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Radical have every reason to be proud of what they've done. Their games the last two gens (especially Prototype 2) have been quite good. In fact, while the Prototype games aren't THE best open world games ever, they are my favorite rampage games of all time. I can spend hours gliding around the city blowing up tanks and hijacking helicopters. That shit never gets old.
Best of luck to all of them. Hope everyone lands on their feet very quickly.
Best of luck to all of them. Hope everyone lands on their feet very quickly.
I guess the PC version, though coming out still will not receive any patches, which it will need, all PC games always require patches.
Will the next generation really be that much more expensive? From what I read about the next Unreal Engine in a recent Game Informer, the beauty of it is that it seems to actually cut costs.
But I do agree with your sentiment. Just look at Mega Man. One of Capcom's most beloved franchises, and they seem afraid to do anything with it these days.
But I do agree with your sentiment. Just look at Mega Man. One of Capcom's most beloved franchises, and they seem afraid to do anything with it these days.
Another one bites the dust. Sad to see another studio go down. The steady drum beat of studio closures and lay offs makes me wonder what the next generation brings. Probably even more stratification. There will be Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, Gears, Halo, Mario, and... carnival game collections and other bottom rung shit. There won't be room on consoles for anything else, unless their digital market places take off in a big way for titles that cost more than $20.
@mighty_marco
Yeah that is a bit concerning, I haven't seen a PC game come out in quite some time that didn't have to have some feature patched else remain fundamentally broken.
But they were owned by Activision, I would assume that Acti would support the game if for nothing more than to save face. You aren't going to win new customers or retain existing customers releasing broken crap and just walking away.
Of course the near impossible could always happen and they could release Prototype 2 in a nearly perfect state. Of course that would probably cause the universe to implode.
Yeah that is a bit concerning, I haven't seen a PC game come out in quite some time that didn't have to have some feature patched else remain fundamentally broken.
But they were owned by Activision, I would assume that Acti would support the game if for nothing more than to save face. You aren't going to win new customers or retain existing customers releasing broken crap and just walking away.
Of course the near impossible could always happen and they could release Prototype 2 in a nearly perfect state. Of course that would probably cause the universe to implode.
I get the feeling that the rising costs and production values of modern games will eventually be the downfall of the entire industry, with worldwide-known franchises COD and Madden being the templates for future generations of games. Meanwhile, PC and iPhone will probably be the places where original, new franchises are tested and found, where costs are down and audiences are a LOT more likely to leave their comfort zone. Of course, I'm only predicting stuff, but I've yet to be convinced otherwise.......
More expensive budgets? Maybe.
Death of the AAA industry as indie projects that are better made on a tenth of the budget overshadow all the big 3's efforts? ...optimal, and more likely, I think. I think I agree with that God of War guy. Mr Jaffacake. This will be the last console generation.
I am surprised that Activision and EA and such can pull such shit. It's almost like they were going to fire them anyway.
Death of the AAA industry as indie projects that are better made on a tenth of the budget overshadow all the big 3's efforts? ...optimal, and more likely, I think. I think I agree with that God of War guy. Mr Jaffacake. This will be the last console generation.
I am surprised that Activision and EA and such can pull such shit. It's almost like they were going to fire them anyway.
I don't get it. None of their games have been terrible and while their latest maybe didn't make.as.much as they wanted why close the studio? Have them work on a different IP! Such a waste of talent and resources and another bonehead move by idiot MBA's
Very very very few games are worth $60 at release. This is just a fact. When sites like amazon knock 20 bucks off after a couple weeks on average, and gamefly ends up selling a used copy fr like $20 after a couple months, people just wait to but. That doesn't translate into blockbuster day 1 sales.
All the people I've seen who praise radically admit that Prototype "isn't the best game." That says it all. I'm not saying non AAA games don't have their place, but not at $60 bucks.
All the people I've seen who praise radically admit that Prototype "isn't the best game." That says it all. I'm not saying non AAA games don't have their place, but not at $60 bucks.
Stop looking to indie. History will repeat with them too. Like Meatman said we are insatiable. How long before indie developers try something new and dramatic that will inevitably require large sums of money. If Kickstarter is the hope for their future, I'm going back to the SNES.
