Originally posted by Pheace

Originally posted by ericbelser

If WAR were to do badly enough that EA or Mythic decided to cut it loose, what happens would depend on a whole lot of legal mumbo that no one here is privy to. Never forget that GW owns the IP and I am sure attached some mighty tough strings to it when they signed on.

Aside from that, EA is unlikely to cut Mythic loose unless EA closes up shop totally. Mythic is a solid studio with lots of other potential uses.

If (and its a pretty big if) WAR is doing badly enough in 12-18months that it is in danger of closing, a likely possible outcome would be GW reacquiring control and dumping it on that THQ-spinoff which is working on the 40K MMO and whoever they are distributing through...but something like that is a really really long odds bet.

Likeliest, WAR is doing "okay", enough happy subs to keep the lights on and keep the checks from bouncing for the next 2 years+, probably longer...it eventually gets shuffled to the backseat when Mythic moves to a new project.

 

 

 

 

GW "reacquiring" control? Not a chance, I highly doubt the strings attached are in any way that strong, people overestimate the control GW has over the game as a whole. As an IP sure, they make sure they don't put in flying superheroes in pink wetpants or something but as far as the game itself and closure/no closure goes, I *highly* doubt that's in GW's hands.

Actually I think you're the one underestimating GW - they are a very very very old school company with a long history of holding on to their IP rather strongly.  I'm sure they don't "control" operations in any way and you're right that EA/Mythic could shut down WAR; but I'd be willing to bet large sums that one of the things EA/Mythic CANNOT do is pawn off WAR to some other company without GW getting to sign off on/first refusal etc.  

How is this game a failure, it's the second most successful commercial MMOG since WoW came out.

I think honestly this game would be bought up by Blizzard. They're a company who has admitted to always loving the Warhammer IP.

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Originally posted by Valentina
How is this game a failure, it's the second most successful commercial MMOG since WoW came out.
 
I think honestly this game would be bought up by Blizzard. They're a company who has admitted to always loving the Warhammer IP.

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Why would a company (Activision/Blizzard) with 4 of its boxes of the same game (WoW) in the Top 20 of PC sales for the last 3 months buy a game that cannot crack the exact same list for the last two months in a row, and is having to lay off workers? Wouldn't it make more financial sense to let your competition go under with a resounding "thud" so anyone coming after that trying to take your crown knows there is no saviour to rescue if you fall down?

Wow is reaping tons of cash for Blizzard, so much so that they don't worry about any new MMO coming out. They are making TWO new PC games now, but not a new MMO. If they were halfway worried, you would have thought at least ONE of those games would have been a MMO.

Activision/Blizzard is so big, they have eyes everywhere. They know which game would pose a threat and which ones are just destined for nichehood. Heh, the thought of buying WAR if it ever even hit the market (which I don't think it will, it would die of shame before that ever happened) wouldn't appeal to them other than to bitchslap EA and Mythic for trying to move in on their turf.

Originally posted by Valentina

How is this game a failure, it's the second most successful commercial MMOG since WoW came out.

 

I think honestly this game would be bought up by Blizzard. They're a company who has admitted to always loving the Warhammer IP.

Actually there's no proof of this whatsoever. For all we know AoC is/did better actually, and we at *least* already know AoC sold more copies in brick and mortar stores last year than WAR did from the NDP PC sales reports.

Is Warhammer in trouble? Usually, when threads like this pop-up there is a general consensus it's not doing well or else it will fade to obscurity. It's too bad if the layoffs occurred.

As to answer the OP's question, my best bet would be THQ since they too hold licenses to make games in the Warhammer universe. When you say buy "War", I'm interpreting you mean the property to make an MMO based on Warhammer, not, the finished game itself. But this is bad juju, let's not say anything about it and work on making the atmosphere around Warhammer more positive by discussing the game mechanics and the strange people we meet on local chat.

There would be a management buyout if EA got that much into trouble; Mythic has always been a profitable and successful company, which is why EA bought it.

However, I can't see EA folding, the games market is now bigger than the film industry, there is a lot of money to be made.

Omg i love these posts because it brings out the War haters out of their parents basements for one last attack i mean seriously guys come on this game is not going to close in the future and is doing quite well as far as who would buy it who cares if it died i bet someone would just buy the copyright to the lore and try again.

Originally posted by Zorndorf

Originally posted by ScamMan

This is pure speculation..

