As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/
We're funding a new Acquisitions Incorporated series on Kickstarter right now! Check it out at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pennyarcade/acquisitions-incorporated-the-series-2

Video Game Industry Thread: Caring entirely too much about Bioware romance options

1141517192062

Posts

  • Brainiac 8Brainiac 8 Don't call me Shirley... Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    Is it just me, or is Activision still being Activision?

    The answer is yes!

    Brainiac 8 on
    3DS Friend Code - 1032-1293-2997
    Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
    PSN - Brainiac_8
    Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
    Add me!
  • Santa ClaustrophobiaSanta Claustrophobia Ho Ho Ho Disconnecting from Xbox LIVERegistered User regular
    edited May 2011
    mceEI.jpg

    That game was awesome!

    (For a given amount of awesome that does not, in fact, actually include any genuine awesome and is more like the terrible, terrible Catwoman tie-in.)

    Santa Claustrophobia on
  • V FactionV Faction Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    I heard "Transformers: Robots Always in Disguise" was the new slogan.

    I just can't wait till the endless DS/3DS versions eventually stop. It's like GBA/DS and PS2/XBOX360 again.

    If they ever stop... Yuck.

    V Faction on
    Nintendo Network ID: V-Faction | XBL: V Faction | Steam | 3DS: 3136 - 6603 - 1330
    Pokemon White Friend Code: 0046-2121-0723/White 2 Friend Code: 0519-5126-2990
    "Did ya hear the one about the mussel that wanted to purchase Valve? Seems like the bivalve had a juicy offer on the table but the company flat-out refused and decided to immediately clam up!"
  • V FactionV Faction Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    I am bery excite!
    The developer behind Castlevania, Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid plans to hold a global online screen event the week before this year's E3 to help "build buzz" before the big show, Konami said today.

    "The annual E3 show is the world's marquee video game conference and trade show event that draws a critical mass of gaming enthusiasts from all over the globe," said Shinji Hirano, President of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "This year, we want to build buzz ahead of E3 by hosting our own Pre-E3 show that will tie the viewing party attendees from each city with online viewers through Flickr, Twitter and Facebook."

    The June 2 screening will include live events in a number of cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, São Paulo and Mexico City.

    The viewing events in each city will be open to "a select number of journalists, gamers and KONAMI fans" and will include new company announcements, exclusive interviews with developers, and never-before-seen game trailers.

    The Konami show will be "simulcast" on several online sites and gaming outlets, the company says.

    V Faction on
    Nintendo Network ID: V-Faction | XBL: V Faction | Steam | 3DS: 3136 - 6603 - 1330
    Pokemon White Friend Code: 0046-2121-0723/White 2 Friend Code: 0519-5126-2990
    "Did ya hear the one about the mussel that wanted to purchase Valve? Seems like the bivalve had a juicy offer on the table but the company flat-out refused and decided to immediately clam up!"
  • Warlock82Warlock82 Never pet a burning dog Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    V Faction wrote: »
    I am bery excite!
    The developer behind Castlevania, Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid plans to hold a global online screen event the week before this year's E3 to help "build buzz" before the big show, Konami said today.

    "The annual E3 show is the world's marquee video game conference and trade show event that draws a critical mass of gaming enthusiasts from all over the globe," said Shinji Hirano, President of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "This year, we want to build buzz ahead of E3 by hosting our own Pre-E3 show that will tie the viewing party attendees from each city with online viewers through Flickr, Twitter and Facebook."

    The June 2 screening will include live events in a number of cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, São Paulo and Mexico City.

    The viewing events in each city will be open to "a select number of journalists, gamers and KONAMI fans" and will include new company announcements, exclusive interviews with developers, and never-before-seen game trailers.

    The Konami show will be "simulcast" on several online sites and gaming outlets, the company says.

    Heh, this story reminded me how hilariously awful their e3 presentation was last year. God that was such a fantastic trainwreck.

