(Shocking) News!!!!!

[Combat Wombat]

Oh fyron and geo deleted their own posts. Oh well so much for having something to be excited about.

[Fyron]

There is no post!

Back to your regularly scheduled shocking.

[geoschmo]

Nobody get all paranoid now. It was just a slight misunderstanding. Fyron and I got it straightened out and decided the best thing was to just remove the posts rather than add additional confusion.

Nothing to see here citizens, move along.

[Gandalf Parker]

Phoenix-D said:

Ouch. Correct. I meant to say that the same sales will NOT give the same profit. Due to the extra money layout for that marketing model.

[Suicide Junkie]

Gandalf Parker said:
Ouch. Correct. I meant to say that the same sales will NOT give the same profit. Due to the extra money layout for that marketing model.

That is my biggest concern, after the discussion on IRC today settled most of the other things.

I'd like to send Aaron a fistfull of bucks directly, just to make sure he gets mine.
Perhaps some sort of limited-edition signed CD thing for us rabid fans

[Annette]

Wow. Some interesting reading today. We truly appreciate the show of support for Shrapnel Games and Malfador Machinations. Our wish is for continued success for both companies.

I see some comments being thrown around that I'd like to expand upon.

Well, the last I heard the 'filing for bankruptcy protection' was about a year ago, since December the company has shown positive cash-flow and are slowly getting back above ground.

Strategy First filed for Chapter 11 protection from bankruptcy on August 18, 2004, with their largest debt being a reported $1.7 million USD owed to game developers around the world. Yes, this may be cause for concern as to what kind of support will exist for their future releases with stories like this being publicised:
Ideal Games Explanation for No Patches

Something like this may or may not be an issue in the future if the proposed buyout by Silverstar Holdings meets the conditions set by the Montreal bankruptcy courts.
Silverstar Holdings Aquistion of Strategy First

There was definitely a lot of "I can't get the game!" complaining.

Our games are now carried by retail outlets in over ten countries (see my blog of March 7). It's true that when we released Space Empires IV five years ago our network was not as large. Since then we have been focused on expanding that market. We also restructured our shipping rates some time ago so that shipping a single game to most international destinations via USPS Global Priority Mail is $5.00 USD.

There are folks who will always complain about not being able to find a game. Heck, there's a thread on the Strategy First forums right now about customers not finding their newest release of Disciples II Gold in stores. No publisher can please everyone. The best we can do is to listen to what is being said and take action to make corrections when we can. It's the response to complaints that will make or break any company.

David is correct about the prizes for the PBW tournament not being affected. The tourney was conceived and implemented by Malfador. Shrapnel donated a small prize even knowing we would not be publishing SEV.

Thanks for allowing me to hopefully straighten out some of the misconceptions.

[RudyHuxtable]

David E. Gervais said:

Well, the last I heard the 'filing for bankruptcy protection' was about a year ago, since December the company has shown positive cash-flow and are slowly getting back above ground.

They have struck a deal for more online outlets for their games but this is in addition to their retail stuff.

I sure wish people would tell the whole story and not these half-facts that serve no purpose other than to generate worries in the fans.

Aaron is the one funding the development of SE5 and he is in 100% control of the quallity and schedule for SE5. Beta slots and prizes for the PBW tournament are not affected by this news in the least.

Nuf said, Cheers!

If he's funding it 100% then everybody should just go have a beer and chill. SEV is in good hands. And if it's a stinker, Aaron has no one to blame but himself.

Keep making good games, Shrapnel.

And something needs to be said about these forums. They're great. People are cool, level headed, and don't throw epithets and ridicule where it isn't due. I like having the freedom to express myself without the fear of flaming... but that leads me to a simple point.

Forums devolve into a flaming mess when people insist on not IGNORING the flames. Let em go, and forums clean up quick. This is not a unique forum when it comes to coolness. It's just extra special because we're all science fiction loving dorks with hearts of gold and hours of free time.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

I hope my heart isn't made out of gold. I'd die!

[Atrocities]

Well guys it’s been an amazing journey thus far and I have enjoyed it immensely. Shrapnel Games has earned my loyalty through superior games and fanatical customer support. I hate to see SE V going away, but I trust in life that all things change and that sometimes change hurts.

I look forward to many more years as a shrapnel games customer as they release more games and continue to provide excellent customer service.

As for Strategy First, well, they are not Shrapnel Games so I don't expect the same quality of customer service that I have seen with Shrapnel. As for the SE V forum, well that is a concern, but hopefully by then SE.net will be up and running stable.

I am optimistic about space empires future, as I am sure many of you are. However be it store shelf or internet sales, I believe that in the long hall, five to ten years down the road, many of us will look back at the time we have spent here, on the Space Empires IV forum, and miss it. Although SE V is not going to be a shrapnel product, perhaps SE VI will be. Remember SE V is not the end of SE IV so hopefully this forum will continue to have a healthy and long life.

Shrapnel Games has earned my loyalty and I hope the same is true for many of you. Kodos to Shrapnel Games for being more than just a place that sells games.

[Atrocities]

Oh yes, one last thing, Gal Civ is a perfect example of a success story. Never forget that. It flurished because MOO3 failed so horribly. SE IV, albeit never confirmed, gained many sales and picked up a huge chunk of the market as a result of the MOO3 disaster.

Many of us know and trust Shrapnel Games while not really knowning Strategy First. Given the news about their financial situation only flames our concerns, but trust in Aaron, this is his game, and he will do what is right to protect it.

I have faith that SE V will sell well, slowly but well, as did Gal Civ. And please ponder this, by extention, if SE V does well, or even just moderately well, so will SE IV. That means, at least until shrapnels inventory is depleted, more sales for them. With the support of this forum, and the huge resevor of information contained here, this place is a fricking gold mine, an information gold mine that is.

The more people who visit shrapnel games, the more likely sales they will see for their other products as well. Or at least that is what I hope will happen.

So this change of the gaurd, albeit a very painful one, might just work out well for all three companies.