Scott Hartsman - Off the Record

Dec 14

A New Beginning

Posted on December 14, 2007 at 11:33 am under tangent

Reposted from the EQ2 forums:

December 2007 Producer’s Letter. Part 1: Coda

I’ve never been a fan of saying goodbye, but it’s time. Today is my last day here at SOE.

In addition, I’d like to say thank you.

Thank you all for playing in these worlds that I’ve had the chance to touch over the past years.

Thank you for your boundless dedication and passion to what it is that we’ve all created here.

To many of you, thank you for your friendship. A lot of you have been nothing short of an extended family over the past years.

I will miss you all.

The years of working on EverQuest and EverQuest II have been the highlight of my career, and have led to a significant personal milestone as well.

The release of EverQuest II: Rise of Kunark marks the 30^th online games product that I’ve been fortunate enough to ship. I sincerely hope that you’ve enjoyed what I was able to contribute to this amazing franchise as much as I’ve enjoyed being a part of it.

When asked what exactly I do for a living, I’ve referred to it many times as “having the greatest job working on the best teams in the world.”

That’s still true today. It’s possible for that to be true as well as to know that I’ve done the best work that I can on a world, and that it’s time to hand the reins over to others whose best is still ahead of them.

It’s time for me to see what else is out there waiting to be built. It might even end up being something involving SOE. Regardless, I’m sure we’ll get a chance to meet up again, whether I’m making new MMOs, continuing to play them, or talking about them on the internet.

I wouldn’t be leaving SOE if I wasn’t positive that the responsibility for EQ2 was being left in the right hands.

Taking over for me is Bruce “Froech” Ferguson. Some of you will remember his name from EQ2 beta, others of you may have met him at Fan Faires. If you have met him, you know he’s one of the most straightforward guys you’ll ever be lucky enough to meet.

A few important things to know about Bruce and why I think SOE made the perfect call here:

Up until shortly after launch, he was EQ2’s live producer. This move is more of an overdue homecoming than anything else.

Before his production days, his background is also originally in working very closely with online communities as far back as text MUDs. This community deserves nothing less.

He knows that with respecting communities comes respecting the worlds they’ve grown to love. He’s not the kind of person who’s going to come in and start re-envisioning the game wholesale.

He has long standing relationships with all of the leads and production staff on EQ2. In a number of cases, even longer than mine.

In short, Bruce is the perfect person to help this team continue to succeed in their mission of producing what we all know is the best MMO out there.

For my part, know that I count myself exceptionally fortunate to have been a part of such great endeavors, and I remain thankful for having been given the opportunity.

Until next time,

Scott Hartsman
Senior Producer Emeritus, EverQuest II

I’ve worked with some of the brightest, most dedicated people that I’ve encountered in my entire career in my time at SOE. I sincerely wish them all the best of luck in the future.

It’s definitely a bittersweet day, but an exciting one as well.

As for what the future holds, if you’d like a heads up when we have something to talk about, add your email address to the Keep In Touch box over there on the right and we’ll make sure you hear about it.

- Scott

42 Comments so far »

darrenl said

December 14 2007 @ 12:08 pm

Good luck with your future endevours Scott. You and your team did some great work with RoK. I’m looking forward to seeing what you get into next.

Cheers,
Darren
Winwin said

December 14 2007 @ 12:30 pm

Please do keep in touch, hon. /big hugs. And take care of yourself.
Ethic said

December 14 2007 @ 1:08 pm

Best wishes for the future and good luck to you, sir. You are a huge reason why gaming is fun.
Victoria said

December 14 2007 @ 1:15 pm

While I’m sorry to see you leave EQ2, I’m sure that whatever the next big thing out there is will be incredibly lucky to have you on board! Good luck with wherever you end up!
Keen said

December 14 2007 @ 1:25 pm

Best wishes and luck to you in your next endeavor. I’m definitely interested in seeing where you end up - they’ll be lucky to have you. EQ2 probably won’t be the same even in good hands. That’s saying something.
Cuppycake said

December 14 2007 @ 1:54 pm

*big hugs*

An exciting day for you, sir. I’ll buy you a drink sometime soon to celebrate/reminisce.
Nocte said

December 14 2007 @ 2:03 pm

Scott, you will be missed sorely. After meeting you and the EQ2 team at FanFaire 2005, I have held the utmost respect for game developers as a whole, because I caught a glimpse of the hard work and organization that goes into putting out a quality title.

