431 réponses à ce sujet

[AdmiralBoneToPic]

As a Bioware fan, it appears to me looking back over the last 10 years that Mass Effect 2 was really their swan song, they just don't know it yet. It also appears to me: that to a certain extent with regards to Bioware alot of the "dying" talk i think it stems from the fact that the mighy have fallen in recent times. I mean its sad to think a company that gave us all time classics & excellent RPG games such as Bulder's Gate, Jade's Empire, KOTOR, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2(their best game they've made imo, and arguably the greatest game of all time. Its certainly up there. Its one of the best science fiction universes ever created too imo)...could have fallen to such low depths. That so many of thier former important staff that had a hand in said games left and no longer work there etc. And on top of that I do also feel EA(like they have with many studios they acquire, thier track record speaks for itself) have destroyed what was once Bioware to a degree. They become a husk, a shell of thier former selves in some ways. I think its fair to say that Bioware is Bioware in name only these days sadly.

 

Though despite being all negative with my post, i do hope Bioware can regain thier mojo with ME:N. Here's hoping. Don't let me down BW please. Proove me wrong.

[KotorEffect3]

Chicken Littles just make me roll my eyes.  Nevermind the fact that DAI was both a commercial and critical success and they have been working on ME next for the past 3 plus years and taking their time.

[dreamgazer]

The "Bioware is dying" crap has been going on since ME2 and even before then a handful of people complains about each new game being "a dumbed down version of an older game" 

 

Ding, ding, ding.  

[Matthias King]

I'll admit, I've been thinking this myself for a while, though I didn't know it was a widely held opinion before now. The reason I've been thinking this is because of all the high-level people, most of them founding members, who have been abandoning the company one after another for the past year or two.

 

On its own, a senior member leaving the company generally isn't that much of a cause for worry. People move on. But in Bioware's case, there seems to be an awful lot of them. But even more than that, they've all been abandoning ship within a fairly short period of time. That is a cause for worry. It's never a good sign.

 

Then there's the inevitable corporate rhetoric that follows. You know the kind. 'Everything's fine, the company is in great hands. The future looks bright' Those kind of sound bytes. And the thing about those types of statements is that they're such standard operating procedure in the corporate world, but how many times have you heard those kinds of reassurances preceding a massive restructuring or bankruptcy or shuttering of doors altogether? Not just in gaming, but in business.

 

Then there's the fact that they cancelled a game, a brand new IP that, by all indications, seemed to have been pretty far along in development. And suddenly no less.

 

I don't think it's doom and gloom to read the writing on the wall if it's really there. You just get the sense that all is not well behind the scenes.

 

How many times have we seen it? Especially in gaming in recent years. Rumblings of trouble start spreading, people start questioning, the corporate stooges keep saying, 'we're fine, we're fine,' and then one day the news comes out that they're facing bankruptcy, or they've filed.

[dreamgazer]

Then there's the fact that they cancelled a game, a brand new IP that, by all indications, seemed to have been pretty far along in development. And suddenly no less.

 

Probably thought twice about putting out another MMO, whereas they sent longstanding writer David Gaider to write for the brand new Edmonton IP.

[Majestic Jazz]

It is less about Bioware falling from grace and more about other developers (CDPR) catching up to Bioware.

Cyberpunk 2077 could be that game that officially "dethrone" Bioware from being the "innovators" of the WRPG genre.

[AresKeith]

It is less about Bioware falling from grace and more about other developers (CDPR) catching up to Bioware.

Cyberpunk 2077 could be that game that officially "dethrone" Bioware from being the "innovators" of the WRPG genre.

 

Until another developer does the same to CDPR

[Linkenski]

LOL! Wow! These must be some pretty deep corners of internet space cuz this is the first time I've seen this called a "trend".

 

Chicken Littles Everywhere.

 

It's funny, around here people will say that crap everyday.  So surprised (not really) to see so many rats staying on a ship they declare is sinking.

Spoiler: The trendsetter was mainly NeoGAF.

 

...but I was reminded when I googled Bioware and it automatically found "Bioware is dying"

[Valkyrja]

Probably thought twice about putting out another MMO, whereas they sent longstanding writer David Gaider to write for the brand new Edmonton IP.

 

Wasn't Shadow Realms going to be some sort of multiplayer only game similar to Evolve which didn't do too hot either?

 

Cancelling the game, eating the write-off, and moving resources to other titles is probably better than continuing to pour money to into an eventual bomba.

[dreamgazer]

Wasn't Shadow Realms going to be some sort of multiplayer only game similar to Evolve which didn't do too hot either?

 

Cancelling the game, eating the write-off, and moving resources to other titles is probably better than continuing to pour money to into an eventual bomba.

 

Indeed.