    Warlock82 on
    Switch: 2143-7130-1359 | 3DS: 4983-4927-6699 | Steam: warlock82 | PSN: Warlock2282
  • dbrock270dbrock270 Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    We discovered that the intruders had planted a file on one of our Sony Online Entertainment servers named “Anonymous” with the words “We are Legion.”


    ...you know what, I don't have money to buy new computer if I break it in half, so I wont.

    dbrock270 on
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Why?

    Are you mad at Anonymous for doing it?

    Or are you mad at Sony for assuming/implying it was Anonymous based on a random note?

    Or perhaps it would be best to say, u mad?

    UncleSporky on
    Switch Friend Code: SW - 5443 - 2358 - 9118 || 3DS Friend Code: 0989 - 1731 - 9504 || NNID: unclesporky
  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    So what are the chances that this file was put there back when Anonymous was doing DOS attacks in support of Geo and Sony just now found it and Anonymous, as they have claimed, have nothing to do with the data theft?

    Magic Pink on
  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Considering the reputation Anonymous has built up for itself, it's also possible the attacker wasn't affiliated with them, but planted that to throw Sony off the trail.

    cloudeagle on
    Switch: 3947-4890-9293
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Magic Pink wrote: »
    So what are the chances that this file was put there back when Anonymous was doing DOS attacks in support of Geo and Sony just now found it and Anonymous, as they have claimed, have nothing to do with the data theft?

    Right click, Properties, time stamp?

    UncleSporky on
    Switch Friend Code: SW - 5443 - 2358 - 9118 || 3DS Friend Code: 0989 - 1731 - 9504 || NNID: unclesporky
  • Skull2185Skull2185 Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Quick, somebody get George Clooney on the phone! I have an idea for another Ocean's Eleven movie!

    Skull2185 on
    Everyone has a price. Throw enough gold around and someone will risk disintegration.
  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Magic Pink wrote: »
    So what are the chances that this file was put there back when Anonymous was doing DOS attacks in support of Geo and Sony just now found it and Anonymous, as they have claimed, have nothing to do with the data theft?

    Right click, Properties, time stamp?

    And there's no way to make that have fake or no info? It seems to be sort of a giveaway to find a hacker to leave the exact time they did something.

    Magic Pink on
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    It would probably involve installing a program on that computer/server to modify it. Which means accessing the internet, which leaves logs and time stamps of its own. Then you have to uninstall the program to get rid of the evidence that you modified the time stamp, which leaves file trails and time stamps of its own, unless you also go to the trouble of cleaning those.

    And the whole time you're nervous and not sure if you're going to get caught, just so you can leave a file with a spoofed time to make someone possibly believe that Anonymous did it.

    UncleSporky on
    Switch Friend Code: SW - 5443 - 2358 - 9118 || 3DS Friend Code: 0989 - 1731 - 9504 || NNID: unclesporky
  • CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    It would probably involve installing a program on that computer/server to modify it. Which means accessing the internet, which leaves logs and time stamps of its own. Then you have to uninstall the program to get rid of the evidence that you modified the time stamp, which leaves file trails and time stamps of its own, unless you also go to the trouble of cleaning those.

    And the whole time you're nervous and not sure if you're going to get caught, just so you can leave a file with a spoofed time to make someone possibly believe that Anonymous did it.

    Which is why we need the best hacker to pull this heist off.
    Ocean%27sEleven%281960%29Poster.jpeg

    Couscous on
  • Brainiac 8Brainiac 8 Don't call me Shirley... Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Warlock82 wrote: »
    V Faction wrote: »
    I am bery excite!
    The developer behind Castlevania, Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid plans to hold a global online screen event the week before this year's E3 to help "build buzz" before the big show, Konami said today.

    "The annual E3 show is the world's marquee video game conference and trade show event that draws a critical mass of gaming enthusiasts from all over the globe," said Shinji Hirano, President of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "This year, we want to build buzz ahead of E3 by hosting our own Pre-E3 show that will tie the viewing party attendees from each city with online viewers through Flickr, Twitter and Facebook."

