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Daybreak Games Hit With Mass Layoffs, Employees Confirm - MMORPG.com

SystemSystem Member UncommonPosts: 12,599
edited October 2019 in News & Features Discussion

imageDaybreak Games Hit With Mass Layoffs, Employees Confirm - MMORPG.com

Daybreak Games, developers of PlanetSide Arena, has been hit with mass layoffs according to former employees on Twitter and Reddit.

Read the full story here


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Comments

  • MalathoosMalathoos Member UncommonPosts: 199
    What is daybreak doing with Vanguard??? They could open up a few servers and add value to the station pass. Or all the assets from EQNext? I mean with the stuff being pushed out now a days they could have put something together from Landmark???
    craftseekerPalebane


  • PhryPhry Member LegendaryPosts: 11,004
    Vanguard? nothing obviously, they do not have the staff to deal with what they have still running, anything 'new' is out of the question, no money or resources for it. :/
    HatefullcraftseekerXarkoSpottyGekkoPalebaneScotTuor7infomatz
  • TokkenTokken Member EpicPosts: 3,551
    RIP

    Proud MMORPG.com member since March 2004!  Make PvE GREAT Again!

  • ElvocElvoc Member RarePosts: 546
    Sadly this was inevitable surprised it took this long, some great people will be sad to see the company fold..
  • NorseGodNorseGod Member EpicPosts: 2,654
    edited October 2019
    I was thinking about screwing around with DCUO, but news like this tells me it would be a wasted effort.

    BTW, DCUO is really a fun, casual game if you're wanting something different to do and not wanting to play seriously.
    Moxom914
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  • VrikaVrika Member LegendaryPosts: 7,888


    This confirms to me they will be the distro / producer for Pantheon and bringing Brad teams in house.



    That sound unlikely. If Daybreak wanted to make a new MMO like Everquest, then they'd use their Everquest IP, but I don't think they want because they don't have the money to make a large scale production and a cheap niche game that they might have money for would be too much in competition against EQ 1 and EQ 2.
    MendelXarko
     
  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,505
    Daybreak well serves its main purpose as a front for a Russian billionaire, running profitable games is a secondary concern.


    HatefullcraftseekerSpottyGekko[Deleted User]Ozmodan

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  • Mackaveli44Mackaveli44 Member RarePosts: 710
    Not surprised by this one bit. Its unfortunate for people losing their jobs but Daybreak has been one mess of a company since they took over. All their products are on life support, shit updates, no new games being made... why are they even a gaming company? Just let the company implode and go bye bye already. They're doing absolutely nothing in the gaming industry.

    And those commenting on Vanguard... I'd love for Vanguard to make a comeback.. that MMO while having many issues was still one of the best game worlds I've ever played in and I've played damn near every MMO since UO. The size and scope, the open world dungeons that were much bigger than any instanced dungeon we get in this horrible mmo market, I mean I could go on. But no way do I want Daybreaks hands on Vanguard anymore. They're shit. Again its horrible people losing their jobs but until this companies higher ups go bye bye, this company isn't doing shit.
    ShaighcraftseekerBekkr
  • NorseGodNorseGod Member EpicPosts: 2,654
    Not surprised by this one bit. Its unfortunate for people losing their jobs but Daybreak has been one mess of a company since they took over. All their products are on life support, shit updates, no new games being made... why are they even a gaming company? Just let the company implode and go bye bye already. They're doing absolutely nothing in the gaming industry.

    And those commenting on Vanguard... I'd love for Vanguard to make a comeback.. that MMO while having many issues was still one of the best game worlds I've ever played in and I've played damn near every MMO since UO. The size and scope, the open world dungeons that were much bigger than any instanced dungeon we get in this horrible mmo market, I mean I could go on. But no way do I want Daybreaks hands on Vanguard anymore. They're shit. Again its horrible people losing their jobs but until this companies higher ups go bye bye, this company isn't doing shit.
    I play PS2 and DCUO from time to time. Not enough to follow Daybreak. So, what's the deal with Daybreak being disliked around here?
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  • ScorchienScorchien Member LegendaryPosts: 8,914
    Not surprised by this one bit. Its unfortunate for people losing their jobs but Daybreak has been one mess of a company since they took over. All their products are on life support, shit updates, no new games being made... why are they even a gaming company? Just let the company implode and go bye bye already. They're doing absolutely nothing in the gaming industry.

