Columbus Nova And Daybreak Games

[Pinolian]

With the changing of the guard, SOE being sold off by Sony to an investment firm, Columbus Nova, and being subsequently renamed to Daybreak Games, I have a question about project 1999.

Will it still be allowed to exist? Will the new management, Columbus Nova, perceive P99 as a threat and request that it is shut down? Could they do so if they wished?

I am not trying to be melodramatic here. Nor do I pretend to completely understand the relationship between P99's founders/operators and the former SOE.

I am just asking a question from a concerned player's point of view.

Regards,
Pinolian

[Gooch]

I'd say that depends on if they have a new attorney that needs something to do. I doubt they would see P99 as a market threat, but it might be seen as a threat to the branding. Who knows what direction they are going. The EQ name really only carries any weight with the older gamers.

[Laugher]

It hasn't changed anything yet; I think Rogean chimed in on an earlier thread similar to this one and said that it has no effect on p99.

*edit* This doesn't affect us. We don't make any money or charge our players, and venture capitalists only care about money. They wouldn't benefit.

[Ele]

Nova has already started layoffs a week after buying the place and saying everything was going to be cool.

http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=35707

One year ago I took the above picture of a smiling Linda "Brasse" Carlson, the Director of Community Relations, in her expertly handmade dwarven regalia, on the Sony Online Entertainment campus.

About an hour ago the first confirmed layoff from the transition to Daybreak Games hit, with Linda posting on Facebook that "I have been released from the best and most challenging job I have ever had. I thank you all for being part of that incredible experience. Too many people to thank personally, but know that I am extraordinarily grateful and very curious where life takes me now."

Linda isn't the only one affected. EverQuest franchise Director of Development Dave "Smokejumper" Georgeson has confirmed now on Twitter that he was laid off. EverQuest II artist Aaron "Gnobrin" Bisnett has also confirmed that he is gone, and we've been told that Akil "Lyndro" Hooper from EQ/EQ2 has been let go as well.

Also confirmed are Adam "Ngreth" Bell (EQ dev) (x), Tiffany "Amnerys" Spence (Community) (x), Racheal "Afista" McKenny (EQ2 Community) (x), Endymion (EQ2 dev) (x), Eric "Felgon" Smith (Landmark/EQNext producer) (x), Noah Watkins (H1Z1 artist) (x), Steve "Moorgard" Danuser (EQNext Lead Content/Story Designer) (x), Kelduum Revaan (H1Z1 Technical Designer) (x) and Aimee "Ashlanne" Rekoske (Community) (x). There are likely many more, but these are the only ones we publicly know of at this time.

Colette "Dexella" Murphey posted the company's official statement; here are the key points:

Last week we announced that we were acquired and are now operating independently as
Daybreak Game Company.

Unfortunately, this realignment means adjusting staffing as well. We announced today that we
will eliminate positions in our San Diego and Austin studios.

These reductions will not affect the operation of our current games and as mentioned above, will
help better position our company for future success.

Daybreak's full statement is found after the jump. We wish the best to everyone involved.

Dear Players, Partners & Friends,

Last week we announced that we were acquired and are now operating independently as
Daybreak Game Company. To better position our newly independent studio for future growth
opportunities and to deliver on our legacy of making top online games, we have had to make
some tough choices including realignment of resources.

Unfortunately, this realignment means adjusting staffing as well. We announced today that we
will eliminate positions in our San Diego and Austin studios. We deeply value our employees
and never take these decisions lightly so we’ve done our best to do what’s right for the people
affected. Although extremely difficult, these are necessary actions that will ultimately drive
improved results and help strengthen our company’s foundation for success. Many of us are
saying goodbye to close friends and colleagues who we’ve worked with over the years, and we
are grateful for the memories and all that they’ve contributed. They will be greatly missed, and
we wish them nothing but the best for the future.

These reductions will not affect the operation of our current games and as mentioned above, will
help better position our company for future success. As we move forward, we are committed to
delivering the best online games and working side-by-side with our players to drive the future of
our online games.

Thank you for your continued support,
The Daybreak Games Team

[bulbousaur]

Pretty typical, though sorry to see some of the names I recognize go.

[phacemeltar]

considering they fired mostly eq people, i would be suprised if they even heard of p99. the countless emails from "concerned bluebies" isnt helping tho, i would think.

