Daybreak Games lays off multiple employees in company 'realignment'

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Elrontaur, Oct 15, 2019.

  1. Elrontaur

    Elrontaur People Like Me

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    "We are taking steps to improve our business and to support our long-term vision for the existing franchises and development of new games. This will include a realignment of the company into separate franchise teams, which will allow us to highlight their expertise, better showcase the games they work on, and ultimately provide tailored experiences for our players. Unfortunately, some employees were impacted by this effort, and we’re doing what we can to support them during this challenging time."

    https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news...multiple_employees_in_company_realignment.php
     
  2. Elrontaur

    Elrontaur People Like Me

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    Maybe it's time for us to raise some $$ to buy the AK client/server source code from them. Sounds like they could use the cash.
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2019
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  3. Haynar

    Haynar Administrator

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    $50-100 million maybe. Not sure if you understand the value of IP. Its not cheap. And wont be sold in the first place.

    Not sure why people think you can do a “fundraiser” for stuff like this.
     
  4. Elrontaur

    Elrontaur People Like Me

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    I used to work in Game Software development, and I can assure you they spent a fraction of that sum creating AK. Sony thought they were being clever by porting their PC game server to Mac. The Mac server was a big let down for them because it never had the population the PC ones did. We're talking about code that is sitting on a shelf collecting dust, and is useful to no one except us.

    So, it's worth far less than the PC EQ source code, and is basically worthless to them.
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2019
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  5. showstring

    showstring I Feel Loved

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    Haynar is right, you are completely misunderstanding what you're asking.

    They are not going to "sell" the EQMac server. It would be the entire EverQuest franchise intellectual property. Which is also not going to be sold individually from the other IP that Daybreak own.

    So you'd be fundraising to buy entire Daybreak studio. Gluck.
    In saying that, I'm willing to chip in about three fiddy
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2019
  6. Elrontaur

    Elrontaur People Like Me

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    Really? Well hey, let’s take down Adobe with a copy of PhotoShop 1.0 source code! Lol.
     
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  7. Lenas

    Lenas I Feel Loved

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    Doesn't matter how relevant or not the code is. They are legally obligated to protect and defend anything with the name EverQuest attached to it until the franchise's dying day.

    Adobe won't give you PS 1.0 source no matter how much money you raise, either, unless you plan to buy the entire company.
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2019
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  8. Placer

    Placer Well-Known Member

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    There is no such legal obligation. Firms open source things all the time if they think its merited. Sometimes it is just for the good will. It's why they arguably stopped going after the emu's. Elron's idea, there really is no harm/cost in asking. I emailed Smed. once directly when the server was sunsetting about how it was a bad idea. Of course, he didn't listen. But points to him for actually responding. Start with a bigger ask and who knows maybe we could a 64 bit port out of it at least. I suspect Hobart still has the code himself but just wont do it without an ok.
     
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  9. NeonZ

    NeonZ New Member

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    I didn't realize Daybreak even had enough employees that they could lay some off :p
     
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  10. Mokli

    Mokli I Feel Loved

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    Best bet is to find Hobart. Maybe he has a local copy somewhere.
     
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  11. thucydides

    thucydides I Feel Loved

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    bribe him with dkp.
     
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  12. Haynar

    Haynar Administrator

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    I bet you could make an unsolicited offer. 250 million. I bet they would consider a sell.
     
  13. Tryfan

    Tryfan People Like Me

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    The Everquest IP is worth less and less every day. Eventually Daybreak will finish it off completely. How many people are clamoring to buy the IP to something like Might & Magic?

    Somewhere along the line some people started thinking Everquest was a bigger thing in the wider world than it actually was.

    Bet the Ultima IP is still worth a bunch though, even after Ultima 8 AND Ultima 9 tried to kill it completely. Wonder if anything will ever be done with that one?
     
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  14. Oiwon

    Oiwon People Like Me

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    Hobart used to be on FB not sure if he still is
     
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  15. Mokli

    Mokli I Feel Loved

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    I'm actually not so sure about that. Right before Daybreak took over and they were still working on EQ Next, they did say that EQ was their most profitable MMO. Granted, we are talking about 4 years ago and I'm pretty sure its not the most profitable at this point, but still a decent cash cow. As long as EQ puts out the numbers, I think it will just very slowly decline as is the nature of MMO's.
     
