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Sony officially cuts ties with Superbot; All-Stars DLC now handled by Santa Monica

TwoDurans

TwoDurans

"Never said I wasn't a hypocrite."
Why is it news when a Dev lays off their staff? When they wrap up one game and go into pre-production on another there is absolutely no reason to employ your QA department for the 3-6 months while you're working on code for them to test.

Majority of the times the "media" reports on layoffs at devs they're leaving out the fact that most of them are rehired back in a few months.
 
D

d0c_zaius

Member
Bgamer90 said:
Examples?
Click to expand...

the two different commercials (the live-action version played a bunch), press events, local weekly FGC coverage with Seth and Clockwork, viral internet stuff (robot chicken commercial) ,billboards and posters, SCR.

In some cases, it was more than the average new IP gets.

I liked the game though, and know some people on the team, so I hope they get another chance to show the world what they can do as a studio. But I can't deny the feeling that poor roster choices based on too much marketing involvement hurt the game severely. That and the whole SUPERS ONLY thing.
 
U

ultron87

Member
fvng said:
"Fuck this game, not buying this smash bros rip off!" - gamer

6 months later...

"RIP Superbot, your game deserved more sales" - same fucking gamer
Click to expand...

If they had ripped off Smash Bros more I would've actually been interested in it. Stupid super scoring nonsense.
 
P

Psycho_Mantis

Banned
You know sometimes I see people getting angry at the special treatment team ICO gets.
The I realize the games they have released which are probably the best I have ever played in all of gaming. They are definitely worth it just for the name let alone the games they are able to deliver.

TBH Superbot was a talented fighting studio. What they lacked was art direction and artists because the look of the game and UI for not good at all. Sony all did not beef the roster or advertise the game.

I feel Sony will make a sequel but hopefully this one will be more to do with the actual characters that we recognise with Playstation.
 
A

Aquamarine

Member
skylenorman said:
Why is it news when a Dev lays off their staff? When they wrap up one game and go into pre-production on another there is absolutely no reason to employ your QA department for the 3-6 months while you're working on code for them to test.

Majority of the times the "media" reports on layoffs at devs they're leaving out the fact that most of them are rehired back in a few months.
Click to expand...

This isn't "a developer laying off their staff." This is SuperBot's sole investor, Sony, cutting all ties with them effective immediately.

Essentially, they're sending them to die, because with no commercially successful repertoire and no original IPs (that they own) under their belt, the studio is worthless.
 
S

StuBurns

Banned
Professor Beef said:
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.
Click to expand...
That's not how it works. Sony wanted a game made for a certain budget, yes, maybe they could have got Crash in there if they'd paid Activision some stupid amount of money, and maybe that would have helped sales very slightly, but that's not the game they greenlite. A game has a budget, a developer works to that. Sony don't seem to have been tight with money based on basically all of their games. Starhawk had a very long time, and seemingly plenty of money, to design a game no one wanted.
 
diffusionx

diffusionx

Gold Member
WatTsu said:
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.
Click to expand...

Again, though, my whole point is that an ad campaign would've just been wasted money. They're not cheap and you need to see results. We're not talking about Assassin's Creed 3 or something, where there are tons of fans and you need to get the word out. We're talking about spending tons of money to convince people they want to play a fighting game as Cole, Killzone guy, Fat Princess, and Cole. Tough sell.

The game got plenty of attention IMO. It had a big reveal. It was mentioned prominently at E3. They put in Cross Buy. The developers went out of their way to market it to fighting game fans, probably hoping word of mouth amongst them will light a spark. It didn't, because the game just wasn't good enough.
 
R

Ravidrath

Member
Man, that's rough...

I met a few guys from Superbot last week and they were really friendly and sharp, and am sorry to see this happen to them.

...That said, I can't help but think there's more going on here, though, because Sony traditionally signs three-game deals with its developers.
 
Duxxy3

Duxxy3

Member
Pai Pai Master said:
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.
Click to expand...

It wasn't the characters.

They went after a niche market of a niche market that is already filled by a 12 year gamecube game with a very loyal following. The broader market was just not interested as they already have UMVC3, SFAE:2013, TTT2, KOFXIII, MK and many others.
 