[Swish]

If anyone saw an EQ Next YouTube vid in the last year, they'd understand some of these layoffs... seems like the whole team spends their days drinking coffee and eating donuts rather than actually getting on with producing anything.

np tho, lets spend another session looking at what "not classic" structures, party zones and other Secondlife shit (http://youtu.be/_5oUWuVpwCY?t=24m57s) people have made over the last couple of weeks.

RIP EQ Next, it may not be dead yet but its on life support.

[Kope]

It's pretty sad to hear about the layoffs, especially with the names I can recognize and know.

[Gooch]

If anyone saw an EQ Next YouTube vid in the last year, they'd understand some of these layoffs... seems like the whole team spends their days drinking coffee and eating donuts rather than actually getting on with producing anything.

np tho, lets spend another session looking at what "not classic" structures, party zones and other Secondlife shit (http://youtu.be/_5oUWuVpwCY?t=24m57s) people have made over the last couple of weeks.

RIP EQ Next, it may not be dead yet but its on life support.

They (upper management) got comfortable on the big Sony money teet and the staff followed. This crew has lacked vision and direction for over a decade and that problem starts with the CEO. Hopefully this doesn't spell the end of the EQ franchise or worse turning it into a joke.

[dbouya]

it is the CEO's fault, but smedley kept his job.

[SCB]

If I ever became a pornstar, my name would be Columbus Nova.

[phacemeltar]

how doi buy stock in columbus nova? seriously..

[Toodles]

This doesn't affect us. We don't make any money or charge our players, and venture capitalists only care about money. They wouldn't benefit.

It hasn't changed anything yet; I think Rogean chimed in on an earlier thread similar to this one and said that it has no effect on p99.


I've always called bullshit on Rogean's defense concerning the legalities of Project 1999. It has nothing to do with whether this server makes money - it's about whether it detracts business away from the live paid version of the game. Hundreds of Warcraft servers were shut down every year, and they were not making any money by hosting them. Blizzard is still relying on subscription memberships, and free servers obviously take that away.

The reality is that Smedley and SOE don't see Project 1999 as a threat to their business model, and therefore don't waste their time pursuing legal action.

Now if Rogean can show us a signed letter by Smedley's accountants saying otherwise, then I'll happily retract my statement.

[myriverse]

Sony already lost one lawsuit to an Emu. They're not gonna try it.

[Calibretto]

I played both EQ1 and Eq2 simultaneously and raided on both of those games at a fairly hardcore pace. Having said that, I think they fired the right people and I also think that smed should be bounced as well. He's been shitting up every franchise for about 5 years now. (probably longer)

[fastboy21]

Sony already lost one lawsuit to an Emu. They're not gonna try it.

can you or someone else link the case you are referring to please? i would like to read the judgement.

thanks.

[myriverse]

can you or someone else link the case you are referring to please? i would like to read the judgement.

thanks.
It was against the company Bleem!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleem!

I don't have a copy of the judgment, but it ended with Bleem! being protected by a legal restraint order. Despite this, the court costs and the death of Dreamcast bankrupted Bleem. The situation wasn't the same, but the victory has strengthened the case of emulators.

There was another suit against Connectix, which Sony lost, as well.

[Lemiddar]

Jeff was the one that surprised me, as far as EQN goes. The rumor mill was wrong on his future with the company. I wonder if he'll land with Brad again over at Pantheon.

As for people mentioning Smed.. don't hold your breath on him getting the axe.

[Safon]

It was against the company Bleem!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleem!

I don't have a copy of the judgment, but it ended with Bleem! being protected by a legal restraint order. Despite this, the court costs and the death of Dreamcast bankrupted Bleem. The situation wasn't the same, but the victory has strengthened the case of emulators.

There was another suit against Connectix, which Sony lost, as well.

Oh snap, take that Sony

[Safon]

Jeff was the one that surprised me, as far as EQN goes. The rumor mill was wrong on his future with the company. I wonder if he'll land with Brad again over at Pantheon.

As for people mentioning Smed.. don't hold your breath on him getting the axe.

Isn't Brad and Co broke and making their next game via volunteers from the community?

[fastboy21]

Jeff was the one that surprised me, as far as EQN goes. The rumor mill was wrong on his future with the company. I wonder if he'll land with Brad again over at Pantheon.

As for people mentioning Smed.. don't hold your breath on him getting the axe.

