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General: John Smedley Steps Down as CEO of Daybreak Game Company

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Comments

  • superniceguysuperniceguy Member UncommonPosts: 2,278
    Originally posted by DMKano
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by donger56
    Good riddance. This guy has been the main reason so many good games have died at the hands of $oE. Everquest, SWG, and many others were great games run into the ground by bad management and poor business decisions. I think this was the plan right after Sony sold off the company anyway. They didn't want to completely clean house the first week so they let him stay on until the transition was over. So many people at $oE were just sitting around drawing bloated salaries and producing nothing. EQN is nowhere and H1Z1 is just a quick cash grab off of other peoples ideas. I don't have much hope for EQN but I hope they prove me wrong and put out something worthy of the name. 

    Lol some of you in your pathetic hate are not reading it properly. He hasn't left the company he has taken time off and a position will be made avaliable on his return. 

    Get some rest John then come back fresh. 

     

    Once CEOs get demoted they don't stick around. Heck most employees leave when they get demoted.

     

    A lot of people do not get harrassed and stalked. He will probably like the demotion to keep a low profile and try and get away from being targeted from Lizard Squad. Probably not what he wants to do, but probably what he is forced to do by Lizard Squad

    Smed stepping down is no doubt a result from the Lizard Squad, and not down to Sony selling off SOE to Daybreak or anything he has done to the games. The company can not have Smed as CEO, while he is a target of Lizard Squad, and I doubt he will be a CEO elsewhere either.

    Lizard Squad score another point against Smed, which is annoying. 

     

  • crysentcrysent Member UncommonPosts: 841
    Like most things,the banter he had with lizard squad may have been the last straw, but these types of things are usually the culmination of various reasons.
  • SavageHorizonSavageHorizon Member EpicPosts: 3,466
    Originally posted by superniceguy
    Originally posted by DMKano
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by donger56
    Good riddance. This guy has been the main reason so many good games have died at the hands of $oE. Everquest, SWG, and many others were great games run into the ground by bad management and poor business decisions. I think this was the plan right after Sony sold off the company anyway. They didn't want to completely clean house the first week so they let him stay on until the transition was over. So many people at $oE were just sitting around drawing bloated salaries and producing nothing. EQN is nowhere and H1Z1 is just a quick cash grab off of other peoples ideas. I don't have much hope for EQN but I hope they prove me wrong and put out something worthy of the name. 

    Lol some of you in your pathetic hate are not reading it properly. He hasn't left the company he has taken time off and a position will be made avaliable on his return. 

    Get some rest John then come back fresh. 

     

    Once CEOs get demoted they don't stick around. Heck most employees leave when they get demoted.

     

    A lot of people do not get harrassed and stalked. He will probably like the demotion to keep a low profile and try and get away from being targeted from Lizard Squad. Probably not what he wants to do, but probably what he is forced to do by Lizard Squad

    Smed stepping down is no doubt a result from the Lizard Squad, and not down to Sony selling off SOE to Daybreak or anything he has done to the games. The company can not have Smed as CEO, while he is a target of Lizard Squad, and I doubt he will be a CEO elsewhere either.

    Lizard Squad score another point against Smed, which is annoying. 

     

     

    This sums it up nicely, he hasn't actually gone. Take a back seat while he fights this battle with LQ.




  • Storm_CloudStorm_Cloud Member UncommonPosts: 401
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by DMKano
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by donger56
    Good riddance. This guy has been the main reason so many good games have died at the hands of $oE. Everquest, SWG, and many others were great games run into the ground by bad management and poor business decisions. I think this was the plan right after Sony sold off the company anyway. They didn't want to completely clean house the first week so they let him stay on until the transition was over. So many people at $oE were just sitting around drawing bloated salaries and producing nothing. EQN is nowhere and H1Z1 is just a quick cash grab off of other peoples ideas. I don't have much hope for EQN but I hope they prove me wrong and put out something worthy of the name. 

    Lol some of you in your pathetic hate are not reading it properly. He hasn't left the company he has taken time off and a position will be made avaliable on his return. 

    Get some rest John then come back fresh. 

     

    Once CEOs get demoted they don't stick around. Heck most employees leave when they get demoted.

     

    Th jury is out on that one, as of now he hasn't actually gone from the company.  We will see over the coming months but John is still an employee.  My wish would be them bringing Vanguard alive again but giving us a Vanguard when it had no fast travel. 

    Don't forget no easy mode. Make us look for groups again, not just for dungeons. :)

     

  • MyriaMyria Member UncommonPosts: 699

    Frankly I have serious, serious doubt this had jack squat to do with the whole Lizard Squad mess.