    The June 2 screening will include live events in a number of cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, São Paulo and Mexico City.

    The viewing events in each city will be open to "a select number of journalists, gamers and KONAMI fans" and will include new company announcements, exclusive interviews with developers, and never-before-seen game trailers.

    The Konami show will be "simulcast" on several online sites and gaming outlets, the company says.

    Heh, this story reminded me how hilariously awful their e3 presentation was last year. God that was such a fantastic trainwreck.

    Yea, Konomi are really hyping their show this year...which means it will be all the more tragic if their show is anything like it has been for the last three years.

    I can't wait to find out. :P

    Brainiac 8 on
    3DS Friend Code - 1032-1293-2997
    Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
    PSN - Brainiac_8
    Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
    Add me!
  • Santa ClaustrophobiaSanta Claustrophobia Ho Ho Ho Disconnecting from Xbox LIVERegistered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Magic Pink wrote: »
    Magic Pink wrote: »
    So what are the chances that this file was put there back when Anonymous was doing DOS attacks in support of Geo and Sony just now found it and Anonymous, as they have claimed, have nothing to do with the data theft?

    Right click, Properties, time stamp?

    And there's no way to make that have fake or no info? It seems to be sort of a giveaway to find a hacker to leave the exact time they did something.

    You're all missing the point: SONY had a security protocol held together by chewing gum, toothpicks, and bits of an old shoe. 'Right-click>Properties' is probably a bit beyond them.

    Santa Claustrophobia on
  • ArcSynArcSyn Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    It's not really Anonymous' M.O. to just drop a file in to claim they did something (imo from what I've read of what they've done in the past). I would have thought if Anonymous had done this, Sony.com would have displayed a page of Anonymous' own design telling Sony and the world how terrible Sony was or how pathetic the security was. Not just a little .txt document they wouldn't find for a week.

    ArcSyn on
    4dm3dwuxq302.png
  • Brainiac 8Brainiac 8 Don't call me Shirley... Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Watch us find out that Sony placed that .txt file in there so they have someone to pin this on. :P

    Brainiac 8 on
    3DS Friend Code - 1032-1293-2997
    Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
    PSN - Brainiac_8
    Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
    Add me!
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Accessing people's personal data =/= accessing the official Sony web server where such things could be done. Not even close.

    As has been said before, Anonymous doesn't have an MO either.

    UncleSporky on
    Switch Friend Code: SW - 5443 - 2358 - 9118 || 3DS Friend Code: 0989 - 1731 - 9504 || NNID: unclesporky
  • CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Anonymous likes flashy shit because that is what is best for the lulz. If it is the hacktivism side, the flashy shit brings more attention to their activism shit while still showing their security to be crap.

    Couscous on
  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Magic Pink wrote: »
    Magic Pink wrote: »
    So what are the chances that this file was put there back when Anonymous was doing DOS attacks in support of Geo and Sony just now found it and Anonymous, as they have claimed, have nothing to do with the data theft?

    Right click, Properties, time stamp?

    And there's no way to make that have fake or no info? It seems to be sort of a giveaway to find a hacker to leave the exact time they did something.

    You're all missing the point: SONY had a security protocol held together by chewing gum, toothpicks, and bits of an old shoe. 'Right-click>Properties' is probably a bit beyond them.

    That's actually not far from the truth:
    Couscous wrote: »
    http://consumerist.com/2011/05/security-expert-sony-knew-its-software-was-obsolete-months-before-psn-breach.html
    In congressional testimony this morning, Dr. Gene Spafford of Purdue University said that Sony was using outdated software on its servers — and knew about it months in advance of the recent security breaches that allowed hackers to get private information from over 100 million user accounts.

