The Short and Morbid Tale of Sigil Games Online

[Simond]

I hope the decent (in both the capability and moral senses of the word) people do ok, and I hope that Brad McQuaid and his cronies take a long walk off a short pier.

Assuming they can even find Brad, of course.

[Signe]

Jobs, like Brad McQuaid, are overrated.  I seem to get along fine without either.

[Ironwood]

Most parasites do.

[Signe]

Gee, that was kind of mean.  I work hard for my husband's money, you know.   

[HaemishM]

So McQuaid didn't even bother showing up when they shitcanned all the employees?

Yep, I was right. Raging Douchebag of Day #3 he certainly is. I feel bad for Sigil, worse knowing that McQuaid probably has a pretty decent parachute of money from SOE to just go the fuck away. If anyone ever gives him money to so much as turn on a computer again, they deserve to have their entire fortune stolen by angry yard gnomes hopped up on bathtub crank and Viagra.

[Morat20]

Wow, I figured they'd have significant cutbacks, but I didn't expect them to line up the remaining battered soldiers on the front lawn and execute them. That sucks, good luck to everyone with talent, the game wasn't *that bad*, may the future treat you better than the past.

I don't know for sure, but what's going on sounds like some clever maneuvering which allows SOE to acquire the game and the people without acquiring the company Sigil itself, which is crucial if Sigil has managed to acquire a substantial amount of debt.  General gist is:

1) Company A acquires all rights and code to Company B's project.
2) Company B lays off almost entire staff due to inability to pay salaries.
3) Company A says "Hey!  What do you know!  Available people with specific knowledge and talent about this codebase we just bought!"  Hires many of them.
4) Company C, who loaned company B a bunch of money, never sees it again.

Again, I don't know if this is what is happening here for sure, but it's a fairly common gambit in the industry, and I would not be surprised if a significant part of the newly unemployed Vanguard team happened to get job offers in the very immediate future.  Brad's a good guy, and I'd be very surprised if he didn't find a way to be sure that most of his team was taken care of when negotiating the deal.

That wouldn't surprise me -- however, I expect if that's the case that SOE hires less than half the team back, if that. They'll only need people with certain specific skillsets (people with in-depth knowledge of the engine, a few of the DBAs, etc) -- most of the people are replaceable. (If for no other reason than SOE is undoubtably going to take the game in a totally different direction).

[LK]

1) Company A acquires all rights and code to Company B's project.
2) Company B lays off almost entire staff due to inability to pay salaries.
3) Company A says "Hey!  What do you know!  Available people with specific knowledge and talent about this codebase we just bought!"  Hires many of them.
4) Company C, who loaned company B a bunch of money, never sees it again.

Curious.  Who's Company C in this case? Microsoft, or SOE? I thought Microsoft had already written off Sigil as a loss, but SOE was the one who funneled additional money to get the game shipped.

I mean if SOE was Company C in this case, then maybe Smedley wanted to destroy McQuaid's creation, or at the very least destroy the Sigil name since it's got a bad taste in most gamer's mouths.

[Alluvian]

I have to say this was quicker than I was expecting from the perspective of someone who has been trying to pretend Sigil did not exist.  I am half curious what the Vanguard boards look like these days.  Luckily the other half is keeping me well away from them.  Any brave souls able to report in?  Is it all mindless SOE hate?  Fanboys talking about how this AWESOME game will now die and how it will be the greatest tragedy of our days?  Haters saying good riddance, I was quitting anyway?  All of the above?

I could never work in the industry myself.  The total and complete lack of job security would never let me sleep.  When it comes to my job I really like going to bed each night without the thought of being fired in the morning.

I feel really bad for them, but it seems to come with the job description.

Final note, I really want verification of where the hell Brad was.  This was his baby, those lost jobs are on his head.  He should have been there to apologize in person.  Hell, he sell his money hat and help out their families until they find their footing again.

[Ubiq]

That wouldn't surprise me -- however, I expect if that's the case that SOE hires less than half the team back, if that. They'll only need people with certain specific skillsets (people with in-depth knowledge of the engine, a few of the DBAs, etc) -- most of the people are replaceable. (If for no other reason than SOE is undoubtably going to take the game in a totally different direction).

