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Deadpool shot for a "64 or lower metacritic", had constant budget/time cuts

S

Some Nobody

Junior Member
Lock if old, which is a distinct possibility.

Apparently last year a former employee of HMS shed some light on what it was like to develop Deadpool, and it sounds pretty brutal.

Yup exactly. We had a couple of weeks were we crunched pretty aggressively on Deadpool. Having activision cut aand cut and CUT just took its tole on so many of us. For a studio to demand that we do mandatory overtime for a project and then keep cutting so much time and money from it was ridiculous. At about halfway into development we were told that we weren't even aiming very high in terms of score.

Can you imagine working on a game where your higher ups say "yeah we're shooting for a 64 or lower" and then have them give you mandatory overtime?
Click to expand...

First off, fuck Activision for weakening the reputation of a good developer. It's stupid because it only hurts the company as a whole in the long run if I have no faith in your studios.

Second...what's the point of this? Just to say you did something with the license, or for a quick cash grab? Why not at least TRY to make a good game?
 
T

ThoughtsOfSpeaking

Banned
This doesnt surprise me. There was too many good ideas in that game combatwise for the final product to be as bad as it was.


Throughout the game , i wondered what they could of achieved with a better engine and more time.
 
P

Petrie

Banned
Sounds to me like they were setting realistic expectations, something more publishers and developers should do. Not every game can be a 90+ just like every movie or book won't get 5 stars.
 
B

BBboy20

Member
Guess Activision enjoys wasting that COD money after the amazing SDCC reveal only to not help High Moon strive to make the best comic book game ever.
 
S

Sdoots

Member
I once took a tour of what was the Activision Value offices in Minnesota. Long story, but basically at one point I was straight up told, paraphrasing, "We'd rather push out as many games as we can, then spend a lot of time making a really good game."

The testing dungeon (Their words, not mine) was the most depressing looking place I had ever fucking seen.


With that kind of philosophy, yeah, this doesn't surprise me as something that'd be pushed to a developer.
 
M

Monkeylord

Member
This is just insulting to everyone. All developers, studios and publishers should at bare minimum be aiming to release the very best game they can. This should be the baseline no matter what anyone says.

It's insulting that developers should be expected to aim anywhere below excellence. It's also insulting that despite all this, the consumers were expected to pay £45 for it regardless of what quality level was aimed at.
 
V

ViviOggi

Member
Sage Shinigami said:
Second...what's the point of this? Just to say you did something with the license, or for a quick cash grab? Why not at least TRY to make a good game?
Click to expand...

I guess they got wind of Disney's licensing plans and wanted to have the game out for a few months before they lost the license, which is kind of reasonable. Totally sucks for the devs though.
 
jediyoshi

jediyoshi

Member
Petrie said:
Sounds to me like they were setting realistic expectations, something more publishers and developers should do. Not every game can be a 90+ just like every movie or book won't get 5 stars.
Click to expand...

Huh, the publishers just sound like they wanted to cut their losses. The developers don't sound like they wanted to make a shite game. These are pretty at odds.
 
C

Carbonox

Member
Saddens me to no end to see what happened to HMS. Their Transformers games are superb, some of the only bright and likeable things to come out of Activision in a very long time. I'd imagine if they had the backing of a publisher who weren't utter shitstains, their output would be even greater and more impressive.

I doubt this is unique to Activision though but that company appears to be a very scummy place to work (or at the least develop) for.

Bear in mind I never cared for Deadpool though. I doubt we'll ever see a follow up to Fall of Cybertron...
 
C

casmith07

Member
I've tried to not buy Activision games since the Modern Warfare debacle with Infinity Ward, but this is one that I did buy. Glad to support High Moon and hope they get a chance to make a really good game in the near future with another publisher.
 
S

Stone Ocean

Member
That's a pity to hear. The game is actually pretty decent gameplay wise, if they could have properly developed it, it could've been something really special.
 
N

NeoGash

Member
Fuck Activision, there is no other publisher as scummy as them. It basically confirms what we already knew; Fucktivision don't give a shit about what they make or how good it is, as if it has a recognised brand name, they will release it. TWD: Survival Instinct this year is a perfect example. Battleship anyone? Glad to say I have not bought even ONE of their games this whole last generation (360/PS3).

I can't believe people have the gall to call EA the worst publisher. I hate them too, but I'd prefer a good game with an online pass and disc-locked content than an absolute steaming turd that is NEVER worthy of a purchase. The industry would be better without those scum Activision.
 
S

Some Nobody

Junior Member
Carbonox said:
Saddens me to no end to see what happened to HMS. Their Transformers games are superb, some of the only bright and likeable things to come out of Activision in a very long time. I'd imagine if they had the backing of a publisher who weren't utter shitstains, their output would be even greater and more impressive.

I doubt this is unique to Activision though but that company appears to be a very scummy place to work (or at the least develop) for.

Bear in mind I never cared for Deadpool though. I doubt we'll ever see a follow up to Fall of Cybertron...
Click to expand...

I'd be shocked if the next HMS game wasn't TF, unless they just stopped working for Activision.
 
C

Contra11

Banned
It's like a habits for Activision to release super bad games .. they take the lead for the number of bad games they published last gen
 
N

nubbe

Member
Activision has been a production company for quite a while now
and their business have been the most successful in the market

quality don't matter
 
S

Some Nobody

Junior Member
Petrie said:
Sounds to me like they were setting realistic expectations, something more publishers and developers should do. Not every game can be a 90+ just like every movie or book won't get 5 stars.
Click to expand...

