BTW -- I seem to recall reading assertions that Poser's pre-destined future was to serve as nothing but a plug-in for Shade.  I also seem to recall 100% sure-thing predictions (over 'n over again!) that certain websites were obviously in decline, and that it was only a matter of time before those websites disappeared.

Need I remind anyone that neither of those things has happened?

And BTW II -- if anyone wants to feed on speculation, then here's some Pure-T speculation:
 
I tend to suspect that e-frontier was primarily wanting to use Poser as a vehicle by which they could get Shade into the US market in a big way.  But what happened instead was that while Poser itself remained just as popular (& growing) as it had always been -- Shade just didn't take the US by storm.  If anything, Shade has remained as a virtual unknown in the 3D/CG world here in the US -- while Poser's own name recognition (good or bad) is unquestionable.  And so, disappointed, e-frontier decided to concentrate on their home market in Japan -- and sell Poser back to a US company.

Of course, I have no more way of knowing if any of this is true or if it's all 110% total fantasy than does anyone else in this thread who's ventured guesses (and that's what they all are) as to what's actually going on behind the scenes.  But hey: I think that it makes for a good story.  At least as good as any of the other stories.  Perhaps I can get a publisher to sponsor it for me -- to be filed under the 'fiction' section in Barnes & Noble.

But it would be the equal in realism to any other such posting in this thread.  Because I made it all up out of my own imagination.  However: if the made-up story at least sounds plausible, then it therefore follows that it must be true.

Something To Do At 3:00AM