Paradox has acquired Harebrained Schemes

[Xeon]

If Microsoft decides to make games on those IPs, that doesn't seem bad as long as hopefully Shadowrun will still be an RPG. Microsoft seems to be releasing games on XBOX and Windows as well.

Really hope HBS's next game will be an RPG.

 

[Infinitron]

This guy says no more Shadowrun: https://www.resetera.com/threads/pa...quire-harebrained-schemes.46961/#post-8750974

MechWarrior/Battletech is still out until 2020 but Shadowrun seems to have been returned to MS (they were receptive to pitches for the IP as of last year). Shadowrun must not have had the extension clause that MW did or it might not have met whatever those conditions were at some point in 2015.

 

[Mustawd]

I wonder why H. Schemes is an LLC where company losses are passed to the personal taxes of Weisman. But the holding company has 3 partners. And the holding corp can "offer" services to the LLC for it to never turn a profit.
And now there is another holding corp probably related to the sale.
Shouldnt the LLC now lose its validity?
calling alcoholic mustawd.

I don’t understand your question.

The main purpose of an LLC is in its name: Limited Liabilited Corp. Which means if the business incurs debts its stays at the corp level and doesn’t affect the owners/shareholders.

Now LLC rules vary by state and if a business doesn’t operate “like an LLC” according to those rules the LLC designation can be lost.

Now how that operates with HBS’s domiciled state and overall corporate structure is unknown.

But not sure I’m following your question.

Corportate structures with holding companies are quite common although tbqh I’m not 100% what the advantage is. Probably legal reasons. There are some other reasons that deal with VIEs and consolidation but that shit is way beyond the scooe of this conversation. But thought I’d mention it because many laymen see shell or holding companies and automatically assume something fishy is going on. I blame television for this.

 

[imweasel]

I wonder what Feargus thinks right now, especially since Battletech sold at least twice as much as Dumpsterfire and possibly over 4 times more.

He's thinking this is small potatoes. 7.5 million divided among Obsidian's four owners would be chump change.

"Chump change" is the correct term. The owners of HBS didn't want to sell their souls for nickels and dimes, but they apparently had no other choice at this point.

 

[Kem0sabe]

No ip, no tech, mediocre talent, what is paradox actually buying? The tranny?

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Agreed, quantum mechanics are easier to figure out than the point of this transaction.

 

[FreeKaner]

They are just snuffing out any potential competition for their upcoming turn-based tactics / RPG.

 

[Xotiphile]

I don’t understand your question.

The dev shop, LLC, belongs to Weisman alone. Operating profits/losses are counted against his personal taxes, right? Pass through taxation?
Now, the first Holding Inc has 3 governors. Are they owners of the Devshop LLC? Can the Holding Inc sell services to its subsidiary and tank the dev shops profits?
Should the LLC not lose its status relating to Weisman?

 

[Bladeract]

I don’t understand your question.

The dev shop, LLC, belongs to Weisman alone. Operating profits/losses are counted against his personal taxes, right? Pass through taxation?
Now, the first Holding Inc has 3 governors. Are they owners of the Devshop LLC? Can the Holding Inc sell services to its subsidiary and tank the dev shops profits?
Should the LLC not lose its status relating to Weisman?

No, LLC is not sole proprietorship.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Seriously though, I'm trying to figure out the point of this, but all I can come up with is error 404.

HBS has no IP worth mentioning, no technology worth acquiring, no talent worth poaching, like, what in the actual fuck?

 

[Roguey]

Seriously though, I'm trying to figure out the point of this, but all I can come up with is error 404.

HBS has no IP worth mentioning, no technology worth acquiring, no talent worth poaching, like, what in the actual fuck?

They do have RPG cred thanks to the success of Shadowrun. Maybe they'd like to see 'em try to do to Vampire: The Masquerade what they did with that.

 

[Mustawd]

The dev shop, LLC, belongs to Weisman alone.

You have sauce on this?

Operating profits/losses are counted against his personal taxes, right? Pass through taxation?

Correct.

Now, the first Holding Inc has 3 governors

Sauce? Who are they?

Are they owners of the Devshop LLC? Can the Holding Inc sell services to its subsidiary and tank the dev shops profits?
Should the LLC not lose its status relating to Weisman?

You’re describing a scheme where the holding company is contracted to do bullshit work in order to ramp up the expenses of the LLC in order for Weisman to get a lower or zero tax bill?

Honestly, Im not a tax accountant. My knowledge of tax only goes as far as my uni courses and the CPA exam, which might as well be a million years ago. However, I doubt what you’re describing is legal. If it was everyone would do it. Sorry I cant be more help on this. I sinply loathe tax accounting and flushed that shit out of my brian.

 

[Xotiphile]

PDX is trying to grow through aquisitions. You can only remake EU42 75 times.
HBS is a functioning developer. Overpaying is required.

 

[Xotiphile]

The dev shop, LLC, belongs to Weisman alone.

You have sauce on this?

WA State of Sec. He is listed as governor and registered agent. I would assume that everyoen else is employee.

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

Feargus doesn't want to be bought out for making games like Pillars of Eternity and Tyranny, he wants to be bought for making the kind of game Tim and Leonard are working on. Big AAA RPGs. That's out of Paradox's league.

Sure, but it's clear from Paradox's acquisition of White Wolf and their partnering with OEI on both PoE AND Tyranny that they were at least interested in expanding their portfolio, and that they were considering acquiring a "known" wrpg developer to bring inhouse and make Paradox RPGs is in no way surprising.

But mostly I just like making jokes at Feargus' expense.

 

[agris]

Agreed, quantum mechanics are easier to figure out than the point of this transaction.

I think you're simplifying a bit, eh? Are we talking 'particle in a box', bloch waves, or hawkings radiation?

 

[Mustawd]

Seriously though, I'm trying to figure out the point of this, but all I can come up with is error 404.

HBS has no IP worth mentioning, no technology worth acquiring, no talent worth poaching, like, what in the actual fuck?

Has anyone brought up the possibility that HBS already has another game in the works that Paradox would like to take over?

Don’t forget that HBS is very much a budget dev. They never really overextend themselves budget-wise and if the end product is limited due to this reason then so be it.

Paradox might have seen a game in dev and thought: Hey we can do more woth this than HBS ever could.

I dunno. It’s a stretch, sure. But I’m also at a loss as to why they’d want to buy HBS.

EDIT: Also, if Paradox wanted to get into the tactical game space what are its options? Build a studio from scratch? They might feel that would be a waste of time and its worth acquiring HBS to dev tacticool games now while the genre is hot. HBS is basically ready to go in that regard.

 

[Urthor]

Surprisingly dumb move for HBS, Battletech is a very succesful game for them and they seem to have sold out for far, far too low of a price all things considered.

 

[Mustawd]

In a separate statement to press, Weisman, Harebrained's CEO, elaborated further, "As the scale of our games has grown and the marketplace has gotten extremely noisy we felt that HBS needed to team up with a company that could provide us the financial stability and marketing expertise that would allow us focus on what we love doing - making great games and stories."

Again, this sounds like to me that HBS probably thought they were too small to continue to compete effectively in that space. So why not join forces and see if they can find some efficiencies as one compny? Plus I bet they can be allocated more budget from Paradox.

Additionally, the studio notes that it will continue supporting BattleTech with updates and further content, and that it's "starting concept development for a new title".

Again, sounds like Paradox convinced them that any new game would benefit from more resources as a part of Paradox.

 

[Jenkem]

HBS is going to make to make the next game in their grand strategy series. The game will take place in post-Victoria eras and the near future. It will be about building coalitions based on identity. Deplatform your enemies to make sure you are on the right side of history. To be released in current year.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

They do have RPG cred thanks to the success of Shadowrun. Maybe they'd like to see 'em try to do to Vampire: The Masquerade what they did with that.

 

[Cael]

They do have RPG cred thanks to the success of Shadowrun. Maybe they'd like to see 'em try to do to Vampire: The Masquerade what they did with that.

The carnage enacted on Bloodlines fanbois would be glorious to watch.

 

[Cael]

Seriously though, I'm trying to figure out the point of this, but all I can come up with is error 404.

HBS has no IP worth mentioning, no technology worth acquiring, no talent worth poaching, like, what in the actual fuck?

Well, HBS would have a lot of street cred from game journos, anti-Gamaergate types, SJWs, Hollywood and the Kim Kardashians of the world. Maybe Paradox thought they could piggyback on that kind of incloooooooooooooosive shit and get into Hollywood and create something with their IP a la Marvel Cinematic Universe.

 

[Humanity has risen!]

The only Kickstarter game company that has managed to consistently make high quality games, while fully respecting all their budgets, and ALWAYS ON TIME.

These guys are smart and know how to budget and plan everything out realistically. They're the Spiderweb Software of Kickstarter, except with more variety.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

The only Kickstarter game company that has managed to consistently make high quality games, while fully respecting all their budgets, and ALWAYS ON TIME.

These guys are smart and know how to budget and plan everything out realistically. They're the Spiderweb Software of Kickstarter, except with more variety.

There was nothing high quality about Shadowrun Returns, unless we’re judging it solely by the standards of iPhone games.