EG7 to Acquire Everquest Developer Daybreak Game Company for $300 Million | MMORPG.com

System

EG7 to Acquire Everquest Developer Daybreak Game Company for $300 Million | MMORPG.com

EG7 has reportedly acquired Daybreak Game Company, the developers responsible for Everquest, H1Z1 and more, in a deal worth $300 million, according to new reports.

Read the full story here

lahnmir

300 million for an MMORPG graveyard... Imagine that.

/Cheers,
Lahnmir

Amathe

I know it's too much to hope for, but ....

EQ3?

Amathe

Torval said:

lahnmir said:

300 million for an MMORPG graveyard... Imagine that.

/Cheers,
Lahnmir

A mmorpg graveyard with 20 years of player demographics and metrics.

Sort of has a creepy Westworld feel to it?

lotrlore

Amathe said:

Torval said:

lahnmir said:

300 million for an MMORPG graveyard... Imagine that.

/Cheers,
Lahnmir

A mmorpg graveyard with 20 years of player demographics and metrics.

Sort of has a creepy Westworld feel to it?

Was literally about to type the same thing.

Mendel

I guess we'll have to divest ourselves of all our Daybreak Games jokes soon.

On a more serious note, was there any mention of when this change would impact the existing games?  Daybreak rebranded everything; will EG7 rebrand the existing games again?

Nanfoodle

From one investment group to another? How a dev team to get their creative juices flowing? What a mess.

lotrlore

Mendel said:

I guess we'll have to divest ourselves of all our Daybreak Games jokes soon.

On a more serious note, was there any mention of when this change would impact the existing games?  Daybreak rebranded everything; will EG7 rebrand the existing games again?

Nothing so far says one way or another, but the way it sounds on the surface is that this acquisition adds the company to the EG7 portfolio rather than simply absorbing it or making widespread changes to the branding.

It's probably too early to say for sure, but more info will likely trickle out soon. We'll be sure to cover it when it happens.

Quizzical

This raises the obvious question of, who is Enad Global 7? From their web site:

"EG7 is a global gaming cooperative comprised of established companies from around the world that specialize in video game entertainment such as Toadman Studios, Antimatter Games, Petrol, Sold Out and Big Blue Bubble. Our mission is to provide a full platform of services through our network of specialized verticals to work collaboratively to create and bring to market video game entertainment."

Their press releases and financial reports are offered both in English and Swedish, so I'm guessing that they're based in Sweden. The above tangle of buzzwords that they post in numerous places on their site isn't exactly English, however. And while I don't know Swedish, I don't think that's Swedish, either. So I'm going to assume that either English or Swedish is their second language and they don't have a first language.

Wizardry

I said from day 1 I didn't think DBG was serious about this and that something was going on behind closed doors.
So my immediate reaction was another foreign based business looking for more of a foothold in the US market.Turns out they are based out of Sweden and reading over the portfolio's seems more like a bunch of businessmen than people interested in games.

It just so happens the gaming business is a lucrative one and the publishing marketing side even more so with no risk attached.
So here I am again wondering WHY anyone would buy this faltering business,well as I said a bunch of savvy businessmen that will do just like DBG did and cut costs and manipulate the assets and books so they can attain profits from stone.

The part that talks about registered users is again baffling.Sure it is SIMPLE to look on paper and say BIG numbers with the potential to get a large number of those players back into spending money. One big problem,rich business owners don't get rich by randomly acquiring loose assets and failing busiensses,potential is a pipe dream,factual profits is all they care about.

Looking over their operation 10 studios 270 employees,that is pretty darn low and says INDIE all the way.Serious studios have that many on ONE game.Then you figure of that number with 10 different operations how many are just office staff or board members etc etc,so VERY few actually working on games.IMO they made their money through marketing so again WHY then would you want DBG?

My hunch >>EGOS they seriously feel they have the smarts and know how to turn some serious profits out these brand names.So 3/4/5 brands that equates to 60-80 million per,not very much money to be honest,in comparison FFVII cost more than that over 20 years ago lol.