You never know.  When something similar happened to me, the company doing the buying picked up nearly all of the people working on the purchased project.  The people working on other projects were SOL.

Two other things factor into it:
1) Hiring people into San Diego is kind of a pain (people don't like to move to a one-studio town, due to the instability of the industry).  So Sony is probably seeing this as a primary opportunity to fill other slots on other teams.
2) Many of these people have worked with SOE in the past and may have history with it, for good or ill.  Sony may not want to hire some of them, and some key people may not want to go back.

Again, this is all speculation.  Every situation in the industry is somewhat unique.

[Ubiq]

Curious.  Who's Company C in this case? Microsoft, or SOE? I thought Microsoft had already written off Sigil as a loss, but SOE was the one who funneled additional money to get the game shipped.

I mean if SOE was Company C in this case, then maybe Smedley wanted to destroy McQuaid's creation, or at the very least destroy the Sigil name since it's got a bad taste in most gamer's mouths.

Company A is SOE.  Company C is whoever funded the initial development of the game.  Maybe Microsoft, maybe a venture capitalist, I've no idea.  I think Brad said the price tag of the game was $30M - there's no way picking up the game makes sense for Sony unless they manage to make that debt a non-factor.

[Engels]

Interview from Ten Ton Hammer with Alan Crosby of SoE. Lots of fluff, but a small bit of VG's future.

The Future of Vanguard

While Crosby was unable to enlighten us as to how SOE will become more involved with Vanguard, he did offer reassurances.

“Vanguard isn’t going anywhere,” he said. “The game will go on. And there will be no NGE, or NVGE, or whatever. Vanguard will still be Vanguard, only, we hope, better.”

The next few weeks should prove to be interesting as news of SOE’s increased involvement with Vanguard becomes official. In uncertain times, one thing seems clear: Alan Crosby is a voice of reason and knowledge when it comes to community matters.

[Furiously]

Oh man - they are going to NGE the game.

[Tmon]

Oh man - they are going to NGE the game.

Who would notice if they did?

[Hutch]

Oh man - they are going to NGE the game.

Who would notice if they did?

That's gonna leave a mark.

[Morat20]

Oh man - they are going to NGE the game.

See, Vanguard needs an NGE -- it's a triple-A game pulling 40k subs. SWG was a triple-A game pulling 200k subs, and didn't need it. (And, of course, Vanguard is four months old and SWG was 3 years old and had just had a massive revamp).

Situation is hugely different.

On a tangent -- I've noted a lot of people treating the word "investment" like it was "loan". Maybe the games industry does it a bit different, but I was under the impression that people sunk capital into Dev houses in return for something specific -- percentage of box sales, etc. I don't think there are any creditors looking for their 30+ million out of Vanguard -- Vanguard's only real debts are probably operational and license based.

Still, selling the game to SOE and then bankrupting Sigil means investors probably can't come looking for a cut of any new Vanguard sales or sub fees, since any agreements they had to that effect were with now-bankrupt Sigil.

[Abelian75]

Well, I sure picked the wrong time to be sending out resumes.

[Simond]

My only gaming-related concern is that SOE will take Gallenite off of EQ2 and tell him to fix Vanguard.
Seriously, Smedley, if you're reading this: Give any & all remaining VG subscribers an EQ2 account with a couple of months free play on it, then shut down Vanguard. Some things are just past saving.

[Furiously]

Well, I sure picked the wrong time to be sending out resumes.

It's ok - I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.

[Ubiq]

On a tangent -- I've noted a lot of people treating the word "investment" like it was "loan". Maybe the games industry does it a bit different, but I was under the impression that people sunk capital into Dev houses in return for something specific -- percentage of box sales, etc. I don't think there are any creditors looking for their 30+ million out of Vanguard -- Vanguard's only real debts are probably operational and license based.

This varies from deal to deal, but most deals involving a game publisher are, for all practical purposes, loans.  If it cost the publisher $5M to fund the game, the first $5M of revenue that aren't taken by operational costs go back to the publisher.  The developer doesn't typically see any money until the publisher is paid back in full.  Once that happens, THEN the publisher and the developer split the profits beyond that.

