http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6TmTv6deTI

Watch until the end

This video covers:

Short history of Bioware
Publishers and Developers
EA's and other Big publishers influence over Developers
Why "High development costs" are very often - nonsense and just excuses

GOG is also mentioned in this video!

Roman,

Thank you VERY VERY VERY much for pointing out that video, for if I had not see it then I would also not have found his other videos about the supposed Mass Effect Indoctrination Theory that seems to be possibly Bioware's and definately their fan's way of justifying to themselves that fuckup of an ending and their right to believe than none of it actually happened after all, in favour of getting a new ending that won't shatter everyone's continued belief that Bioware aren't just a bunch of self trumpeting twats.

WHAT A CONTRIVED, SELF CONTRADICTORY PIECE OF SHIT.

I hope Bioware do decide to make that the story, it'll justify every piece of garbage that anyone ever threw at them, at any point in time.

Under normal circumstances I would laugh, but the fact that people can actively delude themselves to this extent is simply too damned sad.

Interesting, thoughtful video on the economics of video games ... I'm not sure I agreed with everything on the particulars of this individual situation of BioWare/EA, but I think the general points about video games as an industry and the role of publishers in it were well made if already known.

Great vid, it makes a lot of sense. Especially about the industry becoming more and more focused on money.

I don't like a lot of publicly traded game publishers for this reason, especially the largest ones (THQ is an exception). But sometimes these companies like EA and Activision become faceless, and that's when they really start to lose touch with their fanbases.

Oh joy. Another guy making the ridiculous argument that everything wrong with BioWare is no fault of their own.

The only reason BioWare was owned by that private equity company in the first place is because THEY CHOSE TO SELL. They were privately owned...the OWNERS decided to SELL. They put THEMSELVES in position to be bought up by a bigger corporation.

The two original owners still involved are on EA's executive board. That gives them a ton of pull, and more power on that board than any other label under EA. So again, they get PLENTY of say in what they do.

Can we EVER move on from this simplistic bullshit where we absolve BioWare/Blizzard of all blame while putting all of the blame on EA/Activision? Please?

Oh, and they should just walk! Sure...just leave. I'm sure there are no clauses in their contracts preventing them from starting up a competing company or possibly giving EA first right of refusal over what they come up with for any period of time. Noooooo...we're living in Fantasy Land where things like that don't happen...

This is a bunch of mental masturbation. Sure, it's not his "heroes" that are simply dicks, it must be some insidious evil causing it.

I feel fucking dumber for having listened to it. What a tool that guy is.

What is with this new trend of people thinking they're the next Ira Glass because they own a microphone and saying words for longer than five minutes?

Thanks for sharing the video, its nice to hear a guy tell it like it is without getting completely sensationalist. Although, I still don't have much sympathy for Bioware since they did sell out, but he did seem to explain the situation well. Or at least he makes logical sense.

Whether the end result of the game is good or bad still Bioware's doing--their label, their reputation on the line. But there is no denying that EA is influencing them if at the very least the cultural level.

I think this thread also ties in well with your previous thread, Roman
http://www.gog.com/en/forum/general/indie_developers_earned_much_more_in_2011/page1
Bigger budgets !=better game

Actually you are kind wrong about budgets. So far indie devs showed that you can make an amazing game without having a 50mil $ budget and make hell of a profit from it. For me big publishers like EA/Ubisoft/Activision are killing the market for new comers... they are putting it this way: Either you are with us or you are screwed.

To be honest older BioWare games were a lot better than new ones,so definetly EA kinda screwing with them or they are out of fresh ideas...

Actually, that was what I pretty much said
bigger budgest != bigger game (!= do not)

In that thread I linked to was talking about how indies are making more money then mainstream publishers.

I guess I missread you than :)
I do love how Indie developers are growing this days. And they do show potential for even better games. Let's be honest games like Bastion(yes it is published by WB,but is still an indie) ...Limbo... are amazing and a lot of other games are.
My problem with companies like EA that they don't give a lot of chance to smaller dev studios to show their product (yes they published Shank and stuff,but that is kinda small on an industry this big)

Oh boy.

Another expert that is so much knowledgeable because he works at the industry and knows all about game development.

I was calling the guy in the video an expert and not you... just to make that clear. :p

Anyways, an indie team with two people in it, say, Team Meat, don't really make money until their game starts selling well. They don't lose much money either, because they are just that, a team with only two guys in them.

Take EA / Activision / Blizzard / Valve / and any other huge company in them... they employ lawyers, human resources teams, web developers, web designers, brand developers, guys working in marketing, guys working with esports organizations, financial advisors, IT experts and support crews, quality assurance teams (testing and approving compatibility), sound designers and engineers, mobile designers and developers, community managers and public relationships focused employees, security experts, business analysts, guys dealing with corporate stuff, customer service crew, customer support crew, game designers and game developers.

10 million in marketing is absolutely nothing compared to paying all these people for a full year without releasing a game.