    According to Spafford, security experts monitoring open Internet forums learned months ago that Sony was using outdated versions of the Apache Web server software, which "was unpatched and had no firewall installed." The issue was "reported in an open forum monitored by Sony employees" two to three months prior to the recent security breaches, said Spafford.

    Spafford made his comments in a hearing convened by the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade. Sony was invited to participate in the hearing, but declined to attend. In a letter to the committee, Sony said it has added automated software monitoring and enhanced data security and encryption to its systems in the wake of the recent security breaches.

    "If Dr. Spafford's assessment is accurate, it's inexcusable that Sony not only ran obsolete software on servers containing confidential data, but also that the company continued to do so after this information was publicly disclosed," said Jeff Fox, Consumer Reports Technology Editor.

    The Threat of Data Theft to American Consumers [Committee on Energy and Commerce]

    Um, yeah. Things somehow keep getting worse.

    cloudeagle on
    Switch: 3947-4890-9293
  • CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    http://news.ea.com/portal/site/ea/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20110504007149&newsLang=en
    REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced preliminary financial results for its fourth fiscal quarter and fiscal year ended March 31, 2011.

    “We're happy to report another strong quarter, top and bottom line. We're particularly proud of the scale and growth rate of our digital business," said John Riccitiello, CEO. "EA is building its digital business in a way only EA can, with key brands performing well cross-platform from mobile, to social to console.”

    “Our fourth quarter and full year non-GAAP EPS hit the top of our guidance range,” said Eric Brown, Chief Financial Officer. “Digital revenue exceeded our $750 million full year non-GAAP target, driving higher profitability.”

    Selected Operating Highlights and Metrics:

    * EA was the #1 publisher in the Western World in Q4 on high definition consoles and #1 on the PC. EA was the #1 publisher in Europe and increased segment share by three points to 20%.
    * EA delivered 15 titles rated 80 or above by Metacritic in fiscal 2011. Mass Effect™ 2 won more than 150 quality awards including Game of the Year at both the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
    * EA held 15 of the top 25 paid games on the iPhone® Easter Weekend. Revenue from iOS devices and from our Playfish social gaming site both increased by more than 100% in the fourth quarter as compared to the same period fiscal 2010.
    * EA shipped seven titles in the fourth quarter that have already sold in over 1 million units each, life to date. Crysis® 2, Dragon Age™ 2, and Dead Space™ 2 each sold in more than two million units.
    * Life to date, including digital, FIFA 11 sold in 12 million units; Battlefield: Bad Company™ 2 sold in over seven million units; and Medal of Honor™, Need for Speed™ Hot Pursuit, and Madden NFL 11 each sold in over five million units.
    * Cumulative sales of Dead Space 2 are currently 40% higher than sales of the original Dead Space game over a comparable period.

    * The EA SPORTS™ FIFA franchise generated over $100 million in non-GAAP digital revenue in fiscal 2011.

    Couscous on
  • CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    http://www.mcvuk.com/news/44168/Mobile-games-claim-half-of-all-game-downloads
    NPD report says increasing sector is complimenting, not cannibalising, traditional games spending

    Digital games downloads for mobile games devices now account for around half of all full game downloads.

    That's according to a new report entitled Online Gaming 2011 from US stats body NPD. The figure does not include money spent on micro-transactions or game add-ons.

    “Mobile gaming represents one of the fastest growing segments of the digital games market, and potential for future growth remains strong as more consumers are using smartphones for games of all types, including the increasingly popular mobile game apps," analyst Anita Frazier stated.

    "It is important to keep in perspective that the full-game price points on mobile devices are generally lower than those for console and portables systems , so mobile's full game download unit share does not translate to a comparable level of consumer spend.”

    The trend is said to remain consistent even among those who also own a games console, with 60 per cent saying they spent the same or more on console and portable games since buying a games-friendly mobile.

    “While there is clearly some substitution for spending on traditional forms of gaming among 40 per cent of consumers, the majority of mobile consumers indicate that this spending is incremental to their spend on console or portable games,” Frazier added.

