News: Daybreak Games Hit With Layoffs, Matt Higby resigns - Page 2

ringring · 2015-02-13, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by Gimpylung

Seems like such a short time ago that Higby and TRay were zipping around PS1 in a skyguard getting the playerbase hyped for PS2's beta.

I can recall TRay in the gunner seat in the Bangbus and saying what a piece of crap the gun was... yea, that's why no one ever tried it more than once.

Calista · 2015-02-13, 12:57 PM

I just seems they are going into full maintenance mode on the PC side so they reduced dev headcount to free up funds for ps4 and eventual xbox launch port/launch efforts. So if all that goes well they start developing from that side and porting to the PC.

Babyfark McGeez · 2015-02-13, 02:03 PM

Soe...or daydreaming gaming or whatever they're called now...what a fucking clownshow...i mean what the hell, they even went the early access way like bobs basement development with their zombie thing. Just eye-rollingly wow.

Seriously though, i have to say i pretty much liked all the peeps i talked to or read from over there, but it has to be one of the worst (managed) studios i ever saw. Kinda feel sad for the nice pople working there...well if anyone is left.

Who is left managing PS2 now anyways? Scruffy the janitor?

ringring · 2015-02-13, 02:54 PM

Anyone remember before beta when Higby used to post a picture of a big messy burger and accidentally on purpose have his PC switched on in the background showing the game?

I remember I was salivating, and not for the burger.

Mordelicius · 2015-02-14, 03:11 AM

We'll see what happens next.

Figment · 2015-02-14, 02:08 PM

So many lay-offs.

That's always sad to see...

Best of luck to all those who will be looking for new challenges.

Originally Posted by Gimpylung

Seems like such a short time ago that Higby and TRay were zipping around PS1 in a skyguard getting the playerbase hyped for PS2's beta.

Wasn't it an Aurora AND a Marauder while they were being chased by pretty much all the aircav in the region and not realising at first they should have brought a Skyguard? =p

p0intman · 2015-02-14, 02:27 PM

I've said all I have to say on this elsewhere, or in private to specific people.

I'll leave it with this:

"My God! It tastes so good! I hesitate to swallow and I certainly don't wanna spit it out. Oh, what the Hell?"

*pause*

"I told you so."

-Raymond "Red" Reddington

RykerStruvian · 2015-02-15, 01:05 AM

p0intman, I was thinking of you when I read about this. You were right. You were absolutely right. You talked about this all the way back during the beta on the official forums. I remember.

Planetside 2 being betatested for the PS4 is probably the lowest problem on the ladder in terms of SOEs screwups. I hope Smed is happy with his MLG pushing and public #chestbanging over twitter like some fool. Now we're supposed to believe they can maintain EQ/EQ2/Landmark/EQNext/PS1/PS2/DC: U without Sony?

Everyone's either been kicked off the ship or quit, except Smed's got his golden parachute lined up considering he picked the buyer who wouldn't kick him out of his comfy chair. Thanks, $med. I'll bet anyone $100 that he's going to abandon ship too within the next year or two, as soon as he gets his payout so he can retire.

Also, I like how Higby said his heartfelt goodbyes on Reddit. You know, instead of the official forums. Like he did with everything else.

One bit of good news though. We get to read in on all the juicy stuff via reviews by those just laid off:

http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Son...ews-E21279.htm

JetFireIII · 2015-02-15, 11:15 AM

PlanetSide 2 was and still kinda is my favorite game. However, I'm really disappointed with how neglected the game is, being tossed around like the squad leader position in most squads.

Higby was literally the most well known member of the PS2 team. He was so well known that he was a curse word in the game! Haha

I can bet 99% of people who have heard of a PlanetSide constructive team member will immediately say "Higby" when you ask which one. He'll always be missed and I'm sure the game won't make too much progress in the near future, if any at all (or if it'll even be alive) with all of these people leaving or being kicked off. Daybreak should pull their head out of their arse and start focusing on the games, not making the people who have worked so hard feel like garbage. >_>

Gimpylung · 2015-02-16, 07:24 AM

Originally Posted by Figment

So many lay-offs.

That's always sad to see...

Best of luck to all those who will be looking for new challenges.

Wasn't it an Aurora AND a Marauder while they were being chased by pretty much all the aircav in the region and not realising at first they should have brought a Skyguard? =p

I'm sure they did a few, I remember a Skyguard at one point, here they are in a Prowler...

Canaris · 2015-02-16, 09:10 AM

Originally Posted by Gimpylung

I'm sure they did a few, I remember a Skyguard at one point, here they are in a Prowler...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H632MNPyM9s

You're 100% correct Gimpy, they were racing around in a skyguard at some stage.

Hamma · 2015-02-16, 09:40 AM

Matt Higby leaving SOE only makes p0intman right in p0intman's world.

If you had predicted the exact day and set of events down to a T then I'd be impressed. But that did not happen.. also the game isn't dead for everyone - people are still playing it. Is it as successful as it could be? Definitely not.

The game was dead before it even came out for PS1 vet's who couldn't see past the original game.

Figment · 2015-02-16, 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by Canaris

You're 100% correct Gimpy, they were racing around in a skyguard at some stage.

Yes, eventually.

Said "at first".

Calista · 2015-02-16, 10:33 AM

I think CN is changing the platform priorities to basically accelerate console focus but not giving up on PC. Kinda freezing the PC side except for bug fixes, tuning etc and pushing the active development to the console side. For the longest time it was PC first and now that is changing. If that's the case I don't blame them at all. PS2 on PC growth has been stagnant if not declining for quite some time and the PS4 version was promised to be a "launch" title and all this time later it's still not ready. There is just simply more money to be made from the consoles at this time and CN "adjusted" priorities to pursue that revenue. I don't think the game is "dead" by a long shot.

Figment · 2015-02-16, 10:40 AM

Originally Posted by Hamma

The game was dead before it even came out for PS1 vet's who couldn't see past the original game.

Hamma I'm prone to take a huge issue with this statement if it is meant as a rather wide generalisation rather than applicable to specific individual PS1 veterans.

The fast majority of PS1 veterans were accepting of the principle of change, they simply didn't agree with the changes made and failed to see the logic behind the changes made and elements that were chosen to be changed.

That's something completely different.

Personally I blame the death of PS2 on being far too much like an infinite threeway PS1 cave fight. It should have been an indication to the devs that virtually nobody in PS1 liked cave fights, while "field combat", "campaigning", "defensive farms", "resecure challenges", "(gen/drain) holds" and "massive sieges" were what most players kept playing PS1 for.

The PS2 devs didn't first identify what MMO gameplay was most coveted and what was least liked. If they did, they didn't try to define what made these types of gameplay possible and how other design changes or decisions (like introducing jetpacks) would be interfering with it.

PS2 simply lacked the structure and design choices that make most of these possible, instead being more about zerg to point and spawncamping gameplay than anything else.

PS1 vets gave PS2 more than a chance to impress them. Instead they quickly recognised PS2 copied games designed around short deathmatch and ticket system matches. PS2 devs failed to recognise how an open, continuous world differed from those games in terms of logistics and gameplay scenarios and made decisions that could not be reconciled with it. You cannot blame PS1 vets for being able to make that distinction and not being willing to accept inferior gameplay that could be avoided.

Hamma, just remember that "teleporter firing squads" were designed by developers out of pure inexperience, ignorance and bad insight.

No PS1 veteran nor new player is going to accept such design. And yes, the PS1 player will point out how PS1 did not have that. That isn't tunnelvision. That is experience.