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Community => City of Heroes => Topic started by: Manga on January 08, 2013, 04:37:28 AM

Title: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Manga on January 08, 2013, 04:37:28 AM

Take a look at this:

http://www.google.com/translate?hl=en&ie=UTF8&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.17173.com%2Fcontent%2F2013-01-08%2F20130108111552849.shtml
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Victoria Victrix on January 08, 2013, 04:50:13 AM
They were supposedly sitting on a huge surplus of unspent cash.  I guess that is where it is going.
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Xieveral on January 08, 2013, 04:58:10 AM
Because their current HQ wasn't frivolous enough, right?

Maybe the money "saved" by canning Paragon will go towards building the NC Dinos a fancy stadium.

Why do they even have a baseball team?
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: JaguarX on January 08, 2013, 05:34:00 AM
Quote from: Xieveral on January 08, 2013, 04:58:10 AM
.

Why do they even have a baseball team?

Bragging rights.
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: FatherXmas on January 08, 2013, 06:42:47 AM
Quote from: Xieveral on January 08, 2013, 04:58:10 AM
Why do they even have a baseball team?

Why do companies in the US get their name on stadiums and college football bowl games?

Also they started the building plans in October 2010.

Edit: While looking for information on the new building I came across a tour of the current offices taken back in 2009.  The last image on this page (http://news.mmosite.com/content/2009-08-11/20090811232144247,6.shtml) makes me sad.
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Xieveral on January 08, 2013, 07:00:47 AM
Quote from: FatherXmas on January 08, 2013, 06:42:47 AMEdit: While looking for information on the new building I came across a tour of the current offices taken back in 2009.  The last image on this page (http://news.mmosite.com/content/2009-08-11/20090811232144247,6.shtml) makes me sad.

"Is this the tour I think it is?"

And it was  :gonk:
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: eabrace on January 08, 2013, 07:41:06 AM
I can think of a good place to relocate that Statesman statue, but it wouldn't get much light up in there. :)
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Tubbius on January 08, 2013, 07:41:41 AM
Am I wrong in keeping the heads of NCSoft straight?  This article says the CEO is someone named Jinze Chen?  I thought it was some other guy?  Or do I have job titles mixed up?

Puzzled.  :(
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Aggelakis on January 08, 2013, 07:50:18 AM
Quote from: Tubbius on January 08, 2013, 07:41:41 AM
Am I wrong in keeping the heads of NCSoft straight?  This article says the CEO is someone named Jinze Chen?  I thought it was some other guy?  Or do I have job titles mixed up?

Puzzled.  :(
Seems to be a second name for Taek Jin Kim. Shows up mostly in Asian reports (alongside terrible, terrible grammar.)
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Electric-Knight on January 08, 2013, 08:11:07 AM
Quote from: Xieveral on January 08, 2013, 04:58:10 AM
Because their current HQ wasn't frivolous enough, right?

Maybe the money "saved" by canning Paragon will go towards building the NC Dinos a fancy stadium.

Why do they even have a baseball team?

New car, caviar, four star daydream
Think I'll buy me a football team

Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: TimtheEnchanter on January 08, 2013, 08:13:08 AM
The NC Softball league!!!

...... *crickets chirp*
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Little Green Frog on January 08, 2013, 08:15:04 AM
Quote from: Tubbius on January 08, 2013, 07:41:41 AM
Am I wrong in keeping the heads of NCSoft straight?  This article says the CEO is someone named Jinze Chen?  I thought it was some other guy?  Or do I have job titles mixed up?

Puzzled.  :(

It is his Chinese name. Chinese alphabet is not phonetic, so unless it is decided to leave a foreign name in its original form (in this case it would be Korean Hangul), a translation is required. You are bound to find such translations in reports of Chinese origin.

Edited for precision.
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Electric-Knight on January 08, 2013, 08:15:29 AM
Haha, this gave me a stupid idea and I think we should shoot a terrible, silly low budget movie about it...

We (CoH customers, former-employees and supporters) publicly challenge NCSoft to a baseball game (and they accept) where the stakes are for the City Of Heroes (game, database, license, IP, etc).
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: TimtheEnchanter on January 08, 2013, 08:39:48 AM
Quote from: Electric-Knight on January 08, 2013, 08:15:29 AM
Haha, this gave me a stupid idea and I think we should shoot a terrible, silly low budget movie about it...

