Author Topic: Games Industry Death Watch 2010-present (Read 332481 times)

KDR_11k · « **Reply #475 on:** February 10, 2011, 10:42:10 AM »

If Activision keeps cutting away franchises and developers they may end up cutting their Activision part entirely and being just Blizzard...

noname2200 · « **Reply #476 on:** February 10, 2011, 01:31:52 PM »

Quote from: KDR_11k on February 10, 2011, 10:42:10 AM

If Activision keeps cutting away franchises and developers they may end up cutting their Activision part entirely and being just Blizzard...

I could live with that.

Morari · « **Reply #477 on:** February 10, 2011, 01:49:01 PM »

Quote from: noname2200 on February 10, 2011, 01:31:52 PM

Quote from: KDR_11k on February 10, 2011, 10:42:10 AM
If Activision keeps cutting away franchises and developers they may end up cutting their Activision part entirely and being just Blizzard...

I could live with that.

Maybe ten years ago. I can't even say I have much faith in Blizzard these days. All they want to do is milk their MMO while pushing Battle.net and cutting LAN options out of every other game. Blizzard North was always the best part of the company anyway, and that team doesn't exist anymore...

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #478 on:** February 11, 2011, 12:20:42 PM »

Rumor: Activision planning Take2 TakeOver?
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/43003/Activision-eyeing-Take-Two-swoop

Quote

An eventful week for Activision rolls on: rumours are circulating at the highest level that the company is eyeing a shock acquisition of rival Take-Two.

If true, and if successful, the bid would bring blockbuster brands and hit studios under one roof – Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, BioShock and World at Warcraft, all living together.

On Wednesday, Activision proved it isn't afraid to abandon any under performing franchise as it focuses on the best of the best. Adding teams like Irrational and Rockstar Games to its stable would only underline that.

This week it cut short the life of both Guitar Hero and DJ Hero and canceled free-roaming action title True Crime: Hong Kong – but this has left the publisher with gap in its slate of IP which Take-Two's games would capably fill.

"There are very strong rumours amongst people at a very senior level within the global business," a senior executive told MCV this week.
"But there're not much more than that at the moment – they are just rumours. And, of course, given Activision's news this week, everyone is now looking to see what their next move is. But you can definitely put two and two together and make four-ish."

Could this have had something to do with the cancellation of True Crime? The game was getting good impression and was supposedly almost done after all. and then there is also this

Quote

UPDATE: It's also worth noting that while Rockstar and its IP is wholly owned by Take-Two, the contracts of the studio's major talents – including the Houser brothers – is due to expire in 2012.

But that shouldn't affect a future GTA if a True Crime were to come out this year, unless there is a GTA planned for this year too.

TJ Spyke · « **Reply #479 on:** February 11, 2011, 12:28:41 PM »

I wouldn't put much faith in this, rumors of Activision Blizzard or Electronic Arts buying Take-Two Interactive have been floating around for years. Every time it happens, the stock of T2 goes up but then nothing happens. I am not saying it won't happen, but this is a rumor that pops up every year.

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #480 on:** February 11, 2011, 12:47:32 PM »

Quote from: MCV Article

If the rumours are true, however, Activision could well be expecting strong resistance from Take-Two. In 2008 EA attempted a hostile takeover of the publisher valued at around $2bn – an amount that represented a hefty premium over the company's actual share value.

Take-Two though remained resolute in its defiance of the move, ignoring several extended deadlines and public statements of intent from EA boss John Riccitiello. Take-Two's then executive chairman Strauss Zelnick branded the bid as "inadequate".

Of course, that was 2008. In the time that has followed there have been changes at Take-Two, most notably the increased stake of media magnate and billionaire Carl Icahn. In 2010 it was rumoured that Icahn, who is a former chairman and now a major shareholder of rental chain Blockbuster, was prepping Take-Two for acquisition.

Different people with more power means different motivations for/against selling.
not saying this rumor is gonna come true, but 2008 was then and this is now.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #481 on:** February 12, 2011, 03:04:14 AM »

They'd just buy it and then cut away the 90% that isn't focused on making more sequels. At this rate Activision is the cancer that is killing gaming.

Stratos · « **Reply #482 on:** February 12, 2011, 06:29:02 AM »

Quote from: KDR_11k on February 12, 2011, 03:04:14 AM

They'd just buy it and then cut away the 90% that isn't focused on making more sequels. At this rate Activision is the cancer that is killing gaming.

Wasn't that EA's title last gen?

KDR_11k · « **Reply #483 on:** February 12, 2011, 08:42:13 AM »

Yeah but they got better.

