Pretty sure the series is still popular. Are you ok?
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A New Chapter for Santa Monica Studio
- Thread starter CreeperBlocks
- Start date
Pretty sure the series is still popular. Are you ok?
hey_it's_that_dog
benevolent sexism
Maybe, but just as I don't believe many consumers actually care about the studio location or culture itself, I doubt many consumers really cared about the cancellation/Stig departure, etc. So there is no need to counteract the bad news with this feel-good piece. It seems like a lot of effort for the sake of the relatively small pool of fans who are so dedicated that they follow studios at this level of detail.
It's like telling Activision to stop making Call of Duty just because a small fraction of fans want something new. If it sells they shouldn't stop. But SSM should cook up a new story with new characters and a new setting.
Greek Mythology is so awesome though, there's a lot that can be done with it. Sooo much potential dude.
Maybe PD should reboot Gran Turismo into a turn based RPG. No, God of War is a hack and slash, a great one at that.
GIANKRATOS
Member
Cory give us a badass God Of War 4!
hey_it's_that_dog
benevolent sexism
No, I didn't realize people were literally asking them for a PR puff piece. That's why I asked.
In any case, fans ask for all kinds of shit. They didn't choose to do this in particular just because of some tweets. I want to understand the strategic value of this video.
Are you talking about their canceled new IP? or the fact that people got laid off and they continued to hire more people?
Don't want to derail the thread, but there was only one GOW game on the PS3 that actually sold well. Ascension really underperformed.
hey_it's_that_dog
benevolent sexism
Yeah, the cancelled project and Stig's departure. It was a big deal on GAF but I doubt it was a big deal in reality, which is why I'm wondering aloud if that's what this is about or if it's something else.
A non mainline game didn't sell as well as mainline game? Oh man, cancel GoW4 immediately and make a shooter!
Read about how Jaffe wanted to evolve GOW into something more Zelda orientated. His ideas were awesome.
Nightengale
Member
Spin-off titles doesn't generally do as well as mainline titles, even though Sony clearly tried to position it as part of the flagship.
I mean, Halo Reach/ODST, Gears Judgment, etc didn't do as well as the previous numbered titles either, but that isn't necessarily a reflection of the IP showing a decline. per say.
God of War Collection sold 2.4 million. Ascension underperforming at the end of PS3's lifespan doesn't mean it's time to make GOW into a Zelda clone.
hey_it's_that_dog
benevolent sexism
I bet the HD collections did quite well.
I personally would like to see big changes to the GOW formula, but if you're going to try to argue that there is a catastrophic falloff in popularity based on connecting the dots between GOW3 and Ascension, I'm going to argue back that you don't have enough data points.
Ideas are always awesome. It's actual games that often turn out disappointing.
Kazuma Kiryu
Member
I'm as shocked as you!
Ascension was only the second GOW game released on the PS3, there was a 3 year gap between both games as well. It really should have sold better. It had a huge marketing campaign, on par with GOW III.
hey_it's_that_dog
benevolent sexism
How did it sell? If you have numbers for the GOW series, post them so we can really talk about this.
Purple Cheeto
Member
So they're down the street from KojiPro LA in Playa Vista. Also down the street from EA Dice and the old EALA office.
Its kind of funny that they're calling themselves Santa Monica still since they're in Playa now
Its kind of funny that they're calling themselves Santa Monica still since they're in Playa now
Corpsepyre
Banned
I think it turned into a big deal because, firstly, everyone was waiting to see that new IP the team was working on. I was one of them. Secondly, the Destiny chatter came up, and how Sony canned the game because of its alleged similarities with it as they're pepping that game as if it was a first party exclusive.
Gears of War Judgment didn't sell as well either. What's your opinion on the next Gears game?
Actually GT is also another franchise that is stale in several regards, and in which its latest high-budget entry massively underperformed.
Triggerhappytel
Member
They revealed they were moving a few months back, but they've probably just got established, had a settling in period and now are ready to move forward with whatever their next game will be.