MMOs are a little different, only in that a little more cash is freed up to support the game (you can't keep the game going without a live team).  Even then, there are typically constraints on how big your live team can be.  If a company doesn't have another funded project lined up immediately, there's no revenue to support extraneous people and they are let go.

If it sounds like it's broken, and the publishers have all the power, well, that's exactly right.  It's the golden rule (he who has the gold makes the rules), and yes, it does result in some games going off vision due to inane publisher demands.  The only chance a developer has to break free from the cycle of dependency is to have a megahit, so they can fund their own games.  Many other developers are trying harder to acquire secondary funding (via VCs and whatnot) - VC funding is better because they tend to invest in a company rather than a game, and are invested in seeing the value of the organization rise.  Unfortunately, most VCs see games as too small and/or too risky to put bank into. 

[tazelbain]

Well, I sure picked the wrong time to be sending out resumes.

It's ok - I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.

Get with the times, grandpa, people sniff fermented sewage these days.

[Soulslinger]

I have been told that Brad checked out long before the annoucement was made. He has a nack of exiting quietly once corporate pressure starts to build. It happened at Verant after the SOE acquisition and it has apparently happened at Sigil. After watching Verant die at the hands of Sony Pictures, I'm sure Brad saw what was on the horizon. But who can blame him? The transition from a small dev shop to the monster SOE became is ugly and painful for all involved, save maybe Yair or Jeff Blake.

I hate the term "The Vision" because it's just not that simple. At SOE, Brad's opinions and artistic integrity were bought out. Thus, he had zero leverage and he hated it. I would have too. And climbing into bed with Micro$oft was just a bad idea from the get-go. They will fuck you in the drive-thru every chance they get. So he has some nice ideas but I doubt he will ever find the chemistry to make another EQ. And regardless of what anyone says, every dev wants a cashcow release. Maybe it's just not time to make another MMO. And maybe I'm wrong. 

But my guess is Brad's conscience eats at him a little and he will always try to snuff it, especially when he drives up the manicured driveway to his multi-million dollar home in his 360 Modena.

To all those guys and girls at Sigil... Sorry folks. It really, REALLY sucks to go out that way. Hopefully you got your name on a box or in a manual and you can use it to leg-up somewhere else. And to all those who left SOE to join Sigil... and trashed talked the whole time: Irony is a muthafucka, ain't it? 

-SS

[NxJoeW]

There were some seriously passionate and talented people on that staff.

Should they not be taken up by SOE, I am sure many of them will have some success if they look toward their old friends.

[Lum]

Yep. There's plenty of projects going on. If nothing else, if anyone from Sigil is reading this and feeling unsure about their future, drop me a line and I may be able to connect you to some folks. sjennings-at-brokentoys.org

The gaming industry's a lot like the Mafia. Once you're in, it's hard to leave.

[Morat20]

Yep. There's plenty of projects going on. If nothing else, if anyone from Sigil is reading this and feeling unsure about their future, drop me a line and I may be able to connect you to some folks. sjennings-at-brokentoys.org

The gaming industry's a lot like the Mafia. Once you're in, it's hard to leave.

Well, if you leave out the man-man kissing and the occasional horse's head, you've convinced me. Where do I sign up for my money-hat? :)

[Nija]

Brad should take Raph's old job at SOE.

On with the promotions! To obscurity and beyond!

[Ixxit]

Gamespot interview with Mr. Smedley (linked from Silky Venom) has some more details.

Looks like Sony picked up both Sigil and Vanguard.  Over half of the VG staff was maintained:


http://www.silkyvenom.com/forums/showthread.php?s=3e4fe456970a39a1d2679313022c65fe&t=21056

[schild]

Hm.

