Nailbender wrote on Oct 19, 2017, 09:46:
The real Bioware, Bioware as we knew it, is long gone already, but the way Andromeda was handled was pretty much the final nail in their coffin.
I now fully realize that EA are indeed the bane of the gaming industry. When ALL that matters is money (and only huge amounts of it), absolutely nothing else.
Creston wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 11:11:The real Bioware, Bioware as we knew it, is long gone already, but the way Andromeda was handled was pretty much the final nail in their coffin. Whatever the profits and success of Anthem amounts to, it's not going to be the next Overwatch, and EA seems to be bent on thinking "If Studio X doesn't produce the next Overwatch or WOW, the profits are too small and we will kill it". So, basically, all of the studios EA owns and will own are living on borrowed time.Wallshadows wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 10:49:
It's pretty funny and sad how Jim Sterling was exactly right about this happening over two years ago. Which studio is next? BioWare? Place your bets an stay tuned!
If Anthem tanks, Bioware is dead.
Mordhaus wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 20:00:MoreLuckThanSkill wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 13:00:
Slightly offtopic: Bioware is no longer the old school Bioware obviously, but they'll probably make a metric shitload of money on Anthem, they aren't going anywhere.
They aren't even Bioware anymore. An online only multiplayer shooter? What version of Bioware would have ever sunk that low to release an online only game without solo player story and content? The saddest thing would be if it did succeed, because then all Bioware will be is the name attached to the endless series of sequels, like DICE and whichever 'new' Battlefield rehash they have out this quarter.
MoreLuckThanSkill wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 13:00:
Slightly offtopic: Bioware is no longer the old school Bioware obviously, but they'll probably make a metric shitload of money on Anthem, they aren't going anywhere.
jdreyer wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 12:43:More games should do this, it's perfectly legal, moral and good.
Dead Space 2 would have made more money if they'd done DLC, microtransactions, in-game ads, and loot boxes.
Red886 wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 13:46:so true
it's kinda known that tricks used in hollywood accounting is not only confined to studios.
Slashman wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 17:42:christheshitter wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 14:26:
I find it hilarious that everyone praise Witcher 3 again and again. I can't repeat it enough, that game has a shit combat system where all you do is spamming a button to auto attack just like the Batman Arkham games or like every consolegame out there.
I find it equally hilarious that you just don't get that the combat system in W3 was just fine and button mashing was only possible on the lower and default difficulty levels. Those levels were made because everyone complained about how Witcher 2 had combat that was too hard.Shitty stupid NPC's pathfinding which constantly walking into things. Robbing from NPC's and they don't react. Hell damn even Risen or the Gothic-series had smarter NPC's.
If this is the sum total of your complaints about one of, if not the best, CRPGs in more than a decade, then you are a kid who wouldn't appreciate a good RPG if it walked up to you and punched you in the gut.
christheshitter wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 14:26:
I find it hilarious that everyone praise Witcher 3 again and again. I can't repeat it enough, that game has a shit combat system where all you do is spamming a button to auto attack just like the Batman Arkham games or like every consolegame out there.
Shitty stupid NPC's pathfinding which constantly walking into things. Robbing from NPC's and they don't react. Hell damn even Risen or the Gothic-series had smarter NPC's.
Well, you still should have accounted for taxes and retailer cut, cost of goods and all that
Orogogus wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 15:36:CJ_Parker wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 15:10:
Well, you still should have accounted for taxes and retailer cut, cost of goods and all that .
(snip)
Some of those things wouldn't be applicable to revenue -- in particular, cost of goods would be explicitly separated from revenue -- although things like retailer cut would be applicable since EA never sees that money.
I think DS2 probably did have a lot of discounted sales, though (EDIT: On PC, anyway). It was in at least one Humble Bundle, and it was on sale for $5 several times, including within about a year of release.
CJ_Parker wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 15:10:
Well, you still should have accounted for taxes and retailer cut, cost of goods and all that .
(snip)
Verno wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 12:43:Primalchrome wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 11:40:Verno wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 10:09:....not sure where you're getting $240M. They sold 4 million copies total. It released at ~$60...and later went on sale. The game probably generated $180M at best.
I still see plenty of room there for profit.
With revenue of 240M and fixed costs of 60M, you only have to cover your variable unit costs and variable marketing. I find it hard to believe it was 120M in variable costs alone.
I don't have access to those figures so I just multiplied by the known price at release. The majority of sales we're told happen in the first 30-60 days so it felt somewhat fair at the time
Slashman wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 12:03:
Making traditional AAA titles is becoming less and less sustainable.
I'm certainly buying less of them at, or near, launch (if I buy them at all).
There are a few franchises that continue to deliver above and beyond on a consistent basis, but the gems in my gaming collection are much more so indie games than anything else these days. (Well Witcher 3 is always going to be there of course).
These days I find myself playing stuff like Grim Dawn, Space Pirates and Zombies 2, Everspace, Divinity: OS 1 and 2, Hand of Fate, Age of Wonders 3 and not really having any cravings for AAA titles apart from whenever they release the next Elder Scrolls game.
MoreLuckThanSkill wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 13:00:
Slightly offtopic: Bioware is no longer the old school Bioware obviously, but they'll probably make a metric shitload of money on Anthem, they aren't going anywhere.
jdreyer wrote on Oct 18, 2017, 12:43:
Dead Space 2 would have made more money if they'd done DLC, microtransactions, in-game ads, and loot boxes.