Saying Goodbye: A Personal Message from Markus

[deacon2817]

Thank You so much Markus for the many hours of joy your creation has provided. May your future be blessed.

[Raidergoo]

She's graduating from Wittenberg University in May. She was less than two weeks old when the two of us were playing OOTP 4. I got to hold her and play hundreds of games when she was tiny.

My eldest didn't turn out as big a fan as my youngest, who is graduating high school in May. She's dragged me to Cincy to watch Mike Trout blast a home run, and has played catcher for women's softball for six years. Watching her belt a grand slam was priceless. Listening her to rant about the Castellini family? Oh, lord.

Ever so grateful for countless hours of enjoyment.

[Harveytime]

Not much I can think to say at this moment other than.. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! OOTP is my favourite thing in this world. Much love, good fortune and fun in whatever you get up to next in life.

[Obechkinsbuddy]

Thank you for everything! This game is truly incredible I hope it is for another 25+ years!

[sdw1000]

Sad news indeed. But thanks for creating a game where we all enjoy the game of baseball and making it affordable that we can enjoy all of baseball history in a game. Best wishes in your future endeavors and it'll be strange without at the head. But hopefully whoever takes your place can lead OOTP to even brighter futures. Take care, Markus.

[HRBaker]

27 years for you, and about 23 for me as a fan. I'm not sure of anything else in my life I've followed for so long except my wife (53 years) and career (42 years), so I think you and OOTP are in 3rd place LOL.

Agree or disagree, we always had the game in our best interests, and 27 years shows what that results in.

Whatever it is you have planed from this day forward, I wish you the same level of success and enjoyment... and I hope you do stay in touch.

Best of luck, HRB

[rjl518]

Let me wish you the absolute best Markus and we thank you for creating one of the Greatest Baseball Computer Games of all time. Your coding should be put into Cooperstown so that everyone can appreciate the work you have done over all these years!

Robert L.

[Socali]

...They Will Come.

You built it, Markus, and we came. For myself, when the Stadiums and 3D caught up to the longtime statistical genius of the game is when my "Field of Dreams" were realized.

Well done, Markus, well done.

[markprior22]

Very surprised to see this as I'm sure many others were. Best of luck in your future endeavors. This game has given me so so many hours of enjoyment and another way to enjoy my favorite sport. The $/hour that I have spent on OOTP is minute...this game has been there for me through so many life experiences. Thanks for all you've done...you have been a blessing to many people.

[Markus Heinsohn]

Originally Posted by Raidergoo

She's graduating from Wittenberg University in May. She was less than two weeks old when the two of us were playing OOTP 4. I got to hold her and play hundreds of games when she was tiny.

My eldest didn't turn out as big a fan as my youngest, who is graduating high school in May. She's dragged me to Cincy to watch Mike Trout blast a home run, and has played catcher for women's softball for six years. Watching her belt a grand slam was priceless. Listening her to rant about the Castellini family? Oh, lord.

Ever so grateful for countless hours of enjoyment.

Wow. Thank you for sharing my friend

[Markus Heinsohn]

Thanks everybody for the kind words. I can't describe how much this means to me, I'm speechless.

[kcroyalgm]

Words can not express the enjoyment I have gotton out of OOTP (since version 6.5).
Thank you, Markus, for your wonderful achievement.
Best wishes in whatever you do.

[Leo_The_Lip]

This news makes November 2024 the worst of my late life.

Earlier this month by wargaming buddy of 20+ years died at 73. Now my other pasttime buddy is going away.

I'll be 75 next month, and the adage "you can never make a 'new' old friend" is reverberating throughout my worlds.

Thank you, Markus, for all you've done. You will be missed by all.

[MikeS369]

Thank you for the great game Markus. OOTP has occupied thousands of my man hours and no other game comes close. I wish you much success in your future endeavors. But I'm not going to lie. I'm a little distraught even though I knew this day would come.

[Poonox24]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

Dear OOTP Community,

Today, I have some important personal news to share. After much reflection, I've decided that it's time for me to step away from my role at Out of the Park Developments and open a new chapter in my life.This wasn't an easy decision to make, and I wanted to reach out personally to all of you who've made this journey so incredibly special.

When I first started working on Out of the Park Baseball, I could never have imagined the amazing community that would grow around it. What started as a simple idea fueled by my love for baseball and strategy gaming has blossomed into something truly extraordinary, all thanks to you.

I still remember the early days... writing the first lines of OOTP code back in 1997, tucked away in my tiny 90-square-foot dorm room. The first launch in 1999. Pulling all-nighters to fix bugs, getting excited over every new feature idea, and eagerly reading your feedback on the forums after each launch. It was an incredible time. Over the years, your passion, suggestions, and critiques have been the driving force behind OOTP's evolution. Together, we've taken this game to a level I never thought possible.

I want to give a huge shoutout to our amazing team. I've had the privilege of working with some of the most talented and passionate people in the industry. Thank you for your hard work, creativity, and for making (almost, haha) every day at work fun and exciting. I consider every single one of you not just colleagues but true friends. OOTP's future is in good hands.

I also want to express my deepest gratitude to our partners at MLB, MLBPA, and the Com2uS Corporation. Their exceptional support for our little niche game has been truly remarkable. Working alongside these esteemed organizations over the years has been an honor, and their belief in our vision helped us bring OOTP to new heights.

While I plan to pursue new opportunities sometime next year, I certainly won't disappear. I'll be available to the entire team as a mentor and will happily provide feedback on feature designs if needed. Of course, I'll also continue to play the game and lurk around on the forums.

So, this is it. Out of the Park Baseball 25 was my final launch. After more than 27 years, my career as OOTP developer and CEO / managing director of the company is now officially over. I was incredibly lucky to have such a long career in gaming, and I am eternally grateful to everyone who helped me along the way. You guys are the best!

Thank you all for being part of this incredible journey.
Markus

PS: Here's how it all started:

Thank you for everything. This game has brought me years of enjoyment and you ran things the way most gamers only dream they can get a designer to. With honesty, openness and a want to always make the game better for the end user.

This is not goodbye. This is thank you and talk soon.

[Braden]

Originally Posted by Edward ohare

This is terribly premature. Give the guy his due. This comment is like a guy talking about his inheritance before the body is cold.

Nothing wrong with look ahead!

[ajsomers]

Markus, it goes without saying (but we'll all keep saying it anyway) but thank you for all you've done for this game and the community that's developed around it. Best of luck with the next chapter!

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by Matt Arnold

We're always happy to incorporate feedback from community members. I'm sure when Markus emails me and says "Hey Matt, can you fix this?" it might end up high on the priority list

Have no idea of who the new head honcho will be.

Matt Arnold wouldn't be a bad choice.
Yeah buddy, He is a very special guy in our wonderful OOTB Community.

[ejblaker]

Thank you so much for everything

[Guthrien]

I love this game, and I love your story and how it came to be, Markus. Baseball is universal as is the love of video games, and you created a historical moment in both, I hope you remain ever proud of it. Thanks for giving so many years of effort into this incredible creation. Whatever you do next, I hope it gives you much joy!