I will take the inital compliment as it was intended. That I did a professional job of making a post to inform the community on the information I found myself by doing research. I fail to see any backlash in simply listing opinions on released information that developers have provided. In fact I find it funny that my opinions on a game have turned into some secret viral marketing to promote the game. I went from being someone who visits mmorpg that makes a post now and then, to someone that has to be up to something because i simply have a good feeling about a title that you may not.
You are not allowed to like any game here. Except Guild Wars 2 and Eve.
Strange, I didn't like GW1 or Eve. Eve was always a bit to slow paced for me. I never really gave guild wars 2 the time because I was heavy into eq1 raiding at the time, so no comment.
Some folks here have mentioned the fact that SOE moved back DCUO's release date as a redeeming quality. Now, I am seriously considering picking up the game, so don't take the following as an attempt to bask either SOE or DCUO. But, hasn't anyone considered the fact that they moved back the release date as to not butt heads with Cataclysm, and not necessarily because they were making improvements on the game?
Some folks here have mentioned the fact that SOE moved back DCUO's release date as a redeeming quality. Now, I am seriously considering picking up the game, so don't take the following as an attempt to bask either SOE or DCUO. But, hasn't anyone considered the fact that they moved back the release date as to not butt heads with Cataclysm, and not necessarily because they were making improvements on the game?
You mean to avoid lossing subscribers the way WarHammer Online was killed by the WotLK release (not to mention their complete lack of end-game content)!?!? Why would a company want to do that?
Could be correct in that assumption. It still allowed more time for development even if that was the case. I played wow from launch on and off till hardmode icc 25, now the game has very little redeeming qualities to me. So I cannot objectively post on the subject of world of warcraft.
Some folks here have mentioned the fact that SOE moved back DCUO's release date as a redeeming quality. Now, I am seriously considering picking up the game, so don't take the following as an attempt to bask either SOE or DCUO. But, hasn't anyone considered the fact that they moved back the release date as to not butt heads with Cataclysm, and not necessarily because they were making improvements on the game?
You mean to avoid lossing subscribers the way WarHammer Online was killed by the WotLK release (not to mention their complete lack of end-game content)!?!? Why would a company want to do that?
I remember back when i was supporting warhammer pre launch. I was excited about some of the things that they brought to the table, even tho I was never big on pvp. When the developers said they didn't want to compete with wow and would rather be a niche game, I knew bad things were coming. When i played the game and realized it had little to no pve value I left.
Some folks here have mentioned the fact that SOE moved back DCUO's release date as a redeeming quality. Now, I am seriously considering picking up the game, so don't take the following as an attempt to bask either SOE or DCUO. But, hasn't anyone considered the fact that they moved back the release date as to not butt heads with Cataclysm, and not necessarily because they were making improvements on the game?
You mean to avoid lossing subscribers the way WarHammer Online was killed by the WotLK release (not to mention their complete lack of end-game content)!?!? Why would a company want to do that?
I am not saying that it wasn't a wise thing to do. At the same time, I was just implying that there was more of a reason than just increased development time that probably went into the decision to move the release date back to early 2011.
Some folks here have mentioned the fact that SOE moved back DCUO's release date as a redeeming quality. Now, I am seriously considering picking up the game, so don't take the following as an attempt to bask either SOE or DCUO. But, hasn't anyone considered the fact that they moved back the release date as to not butt heads with Cataclysm, and not necessarily because they were making improvements on the game?
If that were the case, it would only be a bad thing if DCUO were a buggy, unfinished mess with no plans on improving it in the next quarter. A statement that none of us could openly verify without breaking an NDA, but the truth of which might be tested by watching any of the latest beta leak videos on Youtube.
(The reason it would not be a bad thing otherwise is because I feel anything that will help the sales of the game, even if it means postponing it so as not to compete with Cataclysm, is beneficial to the playerbase in the end. Provided, of course, that the end result is not a buggy, unfinished mess.)
Some folks here have mentioned the fact that SOE moved back DCUO's release date as a redeeming quality. Now, I am seriously considering picking up the game, so don't take the following as an attempt to bask either SOE or DCUO. But, hasn't anyone considered the fact that they moved back the release date as to not butt heads with Cataclysm, and not necessarily because they were making improvements on the game?
That's exactly what happened. Who wants to compete with Cataclysm? Plus they get the bonus of an extended beta.
