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General discussionElectronic Arts(72 posts)(72 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted November 12, 2017
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timppu: If there is still a big need for those games which the studio is making, then I guess the studio employees will form a new studio making similar games, with a different name. Like the Gothic people continuing to do Arcania games or how was it.
The Gothic people didn't continue with making Arcania, they survived the split from their former publisher Joywood and made new games, sure they are all basically the same as Gothic but still. The creator of Arcania on the other hand didn't and that's mostly the fault of Joywood. The game is a disaster and shows how destructive a publisher can be. And Arcania was actually called Gothic 4 at one point.

That's also a perfect example why we don't need big publishers. All they do is destroy any creativity in the industry. Sure they provide a lot of resources for a lot of games and developers. But almost every game that comes from these big publishers, at least in my opinion is just a pile of garbage. But even if they actually manage to come up with a good game, they usually always fuck it up sooner or later, just look at Mass Effect and Dragon Age, or Dead Space. And is it any coincidence that these examples are all games published by EA?
Post edited November 12, 2017 by durandl
Posted November 12, 2017
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timppu: I don't feel strongly about big game companies closing down unneeded studios they have acquired earlier, and I don't know why others would either.

If there is still a big need for those games which the studio is making, then I guess the studio employees will form a new studio making similar games, with a different name. Like the Gothic people continuing to do Arcania games or how was it.

If the studio is still making games that don't sell, I don't see what would be the point of trying to keep them alive. They'd die anyway in the long run. People move to new companies and jobs etc.
EA have absorbed a large number of legendary studios ingrained in people's childhoods, turning beloved franchises into warped parodies. If you gave them lemons, they'd serve piss. The bodies have gotten so hard to count that you cannot in good conscience use the publisher's excuse of 'they're just not selling.' At a certain point a pattern emerges.
Posted November 12, 2017
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Engerek01: The way I see it, the problem is EA is buying those companies, forcing them to make quick unpolished games to milk the franchise and once they get drained they toss them out. The companies are not becoming unneeded because they are bad, they are becoming unneeded because EA is making them so.
Considering what one report has said about the (EA-inflicted) troubles Visceral had with its Star Wars game, I'd say that that's precisely what EA is doing.

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Engerek01: That's exactly what is happening to Bioware right now. Dragon Age: Inquisition and Mass Effect: Andromeda were terrible awful games. Not because Bioware is a bad team but because EA forced them to make drastic changes and rushed both games.
Not that I'm disagreeing with you about DA:I (since I haven't played it), but I was under the impression that BioWare Montreal actually had little to do with the original core BioWare groups in Edmonton and Austin.
Posted November 13, 2017
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drmike: It's the little thing but we just went from 12 to 5 servers in the Star Wars MMO.

Of course many folks say it's long overdue.

edit: Looks like they lost money this quarter:

https://ycharts.com/companies/EA/profit_margin

Probably just a paper loss but we all know how Wall Street hates negatives.
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MightyPinecone: Looks like an expected seasonal lull to me.
Now that I look at it, it does to me as well.

Of course that could also be the time they just close down studios every year and it's them taking the paper loss for doing so. I'm sure someone has a calendar somewhere listing the dates but I don't want folks thinking I'm crying over EA...


...which for some reason some folks think I am....
Posted November 13, 2017
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timppu: I don't feel strongly about big game companies closing down unneeded studios they have acquired earlier, and I don't know why others would either.

If there is still a big need for those games which the studio is making, then I guess the studio employees will form a new studio making similar games, with a different name. Like the Gothic people continuing to do Arcania games or how was it.

If the studio is still making games that don't sell, I don't see what would be the point of trying to keep them alive. They'd die anyway in the long run. People move to new companies and jobs etc.
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Engerek01: The way I see it, the problem is EA is buying those companies, forcing them to make quick unpolished games to milk the franchise and once they get drained they toss them out. The companies are not becoming unneeded because they are bad, they are becoming unneeded because EA is making them so.

