OverTake <> RaceDepartment | General Discussion

[robert1985]

always happens some faceless corporate entity ALWAYS sweeps in buys out and in the process guts the life and soul out of it and slowly turns it into something that benefits "them" and the not the actual people who use it. i guess the money was more important.

 

[Trebor901]

I am genuinely interested here, why do you think that will change? What do you think will change?

Everything will change. Maybe not straight away but it will. Been around long enough to know what happens when two companies join forces "for everyone else's benefit" when in reality all it does is save the RD name. Like has been said I don't believe with porsche behind overtake that you will be able to sustain hosting of mods that use unlicensed cars/tracks etc.

 

[Scoggs]

This reminds me of the time Nest was bought by Google. Could go either way, but if I was so merging I would want so very strong legal backup that certain non-negotiables on the site don't change. Is that happening in this case? If not its a sale.

 

[trichens]

I worked for many, many years for a software firm that was bought up by another a year or so ago which has been buying up lots of other software firms and by this expand their "reach" by acquisition. Their premise seems to be to pick up the client base and then "rinse" those clients for as much as they can... and at the same time try to get a dominating position in the market.

I left the firm not long after the takeover as have returned after nearly all of the staff had left... I somehow fell an "obligation" to the clients that had been left with no-one that knows the product.
I just can't work with the "amoral philosophy" behind the main business... so off again really soon.

But the RD / Overtake position is really something different.
RD has probably become a victim of it's own success.
@Bram Hengeveld expected, with millions of registered users. I don't know how many Premium users there are but running the RD site comes with costs and administration.

We don't know what RD and Overtake have agreed or their plans for the future so we'll have to wait and see. I'm sure that there are areas which will see improvements.
For example, I'd think @Neilski would be pleased if the move resulted in improved download speeds for those that complain that getting a mod from the site takes too long

 

[aasasd]

Corporations buy into businesses because that business is profitable, they want to increase those profits so they make more money. They do that by giving the business they bought more funds to continue expanding their popularity.

Businesses don't sell themselves because all is going fine and dandy. If things aren't going fine and dandy, they must be changed. The buying side dictates how they should be changed, which means things will change in ways that the buying side knows how to do.

I have no idea how this particular buyout plays out, but the logic in the above comment is bogus. We've seen dozens of buyouts in gaming and software industry in this century—with regular proclamations that the bought-out party would continue to operate independently, which barely ever turned out to be true.

If RD were swimming in money from their popularity, they would just hire people, and would have no need to sell.

 

[HorneyMINI]

Scaling a business up is super hard. You can have the best idea in the world, but if you don't have the money or resources to deliver it what do you do? You look to outside for a partner or parent to help realise your vision.

Marvel is one example off the top of my head. On it's own the comic business was relatively small and didn't have the skills or funding to launch a cinematic universe. By selling the rights to Disney they got a partner who could do all the stuff they couldn't. For the comic fans (regardless of if they liked the films) their beloved comics got more funding as a result of the deal.

 

[Turk]

Businesses don't sell themselves because all is going fine and dandy. If things aren't going fine and dandy, they must be changed. The buying side dictates how they should be changed, which means things will change in ways that the buying side knows how to do.

That's not really the way it works in my experience. What your talking about is buying up failing businesses for cheap so you can sell off all their assets. That's not the norm.

In most cases businesses are bought because they can make money, or because they have access to a market, or because they have technology others don't.

The selling businesses needs to show that their company is doing well and could be doing much better with a bit of a cash injection. That makes them an attractive proposition to a buyer. Racedepartment is a big name in sim racing and sim racing is becoming a very lucrative industry that seems to be full of people with lots of disposable income. That's going to be irresistible to anyone interested in making money.

 

[jgf]

That's not really an opinion that works in the real world. Corporations buy into businesses because that business is profitable, they want to increase those profits so they make more money. They do that by giving the business they bought more funds to continue expanding their popularity.

