Seeing how none of us seem to be Sony shareholders or investors and thusly have little to no insight in to exactly what was going on from mid-90´s up to today beyond what little we could put together from our outside view... Saying that Smed ran SoE in to the ground is perhaps a bit speculative.
But no matter... I can not prove he did not do it either so each to his own on that matter.
What i can not understand is how ANYONE can stand up and smirk like a smug *bleeeep*ng punchdrunk posterior primate over the fact that someone had his life, his family´s life and his *bleeeep* dearly departed disturbed OVER.... A.... FEW... ***********.... VIDEOGAMES... .. . VIDEOGAMES.... Jesus F Christ... Arn´t we doing the very best to prove people that we are in fact socially and mentally disturbed... The abandoned army ready to topple the world....
Well *bleeeep* me up the *bleeeep* and call me charlie... But by all means, sit there and feel smug... After all it does not directly impact you, so why bother.
I like to think i remember when there was a time we knew what appropriate response was... I know it is an illusion but i like to think it existed.
1) Smed was in charge of SOE for its entire existence, so it is hard to pass the buck of its failure onto anyone other than him.
2) I don't see anyone cheering for Lizard Squad and saying that the cyber attacks he is under are a good thing.
There are 2 different issues here and that really needs to be kept in perspective.
First issue is that Smed is in a war with scummy hackers. Everyone seems to agree that those things being done really suck and no one deserves that. However Smed isn't making the situation any better by raging like a giant man baby on twitter and making the problem worse for his employer, customers and his career.
There is some assumption that this event lead to his departure and anyone seeing his leaving is a positive thing for gaming is somehow an endorsement of Lizard Squads actions. It isn't. The mess he is in with Lizard Squad is separate issue and doesn't negate all the other issues he has.
Second issue, is that Smed has pissed on a lot of his customers over the years and people resent him for that. He has been a habitual liar and his attitude/words can often be pointed to as a direst reason driving players away. Anyone saying that he was long overdue in being replaced isn't wrong, nor does that mean they support his problems with lizard squad.
Notice how no one is saying they don't understand why John faces so much criticism, even to the point of hackers willing to do things that bring them to face criminal charges? No one is surprised that he is no longer in a leadership position? No one is saying that Daybreak games is going to be worse off without him running the show?
I'm speaking in huge sweeping strokes there speaking for "everyone", but honestly I don't think we can find anyone, but the most blind rabid fan who would not also echo those same exact statements.
+1 WELL SAID.
I haven't seen anyone in this thread support Lizard squads actions or state Smed deserved them, but it seems if we do point out he wasn't very good as the CEO of SOE for sometime that people jump on that as if we are somehow supporting Lizards squads actions??
There do seem to be some people that argue Smed was never at fault he never had the power to stand up to anyone (but sure did talk a good game) the buck never stopped with him, he never backed the NGE, it was all Lucus Arts, SOE's massive money losses over the years were all somebody else's doing. How nice to be so famous get paid so much, and have so much limelight yet never be held to any responsibility for any failure.
Seeing how none of us seem to be Sony shareholders or investors and thusly have little to no insight in to exactly what was going on from mid-90´s up to today beyond what little we could put together from our outside view... Saying that Smed ran SoE in to the ground is perhaps a bit speculative.
But no matter... I can not prove he did not do it either so each to his own on that matter.
What i can not understand is how ANYONE can stand up and smirk like a smug *bleeeep*ng punchdrunk posterior primate over the fact that someone had his life, his family´s life and his *bleeeep* dearly departed disturbed OVER.... A.... FEW... ***********.... VIDEOGAMES... .. . VIDEOGAMES.... Jesus F Christ... Arn´t we doing the very best to prove people that we are in fact socially and mentally disturbed... The abandoned army ready to topple the world....
Well *bleeeep* me up the *bleeeep* and call me charlie... But by all means, sit there and feel smug... After all it does not directly impact you, so why bother.
I like to think i remember when there was a time we knew what appropriate response was... I know it is an illusion but i like to think it existed.
