News: SOE Announces Partnership with MLG

Hamma · 2013-01-25, 11:15 AM

http://www.planetside-universe.com/n...h-mlg-2939.htm

Sony Online Entertainment and Major League Gaming Partner to Bring
PlanetSide®2 to Competitive Gaming

SAN DIEGO and NEW YORK - Jan. 25, 2013 - Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), and Major League Gaming (MLG), the world's largest eSports league, today announced a robust partnership to introduce PlanetSide®2 to MLG's burgeoning competitive gaming audience. The year-long collaboration will span all of MLG's properties including original broadcast programming, online competition and presence at MLG events.

Over the next few months, the PlanetSide 2 and MLG teams will work closely to develop ideal competitive gameplay features and settings to showcase the massively multiplayer online first-person shooter (MMOFPS). With MLG's consult and significant community involvement, SOE has committed to creating a long-term eSports initiative within PlanetSide 2 that will highlight an exceptional massively multiplayer competitive gaming experience.

Additionally, SOE and MLG will collaborate to create original programming to air on the MLG network at www.majorleaguegaming.com and www.Twitch.tv/Team/MLG. Details and a complete broadcast schedule will be released in the coming weeks. PlanetSide 2 players around the globe will soon after be able to compete via MLG's GameBattles online competition site. Additionally, PlanetSide 2 gaming stations will be featured at MLG's first Pro Circuit event of 2013 -- the Winter Championship in Dallas, Texas, from March 15-17.

"PlanetSide 2 players are extremely loyal to their chosen Empires and when it comes to battling, they are beyond competitive and truly enjoy the in-game rivalries, so it was the natural next step for us to bring PlanetSide 2 to the most competitive eSports organization," said John Smedley, President, Sony Online Entertainment. "We're excited for this opportunity to work with MLG and are confident that their competitive gaming expertise can turn PlanetSide 2 into a premiere eSports platform, allowing us to extend the game experience and deliver new ways for players to interact with other players and the broader community, while helping to further diversify and grow our audience."

"From the first time I played PlanetSide 2, I knew that it made sense for the MLG community," said Sundance DiGiovanni, CEO and co-founder of Major League Gaming. "I am excited to introduce the game to our audience and to see how it evolves along with the growing and evolving eSports landscape."

Through the partnership, MLG and PlanetSide 2 fans will have greater access to the game through the community-driven programming, GameBattles and Pro Circuit event presence. Launched in November 2012, PlanetSide 2 is a free-to-play title that has set the new standard for first-person shooters. PlanetSide 2 offers an unparalleled gaming experience where players battle in massive environments alongside and against thousands of others engaging in intense air and ground combat that spans the alien planet of Auraxis. Check Cheap as chips Catalogue and Early Settler Catalogue. Players join one of three Empires -- Terran Republic, New Conglomerate or Vanu Sovereignty -- to fight in an epic war for ultimate control and territory domination. To play PlanetSide 2 now, visit: http://www.PlanetSide2.com.

MrBloodworth · 2013-01-25, 11:17 AM

They are out of their minds.

This push for E-sports is retarded.

Brutal Magikarp · 2013-01-25, 11:19 AM

How can they keep track of a 200-600 person team?

Rahabib · 2013-01-25, 11:22 AM

As a fairly competitive player (back in the "days" that is), I am excited - if they can pull it off that is. Maybe even get me to play more.

Strategy · 2013-01-25, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by MrBloodworth

They are out of their minds.

This push for E-sports is retarded.

I don't understand why they are even trying this. This game is incapable of being competitive. Not only that, it won't garner any popularity on the MLG circuit.

NewSith · 2013-01-25, 11:19 AM

Well, Empire Showdown does seem to be going well, so why not?

wasdie · 2013-01-25, 11:20 AM

Not unexpected at all. Hibgy has been talking about eSports for a good year now.

ESports are quite popular and it's hard to not talk about gaming without them anymore.

This isn't doom and gloom and they've already said several times they would be doing something specific for eSports in Planetside 2.

If anything, this is a good way to get Planetside 2 a lot of exposure.

Valcron · 2013-01-25, 11:23 AM

More daggers in the back of this game. How does smedley continue to let higby run this game? it boggles my mind...

Phantomdestiny · 2013-01-25, 11:33 AM

this will not change anything about the game . if it brings more attention to the game and brings more people in then i'm all for it . maybe it's gone push for making ps2 the FPS of the decade

Pella · 2013-01-25, 11:34 AM

Everyone watching BF3 Esports these days? No because its boring as fuck to watch and no one cares.

Same rules apply to PS2. Big fights no one is going to sustain interest in that. FNO they get about 10 viewers on twitch :P

Esports are competitive, and require Balance on all levels.

What a joke. Unless they add 6v6 on a small scale no one will care. But then again COD fills that gap.

MrBloodworth · 2013-01-25, 11:39 AM

You can't make a full on war game then scale it down to small skirmishes for tournaments.

Sledgecrushr · 2013-01-25, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by Pella

Same rules apply to PS2. Big fights no one is going to sustain interest in that. FNO they get about 10 viewers on twitch :P

FNO draws about 1800 viewers.

bpostal · 2013-01-25, 01:05 PM

So we take a massive online FPS, scale it down to bite sizes for MLG and hope for the best?
How are they going to do events? First one to take Indar wins? Most amount of territory held within a given time frame?
Are we talking outfit sized? Platoon sized? Squad sized?
Separate MLG servers? Or are they going to try and run a MLG match on a live server?

If they try to squeeze PS2 into MLG they're going to fuck it up and my guess is if they try to expand MLG to fit PS2, they're going to fuck it up. IDK, maybe we just need more info but I don't see anything that would indicate any kind of want for a service such as this.

Assist · 2013-01-25, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by bpostal

If they try to squeeze PS2 into MLG they're going to fuck it up and my guess is if they try to expand MLG to fit PS2, they're going to fuck it up. IDK, maybe we just need more info but I don't see anything that would indicate any kind of want for a service such as this.

I don't see how they could or would try to fit PS2 into MLG. I think they're going more the route of MLG expanding it's scope. Right now they've been focused on small team vs team combat or one on one combat. I think this is SoE and MLG pairing up to move MLG into the MMO competitive gaming market that attracts a ton of players. Think EVE, Darkfall, DAoC, and soon to be ArcheAge, Black Desert, Repopulation, etc. These are games that have a massive hardcore PvP communities that play more than enough for MLG, but MLG has never offered anything on their scale.

How they're going to do it? I've no idea. But I think they're smart enough to realize they're not going to fit PS2 into MLG, but more work on another genre of MLG that fits PS2.

Eduard Khil · 2013-01-25, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by bpostal

So we take a massive online FPS, scale it down to bite sizes for MLG and hope for the best?
How are they going to do events? First one to take Indar wins? Most amount of territory held within a given time frame?
Are we talking outfit sized? Platoon sized? Squad sized?
Separate MLG servers? Or are they going to try and run a MLG match on a live server?

If they try to squeeze PS2 into MLG they're going to fuck it up and my guess is if they try to expand MLG to fit PS2, they're going to fuck it up. IDK, maybe we just need more info but I don't see anything that would indicate any kind of want for a service such as this.

Exactly, there are enough problems balancing the game on a mass scale vs a small scale, MLG is only going to make it worse.