Interesting Slashdot repost:
Slashdot: CBS News Fields SWG Hatemail
Finally, we're seeing some sort of real numbers relating to the much discussed 'NGE' rework for Star Wars: Galaxies. Obviously, there's no way to verify that figure - 10k concurrent users across all 25 servers, but it's a believeable, and shocking number, and shows just how damaging a badly planned and executed patch can be, regardless of intentions: SirBruce's last data point for SWG has 250k subsxcribers in total, from July 2005. I'd guess that's much lower now, but by way of comparison, EVE Online just announced 100k subs, and regularly boasts 20k+ players online a night.
At a guess, the only thing that can turn SWG around now is a big push toward a console compatible client for the PS3 or XBox360, and based on the types of UI changes reported in the CU and NGE so far, this could very well be the big rescue plan at SOE Towers. It's dwindling success is a shame though - as I've mentioned previously, the original game contained much that was fresh and different, but on the whole, it seems a story of too much change and too fast - a textbook Shark Jumping, and now people seem to be generally fed up with the whole sorry debacle, to the point where they're emailing national newspaper sports columns and ranting at the Normal People about it, who must be rather bemused by it all. Hardly the best way to get our hobby noticed.
The future will be interesting for SWG, but probably not in the way Sony would have hoped. Watch that ledge...