Today, we are pleased to announce that we have been acquired by Columbus Nova, an investment management firm well known for its success with its existing portfolio of technology, media and entertainment focused companies. This means that effective immediately SOE will operate as an independent game development studio where we will continue to focus on creating exceptional online games for players around the world, and now as a multi-platform gaming company. Yes, that means PlayStation and Xbox, mobile and more!
As part of this transition, SOE will now become Daybreak Game Company. This name embodies who we are as an organization, and is a nod to the passion and dedication of our employees and players. It is also representative of our vision to approach each new day as an opportunity to move gaming forward.
A little more information http://www.polygon.com/2015/2/2/7963995/sony-online-entertainment-sold-off-by-sony-renamed-daybreak-game
To be fair, SOE was doing nothing to build on EverQuest's legacy. EQNext, which I affectionately call EQLast, has nothing to do with EverQuest and was just a cheap use of a successful brand name. It would be like me selling a new deodorant called Skittles. I do hope they continue to release expansions for the people who play EQ live servers and respond to the swarm of inquiries for a new TLP server.
Zircon said:
I do hope they continue to release expansions for the people who play EQ live servers and respond to the swarm of inquiries for a new TLP server.
This will only work if they get some people in charge with some vision who are willing to make some serious changes or invest more in EQ's future. The last few expansions have been terrible and this last expansion (by far the worst due to them changing their paradigm to force us to play in new content) has run off people at an alarming rate. My guild, a historically top 10 server-wide raiding guild, lost (retired) around 20-25 players in the last 2 months. I know a couple of other guilds at our level that are having the same problems.
Mixed emotions. I dont know what to feel about it.. :S
http://www.allgamesbeta.com/2015/02/sony-online-entertainment-acquired-by.html
Reht said:
This will only work if they get some people in charge with some vision who are willing to make some serious changes or invest more in EQ's future. The last few expansions have been terrible and this last expansion (by far the worst due to them changing their paradigm to force us to play in new content) has run off people at an alarming rate. My guild, a historically top 10 server-wide raiding guild, lost (retired) around 20-25 players in the last 2 months. I know a couple of other guilds at our level that are having the same problems.
This only reinforces the need for Pantheon to be successful with the turmoil of MMOs in general and especially old-school MMOs. I quit EQ prior to the release of the latest expansion; however, I left for the same reasons as your guildies did. Hopefully, what is a negative for SoE (and potentially for EQ), may turn into a positive for Pantheon in that their communities will rally around development here.
Whatever transpires though, it will most definitely be a sad day if I see EQ close its doors.
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-sales-look-strong-but-sony-expects-to-make-another-loss-next-year/1100-6419620/ yikes a $60 million write off for SOE PC titles........
Sony moves a profitable SoE to its console gaming division to then write down 60million in losses, now to selling the company.
Big business big stupidity. Anyone with half a brain knew you can't put a PC game division in the console Division and expect miracles. Not many people actually knew Smed went from answering to Sony Board to the Console division a few years ago, it was they who shut down all thoe games along with Vanguard.
This is probably the best thing to happen to SoE Since Brad started Development on Everquest.
Maybe now is the time to buy Vanguard IP?
It may be a positive change for SOE we will have to see how it plays out. They talked about more opportunities b/c of being able to go multi-platform. Not being a fanboi here, just saying it could go either way. It certainly was a surprise for me. I focus mostly on PC games so I really do not care about the other platforms - though I see how the market is expanding there. Also given how SONY has been a big target lately - Daybreak gets to escape that.
Blizzard canceled Blizzcon in 2012, sometimes these things happen.
PS My son's ankle is quite swollen, When the snow subsides I may have to take him to get x-rays, but I think it is just a bad sprain.
The MMO world is about to fall off a cliff. Nothing is keeping people in anymore. Nothing. They are jumping from one ship to the next, hoping and praying they will find the one. I am not trying to be a downer, but I don't think Next is happening for quite some time if ever. Big corps are looking for profit period. They didn't buy out SoE to save games that don't fit their agenda (making money). It sucks, but this is the way of the world. And on a side note I would rather see Pantheon start small with a smaller profit/loss margin that can be a lot more manageable then try to create something so big it falls on deaf ears (I hope that makes sense).
Personally, I want to see a MMO do very well and make a ton of profit. The real problem has been the dwindling profit of the MMO genre. This has a lot to do with so many companies trying to take a piece of the pie. Personally, I want a solid MMO to make a lot of profit. That means they've brought a game to the market that people want to play.
Companies have to make profit. The longer MMOs "get by" the longer we will see the genre slowly go away.
Over all I was not a huge fan of some of the things SOE did but they bank rolled a lot of things I played. It will be interesting to see what they do. I can't help but imagine that based off who purchased them they will try for a diversified portfolio of games but what will that mean? I wonder if the Devs see this as a new opportunity for a sponsor or a loss of a potential one?
cram9030 said:
Over all I was not a huge fan of some of the things SOE did but they bank rolled a lot of things I played. It will be interesting to see what they do. I can't help but imagine that based off who purchased them they will try for a diversified portfolio of games but what will that mean? I wonder if the Devs see this as a new opportunity for a sponsor or a loss of a potential one?
