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The Agency: Director, Others Leave Studio
Dana
Member Posts: 2,415
Massively is reporting that Studio Director Matt Wilson, Art Director Corey Dangel and Producer John Smith all left SOE Seattle and The Agency to form a new studio, Detonator Games.
They go on to speculate that this could mean a shift in direction and delay for the spy MMO The Agency, but SOE refutes that report.
Read it all at Massively.
Dana Massey
Formerly of MMORPG.com
Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
Comments
It seems they didn't agree with something that SOE wanted to put in the game... why do I feel unimpressed knowing it's SOE we're talking about?
Let me preface this with, I have no idea more than you what happened, but sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one. If I had to guess, I'd suspect they just wanted to run their own business.
Dana Massey
Formerly of MMORPG.com
Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
Let me preface this with, I have no idea more than you what happened, but sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one. If I had to guess, I'd suspect they just wanted to run their own business.
It's very common for young talented ambitious people to think they can run things better than thier bosses. Sometimes they can, and sometimes not.
I see a job opening for Brad McQuaid.
Seriously is anyone actually anticipating the Agency? It's going to be heavily instanced , fully support RMT, and it's a SOE product.
Let me preface this with, I have no idea more than you what happened, but sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one. If I had to guess, I'd suspect they just wanted to run their own business.
It's very common for young talented ambitious people to think they can run things better than thier bosses. Sometimes they can, and sometimes not.
I just made some speculation based on this quote from the Eurogamer original article:
"It's true that Corey and I no longer work for SOE," Wilson told us. "This was a very hard decision to make, but it's the right decision for both us and the project. There were a variety of factors into making this decision, but we wish SOE and The Agency the best success."
Since its SOE related many on this board will immediatey imagine the worst possible scenario and then spread that conjecture as fact.
Look at any topic about the recent job cuts at SOE to see this demonstrated.
wow - three strikes already
not a good thing
Dont worry guys SOE can always hire people from AV
" SIGH " How did this leak.
MAGA
Let me preface this with, I have no idea more than you what happened, but sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one. If I had to guess, I'd suspect they just wanted to run their own business.
Since its SOE related many on this board will immediatey imagine the worst possible scenario and then spread that conjecture as fact.
Look at any topic about the recent job cuts at SOE to see this demonstrated.
Yeah, because, you know, SOE has never conducted themselves in a manner which would warrant such an observation. Never.
Like I've said before, I don't spend my time thinking up or wishing for things to cause distress to SOE and Smed. But everytime I see a news article about such things it does make me smile a little. Until Smed (and any of the others left) are gone I won't wish any success to SOE nor will I try anything they offer. Thankfully they have nothing in production that even remotely grabs my interest. Change the culture there and then I might start listening/looking.
"Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're alright..."
Chavez y Chavez
Let me preface this with, I have no idea more than you what happened, but sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one. If I had to guess, I'd suspect they just wanted to run their own business.
It's very common for young talented ambitious people to think they can run things better than thier bosses. Sometimes they can, and sometimes not.
Since Smedley is still trying to run the show, can you blame them? You have to consider WHO their boss is to start with and look at the mirad of poor and questionable decisions he has made. The answer just screams at you.
More rats leaving a sinking ship.
I do feel bad for the SOE staff though having to put up with his clueless antics.
Let me preface this with, I have no idea more than you what happened, but sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one. If I had to guess, I'd suspect they just wanted to run their own business.
It's very common for young talented ambitious people to think they can run things better than thier bosses. Sometimes they can, and sometimes not.
According the their new website, they already had their own business (FireAntGames) prior to working for soe. They sold that business to soe which was the foundation for the seatle studio. They stayed at soe to run the seatle office.
It seems to be fairly common for soe to lose top talent to start ups for some time now.
SOE is now an mmorpg intern program. You do a year or so to get your feet wet, then the real companies hire you while you're still retrainable.
Only thing that could return peoples faith in SOE is that they would fire Smedley but unfortunately I dont see that happen
I'm definitely not defending Smedley, but with the success of Free Realms, it is unlikely he will be fired anytime soon. Just saying.
What success? The millions of players they claim signed up for the game or the 1 server that the game manages to fill up?
And my post is proven right over and over again.
Thanks guys. I knew I could depend on your blind, irrational hatred.
That ship has been sinking according to some since 1999. The folks I know who work at SOE like Smed very much as a Boss. I think that really the only peopel who dislikes Smed are those still crying about their broken wookiee after all these years. Some folsk call em vets most rational people just call em nutjobs.
Guys and Gals...we all know SOE dont care about its playerbase. The shove a game out, take teh box sales then make a few half hearted updates and move on...leaving the game players and devs twisting in the wind waiting for the higherups to make decisions. Only games keeping that company afloat are EQ and EQ2 and thats just barely now adays. They dont seem to get that they need to keep their customers
That ship has been sinking according to some since 1999. The folks I know who work at SOE like Smed very much as a Boss. I think that really the only people who dislikes Smed are those still crying about their broken wookiee after all these years. Some folks call em vets most rational people just call em nutjobs.
Wrongo! While Smed is an affable guy it is his way or the highway. They have lost more talent in that shop that carter has pills because of that. And nohe is not that well liked in the studio.
That ship has been sinking according to some since 1999. The folks I know who work at SOE like Smed very much as a Boss. I think that really the only people who dislikes Smed are those still crying about their broken wookiee after all these years. Some folks call em vets most rational people just call em nutjobs.
Wrongo! While Smed is an affable guy it is his way or the highway. They have lost more talent in that shop that carter has pills because of that. And nohe is not that well liked in the studio.
I can't point to a specific example about the many leaders from soe who have left soe, but something tells me smed would not have a second thought about shitting on his employees to force his will on something.
Keep in mind this is the man running the company that considered several hundred thousand players disposable for some mythical potential player base. Who stealth patched in real money transaction systems into several games he promised would never have these systems, full well knowing it will cause some of his customers to quit.
To think he somehow values his employees when he has shown such disdain for the very people paying his salary is laughable. He couldn't even pronounce the name of the new producer of everquest at fain faire for petes sake.