fart town usa
Gold Member
The stupidity of the higher ups in gaming and Hollywood never ceases to amaze.
Millions of fans telling them what they want to watch and play yet management still can't figure it out.
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Warner Bros. Wants To Shift Away From "Volatile" AAA Console Games, Lean Into Free-To-Play And Mobile
- Thread starter Thick Thighs Save Lives
- Start date
- Business Game Dev
The stupidity of the higher ups in gaming and Hollywood never ceases to amaze.
Millions of fans telling them what they want to watch and play yet management still can't figure it out.
arkhamguy123
Member
But don’t you want another Batman game dude? I’ve completely given up on ever getting a single player AAA Superman game in my lifetime (and I’m 25) but I’m still holding out hope we can get some more AAA SP Batman games.
WB Montreal next game is from a “popular established franchise”. I can only imagine they’re doing another Arkham. And if they’re not rocksteady will almost assuredly be tasked with that IF theyre not shutdown.
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kruis
Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
The console space is too volatile, so let's double down on sure bets like mobile and free-to-play space?? I think the free-to-play space is just as littered with expensive flops that cost tens of millions of dollars to make and sink without a trace.
diffusionx
Gold Member
This company literally made the best selling game of 2023, breaking a decade+ long stranglehold of COD, and said, "nah, let's not do that anymore"
Really shows you that you don't need brains to become decision makers at these places.
Really shows you that you don't need brains to become decision makers at these places.
ProtoByte
Member
What a dumbass.
Neither Gotham Knights or Suicide Squad are victims of volatility. You let a mediocre Montreal based studio spend an entire generation all to shit out a half-aborted live service hopeful based around boilerplate, barely comic accurate versions of Batman's sidekicks. When that mediocre Montreal studio cancelled their Suicide Squad title, you let Rocksteady destroy their reputation and prestige with a full live service loser game based around an IP that fans have repeatedly rejected.
How this lardbrain has concluded that more live services in a provably saturated and ultra-competitive space and mobile title shilling is going to lead to bigger profits or more stability when the only thing saving their asses is a fully single player Harry Potter game defies reason.
Neither Gotham Knights or Suicide Squad are victims of volatility. You let a mediocre Montreal based studio spend an entire generation all to shit out a half-aborted live service hopeful based around boilerplate, barely comic accurate versions of Batman's sidekicks. When that mediocre Montreal studio cancelled their Suicide Squad title, you let Rocksteady destroy their reputation and prestige with a full live service loser game based around an IP that fans have repeatedly rejected.
How this lardbrain has concluded that more live services in a provably saturated and ultra-competitive space and mobile title shilling is going to lead to bigger profits or more stability when the only thing saving their asses is a fully single player Harry Potter game defies reason.
Gojiira
Member
Volatile LMAO, No the AAA market is not volatile at all…If you actually make GOOD FUCKING GAMES…
The arrogance and ignorance of these publishers is just mindblowing, how many years now have gamers collectively bemoaned GaaS? Or these MTX riddled grindfests? Literally all we wanted was another Single Player Arkham game, hell multiplayer is fine so long as the focus of the game is the same. Instead we get dogshit like Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad…Nobody to blame but yourself WB, almost as out of touch as Phil.
The arrogance and ignorance of these publishers is just mindblowing, how many years now have gamers collectively bemoaned GaaS? Or these MTX riddled grindfests? Literally all we wanted was another Single Player Arkham game, hell multiplayer is fine so long as the focus of the game is the same. Instead we get dogshit like Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad…Nobody to blame but yourself WB, almost as out of touch as Phil.
xrnzaaas
Member
Those idiots will learn the hard way it's much harder to force success when doing f2p and mobile games. Everything has to align correctly so that people will notice the game, will find it fun to play longterm, wont find the microtransactions too aggressive and won't have other new(ish) f2p games to play at the same time.
Sleepwalker
Member
Good riddance, fuck WB.
Kacho
Member
Never forget the loot box nonsense in Shadow of War. The pushback was so loud Monolith eventually removed it with a patch lol
poodaddy
Member
Absolutely dude, you know I do, but I don't want it from the team that did Suicide Squad, and I don't want the mentally ill ideology of modern devs pissing all over what it could have and should have been.
Today's Rocksteady doesn't even deserve the title anymore. I don't want them damaging the Batman IP anymore than they already have, so fuck em. Let em close.
I'm 36, and I've been reading Batman literally since I was 2. At this point, I think I'd rather developers just leave it alone rather than fuck up such a hallowed IP any further.
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arkhamguy123
Member
Anecdotally I tried the corporate America game about 4 times. Spent years in it. I can confidently say none of my bosses or bosses bosses or bosses bosses bosses were particularly impressive intellectual savants. Let’s just say they’d all be out of place amongst members of Mensa.
They had simply been there a long long time, enough to rack up promotions or knew the right people
ProtoByte
Member
WB literally always finds a way to squander opportunities. They squandered a full decade with their IP in gaming as their movies floundered too, and just when Disney's about to price themselves out of any interest for AAA publishers or developers to license their shit, WB is setting up to retreat from the one thing that has been stable and successful for them: Single player AAA games based on IP that they own and don't have to pay licensing for at all.
Also, where the hell is that Wonder Woman game? It's been over 2 years since announcement already. Stop embarassing yourselves with Suicide Sales updates and show us that shit. Might actually sell some copies.
