaming companies don't give a squat about.

thanks , hopefully they keep the pricing like that in korea and other asian markets though.

Can only hlep there where mmorpgs are like a second religion

 

[Inane_Dork]

At any rate I don't see why people keep dragging Sony into this argument - NC barely touched the Playstation in the past, and hasn't exactly shown any signs of changing that in the future, so I don't know what the heck money hat theorists are going on about.

Um... earlier this week NCSoft confirmed next-gen console development and then pointed out they were not actively developing an X360 games. Do you think they'd go for a Rev game?

Besides, they're putting out enough content on PC. If they put out more games, they'll be competing with themselves. To grow, they need to hit a new audience. Hence, console development.

 

[robofunk]

If you watch the 25min PGR3 interview Xbox Live! sounds very very flexible in terms of servers this time around. NCSoft must be trying to cut a deal.

 

[winstonsmith1978]

Um... earlier this week NCSoft confirmed next-gen console development and then pointed out they were not actively developing an X360 games. Do you think they'd go for a Rev game?

Besides, they're putting out enough content on PC. If they put out more games, they'll be competing with themselves. To grow, they need to hit a new audience. Hence, console development.

Thats's actually kind of interesting since the rev supports sd memory and ps3 supports everything. So maybe NCSoft will ship some form of memory with the game and make the money back in monthly payments. + the rev controller would be nice for NCSoft Games.

 

[jvd]

Thats's actually kind of interesting since the rev supports sd memory and ps3 supports everything. So maybe NCSoft will ship some form of memory with the game and make the money back in monthly payments. + the rev controller would be nice for NCSoft Games.

sd memory will be very expensive and also slow compared to a drive


For that matter ncsoft can ship a 20 gig usb hardrive (now about 50ish) with each title on the xbox 360 .

 

[scooby_dooby]

Um... earlier this week NCSoft confirmed next-gen console development and then pointed out they were not actively developing an X360 games. Do you think they'd go for a Rev game?

Or maybe they're signaling their discontent with MS, making a public statement that if they are not appeased they will develop for another of the next-gen systems?

 

[mckmas8808]

Or maybe they're signaling their discontent with MS, making a public statement that if they are not appeased they will develop for another of the next-gen systems?

That's probably what's really going on.

 

[Fafalada]

Um... earlier this week NCSoft confirmed next-gen console development and then pointed out they were not actively developing an X360 games.

Afaik they weren't actively developing anything on a console recently, so that's really not saying much at all.

Besides, they're putting out enough content on PC. If they put out more games, they'll be competing with themselves. To grow, they need to hit a new audience. Hence, console development.

Oh I completely agree with that, but you'd be surprised at how many seemingly illogical decisions companies around here tend to make.

Besides, NCs current model with titles like Lineage is built entirely around having local computer storage - they constantly release new content - not just patches and tweaks - actual new game content/chapters - which is also the main reason why Lineage 2 is beating the snot out of WoW in Korea by now.
So this model will not work too well if a console has no standard large-scale local storage.

 

[OtakingGX]

Besides, NCs current model with titles like Lineage is built entirely around having local computer storage - they constantly release new content - not just patches and tweaks - actual new game content/chapters - which is also the main reason why Lineage 2 is beating the snot out of WoW in Korea by now.
So this model will not work too well if a console has no standard large-scale local storage.

Lineage II has been kicking the snot out of WoW in Korea since it was released, a full year before WoW was released in the US. WoW's user base is growing faster than Lineage II's, though, and will probably pass it up early next year. You can check it out for yourself: http://www.mmogchart.com/

 

[Fafalada]

Those charts would be worldwide?
At any rate, it doesn't seem to cover second half of 2005 for WoW (even less for Lineage).
From the info I heard WoW was growing faster early on when it came out (late 2004&early 2005) but has since leveled off - in Korea that is.

 

[Platon]

Unless they resume development for Strident and Duality I don't really care for what NCsoft might think, sure MMORPGs are big and all but still, not really very popular in the console market...

 

[Ty]

Um... earlier this week NCSoft confirmed next-gen console development and then pointed out they were not actively developing an X360 games. Do you think they'd go for a Rev game?

Interesting.