Wizardry

MY shortened version>>>They plan on using marketing to push the profits,so imo we can expect very little to change from SOE fails to DBG fails,so same old carry on as usual.Likely they also want access to these IP's for mobile use.

Mendel

Wizardry said:

I said from day 1 I didn't think DBG was serious about this and that something was going on behind closed doors.
So my immediate reaction was another foreign based business looking for more of a foothold in the US market.Turns out they are based out of Sweden and reading over the portfolio's seems more like a bunch of businessmen than people interested in games.

It just so happens the gaming business is a lucrative one and the publishing marketing side even more so with no risk attached.
So here I am again wondering WHY anyone would buy this faltering business,well as I said a bunch of savvy businessmen that will do just like DBG did and cut costs and manipulate the assets and books so they can attain profits from stone.

The part that talks about registered users is again baffling.Sure it is SIMPLE to look on paper and say BIG numbers with the potential to get a large number of those players back into spending money. One big problem,rich business owners don't get rich by randomly acquiring loose assets and failing busiensses,potential is a pipe dream,factual profits is all they care about.

Looking over their operation 10 studios 270 employees,that is pretty darn low and says INDIE all the way.Serious studios have that many on ONE game.Then you figure of that number with 10 different operations how many are just office staff or board members etc etc,so VERY few actually working on games.IMO they made their money through marketing so again WHY then would you want DBG?

My hunch >>EGOS they seriously feel they have the smarts and know how to turn some serious profits out these brand names.So 3/4/5 brands that equates to 60-80 million per,not very much money to be honest,in comparison FFVII cost more than that over 20 years ago lol.

I think that EG7 will quickly learn that 1.7 million registered accounts isn't what it appears to be, thanks to the MMORPG practice (pioneered by SOE/EQ, among others) of never clearing out inactive accounts.  If the Daybreak servers still had 1.7 million people trying to log into their servers on a regular basis, we'd be discussing massive server outages and not another sale.

I'll give it an outside chance that EG7 wants to acquire Daybreak in order to actually do something constructive with existing franchises.  Given the apparent nature of EG7's makeup, the only thing I can see is selling off the individual properties (both running and shuttered franchises).  I'm hoping they surprise us all and announce development on a new EQ title, but I'll not hold my breath.

Sovrath

Mendel said:

Wizardry said:

I said from day 1 I didn't think DBG was serious about this and that something was going on behind closed doors.
So my immediate reaction was another foreign based business looking for more of a foothold in the US market.Turns out they are based out of Sweden and reading over the portfolio's seems more like a bunch of businessmen than people interested in games.

It just so happens the gaming business is a lucrative one and the publishing marketing side even more so with no risk attached.
So here I am again wondering WHY anyone would buy this faltering business,well as I said a bunch of savvy businessmen that will do just like DBG did and cut costs and manipulate the assets and books so they can attain profits from stone.

The part that talks about registered users is again baffling.Sure it is SIMPLE to look on paper and say BIG numbers with the potential to get a large number of those players back into spending money. One big problem,rich business owners don't get rich by randomly acquiring loose assets and failing busiensses,potential is a pipe dream,factual profits is all they care about.

Looking over their operation 10 studios 270 employees,that is pretty darn low and says INDIE all the way.Serious studios have that many on ONE game.Then you figure of that number with 10 different operations how many are just office staff or board members etc etc,so VERY few actually working on games.IMO they made their money through marketing so again WHY then would you want DBG?

My hunch >>EGOS they seriously feel they have the smarts and know how to turn some serious profits out these brand names.So 3/4/5 brands that equates to 60-80 million per,not very much money to be honest,in comparison FFVII cost more than that over 20 years ago lol.