There's a difference between not shooting for perfection and actively aiming at being shit. I mean, 64? Even on the ten-point scale if you got that in a class, you failed. At least be a B student. :p
 
V

vazel

Banned
But their Transformers games were good and they released those once a year. Was Activision's management policies towards High Moon so different this time?
 
D

Darklord

Banned
Actvision might be huge but they are a terribly run company. Remove CoD and Blizzard and they have absolutely nothing.
 
R

Rhaknar

The Steam equivalent of the drunk friend who keeps offering to pay your tab all night.
they suceeded then, the game is a 65 at best (still enjoyed it tho)
 
SmokedMeat

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Darklord said:
Actvision might be huge but they are a terribly run company. Remove CoD and Blizzard and they have absolutely nothing.
Click to expand...

Skylanders? Soon to be Destiny?

Seems like as long as they have a couple cash cows they can depend on the rest of their output isn't a priority.
 
D

Deacan

9/10 NeoGAFfers don't understand statistics. The other 3/10 don't care.
vazel said:
But their Transformers games were good and they released those once a year. Was Activision's management policies towards High Moon so different this time?
Click to expand...

There was a 2 year gap between Transformers: War for Cybertron and Transformers: Fall of Cybertron.
 
V

vazel

Banned
Deacan said:
There was a 2 year gap between Transformers: War for Cybertron and Transformers: Fall of Cybertron.
Click to expand...
Dark of the Moon was released in-between those two but I see now that it was not well regarded. But still, that means Fall of Cybertron was developed in one year unless they had two internal teams.
 
N

NeoGash

Member
Darklord said:
Actvision might be huge but they are a terribly run company. Remove CoD and Blizzard and they have absolutely nothing.
Click to expand...

Yeah one thing you can give them credit for is that they are smart. They are a bunch of fuck-asses, but they are smart fuck-asses. WoW, CoD, Skylanders, plus Blizzard games, they are in a VERY good position. Out of the top 5 biggest selling/most profitable games, I'd be willing to bet they have at least 3 in there. Let's see how good their MOBA goes.....it could be huge.

Danneee said:
The whole money put in project=metacritic score mentality should just die.
Click to expand...

It won't die, not anytime soon. At least we have indies.
 
I

Impeccable

Member
Developers just need to go back to making games they want to make.

It's why independent development brings us so many exciting ideas - they are just making games.
 
A

AlphaTwo00

Member
vazel said:
Dark of the Moon was released in-between those two but I see now that it was not well regarded. But still, that means Fall of Cybertron was developed in one year unless they had two internal teams.
Click to expand...
Most places even if they don't have internal teams would split resources, ramping up and down as needed to push for projects to complete. It's how a lot of places manage to do annual franchises, where you see certain alternating years innovate more because more people might have spent time earlier on pre-production.

There are places where there's an entire group of people that only does pre-production work, ramping up a project for others to complete.
 
B

BBboy20

Member
Sdoots said:
I once took a tour of what was the Activision Value offices in Minnesota. Long story, but basically at one point I was straight up told, paraphrasing, "We'd rather push out as many games as we can, then spend a lot of time making a really good game."

The testing dungeon (Their words, not mine) was the most depressing looking place I had ever fucking seen.


With that kind of philosophy, yeah, this doesn't surprise me as something that'd be pushed to a developer.
Click to expand...
What!? THey don't make that many games any more and they still keep shit conditions like that!?

ShinUltramanJ said:
Skylanders? Soon to be Destiny?

Seems like as long as they have a couple cash cows they can depend on the rest of their output isn't a priority.
Click to expand...
....*looks at Destiny poster*...shit. -___-
 
G

Gannd

Banned
ShinUltramanJ said:
Skylanders? Soon to be Destiny?

Seems like as long as they have a couple cash cows they can depend on the rest of their output isn't a priority.
Click to expand...

Skylanders they have for now but I think it might end up being a fad more than the next pokemon. Activision has a tradition of running this stuff intro the ground. They don't have Destiny. Bungie owns it.
 
V

Violence Jack

Member
Quick cash grab. This sounds like what most devs go through when they make those awful movie tie-in games. Star Trek, I'm looking at you.
 
P

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
High Moon made some cracking games in the Transformers Cybertron series. Its a pity to see what Activisions carving knife reduced them to.

A terrible fucking industry of clueless, headless chickens running around with no long term plans at all.
 
N

n00bsauce87

Member
Petrie said:
Sounds to me like they were setting realistic expectations, something more publishers and developers should do. Not every game can be a 90+ just like every movie or book won't get 5 stars.
Click to expand...

This made no sense. If you have an approved budget you should try and stick to it. Tomb Raider was the exception, not the rule. Cutting and overworking a team will get you your Deadpools.

Also, anyone who wants to deliver a subpar product just to make a profit should be laughed out of the industry. Let's not treat our customer base like mindless drones with deep pockets.
 
S

SteveWinwood

Member
Pie and Beans said:
High Moon made some cracking games in the Transformers Cybertron series. Its a pity to see what Activisions carving knife reduced them to.

A terrible fucking industry of clueless, headless chickens running around with no long term plans at all.
Click to expand...
Yeah but look at the money we made THIS quarter!
 
J

jackissocool

Member
Gannd said:
Skylanders they have for now but I think it might end up being a fad more than the next pokemon. Activision has a tradition of running this stuff intro the ground. They don't have Destiny. Bungie owns it.
Click to expand...
Seriously the best gaming news I've heard in a few months.
 
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