I'm no fan of the modern corporate world but it's just not rue that they buy companies just to ruin them, that doesn't make any financial sense.

AOL bought CompuServe, claiming nothing would change. A year later where was CompuServe?

TVGuide bought jumptheshark because it was so popular, where is jumptheshark?

Vivendi bought Sierra because of its reputation and assets, where is Sierra?

A holding company bought NoGrip, where is NoGrip?

Sony seems intent on owning the rights to every piece of music ever performed. How many songs from the Top 10 in the US cannot now be viewed on youtube in the US because "this video is not available in your area"?

"Follow the money." There are four reasons Company A will buy Company B - eliminate competition (cough cough, Micro$oft), expansion, instant revenue boost, or control. In virtually every case Company B eventually loses its identity. Let us hope the current topic is one of those few instances that is the exception. But I am not optimistic.

 

[aasasd]

The selling businesses needs to show that their company is doing well and could be doing much better with a bit of a cash injection.

Idk what game development and software businesses are showing each other, but vast majority of the acquisitions I ever hear of go like: “The bought-out company will continue on as it did before“, and then the company disappears into the other one without trace and is renamed something like “EA North-North-West Behind that Dumpster at Wendy's”.

 

[Turk]

AOL bought CompuServe, claiming nothing would change. A year later where was CompuServe?

TVGuide bought jumptheshark because it was so popular, where is jumptheshark?

Vivendi bought Sierra because of its reputation and assets, where is Sierra?

A holding company bought NoGrip, where is NoGrip?

Sony seems intent on owning the rights to every piece of music ever performed. How many songs from the Top 10 in the US cannot now be viewed on youtube in the US because "this video is not available in your area"?

"Follow the money." There are four reasons Company A will buy Company B - eliminate competition (cough cough, Micro$oft), expansion, instant revenue boost, or control. In virtually every case Company B eventually loses its identity. Let us hope the current topic is one of those few instances that is the exception. But I am not optimistic.

That doesn't change the fact that in most cases companies buy other companies to make money. They can't do that if the business fails after being bought.

Many of the big brands we know are owned by other bigger companies. We probably wouldn't have car brands like Porsche, Lamborghini, Land rover, Aston Martin, if they weren't bought out by another company.

I'll reserve judgement, maybe your right and this is just a way of a big company erasing a smaller competitor but I doubt it. Sim racers are worth too much money for that to be realistic, they want access to you and your wallet. What we're seeing here is big business starting to invest heavily in sim racing.

 

[Steve Bird]

As long as the RD pod casts come back with the same people I don't mind as long as there are minimal changes. So lets just chill out and see what happens. If it all goes to crap you can simply move on to other things and if you're a subscriber you have to choice to pull that too. Nobody is holding a gun to your head You never know it may just get better.

 

[Kek700]

For me, I am only interested in the average guy that wants a forum to race and share their needs and experiences, in a helpful and rewarding way. For sim racers, casual viewers and content creators.
I am not the slightest bit interested in the fast drivers, Esports or hero-worshipping-driven content, this is none existent in my world. As long as the average users are 100% catered for, as Raceedepartment is at present, then I have no issue whatsoever about the merger.

 

[Dzul]

As long as the RD pod casts come back with the same people I don't mind

Mike from Simracing604 recently started a podcast (SIMply Talking), two episodes so far but it's pretty good IMHO. Check it out.

 

[Dzul]

IMHO... I think Overtake is taking the biggest risk here. Race Department is a community (us), and if the community does not like where Overtake takes it then people will vote with their feet and leave. Consider the case of WTF1. Tom Bellingham started it in 2010 and after a lustrum it had such a considerable following that publishers came knocking. In 2017 he sold it (Dennis Publishing then Torque Esports / The Race Media), BUT he stayed on board to steer it and together with Matt Gallagher they grew and cemented a true community around them. At the end of 2022 they announced that they were leaving WTF1. They asked the community to stick around and give the new crew a chance. After a month they started their own podcast (P1), reaching 20K subs within a few days (and growing). The community followed them there (me among them) to the detriment of WTF1. I think this is a good comparison of how this merger could go. So, by all means buy it, but keep the existing magic going and simply build upon it. What is that magic? I think that's something we can all help define by pouring our thoughts on the 'Suggestions' thread... by all means do so chaps! That's how we make our voices heard.

