The former head of SOE and Daybreak. Affectionately known to gamers as “Smed.”
john smedley
Smed’s new Amazon studio is basically Pixelmage Games
Amazon Game Studios announced yesterday that it had picked up MMORPG genre veteran John Smedley to helm one of its up-and-coming online game studios....
Amazon Game Studios gave John Smedley a new online game team to run
If you wondered what John Smedley was up to following the death of Pixelmage Games and Hero's Song in December, now you have an...
Five reasons behind the failure of Hero’s Song
In July of 2015, MMORPG fans were stunned to hear that John Smedley was stepping down from his post as president of Daybreak. After...
The Daily Grind: How often do you claim refunds on MMOs?
Chargebacks were a big deal in 2016: Black Desert, ArcheAge, and No Man Sky were all embroiled in community drama thanks to perceived chargeback...
Make My MMO: Refunds for Hero’s Song (January 7, 2017)
This week in MMO crowdfunding news, refunds continue for Hero's Song, which was canceled the day after Christmas with the promise to reimburse all...
The best Massively OP streams of 2016
The number of games our wee little Stream Team covers in the span of a year is staggering. If you ever wanted to know...
Hero’s Song wants you to take your money back
As Hero's Song transitions into Hero's Swan Song following this week's announcement of the game and studio shutdown, John Smedley and Pixelmage Games are...
Smed has canceled Hero’s Song, offers everyone refunds
Pixelmage Games, the indie studio headed up by MMO veteran John Smedley, announced today that it is folding up, which means Hero's Song is...
Make My MMO: Shards Online’s January alpha, Star Citizen’s Star Marine (December 24, 2016)
This week in MMO crowdfunding news, Shards Online announced it'll kick off its alpha early in the new year, on January 13th. "Based on the...
Massively Overthinking: Our 2017 MMORPG predictions
With 2016 drawing to a close and 2017 rushing up to meet us, the Massively OP team has regrouped for another round of bold and...
MMO Year in Review: Blade & Soul reaches western shores (January 2016)
December's many article roundups and awards always remind us that it's hard to remember what happened last month, let alone what happened way back...
Smed says Hero’s Song is ‘working through some things’
We've had several tips this week from players concerned about Hero's Song. One, for example, suggested that several employees had left Pixelmage Games and...
Massively OP’s Best of 2016 Awards: Biggest MMORPG Story of 2016
Massively Overpowered's end-of-the-year 2016 awards continue today with our award for Biggest MMORPG Story of 2016, which was awarded to the SOE/Daybreak formation drama last year. This isn't an...
Daybreak confirms its president has stepped down, Columbus Nova exec continues in his stead
Last week, we reported on the news that Daybreak President Russell Shanks, who had been the President of the company ever since John Smedley resigned last...
Rumor: Daybreak’s Russell Shanks is out, Columbus Nova exec is in
Wilhelm over at The Ancient Gaming Noob has dug up what appears to be juicy Daybreak news. According to entries on Linkedin and Wikipedia,...
Hero’s Song goes into early access on Steam
Following an intense alpha weekend test, Hero's Song is going into early access on Steam today as planned. The title is scheduled to go live at...
Smed’s Hero’s Song enters alpha 3 for backers
Hero's Song's alpha 3 kicked off yesterday as promised during its Indiegogo campaign, opening up to early backers.
"We've automatically upgraded everyone who did not...
Hero’s Song schedules alpha launch for next Monday, followed by early access in November
While Hero's Song might not have raised as much money with its recent Indiegogo campaign as the studio hoped, players who did pay $15...
The Daily Grind: Is the lack of an official server for an MMO a dealbreaker?
In this midst of a newsroom discussion about Hero's Song last week, Justin, Eliot and I found an unusual chunk of common ground: All...
Hero’s Song on what to expect from next week’s backer alpha
John Smedley's enthusiasm for his indie MMOARPG Hero's Song hasn't faltered -- Pixelmage Games gets to keep the $94,231 raised through Indiegogo, after all,...