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  16. Tryfan

    Tryfan People Like Me

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    EQ Live has been in survival mode for a long time now but that is not what I was referring to and its marginal profitability has little to do with the worth of the IP now. The truth is, the internet has mostly stopped caring about Everquest as a brand at all. They came to the realization that there were other ways to monetize Everquest "the brand" way too late and now the market for anything "Everquest" is minscule.
     
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  17. Dane

    Dane People Like Me

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    If you say so.

    edit: Its value isn’t what it once was nor is it worth as much as some competing games, but I think it’s naive to say the IP is worthless. The DBG EQ TLP servers are some of its largest cash cows. I seriously doubt they would give out the code to an emu project that will directly compete with that.

    In re: p99 agreement - I think there’s a material difference in a concession to stop hunting the wolf and directly handing your livestock to the wolf.

    However, we are all making assumptions. If one of you truly believes the IP is worthless, reach out to DBG and make an offer. Let us know how it goes.
     
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2019
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  18. Tryfan

    Tryfan People Like Me

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    I'll get right on that right after I finish searching this thread for where someone says the IP is worthless.

    Might take me a while.
     
  19. Mokli

    Mokli I Feel Loved

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    Worthless meaning affordable by any one person or group of people without help from an investment firm.

    Make an offer, see what they come back with (if anything at all), then we can go start one of those go fund me things.
     
  20. Tryfan

    Tryfan People Like Me

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    I mean even the Bard's Tale IP, for a game no one under the age of 40 even remembers and code that hasnt had any worth in decades, sold for more than a million (to its original creators I think). Obviously "Everquest" as an IP is worth more than at least that, far more.

    However some of the numbers in this thread are probably higher than the entire worth of DBG itself, which would include ALL their owned IPs...

    I dont think DBG could even get back what EQ was worth when it took it over. It squandered the IP.
     
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2019
  21. Haynar

    Haynar Administrator

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    Although the EQ IP is worth less. The investment company that bought it, is more likely to let it die as a writeoff, than sell it for a huge loss.

    Ideally. It should be worth 10-20x the profits it makes per year. Its value is likely way overinflated due to stagnation.
     
  22. Baler

    Baler Well-Known Member

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    If ultima online can keep the lights on I'm sure Everquest can do the same.
    It's sad that these once titans of the industry now seem like closet servers.
    And while some may not like to hear what I'm about to say... It's not thanks to EMUs for those lights being kept on. It's the people who keep subscribing and buying the MTX. The last thing the official staff want is to shut the doors. They'll do what ever it takes to keep the lights on. But what happens when all those loyal patrons die off and the staff dwindle even lower. Time will tell.

    edit: Laying off employee's is just trimming the fat, eventually it will be a skeleton team. Nothing lost, nothing gained.
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2019
  23. Dane

    Dane People Like Me

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    EverQuest has been "dying" since 2005. Yet, two days ago DBG announced that EQ's 26th expansion is set to launch in December along with a new progression server.
     
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  24. Tesadar

    Tesadar Active Member

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    So they went from 8 employees to 5? Shame.
     
  25. Darchon

    Darchon I Feel Loved

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    They also released info from beta regarding the raid events in the new expansion.

    The final boss event is titled Derakor and the Avatar of War.

    Who knew, 18 years, 55 levels and 50,000 AAs later, AoW would be the end boss again.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2019
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  26. showstring

    showstring I Feel Loved

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    He better be 1-round killing the main tank
     
  27. Devour_Souls

    Devour_Souls People Like Me

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    Yeah, but this AoW has 1,000,0000,000 HPs and PCs hit him for 100,000 damage. Obviously that is totally made up, but it would be neat and gross at the same time if it scaled exactly to Velious era.
     
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  28. Dane

    Dane People Like Me

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    Those numbers would be very low. The inflation has become out of control, but that’s to be expected after 20 years, I guess. It also will be completely different than SoV AoW. All of the raids are scripted now. I’m guessing you will see all 4 Arena bosses in the same event with other familiar named coming in as adds.

    I wasn’t thrilled to see the Velious recreation just a few years after all the Velious revamps in RoF. The new progression server is intriguing though since I missed out on HoT and VOA.
     
  29. Tesadar

    Tesadar Active Member

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    youre probably pretty close lol
     
  30. Darchon

    Darchon I Feel Loved

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    Raid tanks cap around 400k HP buffed right now on Live I think? Raid mobs themselves have more than 1 billion HP. Classes can sustain for around 300-400k DPS with support and burn for 1million DPS over short durations.

    They got very ridiculous with all the attributed DPS stacking that is possible to amplify individual DPS.