Originally posted by Karteli

Employees are ditching "BioWare" like mad now, since BioWare is defunct.

Links or it did not happen.

Originally posted by erictlewis

I don't know why folks want to continue to call it bioware,it should be called eaware as nothing is left of the old bioware.

 

Exactly, the day EA bought Bioware it ceased to exist, all they did was buy a brand, and thats all they really ever wanted, just like any other big Corp does, it buys well known brands to infiltrate new markets.

I would imagine those that have left are still bound by an iron clad contract to prevent them creating their own company to compete with EA products, well for the immediate future anyway.

 

 

Originally posted by AwDiddums

Originally posted by erictlewis

I don't know why folks want to continue to call it bioware,it should be called eaware as nothing is left of the old bioware.

 

Exactly, the day EA bought Bioware it ceased to exist, all they did was buy a brand, and thats all they really ever wanted, just like any other big Corp does, it buys well known brands to infiltrate new markets.

I would imagine those that have left are still bound by an iron clad contract to prevent them creating their own company to compete with EA products, well for the immediate future anyway.

 

 

Rich Vogel is making his company/studio. if what your saying is true though, its probably one of the reasons the doctors said they are done with the video game industry(If I were them I'd sue EA for ruining shit), they cant get a job that will compete with EA products so they just disband and leave it tottally.

I would never sign contracts at all, never, never, ever. I don't agree to limitations. It would lead to a big lawsuit with a bunch of sueing going all over the place, this big lawsuit would never end.

"It is such a quiet thing, to fall. But far more terrible is to admit it."

- Kreia

EA has the reverse King-Mitras hands. As to him all he touched turned to gold, all EA touches turns to shit.

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Originally posted by ShakyMo
OriginBullfrogMaxisWestwoodFiraxisMythicBiowareWho's EA going to buy up and ruin next then?EA - the poo fingered midas of the gaming industry

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DICE, the way they're handling BF3 irritates me, but I'm thinking that's EA doing the string pulling.

Also the EA Sports department is terrible now, the FIFA series is the only decent series left.

Bioware is for the most part gone, but at least we can relive the good ol days with good games like Kotor, Jade Empire and ME1.

I am very wary when it comes to buy an EA product.  Sadly, they buy everythign that threatens their business, such as the rights to create an NFL game.  Anyone remember the 2K Football games?  Remember how they were awesome compared to Madden?  EA bought up the company that owned Bioware in hopes that the games they made would in turn make them money.  Problem is EA is one of the worst publishers out there.  They demand returns on their investments in an almost impossible manner.  And when one of their smaller companies fail, that studio is closed and the developers are dismissed, sent to look for a job elsewhere. 

Take a look at Kingdoms of Amalur.  In it's own right it was an awesome game.  But due to 38 Studios being closed and EA pretty much giving up on it, we will neevr see another piece of DLC or game come from this unless someone fights to aquire the rights to the IP.  Because to me, Project Copernicus looked amazing.

I can't place all the blame on Bioware since I'm sure inter-company issues are probably what cause a lot fo the original developers to leave.  Not SWTOR is stuck with a small team of original developers and the rest are people hired on by EA.  SWTOR was a beautiful idea but teh execution left me wanting somethign more.  I usually find myself wishing I could log into SWG again.

they make only two great rpg's ; Baldurs Gate & KOTOR ,all other games are crap

Originally posted by JosephJR
they make only two great rpg's ; Baldurs Gate & KOTOR ,all other games are crap

 

Neverwinter (best toolingset ever) and Mass Effect were great games too, as well as DA:O and Jade Empire for some, but differing tastes I guess :-)

EA is the gray goo of gaming.

Originally posted by ShakyMo
Origin
Bullfrog
Maxis
Westwood
Firaxis
Mythic
Bioware

Who's EA going to buy up and ruin next then?

EA - the poo fingered midas of the gaming industry

hope not Bethesda, arent many good left

Bynt:

Jeff hickman and talent. Wtf?

You do know about this guy right, before ea bought mythic he was a CSR. He managed to brownose his way up with the new ea suits, elbowing the likes of Jacobs out of the way during his rise.

He's not a programmer
He's not an artist
He's not even a music / sound guy.
He has no hands on development skills, he's just a marketing / sales bullshitter

Same applies to amangetello and barnet.

