SOE has been integrated with SCEI...

[Dodece]

Sony Online Entertainment is basically a gaming pariah. They spent much of the last few years antagonizing customers, and making bitter enemies. The name alone sends potential consumers scattering. I suppose those that are new to online gaming are unaware of it, but yes people hate this division with a serious passion. They have done a very good job of alienating gamers away from the corporate name.

That is not to say this couldn't be a positive thing, but the metaphor of the rotten apple in the barrel does apply. A horrible division with a extremely poor reputation can spoil the reputation as a whole. The first order of business is to gut this division from the top down. Entrench some strong leadership with some credibility. Focus the division on a couple relevant projects. Finally they need to develop a sincere commitment to quality development practices.

I really hope that the console players do not have to learn the lessons that massive online players had to learn. You would be terribly shocked by the horrible things this division does as standard business practices. I have seen few corporate entities enlist the sheer volume of outright wrath this division has. I was almost dumbfounded by the way Sony tolerated it.

This really doesn't change the situation dramatically from what it was. Sony Online Entertainment was splitting its development between the PC and console space anyway. All their major upcoming titles were supposed to be playable on both platforms. However now the proxy is changed. Now they will be raiding the PS3s development cupboard.

I hope for the PS3 owners that this division gets fixed. Either neuter it so its less hostile, or rehabilitate it. Otherwise this division is only going to bring a bad taste to the PS3 experience. All the console needs is a couple of those little SOE accidents to turn millions of players against the brand. I know people that actually refuse to buy Sony products period specifically, because of what Sony Online Entertainment did to them. Trust me that isn't anything you want a part of on your console.