We (CoH customers, former-employees and supporters) publicly challenge NCSoft to a baseball game (and they accept) where the stakes are for the City Of Heroes (game, database, license, IP, etc).

If it was us against NCsoft employees, I'd say that'd be a fair match. Against their pro-league team? Uhh... who's providing the cybernetic enhancements for our players?
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: FatherXmas on January 08, 2013, 08:54:47 AM
Quote from: Tubbius on January 08, 2013, 07:41:41 AM
Am I wrong in keeping the heads of NCSoft straight?  This article says the CEO is someone named Jinze Chen?  I thought it was some other guy?  Or do I have job titles mixed up?

Puzzled.  :(
Machine translation error from Korean to Chinese to English.  Korean characters are phonetic while Chinese characters are sometimes symbolic and sometimes multi-phonetic words.  Chinese and Japanese names in Kanji form are somewhat an adventure when it comes to pronouncing them because they are pronounced differently than how the individual Kanji are pronounced.  It's a nightmare.

"No no no, it's spelled, "Raymond Luxury Yacht," but it's pronounced, "Throat Warbler Mangrove." - Monty Python

In this case if the three Chinese characters used for the CEO's name in the story are individually translated (via Google) you get Kim Chak Sun.  Taking into account how you pronounce English spelled Chinese and name order, I can see how they got from Taek jin Kim into what a machine would translate into the name Jinze Chen when taken together.

Edit: Damn ninja frog.
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Little Green Frog on January 08, 2013, 08:58:35 AM
(https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i1.minus.com%2FjbbXCRDK4631pY_e.jpg)
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: FatherXmas on January 08, 2013, 09:01:54 AM
LOL
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Xieveral on January 08, 2013, 09:19:22 AM
Quote from: TimtheEnchanter on January 08, 2013, 08:39:48 AM
If it was us against NCsoft employees, I'd say that'd be a fair match.

You're expecting them to play a clean game???
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Victoria Victrix on January 08, 2013, 10:42:12 AM
Makes me wonder if they don't plan to turn this into their game-churning cube-farm.  That way they have all their slave employees under one roof and under the direct eye of the bosses, rather than dealing with several studios separated geographically.  Kind of like a small-scale version of the Microsoft Campus.
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Little Green Frog on January 08, 2013, 11:38:48 AM
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on January 08, 2013, 10:42:12 AM
Makes me wonder if they don't plan to turn this into their game-churning cube-farm.  That way they have all their slave employees under one roof and under the direct eye of the bosses, rather than dealing with several studios separated geographically.  Kind of like a small-scale version of the Microsoft Campus.

Yes! Construction of an office building is clearly a sign of great evil! Finally, we're on to them!
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Xieveral on January 08, 2013, 12:44:57 PM
Quote from: Little Green Frog on January 08, 2013, 11:38:48 AM
Yes! Construction of an office building is clearly a sign of great evil! Finally, we're on to them!

It must be in an undersea volcano!
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Triplash on January 08, 2013, 12:45:40 PM
Quote from: Xieveral on January 08, 2013, 09:19:22 AM
You're expecting them to play a clean game???

If history is any indicator, I'd expect them to build up a comfortable four point lead, then forfeit the game.
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: houtex on January 08, 2013, 03:04:01 PM
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on January 08, 2013, 10:42:12 AM
Makes me wonder if they don't plan to turn this into their game-churning cube-farm.  That way they have all their slave employees under one roof and under the direct eye of the bosses, rather than dealing with several studios separated geographically.  Kind of like a small-scale version of the Microsoft Campus.

Ah.  That is the most sense of this whole debacle of NCSoft/CoH/Paragon Studios I've ever seen.  That is probably the idea, sad to say.

Passion for the product counts for nothing.  Only the numbers in an excel sheet.  Yep.  "Become a slav...er, part of the clan!  Big corporate ideas, for PROFIT!" - Announcer guy.
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Blitzwing on January 08, 2013, 04:15:15 PM
Quote from: Xieveral on January 08, 2013, 09:19:22 AM
You're expecting them to play a clean game???

