It seems EA is getting ready to pull the plug on Bioware after they pushed her down a flight of stairs.
Mythic Entertainment Drops the B-Word
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
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Personally I think people are being a little unjustly cruel to Bioware. I actually liked the explained-more-thoroughly Mass Effect 3 endings, and I love how they're still supporting ME3's multiplayer with free updates. Yeah they've had a setback, but I think they've done a lot to win back customers. They've certainly done a lot more than the $10 Map Pack/$60 Roster Update EA they've been hanging around with.Fappy said:
I think people haven't really been paying much attention here.
Mythic Entertainment is itself a massive skunk. The big success of Mythic entertainment was "Dark Age Of Camelot", it went on to liscenced MMO development under EA and produced "Warhammer Age Of Reckoning" which itself crashed hard, incidently for a lot of the same reasons ToR failed. Mythic was combined into Bioware to help the developement of "The Old Republic" specifically, a move reported by EA Louse as having been done by executives because Bioware was so far behind on game design, and the only thing they had to be really proud of was the sound design... which is actually shockingly accurate on a lot of levels since the best aspects of the game were probably the voice acting and cut scenes.
According to Wikipedia Mythic merged into Bioware in 2009, which means it spent a couple of years in the dev process, and really I've kind of suspected that by shoehorning them in it kind of torpedoed the development of ToR.
Interestingly, you might notice that Mythic doesn't seem to be being assigned to an MMO project. While not being "killed" they seem to be being banished to "app space" as opposed to even developing AAA level titles. Apps and mobile games being a big business because they require comparitively little committment of resources, which to me looks like Mythic is kind of in the doghouse right now.
Also the guy who was overseeing EA's MMO business, and calling the shots, was apparently kicked out as well.
To a trained eye it seems like EA actually isn't blaming Bioware, it's nailed the manager, and it's going after some of the studios that he folded into Bioware. Bioware is still getting a chance to develop AAA games meaning EA is giving them many millions of dollars. From a financial perspective even with nasty fan reaction, DA2 and ME3 both moved a ton of copies and ME3 still seems to have a fairly thriving multiplayer community that is spending money. That success means Bioware still has a chance to redeem themselves within their market of choice.
I'd imagine Bioware's big arguement right now (internally) is that they produce good games when they can focus on one thing and use their own team. Arguably it was that team that made things valuable. A number of people (like me) have noticed that Bioware was basically juggling multiple projects, with a primary focus on the MMO, and pretty much everything wound up getting mangled in some way and not coming close to the promises made. How much blame is on Bioware, and how much is on other companies that were crammed into their projects and a matter of lack of focus is going to be highly debatable.
Don't take this as a defense of Bioware, they have a LOT of work to do in order to regain trust from me. I do however think that EA is giving them the benefit of the doubt, and actually backing off to give them some space. An opinion simply formed on Bioware continueing with fairly big projects, while companies that are "distancing themselves" from Bioware seem to be going into projects that are a heck of a lot cheaper and less pretigious than big budget AAA game development.
It's remotely possible, though unlikely, that EA has actually learned a lesson here.
Mythic Entertainment is itself a massive skunk. The big success of Mythic entertainment was "Dark Age Of Camelot", it went on to liscenced MMO development under EA and produced "Warhammer Age Of Reckoning" which itself crashed hard, incidently for a lot of the same reasons ToR failed. Mythic was combined into Bioware to help the developement of "The Old Republic" specifically, a move reported by EA Louse as having been done by executives because Bioware was so far behind on game design, and the only thing they had to be really proud of was the sound design... which is actually shockingly accurate on a lot of levels since the best aspects of the game were probably the voice acting and cut scenes.
According to Wikipedia Mythic merged into Bioware in 2009, which means it spent a couple of years in the dev process, and really I've kind of suspected that by shoehorning them in it kind of torpedoed the development of ToR.