Yeah... don't count on it.
I think they mean it as in they nurture an indie studio and co-develop some games (i.e. Journey, The Unfinished Swan, Hohokum, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture). They're not technically a publisher publisher, as SOE are aside from SCE.
I believe the only games fully developed in-house are Kinecta and the GoW games.
********
Anyway, an interesting video and it seems like they have a good working environment, and I hope to hear more about their next project soon. I'm increasingly certain that it will be a new GoW helmed by Corey (probably a reboot or direction shift), but it seems like the kind of studio who would benefit from an Amnesia Fortnight-style break after they ship their next 'Triple-A' project.
GIANKRATOS
Member
NO THANKS.
Judgement was the fourth Gears game on one console and wasnt really marketed by MS, they sent the game to die. Ascension was the second GOW game for a series that wasnt really milked on the PS3. It had a huge marketing campaign, super bowl ads and everything. there is a big difference between the two.
ThoughtsOfSpeaking
Banned
Wavering Radiant
Member
Sony didn't treat the game as a spin off though, it got a huge budget and a full 3 year dev time.
The Rain King
Member
Cool. Now move Ready at Dawn in and we're set.
We dont know what the budget was.
TheListener
Member
"IS THIS FUN???"
Traumnovelle
Member
Kratos has pretty much killed every Greek God and mythological figure. By Ascension they were digging for scraps in regards to enemies.
Triggerhappytel
Member
I actually agree with this idea. It would give the game more depth and I'd rather have a more open adventure with free control than the relatively tight confines of the series so far.
Nightengale
Member
How Sony treated it and how consumers treated it are two different things.
Callibretto
Member
They really mess up the game reveal and marketing, focusing the reveal on multiplayer is a huge mistake, and they kept silent about the story campaign for quite some time even after the reveal if I remember it right.
Except we do.
http://www.vg247.com/2013/04/22/god-of-war-ascension-had-a-budget-somewhere-near-50-million-report/
Add marketing to that.
Anyway, I didn't mean to derail the thread.
Back on topic, I'd love if they did a spin off that plays like Zelda. So much underused potential.
Nightengale
Member
What I want out of GoW is for them to embrace parts of SotC, by giving the game a more sandboxy experience with titanic-scale monsters.
I like the set-pieces in GoW, but it does feel too much of a set-piece at times.
I like the set-pieces in GoW, but it does feel too much of a set-piece at times.
I stand corrected.
But again we don't know the total sales or how much they got from DLC.
I thought It was pretty cool. I like seeing creative teams that make the things we love. I wouldn't call myself the hugest Santa Monica fan but I enjoyed seeing such a wide mix of people(men, women, all races, young and old) that was a bit of a surprise to me.
I really like watching documentaries though. Seeing were things are made and who makes them is just fun to me.
GIANKRATOS
Member
This is one of the most hilarious damage control posts I have ever seen.
I would think the video was made just to document the transition between studios, what with everyone being in the old one for so long its a big deal to move,,,, it is just a cool video showing stuff off...I think for people that are not dev's it offers an interesting insight into a studio and maybe humanizes it a bit,
SSM make good games,,, I would be excited for whatever they do next and expect the bar to be high
SSM make good games,,, I would be excited for whatever they do next and expect the bar to be high
Nightengale
Member
I say brand building.
The ultimate ideal for a developer/publisher is if they can have their studios have a consumer pull just as much as the games they develop.
hey_it's_that_dog
benevolent sexism
So you would predict that we'll see more material like this come out of Sony for other studios? Did they do one for RAD already that was not strictly about The Order? I feel like they might have but I could be making shit up.
Ascension sold almost 2 million copies WW as a non-numbered God of War 1-off. Sales numbers under previous titles, sure, but still pretty respectable for what it was.
I'll agree that the next game could potentially use some tweaks/streamlining, but turning it into almost anything other than a hack'n'slash with set big piece battles is going to hurt it even more.
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