Bioware: It's over?

[Firestormalpha]

Originally Posted by Luvian Damn. Do you guys ever check the Game Forum?

I guess not

[Sir Goulum]

Originally Posted by Luvian Damn. Do you guys ever check the Game Forum?

Whoops, my bad. Can you merge the two?

[Sir Goulum]

Maxis has much less control now than it ever has. Its lost the SimCity franchise to another developer so they can focus on the Sims and Spore. Not a good step, that, for SimCity fans. Hopefully Bioware doesn't end up like that, but it's entirely possible.

[Luvian]

Originally Posted by Sir Goulum Whoops, my bad. Can you merge the two?

*cross fingers*

Hey look like nothing exploded.

[Sir Goulum]

Heh. Bioware was today named in my paper, the Edmonton Journal, to be one of the top 35 employers in Alberta. Wonder if it'll reach that again under EA.

[Kakero]

There goes one gaming company, who's next?

[Firestormalpha]

Oh I'm sure they'll buy out Blizzard next. Then once they conquer Square Enix the Console RPG world is screwed.

[Sever]

Originally Posted by Sir Goulum Heh. Bioware was today named in my paper, the Edmonton Journal, to be one of the top 35 employers in Alberta. Wonder if it'll reach that again under EA.

Frankly, the fact that a games developer alone is mentioned in the top 35 is amazing. Not a lot else goes on in Alberta?.. Regardless, standard takeover procedures are in effect. EA will trim the fat (get rid of anyone specialising in creativity), add some gristle (assign their own capital-minded, non-game industry types at the top) and then wonder why an increased budget isn't offset by decreased deadlines and why this in turn doesn't translate to better games that sell well. But of course, it's not about better games. It's about getting their hands on that little slice of market pie that wasn't previously theirs. It doesn't really matter to them if their grubby mits make the genre less palatable in the process. With their assets, there's all manner of marketing tricks and supermarket-style undercutting techniques that achieve instant results far easier than expending considerable time and effort to actually make a product stand on its own. At face value, the company won't be too different to look at. Maybe more employees, maybe less. Bigger budgets for some titles, less production time for all. But it'll be the loss of the meat from the bone, the bio from the 'ware, that will kill this dish.

[Sever]

Originally Posted by Firestormalpha Oh I'm sure they'll buy out Blizzard next. Then once they conquer Square Enix the Console RPG world is screwed.

Surely if there's a single games producer on the planet with the means to resist the lecherous advances of the sleazy pimp, it'd be blizzard, yes?

[Kyrvias]

Originally Posted by Sever Frankly, the fact that a games developer alone is mentioned in the top 35 is amazing. Not a lot else goes on in Alberta?.. Regardless, standard takeover procedures are in effect. EA will trim the fat (get rid of anyone specialising in creativity), add some gristle (assign their own capital-minded, non-game industry types at the top) and then wonder why an increased budget isn't offset by decreased deadlines and why this in turn doesn't translate to better games that sell well. But of course, it's not about better games. It's about getting their hands on that little slice of market pie that wasn't previously theirs. It doesn't really matter to them if their grubby mits make the genre less palatable in the process. With their assets, there's all manner of marketing tricks and supermarket-style undercutting techniques that achieve instant results far easier than expending considerable time and effort to actually make a product stand on its own. At face value, the company won't be too different to look at. Maybe more employees, maybe less. Bigger budgets for some titles, less production time for all. But it'll be the loss of the meat from the bone, the bio from the 'ware, that will kill this dish.

Wow. That was deep. I've never heard truer words.