Author Topic: Games Industry Death Watch 2010-present  (Read 331165 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Shaymin

  • Not my circus, not my monkeys
  • NWR Staff
  • Score: 70
    • View Profile
    • You're on it
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #200 on: March 06, 2010, 09:40:22 PM »
Short version:

- Vivendi was set to publish Brutal Legend before they merged with Activision
- Activision wanted to turn it into a Guitar Hero-branded game, then dropped it along with Ghostbusters and 50 Cent because it couldn't be exploited annually (EXACT WORDS)
- DoubleFine took it to EA Partners for publishing
- Activision filed suit trying to block release on the last day of E3 (they lost)

Best quote on the whole situation: "It's like an ex-husband suing his wife for hooking up with a better looking guy"
Donald Theriault - News Editor, Nintendo World Report / 2016 Nintendo World Champion
Tutorial box out.

Offline Caliban

  • In Space As Always
  • Score: 32
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #201 on: March 06, 2010, 09:47:34 PM »
Ah I remember now. Thanks Shaymin.

The IW people were initially working for EA under another name for the Medal of Honor series, so I assume that the same thing will happen again in the sense that they will leave and work under a new name. I also think that Nintendo would do good to have them, but where will Retro fit in? I mean, Retro is a capable company too to make a First Person game.

Offline broodwars

  • Hunting for a Pineapple Salad
  • Score: -1011
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #202 on: March 06, 2010, 09:52:04 PM »
does anyone really believe Activision wasn't actively trying to engage in shady business practices here, especially with their shady history (Brutal Legend, anyone?)?

What happened with Brutal Legend?

Activision had Double-Fine create the game, and then mid-project they shelved the project stating that they had no intention of releasing it (along with other notable titles like Ghostbusters).  EA picked up the publishing rights to the game and had Double Fine complete the game, which prompted Activision to file a lawsuit around E3 to forbid EA from releasing the game (which, considering the game released last year, failed).  Their argument was that they paid Double Fine a lot of money to develop a game that never came to be, which is silly considering it was Activision that canceled the project.  That's the gist of it, anyway.
There was a Signature here. It's gone now.

Offline broodwars

  • Hunting for a Pineapple Salad
  • Score: -1011
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #203 on: March 06, 2010, 09:54:48 PM »
Best quote on the whole situation: "It's like an ex-husband suing his wife for hooking up with a better looking guy"

Actually, I think Tim Schafer had a better one: "Hey, if Activision liked it, then they should have put a ring on it.  Oh great, now BeyoncĂ© is going to sue me too."
There was a Signature here. It's gone now.

Offline Shaymin

  • Not my circus, not my monkeys
  • NWR Staff
  • Score: 70
    • View Profile
    • You're on it
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #204 on: March 06, 2010, 10:05:22 PM »
Yes! You are correct, sir!

Seriously, I forgot about that one.
Donald Theriault - News Editor, Nintendo World Report / 2016 Nintendo World Champion
Tutorial box out.

Offline TJ Spyke

  • Ass
  • Score: -1350
    • View Profile
    • Spyke Shop
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #205 on: March 06, 2010, 10:21:29 PM »
A couple of months before it came out, Activision sued Double Fine Productions for breach of contract and said that they still had rights to the game.
Help out a poor college student, buy video games and Blu-ray Discs at: http://astore.amazon.com/spyke-20

Offline Stratos

  • Stale lazy meme pirate
  • Score: 70
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #206 on: March 07, 2010, 01:51:55 AM »
Retro could always hire the IW escapees. More FPS experience under a Nintendo funded and supervised environment would be great.
My Game Collection
NNID: Chronocast
Switch: SW-6786-5514-9978
3DS Friend Code: 0447-5723-6467
XBL Gamertag: Chronocast

Offline ThePerm

  • predicted it first.
  • Score: 64
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #207 on: March 07, 2010, 02:40:48 AM »
its hard to say, if i worked at IW Retro may ignore that they stopped hiring a month ago
NWR has permission to use any tentative mockup/artwork I post

Offline BlackNMild2k1

  • Animal Crossing Hustler
  • Score: 409
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #208 on: March 07, 2010, 11:36:16 AM »
http://www.data-max.co.jp/2010/03/post_9070.html

Quote from: translation
On 1st March 2010, Cing (the developer of Another Code, Hotel Dusk, Little King's Story) filed for bankruptcy in Japan. The company has suffered liabilities totaling 256 million yen (about 2.5 million USD).

Offline TJ Spyke

  • Ass
  • Score: -1350
    • View Profile
    • Spyke Shop
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #209 on: March 07, 2010, 12:21:29 PM »
$2.5 million, that's all they owed? So Cing must have been one of those tiny developers that struggle to exist from game to game and even one game bombing could mean the end of them.
Help out a poor college student, buy video games and Blu-ray Discs at: http://astore.amazon.com/spyke-20

Offline Chozo Ghost

  • I do want the Wii U to fail.
  • Score: -431
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #210 on: March 07, 2010, 04:51:18 PM »
Damn... they actually made quality games, too. Other 3rd parties make shitty games and they post record profits (acitivision/ea/ubisoft) but then these guys post gold and go bankrupt. It isn't fair! I don't know who else to blame, so I guess this must be the fault of consumers. How many have bought titles like Little King's Story? If you didn't then you are part of the problem...
is your sanity...