1) Smed was in charge of SOE for its entire existence, so it is hard to pass the buck of its failure onto anyone other than him.
2) I don't see anyone cheering for Lizard Squad and saying that the cyber attacks he is under are a good thing.
There are 2 different issues here and that really needs to be kept in perspective.
First issue is that Smed is in a war with scummy hackers. Everyone seems to agree that those things being done really suck and no one deserves that. However Smed isn't making the situation any better by raging like a giant man baby on twitter and making the problem worse for his employer, customers and his career.
There is some assumption that this event lead to his departure and anyone seeing his leaving is a positive thing for gaming is somehow an endorsement of Lizard Squads actions. It isn't. The mess he is in with Lizard Squad is separate issue and doesn't negate all the other issues he has.
Second issue, is that Smed has pissed on a lot of his customers over the years and people resent him for that. He has been a habitual liar and his attitude/words can often be pointed to as a direst reason driving players away. Anyone saying that he was long overdue in being replaced isn't wrong, nor does that mean they support his problems with lizard squad.
Notice how no one is saying they don't understand why John faces so much criticism, even to the point of hackers willing to do things that bring them to face criminal charges? No one is surprised that he is no longer in a leadership position? No one is saying that Daybreak games is going to be worse off without him running the show?
I'm speaking in huge sweeping strokes there speaking for "everyone", but honestly I don't think we can find anyone, but the most blind rabid fan who would not also echo those same exact statements.
+1 WELL SAID.
I haven't seen anyone in this thread support Lizard squads actions or state Smed deserved them, but it seems if we do point out he wasn't very good as the CEO of SOE for sometime that people jump on that as if we are somehow supporting Lizards squads actions??
There do seem to be some people that argue Smed was never at fault he never had the power to stand up to anyone (but sure did talk a good game) the buck never stopped with him, he never backed the NGE, it was all Lucus Arts, SOE's massive money losses over the years were all somebody else's doing. How nice to be so famous get paid so much, and have so much limelight yet never be held to any responsibility for any failure.
There is a fine line between donkey and genius. I remember when Steve Jobs was, basically, the worst thing to ever happen to business. He was a horrible human being. Yet, my kids won't remember that. They will call Steve Jobs a genius. Which is right?
I think that there is a great deal of harsh words for Smed, much of which is deserved. However, whether he is responsible for NGE or not is probably one of the smallest issues. The assumption is that had NGE not dropped, that SWG would still be here. FACT: SWG was already dying/dead before CU and NGE. It probably would have survived as a niche game had they NOT been made, but the risk was worth the reward since the SWG profits were trivial at that point. Sometimes it's better to go for the big fish. Even if he didn't make the decision, it was the right one from a business perspective and that is what he was hired to do. Run a business.
That being said, if I owned a company and my CEO engaged in squabbles over the Internet like this, which ended up being detrimental to our ability to RUN our business? He'd be gone. Same as Smed.
Seeing how none of us seem to be Sony shareholders or investors and thusly have little to no insight in to exactly what was going on from mid-90´s up to today beyond what little we could put together from our outside view... Saying that Smed ran SoE in to the ground is perhaps a bit speculative.
Smed was the CEO of SOE.
Sony sold the SOE division to Daybreak Games.
You don't sell off a division that's making you money hand-over-fist. You sell off poorly performing divisions while they can still be sold; before they have to be liquidated entirely. I'm not trying to be rude, or sarcastic, but do the math. It was his ship to sink and he sunk it.
He co-created two of the best early MMO's and then he turned around and knifed one of those MMO's in the back. That should have been his last decision at SOE. This departure is ten years too late, no matter current the circumstances.
You do when you need capital
edit: Why did Vivendi sell its stake in Blizzard then?
Anyone with any common sense knew that Smedley's days where numbered when SOE was sold. I think I said it and I'm sure a number of other people did too. I'm sure Smedley himself knew it was coming at least some time before it happened. In fact, it might have been his agitation over his impending removal which prompted him to mouth off in the kerfuffle with the cyber punks.