Some folks here have mentioned the fact that SOE moved back DCUO's release date as a redeeming quality. Now, I am seriously considering picking up the game, so don't take the following as an attempt to bask either SOE or DCUO. But, hasn't anyone considered the fact that they moved back the release date as to not butt heads with Cataclysm, and not necessarily because they were making improvements on the game?
No, I really don't think that, at all. It's not like people just blindly go to the last released game. I don't see how releasing a month after Cataclysm would make a difference. If that was their goal, delaying until May would make more sense. People either want to play WoW, or they want to play something else. I don't see that as a big factor. The failure of other games had less to do with when they were released than, and more to do with them not being good enough.
They mentioned wanting to add depth in certain areas, and I can see that being valid, especially since the main focus of the game will be the end-game content. I'm sure they want to make that as polished as possible. Most games release with the end-game content unfinished, figuring that they will have time to work on it after release. DCUO doesn't have that luxury, with a level cap at 30. I also imagine that since they promised seasonal content, they probably wanted to set the release date after the holidays so they wouldn't have to deal with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years content right after release. The first holiday they are doing is Valentine's Day.
Some folks here have mentioned the fact that SOE moved back DCUO's release date as a redeeming quality. Now, I am seriously considering picking up the game, so don't take the following as an attempt to bask either SOE or DCUO. But, hasn't anyone considered the fact that they moved back the release date as to not butt heads with Cataclysm, and not necessarily because they were making improvements on the game?
No, I really don't think that, at all. It's not like people just blindly go to the last released game. I don't see how releasing a month after Cataclysm would make a difference. If that was their goal, delaying until May would make more sense. People either want to play WoW, or they want to play something else. I don't see that as a big factor. The failure of other games had less to do with when they were released than, and more to do with them not being good enough.
They mentioned wanting to add depth in certain areas, and I can see that being valid, especially since the main focus of the game will be the end-game content. I'm sure they want to make that as polished as possible. Most games release with the end-game content unfinished, figuring that they will have time to work on it after release. DCUO doesn't have that luxury, with a level cap at 30. I also imagine that since they promised seasonal content, they probably wanted to set the release date after the holidays so they wouldn't have to deal with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years content right after release. The first holiday they are doing is Valentine's Day.
Once again, releasing a month after Cataclysm DOES make a difference because now DCUO doesn't have to compete with Cataclysm for Xmas gift purchases. Put more simply, the devs knew Cataclysm would go on preorder right around DCUO's planned release date. Now, with the bulk of the Cataclysm purchases being made before Xmas, DCUO can release without competition.
I just can't get excited about this game. It sounds like a re-vamped version of City of Heroes. It would really be cool if my feelings about that were proven wrong, because the premise is good....as it was with CoH.
I just can't get excited about this game. It sounds like a re-vamped version of City of Heroes. It would really be cool if my feelings about that were proven wrong, because the premise is good....as it was with CoH.
What makes it sound anything like City of Heroes, other than it's a Superhero Genre? I don't really get that. Almost everything is different. Only time will tell if all the difference will make it a better game. On paper it looks like it will be far superior, but only playing it will determine if it is actually fun for the long hall.
Originally posted by jpnole Originally posted by LESTATx75Some folks here have mentioned the fact that SOE moved back DCUO's release date as a redeeming quality. Now, I am seriously considering picking up the game, so don't take the following as an attempt to bask either SOE or DCUO. But, hasn't anyone considered the fact that they moved back the release date as to not butt heads with Cataclysm, and not necessarily because they were making improvements on the game?
That's exactly what happened. Who wants to compete with Cataclysm? Plus they get the bonus of an extended beta.
Yup and it's not like they are mutually exclusive either. They could have moved back the release to avoid cata AND increase the polish on the game.
Once again, releasing a month after Cataclysm DOES make a difference because now DCUO doesn't have to compete with Cataclysm for Xmas gift purchases. Put more simply, the devs knew Cataclysm would go on preorder right around DCUO's planned release date. Now, with the bulk of the Cataclysm purchases being made before Xmas, DCUO can release without competition.
DCU moving to 2011 release is only going to put it in the release timeframe of several other games in addition to players just getting to the end game areas of cataclysm.
A lot of people think that releasing against a wow expansion is suicide, but the real problem has always been releasing a subpar game. Many games have released the last 5 years without competition from wow or other games and failed just as bad as games that released near a wow expansion.
