EA acquires BioWare and Pandemic

[Big Shady]

Fucking nuts

http://kotaku.com/gaming/ea-grabs-two-devs/ea-buys-bioware-pandemic-309937.php

 

[Metal Slugnuts]

Fucking balls, they're going to charge up the ass for Mass Effect DLC.

 

[norton9478]

They have to...

Nintendo was recently ranked as the #1 developer (size, titles, $$$$, industry rep).

 

[SSS]

ea needs to pull an atari

 

[wizkid007]

wow. Jesus christ.....

 

[Ghost-Dog]

Quick, someone post the EA logo on this somewhere:

They paid almost a billion dollars in this deal. Fucking ridiculous..

 

[BC_Gambit]

I guess there's a few more millionaires up Edmonton way.

The most surprising thing to me about this deal is that companies are still paying up for studios.

Its the talent, stupid. You can pay a billion kazillion dollars for the name, but if everybody who made the sweet games leaves what was the point?

So you can whore out the brand for a few titles and maybe break even?

 

[EX_Andy]

I guess there's a few more millionaires up Edmonton way.

The most surprising thing to me about this deal is that companies are still paying up for studios.

Its the talent, stupid. You can pay a billion kazillion dollars for the name, but if everybody who made the sweet games leaves what was the point?

So you can whore out the brand for a few titles and maybe break even?

The general idea in these deals is to buy out the studios and also to try to keep the talent. In many cases, these buyouts mean that the guys at smaller development houses can start to enjoy such perks as health insurance, retirement plans, and stock options. You don't purposely kill the golden goose, especially if you just paid about a zillion dollars for it.

Publishers buy up dev studios to give themselves a competitive edge. EA buying BioWare/Pandemic means no more BioWare-developed Knights of the Old Republic. Tough luck, LucasArts.

BioWare is also developing a massively multiplayer game, and though there's very little public knowledge about that game out there, if it turns out to be half the money-printing machine that World of Warcraft is, you can bet EA wants in on it.

 

[racecar]

I guess there's a few more millionaires up Edmonton way.

The most surprising thing to me about this deal is that companies are still paying up for studios.

Its the talent, stupid. You can pay a billion kazillion dollars for the name, but if everybody who made the sweet games leaves what was the point?

So you can whore out the brand for a few titles and maybe break even?

i know one of em just brought a new car today....

 

[Rade K]

wow -

thats all i have to say.

 

[rarehero]

lame

 

[not sonic]

i dont really care for the games either has put out so it doesnt really matter.

 

[Magician]

Though EA is mostly know for publishing sports games and above average games in other genres, I like this move for one reason, BioWare and Pandemic get major financial backing. I now have a reason to cheer on Madden sales; so that EA can (hopefully) pump that money into their newly acquired Action/RPG/Adventure divisions. Mass Effect is sure to be a trilogy now.

 

[Ghost-Dog]

Though EA is mostly know for publishing sports games and above average games in other genres, I like this move for one reason, BioWare and Pandemic get major financial backing. I now have a reason to cheer on Madden sales; so that EA can (hopefully) pump that money into their newly acquired Action/RPG/Adventure divisions. Mass Effect is sure to be a trilogy now.

It was already planned to be a trilogy.

And this is bad news for gamers. EA is shady as fuck, and they have a long history of buying up talented developers and either gutting the staff or riding them into shitty sequel oblivion.

This just in, Bioware's release schedule for the next 5 years..

-Mass Effect, Nov. 2007
-Mass Effect DLC, Dec. 2007
-Mass Effect '08, Nov 2008 (-now with EA Trax!!)
-Mass Effect '08 DLC/Roster Update, Mar 2009
-Mass Effect '09, Nov 2009
-Mass Effect '09 DLC/Roster Update, Mar 2010
-Mass Effect '10, Nov 2010
-Mass Effect '10 DLC/Roster Update, Mar 2011
-Mass Effect '11, Nov 2011
-Mass Effect '11 DLC/Roster Update, Mar 2012
-Mass Effect '12, Nov 2012

I think you get the idea.

The whole point of VG Holding Corp (the owner of Bioware/Pandemic) was to buck the traditional Publisher/Developer model and to give the developer more creative freedom. This assimilation goes completely against that model. It's bad for creativity and bad for gamers.

 

[soopafamicom]

It was already planned to be a trilogy.

And this is bad news for gamers. EA is shady as fuck, and they have a long history of buying up talented developers and either gutting the staff or riding them into shitty sequel oblivion.

This just in, Bioware's release schedule for the next 5 years..

-Mass Effect, Nov. 2007
-Mass Effect DLC, Dec. 2007
-Mass Effect '08, Nov 2008 (-now with EA Trax!!)
-Mass Effect '08 DLC/Roster Update, Mar 2009
-Mass Effect '09, Nov 2009
-Mass Effect '09 DLC/Roster Update, Mar 2010
-Mass Effect '10, Nov 2010
-Mass Effect '10 DLC/Roster Update, Mar 2011
-Mass Effect '11, Nov 2011
-Mass Effect '11 DLC/Roster Update, Mar 2012
-Mass Effect '12, Nov 2012

I think you get the idea.

The whole point of VG Holding Corp (the owner of Bioware/Pandemic) was to buck the traditional Publisher/Developer model and to give the developer more creative freedom. This assimilation goes completely against that model. It's bad for creativity and bad for gamers.

Don't forget the 'Extreme' and/or 'Urban' editions or a Def Jam Icon X-over version.

 

[not sonic]

i still dont see what the big deal is.

not like either of em made any good games.

 

[Ghost-Dog]

i still dont see what the big deal is.

not like either of em made any good games.

Just stop.

Bioware has a consistent track record of making amazing games, just because you're not into them doesn't make them otherwise.

 

[Lastblade]

Just stop.

Bioware has a consistent track record of making amazing games, just because you're not into them doesn't make them otherwise.

No kidding, Bioware is awesome.

 

[oldschool]

This is the latest news to come out which makes it suck to be a gamer. Good thing I gave it up for the most part way back.

 

[not sonic]

Just stop.

Bioware has a consistent track record of making amazing games, just because you're not into them doesn't make them otherwise.

like what?

maybe ill give bioware baldur's gate and nwn.

but cmon, pandemic? mediocrity at its best.