This lizard squad bunch might have actually done him a favor because now he can pretend like he was axed because of all that crap and not because he was incompetent.
Originally posted by Nanfoodle Im a Smed fan. He has done much for video games and is one of the reasons many MMOs are where they are today. He speaks his mind and what you see is what you get and IMO I rather that then a closed lipped CEO that you never know what he is thinking. Agree with him or not he is a breath of fresh air. I think his openness got him in trouble with the hackers but honestly what he went through would have put anyone on nerve. No one should have to go through what he did.
Um wait are we talking about the same John Smedly or are you simply trolling? The CEO that managed SOE into the ground so it was bought out on the cheap by Daybreak games? The Same John Smedly that on his watch as CEO say roughly of SOE's employees be fired? The guy that basically NGE'd SWG to death and then trash talked that His new poorly done Zombie survival game was the next SWG?
Pretty sure we could go on and on about what that breath of fresh air has done to gaming, SOE, and its empolyees. One could argue that no one man is responsible for those failures, but in the end the buck stopped with him so yes with all that money, fame, and not to mention ego came responsibility. I think Smed has more then had his day in the sun at the cost of others. Maybe with luck he can get a job with Brad McQuad making Pantheon Rise of the Fallon?
I have stayed on the sidelines for a while, for "he who argues with idiots, is one". But let me be a little idiotic:
1) The New Game Engine (NGE), was NOT Smedly's doing. It was passed down from the higher ups, namely, Lucas himself. Smed just happened to be at the helm at the time.
2) The man is responsible for maintaining office direction. He is not a writer, he is not a developer, he is not database admin.. he manages the projects... that is, makes sure that people do what they are supposed to in a timely manner, and presents a face to the stockholders to speak with, and at the same time, a scapegoat for the angry public to target.
If you still want to blame what is essentially an office worker with the direction that a game took due to either the players or the stockholders' wants, then I feel sorry for your small-mindedness. On top of this, wishing ill on the target of malicious attacks, regardless of who they are, shows just what type of a human you really are. The type that every morning I regret I know live in this world. I know I am not the most upstanding member of society myself, but at least I know my friends from my enemies, and direct my ire in the right direction.
I will again have to follow my advice now. (Don't argue with idiots, because those observing will not know who's who.)
You seem Confused???
. Smed was not some office worker as you describe him. He was the COE of a multi-mllion dollar company. Saying he never had any control over the companies management, or the direction of its games, and the buck never stopped with him seems to use your own words "small minded"
Also while I did joke that Smed might get a job with Brad please point out where I wished him ill? Wishing someone a job is not ill will last I checked. and in truth most will agree Smed did his best work with Brad and the team they had when they made EQ.
Now I don't expect you to respond, your post seemed much like that of a hit and run attacker, no facts, no logic, and twisting my words. My Disagreement with Smed's handling of SOE as COE over the last few years does not = wishing him ill, good try though. You don't know me, you don't know what type of "human" I am, you don't know what I do for a living (yes I have a job) But keep on hating me and others like me as we are the ones that server(ed) in the armed forces and even went to war and put our lives on the line so you can continue to do so.
Assuming I knew what type of human you are from your one post in this thread would indeed make me a small minded idiot?? Guess you a genius to know what type of human I am from my one post in this thread as you say you do.
Can you imagine your life being turned upside down by a hateful group of anonymous people? Your parent's grave defaced; an airplane you're on being forced to land; fraud frequently enacted in your name. Countless other harassment.
+10
No matter your feeling towards John Smedley. This kind of thing is utter bullshit and the kind of thing done by faceless pussies.
Except, its not that straightforward, one of the first lessons of being an adult, is not to get into senseless arguments with children, this is a lesson that Smedley earned himself an epic fail at.
But the thing is these "children" was not conducting a senseless arguments... they where committing actual crimes and if any of them are US citizens also terrorism... These are not cute little pranksters and this is not a "boys will be boys" thing. Could he have been smoother... Yes... But at the same time not saying anything just grant these "children" more power and a even bigger power bone.
to those that are excusing this despicable,disgusting behavior on the part of these criminals,you cannot "PROVOKE" criminals. They are 100% responsible for their willful behavior. No one has the right to commit crimes against you because of or in response to your opinions.