    And those commenting on Vanguard... I'd love for Vanguard to make a comeback.. that MMO while having many issues was still one of the best game worlds I've ever played in and I've played damn near every MMO since UO. The size and scope, the open world dungeons that were much bigger than any instanced dungeon we get in this horrible mmo market, I mean I could go on. But no way do I want Daybreaks hands on Vanguard anymore. They're shit. Again its horrible people losing their jobs but until this companies higher ups go bye bye, this company isn't doing shit.
    https://vgoemulator.net/

  • DaranarDaranar Member UncommonPosts: 392
    This is exciting yet sad for the employees. The closer Daybreak gets to bankruptcy the sooner they will start selling assets to keep afloat or close with dignity, which means the sooner they will sell the EQ IP to someone who will do something with it. Luckily it's not a bad labor market to get let go into. Best of luck to the devs on the prowl.

    If I want a world in which people can purchase success and power with cash, I'll play Real Life. Keep Virtual Worlds Virtual!


  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,505
    NorseGod said:
    Not surprised by this one bit. Its unfortunate for people losing their jobs but Daybreak has been one mess of a company since they took over. All their products are on life support, shit updates, no new games being made... why are they even a gaming company? Just let the company implode and go bye bye already. They're doing absolutely nothing in the gaming industry.

    And those commenting on Vanguard... I'd love for Vanguard to make a comeback.. that MMO while having many issues was still one of the best game worlds I've ever played in and I've played damn near every MMO since UO. The size and scope, the open world dungeons that were much bigger than any instanced dungeon we get in this horrible mmo market, I mean I could go on. But no way do I want Daybreaks hands on Vanguard anymore. They're shit. Again its horrible people losing their jobs but until this companies higher ups go bye bye, this company isn't doing shit.
    I play PS2 and DCUO from time to time. Not enough to follow Daybreak. So, what's the deal with Daybreak being disliked around here?
    Combination of inherited bad goodwill from their days as SOE, almost immediate closure of Landmark shortly after taking over, making no real use of the Everquest or Vanguard franchises to name a few.

    Also some shady background maneuvering when the US government brought sanctions against the Russian billionaire who was the beneficiary owner of Daybreak involving attempts to remove previously published documents including press release to mask his current involvement.

    In short, they just suck.
    NorseGodcheebaOctagon7711craftseekerjonp200

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  • HatefullHatefull Member EpicPosts: 2,502

    NorseGod said:



    Not surprised by this one bit. Its unfortunate for people losing their jobs but Daybreak has been one mess of a company since they took over. All their products are on life support, shit updates, no new games being made... why are they even a gaming company? Just let the company implode and go bye bye already. They're doing absolutely nothing in the gaming industry.



    And those commenting on Vanguard... I'd love for Vanguard to make a comeback.. that MMO while having many issues was still one of the best game worlds I've ever played in and I've played damn near every MMO since UO. The size and scope, the open world dungeons that were much bigger than any instanced dungeon we get in this horrible mmo market, I mean I could go on. But no way do I want Daybreaks hands on Vanguard anymore. They're shit. Again its horrible people losing their jobs but until this companies higher ups go bye bye, this company isn't doing shit.


    I play PS2 and DCUO from time to time. Not enough to follow Daybreak. So, what's the deal with Daybreak being disliked around here?





    The Russian Millionaire bullshit has been disproved so many times at this point its not even funny. They are owned by Inception Media group LLC, based in Santa Monica, Ca. which is owned/run by David Borshell and Andy Reimer.

    Moving on, I am (was) a huge fan of DBG but three minutes into Arena, which I was already scratching my head why they made a BR at a time when the genre is overrun with BR's, I knew this polished turd was done.

    It seems to me they are setting themselves up to be shuttered or more likely bought out. Many companies would like to get their hands on the IPs these mouth breathing idiots hold on to, and lets hope someone else can do something worthwhile with them.

    As to your question, I think people see a lot of potential in the IPs the idiots are holding and doing nothing with, and they are angered by that. I am starting to agree. Actually I wholly agree at this point. DBG squandered golden opportunity after golden opportunity and at this point they should sell off to a game company that can actually make something out of the IPs they are slowly letting die.
    NorseGodOctagon7711Kyleranbartoni33craftseekerBekkr

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  • H0urg1assH0urg1ass Member EpicPosts: 2,380
    It's really too bad the direction that Planetside 2 went.