     

    With companies I've worked for that were bought out there was inevitably a time period, generally six months to a year, where top management was left in place, then, once the new owners were reasonably certain they had the lay of the land (and, to be honest, they were generally badly wrong there) top management got the axe. Sometimes nicely, in a pre-planned and orderly manner, sometimes suddenly, really depended.

     

    I'd be very surprised if that wasn't all there was to this move. New owners wanting their own people in control at the top.

  • BadSpockBadSpock Member UncommonPosts: 7,979
    Hey maybe SOE will finally make a good game!
  • NanfoodleNanfoodle Member LegendaryPosts: 10,617
    /snip
  • NanfoodleNanfoodle Member LegendaryPosts: 10,617
    Originally posted by DMKano
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by donger56
    Good riddance. This guy has been the main reason so many good games have died at the hands of $oE. Everquest, SWG, and many others were great games run into the ground by bad management and poor business decisions. I think this was the plan right after Sony sold off the company anyway. They didn't want to completely clean house the first week so they let him stay on until the transition was over. So many people at $oE were just sitting around drawing bloated salaries and producing nothing. EQN is nowhere and H1Z1 is just a quick cash grab off of other peoples ideas. I don't have much hope for EQN but I hope they prove me wrong and put out something worthy of the name. 

    Lol some of you in your pathetic hate are not reading it properly. He hasn't left the company he has taken time off and a position will be made avaliable on his return. 

    Get some rest John then come back fresh. 

     

    Once CEOs get demoted they don't stick around. Heck most employees leave when they get demoted.

     

    This would be my guess but that being said, after all this mess, what kind of job could he find? Eeek!

  • SavageHorizonSavageHorizon Member EpicPosts: 3,466
    Originally posted by Storm_Cloud
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by DMKano
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by donger56
    Good riddance. This guy has been the main reason so many good games have died at the hands of $oE. Everquest, SWG, and many others were great games run into the ground by bad management and poor business decisions. I think this was the plan right after Sony sold off the company anyway. They didn't want to completely clean house the first week so they let him stay on until the transition was over. So many people at $oE were just sitting around drawing bloated salaries and producing nothing. EQN is nowhere and H1Z1 is just a quick cash grab off of other peoples ideas. I don't have much hope for EQN but I hope they prove me wrong and put out something worthy of the name. 

    Lol some of you in your pathetic hate are not reading it properly. He hasn't left the company he has taken time off and a position will be made avaliable on his return. 

    Get some rest John then come back fresh. 

     

    Once CEOs get demoted they don't stick around. Heck most employees leave when they get demoted.

     

    Th jury is out on that one, as of now he hasn't actually gone from the company.  We will see over the coming months but John is still an employee.  My wish would be them bringing Vanguard alive again but giving us a Vanguard when it had no fast travel. 

    Don't forget no easy mode. Make us look for groups again, not just for dungeons. :)

     

    Yeah no easy mode features, get rid of the xp meter and switch back to it's original form. Return to the old auction house system with each continent having it's own market.

     

    I would love to start all over again, obviously include APW and all other high end content that was added over the years.

     

    Think I would start on Qualia instead of Kojin even though i loved Kojin. Perhaps adding the rest of the continent that was left out at release.




  • NanfoodleNanfoodle Member LegendaryPosts: 10,617
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by Storm_Cloud
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by DMKano
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by donger56
    Good riddance. This guy has been the main reason so many good games have died at the hands of $oE. Everquest, SWG, and many others were great games run into the ground by bad management and poor business decisions. I think this was the plan right after Sony sold off the company anyway. They didn't want to completely clean house the first week so they let him stay on until the transition was over. So many people at $oE were just sitting around drawing bloated salaries and producing nothing. EQN is nowhere and H1Z1 is just a quick cash grab off of other peoples ideas. I don't have much hope for EQN but I hope they prove me wrong and put out something worthy of the name. 

    Lol some of you in your pathetic hate are not reading it properly. He hasn't left the company he has taken time off and a position will be made avaliable on his return. 

    Get some rest John then come back fresh. 

     

    Once CEOs get demoted they don't stick around. Heck most employees leave when they get demoted.

     

    Th jury is out on that one, as of now he hasn't actually gone from the company.  We will see over the coming months but John is still an employee.  My wish would be them bringing Vanguard alive again but giving us a Vanguard when it had no fast travel. 

    Don't forget no easy mode. Make us look for groups again, not just for dungeons. :)

     

    Yeah no easy mode features, get rid of the xp meter and switch back to it's original form. Return to the old auction house system with each continent having it's own market.

     

    I would love to start all over again, obviously include APW and all other high end content that was added over the years.

     

    Think I would start on Qualia instead of Kojin even though i loved Kojin. Perhaps adding the rest of the continent that was left out at release.

