Anyone have doubts of EA's intent to corner/destroy pcgaming

[jpinard]

If EA buys out Ubisoft we are in deep shit.  Say goodbye to the only publisher putting out real military sims.

The rap-crap backed EA is going to destroy our hobby.  Lets pray they never buy out Vivendi or Sony games division, otherwise we'll have "World of Warcraft - Samurai Smackdown", and "Everquest 2 - Dudz expansion".

Man EA is becoming a monster.

[Fuzzballx]

Not that i want to EA take over..quite the opposite.

However, your statement about military sims is patently false.  Making such broad, false statements with no support is the wrong way to go about trying to make a point about EA being bad.

Frankly, I know there's a lot of people me included that hate ubisoft just as much as EA.

I mean look what they've done to the Rainbow 6 line of games.  They turned into the equivalent of taking WoW and making it WoW: Samurai Smackdown.

Saying ubisoft makes genuine military sims is like saying EA makes genuine realistic nascar sims.

EA and Ubisoft both make games geared towards more of a mass market audience so they can sell more licenses.  It's all about the almighty dollar.   EA and Ubisoft are not killing gaming as it used to be per say.  It's the consumers that are killing gaming as it used to be.

The bigger an audience gaming gets, the more generic games will get to try to grab more license sales across the board.  We don't see many games like Falcon 4.0 or the origional rainbow 6 or operatioon flashpoint because they are games from a different era.  An era where gamers will still widely considered geeks the audience being marketted too was a niche who would go after the most technical and realistic product.

These days your real market is storefront shelves and windowshoppers and parents buying christmas presents etc.

The publishers and producers are not killing gaming.  Gamers are killing gaming.

We wanted gaming to become more popular.  Well it's happened, now we live with the consequences of mass market gaming.

[Console Games Best Player]

What is rap-crap?

You better buy some ERTS.

[jpinard]

Fuzzballx - EA woudl NEVER had allowed the go ahead developement of those simulation games becasue there's not enough profit in it.  GUARENTEED.  

Would you rather have what UBIsoft published or nothing at all?

[Fuzzballx]

Fuzzballx - EA woudl NEVER had allowed the go ahead developement of those simulation games becasue there's not enough profit in it.  GUARENTEED.  

Would you rather have what UBIsoft published or nothing at all?

Considering I havn't bought anything from ubisoft in a while...since I don't care for their mass market offerings...  Well i'd like to see what someone else could cook up with their IP.  Not neccessarily EA but Ubisoft is a wash if what you want is old style sims.  Your way of base there.

[jpinard]

I'm just saying I like all the sims UBIsoft is putting out.  And if you don't care about them, then I see why this whle deal doesn't bother you.

But with sims like Silent Hunter III coming out next year, we're struggling to hang onto a tiny part of what's left and Battlefront and UBIsoft are the only ones delivering.  IF EA purchased UBIoft, they'd cancel all the military sims because they're too risky with too low profit potential.

[Daehawk]

They are still trying to buy Battlefield developer Digital Illusions. Let me be clear..I HATE EA!

[Misguided]

Odd that Ubi and Dice are both have a history with racing games.

[jpinard]

Odd that Ubi and Dice are both have a history with racing games.

they do?

[Eco-Logic]

Microsoft needs to get off their ass and start outbidding EA.

[AgtFox]

Odd that Ubi and Dice are both have a history with racing games.

they do?

I'm not sure on Ubi's titles (can't think of it), but DICE made Rallisport Challenge 1 and 2 and Midtown Madness 3 (jpinard wouldn't know this since he stated he doesn't own a console).

As for EA, I personally have no problem with them and I buy their games of my own free will.  Do I buy all their games?  No.  Do I buy a lot of them?  Yes.  I mostly buy the games from the developers EA has gobbled up (like Westwood and Maxis for instance) and I rarely buy internal EA studio projects (outside of EA Sports and BIG) because they tend to be of lesser quality.

Maybe Ubisoft needed an infusion of cash or something.  I'm sure things aren't selling as well this year as they did last year for Ubisoft and they basically have a sequel out this year for everything brought out last year (Myst IV, PoP: Warrior Within, RS3: Black Arrow, etc.), all of which probably sold less copies than the original (I know Pandora Tomorrow did).  Does this mean EA is going to take over Ubi?  Who knows.

[AgtFox]

Microsoft needs to get off their ass and start outbidding EA.

I think Microsoft is very trigger shy after the huge amount they unloaded for Rare with nothing to show for it to date.  You may see something finally come out of it in March when Conker comes out or on the next system, but it's going on however many years with little to show for it.

[jpinard]

I would be afriad of MS buying out, and making X-Box versions of everything.  I still think Halo would have been way better if it'd stayed on track for pc - instead of being a console port.

[dangerballs]

UBI had a couple of racing games.  Their most famous being POD.

[jpinard]

UBI had a couple of racing games.  Their most famous being POD.

WOW, I remember all the hype surrounding that game!

[Misguided]

I've never even heard of that game...I was thinking of their sim offerings, including a couple of F1 titles.

DICE also made Rally Masters and 2 Swedish Touring Car Championship titles.

