The middle class is vanishing
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EA drops games that "aren't growing", "aren't large enough", or not on viable systems
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
The middle class is vanishing
DarkLordMalik
Member
So Vita/PSP will be getting less of a support?
Should we expect a FIFA/Madden title this year for Vita/PSP?
Should we expect a FIFA/Madden title this year for Vita/PSP?
darkside31337
Tomodachi wa Mahou
FIFA is already confirmed for handhelds - so yeah its going to get a Vita version.
And Madden looks like its PS3/360 only.
Schnozberry
Member
At what point does it become a crash? Game and Hardware sales are nearly 40% off their peak in 2008. I'm not sure sticking to the model of creating more powerful consoles and more expensive games is necessarily the path to redemption.
You're asking a fair question, and one each dev should think about carefully. We still have to be very honest about the situation. Development cost is a problem partly created by the devs/publishers themselves. And apparently, the bigger they are, the worse this problem is. There are some studios out there that operate on a fraction of the budget, with a fraction of the man-power, and yet, what they are able to achieve is staggering, both in terms of perceived production value AND content. That alone tells us that a lot can be done internally to combat this issue.
Then there's the fact that not every game requires these large budgets. Publishers can just as easily back smaller/less popular games, for much less cost, and make small profits - in principle. That method isn't immediately as attractive to publishers these days because many are chasing(or capitalizing on) that 'overnight success' or 'that one mega hit'. Occasionally it works out, but this predominant focus on big-budget-only games is leaving them with fewer and fewer choices each year. Still, no one forced this situation on them.
krypt0nian
Banned
Why do you think hardware might be down right now? That will show you why the sky is not falling.
Oh wait. You're Nintendo Faithful. I'm certain you won't see it.
Sure it's down because its no Wii selling 500k a month, or no Nintendo game selling 32 million copies. Surely though you don't think Sony and MS will be able to do that when they couldn't manage last time.
Oh wait. you're one of those guys. Of course you do.
krypt0nian
Banned
The other big trend permeating so many games is giving the player various bars to fill by performing dull, repetitive activities, or some other basic psychological hooks to make you addicted to the game (and ideally make you spend money on microtransactions). As a result, most people perceive video games as something that doesn't offer anything worth their time.
A crash is instantaneous. For example, the North American Video Game Crash really lasted from 1983 (when Atari killed it) to 1985 (when Nintendo revived it) though the effects of those two bad years continued to be felt until 1987. If the PS4 and Next Xbox excite people as much as the Wii U and Vita have, then the industry will crash. However, I believe what will be happening is a general contraction... Sort of like a Dark Age. The gaming industry of today is suffering from the same exact issues that the film industry in the '50s and '60s suffered from. Basically, it was the Fall of the Studio System where the established studios of the era had focused on big expensive epics and found themselves unable to compete with television, independents, Europe, and Asia. Naturally, console video games are focusing on big expensive epics by imitating the summer blockbuster and are beginning to find themselves unable to compete with mobile and independent developers.
mercenar1e
Member
"or aren't on platforms that we feel are long-term viable in the industry"
lol sounds like hes talking about Nintendo
lol sounds like hes talking about Nintendo
Gonzo The Great
Banned
I can't even tell what's sarcasm anymore, because there are people on NeoGAF who probably believe this.
Devilgunman
Member
Stop buying EA games for years and couldn't be happier. This generation is belong to Atlus and 2K.
Samir Sedlar
Member
So no more Dead Space, damn, that's a shame, and here I thought EA would get a hint and realize that people want Survival Horror rather than Action Horror, and that at E3 you should show Horror not Action & Giant Drills, Sigh.
Question, how many copies did Dante's Inferno sell ?!
Question, how many copies did Dante's Inferno sell ?!
this is a right thing to do for EA.
SpinningBirdKick
Banned
No surprises.
I've said before that publishers will double down on successful franchises and quickly cull those that under perform.
In lean times, there is no room for speculative ventures only sure fire winners. It's less risky to spend on those that are performing well.
I've said before that publishers will double down on successful franchises and quickly cull those that under perform.
In lean times, there is no room for speculative ventures only sure fire winners. It's less risky to spend on those that are performing well.
ThoughtsOfSpeaking
Banned
I still do not have a origin account, nor do i ever want to make one.
Im ok with this.
It is sad that burnout is probably dead now though.
Im ok with this.
It is sad that burnout is probably dead now though.
bye bye Mirror's Edge 2 forever
This was my first thought
DarkLordMalik
Member
Thanks for that. Just one title on handhelds. That's a bummer =/
Here's hoping that they at least bring a better and more updated version of FIFA on VITA this time and also port the upcoming PvZ 2 to Vita.
Schnozberry
Member
Fair point. I guess we'll have to see how it plays out.
Well we are going to have to agree to disagree on that one, I felt Bioshock started out really strong and ran out of steam half way through by the end it had lost all energy, as for Crysis I felt like it manage to keep you hooked right to the end.
Schnozberry
Member
Yes of course, I'm a fan of Nintendo franchises, so I'm incapable of noticing general industry trends. I think Game Guru made a salient analogy. The major players in the industry have become bloated and inflexible.
