Sony Online Entertainment Becomes Daybreak Game Company

I lack an understanding? You think a division president has say in who his division gets sold to and i lack understanding?

Theres nothing you could possibly explain since you simply dont have a clue. Like i said blaming smed for the sale or who they where sold to is incredibly ignorant, period.

You would do the same. He is told what to do by his boss. Just like the people below him are doing what he tells them to do. He is not the one who chose to lay people off. He was told to do it and he did it because he had no other choice. Just like the people laid off he has a family and has to provide for them.

What kind of positive direction do you see it going in? Population triple? Double? Needing new servers because the game is getting too many new players? Or just "good enough" to keep and retain who is still playing? I never see EQ1 gaining any interest from outsiders/noobies ever again and honestly, this is what any new company will be the most interested in: "How well does this game attract new players and a steady flow of new blood?" Because nobody in their right mind would buy a game that only has a cult following like EQ1 does and expect much out of it in the long term.

So I am real curious in what your opinion is of "positive direction" when it comes to a game that has been around since the late 1990s.

And lets face it, new up and coming devs, coders etc want to be working on current technology games. Why in the hell would a group of new devs/coders want to be working on a game with outdated legacy Win98-era code? I understand you have to start somewhere job wise, but EQ1 is just one of the last games left with code that ancient that still needs tinkered with. A lot of these new coders/devs start out on a lesser game with CURRENT tech at least.

The distinction is more than "meaningful". He is absolutely powerless. Hes just the head of a division that was sold. Not sure what you are getting confused here, his job was to run the division and do what he was told. Thats what he is doing now, inventing power he does not have to slather more hate on the already hated man is just sick.

If you don't believe or think that more layoffs are coming, then I have a bridge to sell you. More are coming. Honestly, I don't think we are being told the whole story either.

Go back and read. You are confusing yourself due to a lack of information. The coders are not getting axed... Stop taking misinformation and overthinking it.

Management, designers and producers are what we are seeing being let go. Actual developers seem to be sticking around. SO the guys that do the actual coding are there but the ones deciding the direction of said coding are getting reworked. That make more sense?

Step back and look at the big picture and who is actually getting let go.

Again, what is your REALISTIC idea of "positive direction" for EQ1? And be realistic. This game will never attract new players again, so lets get that out of the way right now.

Exactly. Your average player does not understand the difference between a developer and programmer. Developers make content with the tools from the game engine that is written by the programmers. You can find developers. Finding people to understand code written 20 years ago is another thing.

I wouldn't say that at all. If EQ was given the resources it could attract new players. What the game needs is an expansion that has content for all levels and advertising to attract new players. Simply put the game does not look bad for how old it is and could be improved on. But when you take the money the game made and spend it elsewhere for 10 years you end up with what we have now.

So while your statement can be true the game will never attract new players its only true because management lacks the vision to improve the game and the willingness to reinvest the money the game made to do so.

What is sad is this is most likely just round 1.

I imagine they were bought and then were told get rid of everyone you can and still run the business.

Next will be and now get rid of 20% more of your employees.

Likely also told to cancel Eqnext, spin Landmark to it's own ip, focus on H1Z1 and PS2: port everything possible to multi platform, Run ongoing games as is until we decide to sunset them or sell them off to others. If we start seeing primary coders go then it is not looking good for a run as is or sell off of ongoing games depending on what CN wants from buying SOE long term/short term $$

If they were told to cancel eqnext wouldnt all of the eqn staff of been laid off ?

Dunno just spitballing if I had bought SOE and wanted to make money off it fast and then get rid of the dross it is what I would do, Maybe they will move those still on that team to landmark and quick push it out, or maybe they will change the focus of EQN and make it a cruddy PC/Platform crud fest like blizzard did to Diablo3

you call diablo 3 a crap fest. Others call it one of the best selling PC games ever.

Let's be honest. Nothing from Blizzard anymore sells because it's good. It sells because it's Blizzard.

Oh stop. You're going off the rails projecting like that, in addition to being wrong or deliberately obtuse. I understand the difference between a CEO and a President. It doesn't change the fact that he is at the top of the food chain at Daybreak and could choose to refuse to fire these people, etc. He has options. He does have choices to make. The nature of his job is the same as his subordinates at the end of the day. No one at that company *has* to do what they're told. They can choose not to. Just as the person/people above them can choose to dismiss them for not doing what they're told. Smedley could fight back if he chose to do so. We don't even know that he isn't and hasn't. Frankly I don't care. I don't know the extent to which he is personally responsible for the successes or failures there. I'm just observing this from a business perspective. While I'm sure there are people who haven't done their job with SOE very well, I don't wish ill will on Smedley or anyone else who works/worked there.

The irony here is you acting as if you had this all objectively worked out. You were rude and condescending to Pelamar, and are now attempting to vilify me as if I'm "sick" and trying to slather hate on Smedley. Get a grip. You're the one who said, "The leadership at SOE has been trash for a long time now". I suggest backing off from the keyboard and take a break for a bit.

Hi, I am Blizzard let me put my name on this box and sell millions of copies. crud :a substance that is disgusting or unpleasant, typically because of its dirtiness. not crap although crud can be crap I was not referring to crap in this case. Diablo 3 is ok but it is not the best Blizzard has ever done

Refuse lol. When your boss tells you to do something and you refuse let me know how that works for you man. Ignorance is bliss i guess. He has a family to provide for refusing to do what you're told by someone who can fire you is not an option period.

Actually yes it is an option, you just won't see a lot of people use it

You obviously have no kids or family to take care of. Refusing is not an option when you have responsibilities in life.

time out im outta popcorn... really you posters crack me up with the evil plots and speculation and damn you all have tried and condemned smed at every chance when clearly he probably is in no more then a spokesman/middle man for shareholders to the employees, lets let the dust settle a bit before we burn the man at the stake.
on /steps back and lets the children continue to argue whilst he grabs more popcorn!