I saw the news on an article last night and immediately felt sick to my stomach. I could feel nearly 10 years of my life and times spent on here slipping away in an instant.
I can tell you, having spent some time around corporate America, that this is not good news for us, the enthusiasts. The bottom line is money, and getting more of it from people. Mainly mainstream consumers, but also from us, the hobbyists. The winners here are #1--Atari, #2 and to a much lesser extent, Albert. I assume they made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
For us, the enthusiast. It's a loss. Already there are less homebrews available, the roms are gone, the Harmony cart is gone from the store. It's a corporate site, not an enthusiasts site. Companies are not so into free. SUCH. A. BUMMER. It's like when a company goes public and tries to drum up excitement among the employees about it....then a few months later the layoffs start inevitably happening because the shareholder is now number one. Our layoff equivalent here are the freedoms and fun and creativity and sharing that took place on this site.
I don't blame Albert one bit; money is real, you can use it to take care of yourself and your family, for a better life, etc. I might well have done the same thing. For the community and this forum, I think its a huge and unfortunate blow. Will give it a few months before final judgement, but as mentioned above, indicators are trending in the wrong direction.