    "Which makes sense since the games and devices provide for different types of gaming occasions and experiences.”


    However, when given a choice between physical and digital games purchases, 75 per cent said they preferred the former as they like owning a "real" copy. Those who preferred digital did so due to the convenience.

    Couscous on
  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    It would probably involve installing a program on that computer/server to modify it. Which means accessing the internet, which leaves logs and time stamps of its own. Then you have to uninstall the program to get rid of the evidence that you modified the time stamp, which leaves file trails and time stamps of its own, unless you also go to the trouble of cleaning those.

    Wait ... haven't I played this game before?

    Elvenshae on
  • CadeCade Eppur si muove.Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Sony you hosers, you pissed off us Canucks, we're mad eh and we want 1,000,000,000.00 or beer for life so blow off until then.
    A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed in Ontario on behalf of about one million Canadian PlayStation and Qriocity users.

    Sony Corp. said Monday that hackers may have taken personal information from more than 100 million user accounts worldwide in recent PlayStation Network breaches.

    Sony has acknowledged that the information may include users' names, addresses, birth dates, passwords and billing information.

    The Toronto law firm McPhadden Samac Tuovi is proposing the class action suit against Sony Japan, Sony USA, Sony Canada and other Sony entities for breach of privacy.

    The lawsuit claims damages in excess of $1 billion, which includes having Sony pay the costs of credit monitoring services and fraud insurance coverage for two years.

    The representative plaintiff in the action, which contains allegations that haven't been proven in court, is Natasha Maksimovic, 21, of Mississauga, Ont.

    "If you can't trust a huge multinational corporation like Sony to protect your private information, who can you trust?" Maksimovic asked Tuesday in a release.

    The statement of claim filed Tuesday says Maksimovic signed up for the PlayStation Network and Qriocity, as required by Sony, to use her PlayStation Portable and Sony E-book reader.

    Sony "failed to adequately safeguard certain personal information, financial data and usage data," the statement alleges.

    "The defendants delayed notifying the proper law enforcement agencies and delayed in notifying and/or warning the plaintiff and other class members of the potential theft of their personal information and/or financial data," the filing claims.

    The claim alleges Sony has exposed PlayStation and Qriocity users to identity theft and theft from bank and credit cards and "fear, anxiety (and) emotional distress."

    Sony has 20 days to file a statement of defence in Canada, 40 days in the United States and 60 days outside Canada and the U.S.

    Cade on
  • Warlock82Warlock82 Never pet a burning dog Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Man, you know this is going to start getting crazy. Can you imagine the number of lawsuits heading their way over this? (probably an attractive case for all the lawyers out there - it's so easy to prove Sony done fucked up)

    The more this goes on, the more screwed they seem to be. I really wonder how this will all turn out at the end.

    Warlock82 on
    Switch: 2143-7130-1359 | 3DS: 4983-4927-6699 | Steam: warlock82 | PSN: Warlock2282
  • AutomaticzenAutomaticzen Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    The question is how will this affect the launch of the NGP launch. Will they lower price in order to win back some goodwill?

    Automaticzen on
    http://www.usgamer.net/
    http://www.gamesindustry.biz/
    I write about video games and stuff. It is fun. Sometimes.
  • CadeCade Eppur si muove.Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    The question is how will this affect the launch of the NGP launch. Will they lower price in order to win back some goodwill?

    Win back?

    Seems to me Sony's genius plan is to blame everyone and anything else while basically saying they are doing everything proper to take care of this.

    Cade on
  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Normally I'd say that this whole mess will be long forgotten by the time the Not-PSP2 launches, but goddamn. Every time I think it's close to ending and it can't get any worse, it gets worse and drags on.

    cloudeagle on
    Switch: 3947-4890-9293
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    The question is how will this affect the launch of the NGP launch. Will they lower price in order to win back some goodwill?

