Daybreak Games restructures internal studios around key franchises

Daybreak Games has restructured its internal studios so it can better focus on the development of individual franchises. 

The restructure has seen the company form three "individual creative franchise studios" called Dimensional Ink Games, Darkpaw Games, and Rogue Planet Games. 

Dimension Ink will develop and operate DC Universe Online while working on another "high-profile" action MMO project.

Darkpaw has been tasked with overseeing the EverQuest franchise and developing the "next innovation" for the series, while Rogue Planet will look to develop another massively multiplayer first-person shooter experience after cutting its teeth working on the PlanetSide franchise.

According to Daybreak, each studio will have the “flexibility to continue their work developing current and upcoming games, recruiting new talent and building upon the legacy of their respective franchises,” suggesting a certain level of autonomy. 

The news of the restructure comes just months after Daybreak confirmed it had laid off multiple employees as part of a company "realignment." Although the studio wouldn’t clarify how many workers were let go, it confirmed the cuts were made so it could reorganize into separate franchise teams. 

"We are taking steps to improve our business and to support our long-term vision for the existing franchises and development of new games," read a company statement from October 2019. 

"This will include a realignment of the company into separate franchise teams, which will allow us to highlight their expertise, better showcase the games they work on, and ultimately provide tailored experiences for our players. Unfortunately, some employees were impacted by this effort, and we’re doing what we can to support them during this challenging time."