What Seperates POS (and Sierra in the past) From Other Game Companies

[TheReturnofDMD]

Hey

I don't know how to exactly put this, but in quite a few ways (some of the best ways actually) Phoenix Online Studios is quite a bit like the Sierra of old; A fun, funny and creative team that is driven not soley by money but by love of making game and that doesn't take itself overly seriously.
These qualities separate POS from the majority (and I say majority because not all companies are like this) of companies that thrive in today's coporate culture where the only concern is the bottom line. A lot of companies simply put out games that are guaranteed sellers; they lack the soul and creativity that defined Sierra classics and that seems to define TSL.
Also, something that sets POS and set Sierra apart from their contemporaries is their creative teams and leadership. With most gaming companies, you only know them from their products, but with Sierra and TSL you get to connect with the companies on a personal level, such as Cesar, Yonkey, Say and others in POS case, and Ken and Roberta Williams and the many other creative people that helped Sierra to grow. Only with the best and most creative companies do you experience this personal connection (like Disney in the days of Walt Disney.) Like in the case of Walt Disney and Disney, the majority of  Sierra fans know who the Williams' are and besides being excited by their games, they are also inspired by these artists as people. I know I was as a child growing up playing Sierra games. These people are iconic figures to their fans and they make their company feel personable and also give some kind of magic something that the customers can relate to, and eventually with the right spark and energy, these companies can grow to take on a life of their own and grow beyond these personalities and their products to  become something that the fans come to love, such as the case with Sierra.
That said, I see a lot of great things in POS' future. Hopefully you guys continue to grow in your membership and in your strength as a company, and someday move beyond the internet to become a large and successful company. And I hope Vivendi contracts you to a make a KQX! Lol..Anyway, these growth and changes  may be some years off but I look forward to seeing your further accomplishments and as POS grows and changes I hope it can retain the soul, creativity and personality that is missing in so many companies.

[Yonkey]

Wow!

Thanks DMD!   It's really an honour to be compared to the Sierra of yesteryear.  I would say that there are a lot of similarities between our team and the old Sierra.  We both care a lot about our customers (i.e. the fans), we both produce high quality work and craftsmanship that most people can't be bothered with, we both work hard to produce results but also have fun doing so, etc.

Sierra started off as a tiny operation and grew to become one of the most top selling video game companies for almost 2 decades.  The King's Quest series runs deep with many people, which is why this team and project came into existence in the first place.  If the series were a flop, it wouldn't matter how good or bad MoE was, there would be no fan interest (and therefore no point) to develop a ninth episode whatsoever.

In a recent interview, I also compared the journey our team is going through to Google.  Google actually started off as two guys with a server providing a free way to search the internet.  They took on giants such as Yahoo, Altavista, Lycos and others at the time and succeeded.  They are now the most widely used search engine in the world.  They have plenty of creative ideas, but most do not involve reinventing the wheel, it's more just improving on it better than anyone else can.  They still have many cool free products, do not use annoying ads/spyware, respect customer feedback, etc.  So, if there were a company I would like us to model after, it would be Google. 

And yes, I too see a lot of great things in POS' future.   Say and I are really excited to start on some original (i.e. non-Sierra based) and commercial products.  While we were legally forced to separate ourselves from "King's Quest", TSL will be the main product that will define us and our potential to this industry for years to come.