the rooms have a hint of asbestos and maybe just a dash of formaldehyde

Continuing from the last post.

[Tell] [GD]: ncsoft gave paragon a year to some that this game was making money
[Tell] [GD]: show*
[Tell] [GD]: paragon was making a new game and putting the money they was making from this game to put into their new `1 and wasnt showing ncsoft love
[Tell] [GD]: now every1 knows this game was making money
[Tell] [GD]: paragon should of be striaght up with ncsoft
[Tell] [GD]: instead greed lead them not too

I don't buy the greed part. Studios develop; that's part of why they're studios. They change the games they make, they refine the games they make, they make new games...it's universal. Development is what game studios do; in a very real sense, each studio has to either innovate in the games they have, or create new ones, simply to continue existing. This is not news. Not even the news that Paragon was working on a new project--though, from everything I've been able to find out, it was still in its infancy as a potential new product--is news.

But yet again he's changing what he's saying--from embezzlement accusations, to resource mismanagement, to diverting profit from Paragon's game revenue, to the assets of the new game--which may be resource mismanagement again, but if it was from their operating funds and not NCSoft's larger corporate assets, again--that's their call. NCSoft has no say in where Paragon spends the money they've made on their own.

It takes no wild conspiracy theories, either.

[Tell] [GD]: i looked at it they was stealing from ncsoft to put effort to a new game
[Tell] [GD]: thats where i was told they was gonna make a new game
[Tell] [GD]: my friends uncle is a dev's
[Tell] Goons Dark Weeds: so
[Tell] →{Me}: That seems a really foolhardy risk to take
[Tell] Goons Dark Weeds: i did my research about why ncsoft gave them the boot and it all made since
[Tell] Goons Dark Weeds: yeah tru
[Tell] Goons Dark Weeds: thats y im kinda mad at both parties

And back to the wild conspiracy theories.

Okay, but...let's go out on this easily-broken limb for a minute. Say he's right. (I really don't think he is, but hypothetically, here.) Say NCSoft gave Paragon Studios a year to pull profits up. Over the last year profits have remained steady, but, compared to when the game was on a full subscription model two years after launch, it may not have been enough to impress NCSoft. Consolidation to better buffer non-performing games, in the hopes that they'll rise and show good returns--okay, it's cold and heartless, but it happens, and it's not the worst theory on why NCSoft did this in the first place.

Realistically, if a company sold eight million boxes of Game A, and 90,000 boxes of Game B the first year, and six million boxes of Game A the second year, with the same 90,000 boxes of Game B...well, Game B is selling consistently, but it's not advancing. Game A is obviously suffering, but it's still selling millions of boxes.

[Tell] [GD]: but i mean i had to go look at what ncsoft was looking at and everything only thing i dont know is what ncsoft wanted from them at their meeting last tuesday

It's a good question, but--just like with Linden non-transcripted meeting notes--it's going to be very hard to find out what was said.

[Tell] →{Me}: If this is true, that would be very interesting.
[Tell] [GD]: it is trust me it is
[Tell] [GD]: ima ask u this?
[Tell] [GD]: if your paragon and u want to keep ur fans and clients liking your name u gonna tell them what u did wrong or just tell them what u gotta do?
[Tell] →{Me}: But if this is true, it's going to get out
[Tell] [GD]: no its not
[Tell] [GD]: who gonna tell?
[Tell] [GD]: paragon not gonna tell and ncsoft aint worried about it
[Tell] →{Me}: Maybe
[Tell] [GD]: i hope
[Tell] [GD]: so i wont look stupid

Well, I think it's far too late for that, he looked stupid from the first "u". But again--assuming this unsourced lunatic's friend's uncle who "works with" the development team at Paragon is even telling some version of the truth, where do I go from here? I don't know anyone at Paragon Studios, and even assuming I did, there's no guarantee they'd be legally able to confirm anything that was said in this entry and the last one.

I think we have to chalk this up to pure paranoia, and, potentially, trolling--which is another reason I've wanted to keep him as anonymous as possible, because though he knows and I know his character name, I don't want someone drifting over and telling him how much he snowed me into posting this.

Ultimately, I didn't choose to post this out of suspicion or distrust--I distrust [GD] plenty, but I have no reason to distrust any of the staffers that I've spoken with, or that Miss Neome's spoken with, over my years of playing City of Heroes. Whenever I've had an issue, it's been handled quickly and effectively; I've had fun in the game and part of why comes back to the staff of Paragon Studios. I don't believe that there was any wrongdoing on their part in this; simply a conflict of financial interest.