Also no person has an obligation to sit back and be quiet when subjected to this level of harassment and criminal victimization. WE should all be vocal about this crap as members of the gamer community.
Smed especially had the right to voice his opinion and concerns as the direct victim of these crimes as well as because of his unique position as a leader in the gaming developer community.
I sincerely hope his employment change was just part of the corporate restructuring plan already in place. If his position suffered because of his righteous indignation then that's just sad. Smed had the absolute right to say what he did to those people and Daybreak should stand behind him 100%.
Smedleys future in the company was questionable the moment that it parted ways from Sony, and is largely irrelevant at this point anyway, nobody is condoning btw, the behaviour of the hackers or the things they did, this is instead a comment on the behaviour of Smedley in response to those things, he effectively 'joined the schoolyard' in a slanging match with a bunch of juvenile hackers, that is not the sort of behaviour you expect from a responsible adult, especially one who is the CEO of a company. Which btw, is exactly the point i was making.
I do agree it's most likely that Smed's position was being changed regardless and i also think he wasn't a very good CEO for SOE.
Regarding the Lizard Squad situation i utterly reject this notion that standing up against criminals is "joining in the schoolyard". He was the direct victim of this harassment and criminal behavior, and as such he was in a unique position to lead the charge against this kind of behavior.
Like i said above no one has the obligation to sit down and be quiet in the face of such reprehensible conduct. Sometimes in life you cannot make "corporate" decisions. You have to take a stand as a human being and dare i say as a "man" and say what needs to be said.
It is my respectful opinion that Smedley did not behave immaturely by engaging these criminals,but instead he had an obligation as a leader in the industry to confront them. Political correctness and hiding behind 'corporate " obligation empowers these fools.
Can you imagine your life being turned upside down by a hateful group of anonymous people? Your parent's grave defaced; an airplane you're on being forced to land; fraud frequently enacted in your name. Countless other harassment.
+10
No matter your feeling towards John Smedley. This kind of thing is utter bullshit and the kind of thing done by faceless pussies.
Except, its not that straightforward, one of the first lessons of being an adult, is not to get into senseless arguments with children, this is a lesson that Smedley earned himself an epic fail at.
But the thing is these "children" was not conducting a senseless arguments... they where committing actual crimes and if any of them are US citizens also terrorism... These are not cute little pranksters and this is not a "boys will be boys" thing. Could he have been smoother... Yes... But at the same time not saying anything just grant these "children" more power and a even bigger power bone.
to those that are excusing this despicable,disgusting behavior on the part of these criminals,you cannot "PROVOKE" criminals. They are 100% responsible for their willful behavior. No one has the right to commit crimes against you because of or in response to your opinions.
Also no person has an obligation to sit back and be quiet when subjected to this level of harassment and criminal victimization. WE should all be vocal about this crap as members of the gamer community.
Smed especially had the right to voice his opinion and concerns as the direct victim of these crimes as well as because of his unique position as a leader in the gaming developer community.
I sincerely hope his employment change was just part of the corporate restructuring plan already in place. If his position suffered because of his righteous indignation then that's just sad. Smed had the absolute right to say what he did to those people and Daybreak should stand behind him 100%.
Smedleys future in the company was questionable the moment that it parted ways from Sony, and is largely irrelevant at this point anyway, nobody is condoning btw, the behaviour of the hackers or the things they did, this is instead a comment on the behaviour of Smedley in response to those things, he effectively 'joined the schoolyard' in a slanging match with a bunch of juvenile hackers, that is not the sort of behaviour you expect from a responsible adult, especially one who is the CEO of a company. Which btw, is exactly the point i was making.
I do agree it's most likely that Smed's position was being changed regardless and i also think he wasn't a very good CEO for SOE.
