Actually I am beta testing Warhammer Online right now, and playing LOTRO on the side. Lil bit of eq2 too for shits and giggles on my new comp (it looks awesome) But that's going by the wayside now that I got into Warhammer beta. Main game I am looking forward to is Age of Conan, now thats going to be an awesome game, and SOE is unlikely to ever get their hands on it, Funcom is a good stable company. However, all these games are based on preference of playstyle.
If PotBS is what floats your boat (pun intended) then that is awesome for you =o) I hope it turns out to be a great game. I myself am not that interested in it, but that doesn't mean it will be crappy. Most games on the market and new on the market are good games with their pros and their cons. Don't lump us all in one MMO basket because we're a bit suspicious where SOE is involved.
Its a very likely thing that they are trying to get involved so that they can have a part in any competition. Any good business knows they have to diversify, so if they can have a thumb in every part of the MMO Genre pie, then that just makes them smart marketers. Again this doesn't mean the game will go down the crapper.
For all that people hate SOE, they've done a very good job on EQ1 and 2, although they aren't everyones cup of tea. Vanguard was an exception as it was going down hill fast even before it went live, and that was the fault of Sigil, not Sony.