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This blog is called Toodle-oo because Google's informal synonym for goodbye is toodle-oo and that is the best.

Today is my last day at Trion Worlds. I feel weird even typing that, because in some ways, these past two years have flown by and in so many others, this company is my home, my family, and I feel like I’ve known these people and games for my entire life. Trion Worlds is, without question, the best company I have ever worked for.


This blog is, technically, a good bye – but I am refusing to actually acknowledge that this is actually a true “goodbye” because while I won’t be coming to Redwood Shores anymore, I’ll still be in our games every day, talking to the people who make them and love them, and those are the places that really matter to us, anyway, right?

So much has changed since I showed up at the office in May of 2012 (and was rapidly whisked off to E3 where I met an enormous amount of people and tried not to let any of them know that I was absolutely terrible at remembering names and faces). I began my career at Trion as the Director of Community and eventually became the Director of Global Communications (fancy-speak for PR, Community, and Events – smushing those together makes a title full of ampersands and that’s just a pain the butt to get on a business card).

Trion's taught me a ton: I learned what it meant to run an MMO community (which, in comparison, makes anything I’d ever done before look like child’s play). I also not only launched RIFT’s first expansion but also helped it transition into (in my completely unbiased opinion) the best free-to-play MMO on the market.

I shepherded Defiance from a hair brained video-game-and-TV-show into an actual reality, which included my first true MMO launch ever, which resulted in many long and sleepless nights watching over servers and forums and bonding with operations, customer service, the devs, and my own team in ways you’d never be able to if you didn’t live in the world of online games.


I’ve been a part of Trove since it was just a pet project in a corner, named something completely different (and I was also part of the team that we locked into a room to brainstorm its final name – eternal thanks to Scott for bringing us a case of brainstorming beer): Trove’s special to me for two reasons: first, I got to watch grow from a gleam in someone’s eye to a thing that is actually being developed live in front of the world. It was also the first game where I was in charge of the announcement strategy (which taught me the valuable lesson that press releases are so often finished lying on the floor, sometime after midnight, with so many tracked changes from your previous self that you can’t tell what’s a sentence and what was a sentence seven versions ago). I also can say that I’ve announced a game on the same day as a major console launch (and it was a spectacularly crazy idea and also a huge success).

And finally: ArcheAge. The game that was so much in the front of my mind that when I turned in my notice to Scott that the first thing I said after I gave him the news was “and I’m not going to a competing company so please for the love of God don’t turn off my Friends & Family access.” ArcheAge, you are going to blow people’s minds. I could write an entire swan song on the awesomeness of raising livestock, charting the open seas, and hijacking my fellow coworkers as they try to complete trade routes, but I want everyone to experience that for themselves. Trust me, it’s better than any blog post.


Now that I’ve run out of non-NDA’d projects to talk to you about, it’s time to turn to the heart and soul of what made this company amazing to work for: the people. I seriously cannot name a single person working at Trion right now that I would not want to hug, kiss, or fist bump and tell them that they are fucking awesome and that they’ve taught me so much. When I said before that I learned that running an MMO community was above and beyond any other community you can imagine in terms of intensity and dedication, that’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of all the online gaming lessons the people at Trion have taught me. From development issues (where I have offered solutions that were met with silent, incredulous expressions to which I’ve replied “hey, this is why I don’t develop your games, people!) to all the complexity of servers, to the sometimes weird, sometimes intense customer service challenges we tackled, to everything the QA team does every day which continues to rock my world: people who work at Trion have made me a better and fuller person. I’ve had mentors and counselors. I’ve been a mentor and a counselor. I’ve had people who have sat with me, and listened, when things were rough (professionally, yes, but also when shit got very real for me personally) and those are the kind of people you’re lucky to meet once or twice in a lifetime. I’ve had the pleasure of being surrounded by dozens of them every day, for years.

And then there’s Scott, who really doesn’t need a description or introduction. I’d make a Dead Poets Society reference to “Oh Captain, My Captain” but that’s actually pretty morbid, so I’ll sum it up like this: Scott’s not only really, really smart and very inspirational, he’s one of the most honest and decent people you’ll ever have the pleasure to meet.

Starting next Tuesday, I’ll be in downtown SOMA, heading up Marketing, Community, and PR for an awesome company called Smule. I’m excited for the next chapter and adventure, but this is not a goodbye. I’m always going to be part of the Trion family, and whether I’m sending in bugs and feedback on Alpha, building epic Cornerstones in Trove, or vandalizing crops and sinking ships in ArcheAge, I’m always going to be a part of all the awesome they bring to the world.

Thank you for sharing the past two years with me.

9 Comments on "This blog is called Toodle-oo because Google's informal synonym for goodbye is toodle-oo and that is the best."

Phreakuency:
Feb 14, 2014 at 6:10pm
Seems like most of the more liked staff are leaving Trion at the same rate Rift itself is becoming less fun...
Best of luck at Smule. I have downloaded some of their iOS apps (if that's the Smule you mean) and they're fun. I think you'll do great in the new role. But you now have to add a T-Pain auto-tuned recording to this blog :)
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e:
Feb 14, 2014 at 6:26pm
That is the Smule I mean. :) Without revealing plans, I can say that I see nothing but awesome for the future of this company and for the Communications department, we've got some good people coming in. You'll be in great hands. :)
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Codex:
Feb 14, 2014 at 6:36pm
There is still a bit of lip wobbling and more than a little b'awing from me, but I know that you're going to do great things. I'll miss teasing you in the streams every week. Guess I will just have to solely troll Greg now :)
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e:
Feb 14, 2014 at 6:42pm
@Codex I am hoping I'll be streaming more in my spare time now, so you can still troll me. :)
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Jeff:
Feb 14, 2014 at 9:37pm
Good luck to you in your new role at Smule! I wish you the best.
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Ron:
Feb 14, 2014 at 11:43pm
Goodbye and good luck! You are NOT the worst community manager I have seen, and I really feel you did the best with what you had in staff, information, and support.
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BJWyler:
Feb 15, 2014 at 12:42am
Well that stinks ... for us gamers, but good luck in the new job. You will be missed! I still have dahanese on my Defiance friends list, so hopefully we can team up in the future. I also fully expect to see you for Extra Life 2014!
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theWocky:
Feb 15, 2014 at 7:57am
Despite a bit of lack of in-depth knowledge of some of the games, on a community manager level, I found you very level-headed, fair and very calm, very re-active to the community. Farewell & good Luck in your future adventures.
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Nuuli:
Feb 15, 2014 at 11:32am
Sad to see you leave Rift, but hey! Hope to join you in a Sing Karaoke song! lol!
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