Thank you, and next time ,I promise you can sing ‘Devil Went Down to Georgia.’
Alli aka Perzephone said

December 14 2007 @ 2:22 pm

I’m so sad that you are no longer with Eq2 but I do wish you the best on your next endevour! I know I will miss you at the next FF for damn sure! cus it wont be the same!
Whats the new thing you’ll be doing?
Keep in touch and I know I’ll chat it up with you online for sure!
BIG SQUISHY HUGS!
Eq2 will miss you!
Kendricke said

December 14 2007 @ 2:32 pm

Why is it that most of my best memories of Scott involve drinking and looks of shock?

Scott, let’s face it, you’re a rock star in the industry. From the mile-wide smile to the mile-a-minute enthusiasm, you wore your passion for the lands of Norrath on your sleeve for the world to share in.

Thanks for letting us play in your world. Let us know when you manage to work up another…

Cheers!
GuildCafe Favorites said

December 14 2007 @ 5:55 pm

EQ2 Producer Scott Hartsman leaves SOE

Scott announced today on the official SOE message boards this: “I
Brian Motisko said

December 14 2007 @ 5:57 pm

Man who am I supposed to email my complaints to now??!! You know as well as I that mail boxes shouldn’t be present at a crash site…

Good luck with your future project Scott. I have no doubt that it will be top quality when you’re finished with it.
Calthine said

December 14 2007 @ 6:38 pm

It’s been great fun, Scott. Let us know where you land, ’cause you know we’ll all stop in and say hi!
Boomjack said

December 14 2007 @ 7:24 pm

EQ2’s loss will be some other fortunate team’s colossal gain.

All the best!

John “Boomjack” Hoskin
Editor-in-Chief
TenTonHammer.com
Elycion said

December 14 2007 @ 8:38 pm

It’s been a lot of years since I met a certain Barbarian in the Green Room of Blackburrow, it’s sad to know you’ll be gone. It’s been great knowing you were behind the games I loved to play, your humor and dedication have shined through in your works.

Here’s to your success in your new ventures, whatever they may be. I’ll look forward to seeing what you come up with next.
David McGraw said

December 14 2007 @ 8:53 pm

Wow, Scott… Hey, I commend you on a very fine job that you have done with EQ and EQII. Your vision and dedication to these games opened my eyes to developing games in the MMO space one day. I wish you the best with your future endeavorers, and I can only hope it’s something related to EQ3.

Take Care!
Bunion said

December 14 2007 @ 10:04 pm

Good luck with your new endevors and I look forward to whatever game you come out with.

And hey Elycion, long time no see.

Bunion
Nick McLaren said

December 14 2007 @ 10:30 pm

Wow man… I’m a bit beside myself, probably partly because I hoped you would stay there forever, since so many good things seemed to occur under your leadership. That said, EQ2 has a really great team so I know it will continue to succeed going forward.

With all of that said, I can’t help but wonder what you’re next move is. Are you staying in San Diego at least?

Cheers and best wishes,

Nick
Mantees said

December 15 2007 @ 3:58 am

Scott, my best whishes for the future. I hope you will enjoy your next tasks as much as you did with the work at SOE.
Tipa said

December 15 2007 @ 7:15 am

You and your team turned EQ2 from an also-ran into the best AAA MMO on the market today. Thanks for all your good work and good luck wherever your travels take you.
Naladini said

December 15 2007 @ 7:52 am

Just out of curiosity, how soon do vague and indecipherable hints start coming out about the next project?