I think that EG7 will quickly learn that 1.7 million registered accounts isn't what it appears to be, thanks to the MMORPG practice (pioneered by SOE/EQ, among others) of never clearing out inactive accounts.  If the Daybreak servers still had 1.7 million people trying to log into their servers on a regular basis, we'd be discussing massive server outages and not another sale.

I'll give it an outside chance that EG7 wants to acquire Daybreak in order to actually do something constructive with existing franchises.  Given the apparent nature of EG7's makeup, the only thing I can see is selling off the individual properties (both running and shuttered franchises).  I'm hoping they surprise us all and announce development on a new EQ title, but I'll not hold my breath.

More than likely they won't care about that and will be looking at revenue and where they can maximize their profits.

Cuddleheart

Hard to be too shook up by this. Daybreak was essentially a portfolio of IPs. These types of businesses are often shuffled around to different investment groups.

Still, it sucks that games like LOTRO and EQ are being relegated to this type of treatment.

Nanfoodle

lotrlore said:

Mendel said:

I guess we'll have to divest ourselves of all our Daybreak Games jokes soon.

On a more serious note, was there any mention of when this change would impact the existing games?  Daybreak rebranded everything; will EG7 rebrand the existing games again?

Nothing so far says one way or another, but the way it sounds on the surface is that this acquisition adds the company to the EG7 portfolio rather than simply absorbing it or making widespread changes to the branding.



It's probably too early to say for sure, but more info will likely trickle out soon. We'll be sure to cover it when it happens.

These kind of acquisitions normally start with a restructure and someone is put in place that will follow the new owners vision of what is to come. Thats when we will get the real idea of what EG7 wants with DS.

achesoma

EQ3 for console and mobile with battle royale loot crates confirmed.

Nanfoodle

achesoma said:

EQ3 for console and mobile with battle royale loot crates confirmed.

SoE and DS just didnt seem to know what to do with the EQ IP after EQ1. I still think EQ2 was not what fans were asking for and same with EQN. Can EG7 get a clue on what type of fan EQ has? Or like you said, will they slice it up, package it in colorful wrappers and sell the crap out of it till it has no name of value?

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Nanfoodle

blueturtle13 said:

They don't need to focus on an EQ3 which would be a disaster anyway. 
They can use the IP to create other genre of games like what was done before with  
Champions of Norrath. 
It uses the EQ IP and provides fans a fun way to explore it without the heavy financial and time  burden of an MMORPG. 
Also a RTS-RPG game like Spellforce would be cool as well.
Their IPs are so underutilized but do have value if done right.   

Only thing is EQ3 has been in the works for some time. Thats what has been hinted at for some time.

Valentina

Honestly I think they need to re-introduce EQ to the market, and to a new generation of players, and I don't think an MMORPG is the way to do that. I think an AAA single-player game in the vein of The Witcher, and Dragon Age games would be a solid move to accomplish both things, and then in the future, more of a slimmed down online-RPG that you can play with 2-3 friends would be more suitable. While there will always be some amount of demand for new MMORPG's, I don't think the genre has quite swung back into orbit yet for most people, and the last thing they need with this IP is a flop with it's first entry in so many years.

Nanfoodle

Torval said:

Nanfoodle said:

achesoma said:

EQ3 for console and mobile with battle royale loot crates confirmed.

SoE and DS just didnt seem to know what to do with the EQ IP after EQ1. I still think EQ2 was not what fans were asking for and same with EQN. Can EG7 get a clue on what type of fan EQ has? Or like you said, will they slice it up, package it in colorful wrappers and sell the crap out of it till it has no name of value?

Maybe EQ2 wasn't what EQ fans wanted but a ton of other MMORPG players loved it. Those MMORPG players didn't want another EQ. They wanted something different. Norrath has a lot to offer with regards to setting and lore. It's like Azeroth. Lots of Warcraft players didn't want WoW, but millions of MMORPG gamers love it. Azeroth has a lot of potential outside of WoW if Blizzard would leverage it.

