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[Aquamarine]

I honestly hope this doesn't kill Superbot. The guys they have their seem pretty solid in what they do and I was really hoping to see Seth Killian get to work on a more traditional fighter there in his future. An original Sony IP fighting game would be pretty hype in my eyes and they got the staff to do it...sad though that with no Sony ties that the studio may be in dire straights.

Maybe Sega would be interested in snatching them up to setup an online multiplayer game of some sort. I'd trust them to handle anything Sega has and surprisingly Sega has a lot more operating income to work with than a lot of other studios out there.

What on Earth are they supposed to do now?

"Hey investors! We're SuperBot, a studio that only made a brawler that failed commercially. And our only IP is completely owned by Sony! Please invest $20 million into our studio so we can make our next game!"

...Do you really see any chance of that happening? The studio is going to crumble immediately and other studios are going to pick off the talent.

I want them to succeed...I want the studio to make something new and prove itself outside of Sony, but I just can't see them getting that chance.

 

[JABEE]

There is also more to marketing than just advertising. Marketers have limitations and budgets just like developers.

 

[cyborg009]

Seems like SCEE has more success with 2nd party deals than SCEA.

 

[Margalis]

Blaming marketing is so lazy.

Unfortunately the game had some fundamental design flaws and mixed-at-best word of mouth.

Edit: At E3 this game was right across from LBP Karting and the majority of people walking by were making snide remarks about how they must have gotten lost and ended up in the Nintendo booth again. Neither game resonated with the public.

 

[LiquidSolid]

Fucking Sony, you dicks. LightBox, Eat Sleep Play and now, Superbot. Sony are the new EA Partners.

 

[ascii42]

Unless they started making it immediately after inFamous 1...no.

What does inFamous have to do with Superbot?

 

[jett]

Wow Sony is coming off like a bunch of dicks. They set up the studio and then they just leave it in limbo?

 

[Bgamer90]

Heh, wait a minute, I get it!

A stealth launch for a stealth video game (Sly 4)!

Smart idea Sony!

 

[WiiRevolution1]

Yes. Final Fantasy 7 was the 1st game in the series.

Hey it happens: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeboyd_Games#Breath_of_Death_VII:_The_Beginning

Anywayz: Really sad to hear this. From a gameplay point, I find that PSASBR was better than SSB and it sucks that more people don't try and learn All Star's combat system. Yea, characters are mostly meh, and two coles are just stupid, and the UI is just bad, but its gameplay that matters amd the gameplay is fun as fuck. Add in a actual working online (for the most part atleast, damn character switching glitch) and it is one hell of a game.

Hope that SM can do a sequel that it deserves.

Also anyone saying that its not Sony's fault for this and other studio closures, it IS their fault. They didn't advertise them at all. Poor PSABR, Starhawk, LBPK. So sad to see so many great games fail.

 

[Criminal Upper]

Ladies and gentlemen, the "Lair/Haze/Last Guardian" effect.

 

[CrazyTank940]

Heh, wait a minute, I get it!

A stealth launch for a stealth video game (Sly 4)!

Smart idea Sony!

It's like viral marketing for Sly 4 all along

 

[Kouichi]

Aw man. This news makes me sad

 

[Professor Beef]

Wait... what? Suckerpunch made Infamous.

...wow, how did I get those two confused? My bad.

 

[Brinbe]

Stop blaming the marketing. This got marketed plenty, people just weren't interested.

 

[dmr87]

Kotaku updated their post with a statement:

UPDATE: In an e-mail, SuperBot's president David Yang responded to Kotaku's request for comment, saying that the company is "excited about beginning the next chapter of [their] future."

The full statement follows:

SuperBot Entertainment can confirm that the relationship with SCEA has ended on good terms. We are extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work on with Sony on Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, and are extremely proud of the work we have done. SuperBot Entertainment will continue working on projects that reflect our passion for games and our commitment to creating award winning titles. We are very excited about beginning the next chapter of our future and invite all of our fans and supporters to follow our journey.

So, false alarm?

 

[The Light]

The only ads I saw for this game was that live action one which basically told you nothing about the game.

 

[WatTsu]

Marketing isn't magic. You still need a compelling product.

No question, but I'm pretty sure showing actual footage and touting Cross-buy and other features in the ads instead of just making weird experimental short films would have helped.

Heck, turning that Robot Chicken short into the ad campaign would have helped.

 

[fvng]

Why would you hire crap developers and then send their games out to die?

Wait, how were they supposed to know Superbot were crap developers? This was their first game.

So you would rather they sent out a bad game to succeed via really good marketing?

Is marketing more important than making a good game now?

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Ladies and gentlemen, the "Lair/Haze/Last Guardian" effect.

Haze devs were third-party and is alive even after its release.
Lair devs were third-party and they killed themselves by working on 4 or more titles at once and not delivering even the prototype.
The Last Guardian is still alive and TeamICO ain't going nowhere.

 

[erpg]

Looks like the yes men at Sony third party relations and green lighting have some examining to do.

Starhawk, PSA should have never been made. One was never wanted outside a super small niche and the other toxic from the start.