A game will thrive or die on its own merits. Cataclysm will just affect initial sales numbers. If DCU (or any game) is good it will grow by word of mouth. If it isn't very strong it will decline by the same word of mouth.
I personally don't think Cata affected the launch......much. Granted, most companies are going to shy away from releasing anything near the Cata launch; much like smart movie studios give AAA blockbusters a wide berth at opening to avoid being crushed. I think the Cata launch announcement gave them an excuse to push back and polish.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
I just can't get excited about this game. It sounds like a re-vamped version of City of Heroes. It would really be cool if my feelings about that were proven wrong, because the premise is good....as it was with CoH.
Have you watched any of the extended gameplay video? Done any research on the game? Forget revamped.... it's an evolution!
Once again, releasing a month after Cataclysm DOES make a difference because now DCUO doesn't have to compete with Cataclysm for Xmas gift purchases. Put more simply, the devs knew Cataclysm would go on preorder right around DCUO's planned release date. Now, with the bulk of the Cataclysm purchases being made before Xmas, DCUO can release without competition.
DCU moving to 2011 release is only going to put it in the release timeframe of several other games in addition to players just getting to the end game areas of cataclysm.
A lot of people think that releasing against a wow expansion is suicide, but the real problem has always been releasing a subpar game. Many games have released the last 5 years without competition from wow or other games and failed just as bad as games that released near a wow expansion.
A game will thrive or die on its own merits. Cataclysm will just affect initial sales numbers. If DCU (or any game) is good it will grow by word of mouth. If it isn't very strong it will decline by the same word of mouth.
Which games? Two Worlds 2??? There are no major games... or at least MMOs that will compete with DCUO in January. An early January release could give DCUO a full 60 - 90 days or more of zero competetion from new MMOs... probably longer. Who knows when SWTOR is releasing? Sure won't be before the Spring. And as I said, most Cataclysm purchases will be made before Xmas. I already preordered Cataclysm myself. Waiting until Jan is a win/win situation for SOE - no competition and extended beta.
I was under the impression that soe still has not set a release date for DCU yet. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought it still was slated for Q1 of 2011, which could mean Jan/Feb/March if it doesn't get pushed back again.
Anyhow, I don't think it hurts to avoid cataclysm, but it isn't the only competition coming out. Cataclysm will still be in full swing come January and most likely will have announced the first big content patch. Champions online is going F2P, both Everquest and EverquestII expansions will be releasing then as well. The longer they delay the closer dcu gets to Rifts, Swtor, Guildwars2, Tera, Torchlight2, Earthrise, Super Hero Squad online, etc, etc. January looks like a safer bet for DCU while we are still in november, but anything is possible. Q1/Q2 of 2011 looks like it is going to be busy. IMHO launching anywhere near SWTOR, GW2 and maybe even Rifts is going to be more competition than cataclysm. DCU is going to attract players who are looking for something new and those games are also going to be attracting the same players.
However the delay is not giving dcu an extended beta, it is giving the game a beta. There was no beta testing going on prior to the delay and the developers were often talking about how the game didn't need a beta. Delaying and getting a beta is a win for dcu, because that is way more important than releasing premature just to get holiday sales. We have all seen what releasing a game premature has done to mmos.
I just wish it didn't take the threat of competing with cataclysm to get soe to delay the game and throw in a beta as an afterthought.
I was under the impression that soe still has not set a release date for DCU yet. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought it still was slated for Q1 of 2011, which could mean Jan/Feb/March if it doesn't get pushed back again.
Anyhow, I don't think it hurts to avoid cataclysm, but it isn't the only competition coming out. Cataclysm will still be in full swing come January and most likely will have announced the first big content patch. Champions online is going F2P, both Everquest and EverquestII expansions will be releasing then as well. The longer they delay the closer dcu gets to Rifts, Swtor, Guildwars2, Tera, Torchlight2, Earthrise, Super Hero Squad online, etc, etc. January looks like a safer bet for DCU while we are still in november, but anything is possible. Q1/Q2 of 2011 looks like it is going to be busy. IMHO launching anywhere near SWTOR, GW2 and maybe even Rifts is going to be more competition than cataclysm. DCU is going to attract players who are looking for something new and those games are also going to be attracting the same players.
