McQuaid is not a management person. He has to take the day off because he fired someone who deserved it? This guy has no business wearing a CEO hat. It takes balls to be the boss, because you've to do some mean shit sometimes. Not all the time, and having personal skills is probably the most important part of the job. The fact is, though, no matter what you do someone is going to hate your ass.
It sounds like a bunch of bitter employees whining about Brad when they say he was out of the office. Hey, guess what douchebag he is the damn boss!! He hires other people to work in the office. Obviously, he failed. Like I said this guy has no business being a boss. He let others push him around, and because of that we have this crap product.
It's obvious that not only was he an incompetent manager, he also has no clue what caused this to happen. He refuses to blame the people in charge at Sigil...because they're his friends. Well isn't that just f***ing great. I'm sure the 40+ people that lost their jobs this week are very appreciative.
SOE, don't be idiots, fire these jokers ASAP. And run Brad out of town.
The saddest part of that interview is that there will actually be people that believe his whiny bullshit.
f13.net: And the next party... god, I am a fucking cynic. Why weren't you at the firing party?
Brad McQuaid:: Well, this is going to sound corny but it's true. I would have broken down in tears.
Actually the proper term for this is "cowardice".
I had hopes for this game when it was first announced, but it fairly quickly became clear that it would not be a casual game. It was clear to me anyway, that Brad was out of touch with the gaming comunnity, so I gave up on it.
Reading this interview, it is like watching a train wreck. You know it is bad, you know a lot of people are getting hurt, but you just can't turn away....
Good luck to those who were fired, it is a crying shame you didn't have more mature leadership in your company.
From what I am reading, it seems like Brad saw this trainwreck coming from a mile away. Yet he was still touting how great the game was. How is this any different then Dark & Light? I see very bad things in the future for Vanguard as it seems the game is becoming a running joke. Brad should basically stop talking so that he can't do any more damage to the games already trashed reputation.
Vanguard isn't a running joke; and I'll tell you why. This has become the norm for the MMO industry. The whole MMO industry has become a joke. This may very well be the truth, as even LoTRo has had it's share of complaints and minor glitches, yet to be fixed. Crafting is pretty much a side note in LoTRo.
Let us see what the fine folks of the games WAR and AoC release...LOL...at this rate they may be in total fear of releasing their products at all...You know they've followed this Sigil thing since the "vaunted" release of Vanguard.
Is this kind of crap going to be the new standard in rushed released and very low-end "cookie-cutter" games?
All I want is the truth Just gimme some truth John Lennon
His excuse for being out of the office was to find investors? The entire time.. I somehow don't buy this. Seriosuly, the hunt isn't that long or hard. Not to mention he had SOE he could easily turn to for funds.
He's blaming everyone but himself. As always. Half the dang interview is him bitching about Microsoft. Why would MS care anymore when his ass was always behind schedule? MMOs are not THAT flexible. Maybe in his days of EQ1, but not anymore. You have schedules and that's just how it is.
The game sucks. It failed. Blame Brad. I blame no one else.
I also plan to never purchase a title he is envolved in the development cycle of. Got me again Brad! damn you!
I don't care what halfassed excuse he churns up. He claims he would have broken down in tears LMFAO. Then break down in tears you proud peice of shit. Show some fucking compassion and concern for your employees.... asshole. He should have been there when his employees got canned. That was their lives. His poor management hurt more then his halfbaked vision. It hurt peoples careers. Some people left other companies and jobs to work for Brad. Now they're screwed and have a failed game on their resume... (VG failed if you look at it from a business perspective)
Brad just wasn't cut out to be a CEO. He's best to immagine shit. Then someone telling him if it's realistic or not or just plain sucks. He's no leader and never should be.
Originally posted by Minimum f13.net: And the next party... god, I am a fucking cynic. Why weren't you at the firing party?Brad McQuaid:: Well, this is going to sound corny but it's true. I would have broken down in tears.
Actually the proper term for this is "cowardice".
I had hopes for this game when it was first announced, but it fairly quickly became clear that it would not be a casual game. It was clear to me anyway, that Brad was out of touch with the gaming comunnity, so I gave up on it.
Reading this interview, it is like watching a train wreck. You know it is bad, you know a lot of people are getting hurt, but you just can't turn away....
Good luck to those who were fired, it is a crying shame you didn't have more mature leadership in your company.
Does it scare you that men are passionate and have feelings? Maybe you should go to concrete land where we're all robots and women are just meat?
