Mark Jacobs Says Farewell

Keane Ng

New member
Sep 11, 2008
5,892
0
0
Mark Jacobs Says Farewell



In a farewell blog posted yesterday, ex-Mythic CEO Mark Jacobs started to tell his side of the story of the events leading up to his departure from the company he helped found.

The merger of BioWare and Mythic Entertainment [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/92642-BioWare-and-Mythic-Merge-Mark-Jacobs-Leaves] into a single entity was shocking enough, but for some the real mindblower was the departure of Mythic's Mark Jacobs from the company. Questions were raised in the wake of Jacobs' departure: Why and under what circumstances did Jacobs leave? Was he given the boot, or was it voluntary?

Some of that fog has been cleared by a blog [http://onlinegamesareanichemarket.wordpress.com/2009/06/25/all-things-must-come-to-an-end/] Jacobs posted yesterday. Though Jacobs' departure was only made official as of this week, apparently he had long since already moved on.

"Early in May, Electronic Arts let me know that they wanted to make some changes within the Games Label and as a result of those changes I have been out of the office (and out of touch with the team, game, etc.) since that day," Jacobs said. "To describe these past two months as difficult would be a great understatement as change is almost never easy."

Jacobs spent most of the blog expressing his gratitude for the good times he had at Mythic. "While some of the team has changed over the years, we have always had a great team at Mythic and seeing, talking, protecting and sharing with that team is what I will both treasure and miss the most," he said.

The largest looming question - whether or not EA forced Jacobs out as a result of dissatisfaction with the performance of Warhammer Online - remains unanswered. "If you are looking or expecting me to damn EA or anyone there, you will be sorely disappointed," Jacobs said. "Over my 23 years of making games professionally I have refrained from attacking the competition, former and/or current partners, other game developers, etc. except on a few very rare instances."

Two days ago a Mythic employee expressed skepticism [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/92660-Mark-Jacobs-Departure-Shocks-Mythic-Employees] that EA forced Jacobs out, saying that the argument that WAR is doing poorly is a false one, since the game was actually turning a profit. Still, one has to wonder why, of all the folks working at Mythic, Jacobs was the only one to leave his job as a result of the merger?

Meanwhile, Mythic executive producer Jeff Hickman assured fans [http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=843] that the changes at Mythic wouldn't be changing the way the company makes its games. "It is a time of change and progress here at Mythic," Hickman wrote. "As we move forward, I want you all to know that our love of MMOs, our passion for the games we create, and our commitment to our fans is stronger than ever."


Permalink
 

TsunamiWombat

New member
Sep 6, 2008
5,870
0
0
"Early in May, Electronic Arts let me know that they wanted to make some changes within the Games Label and as a result of those changes I have been out of the office (and out of touch with the team, game, etc.) since that day,"
TRANSLATION: EA wanted to do some shit I wasn't happy about way back in May and the split happened there. I wasn't fired, it's executive meddeling I didn't want to tow the line to so I started walking but held off until the sale.
 

OneHP

Optimist Laureate
Jan 31, 2008
342
0
0
TsunamiWombat said:
"Early in May, Electronic Arts let me know that they wanted to make some changes within the Games Label and as a result of those changes I have been out of the office (and out of touch with the team, game, etc.) since that day,"
TRANSLATION: EA wanted to do some shit I wasn't happy about way back in May and the split happened there. I wasn't fired, it's executive meddeling I didn't want to tow the line to so I started walking but held off until the sale.
I'd make a guess more at the decision to split being completely made in May and EA offering 'garden leave' so he's not taking any important information with him.
 

LewsTherin

New member
Jun 22, 2008
2,443
0
0
Tenmar said:
I'll miss Dark Age of Camelot. That to me was Mythic, a solid rpg maker that went against the odds and made pvp what it could be by making pvp divided by 3 factions instead of the standard two.
Who says it won't still be running? Bioware will probably let them keep it up. I mean, it's Bioware.