Thanks again for the wonderful memories with EQ1 and 2, and congratulations on the new beginning. Just remember to take some time off before getting into it too heavily.

Thanks,
Greg
Brent said

December 15 2007 @ 11:10 am

Looking forward to whatever it is you’re up to next. I’d say that you’ll missed, but you’ll be around and we’ll all be checking out your next project which is sure to be something special.

I wish you all the best in 2008 and beyond.
Devon said

December 15 2007 @ 3:46 pm

Scott,

After meeting and getting to (briefly) speak with you about EQ2 and it’s progression at the 2005 FanFaire, I must say that I am saddened by your departure from its development as the excellent MMO that it became under your guidance. The game simply will not (and already is not, but we will not delve into sad things here) be the same without you.

No hands will be the same as yours, Mr. Hartsman. I can only hope that wherever you are moving to next; that it will be as landmark as EQ2 was - and with you at the helm, I can rest easy on that subject.

Good luck, sir, in all your travels.

Devon Bain

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

— J R R Tolkien
Stan said

December 15 2007 @ 3:51 pm

Well Scott, you and your “slaves” did a great job. We have better game than it was 2 years ago. Even if you burned out, you could say you at least did what you can. Prolly you had lots of more ideas, but higher management thinked otherwise. Thats most common thing of leaving anyway

I can only say - good luck mate. Do not regret anything - you made lots of people happy by making EQ2 way it is now. Those you made angry quited anyway But who cares

Take a year off, go visit old land in europe or take a shot in cosmos. Make something different. Don’t push yourself into something you don’t like. (Why I sound like chineese wise man reading from cookies, sigh). At least go have some fun!

Take care.
Tris’ Blog » End of a virtual era - Scott Hartman leaves SOE said

December 16 2007 @ 2:39 pm

[…] Now, one of the lead developers (and subsequently producer of EverQuest 2, has called it a day. […]
Mike Bolland said

December 16 2007 @ 8:07 pm

Good luck with the future Scott! I look forward to the remake of EQ1 you’ll be producing after the movie is released!
RadarX said

December 17 2007 @ 5:43 am

Scott, you earned my respect long ago by actually “shushing” Coyote in a Fan Faire session. However, I’ve had the great fortune to see you in action and your honesty and passion were always inspiring. Good luck in your future endeavors and I’m sure we’ll be seeing great things from you.
Loading… » Blog Archive » MMOG Carols said

December 17 2007 @ 6:53 am

[…] UP!: Scott Hartsman - EQ2 will miss […]
Almeric's Blog - Goodbye, Sir said

December 17 2007 @ 3:27 pm

…Sir, my hat is off to you. You headed up an effort that took a game that was great at launch (I thought, at least), and made it about 10 times greater…
Almeric's Blog >> Farewell said

December 17 2007 @ 3:46 pm

[snip]…Sir, my hat is off to you. You headed up an effort that took a game that was great at launch (I thought, at least), and made it about 10 times greater…[snip]
Adele said

December 17 2007 @ 5:33 pm

I’m sure we’ll see great things from you soon! Good luck!
lightbearer valorstrike & raiina valorstrike said

December 17 2007 @ 7:49 pm

Scott what can we say.. We wish you the best and know you have plans ahead.. We are waiting to hear all about it! You still owe us drinks — or maybe it was us that owes you those drinks..

Keep in touch!
Adam&Jessica Rossi
Sci Fi Massive said

December 17 2007 @ 8:08 pm

Good luck with whatever you decide to do next. We will all be watching closely. You did a terrific job with EQ2, and your effors were appreciated my more folks that you will probably ever know. All I ask is that whilst choosing the next giant-step in your career, at least consider Sci Fi! Cheers mate, you deserve it!
SpyderBite said

December 17 2007 @ 9:26 pm

I really wanted to add a “farewell” to you on my own blog this week but won’t have a chance till tomorrow morning.