Seriously for the topic though: I fully respect him for that, Brad's been burning for his game so hard and just had it shattered. God I love passion in games
Played so far: 9Dragons, AO, AC, AC2, CoX, DAoC, DF, DnL, DR, DDO, Ent, EvE, EQ, EQ2, FoMK, FFO, Fury, GW, HG:L, HZ, L1, L2, M59, MU, NC1, NC2, PS, PT, R:O, RF:O, RYL, Ryzom, SL, SB, SW:G, TR, TCoS, MX:O, UO, VG, WAR, WoW... It all sucked.
Man, this whole sigil buys SOE, fires half employes, SOE speaks about office soap opera has been more entertaining then the actual game. I wish they made a MMO of about this...
LMAO
they need to make a SIM game about making your own MMOG
Heh... MMO Tycoon... object of the game is to get away with producing the crappiest MMO for the highest amount of money and wasting all of it in the process. If you do so, you get to put a nice statue of yourself laughing in "Brad's Hall of Infamy".
I'm a big ol' fluffy carewolf. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
f13.net: And the next party... god, I am a fucking cynic. Why weren't you at the firing party?
Brad McQuaid:: Well, this is going to sound corny but it's true. I would have broken down in tears.
Actually the proper term for this is "cowardice".
I had hopes for this game when it was first announced, but it fairly quickly became clear that it would not be a casual game. It was clear to me anyway, that Brad was out of touch with the gaming comunnity, so I gave up on it.
Reading this interview, it is like watching a train wreck. You know it is bad, you know a lot of people are getting hurt, but you just can't turn away....
Good luck to those who were fired, it is a crying shame you didn't have more mature leadership in your company.
Does it scare you that men are passionate and have feelings?
Maybe you should go to concrete land where we're all robots and women are just meat?
Seriously for the topic though: I fully respect him for that, Brad's been burning for his game so hard and just had it shattered. God I love passion in games
He can be as passionate as he wants. He can show up and cry like a kid watching half of his employees getting canned for no real reasons. I think that'd be a nice touch, actually. I agree with you that being passionate about what you do is important, even admirable. But he should have been there, and he wasn't. And that, like the above poster stated, is outright cowardice.
I am not making excuses for McQQ, but when your company is in dire straits and the only thing that will save it is money, then that is your number one priority. My office went through a spell like this some time ago and the boss was gone a good portion of time. He did however make enough time for a few days each week to keep up morale and let us know he was hard at work. It is still very important to be around to lead the team. It doesn't take much at all to inspire even during bad times. I can only imagine how bad it must have been when he vanished.
I think if Brad turned up tp the firing and broke down in tears it would have done quite a bit to stop the massive dent in faith and respect a lot of people now have for him. I don't know exactly how things played out, only the sigil staff will know. However not being there allows everyone to form their own opinion on what was going on and most people will form the opinion that he was a coward and to pathetic to stand there and take it like a man.
Of course the guy is going to be genuinley upset his entire dream game turned out to be a real nightmare, but in my personal opinion it seems his actions were done out of self pity and he only saw his own broken dream. Brad got a lot of people hyped up to a serious frenzy about vangaurd, you can bet your ass he got the sigil staff hyped up about it as well, and every single one of them that shared in this dream has lost out in a way.
The thing to do would have been to stand there with them and support them. A captain should go down with the ship, or at the very least make sure every member of the crew is on a lifeboat before saving himself.
f13.net: And the next party... god, I am a fucking cynic. Why weren't you at the firing party?
Brad McQuaid:: Well, this is going to sound corny but it's true. I would have broken down in tears.
Actually the proper term for this is "cowardice".
I had hopes for this game when it was first announced, but it fairly quickly became clear that it would not be a casual game. It was clear to me anyway, that Brad was out of touch with the gaming comunnity, so I gave up on it.
Reading this interview, it is like watching a train wreck. You know it is bad, you know a lot of people are getting hurt, but you just can't turn away....
Good luck to those who were fired, it is a crying shame you didn't have more mature leadership in your company.
Does it scare you that men are passionate and have feelings?
Maybe you should go to concrete land where we're all robots and women are just meat?
Seriously for the topic though: I fully respect him for that, Brad's been burning for his game so hard and just had it shattered. God I love passion in games
Im kind of torn about the absence but it does seem from those ex-Sigil employees that have posted today that none of them hold Brad any ill-will.