P

Petrichor

Member
fvng said:
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?
Click to expand...

It's as important. Being a good game is no longer a pre-requisite for doing well, nor is it a gurantee, see dead island.
 
J

JABEE

Member
Pyscho_Mantis said:
You know sometimes I see people getting angry at the special treatment team ICO gets.
The I realize the games they have released which are probably the best I have ever played in all of gaming. They are definitely worth it just for the name let alone the games they are able to deliver.

TBH Superbot was a talented fighting studio. What they lacked was art direction and artists because the look of the game and UI for not good at all. Sony all did not beef the roster or advertise the game.

I feel Sony will make a sequel but hopefully this one will be more to do with the actual characters that we recognise with Playstation.
Click to expand...
They are Sony's equivalent of a prestige brand. They fund them because they create value for all PlayStation platforms.
 
T

The Mana Legend

Banned
Green Scar said:
They should have gone to Game Arts like Ubisoft did for their TMNT Smash knock-off, lol
Click to expand...

No, like Cartoon Network Punchtime XL.

Not even fucking kidding, it's the best Smash Bros. knockoff I've ever played. It's incredible, especially if you're a fan of older Cartoon Network shows.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Jesus, what is going on at Sony? They are killing off developers left and right. What are they going to do when they have only a select few first party studios remaining? I don't like where this is going.
 
R

Ridley327

Member
Ravidrath said:
Man, that's rough...

I met a few guys from Superbot last week and they were really friendly and sharp, and am sorry to see this happen to them.

...That said, I can't help but think there's more going on here, though, because Sony traditionally signs three-game deals with its developers.
Click to expand...

A lot of good that did Factor 5 in the end!
 
B

beast786

Member
On the other side what are example of good 2nd party relationship this Gen?

Sucker Punch
Media molecule
Insomniac
Quantic dreams
 
A

Alienous

Member
dark10x said:
Jesus, what is going on at Sony? They are killing off developers left and right. What are they going to do when they have only a select few first party studios remaining? I don't like where this is going.
Click to expand...

If those few include Guerilla and Naughty Dogs, it'll all be ok.
 
R

Ravidrath

Member
Ridley327 said:
A lot of good that did Factor 5 in the end!
Click to expand...

Yeah, that may have been something they did in the PS2 days that stopped for the most part in the PS3 days.


beast786 said:
On the other side what are example of good 2nd party relationship this Gen?

Sucker Punch
Media molecule
Insomniac
Quantic dreams
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say Insomniac's 2nd party relationship went particularly well, since they moved to get away from Sony and go multiplatform.

Also, left out ThatGameCompany.

ThatGameCompany, unlike Insomniac, is moving on to try and build on its current success rather than get it back.
 
S

Schobeleth

Member
Kaijima said:
The entire game seemed like a throwaway concept someone at Sony came up with, then Superbot was tossed together to churn it out. And they cared about making a great game, but labored under being hamstrung.

It wasn't just low budget, lack of dev time, high retail price (always a brilliant combination). The game was used as a tactless marketing platform in a way that would make the Pokemon Company blush. Using DmC Dante, or a Big Daddy with a Bioshock Infinity stage - a few too many selections were just marketing for upcoming games with no connection to Playstation history.
Click to expand...

Yeah they definitely didn't have the budget they should have gotten. Most of the time people were demanding to have certain characters or features and Superbot was like "Welp, that's up to so and so, not our decision".

On top of that they did the same thing with OTHER WHOLLY OWNED SONY IPs, which was ridiculous. "Hey Ueda, can we use assets from Ico and Shadow of the Colossus?" ... "NOPE I DON'T LIKE YOU USING MY CREATIVE VISION" ... "Oh ok... sorry guys we can't use their characters even though Sony owns them".

What made it even worse was what you mentioned, how instead of using Sony characters and IPs that people wanted, they used lame third party cash ins that made absolutely no sense. I've been saying this from the day it was unveiled that they needed to focus on a more Sony-centric roster, not rely on lame third party cash ins and lots of current gen stuff, which they did anyway.
 