However the delay is not giving dcu an extended beta, it is giving the game a beta. There was no beta testing going on prior to the delay and the developers were often talking about how the game didn't need a beta. Delaying and getting a beta is a win for dcu, because that is way more important than releasing premature just to get holiday sales. We have all seen what releasing a game premature has done to mmos.
I just wish it didn't take the threat of competing with cataclysm to get soe to delay the game and throw in a beta as an afterthought.
This is almost correct. I know of a few testers who have been testing since before the announcement. They've stated in interviews that they have been using focus groups for testing (from a local college or some such). It did however give them an opportunity for a better, true beta IMO.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
I just can't get excited about this game. It sounds like a re-vamped version of City of Heroes. It would really be cool if my feelings about that were proven wrong, because the premise is good....as it was with CoH.
Nothing about this game resembles city of heroes accept the fact that both revolve around superheroes.
By your logic every fantasy game must be just another rehash.
I personally don't think Cata affected the launch......much. Granted, most companies are going to shy away from releasing anything near the Cata launch; much like smart movie studios give AAA blockbusters a wide berth at opening to avoid being crushed. I think the Cata launch announcement gave them an excuse to push back and polish.
I was heavily tied into the wow community, I played the game since beta and would purchase expansions the day the released. However I think the overall feel is that wow is losing steam and doesn't seem to be the powerhouse it once was. Blizzard itself is more concerned with its other titles and have put wow on the back burner. Just like eq, people will always be fans of it but eventually move on when another mainstream title presents itself. I think the community demands better products these days, so you will see a migration in the next year. With DCUP, GW2, Rift in my mind being the front runners on the race, these companies have done a great job in development and pushed lot of time and money into these games, they don't want box sales, they want subs.
Yeah, but focus testing is far different than beta testing.
focus testing is just another level of beta testing, it isn't different at all. Beta is general testing allowing your testers to play everything and report any issues they run into. focus testing limits it down to one specific area, raid, or quest and forcing them to do it 1000x to make sure its production ready.
Moving from Nov to Jan is just smart for marketing and development. You only have one release for a new title and you better make sure you get it right these days, because no free trial will save you later. By putting it 1-2 months after the release of cata it allows people to get in the game, feel the burnout yet again and be ready to experience something better. It also allows them to make sure they are polished and not rush to get in the holiday season.
All things said I think it was a smart move. SOE is atleast starting to learn from their mistakes and not making them again. I watched a video on youtube about DC University. on Nov 2nd soe brought a bunch of people down to their headquarters to show them the state of the game and the studio. On the wall in the break room they had a projection running of over 150 motivational posters making fun of mistakes they have made in the mmo development. I think this shows that they are paying attention to the community and learning. Hopefully it pays off and they start giving us better products, if not its going to be very difficult for them to convince me to buy a title from them again.
I personally don't think Cata affected the launch......much. Granted, most companies are going to shy away from releasing anything near the Cata launch; much like smart movie studios give AAA blockbusters a wide berth at opening to avoid being crushed. I think the Cata launch announcement gave them an excuse to push back and polish.
I was heavily tied into the wow community, I played the game since beta and would purchase expansions the day the released. However I think the overall feel is that wow is losing steam and doesn't seem to be the powerhouse it once was. Blizzard itself is more concerned with its other titles and have put wow on the back burner. Just like eq, people will always be fans of it but eventually move on when another mainstream title presents itself. I think the community demands better products these days, so you will see a migration in the next year. With DCUP, GW2, Rift in my mind being the front runners on the race, these companies have done a great job in development and pushed lot of time and money into these games, they don't want box sales, they want subs.
The same thing was said in 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007....
Lets wait until a decent game is released before we start predicting that players are going to migrate in 2011 or that blizzard has put a game that is still growing and generates over 1 billion dollars a year, onto the back burner.
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Strange, I didn't like GW1 or Eve. Eve was always a bit to slow paced for me. I never really gave guild wars 2 the time because I was heavy into eq1 raiding at the time, so no comment.
Some folks here have mentioned the fact that SOE moved back DCUO's release date as a redeeming quality. Now, I am seriously considering picking up the game, so don't take the following as an attempt to bask either SOE or DCUO. But, hasn't anyone considered the fact that they moved back the release date as to not butt heads with Cataclysm, and not necessarily because they were making improvements on the game?