Unlike Lidane, I can appreciate that Brad at the very least created an environment that was a joy to work in, not to mention providing 100+ employees with one hell of a work experience to add to their resume. Some of them are without jobs today, it's true but none of them walk away from this venture with nothing.
f13.net: And the next party... god, I am a fucking cynic. Why weren't you at the firing party?
Brad McQuaid:: Well, this is going to sound corny but it's true. I would have broken down in tears.
Actually the proper term for this is "cowardice".
I had hopes for this game when it was first announced, but it fairly quickly became clear that it would not be a casual game. It was clear to me anyway, that Brad was out of touch with the gaming comunnity, so I gave up on it. Reading this interview, it is like watching a train wreck. You know it is bad, you know a lot of people are getting hurt, but you just can't turn away.... Good luck to those who were fired, it is a crying shame you didn't have more mature leadership in your company.
Does it scare you that men are passionate and have feelings? Maybe you should go to concrete land where we're all robots and women are just meat? Seriously for the topic though: I fully respect him for that, Brad's been burning for his game so hard and just had it shattered. God I love passion in games
Doesn't scare me at all. I would have thought him much more "manly" and "passionate" if he had the guts to actually show up and cry his eyes out. He is claiming he cares, but where is the proof?
He is gutless as they come. And as a manager who has had to fire/lay off people. I know how hard it is.
I think its pretty obvious now, that Brad was just a geek boy living a daydream of being a 'game developer' without actually doing it for real. He was able to trick people into thinking his enthusiasm for his hobby = talent, so they would give him money for his project. All he did was end up wasting 5 years of his employee's lives. I feel really bad for them.
Unlike Lidane, I can appreciate that Brad at the very least created an environment that was a joy to work in, not to mention providing 100+ employees with one hell of a work experience to add to their resume.
Yeah! It was such a joy for people to work 16-20 hours a day for the last year and a half to come up with a game when they'd had 4+ years and $30+ million to spend doing it. Oh, and that game ended up being released "early" because they ran out of time and money, when the reality is, if they'd had a goddamn plan from the start, they would have been in much better shape.
And I'm sure it was a joy to work in a place where management was clearly out of their depths, clueless, and grossly incompetent, and who'd get pissy when Microsoft, who was paying for the damned thing in the first place, started asking questions. Let's not forget the company President nailing the Marketing Director while his soon to be ex-wife was employed at the same company. I'm sure that was a barrel of laughs too.
What on earth was I thinking? Clearly it was Shangri-La instead of a nightmare of incompetence, nepotism, and gross mismanagement.
Some of them are without jobs today, it's true but none of them walk away from this venture with nothing.
I suppose that's true. Half of them walked away without a job, and on their way to the unemployment office. I'm sure that counts for something. And they had the experience of being fired in a parking lot while their CEO was curled up somewhere afraid to face them because he'd cry. I'm sure that makes for great conversation around the dinner table.
I think its pretty obvious now, that Brad was just a geek boy living a daydream of being a 'game developer' without actually doing it for real. He was able to trick people into thinking his enthusiasm for his hobby = talent, so they would give him money for his project. All he did was end up wasting 5 years of his employee's lives. I feel really bad for them.
at the very core of everythingI think this is the truth.
From what I am reading, it seems like Brad saw this trainwreck coming from a mile away. Yet he was still touting how great the game was. How is this any different then Dark & Light? I see very bad things in the future for Vanguard as it seems the game is becoming a running joke. Brad should basically stop talking so that he can't do any more damage to the games already trashed reputation.
"Vanguard isn't a running joke; and I'll tell you why. This has become the norm for the MMO industry. The whole MMO industry has become a joke."
Just amazing. Anyone notice how 1. He passes blame to everyone but himself 2. He couldn't even be around and be a leader because he was unable to emotionally handle it ( becuase of selfishness ) Disgusting. Just disgusting. -Allegria
The only thing more disgusting are the opinions that we should cut Brad M slack because he's so 'passionate'.
This guy is not just a horrible CEO, a bad game designer and a lousy company leader - this interview shows very clearly that he is slime. This interview is exactly what others predicted it would be - more long-winded excuses (Damn you Zoo Tycoon!) and passing the buck. I can't believe he had the gall to claim that he knows 'the buck stops here'. None of those deluded excuses he gives shows ANY sense of responsibility that he so piously claims at the end of the interview.
