Your opinions are noted. Not much else to say at this point. You seem to take my points very personally, and for that I apologize.
I'm glad I don't share the same bleak vision as you in regards to this acquisition. I meant you're the minority, as the majority of feedback I've seen personally has been a LOT more positive than your remarks. Even the negative has been constructive, and has helped us move forward. There really isn't anything resembling legitimate critique in your responses, really. You hate the game. Ok. Noted. We're making it better. You think we're doomed. Great. I disagree. You think I should shut up. Perfect. Not gonna happen, but certainly noted. I also find it a bit funny that you seem to be the self-appointed spokesperson for all of the community, when I've spoken to our most vitriolic critics, and have had different responses. Is there anything constructive you'd like to add? At this point, it just looks like you're taking pot-shots, which are not helpful, and only serve as a distraction.
Hopefully our dialogue can take a more constructive approach. Otherwise, we're just wasting each others' time. I'd hate to do that.
-Joel
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Absolutely, Tao. James has never had a forte in business, and I think the disconnect was that maybe Jason was leaning a bit too much on him to keep things moving. I'm *VERY* business-oriented, so our skillsets overlap perfectly in this regard. It's MY job to make sure that we stay on task, and that we don't make any unnecessary movements that cost money or time.
To be completely honest, the ONLY reason RoH didn't get off the ground, was because we didn't want to ask for money for something we couldn't show to people -- Pretty much the opposite of how GM was handled. We wanted the marketing to *support* the product, not the other way around. We had a GREAT team behind us, and the only obstacle was that without funding, our amazingly-talented employees were being poached by more-established companies that could pay more. Since James and I respect personal growth and development above all else, we couldn't blame a person for pursuing their dreams by moving on to a better-paying gig. We wished them well, and James got an offer for GM, and we decided to shelve it for now. It was never abandoned; It was just put aside, so that James could focus on GM, as I was pursuing other business ventures at the time as well. It was just a good hiatus for all parties involved.
I appreciate the kind words. I've been very fortunate in that only a very small group of vocal individuals has been inflammatory. Most understand that people make mistakes. I mean -- Imagine putting work into something, to have the community lash out? It's a very humbling experience, and I'm sure that if the biggest critics had ever experienced this type of failure personally, might be apt to being a bit more empathetic in this regard. I can't stress enough that James could have walked away from this and had ZERO repercussions. Yet, here we stand, going toe-to-toe with all who criticize us, taking our licks, and moving forward.
I don't know of many people that would have the integrity to step in and try to fix something, not because it was profitable; but because it was the right thing to do. We are literally walking into a sh*tstorm, ONLY because we have an undying commitment to produce a game to the backers. We're not asking for accolades. We're not asking for an applause, or even more money. We're only asking for a chance. A chance to turn this thing around, and make the money spent *not* a complete waste of money.
If we finish this game, and you don't like it, that's fine. At least we finished it. And we're going to do EVERYTHING in our power to make it the best game we can. We're no AAA studio, but I think if we listen to the community, push forward, and re-establish some trust with the consumers and studios, that we'll be able to make this a Cinderella story. Time will tell. As always:
Best,
-Joel