We really are quite rosy and lovey when it comes to thinking back on Neopets back under the guidance of the creators Adam and Donna. Plots were better, the team was communicative on a non-superficial level, the art was superb, yadda yadda yadda.
Then Evil Viacom came over and bought the company, and most people wonder why they still play at all. Adam and Donna settled for some 160 million supposedly, and promptly faded out to make their own company where they could work as they willed.
And the current player base yearns for some return to the old days, wishfully hoping that Adam and (now his wife) Donna would join on as plot consultants or some such.
The company (Meteor Games) tanked shortly after most of these reviews, filing bankruptcy in 2012. Adam left his wife to run as sole CEO, and who knows what they're doing now, but these former employees sure have an unanimous message: the senior management could not mind their own business and trust the talented LA tech base they invested in. Faerieland, far away in LA, was a sicklier place than we'd like to have imagined.
It may be old news to most, but it's always a good reminder of what was likely (and I can only speculate and judge here) the corrupting influence of too much cash. When one of you strikes it rich and sells your next company for millions, don't forget that money does not remedy bad leadership. Be kind to the have-nots, and stay grounded.
Disclaimer: I don't know anything specific, and my assumptions are merely that. But with previous experience in business environments in large companies, I can definitely hear the concerns of these former employees.
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