Smed's future is all about stuff we don't necessarily know about. Canning the CEO in the first swoop cuts the knees out of the company's confidence and threatens the perception and trust of the company from the outside.

He has to produce at some point. I'm sure that he has been given some directives and he will have to make good on them in the time frame that was dictated. If he doesn't or can't he will be on the block sooner or later.

I wouldn't mind seeing him go at this point. I tend to think he has done, at best, a mediocre job in his leadership and direction he takes the company. I think he has settled for aiming small and missing small. His EQN leadership is less than impressive from the outside looking in.

[Lemiddar]

Isn't Brad and Co broke and making their next game via volunteers from the community?

Yeah, but if Brad and Jeff smell the opportunity to make Pantheon and sell it off to Daybreak I'm sure that'll seem appealing enough to give it a shot. It worked once.

[Swish]

Isn't Brad and Co broke and making their next game via volunteers from the community?

It's not looking too bad at the moment (this from November)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzSFuHBRdNU

[Safon]

It's not looking too bad at the moment (this from November)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzSFuHBRdNU

Is the game looking like a worthy successor to eq? Should we be excited about this?

I am trusting you on this call Swish

[Swish]

Is the game looking like a worthy successor to eq? Should we be excited about this?

I am trusting you on this call Swish

Too early to say, if they had a stable guy in charge I'd be more committed to say yes ;)

This over EQ Next though for sure - keep an eye on their site.

[planeofdreams]

It's not looking too bad at the moment (this from November)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzSFuHBRdNU

I liked how the chat log in this video is a straight out of EQ, like, the same colors and everything. Plus if you look closely you can see that the player is casting Spirit of the Wolf on himself at 1:53 or so.

This did more to pique my interest than the lion king: underground.

[Lilah]

We have been watching Pantheon with interest also, hubby has donated hes that keen. Looking forward to seeing how this one pans out.

[Deadlyfury]

This gets me excited as a successor to EQ.

I loved what EQN looked like at first, but giving the EQ franchise lately I am not hopeful this pantheon looks good though! **starts frantically Googling the game**

[fastboy21]

i'll plunk down 50 beans to play it...

[corradojeff]

Is the game looking like a worthy successor to eq? Should we be excited about this?

I am trusting you on this call Swish

I know its still really early and they are just trying to show their progress so far but I don't think they should be showcasing the melee/combat, and some of the NPC models in the fights, this early in the game. The combat at around 4:00 looks very clunky and the NPC models in the combat at around 7:00 look silly. Again, I know they are just showcasing the coding and progress so I hope it doesn't end up that way.


The landscapes, dungeons, light sources, shadows and view plane distance looks amazing though. I'm excited to see how far they will push the unity engine.

[sivax]

If anyone saw an EQ Next YouTube vid in the last year, they'd understand some of these layoffs... seems like the whole team spends their days drinking coffee and eating donuts rather than actually getting on with producing anything.

np tho, lets spend another session looking at what "not classic" structures, party zones and other Secondlife shit (http://youtu.be/_5oUWuVpwCY?t=24m57s) people have made over the last couple of weeks.

RIP EQ Next, it may not be dead yet but its on life support.

I mean I'm all for bashing this game, it don't seem to be something I would enjoy playing. But later on in the video they said all the sci-fi silly crap in Landmark would not be allowed into EQ Next. So your "not classic" structures etc comment may not be valid mate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5oUWuVpwCY#t=2237

[maskedmelon]

I know its still really early and they are just trying to show their progress so far but I don't think they should be showcasing the melee/combat, and some of the NPC models in the fights, this early in the game. The combat at around 4:00 looks very clunky and the NPC models in the combat at around 7:00 look silly. Again, I know they are just showcasing the coding and progress so I hope it doesn't end up that way.


The landscapes, dungeons, light sources, shadows and view plane distance looks amazing though. I'm excited to see how far they will push the unity engine.

I don't think they have an animator on the team. It seems like they've a talented environment artist or two, who are doubling as character artists, which they do not quite excel at, and tripling at animators, which they excel even less at ^^

The progress is amazing though for such a small team.

[Swish]

I mean I'm all for bashing this game, it don't seem to be something I would enjoy playing. But later on in the video they said all the sci-fi silly crap in Landmark would not be allowed into EQ Next. So your "not classic" structures etc comment may not be valid mate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5oUWuVpwCY#t=2237

The point im getting at sivax is landmark has lost direction/focus completely... if they want good quality buildings/ideas for EQ Next, that's not doing it.

