Daybreak Games is making some big moves, creating three new studios that will each dedicate themselves to one of the company’s big MMO franchises.
Dimensional Ink Games, based in Austin, will lead the future of DC Universe Online as well as work on future action-based MMO projects. DC Universe Online launched back in 2011, but it still receives regular updates. A Switch version launched just last year. Jack Emmert, who has worked on City of Heroes, Star Trek Online, and Neverwinter, runs this studio.
Darkpaw Games in San Diego will focus on EverQuest and EverQuest II, one of the most historic MMO franchises in history. Holly Longdale, who has been the series’ executive producer, leads this studio. The original EverQuest released back in 1999. The sequel followed in 2004. Both games are still active and received new expansions last year.
Rogue Planet Games, also in San Diego, will be in charge of the PlanetSide franchise (including PlanetSide 2). PlanetSide II debuted in 2012 and is still going, although an ill-fated battle royale spinoff, PlanetSide Arena, released last year and is already dead.
The studio is also working on a “next genre-defining game for fans of shooters,” presumably PlanetSide 3. Andy Sites, the executive producer of the PlanetSide franchise, is in charge of Rogue Planet Games.
A new day
Daybreak was formerly Sony Online Entertainment. Sony would sell the studio to private investors Jason Epstein, and SOE would rebrand itself as Daybreak Games.
EverQuest was the developer’s first major hit, but the studio also created significant online games like Star Wars Galaxies and The Matrix Online.