    I cannot imagine them doing that. It would probably be cheaper and more effective to dump $20 into every PSN account.

    But I can imagine them saying they're doing something to apologize. "We were planning on giving everyone Modnation Racers as an NGP pack in along with an Uncharted demo, but now they're officially an apology to PSN users!"

    UncleSporky on
    Switch Friend Code: SW - 5443 - 2358 - 9118 || 3DS Friend Code: 0989 - 1731 - 9504 || NNID: unclesporky
  • plufimplufim Dr Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    They're going to lose a lot of money over this, no way they're going to cut the price of NGP to take another hit.

    plufim on
    3DS 0302-0029-3193 NNID plufim steam plufim PSN plufim
    steam_sig.png
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Canada getting in on the Sony action, woo hoo.

    Look... Sony is getting into a pretty screwed position for the next console generation. I don't want to see that happen. But they brought it on themselves. Yes the hackers are at fault but so is Sony for having shitty security. But anyway...

    The Wii being $150 makes me pleased as punch. It's always been affordable for me, but now I feel like picking one up... well tomorrow, it's payday.

    Also, agreed on the sentiments about Konami. Hype isn't something I can give them lately.

    Henroid on
  • CadeCade Eppur si muove.Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    More important is how are you suppose to trust and have faith in Sony again after all this.

    I'm sure those who had to get new CC might be more then a bit wary of signing up again.

    Cade on
  • Capt HowdyCapt Howdy Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Warlock82 wrote: »
    V Faction wrote: »
    I am bery excite!
    The developer behind Castlevania, Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid plans to hold a global online screen event the week before this year's E3 to help "build buzz" before the big show, Konami said today.

    "The annual E3 show is the world's marquee video game conference and trade show event that draws a critical mass of gaming enthusiasts from all over the globe," said Shinji Hirano, President of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "This year, we want to build buzz ahead of E3 by hosting our own Pre-E3 show that will tie the viewing party attendees from each city with online viewers through Flickr, Twitter and Facebook."

    The June 2 screening will include live events in a number of cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, São Paulo and Mexico City.

    The viewing events in each city will be open to "a select number of journalists, gamers and KONAMI fans" and will include new company announcements, exclusive interviews with developers, and never-before-seen game trailers.

    The Konami show will be "simulcast" on several online sites and gaming outlets, the company says.

    Heh, this story reminded me how hilariously awful their e3 presentation was last year. God that was such a fantastic trainwreck.

    So HoD for PS3 if they ever figure "network stuff" out, HoDII for 360, something something something MGS, and the announcement of when the hell the LoS second DLC will ACTUALLY hit? I miss anything?

    Capt Howdy on
    Steam: kaylesolo1
    3DS: 1521-4165-5907
    PS3: KayleSolo
    Live: Kayle Solo
    WiiU: KayleSolo
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Cade wrote: »
    More important is how are you suppose to trust and have faith in Sony again after all this.

    I'm sure those who had to get new CC might be more then a bit wary of signing up again.

    I can give you an answer to that actually.

    They have to play it smart in how much they charge consumers for things. Their services / products have to appeal to more than the mass-market, they have to become indie-friendly. Additionally, and most important, higher-ups in the company have to be removed / resign / replaced. When the company changes business strategy, we can probably assume more safely that their operation behind online services will change.

    Remember, EA became good guys in a sense (for a short time, before they became a regular business) after they got a new CEO. It can go a long way to restoring trust.

    Henroid on
  • mere_immortalmere_immortal So tasty!Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-05-05-lay-offs-at-split-second-studio-report
    Around 40 staff at Split/Second developer Black Rock Studio are rumoured to be facing redundancy tomorrow morning.

    An anonymous source at the Brighton-based Disney Interactive Studios subsidiary told Eurogamer, "it's rumoured at Black Rock that there will be voluntary redundancies tomorrow - roughly 40, with the aim of reducing the studio to a single game team."