So, here I am Scott.. good luck to you. I look forward to following your career as I have many other MMO producers in the past. Ironically, I wind up playing games they’ve developed and/or played and our relationships never seem to go different directions. I hope the same is true here.

Keep us all posted on what you’re up to!

SpyderBite
“Spyder’s Twisted Web” - An In Your Face MMO Blog
Ferrel said

December 18 2007 @ 3:06 am

I just wanted to thank you for all the time you spent on EQ2 Scott. I view you as a major reason as to why the game was so exciting and endearing to myself and Iniquity. You always went the extra mile for us and I’ll always be grateful.

Good luck with everything you’ve decided to do!
Kuro said

December 18 2007 @ 5:57 pm

Scott, you made EQ2 a lot better, and you really stepped up the standards of communication to the playerbase, thanks for all your hard work and I look forward to seeing your next game.

Just hope EQ2 doesn’t nosedive back with your absence

Kuro
Babs said

December 20 2007 @ 2:16 am

It’s not goodbye, it’s see ya later =)
Kyan Mehwulfe said

December 22 2007 @ 11:24 pm

Best wishes and good luck.
Manas said

December 27 2007 @ 9:10 pm

Scott,

Best of luck w/ the new venture! I can no longer say “hey the dude that runs eq2 was my guildleader” but likely youll be doing something even more grand! As Elycion said its a loong time since our days in lower guk, unrest etc. etc. I wish you all the best!

Manas/John
Kwill said

December 28 2007 @ 4:16 pm

I know you went to follow wherever your frickin’ whiteboard ended up.

Best of luck wherever or whatever you do.

EQ2 would never have been what it is without your leadership. You will be missed!

Kwill
SG_01 said

December 29 2007 @ 5:14 am

I know I’m late, but hey, better late than never.

Was fun meeting you at Fan Faire, and definitely sad to see you leave the EQ2 team. Anyhow, I wish you the best out there. Glad you’re at least keep being on the MMO development front.

Anyhow, hope you find a great new job out there!

- SG_01 Lunarchild
aka Andriella ( http://eq2.mmo-league.org - Antonia Bayle Server )
Meryddian said

January 4 2008 @ 2:16 pm

Awww… was so disappointed that you left (Fan Faires and EQ/EQ2 just won’t be the same). But you’re so dynamic that I know you’ll have great success wherever you go!

And I’ll think of you every time I see a bandana on a pirate…

Best of luck, wherever the road may take you.

Cheryl/Meryddian
Online Gaming Radio » Blog Archive » New Attitude said

January 4 2008 @ 4:22 pm

[…] It appears that the Florida States Attorneys office agrees with Mr. Smedley. It appears that the “Florida Attorney General’s Office of Economic Crimes issued an investigative subpoena for records to IGE U.S., a.k.a. Affinity Media” as reported by www.igeclassaction.com. The subpoena is reported to have been issued “pursuant to the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act in the course of an official investigation”. For those of you who are unaware, IGE is, by there own estimation at least, the worlds largest seller of virtual in game currency. More about this issue and Mr. Smedley’s comments in “Gnomercee, no prisoners”… Scott Hartsman we hardly knew ye… Last month we bid goodbye to Scott Hartsman, Senior Producer for EQ2. Before becoming a producer he was a technical director. For those of you who may be interested in an interview with Mr. Hartsman from back in 2004 when he was a technical director it can be found here at gamespy.com. He was on the team that brought us “highly detailed, photorealistic characters and environments” that were “bleeding edge”. As for me, I will remember him (like he’s dead right?) as the producer that brought us the Echoes of Faydwer – the expansion with the “oh wow” look that brought me back to Everquest after playing EQ1 before there was an EQ2. Scott Hartsman has a blog site entitled “Scott Hartsman – Off the Record” that can be found at hartsman.com. Here is an excerpt from his letter entitled “A new beginning” where he bid goodbye to us all. The entire letter can be read here. […]