It isn't just the industry that is broken. The corporate mentality where the word enough doesn't exist is the real problem, and it is pervasive throughout our entire society. Game only made a few million? Well that's not enough because this game made that much more. Fuck greed. Too bad it isn't going anywhere.
The Prototype games are probably my two favourite sandbox games of this generation (possibly with Prototype 1 lapsing slightly on inFamous 2's great improvements) and I am sad to see the developers go. I'm guessing this is the death of the series, but then, how many times can your bring back Mercer from the dead?
@Startyde
"Very very very few games are worth $60 at release. This is just a fact"
It's not a fact at all. What's worth $60 to me isn't the same as what's worth $60 to you. Don't be so arrogant.
"Very very very few games are worth $60 at release. This is just a fact"
It's not a fact at all. What's worth $60 to me isn't the same as what's worth $60 to you. Don't be so arrogant.
Development costs are not really related to the power of the hardware, but rather the standards people want to set with newer hardware, if anything making a game with wii like graphics on a modern gaming pc naturally still at full pc ress and with some standard effects on it to make it look good, the pc version would be cheaper to produce because stuff can be done more efficiently. Its the current pushing graphics to their limits that make games so expansive to make.
Take a look at some smaller pc exclusives they still look better than console games and they are a lot cheaper to produce, so really I would call it more a matter of pushing it than a matter of stronger hardware being more expensive.
Take a look at some smaller pc exclusives they still look better than console games and they are a lot cheaper to produce, so really I would call it more a matter of pushing it than a matter of stronger hardware being more expensive.
@Scuffles
I worry about the long term viability of that space, as more flock to it and crowd sourcing.
It could end up with too many projects chasing limited dollars by a pool of people willing to fund them. It remains to be seen what crowd sourcing going mainstream will do to it. Will it attract more people who are willing to put their money where their mouth is, or will it's long time contributions shy away as it loses it's hipster draw? Time will tell.
I worry about the long term viability of that space, as more flock to it and crowd sourcing.
It could end up with too many projects chasing limited dollars by a pool of people willing to fund them. It remains to be seen what crowd sourcing going mainstream will do to it. Will it attract more people who are willing to put their money where their mouth is, or will it's long time contributions shy away as it loses it's hipster draw? Time will tell.
@Tristrix
No arrogance intended, but bankruptsy tends to tell a take here that sides more with my economic evaluation. If you make Coke Bottles 10 bucks, I'm sure you'll see a decrease in sales there as well. Game production costs are largely inflated. So much marketing and overhead. This isn't necessarily reflected in the price however, but in the volume that must be sold for economies of scale to kick in. But I think with the recession, this model is feeling the pain.
Cheap app games on the rise, 60 dollar console games on the fall. As was stated, most games are heavily discounted within a mere month these days. Only way to counteract would be:
1. Trim production costs
2: Trim advertising efforts
3: Raise prices (and hope less sales sold still work out to be profitable)
4: Decrease prices
Think 1 and 4 are the most viable, from my industry-ignorant vantage.
No arrogance intended, but bankruptsy tends to tell a take here that sides more with my economic evaluation. If you make Coke Bottles 10 bucks, I'm sure you'll see a decrease in sales there as well. Game production costs are largely inflated. So much marketing and overhead. This isn't necessarily reflected in the price however, but in the volume that must be sold for economies of scale to kick in. But I think with the recession, this model is feeling the pain.
Cheap app games on the rise, 60 dollar console games on the fall. As was stated, most games are heavily discounted within a mere month these days. Only way to counteract would be:
1. Trim production costs
2: Trim advertising efforts
3: Raise prices (and hope less sales sold still work out to be profitable)
4: Decrease prices
Think 1 and 4 are the most viable, from my industry-ignorant vantage.
@Humpty Dance
I reckon it will be impossible for indie games to stop getting attention, as well as for audiences to suddenly hate them. The services that Apple and Valve provide have allowed Indie titles such as World of Goo, Braid and Super Meat Boy to become well known alongside COD and Madden, while the cheapness and creativity when compared to AAA releases means that the only way is up, for the time being.
So far, there has never been a time when gamers have criticized a game for being too 'different'. They've only criticized rubbish games, not innovative AND good games.