Need I remind anyone of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, 'Take me out to the Holosuite.'?  ;)

This could be one of those 'so wacky, it just might WORK' ideas...and at this point, I don't want to take ANYthing off the table....   8)
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: golemjoe on January 08, 2013, 06:40:24 PM

Clearly they got tired of moving the Island periodically.
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Electric-Knight on January 08, 2013, 06:46:43 PM
Quote from: TimtheEnchanter on January 08, 2013, 08:39:48 AM
If it was us against NCsoft employees, I'd say that'd be a fair match. Against their pro-league team? Uhh... who's providing the cybernetic enhancements for our players?

On every other day, sure, they'd handily beat our asses...
BUT... NOT THIS DAY!
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: mikoroshi on January 08, 2013, 06:49:18 PM
Quote from: FatherXmas on January 08, 2013, 06:42:47 AMThe last image on this page (http://news.mmosite.com/content/2009-08-11/20090811232144247,6.shtml) makes me sad.

I have the perfect spot for that in my living room.
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Victoria Victrix on January 09, 2013, 03:53:16 AM
Quote from: Little Green Frog on January 08, 2013, 11:38:48 AM
Yes! Construction of an office building is clearly a sign of great evil! Finally, we're on to them!

*salts the frog*

Just pointing out that if this is the case, you can expect to see more pink slips handed out on this side of the ocean.  Makes me wonder what is in store for ArenaNet.
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Little Green Frog on January 09, 2013, 06:30:47 AM
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on January 09, 2013, 03:53:16 AM
*salts the frog*

Ow, ow, ow!

(https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i5.minus.com%2Fib1rgEpjigpTSo.jpg)

Quote from: Victoria Victrix on January 09, 2013, 03:53:16 AM
Just pointing out that if this is the case, you can expect to see more pink slips handed out on this side of the ocean.  Makes me wonder what is in store for ArenaNet.

If anything, it shows a good sense of strategic planning on the part of NCsoft's management. An office building right in the middle of a business district in a capital city is a fantastic investment and a good way to diversify your income. If your business is blooming, you can avoid the troublesome fragmentation of your workforce, when certain departments get scattered across multiple office buildings. If things aren't going smoothly and the company shrinks, you can rent all vacated space and still earn a good amount of money.

As for their foreign subsidiaries, I wouldn't expect this to affect them in any way. They won't be relocated to Seoul for the sake of it as it would not solve any real problem. Quite contrary. It would raise costs, complicate acquisition of talent and so on. These subsidiaries are semi-separate entities, operating independently for the most part. Every large corporation has those, including Microsoft, Google and other really big players, and it is natural for them to be spread across the globe.
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Victoria Victrix on January 09, 2013, 10:12:37 AM
Quote from: Little Green Frog on January 09, 2013, 06:30:47 AM

If anything, it shows a good sense of strategic planning on the part of NCsoft's management. An office building right in the middle of a business district in a capital city is a fantastic investment and a good way to diversify your income. If your business is blooming, you can avoid the troublesome fragmentation of your workforce, when certain departments get scattered across multiple office buildings. If things aren't going smoothly and the company shrinks, you can rent all vacated space and still earn a good amount of money.

That depends entirely on how the local economy is.  I can point to an awful lot of empty office space in certain state capitals and major cities here in the US.  But that is one thing I hadn't considered.

Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: FatherXmas on January 09, 2013, 04:32:54 PM
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on January 09, 2013, 10:12:37 AM
That depends entirely on how the local economy is.  I can point to an awful lot of empty office space in certain state capitals and major cities here in the US.  But that is one thing I hadn't considered.
It appears that the complex has sold all but three lots (http://www.pangyotechnovalley.org/eng/html/tenant/supply_status.asp) of 44.  Of those sold only 3 lots haven't broken ground yet and I would say roughly half of the tenants have completed they buildings already with the rest scheduled to be done this year or 2014.

