When the company was actually struggling to have some fans and conquer their share of the market.

Andromeda is planned as another trilogy, is it not? And they should have DA4 in development, too.

Nothing has been said if MEA is standalone or part of another trilogy.

And last I heard, DA4 has not been greenlit yet.

That is a very good question, IMO it is all about short term effects and long term effects. Most people are impatient, while others persevere, the latter usually survives

 

First game is bad, devs follow up? If yes, possibility for purchasing second game will look good, if no, then it is farewell, people don't need business degrees to understand that. Business needs to grow and adapt if it wants to survive

 

Keeping this forum alive is a form of adaptation, if the business manages this place well and be proactive. Closing this place, counter-productive because everyone else already use other mediums

 

You might say: But other studios also have their own forums, so maybe closing this place down may be a better alternative... No because this forum is only unique to this business while Facebook is not unique because it caters to everyone, only BW gamers are privy to this forum's user interface and features, BW culture and values

 

EDIT: to add, it is about brand loyalty, this forum promotes that because of its ability to create emotional attachment, as evident by the many passionate, angry posts, even lurkers come out and voiced their opinions. Facebook, on the other hand, feels like an impersonal tool, in comparison, it sends you lots of ads and reminders but not much information, I highly doubt a rational being will simply just fall in love without knowing anything and do exactly what some Facebook page tells them to do, in short, Facebook simply does not have that personal bond this forum has with many gamers

I have a hard time thinking other game companies don't have similar problems to here, yet they somehow manage to keep things running without nuking everything.

At this point, who knows what Bioware is capable of doing?

Thanks Iakus for making me feel even worse, I don't have a Twitter account.

Excuse me mrs_anomaly could I have a tissue please, I ran out.

If it's any comfort, I don't have one either 

I also canceled my Pre-Order for ME:A...I mean what am I supposed to do play it once?

Come on. What if I have questions? What if I want to discuss the lore, the new world, someone's (what's the word Alistair used) hindquarters, what I did wrong in the romance? Where will I turn to without the forums? They will not be here. Will they?

I am living in some fantasy world where the ending changes. That doesn't happen here, does it?

How good are you at carrying on a discussion in 140 characters?  

Not wanting to pay the server and bandwidth costs for a dead forum, perhaps?

Monetary issues are not the reason.  Apparently.  

Personally, I think there's many reasons to use social media and few to use this mode of communication. First, social media doesn't cost a dime. Second, social media can be regulated and controlled to a certain extent. Third, the forum is complex with complex interactions which require resources and attention. Of which Bioware has limited its resources and attention to respond too. Finally, Bioware doesn't have a direction for this form of communication.

But that's just my opinion... I'm more than willing to be wrong. Would love to be wrong. Bring it.

Even if the devs want to use social media instead of posting here, fine.

But why kick us to the curb when there's a thriving community of players who want to TALK TO EACH OTHER?

The moderation could be better, obviously, but why nuke the baby with the bathwater?

Dear Bioware, 

 

Here's my mixtape about our break up:

 

*snip*

Got a perfect one:

https://www.youtube....h?v=qXIjE_gDw94

We all united as one nation that had been wronged. If I remember right it was one guy making all the banners. We were all one in an epic dumpster fire of rejection. Almost every other PR disaster had us divided into the people unhappy and the people defending Bioware, but that one glorious night and the days that followed we all cried out "WTF?!?!" in one multilingual voice.

And now, as the sun sets on these forums, we can come together one last time. over a similar disaster

Well then let's make every post about keeping the forums open. And, please, do not write posts like the ones that have been appearing on their Facebook page lately. I don't have an FB page but I peeked at their's. Let me tell you, the negativity there, downright frightening.

Please keep the forums open.  There is no way closing them is going to improve Bioware's image.

I was suspicious of MEA beforehand.

Now I wonder why I should have anything to do with a company that holds its players is such contempt at all.

Well I've taken a look at reddit and...

By the Enkindlers, how does anyone find anything in that mess!?

I totally forgot about the Bazaar! What a time to be alive that was. You couldn't have made it up, nor the PR disasters to follow.

Sort of makes shutting down the forums a continuation of that bad PR trend...

Was he the same man responsible for all those cringetastic interviews with ME3 voice actors?

"When you push a button, something awesome has to happen"

I remember hearing about that, but I'm not getting the name. One of those anti-SJW crusades. (We really need a term for people who are SJWs, but on the other side.)

WJSs?

Warriors for a Just Society?  

For some reason, this decision is trending Facebook. I clicked the link and a considerable amount of people echo what we are saying in this very thread. Bioware, your Facebook fans are dismayed too!

Wouldn't they only be at a crisis if papaEA deny them money, or cut their budget significantly?  

Yup.

Bioware hasn't been Bioware for many years.  They are Bioware: A Division of EA

On the very last day of the forum, Bioware will say, "BTW, Indoctrination Theory was true all along." *mic drop*

 

 

That would almost be worth it

I think Bioware doesn't care much for those long discussions anymore. Probably weighs on them too much.

But do they have to render the entire forum Damnatio Memoriae?

I always liked that about Telltale games.  And Alpha Protocol.

I can understand that it's not for everyone too, though.

so he's the guys that is going to kill BSN, guess i should put him on the list. his name won't be forgotten.

Nah, I think he's just the messenger.  A very unfortunate job to have, though.

Question: Where the hell are the developers for this game at?

 

Other studios within EA have devs talking to fans etc, these guys are so quiet it's scary.

Twitter, Reddit, other places where holding meaningful conversations is difficult if not impossible.

I think the majority of the tone in this thread is telling.... It is one thing to be disappointed and confused, but the constant attacks, lashing out, and proclamations of doom are the very reason this forum has faded over time. This isn't the exception here sadly. This place has challenged gamefaqs for one of the most toxic forums you can find. That is not good. Actually, all 3 forums I once frequented have had an influx of negativity and trolls..... I think forums are just in need of break on the whole.

Yeah, some of the posters are a little, umm, "carried away".  But the underlying sadness and anger is fully understandable, and largely justified.  This is the company that claims to listen to its players and fans telling thousands of them that their presence isn't wanted anymore.  And using the flimsiest of excuses to do away with the forums which is one of the very few places available for lore discussions, news, and basically being with people who share similar interests in gaming.  Now we're told to...what, go on Twitter?  Facebook?  

                                                                                     <<<<<<<<<<(0)>>>>>>>>>>

 

Fair enough. My curiosity is their reasoning for the shutdown.

Official reasoning is really bizarre.  "We don't go here anymore so it's not fair to you to stay here either"

More likely they simply don't want to listen to criticism anymore.