Sony Online Entertainment, developer of The Everquest series, Matrix Online and Vanguard Saga of Heroes, is seriously considering bringing an massively multiplayer online game to the Playstation Portable.

Speaking with MTV Multiplayer, at the New York Games Conference last week, SOE President, John Smedley said “I think PSP is something that we’re definitely looking at; 34 million [sold] worldwide really opens your eyes, and they’re all connected.”

It's unlikely that we'll see a fully-fledged MMO announced overnight,instead SOE will be looking at ways to implement MMO features gradually to see how it could work. Smedley suggests in the interview that the company's upcoming free-to-play MMO, Free Realms could be used as part of the experiment.

"...you could have a pet-training system that literally connects to our online gaming where you can mess around with your pet," he commented.

One issue that sprang to mind was that with the PSP requiring a Wi-Fi connection to get online, unless you're near to a Wi-Fi hotspot you won't be able to play an MMO on the move. Medley, however, believes that an MMO on the handheld could work with a balance of online and offline gaming.

“Another way to do it might be to give them mini-games that they can do [on the PSP] when sitting at a bus stop,” he offered. “You’re sitting there leveling up your character, you log in at home when you’re on wi-fi, and all of sudden your character has leveled up. We think those kinds of experiences are very possible.”

Sony has revealed its working on new Everquest games in the series. Could one of these be the first full-fledged MMO to hit the PSP?

Source :: MTV Multiplayer