LINDEN RESEARCH, INC. TO BE ACQUIRED

[LyricalBookworm]

Yea...I'll be waiting on getting a last name on any of my accounts then. Why invest even more money than my current budget into a company where the future is uncertain? This news certainly isn't comforting. I'll wait to see what happens, but it is hard to be optimistic about a situation that could shut down my only social outlet since I'm stuck at home most of the time from chronic illness and mobility issues. I'm now even more thankful I'll be moving to be with my hubby soon. 🙄

Edited July 10, 2020 by LyricalBookworm

[Qie Niangao]

1 hour ago, Jackson Redstar said:

when is it ever a GOOD thing to be bought by an investment group? 

Who do you think owned it before? Why would this be any worse (or, really, any different, except maybe this new lot could be actually interested in the company).

It would have been vastly worse to be bought by a (shudder) gaming company. Or a game development studio looking to "acquhire."

Really, the more I think about it, the more I think this will bring very little change compared to all the many "revolutions" that Second Life has experienced.

The buyers expect a return on their investment, and the sellers expect to make more money investing that capital some other way. For investors, tomorrow is another deal.

[Ardy Lay]

5 hours ago, Aemeth Lysette said:

Years ago, I started noticing a trend with SL and prepared any dev stuff I had done for a portfolio. I invested some time into a side career, aggressively pursuing work there.. and now I have some work away from SL that is my own.

Because things can go either way, I suggest anyone who makes things in Second Life to get their portfolio together. Tech is changing and these games are all fighting for customers. Change will come again as new virtual worlds arrive (which they will, this year or next). You need to be ready to weather that storm. You don't need to leave SL for this, just have your bases covered.

This is my prime advice right now.

Things that seem solid can fall to ruins, and things that look like a pile of ash can return to a roaring fire. That is the way of social games right now.

Social games do indeed have the potential to become roaring trash fires.  Good thing SL isn’t just a social game.

[Love Zhaoying]

3 minutes ago, Ardy Lay said:

Social games do indeed have the potential to become roaring trash fires.  Good thing SL isn’t just a social game.

We didn't start the fire

It was always burning

Since the world's been turning 

[Conifer Dada]

The way I read it, Linden Lab (Linden Research) will probably continue to "own" and run SL much as they do now.

What will change is the ownership of LL itself, as it will become a subsidiary of a parent group.

That's not the same thing as Linden Research selling off Second Life would be, as happened with Sansar.

 

Edited July 10, 2020 by Conifer Dada

[Drayke Newall]

3 hours ago, animats said:

There are about a hundred virtual world startups. Ryan Schultz maintains a list on his blog. I've discussed some of them in "The Metaverse and All That" on these forums. Most are not very successful. Almost all are smaller than SL. There is technical progress, though. My interest has been in whether SL could be brought up to modern game standards. The argument for doing so is that a major technical upgrade of SL is easier than getting a few hundred thousand users for a new virtual world. Nobody, including Facebook, has been able to do that. See Sansar, Sinespace, High Fidelity, etc. The value is in the user base and content, not the tech.

I actually meant reasonable sized VW's (such as Blue Mars) that were hyped due to VW's being popular etc, not ones that no one has ever heard of and don't go anywhere due to there being really no hype around VW's.

If the new 'owners' actually look at upgrading to the latest Vulcan and re-inventing the inworld scripting there may be some hope for SL in the future. That said, given them stating that they acquire IP that is stable to keep it going for longer, I am more fearful of it actually just being put on life support to milk whilst they split the real money maker away from a dead horse that has been beaten one to many times.

[Qie Niangao]

2 hours ago, Love Zhaoying said:

So..you're saying move to Sansar? 😹

Somebody said it earlier, I think. Spinning off Sansar made this acquisition possible. Nobody in their right mind would have bought the mixed up mess that was Linden Lab with both SL and Sansar. It would be super interesting to know if divesting Sansar was intended to get this result, or (as I suspect) simply the sensible business move, with the natural result: a business worth being bought.

[Love Zhaoying]

1 minute ago, Qie Niangao said:

Somebody said it earlier, I think. Spinning off Sansar made this acquisition possible. Nobody in their right mind would have bought the mixed up mess that was Linden Lab with both SL and Sansar. It would be super interesting to know if divesting Sansar was intended to get this result, or (as I suspect) simply the sensible business move, with the natural result: a business worth being bought.

Makes perfect sense.

[Vanity Bonetto]

There's absolutely no reason to panic. This is a good thing. Second Life is doing very well, Linden Lab is doing very well and these investors have a good reputation and they are known to the Lab for a long time.  