You mean to avoid lossing subscribers the way WarHammer Online was killed by the WotLK release (not to mention their complete lack of end-game content)!?!? Why would a company want to do that?
Could be correct in that assumption. It still allowed more time for development even if that was the case. I played wow from launch on and off till hardmode icc 25, now the game has very little redeeming qualities to me. So I cannot objectively post on the subject of world of warcraft.
I remember back when i was supporting warhammer pre launch. I was excited about some of the things that they brought to the table, even tho I was never big on pvp. When the developers said they didn't want to compete with wow and would rather be a niche game, I knew bad things were coming. When i played the game and realized it had little to no pve value I left.
I am not saying that it wasn't a wise thing to do. At the same time, I was just implying that there was more of a reason than just increased development time that probably went into the decision to move the release date back to early 2011.
If that were the case, it would only be a bad thing if DCUO were a buggy, unfinished mess with no plans on improving it in the next quarter. A statement that none of us could openly verify without breaking an NDA, but the truth of which might be tested by watching any of the latest beta leak videos on Youtube.
(The reason it would not be a bad thing otherwise is because I feel anything that will help the sales of the game, even if it means postponing it so as not to compete with Cataclysm, is beneficial to the playerbase in the end. Provided, of course, that the end result is not a buggy, unfinished mess.)
That's exactly what happened. Who wants to compete with Cataclysm? Plus they get the bonus of an extended beta.No, I really don't think that, at all. It's not like people just blindly go to the last released game. I don't see how releasing a month after Cataclysm would make a difference. If that was their goal, delaying until May would make more sense. People either want to play WoW, or they want to play something else. I don't see that as a big factor. The failure of other games had less to do with when they were released than, and more to do with them not being good enough.
They mentioned wanting to add depth in certain areas, and I can see that being valid, especially since the main focus of the game will be the end-game content. I'm sure they want to make that as polished as possible. Most games release with the end-game content unfinished, figuring that they will have time to work on it after release. DCUO doesn't have that luxury, with a level cap at 30. I also imagine that since they promised seasonal content, they probably wanted to set the release date after the holidays so they wouldn't have to deal with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years content right after release. The first holiday they are doing is Valentine's Day.
No, I really don't think that, at all. It's not like people just blindly go to the last released game. I don't see how releasing a month after Cataclysm would make a difference. If that was their goal, delaying until May would make more sense. People either want to play WoW, or they want to play something else. I don't see that as a big factor. The failure of other games had less to do with when they were released than, and more to do with them not being good enough.
They mentioned wanting to add depth in certain areas, and I can see that being valid, especially since the main focus of the game will be the end-game content. I'm sure they want to make that as polished as possible. Most games release with the end-game content unfinished, figuring that they will have time to work on it after release. DCUO doesn't have that luxury, with a level cap at 30. I also imagine that since they promised seasonal content, they probably wanted to set the release date after the holidays so they wouldn't have to deal with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years content right after release. The first holiday they are doing is Valentine's Day.
Once again, releasing a month after Cataclysm DOES make a difference because now DCUO doesn't have to compete with Cataclysm for Xmas gift purchases. Put more simply, the devs knew Cataclysm would go on preorder right around DCUO's planned release date. Now, with the bulk of the Cataclysm purchases being made before Xmas, DCUO can release without competition.I just can't get excited about this game. It sounds like a re-vamped version of City of Heroes. It would really be cool if my feelings about that were proven wrong, because the premise is good....as it was with CoH.
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What makes it sound anything like City of Heroes, other than it's a Superhero Genre? I don't really get that. Almost everything is different. Only time will tell if all the difference will make it a better game. On paper it looks like it will be far superior, but only playing it will determine if it is actually fun for the long hall.
Yup and it's not like they are mutually exclusive either. They could have moved back the release to avoid cata AND increase the polish on the game.
In fact I'd bet good money that's what happened.
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DCU moving to 2011 release is only going to put it in the release timeframe of several other games in addition to players just getting to the end game areas of cataclysm.
A lot of people think that releasing against a wow expansion is suicide, but the real problem has always been releasing a subpar game. Many games have released the last 5 years without competition from wow or other games and failed just as bad as games that released near a wow expansion.
A game will thrive or die on its own merits. Cataclysm will just affect initial sales numbers. If DCU (or any game) is good it will grow by word of mouth. If it isn't very strong it will decline by the same word of mouth.