 

[udivision]

"Fuck this game, not buying this smash bros rip off!" - gamer

6 months later...

"RIP Superbot, your game deserved more sales" - same fucking gamer

Don't fall into "GAF is the same person" trap.

 

[Ein Bear]

I don't understand this point of view.

What is their punishment? Are you seriously suggesting Sony should be forced to use a studio again just because their last game bombed? Pity publishing? Is that what you're suggesting?

Of course I'm not suggesting they work with them out of pity.

I'm saying that SuperBot shouldn't be pitied at all. They delivered 100% on their end, it was the Sony side of things that let the game down. Obviously they saw something in the studio when they decided to work with them, I'm not sure why they'd decide to now ditch them completely over something out of their control.

 

[cuyahoga]

So, false alarm?

Is a company ever not going to be diplomatic about this sort of thing regardless of what happened?

 

[Kouichi]

So, false alarm?

Hmm, well that doesn't sound so bad. Atleast they didn't end up like Lightbox.

 

[Bgamer90]

Blaming marketing is so lazy.

Not advertising your product is lazy.

Edit: At E3 this game was right across from LBP Karting and the majority of people walking by were making snide remarks about how they must have gotten lost and ended up in the Nintendo booth again. Neither game resonated with the public.

Public = hardcore gamers at a gaming conference?

 

[xKilltheMx]

Ugh. Bought Day 1, hope SSM keeps it going.

 

[plainr_]

Wow this makes me extremely sad. I wish the best of luck to Superbot.

Hopefully, we'll still see a sequel in the future.

 

[Ron K]

Sad but not unexpected. For me personally I was intrigued at first, but when they announced the whole super mechanic (and that being the only way of scoring a KO) my interest was completely deflated. It didn't look interesting pre-release, it didn't feel interesting or fun during the beta, and watching people play now it's just not very exciting to me.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

So, false alarm?

If so, that's good news. Superbot isn't perfect, their game is far from perfect, but I don't think it's fair to write them off after their very first release. If they can grow and succeed I think they have a bright future ahead.

Hopefully the planned future support is extensive, I don't want them to just shit out one more set of DLC characters after Kat/Emmett and call it quits.

 

[StuBurns]

Wow Sony is coming off like a bunch of dicks. They set up the studio and then they just leave it in limbo?

Why is it Sony's responsibility? This is what I don't understand about this thread. Sony help start a studio, and you feel like they owe it to them to keep the lights on for as long as it runs? MS helped start Mistwalker, and once their contract was done, they get to fend for themselves, I really don't see why people are angry about this.

Jaffe decided to leave Sony, they gave him an exclusive contract, funded three games, then he left that company. How much more do people expect a publisher to do just on goodwill?

Of course I'm not suggesting they work with them out of pity.

I'm saying that SuperBot shouldn't be pitied at all. They delivered 100% on their end, it was the Sony side of things that let the game down. Obviously they saw something in the studio when they decided to work with them, I'm not sure why they'd decide to now ditch them completely over something out of their control.

Maybe they think they made a mistake? Maybe they don't think the game is good enough for the time and money they invested? Sony have funded sequels to games that made no money at all, but they're not a charity.

And personally, I strongly disagree they delivered, I think the game is really poorly designed. As is Starhawk. No idea about Twisted Metal, though.

 

[Meelow]

Looks like the sales were really poor.

When I saw the sales I was shocked, you would think the game would get carried better with the SSB4 Hype.

 

[Aquamarine]

Is a company ever not going to be diplomatic about this sort of thing regardless of what happened?

Right. The absolute last thing they're going to say is "Sony sucks! We're going to die without them!"

That would completely scare off ANY investors whatsoever.

 

[Criminal Upper]

Haze is third-party
Lair is third-party
The Last Guardian is still alive and TeamICO ain't going nowhere.

Yes, Haze is third party.

But Lair was not as Sony published it and owns the IP.

And you must be high if you think Team ICO is hunky dory.

 

[Pachterballs]

Ladies and gentlemen, the "Lair/Haze/Last Guardian" effect.

Oh you mean bad game + vapourware?

 

[Bgamer90]

Stop blaming the marketing. This got marketed plenty...

Examples?

 

[JStein0222]

So, false alarm?

Honestly, I think so. Can't wait to see what the company's next project is

 

[Duxxy3]

PSABR was marketed A LOT to fighting game fans, the exact target that superbot was aiming for, and it still failed.

It wasn't the marketing, it wasn't a bad game. People just had better options.

 

[JABEE]

Of course I'm not suggesting they work with them out of pity.

I'm saying that SuperBot shouldn't be pitied at all. They delivered 100% on their end, it was the Sony side of things that let the game down. Obviously they saw something in the studio when they decided to work with them, I'm not sure why they'd decide to now ditch them completely over something out of their control.

This is probably where the marketing team failed, and I'm sure they aren't getting off when you look at terminations in other areas of the company.

You can't sell something to someone that they don't want to buy. It costs too damn much and is inefficient. You find out what people want and present it to them. It ended up failing.

People want creativity and want less focus groups but this is often the result of not anticipating what customers want.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Yes, Haze is third party.