Interestingly, you might notice that Mythic doesn't seem to be being assigned to an MMO project. While not being "killed" they seem to be being banished to "app space" as opposed to even developing AAA level titles. Apps and mobile games being a big business because they require comparitively little committment of resources, which to me looks like Mythic is kind of in the doghouse right now.
Also the guy who was overseeing EA's MMO business, and calling the shots, was apparently kicked out as well.
To a trained eye it seems like EA actually isn't blaming Bioware, it's nailed the manager, and it's going after some of the studios that he folded into Bioware. Bioware is still getting a chance to develop AAA games meaning EA is giving them many millions of dollars. From a financial perspective even with nasty fan reaction, DA2 and ME3 both moved a ton of copies and ME3 still seems to have a fairly thriving multiplayer community that is spending money. That success means Bioware still has a chance to redeem themselves within their market of choice.
I'd imagine Bioware's big arguement right now (internally) is that they produce good games when they can focus on one thing and use their own team. Arguably it was that team that made things valuable. A number of people (like me) have noticed that Bioware was basically juggling multiple projects, with a primary focus on the MMO, and pretty much everything wound up getting mangled in some way and not coming close to the promises made. How much blame is on Bioware, and how much is on other companies that were crammed into their projects and a matter of lack of focus is going to be highly debatable.
Don't take this as a defense of Bioware, they have a LOT of work to do in order to regain trust from me. I do however think that EA is giving them the benefit of the doubt, and actually backing off to give them some space. An opinion simply formed on Bioware continueing with fairly big projects, while companies that are "distancing themselves" from Bioware seem to be going into projects that are a heck of a lot cheaper and less pretigious than big budget AAA game development.
It's remotely possible, though unlikely, that EA has actually learned a lesson here.
Too little too late IMO and we'll never get back the Bioware of old as long as the Thumb of EA is overhead.Fappy said:
I expect a story about a game with the word 'bastard' or '*****' in it! I am disappointed Escapist!
Also, how did this become an EA thread? What are these comments? I guess I'll have to add this to my examples of 'even mentioning the word EA sends people into a mad mindless rage'.
Also, how did this become an EA thread? What are these comments? I guess I'll have to add this to my examples of 'even mentioning the word EA sends people into a mad mindless rage'.
Yaaaaaay. "Bioware Mythic" was a stupidly unwieldy name. I like Bioware, and I like Mythic, but I want them to stay apart from one another thank you very much.
Bioware still exists (in a manner of speaking) its just that EA realises that slapping the brand on everything isn't going to work out now that that Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk have retired as well as the whole TOR not being a WOW killer, ME3 leaving a bad taste in the mouth of many people...Vault101 said:
Don't worry, there is still BioWare Edmonton, BioWare Austin, BioWare Victory, BioWare Montreal, BioWare Ireland, and BioWare San Francisco still.
Which?Altorin said:
The dilution of the brand name?
The string of (ok lets be nice here) average games that they have released recently?
Or the large numbers of high level Old Guard leaving for greener pastures?
They must be trying to use some form of tactical genius. To bad Creed works for the Imperium and not Chaos.
Not sure how well this tactic shall work. "Re-re-branding themselves with a name change". Maybe it'll work, but I don't play their games. So w/e I guess.
Not sure how well this tactic shall work. "Re-re-branding themselves with a name change". Maybe it'll work, but I don't play their games. So w/e I guess.
Anybody else remember the jubilation when "BioWare bought their first company!" No? Didn't think so.
I would now like to point out that this is the company that wants to turn Ultima IV into a multiplayer Action RPG.
What these necessarily have to do with EABioWareMythic Entertainment Systems Media Incorporated? I was thinking about pointing out that they oughta maybe focus on actually making good games, but I haven't played their three biggest properties, so they might actually have been okay.
I would now like to point out that this is the company that wants to turn Ultima IV into a multiplayer Action RPG.
What these necessarily have to do with EABioWareMythic Entertainment Systems Media Incorporated? I was thinking about pointing out that they oughta maybe focus on actually making good games, but I haven't played their three biggest properties, so they might actually have been okay.