I can't wait for the EAtrax during Jade Empire 2! I totally thought that game needed some Fall Out Boy songs. Seems like a lot to pay for those companies to me. But then again I don't have 800 million to go buying things with.
Just got back from our meeting announcing the deal. Can't speak for Bioware, but Pandemic will see little to no change. I imagine Bioware is in the same position. I mean EA's John Riccitiello was once our pres. and set up our previous VGH structure, so he obviously likes how we operate. He doesn't want to fuck it up.
As for all the games already in development NOT being published by EA (Mass Effect, Sonic RPG, etc...), just remember that they AREN'T being published by EA. So don't jump to conclusions about any of that.
shit news for the long term if you asked me. one of the largest independants just got swallowed up? and of course in the early stages of an aquisition they'll always promise "no changes".
Yea, in about two years they will announce that they are shutting down their Edmonton and Austin studios and give the employees the option to either find new jobs or move to SF or LA
Just remember the horrible things they did to Westwood Studios. They took a wonderful studio that was nestled in the Vegas area that was making awesome games and shut them down and moved them to a shitty part of L.A.
I doubt that AZ. EA are smart enough to have finally figured out that development in CA is not very cost effective for them. But I still have every faith that they'll fuck up Pandemic and Bioware somehow.
Sigh, I still remember sitting in on a meeting in Guildford all those years ago "Oh rest assured that the Bullfrog monicker and studio identity absolutely will remain". Less than a year later it was EA UK
glad I left! funny thing is its not entirely a surprise but hopefully everyone is happy and gets the cash! expect a studio or two popping up in the future (after retaining cash comes through)!
You people are sooooo god damned negative. This is not bad news. EA is not stupid. When they buy a huge dev studio who is already making goo gobs of money, it is in their best interest to leave it alone and let it make goo gobs of money for them. They generally stay out of it these days. I can't attest to what they've done in the past with other shady acquisitions but I can tell you they've been great here at Mythic and I expect it will be the same in this case.
keep in mind, the CEO of EA now is very new (9 months new), but before that, he was the CEO of Pandemic. This guy has Pandemic and Bioware's BEST interest in mind. Not to mention he was probably the reason for the way Pandemic is today. Google it and see for your self.
nah, EA is going to turn it into a football game with fallout boy soundtrack, just like they're doing with our game. When I say they I mean me and when I say game I mean turkey sandwich.
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keep in mind, the CEO of EA now is very new (9 months new), but before that, he was the CEO of Pandemic. This guy has Pandemic and Bioware's BEST interest in mind.
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The way you've worded that is not entirely true and completely and utterly misleading. I was at EA for 8 years. For most of my time at EA HQ, John Ricitello was president and COO of Electronic Arts. He quit not that long ago, 2004 to be precise. He co-founded Elevation Partners with, among others, U2 singer Bono. Elevation Partners created a "super developer" through the purchase and merger of Pandemic and BioWare in *late 2005*. He *returned* to EA recently to take over the role of CEO when old man Larry Probst finally stepped down.
In a nutshell, he's spent way more time as a senior executive at EA than having much to do with Pandemic or Bioware. Google it and see for yourself.
Chief operating officer and president. A reasonable leader? With a corporation as large as EA, the minions have little exposure to executives beyond periodic company meetings where execs stand up and turn on the spin and sell the EA dream. Much like Hitler did at the Nuremberg rallies.
Don't forget, at COO, CFO, CEO level, the product is pretty much irrelevant to them. It wouldn't matter If the company made toilet paper, so long as it sold. Their background is rarely a pedigree in videogames. CEO's get hired in from other industries. I'm sure he has some business skills, I doubt he's a gamer.
It'll be interesting to see how things go, but I hope they work out well for everyone. Bioware doesnt make games fast - they will sit on a bad project till its eventually turned around and worth releasing.
Dragon Age was first announced several years ago, but internally has been in development for 6 years ( and still a few off imo). I've also seen another internal and unannounced project in prototyping for 2 years at bioware. will Ea change this? Bioware have a good reputation because they dont release crap. They've always been in the position to negotiate with their publishers, or spend lots of cash to self fund developments. I am fairly certain EA will want to see a faster and cheaper return than the studio is used to, so I can see things changing.
This deal was in John R's best interest... he still had a large amount of shares in VGH.. and if Bioware/Pandemic was left to run as it currently was... there was going to be a long period of self funding, to create new Ip's.. I dont think any real money was expected till sequals of the new ip's started rolling in. EA buying Bio/Pan gets him his cash back with a good return, demonstrates EA's continued growth and has inspired a share price increase.. so its all good for John R.
my plan is to just sit back until EA has bought everyone, and then buy out EA with my drug money. Then I'll auction off each studio to the highest bidder.
