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PlanetSide 2: Matt Higby Resigns
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
A post has appeared on the PlanetSide 2 Reddit from now-former Creative Director Matt Higby indicating that he has left Daybreak Game Studio. Higby claims that he had been considering leaving Daybreak prior to the staff firings earlier this week and said that the timing, given these events, provides the opportunity.
Hey guys -
Working on Planetside 2 has been the absolute highlight of my career, but after 4 years working on the game, it's time for a change. Today was my last day on the Planetside 2 team and at Daybreak games. This is a move I've been considering for a while now, and the reorganization provided the right opportunity for me to exit.
Planetside 2 is in great hands, with terrific people who honestly care about the game and the players. I can't stress this enough, the folks working on every aspect of the game, developers, marketing, community are talented, hard working people who care more than you can imagine - I'm fully confident they're going to do an amazing job on the next leg of the journey.
Finally, I wanted to thank all of you in the Planetside 2 community with whom I've shared the last few years, whether in stream chat, tweets, pms or comments you guys have motivated and inspired me all along. You are an amazing community that I'm looking forward to remaining a member of for a long time.
See you on Auraxis!
Matthew Higby
Former Creative Director
Planetside 2
Edit: thanks a ton for all the positive comments, it's been a super emotional week and it really means a lot to me. I want to state the obvious though: making video games is a team sport. If you love Planetside 2, or it is your favorite game, it makes me really really happy and proud... But, "I" didn't make the game. I just was lucky enough to be able to play a role on a TEAM that made the game. A lot of that team is still there, still working their asses off, and they need your support right now.
Read more at the link above.
Comments
...And there goes one of the best RvRvR MMOs ever to release.
Farewell, SOE...
*sniff*
That would not work
I think most people already saw all of this coming the moment Sony sold SOE to CN.
It's unfortunate because I did enjoy PS2, it just needed more development attention to bring in the features that should have been there from the beginning.
It's pretty much game over for SOE/DGC, the only thing missing at this point is a formal shut down followed by liquidation of company assets - Business as usual for capitalist investment firms.
I'm surprised Smedley is still around...
So they create a new company away from SOE but backed by an investment company, first thing they do is get rid of some of their top names and others resign.
Well hey atleast this means the investment company wont have much resistance once they implement an aggressive cash shop push, which im pretty convinced will happend.
Also I have my doubts EQNext will see daylight anytime soon if ever.
Higby is (was for the time being) one of the most talented and engaged creative directors in the industry, I am sure wherever he lands he will be just fine and do great things. It is sad to see that team falling apart...well not falling but going off in different directions, love or hate the game there is no denying that the team that got PS2 off the ground and where it is today was one of the best teams assembled thus far in the industry.
Best of luck to all of them, The silver lining is, Higby will do great things wherever he goes, lets just hope he goes somewhere we have an interest in.
If you want a new idea, go read an old book.
In order to be insulted, I must first value your opinion.
Maybe they are saving the best for last...
From his perspective, if he has wanted to move for a while (and this actually makes sense from a career point of view to move to another company from time to time = bigger salary, more experience), the severance packages currently on offer at Daybreak might well have been the extra push he needed.
Plus he might not want to have to deal with the extra amount of work hours that will be necessary to deal with the products at Daybreak in the coming months.
From a company perspective though... if you lose all the brains in a company, you lose the skills, expertise, continuity, etc.
Even though it is "for the best" that they are restructuring (financially), it is still overall pretty bad for Daybreak as it will take months if not years to train (hypothetical) new staff on the current products to the level of expertise of these guys who are leaving.
The drama here is thick enough to cut through with a knife. Holy crap people! Execs often look at moving around, and when a company changes hands it's usually the time to do it.
I find it very hard to believe that a company would spend investors money only to shut down the product that the company produces. It does NOT make sense. These guys saw something they liked and Sony, being in the state its in, saw an opportunity to try and stem the bleeding of cash from other departments by selling.
Then again, I guess drama is the only constant in MMO's, has been for a long time. I sincerely hope that Daybreak is able to get EQNext out the door and hopefully it succeeds. I think everyone, including some of the readers here, could use a dose of humble pie every now and then.
Ditto
Take Care Higby
EQN has the biggest dev team at the company laying off a few people wont change that. Also the company was losing money they no longer had Sony backing them so the company has to be profitable on its own and this is a result of that. Honestly these kind of moves make for a healthier company moving forward.
It was eerie after Tramell left, that there was a sense that something was wrong. Some of the higher ups must have known that this was coming.
Higby never wanted to drop PS2 but most of the people he cared about were gone after Columbus Nova took control.
Smart sailors always know when their ship is about to sink.
These farewell addresses are so silly.
"Hey guys,
I'm the guy in charge of everything for your favorite game. I just wanted to write you a letter to say how wonderful everyone in this studio is - everything is just so perfect, you have no idea. All the people are great, hard working, and deeply passionate. The higher ups are really talented and knowledgeable and the game is in great hands.
But I'm out.
Sincerely,
Guy who hates everything about the new management structure"
I've been in those shoes. If you don't quit right when it happens - you're getting fired within the next six months. If you somehow manage to stay on longer, all you'll do is build up an enormous hatred for everything about your job, deep in the center of your heart. And then once the corporate-mongers figure out they don't need you - they come down on you so hard you'd wish you were never born. They just start looking for reasons to cut you loose. And if it doesn't force you to quit, you are basically fired over some ridiculously nit-picky BS. They keep you around until they don't need you. I've seen it and experienced it a million times.
Word of advice to you young folks out there. If there's a shift in management - you need to start looking for another job. Get out while you're still ahead - anyone who's looking to hire is going to immediately understand why you're leaving your current job. I guarantee it. This is true for every industry.
Yeah like if they fired him by literally shooting out of a cannon.
that is worthy of a kickstarter campaign! id back that...CN make it happen