    Ya DGC stand on bring back sunset games has been firm, just not happening. Will the new CEO feel the same way? My guess would be yes but we can hope =-)

  • alyndalealyndale Member UncommonPosts: 936
    Originally posted by Iselin
    Originally posted by bcbully
    Wow... They are saying Lizard Squad forced him out?

    I wouldn't put it that way.

     

    What likely happened is that his bosses were either unaware or unconcerned about his habit of engaging fans and detractors alike on twitter and other social media. I think the latest highly public tweets about the Lizard Squad and subsequent DDOS attacks made them both aware and concerned.

     

    Whatever you think about his tweets, scummy hackers and free speech, it has been unusual public behavior (some would say eccentric) for the CEO of a large company.

    Yes, I tend to agree with this point. Simply put John went one tweet too far. It was effecting Daybreak and the employees there to some extent. He additionally, by challenging this hacking group may have put his family in some degree of trouble. But, for me, I really believe that finally those that are above him decided enough was enough.

    Now, while Smed seems to be out as CEO, he will reemerge at some point either with this same company or as a consultant sort of freelancing among the few gaming "bigwigs" that still call him friend.

    We shall soon see what becomes of this...and yes as some have said, now maybe we can see a new DAY...Break...

    Alyn

    All I want is the truth
    Just gimme some truth
    John Lennon

  • SavageHorizonSavageHorizon Member EpicPosts: 3,466
    Originally posted by Nanfoodle
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by Storm_Cloud
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by DMKano
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by donger56
    Good riddance. This guy has been the main reason so many good games have died at the hands of $oE. Everquest, SWG, and many others were great games run into the ground by bad management and poor business decisions. I think this was the plan right after Sony sold off the company anyway. They didn't want to completely clean house the first week so they let him stay on until the transition was over. So many people at $oE were just sitting around drawing bloated salaries and producing nothing. EQN is nowhere and H1Z1 is just a quick cash grab off of other peoples ideas. I don't have much hope for EQN but I hope they prove me wrong and put out something worthy of the name. 

    Lol some of you in your pathetic hate are not reading it properly. He hasn't left the company he has taken time off and a position will be made avaliable on his return. 

    Get some rest John then come back fresh. 

     

    Once CEOs get demoted they don't stick around. Heck most employees leave when they get demoted.

     

    Th jury is out on that one, as of now he hasn't actually gone from the company.  We will see over the coming months but John is still an employee.  My wish would be them bringing Vanguard alive again but giving us a Vanguard when it had no fast travel. 

    Don't forget no easy mode. Make us look for groups again, not just for dungeons. :)

     

    Yeah no easy mode features, get rid of the xp meter and switch back to it's original form. Return to the old auction house system with each continent having it's own market.

     

    I would love to start all over again, obviously include APW and all other high end content that was added over the years.

     

    Think I would start on Qualia instead of Kojin even though i loved Kojin. Perhaps adding the rest of the continent that was left out at release.

    Ya DGC stand on bring back sunset games has been firm, just not happening. Will the new CEO feel the same way? My guess would be yes but we can hope =-)

    I wonder, is it potition time.??




  • MissAdventureMissAdventure Member UncommonPosts: 83
    Originally posted by goozmania

    This could be the best news for the MMORPG genre in over a decade. Smedley was key in adding cash shops to all their games, and insisted F2P was the future. As far as I know, he was instrumental in taking a shit on Everquest Next's design...

     

    Perhaps without him, if EQN ever actually happens, it might be good... Or the damage could already be done.

    Oh, it's a done deal and way past any point of making it anything other than what it is.  It's unfortunate that it took this long to scrape Smed off their shoe, but that dev team and company is way past saving now.  Saving, in the sense of they aren't in the business of making AAA deep, immersive MMO's anymore.  As Terry said not too long ago, their development focus is now going to be short session games with eyes on the mobile market. 

     

    Thanks, Dave and Smed, for leaving such a craptastic legacy behind you.

  • NanfoodleNanfoodle Member LegendaryPosts: 10,617
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by Nanfoodle

    Ya DGC stand on bring back sunset games has been firm, just not happening. Will the new CEO feel the same way? My guess would be yes but we can hope =-)

    I wonder, is it potition time.??

    I would wait for the new CEO to get the job first =-) Maybe wait a week after he starts, long enough for him to be active at the job and want to get a feel for what the fans want. Before that, someone else could sweep that under the rug. 

  • TimesplitTimesplit Member UncommonPosts: 191
    It seems like Daybreak got rid of their rock, but unfortunately, it looks like he'll be in some other position instead. It's such a shame, considering they might've had the chance to finally get something done for once.
  • NanfoodleNanfoodle Member LegendaryPosts: 10,617
    Originally posted by Timesplit
    It seems like Daybreak got rid of their rock, but unfortunately, it looks like he'll be in some other position instead. It's such a shame, considering they might've had the chance to finally get something done for once.

