The former CEO of Sony Online Entertainment John Smedley has left the company and is reportedly planning to start his own.
John Smedley was one of the fathers of Everquest, later involved in Star Wars Galaxies – his career is closely linked to the history of MMOs.
Half a year ago, he led the software studio “Sony Online Entertainment” away from Sony, now calling itself “Daybreak Game Company.” Just a few months ago, there was a big press tour, announcing golden times for the current titles H1Z1 and Planetside 2 and promised to deliver “Everquest Next, an MMORPG that will blow everyone away.”
But at the same time, Smedley was also engaged in a public battle with a group of cybercriminals who had targeted him as a preferred victim, subjecting him and his family to vile methods.
Smedley dealt with the situation offensively. After a Twitter tirade, the cybercriminals attacked his company’s game servers once again. Shortly thereafter, Smedley resigned from his position.
Originally, it was planned that he would take a sabbatical and later return to Daybreak Game Company in another advisory role. Now he has left the company, as confirmed there. Smedley changed his job status on Facebook to “CEO of a New Company”. Smedley told Game Informer that he is not ready to announce anything specific at the moment. However, that will change in the coming weeks.
