Okay, hands up who saw this one coming. That's nobody, then. Sony Online Entertainment has been bought out by investment management company Columbus Nova, and as of right now will be renamed Daybreak Game Company. Which in no way sounds like a front organisation for a cult in a '90s thriller starring Ethan Hawke. "Today, we are pleased to announce that we have been acquired by Columbus Nova, an investment management firm well known for its success with its existing portfolio of technology, media and entertainment focused companies," the MMO publisher formerly known as SOE revealed in a statement. "This means that effective immediately SOE will operate as an independent game development studio where we will continue to focus on creating exceptional online games for players around the world, and now as a multi-platform gaming company. Yes, that means PlayStation and Xbox, mobile and more!" SOE—that is, Daybreak—said it will be "business as usual," and that all existing SOE games will continue to operate normally. "In fact, we expect to have even more resources available to us as a result of this acquisition," it said. "It also means new exciting developments for our existing IP and games as we can now fully embrace the multi-platform world we are living in." The price of the acquisition by Columbus Nova, which in no way sounds like an affordable hatchback, has not been revealed. We've reached out to the former SOE for further detail on what this means for their current and future games. OP: http://www.pcgamer.com/sony-online-entertainment-sold-becomes-daybreak-game-company/ ----------------- Dear Players, Partners and Friends, Today, we are pleased to announce that we have been acquired by Columbus Nova, an investment management firm well known for its success with its existing portfolio of technology, media and entertainment focused companies. This means that effective immediately SOE will operate as an independent game development studio where we will continue to focus on creating exceptional online games for players around the world, and now as a multi-platform gaming company. Yes, that means PlayStation and Xbox, mobile and more! As part of this transition, SOE will now become Daybreak Game Company. This name embodies who we are as an organization, and is a nod to the passion and dedication of our employees and players. It is also representative of our vision to approach each new day as an opportunity to move gaming forward. So what exactly does this mean for you? It will be business as usual and all SOE games will continue on their current path of development and operation. In fact, we expect to have even more resources available to us as a result of this acquisition. It also means new exciting developments for our existing IP and games as we can now fully embrace the multi-platform world we are living in. Our games and players are the heart and soul of our organization, and we are committed to maintaining our portfolio of online games and pushing the limits of where we can take online gaming together. Thank you for your continued support. See you in game! The Team at Daybreak OP: http://www.reddit.com/r/h1z1/comments/2ujaaj/sony_online_entertainment_becomes_daybreak_game/
My guess would be that over the next year or two we will see DCUO and Everquest(s) quietly move to a new in house Sony dev company Made up of wants left of the actual MMO devs from SOE. I thought H1Z1 was a little lowrent for Sony and was entirely surprised by it. So it will probably go to this new company along with probably the Planetside IP. But I can't see Sony giving up the Everquest IP Or what ever part of the DC comics license they have. But who knows Sony has been hurting for a while now and maybe they just decided to dump a not very profitable division for a cash influx and wash their hands of it.
I was just coming here to post this I kinda called it. Sony has had quite a few years with multi-billion Dollar losses now. I was saying they had to close down or sell off a couple divisions such as PC games and cell phone/mobile. I just figured the games would shut down though since SoE stuff really is not very popular in the video game world. I guess the hype of H1Z1 got them enough attention to make a sale though.
I'll see if I can get some old friends to join in on XOO. Maybe they can give you a bit of information on this, its been in the works awhile. Darktide.