Last week, we caught word of Sony Online Entertainment’s move to independence, severing a twenty year affiliation with the Japanese publisher that produced long-running franchises such as EverQuest and MMO shooter PlanetSide. Subsequently, the company changed brands to become Daybreak, and today we’ve learned off some big layoffs at the new-fangled studio.
News comes by way of Kotaku, who first picked up that it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows following the transition, with some employees claiming that new management would cut staff imminently in order to become profitable. In response to this, Daybreak provided the outlet with an official statement, detailing the business-oriented red tape of the deal and how the New York-based owners want to lay the foundations to create engaging, multi-platform titles moving forward.
As part of a strategic decision to rationalize the business, Daybreak Game Company announced today that it will eliminate positions in both its San Diego and Austin studios. This alignment of resources better positions the newly independent studio for future growth opportunities and developments, including delivering on its legacy of making top online games and establishing a solid foundation for future multi-platform success. These reductions will not affect the operation of current games and the company will continue on its mission to partner with its player community to drive the future and push the boundaries of online gaming.
Currently, Daybreak is now handling development on free-to-play, DayZ-esque MMO H1Z1 and the much-anticipated EverQuest Next. Daybreak has reaffirmed that these recent redundancies will have no impact on the ongoing work within the San Diego and Austin offices, but given that one of the unfortunate few that was terminated happened to be David Georgeson — head honcho behind EverQuest for many years — it’s easy to be sceptical about the company’s decisions.
