Baillie resigns as President of Novaquark

francis_baud · April 2021

https://www.reddit.com/r/DualUniverse/comments/mjy0jn/there_has_been_a_change_in_leadership/

So the head of the studio since the beginning (at least 2014) has now resigned as President of Novaquark. I think it's unknown if he is still involved in Dual Universe.

The last video he has made afaik, about 3 months ago:

Scot · April 2021

What gets me is these changes are rarely brought to players attention and yet they must know how players will react on finding this has happened? Maybe they think a managed release of information is worse than going silent and waiting for the bomb to go of, baffling.

Kyleran · April 2021

Scot said:

What gets me is these changes are rarely brought to players attention and yet they must know how players will react on finding this has happened? Maybe they think a managed release of information is worse than going silent and waiting for the bomb to go of, baffling.

Well you know, players (& backers) are like mushrooms, best kept in the dark and fed shi....

francis_baud · April 2021

It sucks, I like J-C and DU was his long cherished project. Hopefully he's still working on it.

NQ hasn't made any official announcement and apparently it's been more than a week since it happened.

If I understood correctly the new President is a major VC investor of DU.

Ungood · April 2021

Mars_OMG said:

He didn't look healthy in that video.

That's a real good point.

francis_baud · April 2021

NQ just posted an announcement on their forums:

"[...] An important change to note is that Jean-Christophe, the founder of Novaquark, has transitioned from the day-to-day management of the team to better focus on his position as a board member. Over the years since the creation of Novaquark, JC designed and set the standards for the structural and conceptual foundation of the game, and he feels now that a solid base is there for him to move forward as a strategic advisor. The recent changes in the administrative presidency of the company only reflect the transition of JC to his new role. We’re excited to have the team he has built deliver on his vision for the game."

https://board.dualthegame.com/index.php?/topic/22553-a-letter-to-our-players/

So at least he should stick around the project for a while, even though strategic advisor is a very different role than CEO.

Kyleran · April 2021

Official public statement has been made and is available over on MassivelyOP.

https://massivelyop.com/2021/04/06/dual-universe-sees-a-leadership-switch-with-a-new-novaquark-president/

Appears he's still involved as a board member and advisor, but day to day management is being turned over to another.

Perhaps some of the reddit rumors about him being difficult to work for were true, supposedly lost their EVE designer after only 7 months.

They specifically mention, "It also puts us in a position to attract experienced talent to complement the team that’s already in place so that we can continue to improve the game."

Wizardry · April 2021

How do you resign as the top dog lol.Who in their right mind demotes themselves if still on the board?
This leads to some confusing specuilation.This again is always about money,it always is.So the business was broke or near broke ,someone close offered up some money but on the grounds a new leader is put in place.I am sure he is still paid well so figured,sure go ahead,i'll collect pay cheques and do less lol.
I always have to wonder WHY anyone would throw money at a venture if it is struggling or losing money.Is it simply a case of someone with money figures they can do it better?

A game like Dual Universe is like some other similar games a good idea on paper but we are not ready to deliver a AAA game in this format.Point being that NOBODY is going to step in and change anything.Yo uwould need to reinvent the design,basically start over and hire a lot of talented people.You can't simply throw money at it to keep it alive an think it will magically turn around.

BruceYee · April 2021

Wizardry said:

How do you resign as the top dog lol.Who in their right mind demotes themselves if still on the board?
This leads to some confusing specuilation.This again is always about money,it always is.So the business was broke or near broke ,someone close offered up some money but on the grounds a new leader is put in place.I am sure he is still paid well so figured,sure go ahead,i'll collect pay cheques and do less lol.
I always have to wonder WHY anyone would throw money at a venture if it is struggling or losing money.Is it simply a case of someone with money figures they can do it better?

A game like Dual Universe is like some other similar games a good idea on paper but we are not ready to deliver a AAA game in this format.Point being that NOBODY is going to step in and change anything.Yo uwould need to reinvent the design,basically start over and hire a lot of talented people.You can't simply throw money at it to keep it alive an think it will magically turn around.

This game has great potential but IMO the monetization isn't the right fit for the game + lack of accessibility(not on Steam). IMO the game would be better off as BTP w/optional sub + cash shop.

If the game was added to Steam as BTP I'd get it even for $60. If they add different tier subs $4.99, $9.99 with various perks/bonuses I may consider them too. The whole pay two months of sub to get access to the game was a little too aggressive IMO for a game still in beta.

Slapshot1188 · April 2021

BruceYee said:

Wizardry said:

How do you resign as the top dog lol.Who in their right mind demotes themselves if still on the board?
This leads to some confusing specuilation.This again is always about money,it always is.So the business was broke or near broke ,someone close offered up some money but on the grounds a new leader is put in place.I am sure he is still paid well so figured,sure go ahead,i'll collect pay cheques and do less lol.
I always have to wonder WHY anyone would throw money at a venture if it is struggling or losing money.Is it simply a case of someone with money figures they can do it better?

A game like Dual Universe is like some other similar games a good idea on paper but we are not ready to deliver a AAA game in this format.Point being that NOBODY is going to step in and change anything.Yo uwould need to reinvent the design,basically start over and hire a lot of talented people.You can't simply throw money at it to keep it alive an think it will magically turn around.

This game has great potential but IMO the monetization isn't the right fit for the game + lack of accessibility(not on Steam). IMO the game would be better off as BTP w/optional sub + cash shop.

If the game was added to Steam as BTP I'd get it even for $60. If they add different tier subs $4.99, $9.99 with various perks/bonuses I may consider them too. The whole pay two months of sub to get access to the game was a little too aggressive IMO for a game still in beta.

I agree that the monetization didn't help but I tried with 4 friends and we gave it a legitimate go... but after maybe a week we just weren't enjoying it and it started to be a chore to login. After 2 weeks we were done. It just SOUNDED more fun than it was in reality. For us at least.

Howdy, Stranger!

Baillie resigns as President of Novaquark

Comments

Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

Howdy, Stranger!

Quick Links

Baillie resigns as President of Novaquark

Comments

Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV