Yup that’s right according to Diane M. Grassi Curt has been fooling everyone. I was not going to put up anything about this but I see her blog post coming up on more and more blogs and as such I felt I needed to at least counter the attack on Curt. Its probably the most damning thing I have ever read about Curt and amazingly it says this about the author.
About the Author
Diane M. Grassi attempts to shine new light on issues centered on professional and amateur sports through her writing, by going beyond the headlines and sound-bites and to present sports fans with the back-story. In that effort, she seeks out those issues that rarely become headlines and elicits discussion as to why that is case. Grassi’s goal is to not only provide content, but to offer an outlet for sports fans of all types, of various backgrounds and life experiences, to engage in topical issues with candor, good humor and provocative thought. Yet, to Grassi, it is the issues that are paramount, as opposed to the messenger, while maintaining intellectually honest and original fact-based reporting and research without an agenda.
You can read her blog post here however I refuse to post any of it other then my quotes in responding to her attack.
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Diane you sound so bitter and hateful towards Curt. Probably the most hateful thing I have read in some time. You say you shine new light on issues yet nothing I have read is new except your interpretation and attack of Mr. Schilling.
Perhaps if you spent as much time researching the validity of what you write it might actually have some credibility. As it is, it’s nothing more than an attack on Curt Schilling based on fantasy.
First you question the validity of the bloody sock. Last time I checked they don’t put fake bloody socks in the Hall of Fame. I also question your assumption that the bloody sock has anything to do with Curt Schilling getting the $75 million dollar loan guarantee from the state. I think it had to do with what 38 Studios had to offer as a company and nothing more.
You then state the company currently has 70 employees in Maynard and a simple check shows 95 employee’s and I know for a fact they have new people that have not even been added. If you’re out this far on something so easy to check, how can anyone trust what you’re saying?
Next you state the original 50 million from the Job Creation Guarantee Program was set up to be dispersed in 2 to 4 million range? Care to point out were you got that information from?
I also question your time line. You state the Job Creation Guarantee Program was authorized in June 2010 yet say he went to Massachusetts state house asking for a guaranteed loan but when they refused he approached Rhode Island in February 2010? How could he do that in February if the program was not authorized until June? You also make it sound like any business looking for the best deal it can get, is somehow a horrible thing; it’s not, it’s just doing business.
“Rhode Island, unlike its neighbor, Mass., apparently bought it hook line and sinker, because the program’s original authorization was increased from $50 million to $125 million, with 60% of it specifically earmarked for Curt Schilling. Quite a feat for a non-resident with no prior allegiance to the state of Rhode Island, nor a commitment to personally move his home there to date, just his company.”
Perhaps that’s because the money was not being loaned to 38 Studios based on where people have lived or plan to live? Last time I checked the program was set up to draw in new companies to employ people. The people working at the company will pay income tax as will 38 Studios. I think that was kind of the plan and reason to loan the company the money.
“While some Rhode Island lawmakers have questioned how an additional $75 million would be allocated, after they approved it, it also has played a part in the Rhode Island gubernatorial and state treasurer 2010 campaigns, as the whole matter has upset candidates and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, on whether this was a wise use of state funding. After all, Schilling has yet to ever sell a video game.”
Actually 38 Studios has sold something more than a game they sold EA on publishing their first game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. In the video game world the publisher is the one who pay the bills so in effect they have hired 38 Studios to make the game for them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_publisher
“Although Schilling claims that he tried to raise venture capital for six months, not a one bit, as he had no product or track record to provide. In addition, the gaming industry is considered high risk, and in such a recessive economy, given that many game makers are also laying off employees regularly, did not further endear Schilling to investors for his endeavor.”
You know this how? Last time I looked Curt said the following “Because anyone can write a check, but after you have written that check, how do you make us a better company?”
http://www.38gamers.com/curt-schillings-leadership-abilities/
“Perhaps Schilling’s best selling point was that he said he had invested his life’s savings or $20-30 million into the company since 2006”
Really Curt said that? Can you produce a credible quote? Curt Schilling has invested $30 million of his own money and that fact just came out. Regardless of if this is part or all of his saving when was the last time you saw someone start up a video game company and invest that much of their own money? I would guess never 
“But EA and 38 Studios would need 1.75 million copies of Reckoning to sell, just to break even. Best estimates presently are slated for 1million copies to sell. And even though EA has decreased its number of annual releases each of the past two years from 50 to 35 games, due to the soft economy, in addition to laying off 1,500 employees, it has already made its commitment.”
LOL where do you get those kind of numbers from? How does anyone have any kind of credible idea of how many copies a game will sell a year before release? I will tell you none. So EA has reduced the number of games it’s going to back and release but still picked 38 Studios? Wow interesting that a company that is so much a part of the gaming industry even in tough times still went with 38 Studios. Hmm perhaps it’s because they feel the company and its employees really do know what they are doing and they feel the company will deliver? I think they are probably one of the best to evaluate and make that kind of judgment. Definitely far more then yourself or others who think they understand the industry.
“But if 38 Studios does not earn a dime, it will but pick the pockets of the good taxpayers of the state of Rhode Island based upon how the deal was structured. Genius perhaps on Schilling’s part?”
Funny how you left out the part where Curt would lose his 30 million investment if 38 Studios defaulted on the loan. The state takes everything the company has and Curt walks away with nothing. If he was genius he would have done it so he kept his 30 million but I guess instead it just makes him an honest business man trying to make his company be a big success and not only keep his 30 million but turn it into far more and help his employee’s and the state with jobs and even up to 15 million on bonus money to the state if the company exceeds projected income.
“The upshot is, Curt Schilling may like to play video games and may know how to pitch a winning World Series game, but he knows little about managing a multi-million dollar operation and in building the empire in which he predicts will become a billion dollar business.”
Really? Hmm 4 years he has purchased another gaming studio, got EA to fund the development of their first game and managed to get a state guarantee loan from the state of Rhode Island? You sure he does not know what he is doing? Any idea how much cash World of Warcraft generates? I very much see it possible but then again to someone not in the “know” like yourself I guess it would be a bit of a stretch.
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I would just like to add that I forgot this in my initial response. It’s not just Curt behind 38 Studios he has a very experience team in all areas of the company and they have been attracted to 38 Studios in part because of Curt Schilling and what he is trying to accomplish.
As you may or may not know I have been playing MMO’s for over a decade. For me it’s been a hobby and a passion over the years but I recently stopped playing World of Warcraft. I was not really having any fun anymore and with 6 level 85 characters and raiding two to three nights a week it just all of a sudden got old for me. In the past when that happened I usually looked for another game to play but since there isn’t one out that I am interested in atm, I decided to take a break from gaming.
With the release this week of the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo from PAX East the world is finally seeing what 38 Studios and more specifically Big Huge Games has been pouring their hearts and souls into. To be honest my interest in 38 Studios has always been for the MMO they are also developing. Single player role playing games have never really been something I have enjoyed as much so when the announcement came that the first game would be Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning it was interesting but not something I was really excited about. That changed after watching the demo of the game.
With innovative ideas like these combined with the unique creative teams, overall studio philosophy and financial backing of NCsoft it’s hard not to be a bit excited that they truly have come up with something ground breaking that will change the way we play MMORPG’s.
With the announcement that Charles “kieron” Dane is the new Lead Community Manager at 38 Studios it got me wondering just who he is and what his background is? A quick check of the 38 Studios and Big Huge Games web sites came up with nothing for Charles so I decided to put my leet Googling skills to work and low and behold I was able to find out some interesting information.