It really seems like this was a cunning plan all along to bag these 2 companies. Despite how far fetched that may or may not sound, it prolly went something like this...
The Scenario:
So after a tough CEO company golf meeting, a victorious Larry Prostate says to a beleaguered Jon Ficuscello Gosh, I love sinking my balls into these holes, dont you?
Ficuscello bitterly glances up to his master and says Yeah I guess so rather sourly.
Larry Prostate assesses the situation, grins and peers back at Ficuscello with a sort of a glazed look that an aging loungelizard gets when he eyes an underageteen having trouble buying a drink at the bar. You know Ficuscello, it might be the vodka talking, but I bet you a dollar that you cant bag those two honeys Biowarez and Pandamedic for the team. They are as the kids these days say, radical, but their legs are clamped shut from the clutches of the big money that is us at MegaCorp Games. They could really use a sugar daddy like us, if you know what I mean. But if only someone could nail them first, you know, dirty them up a bit, and then maybe they might want it from anyone. SIGH .
Ficuscello sees the challenge, and in an effort to still prove his virulence as a mal,e bull headedly replies, Ok old man, you're on, but if I win you owe me a dollar and you also have to step down from your position as Overlord Supreme so that I may take over and continue with the anal pillage of those damn man-boy creative types.
Prostate is enamored by this bold and proud proclamation, and he slowly turns away and reminisces about the days of yore when he didnt need a pill to spearhead the destruction of developers like Original Systems and WessWoo studios. But the memories are shortlived. The caddys cries of pain bring him back to reality. He grinds his heels into the cloth below him to wipe away the mud from his shoes and steps he off the caddy, turns back to Ficuscello and vehemently utters with an ambiguous sort of pride in his voice, Sure but I get lots of money when this is done.
(i doubt jamie lee curtis was naked during this production.)
Ok, so before all this, Ficuscello works at Megacorp games for 8 years prior to this bet, leaves after accepting the bet and starts up a VC group with notable commies like rock star El Baño, and he merges two seemingly independent studios together in a way that will allow for a purchase by a larger entity later on down the line. So some time lapses by and fans and industry people alike rave about how this is the first step to continue and maintain autonomous control for developers in a world where green giants maim and destroy the rectums of the little man everywhere. Fans cry out memes like This is full of win and FTW and Pwnt, but despite all of the hoorahs, from their 2 towers Ficuscello and Prostate laugh across the oblivion, knowing full well of what really is happening, until it happens.
Then it happens. One day Ficuscello requests that all of the VCs come in for a meeting. They are a bit puzzled as to why he is holding a box so close to his crotch, but then he shows them all just what is inside that box. El Baño is speechless.
As the bastardly chess game continues, Ficuscello goes back to Megacorp Games as Overlord Supreme when Larry Prostate can no longer stab a fruit cake with his wrinkled warrior. Meanwhile, Biowarez and Pandamedic are busy cleaning off the rouge and going back to church to make their confessions about the wonderous and innocuously painful experiences with Ficuscello and his box.
But the truth is so much viler than that. While Biowarez and Pandamedic were busy icing themselves down from the box incident, Ficuscello victoriously marched his way to the underground lair of the Megacorp-minati, also home to the fraternity Sigma Pi Delta, aka greatest of all party drinkers, to deliver the panties of the aforementioned studios to the current lord and prove that he has in fact dirtied the companies and has the crusties on them panties to prove it.
Ficuscello, in his greatest hour, bellows I have done it. Mr. Prostate, where is my dollar? LoL
Larry Prostate gazes back to his minion with the sort of look of man that just relieved himself of an order of spicy burritos and a nacho supreme that had been plaguing him the entire day, and said, Well hot damn, looks like I just got served...an assload of money, laugh out loud!!"
Only now seeing the full extent of the plan, Ficuscello sternly addresses his aging master So uhh about that position, I am going to have to ask that you give it up to me now. My time has come and the buns are fresh for the harvest.
Indeed, you have done what no one else has done, Ficuscello. Those two were a tough nut to crack, but you have left their innards as peanut butter inside husks once made of glory or something. You have used the back door to usurp the throne of those that seek to not to put their funds and ideas into the hands of countless others, those stingy bastards! You have done it, and I congratulate you. From here on out, I relinquish my duties as Overlord Supreme and bestow them unto you. May you continue the effort to strike down those groups and individuals that seek to bring about innovation, creativity, and growth and other random hoopla that hippies and llama farmers cant do without. They do it for reasons that are really beyond me but they bring green papers and fresh asses to rend through the door. Enjoy your duties Ficuscello, you deserve them .Doodies. LoL.
