So what do you think of the DarkPaw Games announcement?

https://www.everquest2.com/news/darkpaw-games-producers-letter-2020

I've read it. As for the implications, we'll have to wait and see.

No doubt some folks will speculate.

The announcement essentially says nothing about how things will work or what it means. The distinction between the role of "developer" and "producer" is not exactly clear in the MMO world. In short, if ignorance is bliss I am quite happy about the latest news.

Maybe subscribers will continue to have access to all of the current games or maybe this too will be split up. Maybe DB currency will continue to be usable on all games or maybe not. Maybe the horse …..

Congratulations to Darkpaw Games!

I think it's largely a positive or maintains the status quo at worst. Optimistically, with a spin off, Daybreak is less likely to take/share resources and revenue from the EQ franchise to support other games (Planetside or DCUO) or "new projects." The lines of authority and jurisdiction are much more clear and enclosed. I would worry slightly about studio rivalry and publisher favoritism whereas a single studio had forced everyone to work with each other.

The only glaring issue for players would be the implications for lifetime subscribers down the road.

Edit: The Darkpaw Team is huge in the Twitter photo. That is a good sign! Happy to support the game!

https://twitter.com/everquest/status/1219666153410387969?s=20

Imo;

For EQ1/EQ2 teams, very little change, if any at all.

For EQ3 (Name tbc) quite a lot. Just getting away from the DBG title in the first place is likely a good start. Even if the game is published via DBG it's less obvious.

Twitter photo is cool, 40 people, which I'd expect is EQ1 team, EQ2 team + management. I suspect there is a larger crowd not included.

My take: A lot of spin about a strategic move DBG made with respect to the organization of its properties, and nothing more.

DBG still owns these franchises. The attempt to frame the move as some kind of much needed independence from DBG is nonsense. This is simply about isolating franchises for business purposes. If they remain profitable, great - DBG hangs on to them. If they go belly up, the entity can be bankrupted without entangling other business interests. And if they get a buyer, well, just break it off and ship it.

DBG is essentially posing as a publisher to its own property. Nothing has fundamentally changed except maybe an opportunity for the franchises to distance themselves from DBG's somewhat toxic brand sentiment.

I have been out of the corporate loop for quite some time, so my Buzz-word Compliance Meter was not fully functioning for that announcement.
The reference of "fan faire" piqued my interest, and would hope that they provide AT LEAST 90-180 days preemptive announcement; the further out the announced date, the higher potential of more attending,...

The spin-off creates new lines of authority and jurisdiction. Decentralization will leads to the advantages and disadvantages of autonomy and accountability. It's the fad to decentralize (books by Jocko Willink or Stanley McChrystal).

The only question is if it's in name (window dressing) or tangible structures and systems. According to this article, EQ will occupy the San Diego CA offices while DCUO will move to Austin TX which is a measurable change.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/daybreak-games-reveals-three-new-franchise-studios-1269929

Spot on.

It is not exactly "new" News. They've been setting these things up since last June. This is just the formal announcement. Remains to be seen what is actually going to happen now.

Good Luck DarkPaw Games

I like what I hear so far, especially Fan Faire. In a world full of cosplay, it should be a no brainer.

Looks and sounds good at the moment.

What I'm waiting to see is if it's going to affect membership to other games that have been covered previously by all-access.

I'll wait to see actual results to determine how this plays out. I did enjoy the comment, "we're going to think outside the box." It was a term used a lot inside a Fortune 50 company I worked for. I once pointed out that "thinking outside the box was an impossibility," since the box you paint for yourself is based on your experience and assumptions. The only way to "think outside the box" is bring people in that aren't blinded by past experience, assumptions or prejudices attributed to the long tenure of being in the same working environment. I'm surprised that terminology is still being used, but it does sound good.
The challenge is being willing to listen and act on new ideas. It often requires a great deal of courage to do that.

That is a good question.

I'm all access...but if I lost access to everything but the EQ2 / EQ1 Franchise, it wouldn't bother me.

I don't have time for more than one game, really.

Some might feel differently though.

If it stops Everquest players' money from funding games outside of this franchise, I'm all for it. As it is, all those lifetime subs seemed to do little but back the failed Planetside Arena.

Speaking of which, I'm surprised Andy Sites is positioned as an equal to Holly and Jack in that Hollywood Reporter article: practically the entire Planetside team was let go when Arena bombed, weren't they? Who the heck is even left over there to continue on with Planetside anything?

I hope Everquest 3 is in the works. Holly made vague references to it late last year, and these three studio names cropped up in internet gaming news articles months ago now, too. Hopefully both the studio separation and the EQ sequel have been moving forward together.

The only actual fact in the letter was making official what many people had already been speculating for a while: Officially splitting the EQ franchise into 'Darkpaw Games'. There are no facts in the letter beyond that. There is not even mention of anything concrete or specific in terms of plans or goals.

DCUO will be moving to Daybreak's Austin TX offices. EQ will remain in San Diego CA.

Per: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/daybreak-games-reveals-three-new-franchise-studios-1269929

It's my understanding DCUO has always operated from Austin (for the most part).

Woof?

LOL

Wonder if it will impact the "Lifetime Membership" folks... was it the lifetime of the franchise, or lifetime of DBG being the developer... lifetime of my dog.. me.. /shrug