Rest in Peace, Visceral Games

[Zhukov]

I know I'm supposed to be outraged over this, but... meh. I won't exactly notice their absence. I only know them for the Dead Space games which were alright I suppose.

Sucks that people will lose their jobs of course.

TLDR, my guess is that feedback was against a linear, story-based game, and wanted something either multiplayer focused, open world, or both.

Ugh. Yeah, you're probably right. Gotta love all that corporate jargon.

Thank God it's only a Star Wars game.

 

[Neverhoodian]

And to think I was considering buying Battlefront 2 a little while back because EA seemed to have learned their lesson for once. In light of this and the recent lootbox controversy I guess I'll stick to my long-standing boycott of EA products.

Out of curiosity, where does everybody get their gaming news these days?

Not from mainstream gaming news sites, that's for sure. Those places sold what little integrity they had long ago to be corporate shills and "holier than thou" hypocrites. I get it from suitably pro-consumer fringe sources now, such as Jim Sterling, SidAlpha and It'sAGundam. Sure they're biased, some of them are unprofessional as hell and I don't always agree with them, but at least they're on the side of the "little guy."

 

[Casual Shinji]

TLDR, my guess is that feedback was against a linear, story-based game, and wanted something either multiplayer focused, open world, or both.

Ugh. Yeah, you're probably right. Gotta love all that corporate jargon.

Thank God it's only a Star Wars game.

Is it jargon though? AAA games seem to be more and more moving away from the linear, singleplayer model and toward the multiplayer, games-as-a-service model, since that's where all the real big bucks are now. Unless it's the new Elder Scrolls or Fallout, AAA singleplayer games just don't make that much money anymore. Certainly not to the amount where it satisfies the corporate bigwigs.

I've been dreading it for the last year now, but the linear, singleplayer AAA game may not be long for this world.

 

[Bilious Green_v1legacy]

I feel bad for them. The Dead Space series (or at least the first two) were really good, but EA couldn't keep its money grubbing paws out of it and interfering in the game design aspects to make more money. Then they got stuck with a dead end project in Battlefield Hardline, which pretty much no-one ever asked for, and then they get the Star Wars gig, only to have the rug pulled out from under them halfway through. Damn shame that EA's horrible management has scuppered their efforts at every turn.

I wonder how long it'll take before Bioware will also be shut down. Though you could say that what Bioware used to be is already long gone at this point.

At this point, I'd say Bioware's fate rests entirely on Anthem. If it fails, they're done.

 

[gigastar]

Well looking at the press release on the subject i would say the decision was motivated in parts due to not wanting a single player linear game, because Uncharted totally doesnt exist.

And as an aside, the following is a screencap of the top rated games on Opencritic in 2017;

I wonder what many of them have in common...

Another thing worth noting is that development seems to have moved to Motive studios, who are responsible only for the new Star Wars: Battlefront II.

 

[Hawki]

Out of curiosity, where does everybody get their gaming news these days?

Mainly Kotaku, IGN, GameSpot, and Polygon.

...bite me.

Well looking at the press release on the subject i would say the decision was motivated in parts due to not wanting a single player linear game, because Uncharted totally doesnt exist.

And as an aside, the following is a screencap of the top rated games on Opencritic in 2017;

I wonder what many of them have in common...

Another thing worth noting is that development seems to have moved to Motive studios, who are responsible only for the new Star Wars: Battlefront II.

Yeah, but how much money do they make?

I'm not asking that question, but rest assured it's the question that EA will be asking.

 

[Chewster]

TIL: people actually liked Dead Space.

 

[Pseudonym]

Out of curiosity, where does everybody get their gaming news these days?

The escapist forums, Jim Sterling, friends. But to be honest I don't really care about gaming news all that much. I don't play nearly as much as I used to, and mostly a couple of games I already have. The getting of gaming news for me is a byproduct of things that interest me mostly for other reasons.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

Japanese twitter is great for gaming news.

Out of curiosity, where does everybody get their gaming news these days?

Mainly Kotaku, IGN, GameSpot, and Polygon.

...bite me.

Well looking at the press release on the subject i would say the decision was motivated in parts due to not wanting a single player linear game, because Uncharted totally doesnt exist.

And as an aside, the following is a screencap of the top rated games on Opencritic in 2017;

I wonder what many of them have in common...

Another thing worth noting is that development seems to have moved to Motive studios, who are responsible only for the new Star Wars: Battlefront II.

Yeah, but how much money do they make?

I'm not asking that question, but rest assured it's the question that EA will be asking.

Zelda sold the switch almost single-handedly, Nier Automata kept Platinum open, P5 outsold its predecessors multiple times over and brought the series out of obscurity.


I'd say they sell well enough. Maybe not modern fps duty levels but that isn't a rational comparison cause those fps games have their own audience that doesn't play most other genres such that it's basically a separate category of thing. Might as well compare it to angry birds at this point.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I?m going play devil?s advocate here and say this is probably a good thing. I mean, if you really think the about it, given the inevitable homogenization of the industry, it?s best we squelch any semblance of unique quality within Triple-A enterprises now versus our drawing out the process by continuing to allow the anomalous developer to commit to their craft and produce the kind of memorable titles that do little more than divide the community at large by providing us exceptional variety and genuine quality worth our $60 investment. We should actually be thankful for EA for expediting this process, the proverbial ?ripping off the band-aid;? their hunting down of these rogue devs like the disease-ridden vermin they are and taking them down by their throats is actually a SERVICE those like EA are providing us. The sooner we unify and align behind the games of the future, those with titles like ?Shooter Game #3,486? or ?Action Adventure Game #2,193,? the better.

