Back in March, Daybreak appointed a new Producer for its long-running Player Studio program – that’s the system that allowed players to create and submit in-game content for multiple Daybreak MMOs for compensation. While the program was in dire straits after Daybreak’s mass layoffs in 2018, Nick Silva told fans this spring that he was “evaluating options for overhauling the Player Studio site with the intention of allowing broader categories of submissions and a more streamlined submission process,” suggesting that if that went well, the studio would be “once again allowing new artists to join the new and improved program.”
Well, that’s not happening. As MMO Fallout noticed, Daybreak quietly sunsetted it last month instead, at least for the EverQuest franchise. PlanetSide 2 is the only game listed on the Player Studio site now, in spite of apparently low support, and since there’s no formal public announcement, it was left to a player to pass along the bad news on the forums.
“Over the years, EverQuest II players have remained some of the most dedicated in any virtual world. Since Player Studio first launched, we have constantly found ourselves impressed and humbled by the boundless creative talents of our players. Over the years, members of our community have created countless new items that help bring even more color to the world of Norrath. After nearly 6 years, the Player Studio program has concluded for both EverQuest and EverQuest II. Player Studio items that have been previously approved will be released and remain in-game, but players will not have the ability to submit new items. We’d like to thank each of you for sharing your creations with us.”
It’d be an understatement to say that Daybreak’s status seems concerning right now. In 2018, it saw two rounds of layoffs, the Columbus Nova debacle, a bizarre investment deal, the end of Just Survive, and an e-sports scandal, while in 2019 it’s repeatedly delayed its next big thing (PlanetSide Arena) and played hot potato with H1Z1. The best thing to come out of the company all year has been the (surprisingly low-key) DC Universe Online Switch announcement. Yesterday, we learned the company has been filing for new trademarks for what we surmise could be spin-off studios for the different franchises. PlanetSide Arena was reset to launch this summer right around the same time as the big Player Studio announcement, and here we are in summer without any additional info, so keep an eye out for announcements about that next.
