S
Syndicate
Guest
The Syndicate (www.LLTS.org), the oldest continuously operating online gaming community, is celebrating its 14th Anniversary! Founded in Feb 1996, The Syndicate has not only survived fourteen years but it has pushed the limits of what an online community can achieve.
One of the most visible metrics used to gauge online gaming groups is size. Having more than 625 active members is an impressive feat for any group but when one factors in that more than 550 of The Syndicate's members have been with the guild more than year it is clear that our community is very unified and very friend oriented. Turnover and drama are virtually non-existent. The 2009 retention rate for the Syndicate was 99.98%.
The Syndicate's rich history is filled with many other unique aspects of its community that factor into our overall success. In addition to the development of a very motivated, team focused and fun loving community, some of the other major highlights over the past 14 years include:
* Years of charitable work for Youth Opportunity Unlimited, The American Cancer Society as well as major support for deployed service men and women. The Syndicate maintains a strong commitment to giving back to the community both within the games we play and in the real world.
* Having a book published about the history of the first 10 years of our community entitled Legend of The Syndicate.
* Being featured in the MMO documentary Second Skin. We will also be featured in the upcoming documentary about Richard Garriott. Second Skin was recently made available via Netflix streaming.
* Annual conferences, since 2002, attended by 150+ members and dozens of Game Developers and PC hardware manufacturers. The 2010 conference has game developer sponsorship that pays for the costs for 200+ members to attend.
* Becoming a studio for Prima Games (the industry leader in print media strategy guides). Books written by The Syndicate have outsold John Grisham for the same sales periods.
* Trademarking our name and incorporating our guild were two major milestones in our history that created additional opportunities.
* Numerous consulting opportunities for MMO development. Most games that have come out in the past decade have had some level of Syndicate involvement very often from the extremely early stages. Those relationships grow in number, scope and value provided with each passing year.
* Featured in more than 75 internet articles, 3 books, more than a dozen print magazines and numerous newspaper articles.
Since The Syndicate's creation, millions of guilds have been created and imploded. In fact, statistically you have a better odds of winning your local lottery and you are twenty five times more likely to be struck by lightning than you are to create a guild with the longevity of The Syndicate. There are definitely other successful long term guilds out there and The Syndicate salutes all of those groups; especially those that work hard to make gaming more successful for all players. Longevity, Size, Leadership, Loyalty, Membership Retention, Impact On Game Development, Industry Influence, Recognition.. for virtually any meaningful metric of success, The Syndicate sets the standard. There is no other gaming community that has accomplished as much as The Syndicate has and we are very proud of that hard earned distinction. With 14 years under our belt, in many ways we are just getting started. New strategic partnerships continue to be forged that will result continued positive impact on the future of MMO gaming. We are very excited about what the coming years hold not only for us but for the entire gaming community. Long Live The Syndicate!
One of the most visible metrics used to gauge online gaming groups is size. Having more than 625 active members is an impressive feat for any group but when one factors in that more than 550 of The Syndicate's members have been with the guild more than year it is clear that our community is very unified and very friend oriented. Turnover and drama are virtually non-existent. The 2009 retention rate for the Syndicate was 99.98%.
The Syndicate's rich history is filled with many other unique aspects of its community that factor into our overall success. In addition to the development of a very motivated, team focused and fun loving community, some of the other major highlights over the past 14 years include:
* Years of charitable work for Youth Opportunity Unlimited, The American Cancer Society as well as major support for deployed service men and women. The Syndicate maintains a strong commitment to giving back to the community both within the games we play and in the real world.
* Having a book published about the history of the first 10 years of our community entitled Legend of The Syndicate.
* Being featured in the MMO documentary Second Skin. We will also be featured in the upcoming documentary about Richard Garriott. Second Skin was recently made available via Netflix streaming.
* Annual conferences, since 2002, attended by 150+ members and dozens of Game Developers and PC hardware manufacturers. The 2010 conference has game developer sponsorship that pays for the costs for 200+ members to attend.
* Becoming a studio for Prima Games (the industry leader in print media strategy guides). Books written by The Syndicate have outsold John Grisham for the same sales periods.
* Trademarking our name and incorporating our guild were two major milestones in our history that created additional opportunities.
* Numerous consulting opportunities for MMO development. Most games that have come out in the past decade have had some level of Syndicate involvement very often from the extremely early stages. Those relationships grow in number, scope and value provided with each passing year.
* Featured in more than 75 internet articles, 3 books, more than a dozen print magazines and numerous newspaper articles.
Since The Syndicate's creation, millions of guilds have been created and imploded. In fact, statistically you have a better odds of winning your local lottery and you are twenty five times more likely to be struck by lightning than you are to create a guild with the longevity of The Syndicate. There are definitely other successful long term guilds out there and The Syndicate salutes all of those groups; especially those that work hard to make gaming more successful for all players. Longevity, Size, Leadership, Loyalty, Membership Retention, Impact On Game Development, Industry Influence, Recognition.. for virtually any meaningful metric of success, The Syndicate sets the standard. There is no other gaming community that has accomplished as much as The Syndicate has and we are very proud of that hard earned distinction. With 14 years under our belt, in many ways we are just getting started. New strategic partnerships continue to be forged that will result continued positive impact on the future of MMO gaming. We are very excited about what the coming years hold not only for us but for the entire gaming community. Long Live The Syndicate!
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