Posted Mon Feb 2, 2015 at 10:13 AM PST by Brian Hoss
Transaction comes after years of mismanagement.
Back before 'World of Warcraft' changed the mmo game, Sony Online Entertainment was like a titan. 'Everquest' alone could boast a huge paying userbase, and games like 'Star Wars Galaxies' and 'DC Universe Online' featured surefire properties to keep players coming back. More recently, 'H1Z1' has been poised to cash in on the popularity of 'Day Z.' Of course, the reality is that SOE has been a mess for years, with game after game shuttered or a shadow of its potential.
Recently, at PAX South, Desert Owl Games showcased 'Ronin,' an expansion to the cult success 'Pox Nora.' Between the lines however, is the knowledge that SOE had bought 'Pox Nora' and held onto it for years without being to do anything with the game, and ultimately, the original developer was able to reacquire the game and its massive userbase without much trouble.
The saga of SOE has come to end, at least as far as Sony's direct control. The division has been acquired by an investment management company, Columbus Nova, and rebranded as Daybreak Game Company. The new company will have a multiplatform focus, meaning PlayStation, Xbox, mobile, and whatever else comes.
From Jason Epstein, senior partner at Columbus Nova,
"Sony Online Entertainment, newly rebranded as Daybreak, is a great addition to our existing portfolio of technology, media and entertainment focused companies. We see tremendous opportunities for growth with the expansion of the company's game portfolio through multi-platform offerings as well as an exciting portfolio of new quality games coming up, including the recently launched H1Z1 and the highly anticipated EverQuest Next to be released in the near future."
Source: gamesindustry
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