Any truth to the rumor?

[That Jay]

That very recently the GMs were sent an email saying their share checks would be delayed for an unknown amount of time?

Granted staff is pretty tight lipped, NDA and all but I was curious if anyone else has heard anything in the wind?

I cannot verify the truth of this rumor or the strength of the source so I am just asking.

If GS is in a temporary cash flow crunch, the recent decision of several Platinum players to quit over Khaladon's firing may have more of an impact than originally considered.

[ELO]

Sounds like someone's trying to spread rumors.

[That Jay]

Yeah, it could be completely unsubstantiated which is why I asked if anyone else heard anything.

[Scott]

That very recently the GMs were sent an email saying their share checks would be delayed for an unknown amount of time?

Granted staff is pretty tight lipped, NDA and all but I was curious if anyone else has heard anything in the wind?

I cannot verify the truth of this rumor or the strength of the source so I am just asking.

If GS is in a temporary cash flow crunch, the recent decision of several Platinum players to quit over Khaladon's firing may have more of an impact than originally considered.

......

If platinum closed down today, I doubt it would have any effect on Simutronics as a business. If they really were having trouble with money from the people who quit plat, wouldn't it be quite easy to make it up by setting up some pay events? A few pay events in prime would make more money then Plat brings into Simu in a year.

If the switch to GS4 didn't close down Gemstone, I highly doubt that a loss of a GM would come anywhere near it. Khaladon wasn't that important. In a few months nobody will even remember this whole thing. Is a GM with a god complex enough to bring down a business, no.

[That Jay]

Heck, I tell people they still run Cyberstrike and Modus for goodness sake and look how few people are there. I remember the kid who won the costume contest a couple years ago at Simucon as the Cyberstrike winner because he was the only person from Cyberstrike there!

[Snapp]

......

If platinum closed down today, I doubt it would have any effect on Simutronics as a business. If they really were having trouble with money from the people who quit plat, wouldn't it be quite easy to make it up by setting up some pay events? A few pay events in prime would make more money then Plat brings into Simu in a year.

If the switch to GS4 didn't close down Gemstone, I highly doubt that a loss of a GM would come anywhere near it. Khaladon wasn't that important. In a few months nobody will even remember this whole thing. Is a GM with a god complex enough to bring down a business, no.

I know you secretly :heart: Khaladon.

[Skeeter]

Heck, I tell people they still run Cyberstrike and Modus for goodness sake and look how few people are there. I remember the kid who won the costume contest a couple years ago at Simucon as the Cyberstrike winner because he was the only person from Cyberstrike there!

He was also the only one who played. He just MA'd a lot.

[Aphyd]

......

If platinum closed down today, I doubt it would have any effect on Simutronics as a business. If they really were having trouble with money from the people who quit plat, wouldn't it be quite easy to make it up by setting up some pay events? A few pay events in prime would make more money then Plat brings into Simu in a year.

If the switch to GS4 didn't close down Gemstone, I highly doubt that a loss of a GM would come anywhere near it. Khaladon wasn't that important. In a few months nobody will even remember this whole thing. Is a GM with a god complex enough to bring down a business, no.

Just because at certain times there may only be 15-40 people in the game does not mean that more people don't have accounts.

I bet there are easily 150-200 active accounts in GS plat...probably more.

Yearly that would bring in $120,000k for 200 active accounts. Plus the pay events that plat people pay for...usually another $30-$40 dollars x 150-200. What...once or twice a year? Say twice...best case scenario, you're looking at another $8000-$16000 dollars in pay events.

So completely estimating plat brings in between $100,000 and $150,000 a year...I could be right, i could be wrong.

But I know a couple of extra pay events in Prime isn't going to cover that.

[CaptContagious]

I have been playing GS since the AOL days... and have had very few run ins with any GMs. So its very clear that it isnt the GM's that keep me playing... its the game itself. Sure he did alot... but who to say whom ever is next won't do more?

As for Simu holding share checks... doubtful. Just lost one GM, I'm sure they won't attempt to piss off the rest.

[Atlanteax]

David Whatley is still churning in the dough... GM profit-sharing checks are mere pittance in comparison.

... so in that regard, it's an unsubstantiated rumor as there is no cash flow issues (unless of course, DW decided to be cheap like that).

[CrystalTears]

With three less GMs, there would be [some] money not being distributed to them, so not sure why anything would be held back.

[vorlash]

The GM's aren't there for the money or the security of a paycheck, let me assure you.

[Scott]

Just because at certain times there may only be 15-40 people in the game does not mean that more people don't have accounts.