But Lair was not as Sony published it and owns the IP.

And you must be high if you think Team ICO is hunky dory.

I updated my post so I'll post here:

Haze devs were third-party and is alive even after its release.

Lair devs were third-party and they killed themselves by working on 4 or more titles at once and not delivering even the prototype.

I'll repeat: The Last Guardian is still alive and TeamICO ain't going nowhere anytime soon.

 

[CrunchinJelly]

Worse than I thought, jesus in a 2 year span.

To be fair, a lot of those devs just made plain bad games. Maybe it will teach Sony to be a bit more picky next time.

 

[fvng]

I want them to succeed...I want the studio to make something new and prove itself outside of Sony, but I just can't see them getting that chance.

Not to appear ruthless and cold but if they weren't good developers, what are their odds of survival outside of Sony? A bad dev team is a bad dev team.

 

[IntelliHeath]

When I saw the sales I was shocked, you would think the game would get carried better with the SSB4 Hype.

Same here. I thought the game would keep me busy until E3, but I was wrong. I got bored of the game pretty quickly due to huge mess with online.

 

[Pachterballs]

Also, article uses negative language despite the "amicable split" - "cuts ties" as opposed to "part ways" to infer negativity which I assume will be better for hits. Oh that Sony!!

 

[Professor Beef]

Why is it Sony's responsibility? This is what I don't understand about this thread. Sony help start a studio, and you feel like they owe it to them to keep the lights on for as long as it runs? MS helped start Mistwalker, and once their contract was done, they get to fend for themselves, I really don't see why people are angry about this.

It's not about "keeping the lights on." It's about giving them enough money for a game that it supposed to be a highlight of Sorny's history. Give them enough money for characters, stages, and anything else that can help make a game called "Playstation All-Stars" seem like a game worth caring about instead of something that comes across as a giant commercial for other games with a fighter tacked onto it.

 

[Criminal Upper]

Oh you mean bad game + vapourware?

No, I mean, if you put out a product as a Sony exclusive that fails commercially, or just displeases upper management in some way, you better start looking over your shoulder, because Sony will not have your back.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

PSABR was marketed A LOT to fighting game fans, the exact target that superbot was aiming for, and it still failed.

It wasn't the marketing, it wasn't a bad game. People just had better options.

I guess I shouldn't but I feel like marketing includes Sony actually ponying up the cash to get the significant third party characters that people were basically shouting for since the game's first reveal.

I understand that not everything is possible, and some third parties may have been unwilling to play ball or were asking a hefty amount for the license to use their characters. However there are some truly iconic characters that had no business being absent from the roster, and I do feel like Sony could have done a lot more for this game if they wanted it to be big.

Guess we'll never know the full story though - I'd have loved to be a fly on the wall for some of the discussions I'm sure happened. I wonder what Sony was thinking when they realized they weren't going to get Cloud, Snake, Crash, etc....

 

[Phife Dawg]

Not really surprising, writing was on the wall for this one. Even though they have this positive post up I don't expect their future to be bright unfortunately.

Hardly surprising.

Though in Superbot's defense, the game needed much better marketing than it received.

It sold like crap in Europe too and it had TV ads, plus billboards plastered all over the public transport (at least the couple of big cities I visited last year in Germany plus Paris). Can't get any more marketing than that for video games tbh. Not quite Uncharted/GTAIV levels of marketing but still way, way more than usual games, even of the AAA calibre.

I wonder how much Sony expected to sell with this game? Smash numbers maybe?

It'll be hilarious if the game turns out to sell a million on Japan's first week.

Well whatever they expected it surely wasn't this type of bomb. For whatever odd reason they positioned it as their holiday season game alongside Wonderbook.

Odds of this selling 1 m first week in Japan: zero. TBH I would be surprised if it even sold 100k first week on both platforms.

Blur is a far better game than MKWii. Not as good as the best MK games though. Don't say it's a shit game just because of terrible Activision marketing decisions.

Naw, and I own the PC version.

Except for people that have been asking for it since the PS2 era.

Publishers should know about vocal minorities by now. The whole project was ill-conceived imo.

 

[The Mana Legend]

When I saw the sales I was shocked, you would think the game would get carried better with the SSB4 Hype.

I actually think the SSB4 hype killed it even more. People know a new SSB is on the horizon, so why go for the knockoff starring a crap ton of unrecognizable characters?

 

[snoopeasystreet]

Really sucks for Superbot but All-Stars had some of the strangest design decisions I've seen in a long time. How no one at Superbot or Sony didn't see how fucked the scoring system and the menu UI were is beyond me. Not that it would have effected sales of the game that much but despite it being a game about fan service, some of those choices made it feel really sterile to me. I doubt it was lack of passion because they seem like a cool studio. Lack of confidence maybe.

 

[Pachterballs]

No, I mean, if you put out a product as a Sony exclusive that fails commercially, or just displeases upper management in some way, you better start looking over your shoulder, because Sony will not have your back.

Ninja theory went to ubisoft then capcom. I'm sorry but ur whole "got ur back" comment is nonsense.