And people like him get away with it because other people let him, they listen to his hype and garbage and swallow it whole just because he's a good salesman. And people like him keep their jobs while the people who did the work get the boot.
And the pathetic thing is that Brad M will likely get the chance to do it all over again and there will STILL be people who believe him
oko guys come on. Stop. you're gonna make brad cry
Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. Lao-Tze
But we're in games, I don't want to work in a dry environment. I want to goof off and have friends.
Heaven forbid you run your company like a BUSINESS. Oh, those horrible professional guys in suits with their deadlines and wanting to make a profit and trying to keep personal crap out of the office, you don't want to be like THEM.
Someone needs to grow up and grow a pair.
... This is where I draw the line: __________________.
f13.net: And the next party... god, I am a fucking cynic. Why weren't you at the firing party?
Brad McQuaid:: Well, this is going to sound corny but it's true. I would have broken down in tears.
Actually the proper term for this is "cowardice".
I had hopes for this game when it was first announced, but it fairly quickly became clear that it would not be a casual game. It was clear to me anyway, that Brad was out of touch with the gaming comunnity, so I gave up on it.
Reading this interview, it is like watching a train wreck. You know it is bad, you know a lot of people are getting hurt, but you just can't turn away....
Good luck to those who were fired, it is a crying shame you didn't have more mature leadership in your company.
Does it scare you that men are passionate and have feelings?
Maybe you should go to concrete land where we're all robots and women are just meat?
Seriously for the topic though: I fully respect him for that, Brad's been burning for his game so hard and just had it shattered. God I love passion in games
Im kind of torn about the absence but it does seem from those ex-Sigil employees that have posted today that none of them hold Brad any ill-will.
Unlike Lidane, I can appreciate that Brad at the very least created an environment that was a joy to work in, not to mention providing 100+ employees with one hell of a work experience to add to their resume. Some of them are without jobs today, it's true but none of them walk away from this venture with nothing.
I have no problem with passionate, emotional men...
General MacArthur cried like a baby and nearly had a mental collapse after he was basically forced off of Corrigador by his staff in 1942...
He returned though and through forceful conviction of will his leadership prevailed.
One of the most emotional, passionate men in World War 2 was George S. Patton. He damned near destroyed his career becuase of an emotional outburst in 1944. But, he faced those men and his entire brigade to apologise. Now, that's swallowing your pride and standing tall in the saddle folks!
Brad was the leader. Brad was the dream. For Brad to choose the safe way out, becuase he feared to show emotion in front of his "troops"..I scoff at that...
All I want is the truth Just gimme some truth John Lennon
f13.net: And the next party... god, I am a fucking cynic. Why weren't you at the firing party?
Brad McQuaid:: Well, this is going to sound corny but it's true. I would have broken down in tears.
Actually the proper term for this is "cowardice".
I had hopes for this game when it was first announced, but it fairly quickly became clear that it would not be a casual game. It was clear to me anyway, that Brad was out of touch with the gaming comunnity, so I gave up on it. Reading this interview, it is like watching a train wreck. You know it is bad, you know a lot of people are getting hurt, but you just can't turn away.... Good luck to those who were fired, it is a crying shame you didn't have more mature leadership in your company.
Does it scare you that men are passionate and have feelings? Maybe you should go to concrete land where we're all robots and women are just meat? Seriously for the topic though: I fully respect him for that, Brad's been burning for his game so hard and just had it shattered. God I love passion in games
Im kind of torn about the absence but it does seem from those ex-Sigil employees that have posted today that none of them hold Brad any ill-will. Unlike Lidane, I can appreciate that Brad at the very least created an environment that was a joy to work in, not to mention providing 100+ employees with one hell of a work experience to add to their resume. Some of them are without jobs today, it's true but none of them walk away from this venture with nothing.
I have no problem with passionate, emotional men...
General MacArthur cried like a baby and nearly had a mental collapse after he was basically forced off of Corrigador by his staff in 1942...
He returned though and through forceful conviction of will his leadership prevailed.
One of the most emotional, passionate men in World War 2 was George S. Patton. He damned near destroyed his career becuase of an emotional outburst in 1944. But, he faced those men and his entire brigade to apologise. Now, that's swallowing your pride and standing tall in the saddle folks!
Brad was the leader. Brad was the dream. For Brad to choose the safe way out, becuase he feared to show emotion in front of his "troops"..I scoff at that...
i couldn't agree more with you. He should have maned up and been there.
Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. Lao-Tze
Strange, but I feel reminded of a witch hunt the more posts I do read.
Witch hunt? The guy had $30+ million to spend, the backing of Microsoft, and 4+ years to develop his game. Had Sigil actually had some discipline in running the show, with those nasty schedules and deadlines that Brad seems to hate so much, they might have done two things:
1. Put out a much better, more focused game, since, you know, businesses run much more smoothly when you have a freaking plan,
and
2. If Microsoft had seen results that they felt were on the right track, SOE would never have entered the picture at all. MS is a company that will fund something, regardless of any potential losses, if they feel it is worthwhile. Just look at their consoles-- they're losing hundreds of dollars on each one sold and they don't care, because they believe in them that strongly. Had Vanguard been developed properly, with real progress, real direction and clarity, and a stable operation, then MS probably would have kept them on.
Instead, what did Microsoft get for their time and money? A company that was so disorganized and poorly run that the second in command was openly nailing the marketing director while his wife was in the same office. They got a CEO who's apparently a eunuch, since he lacked the balls to be a real leader when it counted, like when it came to maintaining a production schedule for his game, or hiring and firing people, and who doesn't even have the decency to show up when half his employees are laid off in a freaking parking lot because he might cry. WTF?
The fact that Sigil managed to release a game at all, given the chaos and total mismanagement that clearly plagued them, is a fucking miracle. And Brad McQuaid has done the one thing that I didn't believe possible-- he made Smed and the rest of SOE look even better by all of this than they did before.
If anything, SOE should be given Good Samaritan awards for taking on this project and trying to turn it around. Clearly, Sigil weren't up to the task because their leaders were either screwing around or too weak and spineless to take a stand on anything.
Unlike Lidane, I can appreciate that Brad at the very least created an environment that was a joy to work in, not to mention providing 100+ employees with one hell of a work experience to add to their resume.
Yeah! It was such a joy for people to work 16-20 hours a day for the last year and a half to come up with a game when they'd had 4+ years and $30+ million to spend doing it. Oh, and that game ended up being released "early" because they ran out of time and money, when the reality is, if they'd had a goddamn plan from the start, they would have been in much better shape.
And I'm sure it was a joy to work in a place where management was clearly out of their depths, clueless, and grossly incompetent, and who'd get pissy when Microsoft, who was paying for the damned thing in the first place, started asking questions. Let's not forget the company President nailing the Marketing Director while his soon to be ex-wife was employed at the same company. I'm sure that was a barrel of laughs too.
What on earth was I thinking? Clearly it was Shangri-La instead of a nightmare of incompetence, nepotism, and gross mismanagement.
Some of them are without jobs today, it's true but none of them walk away from this venture with nothing.
I suppose that's true. Half of them walked away without a job, and on their way to the unemployment office. I'm sure that counts for something. And they had the experience of being fired in a parking lot while their CEO was curled up somewhere afraid to face them because he'd cry. I'm sure that makes for great conversation around the dinner table.
Amris?
About that last bit, even had the game been a resounding financial success the dev team would have been reduced after launch so let's not pretend jobs in this industry are "jobs for life," eh?
Comments
It sounds like a bunch of bitter employees whining about Brad when they say he was out of the office. Hey, guess what douchebag he is the damn boss!! He hires other people to work in the office. Obviously, he failed. Like I said this guy has no business being a boss. He let others push him around, and because of that we have this crap product.
It's obvious that not only was he an incompetent manager, he also has no clue what caused this to happen. He refuses to blame the people in charge at Sigil...because they're his friends. Well isn't that just f***ing great. I'm sure the 40+ people that lost their jobs this week are very appreciative.
SOE, don't be idiots, fire these jokers ASAP. And run Brad out of town.
The saddest part of that interview is that there will actually be people that believe his whiny bullshit.
----------
Life sucks, buy a helmet.
Actually the proper term for this is "cowardice".
I had hopes for this game when it was first announced, but it fairly quickly became clear that it would not be a casual game. It was clear to me anyway, that Brad was out of touch with the gaming comunnity, so I gave up on it.
Reading this interview, it is like watching a train wreck. You know it is bad, you know a lot of people are getting hurt, but you just can't turn away....
Good luck to those who were fired, it is a crying shame you didn't have more mature leadership in your company.