I bet there are easily 150-200 active accounts in GS plat...probably more.

Yearly that would bring in $120,000k for 200 active accounts. Plus the pay events that plat people pay for...usually another $30-$40 dollars x 150-200. What...once or twice a year? Say twice...best case scenario, you're looking at another $8000-$16000 dollars in pay events.

So completely estimating plat brings in between $100,000 and $150,000 a year...I could be right, i could be wrong.

But I know a couple of extra pay events in Prime isn't going to cover that.

Let's say Plat brings in an 125k extra a year. Ebons right now has sold 656 tickets, which lets says would come out to about 25k. That's 1/5 of plat's total income in one event, the cheapest one at that. If they ran more expensive ones like Foehn's Promise, or Wave Dancer runs, it would probably bring in a little more.

The only reason the Plat exists is because it costs so little to run. It is as important to Simutronic's as Cyberstrike is. So again, I don't think plat is going to cause Simutronics to be so short on money that they couldn't afford to pay GM's the $100 a week they earn.

[Celephais]

Ebons right now has sold 656 tickets.
Check that... pretty sure it says "656 remaining" (I checked it a bit ago and don't feel like pulling the site back up).

Either way, the fact that they put so much "effort" into making plat a good experience when they could just run pay events...

That and the "125k" figure is ridiculous. If they "folded" plat into prime properly... or better yet never introduced it... the individuals playing plat would likely be paying for premium accounts, that's only +$10 on each plat account, so plat is a $10 a person, 200 ticket, once a month event. or $24,000.

[Joe]

I'm selling a tin foil hat. Any buyers? :)

[Sean of the Thread]

Yeah, it could be completely unsubstantiated which is why I asked if anyone else heard anything.

By that someone I think he meant you.

Something fishy about your posts in all the Khal threads.

[Joe]

By that someone I think he meant you.

Something fishy about your posts in all the Khal threads.

I heard he has a hardon for Khal, but it's unsubstantiated as of yet. Any truth to the rumor?

[Sean of the Thread]

I heard he has a hardon for Khal, but it's unsubstantiated as of yet. Any truth to the rumor?

I can't help you there. Ask your mom about his hardon.

[Mikare]

Heck, I tell people they still run Cyberstrike and Modus for goodness sake and look how few people are there. I remember the kid who won the costume contest a couple years ago at Simucon as the Cyberstrike winner because he was the only person from Cyberstrike there!

That would have been my son, Brad. He had such a great time, and I was so happy to introduce him to everyone from all of the games!

Mikare/Cindy

[Mikare]

He was also the only one who played. He just MA'd a lot.

Ummm, nope you are wrong on that one. I don't have that kind of money.

Former Cyberstrike Player Neowing's Mom/Mikare/Cindy

[Mikare]

Check that... pretty sure it says "656 remaining" (I checked it a bit ago and don't feel like pulling the site back up).

Either way, the fact that they put so much "effort" into making plat a good experience when they could just run pay events...

That and the "125k" figure is ridiculous. If they "folded" plat into prime properly... or better yet never introduced it... the individuals playing plat would likely be paying for premium accounts, that's only +$10 on each plat account, so plat is a $10 a person, 200 ticket, once a month event. or $24,000.

Umm, you do pay for a Premium account when you are Plat...

Mikare/Cindy

[CrystalTears]

Yes but you're paying $10 more for access to platinum, which isn't all that significant in comparison with pay events.

[Celephais]

Ummm, nope you are wrong on that one. I don't have that kind of money.

Former Cyberstrike Player Neowing's Mom/Mikare/Cindy
You might be able to use this...
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u222/GuinnessKMF/sarcasmDetector.jpg
(this picture is so useful)


Umm, you do pay for a Premium account when you are Plat...

Mikare/Cindy
I meant that the people who are willing to fork out $50 a month for plat, would be the type that would pay $40 a month for premium instead of $15 for basic. By Scott's estimates there are 200 people playing plat, and he claimed plat "brought in" their $50 a month. Odds are that the majority of the individuals playing plat (IE willing to pay $50 a month) are also willing to fork over $40 a month for premium if plat didn't exist. So essentially I was saying that Plat only "brought in" 200 x $10 ... or $2,000 a month, not 200 x $50 for $10,000 a month. If plat got folded into premium, no way in hell those individuals would want to go back to being a "basic" $15 a month customer.

So to clarify my statement:

If they "folded" plat into prime properly... or better yet never introduced it... the individuals playing plat would likely be paying for premium accounts as opposed to basic accounts