[Cheviot]

Wasn't Shadow Realms going to be some sort of multiplayer only game similar to Evolve which didn't do too hot either?

It was going to be like Evolve in that it was asymmetrical MP (1 v 4), but the concept was kind of like a simplified version of tabletop D&D, as far as I understand it; a Dungeon Master vs the other players.

[Matthias King]

Probably thought twice about putting out another MMO, whereas they sent longstanding writer David Gaider to write for the brand new Edmonton IP.

 

That's possible. I couldn't really speculate on the reasons. I was only pointing out several things that, on their own, wouldn't be a blip on the radar, but when taken together, given some context, could be a reason to think Bioware was in trouble.

 

All those things happening in a short window of time could be coincidence and happenstance, but I'm weary of both. Usually things happen for a reason. Not a cosmic determinism reason, but a cause and effect reason. Such as cancelling a game because they're taking fewer risks because they're in financial trouble.

 

Or maybe you're right. We can't know until we read online that Bioware is either bringing in record profits, or they're filing a CCAA.

[dreamgazer]

Or maybe you're right. We can't know until we read online that Bioware is either bringing in record profits, or they're filing a CCAA.

There is a third possibility, of course: they'll just keep on keeping on at a steady pace, continuing to disregard the folks who've been claiming that BioWare's dying for the better part of a decade.

[Matthias King]

That is indeed possible.

[Heimdall]

The other theory is that Shadow Realms was canceled to make way for the development of a new Star Wars RPG, makes some sense from EA's perspective. A 4 vs 1 multiplayer game (So soon after Evolve) or taking advantage of the 10 year agreement with one of the most profitable franchises of all time while they still have time?

[MstrJedi Kyle]

BioWare is dying just like Nintendo is going bankrupt....

[CrazyCatDude]

It is less about Bioware falling from grace and more about other developers (CDPR) catching up to Bioware.

Cyberpunk 2077 could be that game that officially "dethrone" Bioware from being the "innovators" of the WRPG genre.

 

I don't know.    We've seen so little on 2077 that I'm starting to grow concerned.  I'm hoping now that Witcher 3 is out of the way, we'll see a big reveal for 2077, but there are so many ways the project could go off the rails.  Fixed protagonist like the Witcher would be a no go, right from the start.

The worst part is, I LOVE the setting.  I can't tell you how many hours I spent crawling around Night City back in the day.  Some of the best memories of my teen years involved Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0..  But I picked up the first Witcher on steam, and lost interest about an hour in, because it was just boring, and the controls were a mess.

Bioware games can be a bit formulaic, but the companions, the depth of characterization, the depth of conversation...  No one else comes close to doing what Bioware does.

[Valkyrja]

CDPR probably put all of their people on getting The Witcher 3 finished.

 

They also said that this year and the next year will be all about Witcher so they won't be talking about 2077 for quite some time.

[Linkenski]

BioWare is dying just like Nintendo is going bankrupt....

... In 21 years you mean?

[AresKeith]

The other theory is that Shadow Realms was canceled to make way for the development of a new Star Wars RPG, makes some sense from EA's perspective. A 4 vs 1 multiplayer game (So soon after Evolve) or taking advantage of the 10 year agreement with one of the most profitable franchises of all time while they still have time?

 

Sounds like a good deal to me

[laudable11]

Bioware isn't dying. They're just a bit too watered down.

[goishen]

I think one term you're all looking for is "under the radar".  BioWare is a great company, still has great people, but it has always been under the radar.  When you take a look at who actually enjoys these games, there's a lot of continual names that you'll find here.  But the ones you do find, stay here forever. 

[Maniccc]

I suppose it depends on what is meant by "Bioware is dying."  Some people who say this refer to Bioware as that company that made isometric D&D games and KoToR.  to them, departing from this sort of gameplay and design means that Bioware is no longer Bioware.

 

Then there's the EAware crowd, who are saying that Bioware is not Bioware as it was, but has become an EA corporate monolith, cold and formulaic, etc.

 

In these meanings. Bioware is not dying, but is already dead, and long dead, at that.

 

But if you mean losing money, well, I have no clue if they are a loser or not.  It appears that they are a winner for EA, since they are still around.  

 

I thought DA:I was garbage, but it was still somewhat popular and was well received (I have no idea why, it was a lame version of KoA).  It's metascore was only an 85, though.  Not a bad score by any means, but not the high 90s, either.  On the other hand, the user metascore was 5.8, so there's that.  You can't trust awards and professional reviews, they do not reflect a game's popularity amongst users.

 

As to people talking about ME:N hype and so on, that really does not mean much.  Video games have a very long cycle these days, and it can take a decade or more for a couple of bad games to finish a developer, especially if they are supported by a company with deep pockets.