    I've said this before, but Planetside 1 felt like a group of passionate developers and designers sat around someone's living room and said "How can we make the most engaging and enjoyable combined arms multiplayer game?"

    Planetside 2 felt like a bunch of C level executives sat around in a boardroom and said "How can we wrangle as many dollarydoo's from our consumer's wallets while putting the minimum effort possible into the game mechanics?"

    I played Planetside 1 for hundreds of hours and had some of my most overall enjoyable gaming moments in my entire life while playing it.  I still remember dozens of specific moments from that game. 

    I have one memory like that from Planetside 2 and it's really only because I was exploiting a bad game design and farming hundreds of kills from it.

    It was a completely unenjoyable grind that wore my morale down to a nub and then slammed the door on my ass when I wasn't willing to pay to bypass it anymore.
  • PurplePepePurplePepe Member UncommonPosts: 122
    Did anybody really believe Daybreak had any chance for success? Time to break out the white tent.
    craftseeker
  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    Well ANY new owner has a chance for success but this imo was never about that.I always from day 1 questioned this takeover,i feel there is more to it that we will never know about.

    Why it has failed is because Daybreak did absolutely NOTHING except ride the wind,trying to rely on what was already failing when SOE had it.

    So if you are any kind of competent business,would you ASSUME you could simply run the course and do better than what SOE did?This is why i feel there was more to this,they never intended to make money.
    I feel this had more to do with the illegal stuff that was going on at that same time and the government stepping in to investigate.To sum it up without a million lines ,i feel it was more about a Russian operation attaining a business number/license within the USA.Other than that simple explanation it spirals into much much more than that.
    I have no question what so ever this owner still has a lot of ties with the Russian Ogliarch and being a relative makes it all the more believable.

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • gervaise1gervaise1 Member EpicPosts: 6,919


    Daybreak has been one mess of a company since they took over. All their products are on life support, shit updates, no new games being made... why are they even a gaming company? Just let the company implode and go bye bye already. They're doing absolutely nothing in the gaming industry.






    Whether DBG have made the "best" decisions - no idea.

    However think of DBG as a home for the terminally ill.

    The possibility that DBG could turn around the former SoE games - even after Sony had wrote off huge losses - probably less than a million to one.

    This news should not come as a surprise, only the timing was in question.
  • UntamedgunnerUntamedgunner Member UncommonPosts: 56
    DCUO is extremely strong and heck still launching on new platforms ( switch ) just this year. I believe it was do with Planetside, They Pulled a Sears with that game. What I mean Sears catalogue was world famous for decades! They young guns 15 yrs ago begged the old farts to push it online, They had the name the company the reputation of the catalogue ( it’s was even in the show Mash) for crying out loud. Sears catalogue was the original Amazon with the decades ahead, the name and a messed up being the Original “Amazon”. Now Planetside WAS A BATTLE ROYALE GAME 10yrs Before Battle Royale Games was a thing. They had the Name, the Company 10yrs ahead and money. They pulled a Sears. There Planetside not Fortnite. If you owned or ran Daybreak wouldn’t you be pissed. You guys pretty much invented Battle Royale, had all you needed , and got buried by a new guy in the game.
  • MendelMendel Member LegendaryPosts: 5,609
    I'm sorry at people losing their jobs.  That always hurts, no matter the situation.  Daybreak seems to be in a terrible condition, a lifeline for dying games in a dying genre.  I can't see it lasting much longer.

    Realistically, how valuable are the assets that Daybreak still owns/controls?  DCUO might be their biggest IP, but how much of that is really theirs?  Vanguard was only a minor success when it was new.  The Everquest franchise is the flagship, but would it be anything more than a sidebar in today's market?  Owning the EQ IP might be worth something, but it certainly would take substantial work (read: investment money) to make it into games to attract the modern gaming market.  It *might* work at a fiction level, being able to sell the lore for books or movies, but that's also a project in need of more talent (and money).  Who really wants another game based movie, anyway?  SOE is also rumored to have kept 10% of Daybreak's value for themselves; it's anyone's guess what that might entail.

    Daybreak had a pretty solid development and design team for the gaming market.  Layoffs including this most recent one have left that asset almost completely depleted, enough for maintenance and not a lot more.  So, acquiring Daybreak for a burst of talent seems unlikely.