I personally don't think Cata affected the launch......much. Granted, most companies are going to shy away from releasing anything near the Cata launch; much like smart movie studios give AAA blockbusters a wide berth at opening to avoid being crushed. I think the Cata launch announcement gave them an excuse to push back and polish.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
Have you watched any of the extended gameplay video? Done any research on the game? Forget revamped.... it's an evolution!
Which games? Two Worlds 2??? There are no major games... or at least MMOs that will compete with DCUO in January. An early January release could give DCUO a full 60 - 90 days or more of zero competetion from new MMOs... probably longer. Who knows when SWTOR is releasing? Sure won't be before the Spring. And as I said, most Cataclysm purchases will be made before Xmas. I already preordered Cataclysm myself. Waiting until Jan is a win/win situation for SOE - no competition and extended beta.
I was under the impression that soe still has not set a release date for DCU yet. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought it still was slated for Q1 of 2011, which could mean Jan/Feb/March if it doesn't get pushed back again.
Anyhow, I don't think it hurts to avoid cataclysm, but it isn't the only competition coming out. Cataclysm will still be in full swing come January and most likely will have announced the first big content patch. Champions online is going F2P, both Everquest and EverquestII expansions will be releasing then as well. The longer they delay the closer dcu gets to Rifts, Swtor, Guildwars2, Tera, Torchlight2, Earthrise, Super Hero Squad online, etc, etc. January looks like a safer bet for DCU while we are still in november, but anything is possible. Q1/Q2 of 2011 looks like it is going to be busy. IMHO launching anywhere near SWTOR, GW2 and maybe even Rifts is going to be more competition than cataclysm. DCU is going to attract players who are looking for something new and those games are also going to be attracting the same players.
However the delay is not giving dcu an extended beta, it is giving the game a beta. There was no beta testing going on prior to the delay and the developers were often talking about how the game didn't need a beta. Delaying and getting a beta is a win for dcu, because that is way more important than releasing premature just to get holiday sales. We have all seen what releasing a game premature has done to mmos.
I just wish it didn't take the threat of competing with cataclysm to get soe to delay the game and throw in a beta as an afterthought.
This is almost correct. I know of a few testers who have been testing since before the announcement. They've stated in interviews that they have been using focus groups for testing (from a local college or some such). It did however give them an opportunity for a better, true beta IMO.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
Yeah, but focus testing is far different than beta testing.
Because this has worked so well for SOE in the past.....
Isn't one definition of insanity something along the lines of: "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result?"
Nothing about this game resembles city of heroes accept the fact that both revolve around superheroes.
By your logic every fantasy game must be just another rehash.
I was heavily tied into the wow community, I played the game since beta and would purchase expansions the day the released. However I think the overall feel is that wow is losing steam and doesn't seem to be the powerhouse it once was. Blizzard itself is more concerned with its other titles and have put wow on the back burner. Just like eq, people will always be fans of it but eventually move on when another mainstream title presents itself. I think the community demands better products these days, so you will see a migration in the next year. With DCUP, GW2, Rift in my mind being the front runners on the race, these companies have done a great job in development and pushed lot of time and money into these games, they don't want box sales, they want subs.
focus testing is just another level of beta testing, it isn't different at all. Beta is general testing allowing your testers to play everything and report any issues they run into. focus testing limits it down to one specific area, raid, or quest and forcing them to do it 1000x to make sure its production ready.
Moving from Nov to Jan is just smart for marketing and development. You only have one release for a new title and you better make sure you get it right these days, because no free trial will save you later. By putting it 1-2 months after the release of cata it allows people to get in the game, feel the burnout yet again and be ready to experience something better. It also allows them to make sure they are polished and not rush to get in the holiday season.
All things said I think it was a smart move. SOE is atleast starting to learn from their mistakes and not making them again. I watched a video on youtube about DC University. on Nov 2nd soe brought a bunch of people down to their headquarters to show them the state of the game and the studio. On the wall in the break room they had a projection running of over 150 motivational posters making fun of mistakes they have made in the mmo development. I think this shows that they are paying attention to the community and learning. Hopefully it pays off and they start giving us better products, if not its going to be very difficult for them to convince me to buy a title from them again.
The same thing was said in 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007....
Lets wait until a decent game is released before we start predicting that players are going to migrate in 2011 or that blizzard has put a game that is still growing and generates over 1 billion dollars a year, onto the back burner.