Regarding the Lizard Squad situation i utterly reject this notion that standing up against criminals is "joining in the schoolyard". He was the direct victim of this harassment and criminal behavior, and as such he was in a unique position to lead the charge against this kind of behavior.
Like i said above no one has the obligation to sit down and be quiet in the face of such reprehensible conduct. Sometimes in life you cannot make "corporate" decisions. You have to take a stand as a human being and dare i say as a "man" and say what needs to be said.
It is my respectful opinion that Smedley did not behave immaturely by engaging these criminals,but instead he had an obligation as a leader in the industry to confront them. Political correctness and hiding behind 'corporate " obligation empowers these fools.
Ah no wonder, wearing those rose colored glasses......
actually i think they are purple... =P
But yeah... Seeing how i have not really played a SOE / DBG game for many years most of my entertainment from them have come in the form of Smed´s outbursts... I will miss those.
But i guess that was not what you where alluding too now was it...
Originally posted by Phry Except, its not that straightforward, one of the first lessons of being an adult, is not to get into senseless arguments with children, this is a lesson that Smedley earned himself an epic fail at.
It's really sad that you can't see the difference between someone firing back harsh words and someone doxing, harrassing, DDOSing, hacking, swatting, vandalizing graves, and filing false tax returns that negatively affect not just him but his family, his coworkers, and hundreds of thousands of gamers.
It's just so absurd that you feel since he's an adult he should expect that kind of attack or that such behavior is even remotely warranted. You live in a really fucked up world, bro. FUCKED. UP.
What's really fecked up is that women in general are regularly treated much worse and that's business as usual. But I digress.
It's a good point, actually. Had it been a Joan Smedley that stood up to the hackers the craziness would expand to include rape threats, "she's just bitching" and dismissive handwaving about being an attention whore or playing the martyr.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Well fortunately the winds are changing on that subject also. More and more people speak out against the posterior primates of "our" community. There is less and less room for them.
Originally posted by Loktofeit Originally posted by FoomerangOriginally posted by LoktofeitOriginally posted by Phry Except, its not that straightforward, one of the first lessons of being an adult, is not to get into senseless arguments with children, this is a lesson that Smedley earned himself an epic fail at.
It's really sad that you can't see the difference between someone firing back harsh words and someone doxing, harrassing, DDOSing, hacking, swatting, vandalizing graves, and filing false tax returns that negatively affect not just him but his family, his coworkers, and hundreds of thousands of gamers. It's just so absurd that you feel since he's an adult he should expect that kind of attack or that such behavior is even remotely warranted. You live in a really fucked up world, bro. FUCKED. UP. What's really fecked up is that women in general are regularly treated much worse and that's business as usual. But I digress.It's a good point, actually. Had it been a Joan Smedley that stood up to the hackers the craziness would expand to include rape threats, "she's just bitching" and dismissive handwaving about being an attention whore or playing the martyr. Sad but true. And it sucks because John definitely is a victim of abuse here and I empathize. But it makes me wish we rushed to defend like this when it happens to marginalized groups.
I do agree it's most likely that Smed's position was being changed regardless and i also think he wasn't a very good CEO for SOE.
Regarding the Lizard Squad situation i utterly reject this notion that standing up against criminals is "joining in the schoolyard". He was the direct victim of this harassment and criminal behavior, and as such he was in a unique position to lead the charge against this kind of behavior.
Like i said above no one has the obligation to sit down and be quiet in the face of such reprehensible conduct. Sometimes in life you cannot make "corporate" decisions. You have to take a stand as a human being and dare i say as a "man" and say what needs to be said.
It is my respectful opinion that Smedley did not behave immaturely by engaging these criminals,but instead he had an obligation as a leader in the industry to confront them. Political correctness and hiding behind 'corporate " obligation empowers these fools.
There is a difference between standing up to criminals, leading a charge and just being stupid.
I see no charge that was led by Johns outburst and he seems to be standing up against the courts light sentencing by threatening some sort of vigilante justice.
John made an emotionally charged reaction that resulted in most of the people he is involved with suffering the consequences.
