Former Daybreak CEO John Smedley may have been a polarizing figure to MMO gamers, but several high profile devs have spoken up in the wake of Smedley’s resignation announcement. Former PlanetSide 2 creative director Matt Higby says that he and many other devs owe Smedley a great deal, and he also says that if you’re a gamer, Smedley is exactly the sort of “maverick, passionate, risk-taking leader you want running a company” as opposed to many industry CEOs who prefer “insipid reliably-profitable clones.”
Trion boss Scott Hartsman says that Smedley “always led with his heart, and there are easily a thousand people’s careers, [Hartsman’s] included, that he’s touched or helped grow in meaningful ways.”
Camelot Unchained and former Warhammer and Dark Age of Camelot head honcho Mark Jacobs concurred. “John was the driving force at the helm of SOE as they committed more and more resources to online gaming when almost nobody else was willing to do so. Did he make some mistakes? Sure, just like the rest of us. But if it wasn’t for him and SOE, I have no doubt that our slice of the gaming industry wouldn’t be where it is today.”