Found the place on Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=south+korea&hl=en&ll=37.39927,127.108426&spn=0.002783,0.004458&sll=37.6,-95.665&sspn=44.933527,73.037109&t=h&hnear=South+Korea&z=18) (isn't it great Google co-owns a "spy" satellite) and that rendering isn't an exaggeration.  They have a HUGE lot with a lot of it looking like it will be dedicated to green areas when done.  Of course that's the advantage of being the one lot just outside of the four block rest of the complex.  When done it'll probably be quite pretty.

Edit: Over dramatic video advertising Pangyo Techno Valley (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=b1qrXlnf3Gw).  Yes it's in English.

English PDF brochure (http://www.pangyotechnovalley.org/html/introduce/pangyotechnovalley_leaflet_eng.pdf) that includes a map of who's where in the complex.

Edit: Added link to bring up an image of the new building from spaaaaace!
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Arachnion on January 09, 2013, 04:36:17 PM
Quote from: FatherXmas on January 09, 2013, 04:32:54 PM
Found the place on Google Maps (isn't it great Google co-owns a "spy" satellite)

Ah yes, the all knowing eye of Google, ;)
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: FatherXmas on January 09, 2013, 05:37:04 PM
Quote from: Arachnion on January 09, 2013, 04:36:17 PM
Ah yes, the all knowing eye of Google, ;)

Did you think I was kidding (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/10/geoeye-1-super/)?

GeoEye & Google (http://www.geoeye.com/GeoEye101/GeoEye-Google/Default.aspx)
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Arachnion on January 09, 2013, 05:43:33 PM
Quote from: FatherXmas on January 09, 2013, 05:37:04 PM
Did you think I was kidding (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/10/geoeye-1-super/)?

GeoEye & Google (http://www.geoeye.com/GeoEye101/GeoEye-Google/Default.aspx)

Oh no, of course not.

I meant that reply as somewhat silly.

I for one fear our new Google overlords! :P
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: FatherXmas on January 09, 2013, 08:21:45 PM
Quote from: Arachnion on January 09, 2013, 05:43:33 PM
Oh no, of course not.

I meant that reply as somewhat silly.

I for one fear our new Google overlords! :P

I know, I was just yanking your feather lure.  ;D

However it doesn't mean that other people didn't believe.
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Madadh on January 10, 2013, 07:22:16 AM
Quote from: eabrace on January 08, 2013, 07:41:06 AM
I can think of a good place to relocate that Statesman statue, but it wouldn't get much light up in there. :)

TY, that made me laugh a lot...
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Madadh on January 10, 2013, 07:27:14 AM
Oh, gods' teeth Mr XMas, thanks for the huge laugh fest.  I love that skit from Python, and quote it probably more than I should, yet I rarely ever hear anyone else even mention it.  Just to know it's not a personal delusion made me lose it.  TY SO much!

Quote from: FatherXmas on January 08, 2013, 08:54:47 AM
Machine translation error from Korean to Chinese to English.  Korean characters are phonetic while Chinese characters are sometimes symbolic and sometimes multi-phonetic words.  Chinese and Japanese names in Kanji form are somewhat an adventure when it comes to pronouncing them because they are pronounced differently than how the individual Kanji are pronounced.  It's a nightmare.

"No no no, it's spelled, "Raymond Luxury Yacht," but it's pronounced, "Throat Warbler Mangrove." - Monty Python

In this case if the three Chinese characters used for the CEO's name in the story are individually translated (via Google) you get Kim Chak Sun.  Taking into account how you pronounce English spelled Chinese and name order, I can see how they got from Taek jin Kim into what a machine would translate into the name Jinze Chen when taken together.

Edit: Damn ninja frog.
Title: Re: NCSoft raided Paragon Studios to fund a new corporate HQ?
Post by: Electric-Knight on January 10, 2013, 06:13:03 PM
Quote from: Madadh on January 10, 2013, 07:27:14 AM
Oh, gods' teeth Mr XMas, thanks for the huge laugh fest.  I love that skit from Python, and quote it probably more than I should, yet I rarely ever hear anyone else even mention it.  Just to know it's not a personal delusion made me lose it.  TY SO much!
(https://images.weserv.nl/?url=farm5.staticflickr.com%2F4028%2F4356739203_0ef3461498_z.jpg)
It is possible that we're all a part of your personal delusion.