    The source explained that around half of the studio had had nothing to do since mid-December.

    "It seems Disney have been unable to provide us with a project to work on, and our concept pitches clearly haven't gone down well (despite there being many of them)."

    Aborted projects included a sequel to 2008 quad-bike racer Pure and a follow-up to last year's Split/Second.

    "After SS wrapped, we started work on SS2 pre-prod which was cancelled last December due to DIS's new management and their changing priorities (the push towards freemium etc) - SS2 didn't really fit in with that (despite some efforts to shoehorn it in).

    "We had a concept week (everyone in the studio working on small teams) to try to come up with new ideas, but nothing really stuck. We had a freemium week sometime later with similar goals too.

    "The inactive portion of the studio has been expecting redundancies for months, so this doesn't come as a surprise to anyone. It's sad that it's come to this of course, but for many people they'll be quite happy to take the money and go, as they've been sitting around doing nothing for months."

    Our source did reveal that a "good proportion" of the studio was actively employed on a "promising" title. He explained that the project was "new and risky, so I imagine [Disney] don't want to risk putting two teams on it."

    We've asked Disney Interactive Studios for comment and will update if it chooses to respond.

    If true, this wouldn't be the first round of job cuts at Disney in recent months. Back in January, it announced a "restructuring process" with the loss of around 700 staff.

    Split/Second launched on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 last May picking up an 8/10 from Eurogamer.

    "Split/Second requires exactly the right combination of skill, memory and reflexes from you while maintaining a permanent high of tactile feedback, sensory assault and knife-edge excitement," wrote Oli Welsh.

    "If that's Black Rock's elevator pitch for a modern arcade racer: sold."

    Sucks, Split/Second was brilliant.

    mere_immortal on
    Steam: mere_immortal - PSN: mere_immortal - XBL: lego pencil - Wii U: mimmortal - 3DS: 1521-7234-1642 - Bordgamegeek: mere_immortal
  • LewiePLewieP Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    I remember at Eurogamer Expo '07, they were saying that being bought by Disney gave them a lot more security.

    Tis a shame that things aren't going well for them.

    LewieP on
  • Undead ScottsmanUndead Scottsman Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Warlock82 wrote: »
    Man, you know this is going to start getting crazy. Can you imagine the number of lawsuits heading their way over this? (probably an attractive case for all the lawyers out there - it's so easy to prove Sony done fucked up)

    The more this goes on, the more screwed they seem to be. I really wonder how this will all turn out at the end.

    None for America. The Surpreme Court recently ruled that class-actions lawsuits can go get fucked. It's single plaintiff arbitration or nothing now.

    Undead Scottsman on
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Warlock82 wrote: »
    Man, you know this is going to start getting crazy. Can you imagine the number of lawsuits heading their way over this? (probably an attractive case for all the lawyers out there - it's so easy to prove Sony done fucked up)

    The more this goes on, the more screwed they seem to be. I really wonder how this will all turn out at the end.

    None for America. The Surpreme Court recently ruled that class-actions lawsuits can go get fucked. It's single plaintiff arbitration or nothing now.

    Not quite correct. Sony doesn't yet have anything in their EULA that requires that arbitration. Every company will have to add the clause before it takes effect, just like the cell phone company in the lawsuit did.

    UncleSporky on
    Switch Friend Code: SW - 5443 - 2358 - 9118 || 3DS Friend Code: 0989 - 1731 - 9504 || NNID: unclesporky
  • AutomaticzenAutomaticzen Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    LewieP wrote: »
    I remember at Eurogamer Expo '07, they were saying that being bought by Disney gave them a lot more security.

    Tis a shame that things aren't going well for them.

    That was before Disney realized that making console games is hard.

    Automaticzen on
    http://www.usgamer.net/
    http://www.gamesindustry.biz/
    I write about video games and stuff. It is fun. Sometimes.
Sign In or Register to comment.