If Mythic for some reason goes bankrupt, who do you think would buy WAR?

For example do you think Blizzard would buy it and use the engine to make some other, better MMO?

And could the new owner legally shut down the servers? I'm asking because I'm worried about my toons, which I spent a lot of time leveling.

Discuss.
 

 

The only one who can answer this question are the bookkeepers of  Electronic Arts.

The question is not if Mythic goes bankrupt, the question is if EA can stop the extreme big losses they are facing for the last 12 months now.

The console market is dominated by the big N and EA only has a very small foot between the N doors.  The other consoles are a more traditionnel market but they themselves loose market share facing an extremely agressive Nintendo marketing machine.

The only PC hope for EA was Spore and Sims. But Sims expansions like ... Sims  goes Ikea is a rather thin line.

If Sims 3 flops expect another wave of lay offs and selling offs.

Why would Blizz buy War? They have it already.

 

This is as far as I read in this thread.. I came in at the last page so I lied.  However, I figured going this far down page 1 I could avoid the troll vs. fanboi fight.

The fact is EA bought Mythic.. end of story.  One could question the motives of renaming EAMythic.. back to Mythic.  However, Mythic on its own cannot go bankrupt... 

You would have to see such losses at EA (one would think this would have to mean WAR was losing money).  That one of 3 things would happen:

1) Jacobs would be given a chance to buy his company back (aka as Brad was with Sigil when Microsoft flushed them).

2) They would try to sell it to someone else entirely.

3) Shut it down like they did with Earth and Beyond, The Sims Online (don't confuse with Sims standard titles), EALands aka Sims Online part 2 and Motor City Online.

I know at least with Earth and Beyond there was a lot of outside interest for a while in buying the IP.  However, no one much liked what EA wanted for it.  This based on documents released some years ago.. anyway..

Spore sold a lot of copies but there is also a massive DRM class action over the crap it installs.. without telling you... that is something you can google if you want as I wouldn't get the facts straight.  In the end Spore probably is going to lose money for EA.

Losses...

They spent 860 MILLION dollars to buy BioWare simply because they think "The Old Republic" could be the next WoW.  Right after that they closed some studios...

They were then trying to take over "Take 2 Interactive" for upwards of 2 BILLION dollars... imagine if they had taken on that debt load...

Short answer..

If WAR is making any money at all.. EA is going to hold onto it.. until at least The Old Republic launches.

If ToR falls flat... then EA is probably going to have some very serious problems.

Just my perspective..

Long worded answer because the OP isn't a simple question imho.  If the game was shut down EA would retain rights to the code that Mythic developed.  As its a 3rd party license there would have to be an agreement not only through Games Workshop but also EA for the current game to be sold.

So if things went very badly... At most you would see another MMO with a War Hammer license.. but it wouldn't be "WAR".

I seriously doubt EA and Game Workshop would agree on a new owner... unless Jacobs could buy his company back.. and I really don't see that happening.  aka no one would buy it because it wouldn't be running in this "what if" scenario...

Just think of all the sport games EA sells a year on consoles. Just sport games much less games like Sims and such. Im not a EA lover but I doubt  couple bad MMO's would wipe them out. It may make them think about changing there focus.

Originally posted by ScamMan

For example do you think Blizzard would buy it and use the engine to make some other, better MMO? 

Why would Blizard buy the engine ? They have a better one already, and even the few things that WAR does and WOW does not (PQs?) are nothing special and could easily be redone by Blizzard given their huge and quality manpower.

As for the original question, if Mythic bankrupts, it will be because of WAR failing to attract customers. In such a case, nobody will want to buy WAR.

Originally posted by beeker255

Just think of all the sport games EA sells a year on consoles. Just sport games much less games like Sims and such. Im not a EA lover but I doubt  couple bad MMO's would wipe them out. It may make them think about changing there focus.

Well, it's not so much the fact that EA is making good money, of course they are and they will continue to do so. But one of the things which could happen is the cutting off bad limbs, aka WAR, if it doesn't succeed or hold up to their expectations. They have done so in the past with Earth & Beyond for instance. That was back when 25-30k subscribers to an MMORPG was considered decent too.

Again, if WAR doesn't start gaining subscribers within a foreseeable future and fix all the massive content problems or rather lack thereof, WAR will ultimately fail, under the hatchet of EA.