Sony Online Entertainment's All Access Pass Delayed

SOE's upcoming plans to umbrella all of its online games under one monthly fee has been delayed in order to make the program as seamless as possible.

Under the new plan, players would have access to Sony Online Entertainment's library of games including titles like DC Universe Online, PlanetSide 2, EverQuest, EverQuest 2, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and Wizardry Online, and will eventually include EverQuest Next and EverQuest Landmark. By signing up for the plan, players gain top-tier membership bonuses in all applicable games, 500 Station Cash monthly from within the game marketplaces, a 10-percent discount on marketplace purchases, and access to exclusive promotions. The SOE All Access plan will be $14.99 a month, with added discounts for long-term commitments of three, six, and 12 months.

Community relations manager Collette "Dexella" Murphy shared the news on SOE's forum with the following statement:

In an effort to ensure that the transition to the new All Access membership plan is as seamless as possible, we are going to be taking a little more time to test. So, we will be pushing the launch date of All Access to Tuesday, April 29th. Because of the portfolio-wide nature of this plan, this may prevent us from doing any individual game updates in EverQuest, EverQuest II, Planetside 2, and DC Universe Online. These updates will resume normally after the All Access launch. We appreciate your patience and you’ll agree that our new membership offering is worth the wait.

The original date set for the SOE All Access program was early April, but is was pushed back and is now set to launch "on or about" April 29. You can learn more about the program by checking out this FAQ from Sony.

[Source: SOE Forums, via Massively]

Our Take
I like the idea behind the pass. It certainly seems like it will be worthwhile even if  you only play a few of the games that fall under the SOE banner. It's not too much of a disappointment that it is delayed, however. There's no real rush to start giving Sony money every month, even if the benefits are attractive.