Staff Writer Patrick Do talks about SOE, DCUO and other things... Mostly other things.

To get some context, here is a brief history lesson in a game that nobody has ever heard of: a little over eleven years ago, Sony Online Entertainment acquired the rights to an unknown top-down isometric sci-fi shooter called Infantry Online.  Up until that point, the game was lauded (by me and… five other guys) for its engrossing mix of tactical warfare, addictive gameplay and—this one was important —for being free. While the game wasn’t exactly popular, Infantry had a loyal, albeit small, player-base.

Two years after picking up the niche IP, SOE introduced a monthly pay-to-play plan for the bundle of: Cosmic Rift, Tanarus, and smash hit Infantry Online. The timely change followed in the footsteps of SOE’s EverQuest, which had seen unprecedented success in the pay-to-play domain.  This was a prudent move, emblematic of a changing zeitgeist, with more and more games moving into an emerging online arena and publishers striving to reconcile perpetually climbing upkeep costs. But none of that meant a thing to me: the switch simply ensured that the pimply, fourteen year-old version of myself that lived in my room could no longer afford to play a game that once cost the same price as Costco samples.

Fast-forward nine years and the online gaming world is a completely new animal. DC Universe Online, another game that started out with a loyal, albeit smallish, player-base, has just successfully completed its transition to a free-to-play business model. The move marks a diametric paradigm shift in the direction of DCUO as well as SOE’s approach to future titles.

When DCUO initially went free-to-play, many players were met with long login queues upon booting up the client. The longest line I’ve hit personally was 5000. That number translated to about a seven minute wait real time. These line-ups that plagued DCUO in the early going have seemingly subsided as the servers grew more accustomed to the increased player traffic.

Ten years ago, Sony would have slapped a monthly fee on it and bundled it with a more popular game. DCUO is more than a game: it’s synecdoche—a representation of something more than the sum of its parts, analog to a company that has seen hardship and come through the tunnel better for it.  All of this, however, would be moot had DCUO been a bad game. The fact remains, this game was worth saving, worth fighting for and is absolutely worth your time. 

Patrick "BakersMan" Do, Staff Writer.

EDIT: Thanks to user JohnMay for catching my gaffe about endgame content.