I reckon it will be impossible for indie games to stop getting attention, as well as for audiences to suddenly hate them. The services that Apple and Valve provide have allowed Indie titles such as World of Goo, Braid and Super Meat Boy to become well known alongside COD and Madden, while the cheapness and creativity when compared to AAA releases means that the only way is up, for the time being.
So far, there has never been a time when gamers have criticized a game for being too 'different'. They've only criticized rubbish games, not innovative AND good games.
Hey Jim, you do realize that software sales have been pitiful this year, right? Making tops on NPD doesn't exactly mean your game is a financial success. Prototype 2 sold less than a million units worldwide in two whole months. That's not a success when you have 67 million 360s and 65 million PS3s out there that can run your game.
Given the complete lack of critical acclaim and public enthusiasm for the franchise, I'm not surprised Activision closed them down. The studio has never really put out a great game, just average stuff. I'm sorry for everyone who lost their jobs, but as a gamer I'm not upset about this.
If you wanna look at something "broken", look at EA. Battlefield 3 did 13 million, but with the tens of millions they put into development, marketing, and the "fight" against Call of Duty, they had to lay people off because the game didn't pull in a huge profit.
Redirect your frustration where it belongs.
Given the complete lack of critical acclaim and public enthusiasm for the franchise, I'm not surprised Activision closed them down. The studio has never really put out a great game, just average stuff. I'm sorry for everyone who lost their jobs, but as a gamer I'm not upset about this.
If you wanna look at something "broken", look at EA. Battlefield 3 did 13 million, but with the tens of millions they put into development, marketing, and the "fight" against Call of Duty, they had to lay people off because the game didn't pull in a huge profit.
Redirect your frustration where it belongs.
Agreed, the gaming industry is broken and in shambles.
How can games sell so well and yet the developers go belly up? This isn't the first and it won't be the last, sadly.
How can games sell so well and yet the developers go belly up? This isn't the first and it won't be the last, sadly.
This is why I hate almost every publisher. They are the scourge of gaming, and they are going to drop this industry to its knees. Its bad enough that good devs are dying, but the fact that they make it worse with bullshit DRM and dirty tactics is only making it worse. They spend to much money on putting bullshit security and tactics to get money in their games, that now they are killing their games.
I'm honestly surprised Skylanders is still alive, but activision will run that into the ground soon as well. CoD is already hitting the floor
I'm honestly surprised Skylanders is still alive, but activision will run that into the ground soon as well. CoD is already hitting the floor
Sometimes I think that this whole industry should just bomb and rebuild it self from the ashes. I've always enjoyed their games a lot and wish them the best of luck, good news as well that the pc version is still coming.
:-|
:-|
Welcome to Bubble Theory.
Big gaming companies believed that bigger hardware, bigger production values and bigger budgets would lead to bigger sales, and they kept inflating their own market with these expectations.
Only in the gaming market do we see the arrows of "Cost Vs. Benefit" going in opposite directions to where they should.
Also funny how the one big company going against this trend is the one demonized the most for it, yet probably stands a better chance to survive the bubble's burst than anyone else.
Big gaming companies believed that bigger hardware, bigger production values and bigger budgets would lead to bigger sales, and they kept inflating their own market with these expectations.
Only in the gaming market do we see the arrows of "Cost Vs. Benefit" going in opposite directions to where they should.
Also funny how the one big company going against this trend is the one demonized the most for it, yet probably stands a better chance to survive the bubble's burst than anyone else.
Well when the crash does happen that'll give me a while to actually play the games I've had to pass up on.
Guys don't just hate on activision for closing them entirely, also blame the BC government. They only give out a 17.5 percent tax credit to labour costs compared to Ontarios 35.5 percent, Which explains Rockstar Van closing and the employees being asked to go to Toronto.
Also Ubisoft and Microsoft just closed studios here as well. So I'd say Radical closing seems to be more attributed to BC being more sucky to Big budget game development than activision being dicks. Though they are still dicks.
Also Ubisoft and Microsoft just closed studios here as well. So I'd say Radical closing seems to be more attributed to BC being more sucky to Big budget game development than activision being dicks. Though they are still dicks.
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