..Doodies LOL
Yeah LoL, Doodies
And thats my take on what happened, of course this is only one possible fictional scenario .somewhat loosely based on reality
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I am fairly certain EA will want to see a faster and cheaper return than the studio is used to, so I can see things changing.
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definitely sounds likely. plus they might be expected to start work on established EA ip's over whatever they so far had been cooking internally.
two years of try and error with a prototype does not sound like the sure bet businessmen prefer to go for. looks bad on quarterly financial reports as well, i suppose.
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You people are sooooo god damned negative. This is not bad news. EA is not stupid. When they buy a huge dev studio who is already making goo gobs of money, it is in their best interest to leave it alone and let it make goo gobs of money for them. They generally stay out of it these days. I can't attest to what they've done in the past with other shady acquisitions but I can tell you they've been great here at Mythic and I expect it will be the same in this case.
[/ QUOTE ]
That is until the first title is shipped which doesn't do so hot.
[ QUOTE ]
They generally stay out of it these days. I can't attest to what they've done in the past with other shady acquisitions but I can tell you they've been great here at Mythic and I expect it will be the same in this case.
[/ QUOTE ]
And Mythic works on what, now? Warhammer, Warhammer, and Warhammer? And guess what they'll be doing for the next 10 years. I'll give you a hint, it involves building tools and large conflicts. Go to the Mythic page on wikipedia and it gives you a big EA Logo -- not EA Mythic, just EA. You're going to tell me that's good for the company?
If EA owned Bioware two years ago then Mass Effect would have been KOTOR III and Dragon Age would be a LOTR game. I think the implications of that is pretty obvious.
EA might stay out of the day-to-day lives of the individual employees of the studio, but a few crazy big-shots at the top can ruin a whole lot of projects when they control the overall direction of the company. That's exactly what EA can do now.
[ QUOTE ]
And Mythic works on what, now? Warhammer, Warhammer, and Warhammer? And guess what they'll be doing for the next 10 years. I'll give you a hint, it involves building tools and large conflicts.
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Couldn't be further from the truth. I love fantasy.
And Mythic works on what, now? Warhammer, Warhammer, and Warhammer? And guess what they'll be doing for the next 10 years. I'll give you a hint, it involves building tools and large conflicts.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well, hopefully we'll have a live team on Warhammer for the next ten years, as that's about how long a successful MMO lasts. But, EA has nothing to do with that. The Warhammer IP is owned by Games Workshop. Mythic paid for the license about 3 years ago, well before the whole EA thing had even come into the picture.
So basically, I have no idea what you are talking about . . .
Now I can understand other people being concerned with EA's history in aquisitions. Some people at Mythic are ex-Kesmai (interesting aside, Gordon Walton is also, and is now one of the chief dudes at Bioware Austin). But EA has said they're trying to change their ways, and I'm guardedly optimistic at this point. They've been pure awesome for us, and hopefully they do the same for Bioware and Pandemic.
Replies
WELCOME TO THE MOTHERSHIP, MY BROTHERS
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We will be serving cake.
ugh... so dragonage is about to be injected with a huge dose of suck?
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nah just a pop punk and hip hop soundtrack with billboard advertisements......oh wait.....yeah...
edit- i'm joking, but given bioware stood as one of the biggest independent developers out there, this is sad news
As for all the games already in development NOT being published by EA (Mass Effect, Sonic RPG, etc...), just remember that they AREN'T being published by EA. So don't jump to conclusions about any of that.
Oh let us just see how this one pans out.
Sigh, I still remember sitting in on a meeting in Guildford all those years ago "Oh rest assured that the Bullfrog monicker and studio identity absolutely will remain". Less than a year later it was EA UK
Anyhoo, glad I didn't sell all my EA stock!
Hopefully I can still vest my options! LOL
In any case Mass Effect is now free!! Bonus!
keep in mind, the CEO of EA now is very new (9 months new), but before that, he was the CEO of Pandemic. This guy has Pandemic and Bioware's BEST interest in mind.
[/ QUOTE ]
The way you've worded that is not entirely true and completely and utterly misleading. I was at EA for 8 years. For most of my time at EA HQ, John Ricitello was president and COO of Electronic Arts. He quit not that long ago, 2004 to be precise. He co-founded Elevation Partners with, among others, U2 singer Bono. Elevation Partners created a "super developer" through the purchase and merger of Pandemic and BioWare in *late 2005*. He *returned* to EA recently to take over the role of CEO when old man Larry Probst finally stepped down.