[croman]

Yes, I have doubt about EA intending to corner/destory PC Gaming

Sorry, I do not think that is their intention.  I just do not seem them sitting in their board room saying "ok, how can we destroy PC Gaming guys?"

Sorry for picking on the wording of your title to the subject but you are the one being a little dramatic about it

[Fuzzballx]

Yes, I have doubt about EA intending to corner/destory PC Gaming

Sorry, I do not think that is their intention.  I just do not seem them sitting in their board room saying "ok, how can we destroy PC Gaming guys?"

Sorry for picking on the wording of your title to the subject but you are the one being a little dramatic about it

Kinda my point in straightfoward words.

EA is not destroying gaming.  It is changing it from niche to mass market.  Exactly what niche gamers thought they wanted a few years ago.

[Daehawk]

EA is not destroying gaming. It is changing it from niche to mass market. Exactly what niche gamers thought they wanted a few years ago.

Same as killing it.

[morlac]

Unless of course you take into account that PC gmaing was a "niche" market for 20+ years before recentlly.  And had enough success as such that it grew into a mass market.

[disarm]

Fuzzballx - EA woudl NEVER had allowed the go ahead developement of those simulation games becasue there's not enough profit in it.  GUARENTEED.

for what it's worth, EA was the publisher for the Jane's series of military sims back in the day.  those were without a doubt the best sims of their time and their gameplay still holds up very well today (although they look pretty dated).

[jpinard]

What I meant was EA would never publish a military sim NOW such as Lock-On, Silent Hunter, Il-2 Sturmovik.  I loved the old Jane's Combat games.  But EA (maybe becasue Jane's didn't make enough), woudl not do that now.

[Jumangi]

What I meant was EA would never publish a military sim NOW such as Lock-On, Silent Hunter, Il-2 Sturmovik.  I loved the old Jane's Combat games.  But EA (maybe becasue Jane's didn't make enough), woudl not do that now.

Basically nobody would publisher a a flight Sim like the Janes titles anymore, just like Adventure games are pretty much the domain of smaller companies like The Adventure Company. At least outside of the couple of Myst titles recently.

[corruptrelic]

EA Games buy Sony Games division? What have you been smoking, because I need some! Got a date with a fine spanish beauty tonight.
Thats like Sony selling themselves to Microsoft. They have so much money (not only from the playstation series but from their movies, dvds and vcrs, tvs, computers, you name it, sony does it. Why on earth would they sell part of their company to EA? If anything they'd try to acquire EA and call it "Sony EA Games") they don't need to sell any of their divisions within the company.

[jpinard]

EA tredi to buy the NBA license.  It was rejected.  Now what about the NHL's decision?

http://sports.ign.com/articles/574/574539p1.html?fromint=1

[wankerjr]

EA Games buy Sony Games division? What have you been smoking, because I need some! Got a date with a fine spanish beauty tonight.
Thats like Sony selling themselves to Microsoft. They have so much money (not only from the playstation series but from their movies, dvds and vcrs, tvs, computers, you name it, sony does it. Why on earth would they sell part of their company to EA? If anything they'd try to acquire EA and call it "Sony EA Games") they don't need to sell any of their divisions within the company.

Actually SCE is currently the only profitable division of the company from what I've heard. All their other divisions haven't been doing all that well but again it would make no sense for them to sell off their money maker.

[zinckiwi]

Guess I can surrender any hopes for Sub Culture 2

[Bulletproof]

Microsoft needs to get off their ass and start outbidding EA.

I think Microsoft is very trigger shy after the huge amount they unloaded for Rare with nothing to show for it to date.  You may see something finally come out of it in March when Conker comes out or on the next system, but it's going on however many years with little to show for it.

What are you smoking? You mean Grabbed by the Ghoulies didn't strike you as a GOTY candidate? I'm shocked I tell ya. Shocked.  :wink:

[Purge]

EA is not destroying gaming. It is changing it from niche to mass market. Exactly what niche gamers thought they wanted a few years ago.

Same as killing it.

I dunno. IIRC, the video game industry has made 5+ Billion / year for more than 3 years; I think what's happening is that its starting to emulate itself too much. It *has* been mass market for a long time, it's just that everything coming out is a military shooter, platformer with quirky characters, or anime "inspired" RPGs.

It's like my video games all became the same effen game. Everything is the same lyrics, same beat, same song. Artistic diversity has given way to stockholder profit margins.

Hold on tight boys, piano ties and 60hr work-weeks are coming back with the 80s all over again. Age of aquarius; my *A*S*S*.

[Raintitan]

Quick thought: In the short fun, less profitable sims and other games could certainly fall off the radar if EA and other companies expand the gaming industry into mainstream America. However, with a much larger total base later on.....sims and niche games could actually become more possible as the small percent of a larger base makes it more profitable. Hard to say....but it could be better in the long run :-)

[\/\/olverine]

If I based everything off this thread, I would say the only thing EA is killing off is the hardcore simulation games which I never got into anyways. Personally, I like EA's offerings because there is usually a level of quality with it. The Command & Conquer series is still great and I'm estatic about them continuing Red Alert, the games haven't become any easier since EA ate Westwood.

What will hopefully happen is smaller companies will continue releasing those simulation titles. It also seems like foreign developers (German and Swedish) are covering some of the less mainstream genres with games like Silent Storm.