According to McQuaid, the studio decided to sign on with Sony Online and bid Microsoft farewell because "over time, it became clear that [Microsoft wasn't] the right partner," even though the decision ended with "a very amicable departure." McQuaid and Butler were both quick to point out that the split also gave Sigil the opportunity to buy back Vanguard's publishing and intellectual property rights, which will "let Sigil focus on making the best game possible." The two principals also explained that although the change in publisher may have seemed like a sudden move, it's something that Sigil has known about for some time, and has prepared itself for amply--the game’s billing and online patching systems, for instance, should be easy to transfer over to Sony Online's servers.