In a nutshell, he's spent way more time as a senior executive at EA than having much to do with Pandemic or Bioware. Google it and see for yourself.
While u were thier, was John a reasonable leader? What was his function thier?
Don't forget, at COO, CFO, CEO level, the product is pretty much irrelevant to them. It wouldn't matter If the company made toilet paper, so long as it sold. Their background is rarely a pedigree in videogames. CEO's get hired in from other industries. I'm sure he has some business skills, I doubt he's a gamer.
Dragon Age was first announced several years ago, but internally has been in development for 6 years ( and still a few off imo). I've also seen another internal and unannounced project in prototyping for 2 years at bioware. will Ea change this? Bioware have a good reputation because they dont release crap. They've always been in the position to negotiate with their publishers, or spend lots of cash to self fund developments. I am fairly certain EA will want to see a faster and cheaper return than the studio is used to, so I can see things changing.
This deal was in John R's best interest... he still had a large amount of shares in VGH.. and if Bioware/Pandemic was left to run as it currently was... there was going to be a long period of self funding, to create new Ip's.. I dont think any real money was expected till sequals of the new ip's started rolling in. EA buying Bio/Pan gets him his cash back with a good return, demonstrates EA's continued growth and has inspired a share price increase.. so its all good for John R.
The Scenario:
So after a tough CEO company golf meeting, a victorious Larry Prostate says to a beleaguered Jon Ficuscello Gosh, I love sinking my balls into these holes, dont you?
Ficuscello bitterly glances up to his master and says Yeah I guess so rather sourly.
Larry Prostate assesses the situation, grins and peers back at Ficuscello with a sort of a glazed look that an aging loungelizard gets when he eyes an underageteen having trouble buying a drink at the bar. You know Ficuscello, it might be the vodka talking, but I bet you a dollar that you cant bag those two honeys Biowarez and Pandamedic for the team. They are as the kids these days say, radical, but their legs are clamped shut from the clutches of the big money that is us at MegaCorp Games. They could really use a sugar daddy like us, if you know what I mean. But if only someone could nail them first, you know, dirty them up a bit, and then maybe they might want it from anyone. SIGH .
Ficuscello sees the challenge, and in an effort to still prove his virulence as a mal,e bull headedly replies, Ok old man, you're on, but if I win you owe me a dollar and you also have to step down from your position as Overlord Supreme so that I may take over and continue with the anal pillage of those damn man-boy creative types.
Prostate is enamored by this bold and proud proclamation, and he slowly turns away and reminisces about the days of yore when he didnt need a pill to spearhead the destruction of developers like Original Systems and WessWoo studios. But the memories are shortlived. The caddys cries of pain bring him back to reality. He grinds his heels into the cloth below him to wipe away the mud from his shoes and steps he off the caddy, turns back to Ficuscello and vehemently utters with an ambiguous sort of pride in his voice, Sure but I get lots of money when this is done.
(i doubt jamie lee curtis was naked during this production.)
Ok, so before all this, Ficuscello works at Megacorp games for 8 years prior to this bet, leaves after accepting the bet and starts up a VC group with notable commies like rock star El Baño, and he merges two seemingly independent studios together in a way that will allow for a purchase by a larger entity later on down the line. So some time lapses by and fans and industry people alike rave about how this is the first step to continue and maintain autonomous control for developers in a world where green giants maim and destroy the rectums of the little man everywhere. Fans cry out memes like This is full of win and FTW and Pwnt, but despite all of the hoorahs, from their 2 towers Ficuscello and Prostate laugh across the oblivion, knowing full well of what really is happening, until it happens.
Then it happens. One day Ficuscello requests that all of the VCs come in for a meeting. They are a bit puzzled as to why he is holding a box so close to his crotch, but then he shows them all just what is inside that box. El Baño is speechless.
As the bastardly chess game continues, Ficuscello goes back to Megacorp Games as Overlord Supreme when Larry Prostate can no longer stab a fruit cake with his wrinkled warrior. Meanwhile, Biowarez and Pandamedic are busy cleaning off the rouge and going back to church to make their confessions about the wonderous and innocuously painful experiences with Ficuscello and his box.
But the truth is so much viler than that. While Biowarez and Pandamedic were busy icing themselves down from the box incident, Ficuscello victoriously marched his way to the underground lair of the Megacorp-minati, also home to the fraternity Sigma Pi Delta, aka greatest of all party drinkers, to deliver the panties of the aforementioned studios to the current lord and prove that he has in fact dirtied the companies and has the crusties on them panties to prove it.
