So, I sleep four hours and the place blows up. Krones is already on it.

Kotaku jumpstarted the rumor machine:

It’s no secret that things at Sony Online Entertainment haven’t been gumdrops and lollypops. While EverQuest has been a bonafide success, Star Wars Galaxies has been an enormous screw up. The massively-multiplayer online version of the popular George Lucas films has been a fiasco, costing SOE players and money.

A mole sends us word that Raph Koster has left SOE to start up a new games studio. Cindy Armstrong, head of Business Development, has taken an offer to become the new USA honcho for Webzen. Moreover, Lucas Arts is not extending their Star Wars license. Yikes.

The rot has started to set in, and the mole implies that it’s only a matter of time before SOE’s prez. John Smedley is sent packing. “Place has been falling apart for a while,” writes our mole. “Smedley is not long in his job.” May the force be with you, John.

The follow-up to the rumor is that Raph should have joined his mates at the new Bioware Austin studios. Which would mean that Raph will have to move since he was in the SOE studio of San Diego.

For what? The “Star Wars Galaxies” of the future, whose licence is suposedly being revoked to SOE and given to the Bioware studio. I doubt that Bioware can use SOE’s code if this is true.

This while Raph is happily blogging about the GDC and looking even too giddy.

Beside these rumors, nothing else official. Not even a hint or a confirmation from other sources if not players’ speculations. The only thing that comes close to an official comment doesn’t say much:

Our new sister studio, BioWare Austin, has yet to state what stance they will be taking. I would refrain from assuming anything, one way or the other, until they’ve released more information.

You can find more consolidated version of the rumors here and here.

Now. Here’s the part where I say I’m highly skeptical, but it’s confirmed. Shild confirmed it openely. I’m going to believe him.

Yea, it’s not a rumor. I already confirmed it. Discuss, or something.

Edit: I’m not posting sources or anything, but let’s just say it’s probably not a secret at SOE or even GDC by now.

I’m refraining to comment past this.