Offline Stratos

  • Stale lazy meme pirate
  • Score: 70
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #211 on: March 07, 2010, 06:10:44 PM »
I bought Kings Story...

Is this the kind of bankruptcy you can bounce back from ir is this the 'sell everything off and lose the company' type? The article is in Japanese.
My Game Collection
NNID: Chronocast
Switch: SW-6786-5514-9978
3DS Friend Code: 0447-5723-6467
XBL Gamertag: Chronocast

Offline BlackNMild2k1

  • Animal Crossing Hustler
  • Score: 409
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #212 on: March 07, 2010, 06:24:07 PM »
Maybe this will answer your question

Cing's Official Website
http://www.cing.co.jp/

Offline Chozo Ghost

  • I do want the Wii U to fail.
  • Score: -431
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #213 on: March 07, 2010, 06:32:59 PM »
Maybe this will answer your question

Cing's Official Website
http://www.cing.co.jp/

For those too lazy to click, it comes up for me as completely blank..
is your sanity...

Offline Stratos

  • Stale lazy meme pirate
  • Score: 70
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #214 on: March 07, 2010, 07:52:01 PM »
Uh-oh. What will happen to those properties, I wonder. Hotel Dusk reportedly had a sequel in the works and Nintendo published those. I was really hoping for a new King's Story to come out with IR controls down the road.
My Game Collection
NNID: Chronocast
Switch: SW-6786-5514-9978
3DS Friend Code: 0447-5723-6467
XBL Gamertag: Chronocast

Offline Peachylala

  • Bunk Pass Itch
  • Score: 4
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #215 on: March 07, 2010, 11:26:17 PM »
Retro could always hire the IW escapees. More FPS experience under a Nintendo funded and supervised environment would be great.
Did those two guys who threw a ****-fit after leaving Retro DO ANYTHING worth mentioning, just to be fair?

I'm wondering too, the last thing they worked on was Metroid Prime Trilogy (and let's be honest, I don't think that was too much since the only real work involved was adding pointer controls to Prime 1 & 2).
They also made the games look great in 16:8, so throw them a bone.
Peachy got himself a 360 Slim. ...Yahoo?

Offline TJ Spyke

  • Ass
  • Score: -1350
    • View Profile
    • Spyke Shop
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #216 on: March 07, 2010, 11:33:58 PM »
I think you meant 16:9 (16:9 is already cramped, I don't want to lost even more screen space by cramming it down even more with 16:8)
Help out a poor college student, buy video games and Blu-ray Discs at: http://astore.amazon.com/spyke-20

Offline Dirk Temporo

  • Score: -1
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #217 on: March 07, 2010, 11:48:37 PM »
16:9 is already cramped

:|

I wish there were more I could say to that.
"You've had your dream old man. It's time to wake up!"
-Travis Touchdown

Offline NinGurl69 *huggles

  • HI I'M CRAZY
  • Score: 28
    • View Profile
    • Six Sided Video
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #218 on: March 08, 2010, 03:16:05 AM »
"Get a taller TV?"
:: Six Sided Video .com ~ Pietriots.com ::
PRO IS SERIOUS. GET SERIOUS.

Offline ThePerm

  • predicted it first.
  • Score: 64
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #219 on: March 08, 2010, 06:07:31 PM »
changing a screen resolution isn't hard.
NWR has permission to use any tentative mockup/artwork I post

Offline Peachylala

  • Bunk Pass Itch
  • Score: 4
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #220 on: March 09, 2010, 01:22:27 PM »
changing a screen resolution isn't hard.
*insert TV maker here* requests that you have an IQ of *something over 100* to operate the screen resolution options.
Peachy got himself a 360 Slim. ...Yahoo?

Offline NinGurl69 *huggles

  • HI I'M CRAZY
  • Score: 28
    • View Profile
    • Six Sided Video
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #221 on: March 09, 2010, 01:28:27 PM »
I think he was commenting on Retro's AAA port job.
:: Six Sided Video .com ~ Pietriots.com ::
PRO IS SERIOUS. GET SERIOUS.

Offline Peachylala

  • Bunk Pass Itch
  • Score: 4
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #222 on: March 09, 2010, 09:16:48 PM »
Which is better then any grade "A" (used loosely) port third excuse makers have done.
Peachy got himself a 360 Slim. ...Yahoo?

Offline BlackNMild2k1

  • Animal Crossing Hustler
  • Score: 409
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #223 on: March 10, 2010, 01:14:20 PM »
Report: Rebellion cuts 20 staff, Derby studio shuts down
Rebellion has allegedly let go approximately 20 staff from its main studio in Oxford, UK, while its Derby location has been shut down, reports Develop. Rebellion, which most-recently released Aliens vs Predator, has yet to confirm the details

As is typical with these types of stories, it's hard to tell if the layoffs were part of the natural game development cycle after a major release, or if there's an actual "issue" going on. As for the Derby studio, which once upon a time was Core Design (Tomb Raider), has been on the chopping block for months.

Offline NWR_Lindy

  • Famous Rapper
  • NWR Staff Pro
  • Score: 14
    • View Profile
Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010
« Reply #224 on: March 10, 2010, 08:56:42 PM »
I think this is just general industry contraction.  People aren't buying $60 games like they used to.  Too many consoles, too many games being made for said consoles.  When the market shrinks even the tiniest bit, all of these smaller players gets squeezed out.
Jon Lindemann
Contributing Editor, Nintendo World Report

My Game Backlog