Ever been to the Korean version of E3? I have. Besides being about 1000x smaller than our E3 (which is just a freaking zoo nowadays), there was nary a console game in sight. Even met Garriott there (both of them). Kind of hard not to miss him, the only Caucasian dudes there.

Might have something to do with zero console presence in Korea (which might have something to do with animosity towards Japan - but I'm not 100% sure about this second part).

Had the best Kal-bi and Bulgogi I ever had in my life. Soju was awesome too (and I don't even drink). Man, it went down like water... Sorry, I drifted off topic.

 

[Inane_Dork]

Besides, NCs current model with titles like Lineage is built entirely around having local computer storage - they constantly release new content - not just patches and tweaks - actual new game content/chapters - which is also the main reason why Lineage 2 is beating the snot out of WoW in Korea by now.
So this model will not work too well if a console has no standard large-scale local storage.

It would not work well if the console does not have a popular large scale local storage. Standard is not really the issue, since MMOs can require the HDD be attached permanently. Say the percentage of X360 owners with HDDs is 60%. Isn't that plenty to make a profit from? Especially given that MMO players are more likely to own a HDD either for other MMOs or just because they tend to be more technically "with it"? There's a tendency to think of everything nonstandard as totally undependable, but I don't think that's going to be the case with the X360's HDD.

I really don't think that's it. If it is, NCSoft is screwy.

 

[Fafalada]

Standard is not really the issue, since MMOs can require the HDD be attached permanently.

Can they? I am not sure about 360 TRCs right now - but I thought I remember hearing MS mandates every title must work with no HDD attached.
If they aren't willing to bulge for NC on this issue, this could very well be the source of complaints.

which might have something to do with animosity towards Japan - but I'm not 100% sure about this second part

Nah, XBox failed even worse in Korea then it did in Japan, and I don't see anything Japanese about it
Console market is not very big yet - Korean game companies are extreme case of doing "the safe" thing, aka, copy what everyone else does - PC MMO. Most publishers are scared of even touching consoles.

 

[Inane_Dork]

Can they? I am not sure about 360 TRCs right now - but I thought I remember hearing MS mandates every title must work with no HDD attached.
If they aren't willing to bulge for NC on this issue, this could very well be the source of complaints.

I have no ironclad proof, but I'm sure I recall reading/hearing it. Well, we may find out very soon when the FF XI beta hits the system.

 

[Platon]

Can they? I am not sure about 360 TRCs right now - but I thought I remember hearing MS mandates every title must work with no HDD attached.
If they aren't willing to bulge for NC on this issue, this could very well be the source of complaints.

That seems to be the most reasonable reason for these statements. Not so much that not every console will not have a HDD, as Inane said most likely those that NCsoft are aiming at most likely will have one, but maybe that MS will not allow for HDD only games. On the other hand we know that you can only have BC with HDD, so maybe they will allow some online only games to be also HDD only, we will see...

 

[Confidence-Man]

That seems to be the most reasonable reason for these statements. Not so much that not every console will not have a HDD, as Inane said most likely those that NCsoft are aiming at most likely will have one, but maybe that MS will not allow for HDD only games. On the other hand we know that you can only have BC with HDD, so maybe they will allow some online only games to be also HDD only, we will see...

Final Fantasy requires the HDD. That's why there's no core system in Japan.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

For context, mostly for Faf : http://www.gamesindustry.biz/news.php?aid=12917

Korea-based online gaming giant NCsoft is preparing to launch titles on next-generation consoles, according to chief executive Tack Jin Kim, who confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that development work is already underway.

Reason to believe it's not XB360 is

Kim did not discuss specifics of the company's development work on next-generation consoles, nor did he reveal which platforms the firm is working on - but sources close to NCsoft's European division revealed that Xbox 360 is not part of the company's plans at the moment, suggesting that the PS3 is the target platform for NCsoft's first console titles.

Plus this latest statement about MS 'not being serious about online'. Hence it's only logical to conclude they're developing for PS3 or Revolution, or both, seeing as they said consoles.

So why cite XB360 not supporting a standard HDD as a reason not to support that platform when the rivals don't? Unless they do?

 

[Platon]

Final Fantasy requires the HDD. That's why there's no core system in Japan.

Good to know, will FF come over to the western world as well, or is it Japan only. Because if it does then i guess it is OK to have HDD only games...