I remember when I took over Willowdale Estate 2 years ago. It had 30 regions by then. Tenants panicked, some even left the estate. Today, 2 years later, Willowdale has 220 regions and yesterday it was sold out, not a single parcel left for sale, which makes it the most successful estate on the grid.

I am very positive when it comes to Second Life's future and I think it's best years are yet to come. But if someone feels like dropping a sim - I will happily take it.

Vanity Bonetto
CEO LUXORY & WILLOWDALE
CEO SECOND NORWAY (Blake Sea)

[Theresa Tennyson]

12 hours ago, Medhue Simoni said:

Why does a company that makes a profit need an investment group?

Why does an investment group invest in a company that loses money?

[Profaitchikenz Haiku]

1 minute ago, Theresa Tennyson said:

Why does an investment group invest in a company that loses money?

Buy cheap, sell dear....

[Mollymews]

7 minutes ago, Vanity Bonetto said:

I am very positive when it comes to Second Life's future and I think it's best years are yet to come. But if someone feels like dropping a sim - I will happily take it.

I like

people like yourself who have big skin in the game. 220 regions is big skin

[Lewis Luminos]

Well this is worrying news, and it does make sense that Sansar was offloaded first. That thing was like an albatross around LL's neck.

I guess for now I'll just "wait and see". Will the coming months see Linden staff laid off, or hired?  My two premium accounts are due for renewal in October and November and whether I renew them or not will depend on what's been going on there. If they've been laying off staff then I have no hope for SL lasting another year, so there will be no point throwing away another $198 (plus VAT) on it.

I don't think we'll just wake up one day to an announcement of SL's closure. There will be signs before then; whether the recent development of SL is continued or not, whether changes are put on hold, whether anything new is being developed. @Maitimo mentioned Bellisseria; I think that will be a good indicator too. If they stop releasing more homes that will be a good indication that they are doing nothing more than keeping the grid in tick-over mode until they can offload it to someone else.

Edited July 10, 2020 by Lewis Luminos

[Lewis Luminos]

19 minutes ago, Theresa Tennyson said:

Why does an investment group invest in a company that loses money?

So they can make cutbacks, reduce costs, show an improvement in the "bottom line" and sell it on at a profit.

[Mikkoto Takeda]

SL is closing? maybe not. but SL is still going strong. investment help to make SL better for today's standards hardware. so. It's could be very great to saw the SL has better server and viewer experience that never saw before! with a new things on the SL mainland as well with the larger SL Regions for exploring! take it easy and no worry about SL is Closing! you'll continue to do the SL Life after investor invested this virtual world. Now SL is having better Virtual world Experience than other virtual world existed around the metaverse!. this is the best 3D Virtual World ever lived is here!

[Ati Thei]

I like how Linden employees come here to say it's a good thing. If SL was doing well and was very profitable it wouldn't have to be sold. But thanks to Ebbe Linden and his amazing management skills here we are. Ditched Patterns, Ditched and sold Sansar(many people said it's going to be a flop way before millions of dollars were spent). Now time to jump off the ship while it hasn't sunk yet completely.

Those investors will want to make their money back as soon as possible. So get ready to be  milked with higher taxes and other stuff.

Edited July 10, 2020 by Ati Thei

[Love Zhaoying]

35 minutes ago, Theresa Tennyson said:

Why does an investment group invest in a company that loses money?

Because aside from Sansar, it was not losing money (otherwise the investment group would not buy LL).

[wesleytron]

8 minutes ago, Lewis Luminos said:

If they stop releasing more homes that will be a good indication that they are doing nothing more than keeping the grid in tick-over mode until they can offload it to someone else.

I don't think it would mean that at all. At some point they are going to stop adding more homes. That was most likely always going to be the case, acquisition or no acquisition. It was never going to continue indefinitely. Just because that project reaches its conclusion isn't in itself a sign to be worried about SL's future.

[Vanity Bonetto]

Second Life was never doing better. What worries you? All numbers are up and through the roof. Land sales are up by 60% as far as I know. First time in 17 years the Lab is sold out. Sansar is gone. And do you really think professional investors would spend a single Dollar here if they won't have good reason to believe that it's a good investment? I would be worried if they had sold to some no name investors (like they did with Sansar) but these people know what they are doing and they see Second Life's potential. If I had the cash, I would invest here too. Now even more.

[Kia Kiyori]

2 minutes ago, wesleytron said:

I don't think it would mean that at all. At some point they are going to stop adding more homes. That was most likely always going to be the case, acquisition or no acquisition. It was never going to continue indefinitely. Just because that project reaches its conclusion isn't in itself a sign to be worried about SL's future.