The guy runs a video game company. He is not obligated to put his employers, customers, career and family at risk by going out to directly threaten criminals when those threats will have zero impact other than him blowing off steam.
I personally support an MMO landscape that does not include John Smedley or others with his attitude towards his players and supporters. I always got the feeling hearing stuff he used to say like I do when I'm listening to a used car salesman. Telling your fans and players that you always know what is better for them and their game and not really listening to them is bad way to do business. He was never a good leader of SOE, and the myriad of games that went down the hole under his leadership far outweigh his successes. As it relates to the attacks on him personally, that kind of stuff should never happen to anyone, and I do feel terrible for him for having to endure that kind of bullshit.
I will not miss Smed. He was a habitual liar. A lot of folks say he was not responsible for what happened with the NGE. That may be true, it did come down from Lucas. However it was all the lies that was told. Remember the lies that oh we are not changing swg, that is a new game. The lies of oh that prima book was a misprint and should not have been for sale. It was all the lies that was told before we got the real truth of the matter.
Then lets look at all the other stuff that happened. SOE where good games go to die. Vanguard, Matrix. Other games they spent millions on that never saw the light of day like proxima nova and there are 4 others. Then look at games that were not well done, DC anybody. Then you can look at EQ3 or EQNEXT as the call it, millions spent and what it has been canned 3 times and is on its 4 go, and we still have no clue how it will turn out, since at the bottom of its code storybricks has went under.
All this happened with smed at the controls. I for one am glad to see him step down, he needs to take a big look at the stuff he has screwed up, and be thankful that 2 of his mmo's are still going, however with lack of staff you have to ask how long that will be.
I do agree it's most likely that Smed's position was being changed regardless and i also think he wasn't a very good CEO for SOE.
Regarding the Lizard Squad situation i utterly reject this notion that standing up against criminals is "joining in the schoolyard". He was the direct victim of this harassment and criminal behavior, and as such he was in a unique position to lead the charge against this kind of behavior.
Like i said above no one has the obligation to sit down and be quiet in the face of such reprehensible conduct. Sometimes in life you cannot make "corporate" decisions. You have to take a stand as a human being and dare i say as a "man" and say what needs to be said.
It is my respectful opinion that Smedley did not behave immaturely by engaging these criminals,but instead he had an obligation as a leader in the industry to confront them. Political correctness and hiding behind 'corporate " obligation empowers these fools.
There is a difference between standing up to criminals, leading a charge and just being stupid.
I see no charge that was led by Johns outburst and he seems to be standing up against the courts light sentencing by threatening some sort of vigilante justice.
John made an emotionally charged reaction that resulted in most of the people he is involved with suffering the consequences.
The guy runs a video game company. He is not obligated to put his employers, customers, career and family at risk by going out to directly threaten criminals when those threats will have zero impact other than him blowing off steam.
There is making emotionally charged reactions in the heat of the moment, and then there are threats, several of which were made, including threats against a 17 year olds parents, but such juvenile bullying tactics surely are not something a grown man, and a CEO of what is supposed to be a respectable company would resort to.
People do stupid things sometimes, in the heat of the moment, and that can often be excused away because of the situation at the time, someone who can calmly make such a statement well after the fact, thats not so easy to explain away, and i would be fairly unsurprised if it wasn't this factor that was behind Smedleys demise as CEO, my guess is that the people at Columbus Nova took note of his behaviour and decided he had finally crossed too many lines, and he was asked to step down as a result of it, rather than face the ignomonimity of being actually sacked, and now he is on some kind of hiaitus break for a year, during which time hopefully things will blow over and he can quietly leave the company without causing further PR headaches.
Originally posted by Scot but to attack his company like that was irresponsible and criminal.
Are you sure?
Those hackers shutting down games developed by the worst MMO developer/publisher. Says enough this matter did not get many headlines like for example when they downed WoW.
"going into arguments with idiots is a lost cause, it requires you to stoop down to their level and you can't win"
Originally posted by Vutar I support John Smedley's decision to step down. I would also support John Smedley if he decides to never be involved with gaming again.
