SOE Becomes Daybreak Games

[Morreion]

Smedley announces SOE is no more, becomes Daybreak Game Company (Massively)

Dear Players, Partners and Friends,

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.

So what exactly does this mean for you? It will be business as usual and all SOE games will continue on their current path of development and operation. In fact, we expect to have even more resources available to us as a result of this acquisition. It also means new exciting developments for our existing IP and games as we can now fully embrace the multi-platform world we are living in.

Our games and players are the heart and soul of our organization, and we are committed to maintaining our portfolio of online games and pushing the limits of where we can take online gaming together.

Thank you for your continued support. See you in game!

The Team at Daybreak

[Regolyth]

It seems Sony is cutting back a bit on what they're into. I've noticed that with a lot of big companies. Whereas in years past companies would branch off and make things that have no relation as to what they actually do, in the last couple of years they've been cutting/selling off those branches and focusing more on their bread and butter. Which I think is a good thing. You can get a little over reaching (*coughs*Microsoft!*coughs*). Perhaps Columbus Nova can guide them a little better than Sony did.

[Morreion]

I think you're right, Rego- I don't see them getting any better or worse due to this move. They were doing the P2W BS in H1Z1 before switching owners

[Morreion]

The Daily Grind: What do you think about Daybreak Game Company? (Massively OP)

...But the fact remains that Daybreak Game Company is a thing now, and that’s a big change for everyone who plays anything from EverQuest to H1Z1. Not to mention that yesterday saw a big news drop with several big names getting laid off by the studio unexpectedly. So whether you’re an ardent fan of the old SOE or just someone looking forward to EverQuest Next, we ask you: What do you think about Daybreak Game Company? Do you feel hopeful? Concerned? Do you just not care for the name? What do you think the future holds for the studio and its roster of MMOs?

Some comments:

I could tell ya, but I might get arrested.

I can't recall an MMO studio that did anything but go downhill after it was bought by a larger company.

Investment firms are all about turning over a profit as quickly as possible. I honestly think Daybreak is in serious trouble. If these investors already are slashing right after taking over it doesn't bode well for the future of EQ. We as players are not going to see a quality mmo-rpg now. I don't usually go out and make such strong predictions so early on but I am this time. The purse string holders are gonna want profit and want it fast. If they don't get it they'll start selling off pieces, count on it.

I was a big fan of Georgeson so I feel pretty weird about it. I was honestly excited about it at first because SOE the name seemed to have a lot of negativity attached to it. But now the EQ Next I was hoping for may never come to light in it's intended form. Which is a little scary.

The name is awful, sounds like a rehab center.

As a long time supporter of SoE/Daybreak for over a decade, the news of them getting away from the train wreck that is Sony corp. was a blessing. It opened up more platforms for them to port their games over and gave them some freedom. The latest news of layoffs, especially people high up in the game creation chain, has got me worried though. I was trying to put off all the doom and gloom posts, but I am seriously concerned about the future of EQNext now, probably the last MMO I was going to sink any serious time into since the original EQ. I am eagerly awaiting the LL stream next week to see what direction the dev's and the company as a whole are going to take.

[Regolyth]

I agree with the poster that said:

I can't recall an MMO studio that did anything but go downhill after it was bought by a larger company.

I also agree that this doesn't bode well for Daybreak and EQ. The games are going to get rushed and be crap. I think EQ would have been the new dominant MMO and the new standard in MMO gaming once it came out. I could totally see it reinventing the genre. Now I don't. I see it going the way WAR went when Mythic sold to EA.

[Morreion]

Daybreak layoffs totaled 140 in San Diego (Massively OP)

It’s been almost a month since Daybreak (formerly SOE) laid off several of its employees following its acquisition by Columbus Nova, but we’re only now starting to see the full scope of the event. U-T San Diego reports that 140 employees were let go from Daybreak’s San Diego office, although the studio is not talking about how many were affected from the Austin location. Those laid off had an “effective termination date” of April 13th.

To recap the Daybreak saga so far: Investment firm Columbus Nova purchased SOE from Sony on February 2nd and renamed it Daybreak Game Company. On February 11th, the studio laid off a portion of its staff from several teams. Since then, PlanetSide 2’s Matt Higby resigned, EverQuest Next dropped Storybricks (which then closed), and GM support in Daybreak’s games was pared down.

[Regolyth]