SniperHunter
Banned
That 16 million number was not from Sony
It was made up by a news agency
It was about shipping systems (World wide) not sales
some ppl got so desperate they try to create bad news for ps4 lol
See You Next Wednesday
Banned
Their definition of viable is ONLY sports games, generic COD fps clones & generic Gears/Uncharted tps clones.
Crash incoming.
GoddyofAus
Banned
The irony that EA are forcing their own demise by taking this sort of attitude is pretty hilarious. When the next big crash happens, EA's shareholders will take their dividends and leave in a massive sulk and EA will tank.
I like diversity but the time EA was most experimental was also the time they were loosing the most money.
Which is why they only produce what they are sure sells now.
Baconsammy
Banned
You mean popular games that sell really well.
GrotesqueBeauty
Banned
Don't worry, it's not too late to save the Dead Space franchise by turning into a first person shooter MMO.
Dictator93
Member
I always thought EA owned the Crysis IP and that is why you cannot take Crysis 1 or Cysis 2 assets into the free SDK.
Jake Tower
Banned
This is very true, and I'd like to point out a large component of the original video game crash was that video games, through reckless publishers and retailers, had become retail poison.
It wasn't just that game companies went out of business or contracted, video games themselves, as a mass market entertainment product, came to be seen as a fad that had passed due to the massive glut of absolutely terrible products that was ordered by 'runaway retailers' seeking to cash in on the bonanza.
Nintendo reviving the video game market wasn't just making good games or products, it was convincing retailers to carry the products to begin with.
greycolumbus
The success of others absolutely infuriates me.
Nah, man. Turn that shit into a MOBA.
Little Green Yoda
Member
Are you okay with publishers only catering to the lowest common denominator for mega-sales (or a chance at mega-sales) while avoiding everything else?
It's good for them if they keep raking in the dough. For gamers who want more than those types of games, it's not that great.
Miles Quaritch
Member
Absolute BS if Dead Space is dead. I want to know what the end game is for Isaac and the universe at large after the events in DS3 and Awakened.
One more game EA. DO IT.
One more game EA. DO IT.
bye bye Mirror's Edge 2 forever
in all honestly do you really want?
I mean look at Dead Space 3,BF3,Mass Effect 3,Sims,Syndicate..ect EA don't keep the games quality, with EA strategy on sequels Mirror's Edge 2 will most likely end up as a shooter focused abomination.
Outside of their sports games and Battlefield, selling "really well" is still not enough to meet expectations, apparently. Which is why Dead Space is screwed as a franchise and Danger Close were shuttered after their 2nd Medal of Honor.
Focusing only on known quantities that are current top sellers is a losing strategy because EA will either keep increasing the marketing spend for sequels in the expectation of higher sales until that fails and then they're posting losses and axing staff all over again, or they'll inevitably have an unexpected critical failure like MoH: Warfighter which will literally cost them tens of millions of revenue they were fully expecting with their so-called "safer" business model.
Or, most likely, consumers will latch onto the next big next-gen franchises that come out of studios and publishers who invest in new IP and go there for entertainment instead.
shinra-bansho
Member
I guess it makes sense to focus on margins if they're expecting a costly transition.
Sometimes it sounds like people actually want an industry crash for some reason?
Sometimes it sounds like people actually want an industry crash for some reason?
People should realize the marketplace brings this conservatism upon themselves. EA and other publishers are simply reacting to market trends.
You best start believing in crashes. You're in one.
Little Green Yoda
Member
I'm sure people realize that. The average consumer isn't very well informed and has horrible taste. No amount of wallet voting will change that. Why else were people freaking out about Wii Fit and casual games a couple of years ago? But now that soccer moms and senior citizens are no longer threatening console gaming as we know it, the focus is on the bro gamer lol.
There's a difference between a crash and a contraction
Schnozberry
Member
That is true, but part of this is that budgets are out of control, and gigantic returns are necessarily for them to climb above water. EA needed a harsh internal review of their business practices, but I'm not sure that they interpreted the message correctly. It seems that rather than fixing their underlying approach to development, they just cut every last ounce of risk out of their portfolio. While that may make investors happy in the short term, I'm not sure it's a very good outlook for long term growth.
Like Marvel comics in the 90s, right? "Reacting to market trends" turned comics into a ghetto. Marvel literally had to take all of their IP into another medium for it to gain legitimacy.
You can't just hand-wave everything as working as intended because "the market". EA helped create the conditions for their section of the marketplace by focusing on adolescent male fantasies, so no wonder "market trends" indicate that the only people left are the few million adolescent males being pandered to, who haven't been driven off to smartphones, handhelds and PCs for some variety in content and prices.
shinra-bansho
Member
Nothing has changed with regard to demographic targets, the 13-35 male has been and will continue to be the target audience and market.
The market trend I'm referring to is the collapse of the middle of the market; indies are thriving, big blockbusters are bringing in returns. But there isn't room for a mid-tier, at least not as the mid-tier currently operates.
Except that too is reactionary.
If EA could get away with selling you Dragon Age 3 with 8bit sound and 2D graphics they would.
Consumers drive the bigger, better, more mentality as much, if not moreso, than publishers/developers.