In a toxic corporate environment like ea, the bullshitters and the politicians thrive, thoose with artistic talent and integrity get the hell out.

Originally posted by ShakyMo
Origin
Bullfrog
Maxis
Westwood
Firaxis
Mythic
Bioware

Who's EA going to buy up and ruin next then?

EA - the poo fingered midas of the gaming industry

I'm still waiting for EA to attempt to buy out CD Projekt.  They already tried to float an offer to Valve, but Gabe told em to suck it.

Originally posted by defector1968

Originally posted by ShakyMo
Origin
Bullfrog
Maxis
Westwood
Firaxis
Mythic
Bioware

Who's EA going to buy up and ruin next then?

EA - the poo fingered midas of the gaming industry

hope not Bethesda, arent many good left

Bethesda is owned by Zenimax.  EA simply couldn't get the capital required to take over Zenimax, nor would Zenimax have any interest in such a deal.

EA is not to blame here.  Bioware's overall game design is to blame.

• Terrible Use of the Hero Engine
• Annoying Traveling System (too much zoning and clicking)
• Tiered Class Design (same as EQ2 at launch)
• Combat System (mechanics of a Fantasy system didn't translate well)
• Fleets as central hubs (instead of capital cities)
• Exhaustion "Zones" (tattooine, really?)
• Linear Questing on Rails (basically one zone after another to advance in PvE leveling)
• Replay Value Diminished (creating alts wasn't enjoyable; stuck in same starter zones for specific classes, akin to WoW's phasing for Worgen/Goblin/Pandas)

Originally posted by defector1968

Originally posted by ShakyMo
Origin
Bullfrog
Maxis
Westwood
Firaxis
Mythic
Bioware

Who's EA going to buy up and ruin next then?

EA - the poo fingered midas of the gaming industry

hope not Bethesda, arent many good left

Yeah or Rockstar

but hopefully with the poor year that EA have had, people will avoid them like the plague, and EA will not have enough money to con(vince) them to join them

"EA - the poo fingered midas of the gaming industry"

Lets not forget their recent achivement

Originally posted by revy66
Source for Bioware being defunct?

Google a bit, all the top talents left the company, most joining Bethesda under the name of Battlecry Studios.

After DA2, ME3 and SWTOR, Bioware is dead, at least in my eyes

Ea can't afford valve or bethseda
Rockstar would be pushing it to.

Originally posted by Bynt

You do realize that when a company like electronic arts Buys another company like Bioware (or whatever the holding company is named), that the top management will be leaving very shortly afterwards?  There is a honeymoon/adjustment phase, but then those people will be leaving as there is New management now.  Not sure why anybody is surprised when a bigger company buys a smaller company that the leadership will be transitioning out soon.

Its the whole concept of a ship can't have two captains.  As was mentioned in this thread already, several companies have been bought by EA, all of them have had the leadership transition out shortly there after.  The funny thing is people calling fail for this when that was how the buy out would most likely be structured.  New leadership won't be the leaders that employees look to for guidance until the old leaders are gone. 

Take Mythic Entertainment for example, how long did Mark Jacobs stay around after EA purchased them?  Less than a year, not because the game did poorly, but because the buyout would be structured that way.  Same thing with Bioware, it was only a matter of time before leadership was gone.  Do people thing the doctors at Bioware were actually still writing stories for the games?  They haven't written anything for a long time, the people doing all the leg work still work there and are still producing, why EA bought them, to get the talent working for them.  Like Jeff Hickman, used to work for Mythic, now he's working on SWTOR, still around and still doing good stuff, but he was purchased talent.

And don't forget, that when a company buys another company, they have to protect themselves and prevent the old owners from immediately starting a new company and stealing back all the employees that were just purchased, which is why many of these people go do something else for a while.  Its a non-competition clause.

 

So True. and for a regular business this is acceptable.

but MMOs are not regular businesses.... Yes legally they are... but in a practical sense they never will be. Same with any game development studio.

When all the good stuff like game Dev Studios and other creative organizations have been bought up and streamlined like BioWare then maybe more people will take notice and ask why we are accepting this.

No shit :)

To me it was evident after reading about  Dragon age 2 and SWTOR.

Especially since EA put the Bioware name on several other of their studios.

 

"Nice" to see my gut feeling was right. That's another studio raped by EA. (still haven't forgiven them for Westwood!!)