The Decline and Fall of an MMORPG Company

[bryant]

A nice thing about not working at Turbine any more is that I don't feel like I shouldn't comment on MMORPG news any more.

Here's how Sigil Games fell apart.

That's an impressive array of management issues, there. If you were thinking about starting an MMORPG company -- don't get confused; you do indeed need to be able to keep to schedules or explain your schedule slips. "It's artistic" doesn't cover it.

Comments

[telepresence.livejournal.com]

I seems to me like Brad is a guy who's more interested in (and better at) designing games than really running a game development project. He also (based on other stuff), sounds like a guy who has a hard time understanding that his game design philosophy may not mech with current market realities/player tastes.

As far as Vanguard goes, I was in the beta and hated it. I don't know what the game could have been if it had really been finished properly, but I honestly suspect it still would have failed. "Masochists who want a really punishing game with restrictive travel and stiff death penalties." is not a huge slice of the pie.

Meanwhile, Lotro wound up being awfully good. Maybe not revolutionary, but polished and playable to a far greater degree than Vanguard. And the hardcore MMO heads are mostly buzzing about Conan and Warhammer (and to some extent) Huxley, at least in the places I hang out.

[dcltdw]

*twitches nose* Who were Sigil Games? I take it they were developing an MMORPG called Vanguard? Or Vision?

Ok, I'm totally without context here. :)

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

I hope Curt Schilling is taking this to heart.

[kodi]

"Masochists who want a really punishing game with restrictive travel and stiff death penalties." is not a huge slice of the pie.

Sadly, that's the exact slice I fall in.

[telepresence.livejournal.com]

I sympathize. I have a list of games as long as my arm that I want made (sequels or genres) or imported that just will never be popular enough.

[multiplexer.livejournal.com]

I don't know who this Brad McQuaid person is, or why I should waste a moment of my time on him, but he comes off as the most amazing douchebag ever. His douchebaggery is stunning.

Do you know why Microsoft upper management cut off the money and time? Because they knew this guy was an underperforming douchebag and it was time to cut him and his money leeching ways off at the kneecaps before he became a permanent suckerfish.

[bryant]

Yeah, they did Vanguard, which came out about a week before Burning Crusade. Ow.

Brad McQuaid was one of the original Everquest guys. The whole "level, grind, quest, raid" paradigm that drives EQ, EQII, WoW, etc., etc. is The Vision.

[foxmagic.livejournal.com]

Long time no see! I found your older blog - next time you're in the Disney area, let me know! The Disney parks are to me what local suburban shopping malls are to teenagers.

And, by the way, Cory Doctorow spelled your name wrong:
http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=199600005

[bryant]

Hah! Yeah, I was kicking myself for not dropping you a line before the last time we went down. But I did wind up telling michele_blue the story of how you moved down there. :)

I noticed the Doctorow misspelling. *grin* Corrected him in his blog, though.