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| Xavier Antoviaque |
 Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 2:33 pm |
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Joined: 15 Nov 2006
Posts: 442
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Just posted on the [email protected] mailing-list. If somebody translates it in German, I'll create a German ML too.
Hi,
It has been more than a year since our last update here. A lot happened, and I will try to sum it up for those who aren't regular visitors of the Ryzom.org forums. But first, I need to attract your attention on a very important part of this email:
== We need your help! ==
It is very important that you contact all Ryzom players you know or have known, to ask them to subscribe to this mailing list. With Gameforge shutting down the servers (and maybe the offical forums), that's the only way to keep a way to reach the whole Ryzom community when needed. Subscription is here:
http://ml.ryzom.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/news-en
Most players don't regularly check forums to know if something is happening, and without the game servers, it will be progressively be harder to spread news as people go away.
We all have several ways to reach Ryzom players we know or have known: emails, forums (official & guilds), PMs, MSN/ICQ, IRL... The more people on this mailing-list, the more likely we are to revive Ryzom one day.
Thanks!
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I] Timeline
Here is what happened over the last year:
- January 2007 : Gameforge takes over Ryzom, creating Gameforge France.
- August 2007 : Gameforge France stops paying its creditors, starting the shutdown procedure. The employees haven't been paid since June.
- October 2007 : Gameforge France enters the liquidation procedure (public announcement). Unlike the first liquidation, the judge immediately shuts down the company and fires all the employees.
- Nov-Dec 2007 : Issues in the procedure (see below) arise and add further delay to an already lengthy process.
- January 2008 : Gameforge Germany announces it will soon shutdown the game servers.
- February 2008 : The game servers are shutdown.
II] Details
a) Before the liquidation announcement
During summer 2007, we heard about the upcoming second liquidation. Gameforge France employees weren't paid for some time, as Gameforge
Germany had ceased to transfer money to Gameforge France. The liquidation procedure could have started sooner, but Gameforge Germany made mistakes which took time to fix (the filling hadn't been handed over to the court the proper way). In the meantime, the employees were having a hard time at the studio, as they had to keep coming to the office for several months, without being paid, and knowing the company would be closed.
We then contacted Gameforge Germany, and started talks with Klaas Kersting, the CEO. He was afraid of the bad press the shutdown would bring, and on our side we wanted a smooth and quick transition. In the interest of the game and to keep a good relationship with Gameforge, we agreed to not disclose the upcoming liquidation publicly.
b) After the liquidation annoucement
Immediately after the public announcement, Gameforge Germany stopped answering our calls...
With a lot of relief, but with many months of salary missing, the employees were finally fired on October. Gameforge Germany, which was hosting the game servers, kept them online. Solving server issues relied on the voluntary work of former employees and players, but at least the game wasn't shutdown.
At the same time, we turned to the newly appointed liquidator, informing him of our will to make an offer, with the help of Me Géraud Bommenel, a friendly corporate lawyer.
c) Recent developments
The liquidation procedure usually takes time, but here it quickly appeared to be stalled. We then heard there was an issue with the first liquidation. Apparently, Gameforge Germany hasn't paid the first liquidator: they only provided a 10% advance payment in December 2006 when they bought Ryzom.
This led to a dispute ("demande de revendication du fonds de commerce") between the two liquidators (the one from December 2006 and the current one) over who currently owns the company's assets and has the right to make the liquidation.
How much time it takes to resolve such a dispute can change a lot from a case to another. There is first a non-judiciary demand to the liquidator, then when it is refused (which is the case here), a procedure with the "juge-commissaire" (3-6 months minimum), then a possible appeal to the court where the decision can be reversed (1 year minimum). So it's quite hard to predict when this will be over and when the liquidation will be resumed.
And, lately, Gameforge Germany finally announced they would shutdown the game servers. And they did it.
III] What's next?
Since Gameforge isn't answering to us (go to http://tinyurl.com/2jblbr if you want to try contacting them, they speak English), and since the liquidators have to resolve the dispute before being able to proceed, there is not much to do right now. Resolving the liquidation dispute will take time, possibly a lot of time, and people will move on.
Since the second liquidation, we have kept a low profile, and we will probably have to keep it this way until the liquidation procedure resumes, to avoid attracting the attention of other potential buyers like we did with Gameforge.
But at some point, the liquidation procedure will be resumed. We'll keep following the case and, one day, we'll try to revive Ryzom.
Don't forget. With your help, the dream may still come true. |
Last edited by Xavier Antoviaque on Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:04 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Xavier. |
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| Kaetemi |
| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 5:58 pm |
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Joined: 24 Nov 2006
Posts: 61
Location: Lembeek, Belgium
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| copied this to kami alliance forums :) |
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| Belenn |
| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:49 pm |
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Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 25
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Xavier Antoviaque wrote:
Since the second liquidation, we have kept a low profile, and we will probably have to keep it this way until the liquidation procedure resumes, to avoid attracting the attention of other potential buyers like we did with Gameforge.
But at some point, the liquidation procedure will be resumed. We'll keep following the case and, one day, we'll try to revive Ryzom.
Don't forget. With your help, the dream may still come true.
The bubble has already burst. There are players actively trying to find a prospective buyer, so all we could possibly do is try and dissuade them; seeing that they apparently don't trust an open source initiative at all, I doubt it would make any sense, though, maybe only make it worse.
While I absolutely like the idea of acridiel's Ryzom pen-and-paper roleplaying game, he's also trying to get other companies interested in Ryzom - of course with the best intentions, but to the possible detriment of ryzom.org's goals.
Then there's hyaru, who apparently hadn't even heard of ryzom.org before, but he appears to indiscriminately announce the opportunity to whoever he can reach...
I still hope it works out for the community, though; I just don't get it why so many people think they'd have to oppose us... and don't understand it's in everyone's best interest, even that of any companies who might provide hosting and/or customer services... |
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| Neije |
| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 10:34 am |
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Joined: 18 Dec 2006
Posts: 55
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Maybe, now that a "conventional" company failed to revive ryzom, more people and gamer will understand and will be supportive ...
I'm always very enthusiastic if Ryzom could be release to the free community. |
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| masterfreek64 |
| Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 4:49 pm |
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Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Posts: 7
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an idea....
All these people want money - and they want/ need it quick ...
We could provide a reasonable sum of the 200k that were plegded within 3 months or so ... a lot of that ( the big pledges by for example the FSF) much faster ...
so why not make a deal :
Strictly speaking Gameforge never paid for Ryzom - only 10% advance - so the contract is not fullfiled - I am pretty sure the courts see it that way too.
TO speed things up we pay the Gameforge creditors the 10% Gameforge paid (ryzoms "price" ) and the rest of what was pledged goes towards the original other litigators.
They both of course have to offer that in writing, as well as guaranteeing that neither will seek any claims to Ryzom in the future ( also that would be useless because as soon as the sources to the server are out they will have a hard time selling it commercially). |
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| 0adishree |
| Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 6:04 am |
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Joined: 07 May 2008
Posts: 1
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| Unity is streng. We do love Ryzom, so let's revive it. :x |
Last edited by 0adishree on Tue May 13, 2008 2:15 am; edited 1 time in total
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| Kalindra |
| Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 7:22 am |
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Joined: 05 Oct 2007
Posts: 66
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| We wish we could, yet the damn officials didn't even give us a chance ! :x |
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Kalindra
Sherkalyn on Arispotle
Language Student |
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