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Star Trek Online: Dan Stahl Quits Cryptic
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Star Trek Online executive producer Dan Stahl will be leaving Cryptic Studios next week according to a report at Gamasutra. Stahl's final day is September 30th, at which point he will leave to "pursue new challenges".
Cryptic CTO Stephen D’Angelo will be taking on the producer duties on Stahl's departure.
Read the full report at Gamasutra.
Comments
Capt. Kirk: Computer, destruct sequence 1, code 1, 1-A.
Scotty: Computer, Commander Montgomery Scott, Chief Engineering Officer, destruct sequence 2, code 1, 1-A, 2-B.
Chekov: Computer, this is Commander Pavel Chekov, Acting Science Officer, destruct sequence 3, code 1-B, 2-B, 3.
Computer: Destruct sequence completed and engaged, awaiting final code for one minute countdown.
Capt. Kirk: Code zero, zero, zero...destruct...zero.
Computer: Destruct sequence is activated.
Now we just need the rest of his kronies at Cryptic to leave and rid us of their stupidity.
Interesting that Dan is leaving just before STO goes F2P. Even though he says he supports and always supported a move to f2p, I just wonder if new owners at Perfect Worlds didn't like what they were paying him and asked him to leave. This does not bode well for STO. STO has come a long ways under Dan's leadership since he took over. I just don't see it continuing.
Let's party like it is 1863!
is this right he left
well that dont bold so well 
.....
Apparently it has nothing to do with that:
" I've been given the opportunity to start the next chapter in my career that allows me to combine many of my past experiences into something new. It will also allow my family to move into San Francisco where my beautiful Fiancee Kimberly has worked for years. "
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?p=3766591#post3766591
Cant blame him either. When better job opportunities open up you should take them.
Having two EP's leave in a year and a half really says something about Cryptic and STO. Obviously all we get to see is the PR spin that these guys have to put on things as part of their separation packages. It seems an odd time for Dan to be leaving "on his own" with a new company buying Cryptic and it going F2P very soon.
I dont find this unusual given that PW just bought them out and we all know changes are coming like jacked-up prices in the C-store and such. What really freaked me out was that Jack E brought back Zinc as COO. That was a terrible move, Zinc was the brainiac responsible for many of the terrible choices made to STO like having 15 different types of currency and releasing the Klingons with very little content.
Dan and the rest of Cryptic can blow all the smoke up our rears they want but seeing two EPs leave, the CEO and "Dollar" Bill Roper all jumping ship in about 18 months, tells us this company is not run or performing very well. The top guys at a company dont all just start leaving because its a great place to work and everyone is making lots of money and getting along very well...
I dont have much hope for a turn around with PW. My opinion is they will strip Cryptic down, throw in a crazy cash shop and milk it for as long as they can. Sorry to hear about Dan leaving, he did what he could with the crap he got stuck with.
Good luck out there Dan!
I agree. Too bad for Cryptic that he is leaving as it is very much their loss. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
PWI will have to continue updates and such if they want to keep the game afloat. Who knows? A year from now STO may have really turned around. I personally doubt it though.
That sounds like a really great theory...except for the fact that Craig Zinc came back to the company. I dont see why he would do that if things were as bad as you think.
He had to... no one else would have him
....so NOW can I have my t5 connie refit, for f#$#@ sake.
These guys are idiots. They have one of the most beloved IP's and look what they did with it. They create a game where you can not even use the most iconic space ship in all of science fiction. Why didn't you idiots make a Star Trek game before space flight, that would have made as much sense.
This game sucks, worst birthday present ever.
It will be there eventually .... for $25 in the C-Store
I think paramount had a lot to do with it as well. They just don't understand the value of the IP and consistently trash it.
Just a clarification: Cryptic's deal is with CBS, not Paramount. Back in 2006 the Star Trek IP was divided between CBS(the TV series) and Paramount(the movies). So CBS is the one that is involved with STO.
Why is it that as soon as someone moves on to another job the mmo community automatic makes fail doom and gloom posts. "OMG the game is truly fail if x and x left" or "he must not like whats going on in the game". They automatically ass-sume that something is wrong with the game or the worst. Sometimes its true, but not in all cases. Maybe the guy did a good job at Cryptic and decided to move on. Until Dan Stahl says different that's the way Im lookin at it.
***Raises plunger in salute to Dan Stahl***
All my opinions are just that..opinions. If you like my opinions..coolness.If you dont like my opinion....I really dont care.
Playing: ESO, WOT, Smite, and Marvel Heroes
I've known something was wrong with STO way before this.
At the least Dan Stahl did a decent job with Cryptic...because he was able to get another, likely better job elsewhere. Having Cryptic on his resume didn't seem to turn anyone away.
Yeah, cause this guy leaving means he's bound to be replaced by someone who's going to turn this game into something all the Trekkies will love. Each and every one of them.
Cause thats possible.
The fact that the very reason Dan is leaving is because he is moving on to a better job is proof that working at Cryptic isnt some kind of black mark on your resume. Someone obviously wanted to hire him knowing full well where he worked previously. There is no reason to think Zinc was any different, unless you actually have some kind of proof of him not being able to find another job.
Not sure that answers the question that was asked... two EP's, the CEO and other top level executives all leaving a company within a short timeframe does not convey the message of a "company doing well".
I dont think there is any question that Cryptic was suffering under Atari's ownership. That is the owership in which the people you are talking about left. Once the deal with PW was underway Craig came back. As far as Dan's motivations for leaving at this point, he said:
" I've been given the opportunity to start the next chapter in my career that allows me to combine many of my past experiences into something new. It will also allow my family to move into San Francisco where my beautiful Fiancee Kimberly has worked for years. "
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?p=3766591#post3766591
But again, the people who left up to this point did so under Atari's ownership, which was obviously troubled.
IMO, Cryptic hasn't been doing well at all. City of Heroes was the best game they produced. Champions Online was the spiritual sequel to CoH but wasn't recieved as well. STO, give me a break. Look, if you hate Atari then hate it but don't try this BS of blaming Cryptic's problems on Atari. You can't get away with that here.
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
Why exactly is that? The only difference between COH and Champs/STO was Atari. So what makes you so certain that Atari had absolutely nothing to do with Cryptic's sudden change?
I do not feel that Dan leaving Cryptic says anything bad about Cryptic at all. Like Dan said, he is taking a job to be near his fiancee. Family is ALWAYS more important then a job.
Personally I think PWE is a great thing for Cryptic. If the way PWE treats Runic(the makers of Torchlight) is any indication of how PWE will treat Cryptic, they are in good hands.
As a matter of fact Cryptic has already said that they are bringing more people on board.
Thank you for clarifying.