Chozo Ghost · « **Reply #484 on:** February 13, 2011, 08:35:51 AM »

Quote from: TJ Spyke on February 09, 2011, 05:20:08 PM

Maybe not though. The Rock Band has been struggling for awhile,

But now that Guitar Hero is gone their struggling days may be over. Their most serious competition is now gone. This means they now more or less have a monopoly on the genre.

nickmitch · « **Reply #485 on:** February 13, 2011, 01:37:14 PM »

But they'd have to convert people from GH, and losing your DLC and having to use peripherals that aren't the most compatible is gonna be a tough sell.

Stratos · « **Reply #486 on:** February 13, 2011, 04:46:58 PM »

I thought the controller compatibility matter was pretty much resolved?

nickmitch · « **Reply #487 on:** February 13, 2011, 07:08:50 PM »

It has been, but the button colors are out of order and not all peripherals are cross compatible, though most of them are.

TJ Spyke · « **Reply #488 on:** March 01, 2011, 01:12:25 PM »

THQ has said they are letting go 14 people from their THQ Australia branch, bringing the studios total down to 60 employees. Most of the games they develop are family licensed games like those based on Megamind and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Apparently most of them were people in the art department.
http://www.industrygamers.com/news/thq-australia-cuts-19-percent-of-workforce/

broodwars · « **Reply #489 on:** April 01, 2011, 04:54:30 AM »

Sony Online Entertainment has confirmed that they are closing their Seattle, Tucson, and Denver studios and laying off 205 employees. In the process, the long-delayed spy-based project "The Agency" has been canceled in favor of *sigh* 2 new MMOs based on Planetside and EverQuest. Because the world just needs more MMOs for World of WarCraft to bury.

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #490 on:** April 01, 2011, 10:15:03 AM »

I did a little searching to make sure this wasn't a April Fools Joke or something
but it looks legit. checked the twitter, Kotaku is their original source for your article and 1up also covered the tweet.
http://twitter.com/georgeb3dr

http://www.1up.com/news/spy-mmo-the-agency-canned-amid-layoffs

NWR_insanolord · « **Reply #491 on:** April 01, 2011, 01:09:44 PM »

If they redid Planetside but made it free to play it could be pretty awesome. It was a cool idea, but no one's going to pay $15 a month for a FPS.

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #492 on:** April 01, 2011, 01:25:46 PM »

Quote from: insanolord on April 01, 2011, 01:09:44 PM

If they redid Planetside but made it free to play it could be pretty awesome. It was a cool idea, but no one's going to pay $15 a month for a FPS.

Looks to Activision with planned CoD Online.....

KDR_11k · « **Reply #493 on:** April 02, 2011, 03:41:33 AM »

Planetside has a chance of standing out, Everquest is dead on arrival though.

broodwars · « **Reply #494 on:** May 04, 2011, 09:37:36 PM »

Split/Second developer Black Rock Studios has announced they are laying off 40 employees as well as canceling the sequel to Split/Second (which was in pre-production). Disney, I lay the blame for this at your feet. You could have pushed Split/Second back a month or so and gotten it out of the way of Blur and Mod Nation Racers, and the game probably would have done well. Instead, the 3 games released at virtually the same time and killed each other's sales. Split/Second was an awesome racing game, and I usually hate racing games! Now we aren't going to see a Split/Second 2, and the developer is laying off employees. I hope you're pleased with yourself.

Oblivion · « **Reply #495 on:** May 04, 2011, 10:57:41 PM »

^Aw, really? I loved both the PSP and PS3 Split/Second. Darn.

Shaymin · « **Reply #496 on:** May 05, 2011, 03:06:19 PM »

1up acquired by IGN; merging into giant robot producer of Top x lists.

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #497 on:** May 05, 2011, 03:45:34 PM »

Quote from: Shaymin on May 05, 2011, 03:06:19 PM

1up acquired by IGN; merging into giant robot producer of Top x lists.

Mix this news with the fact that IGN's parent company NewsCorp. (same company that owns FoxNews & MySpace) just acquired UGO and is trying to spin IGN off as it's own entity, and you can see that Newscorp is making sure that IGN will have plenty of support to hold itself up on it's own 2 feet.
http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20110501/news-corp-s-ign-buys-hearsts-ugo-in-preparation-for-game-site-spin-off/

NWR_insanolord · « **Reply #498 on:** May 05, 2011, 08:02:49 PM »

1up's been a shell of its former self since the mass firing a couple years back. Still, I'd take that over merging with IGN.

broodwars · « **Reply #499 on:** May 05, 2011, 08:04:49 PM »

At this point, the only reason I go to 1up.com is for the Active Time Babble podcast and the occasional review. I hope the podcast gets to stick around at least, since IGN doesn't have an equivalent show.

News:

Author Topic: Games Industry Death Watch 2010-present (Read 332481 times)