 

[Pete Conway]

I've never heard of Overtake, so no idea what to expect from them.

Best case scenario - Overtake and RD co-exist as completely separate entities (as they are currently) under common ownership.

Worst case scenario - remember when AOL bought CompuServe, promising each would remain separate. CompuServe was gone in a year (it still exists, apparently as just a consulting firm).

While I'd never heard of them either I figured I'd at least try to rectify it so I hit the link in the main article, this took me to their site, I scanned it for a few seconds and found an article that drew my attention, it was about the 10 most expensive cars in the game Horizons 4... guess what, the author of the article believes that Ford won the 1965 Le Mans.
I was going to post a correction for him but realised I'd have to sign up and proffer my data to get him to acknowledge his mistake... well, I can tell you now that that ain't gonna happen,
So anyone reading that article can believe that Ford won Le Mans in 65 and can prove it now with the help of poor research and even worse a editing.

Nah, that site ain't for me

 

[M D Gourley]

Life moves on, things change and personally I'm coming along for the ride as RD has a great community and a weath of information.
All the best for the future Bram and the RD Staff

 

[Jay Clarke 66]

For me, I am only interested in the average guy that wants a forum to race and share their needs and experiences, in a helpful and rewarding way. For sim racers, casual viewers and content creators.
I am not the slightest bit interested in the fast drivers, Esports or hero-worshipping-driven content, this is none existent in my world. As long as the average users are 100% catered for, as Raceedepartment is at present, then I have no issue whatsoever about the merger.

Absolutely spot on! Came in to say the exact same thing and Kek700 had hit the nail on the head already. I’m a newcomer to sim racing and have been searching for a community for ACC content that caters for all, signed up and immediately entered the ACC Endurance series. Talk of more series and special events too which is promising. From my point of view I feel I will get the experience I need here with the current format. So I care not who steers the ship! Just keep steering it in the direction that benefits every level of driver. Hope to see you all on track soon.

 

[Günthar Rowe]

Happy for you @Bram Hengeveld , I've been here for 15 years and will still be part of whatever evolves

 

[The Almighty Snark]

While I'd never heard of them either I figured I'd at least try to rectify it so I hit the link in the main article, this took me to their site, I scanned it for a few seconds and found an article that drew my attention, it was about the 10 most expensive cars in the game Horizons 4... guess what, the author of the article believes that Ford won the 1965 Le Mans.

Oh that's... gnarly. Anyway, I keep confusing it with the over .gg site given that they look like clones of eachother. Both appear to have spawned to capture as much of the eSports crowd for larger conglomerates, one for Porsche, and one for MSG

Anyway, there's just no discussion or engagement on any of the news articles. Wanted to see how the communities compared so looked at the most recent news article that both had the same topic and whereas the RD one had 70 comments the .gg website had none. Maybe that is what they are buying I suppose. It will be a shame that all the esports fluff will crowd out RD more curated news.

On another note, I thought maybe it was YouTube is the place where everyone hangs out but no that is also quite small compared to say a GPLaps channel.

 

[Medilloni]

We have a brilliant place to race, share, and connect for the past many years, all through the efforts of Bram and his team of mega-grafters. All of this for free or as a premium member, peanuts. There may have been ups 'n downs, though the staggering success of RD makes it hard for me to think this is a 'bad thing'.

Nothing in life lasts forever, though when something goes, it can be replaced by something better

I'm happy to wait and see what this arrangement brings, and wish great success for it.

 

[BackMarkerZ]

Am I allowed to say...I don't care, if at some point I can't get what I need here, i'll just find somewhere else to get it, i'm to old to give a monkeys either way tbh.