Q&A: SOE's John Smedley on Galaxies' outer limits
Galaxies boss sees only one game around that could possibly humble World of Warcraft. Are you sitting down? Part 2. — Last week, Sony Online president John Smedley discusssed the motivations and goals behind the recent update to Star Wars Galaxies.
Context & Ripple Effects
Sony Online president John Smedley is giving his first extended public accounting of the controversial revamp to Star Wars Galaxies, days after Wired reported that fans were fleeing the game and comparing LucasArts to the Empire over the changes (the reported player exodus). This second part of the GameSpot Q&A turns from motivations to competitive positioning.
The striking claim in the piece: Smedley sees exactly one game on the market with any realistic chance of humbling World of Warcraft — an acknowledgment from the operator of a shrinking licensed MMO that Blizzard's title sits in a category of its own even as his own subscriber base erodes.
First-order effects
- Sony Online and LucasArts are fighting to stabilize a Star Wars Galaxies community already in open revolt, with Smedley personally making the case for the redesign rather than delegating it.
- By naming a single game capable of displacing World of Warcraft, Smedley hands that rival free publicity while implicitly conceding Galaxies is not in that conversation.
Second-order effects
- Competing MMO operators watching the Galaxies backlash get a live case study in how far a radical redesign can push a loyal licensed-IP audience before churn outweighs any broadening of appeal.
- Whichever game Smedley singles out gains a credibility boost at precisely the moment disillusioned Star Wars Galaxies subscribers are shopping for a new home.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, subscription MMOs consolidate around a single dominant title whose network effects no franchise license can offset — pushing every other operator toward niche positioning or fundamental redesigns to survive alongside it.
The trend: The subscription MMORPG market is consolidating around one dominant title, forcing licensed games like Star Wars Galaxies into high-risk redesigns to keep their audiences.