These are my thoughts too, I did not agree with a lot of decisions made but they kept two games I loved going until recently closing VG down.
I am strongly against companies like SOE moving into multi platform, as it always ends badly for PC users/gamers as the other platforms can never keep up in terms of graphics, technology, power, innovation, quality etc. which means we always end up with horrible ports and very poor optimisations among other things.
In my opinion, PC companies/games should focus on PC exclusively and other platforms should focus on their specific platforms, it would not only be better for the companies involved but much better for us gamers and our beloved games.
Having one's finger in too many pies...
Kilsin said:
cram9030 said:
Over all I was not a huge fan of some of the things SOE did but they bank rolled a lot of things I played. It will be interesting to see what they do. I can't help but imagine that based off who purchased them they will try for a diversified portfolio of games but what will that mean? I wonder if the Devs see this as a new opportunity for a sponsor or a loss of a potential one?
These are my thoughts too, I did not agree with a lot of decisions made but they kept two games I loved going until recently closing VG down.
I am strongly against companies like SOE moving into multi platform, as it always ends badly for PC users/gamers as the other platforms can never keep up in terms of graphics, technology, power, innovation, quality etc. which means we always end up with horrible ports and very poor optimisations among other things.
In my opinion, PC companies/games should focus on PC exclusively and other platforms should focus on their specific platforms, it would not only be better for the companies involved but much better for us gamers and our beloved games.
Thats why I am wondering if they will look at having a diversified PC portfolio full of safe small but steady games and some big swings at big markets or if they will go full multi-platform. What they view as "blue chippers" will be very telling as to the future of the business IMO.
cram9030 said:
Kilsin said:
cram9030 said:
Over all I was not a huge fan of some of the things SOE did but they bank rolled a lot of things I played. It will be interesting to see what they do. I can't help but imagine that based off who purchased them they will try for a diversified portfolio of games but what will that mean? I wonder if the Devs see this as a new opportunity for a sponsor or a loss of a potential one?
These are my thoughts too, I did not agree with a lot of decisions made but they kept two games I loved going until recently closing VG down.
I am strongly against companies like SOE moving into multi platform, as it always ends badly for PC users/gamers as the other platforms can never keep up in terms of graphics, technology, power, innovation, quality etc. which means we always end up with horrible ports and very poor optimisations among other things.
In my opinion, PC companies/games should focus on PC exclusively and other platforms should focus on their specific platforms, it would not only be better for the companies involved but much better for us gamers and our beloved games.
Thats why I am wondering if they will look at having a diversified PC portfolio full of safe small but steady games and some big swings at big markets or if they will go full multi-platform. What they view as "blue chippers" will be very telling as to the future of the business IMO.
They announced that they are going multi platform mate:
"and now as a multi-platform gaming company. Yes, that means PlayStation and Xbox, mobile and more!"
Which is what is worrying as those platforms never work in harmony with the PC platform but either way I am not really surprised to see this happen and without saying anything too negative, I can't say it will effect me much as I stopped dealing with them the day VG was sunsetted and will not deal with them again.
I am just concerned for the industry though, we see this too often and PC should never be mixed with console or mobile platforms unless the game is created on PC for PC and scaled down for other less capable platforms like console or mobile but PC games should never be made to suffer with those platforms in mind unless it is being created directly for those platforms and excluding PC or as I said scaled down after a PC version has been created.
Here's what I sent to the Investment Firm that purchased SOE:
Columbus Nova,
I’ve been involved with MMOs as a tester/advisor/consumer since the 90s as a hobby. Your acquisition of SOE was probably a good move, and I’d look forward to positive short term return. The market is a good one and SOE has a reputation built on solid products they acquired early. However, I would like to contribute my opinion, as a consumer, that the SOE culture is skewed toward ‘one hit wonders’ so to speak, within this market. This is due to the fact that they’re still riding the success of a few initial products and lack the true ‘vision’ to recreate them.
Brad McQuaid and Verant created Everquest(EQ), which brought SOE into the MMO scene. It’s that game that really rocketed the MMO genre into the sensation it is today. As an early consumer of this product, I can tell you first hand that Brad’s vision is what made EQ, and EQ is what made SOE. I see shadows of Brad’s vision in every product on the market to this day. They attempt(weakly) to capture that early magic within the genre. I can also tell you as a consumer that when SOE acquired Verant the quality of the product went downhill fast in the eyes of the primary user base. SOE alienated us to open the market to a new user base for additional revenue; the shoot ‘em up crowd. It worked, they received a quick injection of revenue, but it diluted the product and made the true user base scatter. In the end their short term goal overcame the product’s long term potential.
If you would like to capture the essence of SOE’s success, I would suggest looking at Brad McQuaid and Visionary Realms https://www.pantheonrotf.com/
If you’re looking to invest in the quality that made SOE a giant in the market, you won’t find it at SOE, you’ll find it at Visionary Realms in Brad McQuaid. This is just one humble consumer’s opinion, but I’m also a Business Intelligence Architect who’s planned and facilitated strategic systems for many fortune500 companies. Feel free to contact me if you’d like the opinion of an impartial consumer who also has strategic business understanding. I can talk your ear off about the subject.
Thanks,