To stop adding more homes would be a bit daft. The point is that SL can last indefinitely and more than likely will; I'm just not so sure about the new kids in the pilot seat. Clearly those were some seriously grown up britches driving this beast around. Ima wait to see how things pan out before moving from quarterly to annual membership.

Perhaps this is why talks about some kind of new super premium appear to have ceased? 

[wesleytron]

1 hour ago, Drayke Newall said:

I am more fearful of it actually just being put on life support to milk whilst they split the real money maker away from a dead horse that has been beaten one to many times.

SL is a dead horse which has been beaten one too many times but these new investors will just put it on life support?

So SL is damned either way!

[BinBash]

I don't really know what press releases are for but I can imagine that they exclude some predicted negative outcome for other interested parties.  With that in mind I have to assume that it may also exclude information that may be a bit unbelievable, even if positive, for those same parties.

And, while it sounds like I am optimistic, it's more that I'm not worried.  Personally my investment of time in my projects associated with Second Life has proven to be useful elsewhere and any financial investment has been returned to me many-fold.  While I would miss Second Life a great deal if it went away I do have the tools I have earned while involved in the platform to bring elsewhere.

Now I'll do some speculation, based on information unrelated to LL, but it does seem rather similar so it's relevant...

--

"Company" grows as a result of excitement of the potential use of its platform and interested parties decide to invest in the idea, and company.

"Company" does not return profits in the way "investors" predicted.  We now have these hangy things, "investors". that tell "company" what they can, and cannot, do.

"Investors" see a new "trend", or they think they do, and decide to pull together with "company" to discuss possibilities to move, or expand, into the area of "trend".

"Company" resists "trend" because, well, frankly "company" does, in fact, make seriously intelligent decisions.

"Investors" insist that "company" generate a spin-off to expand into another "interested" territory.  "Company" knows that this is a mistake and offers an exit strategy to "investors".  That the "investors" agree to a buy out if this "trend", new expansion, goes sideways.  "Investors" believe so much in themselves that they pretty much laugh it off and agree.

"Trend" goes sideways.

"Investors" sign to be released.

"Company" is acquired.

"Company" has a new boss but otherwise business as usual, but without bad decisions by a conglomerate of investors.

--

While my little story may not be popular among those that feel a need to vent negativity and express blame and outrage, I believe it to be an accurate representation of what we've seen thus far.

It's kind of simple really.  If a person is effected so strongly by a change in their change maker they aught to have invested in two, or more.

Yap... that's how I see it.

Now, umma go buy me some fake foods, I love that stuff \o/

 

[wesleytron]

Just now, Kia Kiyori said:

To stop adding more homes would be a bit daft.

It would be even dafter to keep adding homes once demand has been exceeded.

[Ati Thei]

4 minutes ago, Vanity Bonetto said:

Second Life was never doing better. What worries you? All numbers are up and through the roof. Land sales are up by 60% as far as I know. First time in 17 years the Lab is sold out. Sansar is gone. And do you really think professional investors would spend a single Dollar here if they won't have good reason to believe that it's a good investment? I would be worried if they had sold to some no name investors (like they did with Sansar) but these people know what they are doing and they see Second Life's potential. If I had the cash, I would invest here too. Now even more.

Land sales don't mean anything really. Estates die all the time, people move, it could be that.

Yes, I totally think that investors are capable of doing bad investments, especially when it comes to tech. Seen it already.

But of course you are going to spin this and tell people everything is fine when you are financially incentivized. You won't benefit if people panic or just start to leave.

And for the most successful estate on the grid(self proclaimed) I've never heard of you. Not even 2 weeks ago when I saw looking for a homestead.

If SL was doing so good as you claim there won't be need to be sold. It's simple. You don't sell your golden goose...assuming SL is one, which is not anymore.

I don't need a grain of salt while reading your posts, I need an entire sack.

[Love Zhaoying]

4 minutes ago, BinBash said:

"Company" resists "trend" because, well, frankly "company" does, in fact, make seriously intelligent decisions.

Let's see..what "trends" have been in the recent past, and did LL "resist" the trend?

- VR (LL tried it first with a special SL viewer, then with Sansar)

- Heavily promoted public Releases / Concerts (concerts in Sansar, "release party" for new anime/cartoon in SL)

- Cloud Platform (Creating new regions is on hold while LL "moves to the cloud")

- Platform changes (Apple plans to stop using OpenGL, LL does NOT plan to follow)

- Mobile Applications (Nope, LL didn't go there yet)

I bet you all can come up with more "trends" which LL DID or DD NOT follow!