Ficuscello, in his greatest hour, bellows I have done it. Mr. Prostate, where is my dollar? LoL
Larry Prostate gazes back to his minion with the sort of look of man that just relieved himself of an order of spicy burritos and a nacho supreme that had been plaguing him the entire day, and said, Well hot damn, looks like I just got served...an assload of money, laugh out loud!!"
Only now seeing the full extent of the plan, Ficuscello sternly addresses his aging master So uhh about that position, I am going to have to ask that you give it up to me now. My time has come and the buns are fresh for the harvest.
Indeed, you have done what no one else has done, Ficuscello. Those two were a tough nut to crack, but you have left their innards as peanut butter inside husks once made of glory or something. You have used the back door to usurp the throne of those that seek to not to put their funds and ideas into the hands of countless others, those stingy bastards! You have done it, and I congratulate you. From here on out, I relinquish my duties as Overlord Supreme and bestow them unto you. May you continue the effort to strike down those groups and individuals that seek to bring about innovation, creativity, and growth and other random hoopla that hippies and llama farmers cant do without. They do it for reasons that are really beyond me but they bring green papers and fresh asses to rend through the door. Enjoy your duties Ficuscello, you deserve them .Doodies. LoL.
..Doodies LOL
Yeah LoL, Doodies
And thats my take on what happened, of course this is only one possible fictional scenario .somewhat loosely based on reality
i couldnt sleep and writing is fun...
I am fairly certain EA will want to see a faster and cheaper return than the studio is used to, so I can see things changing.
[/ QUOTE ]
definitely sounds likely. plus they might be expected to start work on established EA ip's over whatever they so far had been cooking internally.
two years of try and error with a prototype does not sound like the sure bet businessmen prefer to go for. looks bad on quarterly financial reports as well, i suppose.
plus they might be expected to start work on established EA ip's over whatever they so far had been cooking internally.
[/ QUOTE ]
if that results in a Bioware Harry Potter rpg then i will be happy.
You people are sooooo god damned negative. This is not bad news. EA is not stupid. When they buy a huge dev studio who is already making goo gobs of money, it is in their best interest to leave it alone and let it make goo gobs of money for them. They generally stay out of it these days. I can't attest to what they've done in the past with other shady acquisitions but I can tell you they've been great here at Mythic and I expect it will be the same in this case.
[/ QUOTE ]
That is until the first title is shipped which doesn't do so hot.
They generally stay out of it these days. I can't attest to what they've done in the past with other shady acquisitions but I can tell you they've been great here at Mythic and I expect it will be the same in this case.
[/ QUOTE ]
And Mythic works on what, now? Warhammer, Warhammer, and Warhammer? And guess what they'll be doing for the next 10 years. I'll give you a hint, it involves building tools and large conflicts. Go to the Mythic page on wikipedia and it gives you a big EA Logo -- not EA Mythic, just EA. You're going to tell me that's good for the company?
If EA owned Bioware two years ago then Mass Effect would have been KOTOR III and Dragon Age would be a LOTR game. I think the implications of that is pretty obvious.
EA might stay out of the day-to-day lives of the individual employees of the studio, but a few crazy big-shots at the top can ruin a whole lot of projects when they control the overall direction of the company. That's exactly what EA can do now.
And Mythic works on what, now? Warhammer, Warhammer, and Warhammer? And guess what they'll be doing for the next 10 years. I'll give you a hint, it involves building tools and large conflicts.
[/ QUOTE ]
Couldn't be further from the truth. I love fantasy.
EA bought them and they started releasing a string of lackluster-to-bullshit titles, like Renegade.
Finnally EA dissolved the studio and absorbed what was left of westwood and started making LOTR's RTS's. I played one of them. It wasn't all that hot.
EA has it's balls in 3 of the studios I have worked for. It always ends up being bad news.
-R
And Mythic works on what, now? Warhammer, Warhammer, and Warhammer? And guess what they'll be doing for the next 10 years. I'll give you a hint, it involves building tools and large conflicts.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well, hopefully we'll have a live team on Warhammer for the next ten years, as that's about how long a successful MMO lasts. But, EA has nothing to do with that. The Warhammer IP is owned by Games Workshop. Mythic paid for the license about 3 years ago, well before the whole EA thing had even come into the picture.
So basically, I have no idea what you are talking about . . .
Now I can understand other people being concerned with EA's history in aquisitions. Some people at Mythic are ex-Kesmai (interesting aside, Gordon Walton is also, and is now one of the chief dudes at Bioware Austin). But EA has said they're trying to change their ways, and I'm guardedly optimistic at this point. They've been pure awesome for us, and hopefully they do the same for Bioware and Pandemic.
:O So they buy BioPan and now they are laying a few Mythic people off? Truth or bullcrap?