That's exactly what is happening to Bioware right now. Dragon Age: Inquisition and Mass Effect: Andromeda were terrible awful games. Not because Bioware is a bad team but because EA forced them to make drastic changes and rushed both games.
All the people who made the good Bioware games have left the company ages ago. Hence the drop in quality each time they release a new game.
Posted November 13, 2017
EA didn't learn from the crap Atari did and how it died. Unless that's what EA wants to do? Die in a big ball of flame??
Posted November 13, 2017
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Engerek01: The way I see it, the problem is EA is buying those companies, forcing them to make quick unpolished games to milk the franchise and once they get drained they toss them out. The companies are not becoming unneeded because they are bad, they are becoming unneeded because EA is making them so.

That's exactly what is happening to Bioware right now. Dragon Age: Inquisition and Mass Effect: Andromeda were terrible awful games. Not because Bioware is a bad team but because EA forced them to make drastic changes and rushed both games.
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Stig79: All the people who made the good Bioware games have left the company ages ago. Hence the drop in quality each time they release a new game.
Ah I did not know that thanks for the warning. Do you know what happened to those people? Maybe formed an other company?
Posted November 13, 2017
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durandl: ..... they survived the split from their former publisher Joywood ......

The creator of Arcania on the other hand didn't and that's mostly the fault of Joywood.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JoWooD_Entertainment
Posted November 13, 2017
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Stig79: Depends on Anthem. EA seemed to put all of Bioware's money into that project. If it doesn't become a huge success, Bioware is in deep trouble.

I haven't seen anyone get all giddy about Anthem so far, to be honest. I saw a lot more interest when Dragon Age and Mass Effect got announced back in the day. Anthem seems to be more of a "meh" kind of thing.
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Ricky_Bobby: Yes, the media doesn't seem that hyped about Anthem, however we are still a year away from its release date. Plus it's a Destiny/The Division-type of game, with multiplayer and single-player content fused together. My impression is that our gaming media doesn't like these kinds of games.
WAIT, WHAT? Do you mean that Anthem is a MP game with no offline play or, that it has both SP and MP features running at the same time?
Posted November 14, 2017
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Stig79: All the people who made the good Bioware games have left the company ages ago. Hence the drop in quality each time they release a new game.
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Engerek01: Ah I did not know that thanks for the warning. Do you know what happened to those people? Maybe formed an other company?
They have left in a steady stream of exits since EA took over. The last ones out the door were David Gaider (the lead writer for Dragon Age) and Mike Laidlaw, the lead designer.

They are spread out all over the industry now.
Posted November 14, 2017
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Engerek01: Ah I did not know that thanks for the warning. Do you know what happened to those people? Maybe formed an other company?
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Stig79: They have left in a steady stream of exits since EA took over. The last ones out the door were David Gaider (the lead writer for Dragon Age) and Mike Laidlaw, the lead designer.

They are spread out all over the industry now.
Also....

Ray appears to be doing consulting and mentoring for start ups:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Muzyka

And Greg spends all his time getting drunk um I mean working with craft beers:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Zeschuk
Posted November 15, 2017
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Ricky_Bobby: Yes, the media doesn't seem that hyped about Anthem, however we are still a year away from its release date. Plus it's a Destiny/The Division-type of game, with multiplayer and single-player content fused together. My impression is that our gaming media doesn't like these kinds of games.
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Gurlok: WAIT, WHAT? Do you mean that Anthem is a MP game with no offline play or, that it has both SP and MP features running at the same time?
You answered your own question silly-billy.
Posted November 15, 2017
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Gurlok: WAIT, WHAT? Do you mean that Anthem is a MP game with no offline play or, that it has both SP and MP features running at the same time?
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Ricky_Bobby: You answered your own question silly-billy.
And which one should be? I asked both.

There is no official info though, as far I can see. What we only know is that this game can be played "SP", but no statement on the offline part.
Posted November 17, 2017
Why shit-storms are necessary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU6xgX-byPQ
Posted November 17, 2017
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Klumpen0815: Why shit-storms are necessary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU6xgX-byPQ
That's because Belgium is looking into them:

http://money.cnn.com/2017/11/16/technology/battlefront-ii-star-wars-game-ea-costs/index.html

Have to admit that I'm cynical if anything will happen. Wouldn't be the first time a country reviewed them. A quick google shows South Korea did back in 2011 and I know there have been others.
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionElectronic Arts(72 posts)(72 posts)
(72 posts)