[schild]

May 15, 2007 San Diego, CA – Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), a global leader in the online games industry, today announced that it has completed a transaction to purchase key assets of Sigil Games Online, Inc. Through the deal, SOE now owns Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Sigil’s tentpole property, a highly-successful massively multiplayer online game. The Sigil acquisition also builds on SOE’s successful strategy of cultivating game development studios around the world to further boost the company’s capabilities. The announcement was made by John Smedley, President, Sony Online Entertainment. 
As part of the acquisition, a majority of the Sigil team will join SOE, integrating into SOE’s worldwide group of studios which includes offices in San Diego, Seattle, Austin, Denver, Los Angeles and Taiwan.  The acquisition will strengthen SOE’s position as a leader in the online gaming space by expanding the company’s portfolio of gaming offerings.
 “With an unparalleled team and exceptional product, Sigil has been a creative force in the online games space. We look forward to continuing the vision for Vanguard and to continue to deliver some groundbreaking game play,” said Smedley.
In May 2006, SOE acquired the title’s rights and the two companies agreed to co-publish Vanguard.   The MMO launched in late January of this year and has sold nearly 200,000 retail and digital units worldwide.  Sigil CEO and Vanguard creator, Brad McQuaid will become a consultant with SOE as Vanguard Creative Advisor.
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes takes place in the fantasy setting of Telon, a vast and ancient world of magic, intrigue and adventure where thousands of players from around the world have formed a steadfast community exploring the grandeur of a world crafted by the seminal fantasy artist Keith Parkinson.  The game introduced many groundbreaking new features and an art direction second to none.

Too much to bold. So only bolded one thing.

[tazelbain]

> Vanguard Creative Advisor
Double points if he wears a baret, dresses in all black, and speaks in rhyme.

[Ixxit]

Buried elsewhere at Silky Venom (not sure where it was originally posted):

Hello Everyone,

Today I would like to formally announce that SOE has acquired the assets of Sigil Games Online, including Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. As a part of this acquisition, we are bringing on approx 50 people from Sigil in order to insure that Vanguard continues to grow. SOE is dedicated to making sure that Vanguard is well taken care of and that we provide the same level of service we do for our other titles. In the near future we will come out with a publishing plan that will largely be driven by the strong player community that Vanguard has already built up. We plan on supporting Vanguard for many years to come, and you can expect many content updates as part of your subscription. Down the line we will of course be coming out with new expansion packs, but right now the focus is on making sure Vanguard is running the way it should be.

We are also officially opening up forums. In the past, our deal with Sigil didn't allow for this, but as with our other games we fill this is an important part of communicating with the playerbase. You can expect a strong presence from our community team as well as the development team members. While we realize that Sigil had said they wouldn't open up general forums, at SOE we fill this hampers our efforts to communicate effectively with the players. We will continue to support the fansites in a big way, and will be contacting many of them directly to discuss what this change means. By no means do we want to lose the strong fansite support by making this change, but we do think it's important to have a forum for players to communicate directly with SOE.

A few other items I wanted to mention

1. Brad McQuaid will be consultant to SOE as a creative advisor for Vanguard. Dave Gilbertson will be the person directly responsible for the day-to-day management of both the Sigil Carlsbad office as well as Vanguard.

2. We do not plan on making any major changes to Vanguard. Any changes are going to come from the team itself. We aren't mandating any big changes to the game. We've learned a thing or two with our experiences with the NGE and don't plan on repeating mistakes from the past and not listening to the players.

3. We do plan on spending a lot of time cleaning up legacy issues with Vanguard and making sure the game's performance improves.

By way of comparison, this team is approx. the same size as the EQ2 team and I feel like that team has done an amazing job improving EQ2 since it's launch. We intend to do the same thing for Vanguard and it is our hope that the players feel like we're doing right by them.

Smed

Most interesting that the team will be the same size as the EQ II team. 

[Lantyssa]

About 50 people out of how many?

[Ixxit]

About 50 people out of how many?

He said  the 50  was over half of the Vanguard team.  So 75-80, 90 maybe?

[damijin]

Today was significantly less fun than it should have been (maybe because I didn't hit up any Vanguard forums to see the sky falling).

But I place the blame solely on Smed's overpowered crowd control spells. Nerf him!

[schild]

Oh, trust me, I want to do more than nerf him.

[Engels]

I'm relieved. It was the only possible, yet possibly acceptable outcome, short of shutting VG down altogether.

I'm personally interested in the rather cryptic mention by Smed about 'Vanguard's legacy issues', whatever that means. He makes it sound like Vanguard has problems working with ISA 56k modems. Or are people now refering to 2nd gen machines as 'legacy'?