Comments
+1 WELL SAID.
I haven't seen anyone in this thread support Lizard squads actions or state Smed deserved them, but it seems if we do point out he wasn't very good as the CEO of SOE for sometime that people jump on that as if we are somehow supporting Lizards squads actions??
There do seem to be some people that argue Smed was never at fault he never had the power to stand up to anyone (but sure did talk a good game) the buck never stopped with him, he never backed the NGE, it was all Lucus Arts, SOE's massive money losses over the years were all somebody else's doing. How nice to be so famous get paid so much, and have so much limelight yet never be held to any responsibility for any failure.
Well i guess we agree to disagree then.
This have been a good conversation
Ah no wonder, wearing those rose colored glasses......
There is a fine line between donkey and genius. I remember when Steve Jobs was, basically, the worst thing to ever happen to business. He was a horrible human being. Yet, my kids won't remember that. They will call Steve Jobs a genius. Which is right?
I think that there is a great deal of harsh words for Smed, much of which is deserved. However, whether he is responsible for NGE or not is probably one of the smallest issues. The assumption is that had NGE not dropped, that SWG would still be here. FACT: SWG was already dying/dead before CU and NGE. It probably would have survived as a niche game had they NOT been made, but the risk was worth the reward since the SWG profits were trivial at that point. Sometimes it's better to go for the big fish. Even if he didn't make the decision, it was the right one from a business perspective and that is what he was hired to do. Run a business.
That being said, if I owned a company and my CEO engaged in squabbles over the Internet like this, which ended up being detrimental to our ability to RUN our business? He'd be gone. Same as Smed.
Crazkanuk
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Azarelos - 90 Hunter - Emerald
Durnzig - 90 Paladin - Emerald
Demonicron - 90 Death Knight - Emerald Dream - US
Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
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You do when you need capital
edit: Why did Vivendi sell its stake in Blizzard then?
"Be water my friend" - Bruce Lee
Anyone with any common sense knew that Smedley's days where numbered when SOE was sold. I think I said it and I'm sure a number of other people did too. I'm sure Smedley himself knew it was coming at least some time before it happened. In fact, it might have been his agitation over his impending removal which prompted him to mouth off in the kerfuffle with the cyber punks.
This lizard squad bunch might have actually done him a favor because now he can pretend like he was axed because of all that crap and not because he was incompetent.
You seem Confused???
. Smed was not some office worker as you describe him. He was the COE of a multi-mllion dollar company. Saying he never had any control over the companies management, or the direction of its games, and the buck never stopped with him seems to use your own words "small minded"
Also while I did joke that Smed might get a job with Brad please point out where I wished him ill? Wishing someone a job is not ill will last I checked. and in truth most will agree Smed did his best work with Brad and the team they had when they made EQ.
Now I don't expect you to respond, your post seemed much like that of a hit and run attacker, no facts, no logic, and twisting my words. My Disagreement with Smed's handling of SOE as COE over the last few years does not = wishing him ill, good try though. You don't know me, you don't know what type of "human" I am, you don't know what I do for a living (yes I have a job) But keep on hating me and others like me as we are the ones that server(ed) in the armed forces and even went to war and put our lives on the line so you can continue to do so.
Assuming I knew what type of human you are from your one post in this thread would indeed make me a small minded idiot?? Guess you a genius to know what type of human I am from my one post in this thread as you say you do.
I do agree it's most likely that Smed's position was being changed regardless and i also think he wasn't a very good CEO for SOE.
Regarding the Lizard Squad situation i utterly reject this notion that standing up against criminals is "joining in the schoolyard". He was the direct victim of this harassment and criminal behavior, and as such he was in a unique position to lead the charge against this kind of behavior.
Like i said above no one has the obligation to sit down and be quiet in the face of such reprehensible conduct. Sometimes in life you cannot make "corporate" decisions. You have to take a stand as a human being and dare i say as a "man" and say what needs to be said.
It is my respectful opinion that Smedley did not behave immaturely by engaging these criminals,but instead he had an obligation as a leader in the industry to confront them. Political correctness and hiding behind 'corporate " obligation empowers these fools.
