Sony Online Entertainment (Everquest, Planetside 2, H1Z1) purchased by private firm

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
D

darkewaffle

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2005
8,152
1
81
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/02/private-investment-firm-buys-out-sony-online-entertainment/

Changes to current, active titles are not anticipated but it looks like the company will be branching out to new platforms with their future development. The studio has been renamed "Daybreak Game Company".

I'd still like to give EQ:Next a try eventually and I think there's definitely a market for MMOs on the console with proper development, FFXIV has been fairly successful on the PS3/4.
 
norseamd

norseamd

Lifer
Dec 13, 2013
13,990
180
106
Columbus Nova is a NYC-based investment firm managing over $15 billion in its own assets and partnering portfolio companies. It operates four different investment groups specializing in corporate credit, private equity, venture/growth equity and real estate.
 
Drako

Drako

Lifer
Jun 9, 2007
10,697
161
106
Interesting. I guess Sony needs the money so they selling off what they can.
 
manimal

manimal

Lifer
Mar 30, 2007
13,559
8
0
Drako said:
Interesting. I guess Sony needs the money so they selling off what they can.
Click to expand...

Sony the last few years has foundered in multiple segments. They seem to be focusing on their core business and development has too many issues that tied up management. This is addition by subtraction really.
 
Fanatical Meat

Fanatical Meat

Lifer
Feb 4, 2009
35,862
17,402
136
All the more reason not to Kickstarter/green light/preorder any games (yes I violate this saying however I'm a lot more selective now). Buy into H1ZN or EQ Next or the other part of EQ Next and you could end up with nothing or something that is completely different than you expected.
 
L

Lonyo

Lifer
Aug 10, 2002
21,938
6
81
Drako said:
Interesting. I guess Sony needs the money so they selling off what they can.
Click to expand...

Probably has more value as a stand alone business that can make games for multiple platforms than as an in house dev limited to PC and Playstation.
 
lupi

lupi

Lifer
Apr 8, 2001
32,539
260
126
So is this just the couple of online games? So many different groups within sony hard to tell just from those couple of clips.
 
C

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
350
126
I hate how jerks with billions are able to go around and buy everything up and run it poorly. Sears comes to mind for another example. Too much concentration of wealth.
 
C

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
350
126
Fanatical Meat said:
All the more reason not to Kickstarter/green light/preorder any games (yes I violate this saying however I'm a lot more selective now). Buy into H1ZN or EQ Next or the other part of EQ Next and you could end up with nothing or something that is completely different than you expected.
Click to expand...

Don't back games, and there's a chance you end up with nothing also, a better chance.
 
ThinClient

ThinClient

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2013
3,977
4
0
lupi said:
So is this just the couple of online games? So many different groups within sony hard to tell just from those couple of clips.
Click to expand...

This is everything SOE. This is everything that involved game development with Sony's name on it, excluding the actual Playstation console which is still staying with Sony and was not part of SOE to begin with.
 
BoberFett

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,562
9
81
Craig234 said:
I hate how jerks with billions are able to go around and buy everything up and run it poorly. Sears comes to mind for another example. Too much concentration of wealth.
Click to expand...

Right, because SOE and Kmart were so amazingly superior to their competition before being bought out...
 
ThinClient

ThinClient

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2013
3,977
4
0
The investment group isn't "running" anything. They're simply receiving the profits now instead of Sony. SOE is still running the show.

Columbus Nova apparently isn't known for swooping in and changing everything to maximize profits and gutting the company to move on to the next target like some other investment firms. With SOE being habitually profitable, they would be foolish to do so. Only time will tell for sure.
 
Last edited:
SunnyD

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
32,675
146
106
www.neftastic.com
ThinClient said:
The investment group isn't "running" anything. They're simply receiving the profits now instead of Sony. SOE is still running the show.

Columbus Nova apparently isn't known for swooping in and changing everything to maximize profits and gutting the company to move on to the next target like some other investment firms. With SOE being habitually profitable, they would be foolish to do so. Only time will tell for sure.
Click to expand...

"SOE" isn't running anything. The artist formerly known as SOE may be currently driving the ship for the time being, but there is no longer anything "Sony" about it.

Semantics aside, you can expect some management changes at the top in the coming months while the group puts in a few executives and former Sony people leave to move under other Sony divisions. The direction of the entire house will, however, stay generally the same for the time being until the group has enough time to determine which properties are underperforming and can be either divested or wound down. This is what private equity firms do, then about 5 to 10 years later after they've cut costs and maximized profits they will turn around and flip their asset for a tidy profit.
 
lupi

lupi

Lifer
Apr 8, 2001
32,539
260
126
So they got PSN too then if it's everything but the console itself?
 
M

MeldarthX

Golden Member
May 8, 2010
1,026
0
76
SOE was their MMO and online branch of Sony; so EQ; Planetside; DCUO etc.....all now seperate; but thing is SOE has been running itself like a seperate company for years or at least sister company to Sony.....so its not exactly surprising this has happened.

All the other in house studies for playstation are still in house....
 
Bateluer

Bateluer

Lifer
Jun 23, 2001
27,730
8
0
Craig234 said:
I hate how jerks with billions are able to go around and buy everything up and run it poorly. Sears comes to mind for another example. Too much concentration of wealth.
Click to expand...

Seconded. Columbus Nova is a venture capitalist firm with no knowledge or experience running a game development company. Unless they remain completely hands off and funnel money into Daybreak, the company will be gutted, striped, and sold off piece meal so CN can recoup their investment. It has never been a good thing for a company to be owned by a private investment group.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom