Gleemax is Dead

[MerricB]

I shouldn't be surprised by the news, but I am. I didn't think Wizards had it in them to actually cancel it properly. As someone who tried their hardest to use the Gleemax blogs and make them work, and was very vocal about how they failed, I'm very glad that they've realised it was a failure and have taken reponsibility for it.

Cheers!

 

[The Little Raven]

Who would you suggest?

Someone who actually has the money to afford it. White Wolf is probably the only real possibility in the RPG industry, which means that it would probably be sold to someone outside the industry.

 

[Shemeska]

Honestly, was anyone surprised by this?

Gleemax was a potentially great idea that had the worst possible implimentation in the world. Forum structure got upended, mixed and put through a blender to the point where it drove quite a number of long-time posters away from the boards (only to do the same thing again once 4e rolled in). The new order behind Gleemax ended up seeing many of the pre-Gleemax WizOs resign or get fired (I've heard some bad stories), which doesn't help for your PR when that sort of stuff trickles out into public time and time again. The VCL / Forum Lead program ended up looking like WotC fanboys pulled together -and without any training beyond zealotry- given posse rights to stamp out dissent about the awesomeness that Gleemax was. A lot of bad moves that compounded on each other repeatedly.

The original color scheme that marketing apparently came up with for Gleemax had zero viability for use on an online forum, because it freaking hurt your eyes to read. It was like a hundred flying dire monkeys jabbing pins into your brain.

Over the past year the bloated thing has been in a perpetual "Alpha". Today, despite the high minded notion that now that it's in the grave, we're told that they'll be able to put all their time and energy towards making the DDI work, but I have to ask just what time and effort is now free to be used for DDI? I can't honestly say I saw anything new added (or fixed) from Gleemax's launch till now when they put a bullet in its head. Maybe I just didn't follow it after getting so jaded about the whole thing after the first few months.

I really worry that there's bargain basement coding by the lowest bidder at work here, and little to no management understanding of just how much in over their heads the DDI coders might actually be. I don't really expect any functional portions of the DDI to be out by GenCon, and at this point I'm not sure it will ever be out. Even if they do manage to put it out, albeit grossly past promised deadlines, they've obliterated consumer confidence in their ability to deliver a functional product. They've shot themselves in the foot, and they're trying to rationalize the end result as somehow being a good thing.

I might be wrong. On some level I hope I am, and that they end up learning a lesson and come out of this humbled and willing to listen to their community rather than the job they've done so far over on Gleemax in the past year. In the meantime, I won't be surprised to see some heads roll over there among management involved with this whole thing. I really don't want to speculate much on there being any link between this, the novel lines getting trimmed (that truly sucks for you Ari...), and Hasbro's profit expectations. Too soon and too little data, but if there's a link, I won't be surprised given how much $ WotC sunk into Gleemax with now zero return on a year of time and budget expense.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Someone who actually has the money to afford it. White Wolf is probably the only real possibility in the RPG industry, which means that it would probably be sold to someone outside the industry.

While I have no corporate-level knowledge, I'm fairly certain that these changes do not in any way suggest that WotC is planning to sell of the D&D brand any time soon.

 

[Knightfall]

You know, the thought actually briefly occurred to me... But Planet Stories focuses specifically on "sword & sorcery" style fantasy, and I think Shades of Grey, though certainly dark and morally ambiguous enough, probably has too many elements of higher fantasy to qualify. (Plus, I think PS is focused primarily on older writers that have been out of print for a while.) And even if I thought he'd do it, I wouldn't ask Erik to change the focus of an entire line just to do me a favor.

Well, it couldn't hurt to ask.

Seriously though, I hope you find a buyer for it. Maybe Tor Books?

 

[Mark]

Gleemax is Dead

http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?p=16452125#post16452125

Interesting to hear.

Mourn-min will I.

 

[The Little Raven]

While I have no corporate-level knowledge, I'm fairly certain that these changes do not in any way suggest that WotC is planning to sell of the D&D brand any time soon.

Oh, I know that. I was just pointing out that WW/CCP is the only real in-industry contender to buy the game if it was being sold, since it would require a huge amount of capital to get it out of WotC's hands (more than WotC got it from TSR, I'm sure), and then another big chunk of cash to be able to give it the treatment it needs to be successful in their hands.

Paizo does some good stuff and all, but they can't afford D&D.

 

[Knightfall]

While I have no corporate-level knowledge, I'm fairly certain that these changes do not in any way suggest that WotC is planning to sell of the D&D brand any time soon.

True. But we were simply speculating. Like those "What If?" comics.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Apparently MySpace was unaware, as well, but that didn't stop it from beating LiveJournal's ass in popularity.

As poorly done as MySpace is, it's technically miles and miles ahead of anything WotC has ever managed to get online.

Don't make me get all Lloyd Bentsen here ...

 

[Filcher]

Honestly, was anyone surprised by this?

Surprised that it wasn't any good? No.

Surprised that they had the wisdom to let it die? Yes.