Amen
"Be water my friend" - Bruce Lee
actually i think they are purple... =P
But yeah... Seeing how i have not really played a SOE / DBG game for many years most of my entertainment from them have come in the form of Smed´s outbursts... I will miss those.
But i guess that was not what you where alluding too now was it...
This have been a good conversation
It's a good point, actually. Had it been a Joan Smedley that stood up to the hackers the craziness would expand to include rape threats, "she's just bitching" and dismissive handwaving about being an attention whore or playing the martyr.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Well fortunately the winds are changing on that subject also. More and more people speak out against the posterior primates of "our" community. There is less and less room for them.
This have been a good conversation
What's really fecked up is that women in general are regularly treated much worse and that's business as usual. But I digress.
It's a good point, actually. Had it been a Joan Smedley that stood up to the hackers the craziness would expand to include rape threats, "she's just bitching" and dismissive handwaving about being an attention whore or playing the martyr.
Sad but true. And it sucks because John definitely is a victim of abuse here and I empathize. But it makes me wish we rushed to defend like this when it happens to marginalized groups.
There is a difference between standing up to criminals, leading a charge and just being stupid.
I see no charge that was led by Johns outburst and he seems to be standing up against the courts light sentencing by threatening some sort of vigilante justice.
John made an emotionally charged reaction that resulted in most of the people he is involved with suffering the consequences.
The guy runs a video game company. He is not obligated to put his employers, customers, career and family at risk by going out to directly threaten criminals when those threats will have zero impact other than him blowing off steam.
GOOOOOOOOOD BYEEEEE SMEDLEY!!!!!!!!
I will not miss you. You may have had your day(s) in the sun, but you have failed the company over the years and I will not miss you.
Unfortunately it may be too late for what is left of SOE, EQ franchise and the rest.
I will not miss Smed. He was a habitual liar. A lot of folks say he was not responsible for what happened with the NGE. That may be true, it did come down from Lucas. However it was all the lies that was told. Remember the lies that oh we are not changing swg, that is a new game. The lies of oh that prima book was a misprint and should not have been for sale. It was all the lies that was told before we got the real truth of the matter.
Then lets look at all the other stuff that happened. SOE where good games go to die. Vanguard, Matrix. Other games they spent millions on that never saw the light of day like proxima nova and there are 4 others. Then look at games that were not well done, DC anybody. Then you can look at EQ3 or EQNEXT as the call it, millions spent and what it has been canned 3 times and is on its 4 go, and we still have no clue how it will turn out, since at the bottom of its code storybricks has went under.
All this happened with smed at the controls. I for one am glad to see him step down, he needs to take a big look at the stuff he has screwed up, and be thankful that 2 of his mmo's are still going, however with lack of staff you have to ask how long that will be.
There is making emotionally charged reactions in the heat of the moment, and then there are threats, several of which were made, including threats against a 17 year olds parents, but such juvenile bullying tactics surely are not something a grown man, and a CEO of what is supposed to be a respectable company would resort to.
People do stupid things sometimes, in the heat of the moment, and that can often be excused away because of the situation at the time, someone who can calmly make such a statement well after the fact, thats not so easy to explain away, and i would be fairly unsurprised if it wasn't this factor that was behind Smedleys demise as CEO, my guess is that the people at Columbus Nova took note of his behaviour and decided he had finally crossed too many lines, and he was asked to step down as a result of it, rather than face the ignomonimity of being actually sacked, and now he is on some kind of hiaitus break for a year, during which time hopefully things will blow over and he can quietly leave the company without causing further PR headaches.
"Were building a game for you SWG fans to come home to"
Welcome to the zombie apocalypse.....
That's all I have to say about JS.
I hope he finds his inner peace.
Are you sure?
Those hackers shutting down games developed by the worst MMO developer/publisher. Says enough this matter did not get many headlines like for example when they downed WoW.
"going into arguments with idiots is a lost cause, it requires you to stoop down to their level and you can't win"
Right On!!