I have to believe, that at this point, SOE has changed their business strategy, and I have a feeling that it's working to at least a middling degree of success. I doubt any company can ever count on having the 'most' subscribers to their MMO. But you don't really need the most subscribers to a single MMO, if everybody and their dog retains one 'mega' subscription to your company, even if they're playing 50 different games with that one subscription.
In this regards, SOE could probably care less about how popular MxO is. They can get it, throw it on the all-access pass, put a live team on it, as well as start making a DC based MMO that will also eventually be thrown on the all-access pass.
It's two for one, and it makes the All-Access pass that much more appealing. Hell, I'll even admit, there's an exponentially greater chance that I'll try the Matrix Online if it is on the All-Access pass, then there would've before, when I would have to go out, buy the game, and throw one more subscription on to the mix.
The only thing I don't like about the purchase, is it just leaves me with this unsettled feeling that the companies like NCSoft and SOE are going to really dedicate themselves to the path of Quantity over Quality.
I mean, seriously, can we expect MxO to get any real intensive treatment at this point? Or ever again? Or will SoE be happy to just let it plod along, add an expansion every so often, and let it collect dust with 30k or so subscribers, as well as the odd influx of people who are just: "curious"
What do you guys think? Good or bad? And is the quantity over quality model the way of the future? Can we expect Blizzard to release five more half-assed MMOs in the next ten years, simply to bolster the appeal of keeping a subscription with them?