SOE The Agency MMO, is it vaporware?

Is the Agency Vaporware?

This is the press release from June, 2007

Jun 11, 2007 10:56am The Agency, Sony
Sony Online Entertainment today announced The Agency, a fast-paced shooter with MMO elements developed by SOE Seattle, which will see release on the PC and PlayStation 3.
Billed by Sony as a “pick-up-and-play” experience.

The Agency will allow players to participate in drug smuggling, assassinations, espionage, and counter-intelligence assignments across varied locales around the globe. Set in a modern-day world, the game will provide for group and solo play during story-driven missions. Like many MMOs, The Agency will ask you to choose from one of two major factions: the UNITE spy organization, or the ParaGON mercenary group.

As players gain rank in their respective faction, they will be able to build their own agencies, which will apparently function as guilds do in other games within the genre.

X-Play hands on (it would seem it exists)

September 2009 SOE says cancellation rumors for The Agency are rubbish
SOE president John Smedley has told Joystiq that rumors regarding the cancellation of its PS3/PC MMO action game, The Agency, are pretty much just that – rumors

.“We’re not going to release it until it’s right, said Smedley, “but there’s this rumor going around that we’re going to cancel it — that’s ridiculous.“We’re going full-bore towards it.

We’re simply keeping it under wraps more because we want to make it the best possible game we can. I’m an FPS player first and foremost, so we’re going to get that game right, period.

”He also said that staff departures back in July didn’t halt nor slow development, and estimates that the game will be released “next year”.

More rumours in late 2009 from former SOE Employees

Sony Online Entertainment’s espionage MMO The Agency appears to have suffered a serious setback. Several of the development staff’s senior members have departed to form their own studio, including the former studio head.

Eurogamer is reporting that studio director and executive producer Matt Wilson, art director Corey Dangel, and producer John Smith have formed a new studio called Denonator Games. According to the official website, the studio was formed on July 4.

“This was a very hard decision to make, but it’s the right decision for both us and the project. There were a variety of factors into making this decision, but we wish SOE and The Agency the best success,” Wilson said.

Detonator Games lists their goal as bringing “the best of social entertainment to the emerging world of mobile and social networks.” Wilson and Smith were previously founding members of Fireant, which eventually became the Seattle studio currently working on The Agency.

As for those left behind, sources in the Seattle studio say that The Agency will now be undergoing “an extensive rethink,” which will take it well beyond is current projected 2010 release date. SOE, however, denies this.

However is it just me or is SOE taking their sweet time in developing this, could it be because they are also launching it on the PS3 that’s causing the delay?, or is it the case that its the core design and play mechanics are at fault which will ultimately doom it.

Well if anyone can mess up a game design SOE can, think SWG and post launch SWG NGE, or to a lesser extent EQ2 wizard / warlock, druid / warden class design (basically the same)

Only time will tell if the Agency will be a hit or a miss, Im hoping its a hit

The Agency Behind the scenes