Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Rift: Scott Hartsman Leaving Trion Worlds
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
In the Rift Year Two State of the Game letter, Scott Hartsman has announced that he is leaving Trion Worlds. According to the post, Hartsman indicated that he will still be playing Rift but does not indicate where he is going post-Trion.
I wanted to let you know that I'm stepping down from my position here at Trion. It's been an amazing time, working with some of the best developers anywhere, getting the company's first game off the ground, taking it all the way through a multitude of amazing updates, then to Storm Legion, and even a little bit beyond.
Thanks for all of your support and dedication throughout.
The good news is that if you enjoy what's been going on in RIFT lately, the folks who are now in charge are the same ones who have been making all of the game-impacting decisions, both to content and gameplay, for some time now. You’ll definitely be hearing from Bill Fisher, the lead game designer soon with some exciting updates. They love and play the game a lot as well and I feel strongly that RIFT couldn't be in better hands.
This time at Trion has truly been an amazing journey. It's been my great privilege to have been a part of it.
And I'll still see you in RIFT.
Scott Hartsman
Comments
I didn't find RIFT to be a long term game, but I did appreciate that he and his company delivered a pretty polished product at release. It was a welcome change from the typical half-baked trash that is pawned off on players...
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
I did battle with ignorance today, and ignorance won.
To exercise power costs effort and demands courage. That is why so many fail to assert rights to which they are perfectly entitled - because a right is a kind of power but they are too lazy or too cowardly to exercise it. The virtues which cloak these faults are called patience and forbearance.
RIFTs supporting team is top notch.
Obviously Scott was a huge catalyst for this game, and its a negative to see him go. HOWEVER, the supporting cast has learned alot from the man, and are in a great position to oversee the game.
RIFT is still one of the best MMO's out there...
TY for all you did Scott.....
not a good sign
for those who are old enough to remember his EQ2 days.....What was announced and instated shortly following him leaving SOE? same might be in the works for RIFT.
Sandbox means open world, non-linear gaming PERIOD!
Subscription Gaming, especially MMO gaming is a Cash grab bigger then the most P2W cash shop!
Bring Back Exploration and lengthy progression times. RPG's have always been about the Journey not the destination!!!
Eh? The guys been at the helm of both eq2 and rift, when they were at thier peaks in popularity.
Coincedence ? who knows ?
My geuss is he's come back to SOE for EQ2 next. or he's at some big MMO coming soon.
In his bio it says he's been involved with over a billion dollars of MMO revenue.
my web design: www.advancedws.com.au
he definitely is adamantly against non-subscription mmo's and since defiance is a cash shop driven b2p title and end of nations is f2p(and in imbo) i'd say he's looking for work elsewhere.
It is in the first sentence of the announcement "I wanted to let you know that I'm stepping down from my position here at Trion."
This may explain the uneasy feeling we've almost collectively been having for the past month.
I love the crap out of Rift. But I can't say this bodes well.
EDIT TO ADD: In case Mr. Hartsman reads this. You were an amazing force in Trion. You will be missed and best of luck wherever you may be heading.
his games might not have been for everyone but they've been great games for the folks who appreciate them. I always considered firt a very good game although its really not exactly the style of game i'm looking for now.
my guess is his finger print will appear on either EQN or titan.
RIP Ribbitribbitt you are missed, kid.
Currently Playing EVE, ESO
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.
Dwight D Eisenhower
My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.
Henry Rollins
aawwwhmmm
......
This is sad news for Trion fans. I hate seeing him go.
His Rift raised the bar for MMOs and set new standards for the whole industry. He did an awesome awesome job.
I Wish him all the best.
I guess no one can dispute that he did a great job and i gave him credit for not going to some shitty "freemium"-model in a time in which mmorpgs went F2P (=failed2pay) by the dozen.
But then on the other hand, he couldn't lift the game to proper numbers above estimated 150-200k subs. I can very well imagine that they let him hold the handle until Storm Legion launched and that it's sales would decide what would happen then.
We've never heard any numbers for a suspicious length of time and long before SL, my personal guess would be SL sits at around 120k + sold, which on today's market is nothing. In the end, all of their PR spin (trial server and cash shop lies) couldn't prevent what many saw long ago: mediocre game, bad numbers bound to happen down the road, investors not happy with their $85mio, heads roll. If Rift was an EA, SOE or NCSOFT game, it would have been gone already.
But i see Rift has a second chance now. Perhaps this new guy is only hired as a janitor to keep Rift in maintenance mode. Or perhaps for the very first time, Trion has someone in charge who actually dares to take the game somewhere up the path to an own identity and away from from low risk, blatant copy+paste of mechanics (some of them 15 years old) proven in other games.
Seeing the dumbing down is already in full charge (probably to make the game easier on whats left of the team), i doubt it though.
Rift is doing fine. Though I do admit the game needs stuff for level 60's to do other than raid or some random dailies. As it is, there is really nothing to do for level 60's outside of raiding. My char is level 59 halfway thru to 60, and honestly I cannot say I am excited to hit 60 at all, from what I gather all you do is the same repetive dailies, grinding the same expert dungeons, same zone events for a long time to gear up, then raid once maybe twice a week.
Now I don't want easy mode or shit handed to me, all I am asking is for something that is actually INTERSTING to do at 60 that lets me earn the gear needed to raid, insted of just redoing the same zone events and crap I been doing from 50 to 60.
The lack of stuff for lv 60's to do is my only major gripe with Rift
Being a pessimist is a win-win pattern of thinking. If you're a pessimist (I'll admit that I am!) you're either:
A. Proven right (if something bad happens)
or
B. Pleasantly surprised (if something good happens)
Either way, you can't lose! Try it out sometime!
Although I like rift, last ex-pac was wrong for me.
Why? Dont take me wrong its a great expansion but the decission to make the 50-60 level race sooo steep kill the game for me. As a altholic i had 3 50´s before the ex-pac (mage-priest- rogue) and one in its 30s.
I found very very hard to level all to 60.
Yeah i know thats my problem but still....