Let us see what the fine folks of the games WAR and AoC release...LOL...at this rate they may be in total fear of releasing their products at all...You know they've followed this Sigil thing since the "vaunted" release of Vanguard.
Is this kind of crap going to be the new standard in rushed released and very low-end "cookie-cutter" games?
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth
John Lennon
His excuse for being out of the office was to find investors? The entire time.. I somehow don't buy this. Seriosuly, the hunt isn't that long or hard. Not to mention he had SOE he could easily turn to for funds.
He's blaming everyone but himself. As always. Half the dang interview is him bitching about Microsoft. Why would MS care anymore when his ass was always behind schedule? MMOs are not THAT flexible. Maybe in his days of EQ1, but not anymore. You have schedules and that's just how it is.
The game sucks. It failed. Blame Brad. I blame no one else.
I also plan to never purchase a title he is envolved in the development cycle of. Got me again Brad!
damn you!
I don't care what halfassed excuse he churns up. He claims he would have broken down in tears LMFAO. Then break down in tears you proud peice of shit. Show some fucking compassion and concern for your employees.... asshole. He should have been there when his employees got canned. That was their lives. His poor management hurt more then his halfbaked vision. It hurt peoples careers. Some people left other companies and jobs to work for Brad. Now they're screwed and have a failed game on their resume... (VG failed if you look at it from a business perspective)
Brad just wasn't cut out to be a CEO. He's best to immagine shit. Then someone telling him if it's realistic or not or just plain sucks. He's no leader and never should be.
Actually the proper term for this is "cowardice".
I had hopes for this game when it was first announced, but it fairly quickly became clear that it would not be a casual game. It was clear to me anyway, that Brad was out of touch with the gaming comunnity, so I gave up on it.
Reading this interview, it is like watching a train wreck. You know it is bad, you know a lot of people are getting hurt, but you just can't turn away....
Good luck to those who were fired, it is a crying shame you didn't have more mature leadership in your company.
Does it scare you that men are passionate and have feelings?
Maybe you should go to concrete land where we're all robots and women are just meat?
Seriously for the topic though: I fully respect him for that, Brad's been burning for his game so hard and just had it shattered. God I love passion in games
Played so far: 9Dragons, AO, AC, AC2, CoX, DAoC, DF, DnL, DR, DDO, Ent, EvE, EQ, EQ2, FoMK, FFO, Fury, GW, HG:L, HZ, L1, L2, M59, MU, NC1, NC2, PS, PT, R:O, RF:O, RYL, Ryzom, SL, SB, SW:G, TR, TCoS, MX:O, UO, VG, WAR, WoW...
It all sucked.
LMAO
they need to make a SIM game about making your own MMOG
Heh... MMO Tycoon... object of the game is to get away with producing the crappiest MMO for the highest amount of money and wasting all of it in the process. If you do so, you get to put a nice statue of yourself laughing in "Brad's Hall of Infamy".
I'm a big ol' fluffy carewolf. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Actually the proper term for this is "cowardice".
I had hopes for this game when it was first announced, but it fairly quickly became clear that it would not be a casual game. It was clear to me anyway, that Brad was out of touch with the gaming comunnity, so I gave up on it.
Reading this interview, it is like watching a train wreck. You know it is bad, you know a lot of people are getting hurt, but you just can't turn away....
Good luck to those who were fired, it is a crying shame you didn't have more mature leadership in your company.
Does it scare you that men are passionate and have feelings?
Maybe you should go to concrete land where we're all robots and women are just meat?
Seriously for the topic though: I fully respect him for that, Brad's been burning for his game so hard and just had it shattered. God I love passion in games
He can be as passionate as he wants. He can show up and cry like a kid watching half of his employees getting canned for no real reasons. I think that'd be a nice touch, actually. I agree with you that being passionate about what you do is important, even admirable. But he should have been there, and he wasn't. And that, like the above poster stated, is outright cowardice.
Of course the guy is going to be genuinley upset his entire dream game turned out to be a real nightmare, but in my personal opinion it seems his actions were done out of self pity and he only saw his own broken dream. Brad got a lot of people hyped up to a serious frenzy about vangaurd, you can bet your ass he got the sigil staff hyped up about it as well, and every single one of them that shared in this dream has lost out in a way.
The thing to do would have been to stand there with them and support them. A captain should go down with the ship, or at the very least make sure every member of the crew is on a lifeboat before saving himself.
*Edited* No need.
Actually the proper term for this is "cowardice".