E

Endo Punk

Member
You gotta be shitting me. I feel kinda bad because I sort of expected this half through my hype for the game. It just smelled like a cash grab rather than a genuine attempt at appealing to PlayStation gamers. Really sucks for Superbot and I truly hope the people bounce back quick but lets be honest such a game is definitely better in SSM hands. Next gen I want to revisit the new IP and this time hope it's the love letter it should have been.
 
I

IntelliHeath

As in "Heathcliff"
Aquamarine said:
Fun fact, Game Arts actually helped develop Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I am aware of that.

I do feel bad for SuperBot losing their deal with Sony, but they are still alive right? I hope that they would recover pretty fast and coming up with new fighting game. I think they can pull it off.
 
B

BHK3

Banned
TheOddOne said:


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

Eat Sleep Play fucked up every step of the way to the release of the game, sure the sub par marketing didn't help but releasing a demo with broken online then removing it from the store and then the game has the exact same problem didn't spell success either...

Nihilistic? Really, didn't know releasing shitty games for years was Sony's fault...

Sanzaru don't have a stellar record either aside from the Sly collection and upcoming Sly 4, guess the company is just a crater now for what Sony did to them right?

The Workshop made Sorcery, which did ok from what I heard and they helped make DLC for Borderlands, they are not a first party studio for Sony.

Lightbox fucked up by not listening to it's fans and making bad decisions, they kept saying they listened when in reality they did not. No one asked for a throwaway single player and they decided to wait until months after launch to fix all the problems from the beta. They simply changed too much from Warhawk and the community ended up never fully coming over.

Idol Minds are still working on their next game, plus are making Ratchet Deadlocked HD, where the hell did they come from in being "destroyed"??
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok so who the hell is this uneducated shit stirring idiot who made this tweet?

>Kotaku Columnist

Figures.
 
C

Camjo-Z

Member
The Mana Legend said:
No, like Cartoon Network Punchtime XL.

Not even fucking kidding, it's the best Smash Bros. knockoff I've ever played. It's incredible, especially if you're a fan of older Cartoon Network shows.
Click to expand...

i bought that game for 360

one day the game froze, i reset and turned it back on

one of the default stages disappeared from the stage select, it never came back

punch time explosion was not good at all
 
V

Violater

Member
The supers were broken and unnecessary. The beta made me completely lose any curiosity I might have had. Seems a bit cold on Sony's part and Super Bot is probably being tactful in their response, rightfully so. I'm sure we will hear the dirty details one day.
 
Metallix87

Metallix87

Member
fvng said:
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?
Click to expand...

The point is, Sony built this team specifically to make this game, and then didn't bother to support them with the budget they needed or the marketing the game needed. It seems almost like they just felt like quickly throwing a Smash clone together to pad out their holiday lineup.
 
S

StuBurns

Banned
Schobeleth said:
On top of that they did the same thing with OTHER WHOLLY OWNED SONY IPs, which was ridiculous. "Hey Ueda, can we use assets from Ico and Shadow of the Colossus?" ... "NOPE I DON'T LIKE YOU USING MY CREATIVE VISION" ... "Oh ok... sorry guys we can't use their characters even though Sony owns them".
Click to expand...
No, this is exactly the kind of thing people should be championing. Ueda, who has no legal right over any of that stuff, is able to choose what his creations are used for, if they get HD Remasters, etc. That is how it should work.
 
J

jgmo870

Banned
dark10x said:
Jesus, what is going on at Sony? They are killing off developers left and right. What are they going to do when they have only a select few first party studios remaining? I don't like where this is going.
Click to expand...

Isn't that the plan? Trim the fat and expand the developers who have created critically and financially successful games e.g. Naughty Dog, GG, and SSM.
 
S

snoopeasystreet

Member
beast786 said:
On the other side what are example of good 2nd party relationship this Gen?

Sucker Punch
Media molecule
Insomniac
Quantic dreams
Click to expand...

They ended up buying Media Molecule and Sucker Punch. Their relationship with Insomniac is probably good but I don't know if we'll see any new AAA releases from them. Quantic Dream and Ready at Dawn are the two that seem to be doing the best at the moment.
 
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