BloodOmen
I am a FH squatter
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2004
- Messages
- 17,967
Shame really
http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/30/massively-that-was/
I have sad news for the Massively staff and community today, news most of you already knew was coming.
This week, we learned our AOL overlords have decided that they no longer wish to be in the enthusiast blog business and are shutting all of them down. This mass-sunset includes decade-old gaming journalism icon Joystiq, and therefore, it includes us. February 3rd, 2015, will be the final day of operation for Massively-that-was.
Thank you, PA.
Massively's community deserves its kudos too. We had some trolls and some people who made me tear my hair out, but we also had a core of whip-smart regulars who sparked lively, thoughtful debate and inspired us to write more and better. I love our community, and I put my money where my mouth is by hiring several writers right out of the comment section. I'm really going to miss being challenged to think harder and type faster by you. Where do I go to learn now? Even if I were still just a player, even if I had never worked here, I would be deeply troubled by the vanishing of a site like Massively. It's just not fair, but it's happening anyway.
I would like to thank each and every one of you who sent your condolences and best wishes and #savemassively tweets to us and kept #savejoystiq trending all Tuesday as the rumors began to leak out.There's even a petition, for skies' sake. I am sorry we couldn't overtly confirm it then, but I'm pretty sure most of you reading have been around long enough to understand why. We've spent a lot of this week linking those comments to each other to keep our spirits up. Heck, some of our harshest critics and even devs we've written about unflatteringly nevertheless rallied around us, and we're grateful and touched. Really, thank you. You're genuinely classy in an industry that too frequently isn't. But then I always knew that MMO players were a special breed of gamer. It's why I've stuck by this genre for over 17 years. Community may be degrading inside of MMOs, but outside of them, nope -- I see community every day.
I want to thank my team for standing by me through this brutal and exhausting last year in particular. Jef, who never put up with bullshit and always put the site first. Justin, who never complained and always did so much more than he had to. Eliot, with whom I spent so many mornings arguing just to argue. MJ, whose enthusiasm reminds me games are supposed to be fun. Toli, whose articles make me wish I could write half as well as he. Brendan, whose longevity is surpassed only by his talent and expertise in so many subjects. Larry, who wore any hat I asked him to and always found the inside scoops. And Mike, a consummate professional who for some reason willingly came back to write for me even after I had to lay him off once already. That is how much people love this place.
I would also like to thank my boss at Joystiq, Ludwig Kietzmann. He demonstrated tremendous faith in me to run Massively as a unique outlet in the industry. He insulated us from so much corporate ick, creating a writing-first environment that few internet editors ever experience. He kept us online last year when he could have cut us loose. And he treated the MMO genre with respect, which is nearly unheard of on mainstream gaming sites. /salute, Luddy
Many of you have asked us what's next. As we've been alluding, we are considering striking out as a team on a site that isn't beholden to indifferent corporate overlords. Those of you who are begging us to crowdfund might get a chance to put your money where your mouths are and help shape that idea. We'll be releasing more information over the next few weeks as we formulate our plans and will be using our social media feeds to communicate when we're ready. If we go forward, we hope you'll join us.
In the meantime, I invite you to follow our writers and share your own Twitter handles in the comments so we can follow you right back. (I mean it: There are some posters here I really don't want to lose track of.)
Bree Royce (@nbrianna, blog)
Jef Reahard (@jefreahard)
Justin Olivetti (@Sypster, blog)
Eliot Lefebvre (@Eliot_Lefebvre, blog)
MJ Guthrie (@MJ_Guthrie, blog)
Mike Foster (@MikedotFoster, blog)
Anatoli Ingram (@ceruleangrey)
Brendan Drain (@nyphur)
Larry Everett (@Shaddoe, blog)
The site, I'm told, will be archived and kept online, at least for a while. We're here until the lights go out on Tuesday. When you can't run, you crawl, and when you can't crawl... well, you know how it goes.
-Bree
http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/30/massively-that-was/
I have sad news for the Massively staff and community today, news most of you already knew was coming.
This week, we learned our AOL overlords have decided that they no longer wish to be in the enthusiast blog business and are shutting all of them down. This mass-sunset includes decade-old gaming journalism icon Joystiq, and therefore, it includes us. February 3rd, 2015, will be the final day of operation for Massively-that-was.
Thank you, PA.
Massively's community deserves its kudos too. We had some trolls and some people who made me tear my hair out, but we also had a core of whip-smart regulars who sparked lively, thoughtful debate and inspired us to write more and better. I love our community, and I put my money where my mouth is by hiring several writers right out of the comment section. I'm really going to miss being challenged to think harder and type faster by you. Where do I go to learn now? Even if I were still just a player, even if I had never worked here, I would be deeply troubled by the vanishing of a site like Massively. It's just not fair, but it's happening anyway.
I would like to thank each and every one of you who sent your condolences and best wishes and #savemassively tweets to us and kept #savejoystiq trending all Tuesday as the rumors began to leak out.There's even a petition, for skies' sake. I am sorry we couldn't overtly confirm it then, but I'm pretty sure most of you reading have been around long enough to understand why. We've spent a lot of this week linking those comments to each other to keep our spirits up. Heck, some of our harshest critics and even devs we've written about unflatteringly nevertheless rallied around us, and we're grateful and touched. Really, thank you. You're genuinely classy in an industry that too frequently isn't. But then I always knew that MMO players were a special breed of gamer. It's why I've stuck by this genre for over 17 years. Community may be degrading inside of MMOs, but outside of them, nope -- I see community every day.
I want to thank my team for standing by me through this brutal and exhausting last year in particular. Jef, who never put up with bullshit and always put the site first. Justin, who never complained and always did so much more than he had to. Eliot, with whom I spent so many mornings arguing just to argue. MJ, whose enthusiasm reminds me games are supposed to be fun. Toli, whose articles make me wish I could write half as well as he. Brendan, whose longevity is surpassed only by his talent and expertise in so many subjects. Larry, who wore any hat I asked him to and always found the inside scoops. And Mike, a consummate professional who for some reason willingly came back to write for me even after I had to lay him off once already. That is how much people love this place.
I would also like to thank my boss at Joystiq, Ludwig Kietzmann. He demonstrated tremendous faith in me to run Massively as a unique outlet in the industry. He insulated us from so much corporate ick, creating a writing-first environment that few internet editors ever experience. He kept us online last year when he could have cut us loose. And he treated the MMO genre with respect, which is nearly unheard of on mainstream gaming sites. /salute, Luddy
Many of you have asked us what's next. As we've been alluding, we are considering striking out as a team on a site that isn't beholden to indifferent corporate overlords. Those of you who are begging us to crowdfund might get a chance to put your money where your mouths are and help shape that idea. We'll be releasing more information over the next few weeks as we formulate our plans and will be using our social media feeds to communicate when we're ready. If we go forward, we hope you'll join us.
In the meantime, I invite you to follow our writers and share your own Twitter handles in the comments so we can follow you right back. (I mean it: There are some posters here I really don't want to lose track of.)
Bree Royce (@nbrianna, blog)
Jef Reahard (@jefreahard)
Justin Olivetti (@Sypster, blog)
Eliot Lefebvre (@Eliot_Lefebvre, blog)
MJ Guthrie (@MJ_Guthrie, blog)
Mike Foster (@MikedotFoster, blog)
Anatoli Ingram (@ceruleangrey)
Brendan Drain (@nyphur)
Larry Everett (@Shaddoe, blog)
The site, I'm told, will be archived and kept online, at least for a while. We're here until the lights go out on Tuesday. When you can't run, you crawl, and when you can't crawl... well, you know how it goes.
-Bree