    Smed has done some great things for video games. His only problem is he had no mouth filter. I think he still can do a lot for video games its what he loves doing. Top it off, he is a gamer.

  • GiffenGiffen Member UncommonPosts: 276
    This seems like good news for the industry to me. 
  • sweetdreamssweetdreams Member UncommonPosts: 190
    No ill will for anyone but this is years too late, after gutting the souls out of many games. Zzzz
  • MendelMendel Member LegendaryPosts: 5,609
    Originally posted by Myria

    Frankly I have serious, serious doubt this had jack squat to do with the whole Lizard Squad mess.

     

    With companies I've worked for that were bought out there was inevitably a time period, generally six months to a year, where top management was left in place, then, once the new owners were reasonably certain they had the lay of the land (and, to be honest, they were generally badly wrong there) top management got the axe. Sometimes nicely, in a pre-planned and orderly manner, sometimes suddenly, really depended.

     

    I'd be very surprised if that wasn't all there was to this move. New owners wanting their own people in control at the top.

    Many people, myself included, speculated that management would remain in place for a year after the buyout by Daybreak.  It could have been only 6 months of grace time, or the recent events may have precipitated this action, the public will likely never hear definitively.  Well, the transition period is over.  We will see what Daybreak delivers from this point forward.

    I do hope that John Smedley recovers quickly from this dismissal and goes on to pursue whatever he chooses to do.

    Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.

  • MendelMendel Member LegendaryPosts: 5,609
    Originally posted by Nanfoodle
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by Nanfoodle

    Ya DGC stand on bring back sunset games has been firm, just not happening. Will the new CEO feel the same way? My guess would be yes but we can hope =-)

    I wonder, is it potition time.??

    I would wait for the new CEO to get the job first =-) Maybe wait a week after he starts, long enough for him to be active at the job and want to get a feel for what the fans want. Before that, someone else could sweep that under the rug. 

    Forget a petition.  It's time to apply for the job opening.  I've just sent my resume, how about you, Nan?

    Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.

  • NanfoodleNanfoodle Member LegendaryPosts: 10,617
    Originally posted by Mendel
    Originally posted by Nanfoodle
    Originally posted by SavageHorizon
    Originally posted by Nanfoodle

    Ya DGC stand on bring back sunset games has been firm, just not happening. Will the new CEO feel the same way? My guess would be yes but we can hope =-)

    I wonder, is it potition time.??

    I would wait for the new CEO to get the job first =-) Maybe wait a week after he starts, long enough for him to be active at the job and want to get a feel for what the fans want. Before that, someone else could sweep that under the rug. 

    Forget a petition.  It's time to apply for the job opening.  I've just sent my resume, how about you, Nan?

    LOL, not my dream job. I dont like a job that has a label where gamers hate me no matter what good I have done. Where all they care to bring up is my mistakes. If you get the job can you hire me as a developer on EQN? 

  • LtldoggLtldogg Member UncommonPosts: 282
    This is a good move.  John Smedley is very unprofessional, immature and was a poor leader of both SOE and DBG.
  • PyukPyuk Member UncommonPosts: 762
    He's a giant man-child. He should have been ousted a long time ago. Hopefully Russel Shanks(sp?) will do a better job leading that company and not act like a petulant child when things don't go exactly as planned. I guess that depends on how many yes-men he surrounds himself with, though. 

    I make spreadsheets at work - I don't want to make them for the games I play.

  • tawesstawess Member EpicPosts: 4,227
    Originally posted by Ltldogg
    This is a good move.  John Smedley is very unprofessional, immature and was a poor leader of both SOE and DBG.

    i take it you are a former SOE eomployee? 

    This have been a good conversation

  • NeanderthalNeanderthal Member RarePosts: 1,861

    I don't know how he was able to keep his job so long at SOE.  He took a company that was the undisputed top dog of it's industry and ran it straight into the ground.  I don't think he was ever good for MMOs.  They got lucky with EQ and that was probably in large part because Smedley didn't know enough about MMOs yet at that point to mess it up.  The more he thought he knew the more he screwed games up.

    My personal conspiracy theory is that he had some dirt on one of the big-wigs at Sony that he used to keep himself from being fired.  That's pure speculation on my part but I can't understand how else he managed to keep his job so long.  Once SOE was sold off and wasn't owned by Sony anymore his ace-in-the-hole no longer had any power and his days where numbered.  I rather doubt if his "re-assignment" had much to do with this recent fuss.  I'm sure it was coming anyway.

    Unfortunately the entire MMO industry is so lost in the dark at this point I don't have much hope of things improving any time in the near future. Also, I stick to my earlier prediction that Daybreak game company itself will cease to exist sometime in the next two or three years.

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