I had hopes for this game when it was first announced, but it fairly quickly became clear that it would not be a casual game. It was clear to me anyway, that Brad was out of touch with the gaming comunnity, so I gave up on it.
Reading this interview, it is like watching a train wreck. You know it is bad, you know a lot of people are getting hurt, but you just can't turn away....
Good luck to those who were fired, it is a crying shame you didn't have more mature leadership in your company.
Does it scare you that men are passionate and have feelings?
Maybe you should go to concrete land where we're all robots and women are just meat?
Seriously for the topic though: I fully respect him for that, Brad's been burning for his game so hard and just had it shattered. God I love passion in games
Im kind of torn about the absence but it does seem from those ex-Sigil employees that have posted today that none of them hold Brad any ill-will.
Unlike Lidane, I can appreciate that Brad at the very least created an environment that was a joy to work in, not to mention providing 100+ employees with one hell of a work experience to add to their resume. Some of them are without jobs today, it's true but none of them walk away from this venture with nothing.
Doesn't scare me at all. I would have thought him much more "manly" and "passionate" if he had the guts to actually show up and cry his eyes out. He is claiming he cares, but where is the proof?
He is gutless as they come. And as a manager who has had to fire/lay off people. I know how hard it is.
I think its pretty obvious now, that Brad was just a geek boy living a daydream of being a 'game developer' without actually doing it for real. He was able to trick people into thinking his enthusiasm for his hobby = talent, so they would give him money for his project. All he did was end up wasting 5 years of his employee's lives. I feel really bad for them.
Yeah! It was such a joy for people to work 16-20 hours a day for the last year and a half to come up with a game when they'd had 4+ years and $30+ million to spend doing it. Oh, and that game ended up being released "early" because they ran out of time and money, when the reality is, if they'd had a goddamn plan from the start, they would have been in much better shape.
And I'm sure it was a joy to work in a place where management was clearly out of their depths, clueless, and grossly incompetent, and who'd get pissy when Microsoft, who was paying for the damned thing in the first place, started asking questions. Let's not forget the company President nailing the Marketing Director while his soon to be ex-wife was employed at the same company. I'm sure that was a barrel of laughs too.
What on earth was I thinking? Clearly it was Shangri-La instead of a nightmare of incompetence, nepotism, and gross mismanagement.
I suppose that's true. Half of them walked away without a job, and on their way to the unemployment office. I'm sure that counts for something. And they had the experience of being fired in a parking lot while their CEO was curled up somewhere afraid to face them because he'd cry. I'm sure that makes for great conversation around the dinner table.
I think its pretty obvious now, that Brad was just a geek boy living a daydream of being a 'game developer' without actually doing it for real. He was able to trick people into thinking his enthusiasm for his hobby = talent, so they would give him money for his project. All he did was end up wasting 5 years of his employee's lives. I feel really bad for them.
at the very core of everythingI think this is the truth.
"Vanguard isn't a running joke; and I'll tell you why. This has become the norm for the MMO industry. The whole MMO industry has become a joke."
I totally agree!
The only thing more disgusting are the opinions that we should cut Brad M slack because he's so 'passionate'.
This guy is not just a horrible CEO, a bad game designer and a lousy company leader - this interview shows very clearly that he is slime. This interview is exactly what others predicted it would be - more long-winded excuses (Damn you Zoo Tycoon!) and passing the buck. I can't believe he had the gall to claim that he knows 'the buck stops here'. None of those deluded excuses he gives shows ANY sense of responsibility that he so piously claims at the end of the interview.
And people like him get away with it because other people let him, they listen to his hype and garbage and swallow it whole just because he's a good salesman. And people like him keep their jobs while the people who did the work get the boot.
And the pathetic thing is that Brad M will likely get the chance to do it all over again and there will STILL be people who believe him
oko guys come on. Stop. you're gonna make brad cry
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Lao-Tze
This is my favorite bit:
Heaven forbid you run your company like a BUSINESS. Oh, those horrible professional guys in suits with their deadlines and wanting to make a profit and trying to keep personal crap out of the office, you don't want to be like THEM.Someone needs to grow up and grow a pair.
...
This is where I draw the line: __________________.
Actually the proper term for this is "cowardice".
I had hopes for this game when it was first announced, but it fairly quickly became clear that it would not be a casual game. It was clear to me anyway, that Brad was out of touch with the gaming comunnity, so I gave up on it.
