Refugees from other social media platforms, talking about games and geekery.
Turbine MMOs find a new home
I guess it's a sign of how much I've retreated from social media that I haven't seen any discussion of this so I'll start a thread here.
I was reading about how the D&D Online and LOTRO devs have spun off the games into a separate company and that now Daybreak Games will be publishing these MMOs. I guess Turbine is turning into a mobile studio..
I wonder how fully Daybreak will integrate the games. For instance will a Daybreak All Access Pass give you perks in LOTRO or D&D Online?
Anyway, what's the buzz on this? Are people mad, happy, apathetic... ?
Oh and in case you missed the news too, here's the post I was reading: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-12-19-d-and-d-lord-of-the-rings-online-devs-spin-off-from-turbine




WHAAAAAT? Was about to unsubscribe from the DBG All Access pass, too. If these games come to it, I may play them again.
If Turbine doesn't run these anymore, then I don't know what that company is anymore. I love mobile games, clearly, but the vast majority are redundant copies of other games (See: Mario Run)
Looks like players are just happy the games are continuing.
I feel bad for Turbine, though.
Me too. I have a soft spot for Turbine for some reason.
Of COURSE I'm sure there's a ton of people who are crying DOOM! for these games, because any time ANYTHING steps out of line, it's obviously a sign of the pending apocalypse...
What else does Daybreak do these days? EQ, EQII, H1Z1, DCUO? Not looking for an exhaustive list, just setting up the statement that they've got a lot of management of MMOs going on, and they strike me more as a "MMO management" company than a developer any more...I don't know why I have that impression, but they seem like a company that simply keeps things running.
True or not, if Turbine is changing focus, this is most certainly a better option than what companies usually do with games they no longer want to/are able to pay for (SWG, CoH, and the laundry list of Games That Time Forgot like Auto Assault, Tabula Rasa, Earth & Beyond, etc).
My big concern is... SOE was also a holding pen for games that were not working otherwise like Vanguard, and even they held Matrix Online before it was finally cancelled. I think that altruism was ultimately what lead to their downfall. If Daybreak fan figure out a way to make it work and make a profit awesome. I would love to see them resurrect other games that have gone to the great gaming beyond as well. Maybe Daybreak will find a niche as a retro MMO company :)
MOP is now reporting that AC and AC2 are being shut down as part of this transition
http://massivelyop.com/2016/12/20/asherons-call-and-its-sequel-will-sunset-as-part-of-the-turbinestanding-stone-split/
AC2 is still running?! I thought it shut down long ago. It had a pretty poor launch and I didn't think it'd ever built much of an audience.
Sad about AC but then games can't run forever I guess.
Oh no! What a bummer! :(
I really wish LOTRO and DDO luck with their new company. Though I haven't played LOTRO for a while, I do have a Lifetime account there. As a matter of fact, I just reinstalled out of curiosity last night. I'm so terribly lost on my old characters, though. XD
The thing about Daybreak is that they're only a Publisher. I can't say for sure what all that's going to mean, but they may have very little effect on the games themselves. I see a lot of folks freaking out thinking about Daybreak's association... but it's not the same as if Daybreak purchased the games and are folding them into their company. It's quite different from my understanding.
Turbine's interest has been in mobile development, not so much MMOs lately. Maybe it's a good thing the two have parted ways so they can do what they do best.
I have to admit that I can't help but feel a little anxious over them moving to Daybreak. Daybreak seems to purge games on a fairly regular basis. So, I don't know....
I mean, I wish LotRO and DDO luck! I think they are both great games that deserve to be around for a good, long time. But, I don't have a lot of faith in Daybreak.