Also, where the hell is that Wonder Woman game? It's been over 2 years since announcement already. Stop embarassing yourselves with Suicide Sales updates and show us that shit. Might actually sell some copies.
NuclearDiarrhea
Member
Even Hogwarts Legacy selling bucket loads wasn't enough for these fucktards execs.
arkhamguy123
Member
Oh yeah I forgot about that. Jesus. You’re right. It’s a miracle Wonder Woman got greenlit. Gives me hope though
Lucifers Beard
Member
This is what happens when people who have no understanding of games and the actual audience make decisions on what games get the green light.
WB are full of fucking idiots.
WB are full of fucking idiots.
Mister Wolf
Member
We would get Batman: Birds Of Prey
MiguelItUp
Member
Jesus Christ the WB higher ups are stupid. But to be fair, they've only been making things worse and worse. They've published some very well received AAA console games over the years, but I'm sure they pushed the devs to make a lot of the incredibly shitty calls. Like ones revolving around monetization, etc.
This kind of decision will surely cause them to fade out of existence. I hope Netherealm can break away from them, hell, Monolith too. I'd say Rocksteady, but I unfortunately think the damage is already done.
This kind of decision will surely cause them to fade out of existence. I hope Netherealm can break away from them, hell, Monolith too. I'd say Rocksteady, but I unfortunately think the damage is already done.
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tomato shrub
Member
These fuckers never learn
FeralEcho
Member
Yet clearly more successful than what you think gaas games are worth judging by your brilliant opinions and the gargantuan success and show of force that Suicide Squad has shown in the month it had since release(can't believe it's only been a month and already half the globe forgot this game existed lmao)
You should clearly get a job at WB,seems like out of the box thinking like yours is a must for being in the management team over there.
"Out of the box thinking and into the grave revenue" The WB motto.
Wooxsvan
Member
100000%
mobile games are horrid. i know there are plenty of people out there for them but for me its a complete waste of my entertainment time and dollars
Kings Field
Member
I hope NRS breaks away some how from them. Their run from MK9-MKX was some of the best fighting games in the business.
Angry_Megalodon
Member
Gacha mobile market is fierce. All cash-grabs based on famous IPs shut down in less than 1 year. The only one printing money is Dragon Ball, because they are doing it the right way.
WB will fail and then some people will open threads on unsustainable prices and so on.
FeralEcho
Member
Gaming higher ups are this meme personified just replace children with gamers.
The stupidity of the higher ups in gaming and Hollywood never ceases to amaze.
Millions of fans telling them what they want to watch and play yet management still can't figure it out.
Kiya's Guard
Member
Super foreseeable outcome. Sadly they will probably drag rocksteady with them
Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
Yet clearly more successful than what you think gaas games are worth judging by your brilliant opinions and the gargantuan success and show of force that Suicide Squad has shown in the month it had since release(can't believe it's only been a month and already half the globe forgot this game existed lmao)
You should clearly get a job at WB,seems like out of the box thinking like yours is a must for being in the management team over there.
"Out of the box thinking and into the grave revenue" The WB motto.
Jumping off a bus that's headed for a brick wall (Rocksteadys Batman games) is dangerous, and many people will get hurt doing so (Suicide Squad)...but that brick wall is coming whether you stick your landing or not.
The key is to stick your landing.
diffusionx
Gold Member
Rocksteady is done, dude. It's over.
Mibu no ookami
Member
re-read what i said
DAHGAMING
Gold Member
Yea lets see how that works out for you, you fucking idiot. You could of had 3 big games in the last 18months but you fucked up with Gotham Knights and SS which should be free to play junk. We could of had a proper single player Superman game and another Batman game of some sorts.
FeralEcho
Member
That's fine and all if it was their first,second,third or even 10th attempt but they keep doing it and eventually after trying to stick the landing so much they might just break their neck landing.There's a thing as trying too much...Sometimes the universe tries to tell you you're doing something wrong and if you keep ignoring it you might just end up bankrupt as WB's direction seems to be heading in.
LordCBH
Member
The people who made Rocksteady the studio that everyone liked have been long gone for years now.
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TheAtomicPile
Member
I love the equivocation between Hogwarts and Suicide Squad.
"Look at these two totally similar, traditional console games! One did good, one did not so good. That's volatile! Guess it's time to make phone games."
Having investor buzzwords (Mobile! Service! F2P!) be your entire business strategy is really going to hurt this industry over the next few years.
"Look at these two totally similar, traditional console games! One did good, one did not so good. That's volatile! Guess it's time to make phone games."
Having investor buzzwords (Mobile! Service! F2P!) be your entire business strategy is really going to hurt this industry over the next few years.
proandrad
Member
The executives probably don’t even know what GAAS even is. It was probably whatever market research firm they hired that advise rocksteady to make their game. The executives probably have no idea Suicide Squad and Hogwarts Legacy are 2 different game models. They just compare the sales of one costly AAA game sold well and one didn’t. This is what happens when game sales are connected to your retirement accounts. Better hope Valve never goes public.
Nickolaidas
Member
Fuckity bye!
ComputerBlue
Member
If you look at WB as a whole and not just gaming in the late 90s, early 2000s, they made so many amazing decisions, but that’s slowly started to wither away over the following 20 years and now I’m surprised we got a game like Hogwarts Legacy, it’ll be the last of its kind I’m afraid. I just wish these assholes didn’t have the IP rights to so many great franchises.
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Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
What are their 10 attempts at Live Service?