    The technology that Daybreak's games have had may be of some value, and there's quite a catalog of shuttered games that may be worth something.  I can't see how a games company running in maintenance mode has any revenue streams worth acquiring.  About the only thing that may be of value to another company is as a debt service, nothing more than a tax write off to cover losses elsewhere.

    An overall sad day.  It really seems as if this is the end of an era.  I hope everyone impacted by the recent layoffs lands on their feet.



    bartoni33

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

  • CleffyCleffy Member RarePosts: 6,412
    The question with Daybreak has always been how long can you run a company like a moron and still keep it afloat? Still the same management and company culture that made SOE run terribly.
    I still think Daybreak has a ways to go until it goes under. Mass layoffs and then mass hiring is pretty common for this company.
  • gervaise1gervaise1 Member EpicPosts: 6,919
    Ppiper said:
    Wasn't it bought by a hedgefund? My initial thought was they bought cheap and bled their receivables until nothing was left. Close shop and move on to thier nrxt target.
    Sort of. Except it turned out that the press release they put out saying that Columbus Nova had bought SoE was..... n't the case and it was just this guy - who was a partner in CN. See @Kyleran 's comment above.
  • gervaise1gervaise1 Member EpicPosts: 6,919
    DCUO is extremely strong and heck still launching on new platforms ( switch ) just this year. I believe it was do with Planetside, They Pulled a Sears with that game. What I mean Sears catalogue was world famous for decades! They young guns 15 yrs ago begged the old farts to push it online, They had the name the company the reputation of the catalogue ( it’s was even in the show Mash) for crying out loud. Sears catalogue was the original Amazon with the decades ahead, the name and a messed up being the Original “Amazon”. Now Planetside WAS A BATTLE ROYALE GAME 10yrs Before Battle Royale Games was a thing. They had the Name, the Company 10yrs ahead and money. They pulled a Sears. There Planetside not Fortnite. If you owned or ran Daybreak wouldn’t you be pissed. You guys pretty much invented Battle Royale, had all you needed , and got buried by a new guy in the game.
    DCUO may land on its feet - or be last game standing.

    DCUO wasn't an "SoE" game when it launched it was a joint venture involving Sony/SoE along with DC and WarnerBros. No indication that DC and WarnerBros are out of the loop. Indeed the way that DCUO was "hived off" with JE being brought in to run fits with it DC and WarnerBros still being involved.

    Which may - may - help keep the game going somewhat longer.
  • gervaise1gervaise1 Member EpicPosts: 6,919
    Mendel said:
    I'm sorry at people losing their jobs.  That always hurts, no matter the situation.  Daybreak seems to be in a terrible condition, a lifeline for dying games in a dying genre.  I can't see it lasting much longer.

    Realistically, how valuable are the assets that Daybreak still owns/controls?  DCUO might be their biggest IP, but how much of that is really theirs?  Vanguard was only a minor success when it was new.  The Everquest franchise is the flagship, but would it be anything more than a sidebar in today's market?  Owning the EQ IP might be worth something, but it certainly would take substantial work (read: investment money) to make it into games to attract the modern gaming market.  It *might* work at a fiction level, being able to sell the lore for books or movies, but that's also a project in need of more talent (and money).  Who really wants another game based movie, anyway?  SOE is also rumored to have kept 10% of Daybreak's value for themselves; it's anyone's guess what that might entail.

    Daybreak had a pretty solid development and design team for the gaming market.  Layoffs including this most recent one have left that asset almost completely depleted, enough for maintenance and not a lot more.  So, acquiring Daybreak for a burst of talent seems unlikely.

    The technology that Daybreak's games have had may be of some value, and there's quite a catalog of shuttered games that may be worth something.  I can't see how a games company running in maintenance mode has any revenue streams worth acquiring.  About the only thing that may be of value to another company is as a debt service, nothing more than a tax write off to cover losses elsewhere.

    An overall sad day.  It really seems as if this is the end of an era.  I hope everyone impacted by the recent layoffs lands on their feet.



    Maybe the question you are looking for is: "Is there enough value for Gamigo to buy the games when they declare bankruptcy?"
  • HuntrezzHuntrezz Member UncommonPosts: 92
    This really sucks.  Hate to see people losing jobs and a gaming company having to deal with problems like these ones.
  • Jonnas13Jonnas13 Member UncommonPosts: 93
    I hope the developers affected find jobs at other studios. DB has always had great devs but not always the best management to make the most of that talent and their IPs.
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