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Shrapnel
Rocket Scientist
Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 1325
Location: Newark, NJ |
1) JackChaos was the last know U9 website I remembered seeing
2) The Ultima Series didnt go down the drain until they sold out to EA, who have ruined the name by hashing out rushed jobs and cancelled projects (UO:Origin, RIP) and now keeps the cash-cow of UO on life support until everyone gets tired of playing it and then the series will be dead, a sad ending to a 20 yr old series...A bug-filled rushed finale to the SRPG and an outdated decaying MMORPG.
And, of course, EA will move on to produce other timeless classics as
Madden 2002, some other racing game that looked like last year's, and another motorcyle game 2002. and 6 more sport titles '02 |
Mon Feb 11, 2002 3:01 pm |
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Sir Markus
Counselor of the King
Joined: 11 Jan 2002
Posts: 369
Location: Columbus, Ohio USA |
I totally agree, I don't fully understand the mechanics of game publishing, but some of the great old time franchises have sold out to big publishers, presumably so they have the guarantee of getting their games prominently displayed on shelves as well as decent advertising and promotion.
But is it worth it?
Look at what's happening to the Might and Magic series; another example. New World basically sold their souls (and the rights to their Might and Magic license) for the same reasons Garriot and Origin did: for good distribution and marketing, and for what?
To give up control of their respective franchises to greedy CEO's who only care about the bottom line and profit. I have a really bad feeling that the sad Ultima demise is about 6 mos. away from occurring with the Might and Magic franchise, based on what I've heard.
EA ran the Ultima series into the ground, and my gut instinct tells me 3DO is about to do the same with Might and Magic. 3DO has been circling the drain for some time now and are supposedly looking to 'streamline.'
It's pretty obvious to me that coporate pressure resulted in the disasterous titles like Crusaders of Might and Magic and Legends of Might and Magic, both action based titles coming from a developer that has always been successful making turn based games.
I recently posted on the Might and Magic boards about what would happen if 3DO cut New World Computing as a developer and closed the shop. My responses were that 3DO now owns the Might and Magic license, and could do as they see fit even without the individuals, such as John Van Canegam (sp), hell those were the people that originally designed the Might and Magic universe. Basically the same thing happened to Garriot, who relinquished control of his Ultima license, which is really a shame.
In any event, I guess distribution and marketing, as well as the allure of one big paycheck for selling the respective franchises, is the reason that so many of these developers, lose control of the 'worlds' they've worked so hard to create. Another one that comes to mind is Looking Glass Studios, makers of the System Shock and Thief games, who sold out to Eidos. Looking Glass is history, but Eidos has full rights to the Thief series, and the folks at Looking Glass had zero say in the matter.
Sorry for the long post, but maybe someone knows how these great game companies have gone under. This is just my impression of the industry, and I could be wrong, but it's sad if you ask me...
[ This Message was edited by: Sir Markus on 2002-02-11 22:42 ] |
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Tue Feb 12, 2002 4:32 am |
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The Hulk
Avenger, Defender
Joined: 19 Feb 2002
Posts: 728
Location: Southeast U.S.A. |
"1) JackChaos was the last know U9 website I remembered seeing
2) The Ultima Series didnt go down the drain until they sold out to EA, who have ruined the name by hashing out rushed jobs and cancelled projects (UO:Origin, RIP) and now keeps the cash-cow of UO on life support until everyone gets tired of playing it and then the series will be dead, a sad ending to a 20 yr old series...A bug-filled rushed finale to the SRPG and an outdated decaying MMORPG.
And, of course, EA will move on to produce other timeless classics as
Madden 2002, some other racing game that looked like last year's, and another motorcyle game 2002. and 6 more sport titles '02"
Right on Shrapnel, you hit it right on the money.
And I also agree about what Sir Markus said about 3DO possibly ruining the might and magic series. Bottom line is, don't sell out to a big, uncaring publisher like EA or Sierra(unless you are prepared to walk away from it and never look back).
[ This Message was edited by: The Hulk on 2002-02-20 22:57 ] |
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Thu Feb 21, 2002 4:55 am |
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