Reading this interview, it is like watching a train wreck. You know it is bad, you know a lot of people are getting hurt, but you just can't turn away....
Good luck to those who were fired, it is a crying shame you didn't have more mature leadership in your company.
Does it scare you that men are passionate and have feelings?
Maybe you should go to concrete land where we're all robots and women are just meat?
Seriously for the topic though: I fully respect him for that, Brad's been burning for his game so hard and just had it shattered. God I love passion in games
Im kind of torn about the absence but it does seem from those ex-Sigil employees that have posted today that none of them hold Brad any ill-will.
Unlike Lidane, I can appreciate that Brad at the very least created an environment that was a joy to work in, not to mention providing 100+ employees with one hell of a work experience to add to their resume. Some of them are without jobs today, it's true but none of them walk away from this venture with nothing.
I have no problem with passionate, emotional men...General MacArthur cried like a baby and nearly had a mental collapse after he was basically forced off of Corrigador by his staff in 1942...
He returned though and through forceful conviction of will his leadership prevailed.
One of the most emotional, passionate men in World War 2 was George S. Patton. He damned near destroyed his career becuase of an emotional outburst in 1944. But, he faced those men and his entire brigade to apologise. Now, that's swallowing your pride and standing tall in the saddle folks!
Brad was the leader. Brad was the dream. For Brad to choose the safe way out, becuase he feared to show emotion in front of his "troops"..I scoff at that...
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth
John Lennon
Thats it! You've done it now! Brad's crying! hope you're happy!
(kidding) :P
i couldn't agree more with you. He should have maned up and been there.
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Lao-Tze
Witch hunt? The guy had $30+ million to spend, the backing of Microsoft, and 4+ years to develop his game. Had Sigil actually had some discipline in running the show, with those nasty schedules and deadlines that Brad seems to hate so much, they might have done two things:
1. Put out a much better, more focused game, since, you know, businesses run much more smoothly when you have a freaking plan,
and
2. If Microsoft had seen results that they felt were on the right track, SOE would never have entered the picture at all. MS is a company that will fund something, regardless of any potential losses, if they feel it is worthwhile. Just look at their consoles-- they're losing hundreds of dollars on each one sold and they don't care, because they believe in them that strongly. Had Vanguard been developed properly, with real progress, real direction and clarity, and a stable operation, then MS probably would have kept them on.
Instead, what did Microsoft get for their time and money? A company that was so disorganized and poorly run that the second in command was openly nailing the marketing director while his wife was in the same office. They got a CEO who's apparently a eunuch, since he lacked the balls to be a real leader when it counted, like when it came to maintaining a production schedule for his game, or hiring and firing people, and who doesn't even have the decency to show up when half his employees are laid off in a freaking parking lot because he might cry. WTF?
The fact that Sigil managed to release a game at all, given the chaos and total mismanagement that clearly plagued them, is a fucking miracle. And Brad McQuaid has done the one thing that I didn't believe possible-- he made Smed and the rest of SOE look even better by all of this than they did before.
If anything, SOE should be given Good Samaritan awards for taking on this project and trying to turn it around. Clearly, Sigil weren't up to the task because their leaders were either screwing around or too weak and spineless to take a stand on anything.
Very well said espeically about SOE!
Yeah! It was such a joy for people to work 16-20 hours a day for the last year and a half to come up with a game when they'd had 4+ years and $30+ million to spend doing it. Oh, and that game ended up being released "early" because they ran out of time and money, when the reality is, if they'd had a goddamn plan from the start, they would have been in much better shape.
And I'm sure it was a joy to work in a place where management was clearly out of their depths, clueless, and grossly incompetent, and who'd get pissy when Microsoft, who was paying for the damned thing in the first place, started asking questions. Let's not forget the company President nailing the Marketing Director while his soon to be ex-wife was employed at the same company. I'm sure that was a barrel of laughs too.
What on earth was I thinking? Clearly it was Shangri-La instead of a nightmare of incompetence, nepotism, and gross mismanagement.
I suppose that's true. Half of them walked away without a job, and on their way to the unemployment office. I'm sure that counts for something. And they had the experience of being fired in a parking lot while their CEO was curled up somewhere afraid to face them because he'd cry. I'm sure that makes for great conversation around the dinner table.
Amris?
About that last bit, even had the game been a resounding financial success the dev team would have been reduced after launch so let's not pretend jobs in this industry are "jobs for life," eh?