Yes I agree but that does not mean you cant service the EQ1 fans. I know I have said this allot on these forums. If SoE only 5 years older then WoW had followed Blizzards lead in keeping EQ1 up to date, I think they would have made EQ1 a much larger home. Updated UI, Graphics, recycle un-played areas, updated the leveling experience. There could be many ways to stop the bleed, maybe grow the EQ1 fan base.

Quizzical

Maybe a game that uses the EverQuest IP but isn't an MMORPG could be good or maybe not.  But I don't think the IP would bring in very many people, so I'd question what calling it EverQuest brings that making up a new IP wouldn't.  It's not like the EverQuest IP has a ton of fans who would be eager to try a MOBA or single-player RPG or whatever just because it's EverQuest.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Nanfoodle

blueturtle13 said:

Nanfoodle said:

blueturtle13 said:

They don't need to focus on an EQ3 which would be a disaster anyway. 
They can use the IP to create other genre of games like what was done before with  
Champions of Norrath. 
It uses the EQ IP and provides fans a fun way to explore it without the heavy financial and time  burden of an MMORPG. 
Also a RTS-RPG game like Spellforce would be cool as well.
Their IPs are so underutilized but do have value if done right.   

Only thing is EQ3 has been in the works for some time. Thats what has been hinted at for some time.

No it really is not in development, it is in preproduction which is not the same thing. 
They scrapped things twice already.
Rumor has it what they have on the table idea wise is...eh at best.  
So again focus on work to churn out games within genres that have manageable costs like an ARPG or RTS and use those to fund a really well thought out RPG. 
MMORPGs for PCs are too costly and make no sense in todays age. 
They need to move on from that idea.   

Not sure I agree. The amount of backing there is for an EQ1 successor has been alive for a very long time. VR with Pantheon has made a living on people wishing for a modern take on EQ1. Amazon has jumped in whole hog with 2 large scale MMOs in the works. We have about 30 MMOs that may launch in the next 6-24 months. There is much value companies see in MMOs but I think they have learned to be cautious. Norrath is filled with many beloved stories.  

rojoArcueid

I've never heard of EG7 before, but their website shows involvement in development and/or publishing for some big name games like Sniper Elite, Warhammer: Vermintide, Dead ISland, etc.

https://www.enadglobal7.com/portfolio/


They also apparently own Project I.G.I, one of the first FPS games i played on PC about 20 years ago. They are making a new game in the series, I.G.I Origins. Glad to see a new IGI in development.

BruceYee

Is it weird to be very excited about this?

Just last night I was thinking how all the modern instant gratification in games has in many ways harmed/almost killed off completely the classic MMO experience and today this happens...

Instant gratification especially in MMO's is IMO the opposite of what the original fantasy role-playing experiences(D&D/Magic) was about. The whole working for something long-term rather than getting the instant reward is a much more powerful experience than fast shiny loot IMO.

300 mil shows there's still life in the oldies yet and this purchase has made people's heads turn. Say/think what you will of Everquest but it will be right next to D&D & Magic in the history books. 300 mil wasn't spent on this company for their 'tech'.

The potential for games being made with the EQ IP are almost endless and has not been used to maximum potential which is why it'll be interesting to see where this goes. Just thinking about it for a minute and I can come up with a few ideas for how to use those EQ1 assets in a wide variety of games ranging from turn based to match 3 to loot based dungeon crawl.

Also another thing to think about is that Standing Stone games aka Turbine still has Asheron's Call 1, 2 & Infinite Crisis. Infinite Crisis is a long shot but Asheron's Call both 1 & 2 re-releases would be something I'd be very excited about. Wasn't OG Shadowbane re-released by a chinese company? Not saying this is a TC shell company BUT any smart person(TC) would know that people don't stay 25 years old forever and at some time gaming preferences slow down similar to everything else in life. Too much visual & adrenaline rushes at 45 can be a very unpleasant experience IMO. Sitting back, relaxing and progressing through a non-visual offensive world can be exactly what a large portion of the gaming population will eventually need.