[gloine36]

Regardless of what happens with EQ Next, the question is now what about licensing Everquest products? I can easily see licensing private servers like this as a revenue stream. The licenses could allow for altering content or anything using the code or even modifying that. Admins of these licensed servers could then charge for their services if they wanted to.

Now before you go off on that, take it to the EQOA community. They've wanted the ability to do that for a long time. Now move to Vanguard. It could be done there too. Same for EQ2. Sorry for the Stars Wars folks, but that cannot happen due to issues with Disney.

I doubt this would be a serious revenue stream, but it would be money going against losses. Let's look at why Columbus bought SOE. They had to have a reason to pour money into the purchase. What do they expect in return? Are they banking on EQN or the zombie game? What if they fail? Do they then sell off the pieces? This is going to have an effect on the emulator community at some point down the road. It could be very, very positive.

[Swish]

The average online gamer isnt necessarily a "nerd" anymore - tons of people play CoD and games designed to get people angry rather than to chill out.

Based on that, H1Z1 has a wider appeal than EQ Next ever will. If they picked one and went running with it I think the zombie game would win every time, especially if they keep it F2P.

[Karkona]

They dropped Storybricks so that won't be coming in landmark/eqn. And with Dave Georgeson and other people that got laid off, I don't see any of this in a positive light. I was really hoping EQ would rise to the top again one day, but it isn't looking good.

[Deadlyfury]

Game mechanics and other contributions always get changed before even beta, to me it's just them using a normal process, I think the game is doing fine, why all the negative thoughts, is there any history of daybreak buying game companies and shutting them down?It's not like this was a competitive game type for them.

If blizzard bought them I would say sure they are closing it down, but why would they be bought by someone (oor sold) if they were going to shut it down...

Where does all this negativity come from?

[Zheta]

I don't think they have an animator on the team.

I wonder if they want one. On a volunteer basis anyway. I did study animation in school.

[Karkona]

Game mechanics and other contributions always get changed before even beta, to me it's just them using a normal process, I think the game is doing fine, why all the negative thoughts, is there any history of daybreak buying game companies and shutting them down?It's not like this was a competitive game type for them.

If blizzard bought them I would say sure they are closing it down, but why would they be bought by someone (oor sold) if they were going to shut it down...

Where does all this negativity come from?

Thats the problem isn't it, we don't know anything about this new company—how do we know they aren't already poised on slowing down the development of eqn/landmark until it hits a crawl and it costs them pennies to sustain while they pull in the hype money and finally let it die a slow death on its own?

Meanwhile I'm sure H1z1 will be fine because people are crazy about zombie survival games, they'll likely put forth plenty of continuous development on it.

[Deadlyfury]

Thats the problem isn't it, we don't know anything about this new company—how do we know they aren't already poised on slowing down the development of eqn/landmark until it hits a crawl and it costs them pennies to sustain while they pull in the hype money and finally let it die a slow death on its own?

Meanwhile I'm sure H1z1 will be fine because people are crazy about zombie survival games, they'll likely put forth plenty of continuous development on it.
because it's not in their best interest, a successful company like this running a potentially massive game into the ground? They didn't get to where they are by doing that... this is shear stupidity

[Deadlyfury]

You must be unfamiliar with how SOE operates as a business. EQ peaked and never recovered, because they ran it into the ground. EQ2 peaked and never recovered, because they ran it into the ground. It's a good thing they haven't done that with... every other game...

Oh wait.

All I'm saying is why won't anyone give them a chance? They have broken away from Sony and this should be seen as a good thing...

[Potus]

Praise the job creators in Private Investment companies creating all these great jobs.

[Issar]

If I ever became a pornstar, my name would be Columbus Nova.

Trying to upvote this comment, but cannot find the button.

[Potus]

That'd be an ironic name because Columbus is credited with bringing Syphilis back to Europe.

[maskedmelon]

All I'm saying is why won't anyone give them a chance? They have broken away from Sony and this should be seen as a good thing...

It is... for Sony. SoE has never well represented its parent company. After Brad & Co. Left thy promptly set about offsetting the revenue stream instigated by EQ's early years. They worked long and hard to remove the aspects of the game that most appealed to their original fanbase while trying earnestly (and failing utterly) to attract an entirely new player type. I say good for Sony for cleansing itself of the festering sore that is/was SoE ^^