Broadsword was originally Mythic Entertainment, who got their start making the MUSH I played all through college (Dragon's Gate). They abandoned the MUSH for more lucrative ventures (DAOC), but wouldn't let the playerbase take over running it because of proprietary code, so one of their execs took the server home and ran it out of his basement until it died.
So... on the one hand, they made something I truly loved. On the other hand, they abandoned it when it was no longer profitable.