 

[CaitSeith]

I?m going play devil?s advocate here and say this is probably a good thing. I mean, if you really think the about it, given the inevitable homogenization of the industry, it?s best we squelch any semblance of unique quality within Triple-A enterprises now versus our drawing out the process by continuing to allow the anomalous developer to commit to their craft and produce the kind of memorable titles that do little more than divide the community at large by providing us exceptional variety and genuine quality worth our $60 investment. We should actually be thankful for EA for expediting this process, the proverbial ?ripping off the band-aid;? their hunting down of these rogue devs like the disease-ridden vermin they are and taking them down by their throats is actually a SERVICE those like EA are providing us. The sooner we unify and align behind the games of the future, those with titles like ?Shooter Game #3,486? or ?Action Adventure Game #2,193,? the better.

Let's see if they keep working on their own before calling it a blessing in disguise.

 

[gigastar]

I?m going play devil?s advocate here and say this is probably a good thing. I mean, if you really think the about it, given the inevitable homogenization of the industry, it?s best we squelch any semblance of unique quality within Triple-A enterprises now versus our drawing out the process by continuing to allow the anomalous developer to commit to their craft and produce the kind of memorable titles that do little more than divide the community at large by providing us exceptional variety and genuine quality worth our $60 investment. We should actually be thankful for EA for expediting this process, the proverbial ?ripping off the band-aid;? their hunting down of these rogue devs like the disease-ridden vermin they are and taking them down by their throats is actually a SERVICE those like EA are providing us. The sooner we unify and align behind the games of the future, those with titles like ?Shooter Game #3,486? or ?Action Adventure Game #2,193,? the better.

That day cannot arrive soon enough.

I just wonder how many more are going to jump onto the conveyor leading to the meat grinder thinking theyre different when all they need to do is realize that everyone only wants the same old shit.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I?m going play devil?s advocate here and say this is probably a good thing. I mean, if you really think the about it, given the inevitable homogenization of the industry, it?s best we squelch any semblance of unique quality within Triple-A enterprises now versus our drawing out the process by continuing to allow the anomalous developer to commit to their craft and produce the kind of memorable titles that do little more than divide the community at large by providing us exceptional variety and genuine quality worth our $60 investment. We should actually be thankful for EA for expediting this process, the proverbial ?ripping off the band-aid;? their hunting down of these rogue devs like the disease-ridden vermin they are and taking them down by their throats is actually a SERVICE those like EA are providing us. The sooner we unify and align behind the games of the future, those with titles like ?Shooter Game #3,486? or ?Action Adventure Game #2,193,? the better.

Let's see if they keep working on their own before calling it a blessing in disguise.

Let's see if this works:

[sarcasm]

I?m going play devil?s advocate here and say this is probably a good thing. I mean, if you really think the about it, given the inevitable homogenization of the industry, it?s best we squelch any semblance of unique quality within Triple-A enterprises now versus our drawing out the process by continuing to allow the anomalous developer to commit to their craft and produce the kind of memorable titles that do little more than divide the community at large by providing us exceptional variety and genuine quality worth our $60 investment. We should actually be thankful for EA for expediting this process, the proverbial ?ripping off the band-aid;? their hunting down of these rogue devs like the disease-ridden vermin they are and taking them down by their throats is actually a SERVICE those like EA are providing us. The sooner we unify and align behind the games of the future, those with titles like ?Shooter Game #3,486? or ?Action Adventure Game #2,193,? the better.

[/sarcasm]

Eh, nope.

 

[Zombie Proof]

TIL: people actually liked Dead Space.

Oh, totally. I absolutely LOVE Dead Space 1 and 2.

As a huge fan of The Thing, Aliens, and Event Horizon, it was a blast to finally interact with a game that so completely emulated the feel of those movies. The game play was tense and fun and the visual and audio design is top notch. One of my favorite new franchises of last gen.

Some folks like to harumph at Dead Space because it ain't "THE SCARIEST GAME EVER MADE" and I'd answer that neither were Aliens, Event Horizon, and The Thing the scariest movies ever made, but they're still some of the greatest sci fi thrillers ever to grace the screen.

I'm truly sad to see the demise of Visceral. Their Dead Space series (the first two at least) provided me hours of gaming enjoyment.

 

[Zombie Proof]

I can't tell what Dead Space was "thinking" so I can't judge that. I can only judge the series (1 and 2) by what it "did" and that was provide a game play experience in the vein of Sci-Fi action/horror hyrids akin to the films I listed. In that regard it totally blew me away.

*edit*
I also provide a bit of leeway grading a videogame up against one of the greatest films made by one of the greatest directors ever. However awkward it's paranoid elements stacked next to those found in The Thing and it's mastery, the interactivity of the gaming medium more than made up for it. Actually engaging the themes I'd loved for years as opposed to passively enjoying them was quite the experience.

 

[Zombie Proof]

...also, you should totally check out Event Horizon 'zeke. I couldn't call it literary, but it's definitely a fun ride.

 

[Kotaro]

They join an ever growing list.

This is just what EA does. They take in a promising studio, suck every bit of life out of them, and then toss away the desiccated corpse before moving on to their next victim.

EA: The Nosferatu of the Game Industry

 

[Dalisclock]

They join an ever growing list.

This is just what EA does. They take in a promising studio, suck every bit of life out of them, and then toss away the desiccated corpse before moving on to their next victim.

EA: The Nosferatu of the Game Industry

Anyone else thinking Bioware is the next corpse on the pile? I mean, after they turn Dragon Age into a multiplayer MMO with microtransactions and then decide it didn't make enough gobs of money for their taste.