The BioWare/Ea Speculation Thread

[Infinitron]

I don't believe ME3 will sell "poorly" - not poorly by the standards of the Codex, at least.
However, Bioware/EA will obviously be disappointed if it only sells as much as ME2 did, for instance.

 

[SCO]

I like the variant of that scheme where you're "paid" in company "shares" that are then subjected either to pump & dump or "golden share" & more issuing to dilute the worth or the original or similar schemes.
Often, you can't even resell the shares until a 20 year period (ie: after the company is a husk or bankrupt). Nice asymmetrical contract jewstrategy.

More common in startups though.

 

[Menckenstein]

If ME3 performs poorly I doubt BioWare will fold but you bet your ass there will be mass firings. Sadly none of them will be writers.

BioWare are already heavily stocked with temporary employees with no long-term prospects - not contract workers, but people who have been hired on for the project and will likely be fired as soon as the game is released. You're right in that the core staff might also see layoffs, but many of the people there right now are in a tenuous position regardless.

That's pretty common within the industry though. The blame will be put on the worker bees following orders and not the failures leading them. Which blows my mind because that makes zero sense from a business standpoint. GAMES INDUSTRY WHY YOU SO CRAZY?

That more or less the rule in most industries not just the gaming indusrty,the higher ups might lose their job but have a nice golden parachute while most people get fucked and end up with unemployment benefits

But in the gaemz industry the shitty leadership (people appearing in developer diaries) keep the jobs and they just flush the peons down the toilet instead of getting rid of the problem (shitty leaders).

 

[CROmagnon]

I don't believe ME3 will sell "poorly" - not poorly by the standards of the Codex, at least.
However, Bioware/EA will obviously be quite disappointed if it only sells as much as ME2 did, for instance.

What were the total sale figures for ME2 anyway? I know the Docs had this pipe dream about selling 10 million copies of DA2 which didn't quite work out because of 4chan and the 'Dex , but what are the realistic figures ME3 could achieve in relation to ME1 and 2?

As for the Bioware workers getting the boot instead of managment, well, as Jesus once said: "Shit always rolls downhill !"

 

[Azalin]

If ME3 performs poorly I doubt BioWare will fold but you bet your ass there will be mass firings. Sadly none of them will be writers.

BioWare are already heavily stocked with temporary employees with no long-term prospects - not contract workers, but people who have been hired on for the project and will likely be fired as soon as the game is released. You're right in that the core staff might also see layoffs, but many of the people there right now are in a tenuous position regardless.

That's pretty common within the industry though. The blame will be put on the worker bees following orders and not the failures leading them. Which blows my mind because that makes zero sense from a business standpoint. GAMES INDUSTRY WHY YOU SO CRAZY?

That more or less the rule in most industries not just the gaming indusrty,the higher ups might lose their job but have a nice golden parachute while most people get fucked and end up with unemployment benefits

But in the gaemz industry the shitty leadership (people appearing in developer diaries) keep the jobs and they just flush the peons down the toilet instead of getting rid of the problem (shitty leaders).

They flush them down the toilet while they keep their jobs in every other industry I can think of too

 

[Infinitron]

I don't believe ME3 will sell "poorly" - not poorly by the standards of the Codex, at least.
However, Bioware/EA will obviously be quite disappointed if it only sells as much as ME2 did, for instance.

What were the total sale figures for ME2 anyway? I know the Docs had this pipe dream about selling 10 million copies of DA2 which didn't quite work out because of 4chan and the 'Dex , but what are the realistic figures ME3 could achieve in relation to ME1 and 2?

As for the Bioware workers getting the boot instead of managment well as Jesus once said: "Shit always rolls downhill !"

I'm not sure, to be honest. The consensus on the web seems to be that it sold somewhat less than DA:O.

 

[Jaesun]

What were the total sale figures for ME2 anyway?

EA has never publicly (or has ever stated exact sales numbers) for any BioWare game yet IIRC.

But it is a safe bet it is NOT selling to EA's satisfaction in the way EA's marketing department constantly gives them terrible ideas (AWESOME BUTTAN! MULTIPLAYER! etc...) for their games they must adhere to. They don't do that as often to the games that DO sell very well.

 

[Menckenstein]

What were the total sale figures for ME2 anyway?

EA has never publicly (or has ever stated exact sales numbers) for any BioWare game yet IIRC.

But it is a safe bet it is NOT selling to EA's satisfaction in the way EA's marketing department constantly gives them terrible ideas (AWESOME BUTTAN! MULTIPLAYER! etc...) for their games they much adhere to. They don't do that as often to the games that DO sell very well.

If the sales were great they'd be rubbing them in the face of their rivals. So yeah you're probably right that EA isn't satisfied.

 

[Kz3r0]

Skyrim 10.000.000
MW 5.000.000
DA 2.500.000?
ME 2.000.000?
I am sure that EA just loves to invest millions for such staggering results

Edit:
Dungeon Siege 3 roughly a million, just to give an idea of how sub par Bioware sales are.

 

[Jaesun]

Low sales does NOT however == a game was not profitable. Just like Dungeon Siege 3 WAS profitable for Obsidian and Squaresoft and sold about as much as they guessed it would. Obviously they would ecstatic if it sold even more.

I don't believe EA cares about having profitable games that are bringing in marginal profits, which I am betting ME and DA both fall in. Thus all the morinic "suggestions" EA's retarded marketing Department forces on them for each incarnation of those games.

 

[Infinitron]

Dragon Age had already sold at least 3.2 million copies by February 2010 (source), so bump up your figures by a million or so.

But yeah, something like that.

 

[Azalin]

Skyrim 10.000.000
MW 5.000.000
DA 2.500.000?
ME 2.000.000?
I am sure that EA just loves to invest millions for such staggering results

Edit:
Dungeon Siege 3 roughly a million, just to give an idea of how sub par Bioware sales are.

DA:O sold more than 3.2 millions
http://www.destructoid.com/surprise-dragon-age-origins-sold-well-162984.phtml
I think ME2 was supposed to be Bioware's "best selling evah" title so they might be a bit more than that

Shit Inflithron beat me to it

 

[Kz3r0]

Dragon Age had already sold at least 3.2 million copies by February 2010 (source), so bump up your figures by a million or so.

But yeah, something like that.

According to your source Bioware is in the same league as Madden and Left4Dead, by corporate standards they are barely earning their paycheck.

 

[Jaesun]

Dragon Age had already sold at least 3.2 million copies by February 2010 (source), so bump up your figures by a million or so.

But yeah, something like that.

Shipped Games does NOT == Sales. FYI.

 

[Infinitron]

Dragon Age had already sold at least 3.2 million copies by February 2010 (source), so bump up your figures by a million or so.

But yeah, something like that.

Shipped Games does NOT == Sales. FYI.

True, but those are the only figures we have...

 

[Kz3r0]

Dragon Age had already sold at least 3.2 million copies by February 2010 (source), so bump up your figures by a million or so.

But yeah, something like that.

Shipped Games does NOT == Sales. FYI.

Let's not nitpick, even if the 'at least' comment is quite out of place.

 

[Jaesun]

Dragon Age had already sold at least 3.2 million copies by February 2010 (source), so bump up your figures by a million or so.

But yeah, something like that.

Shipped Games does NOT == Sales. FYI.

Let's not nitpick, even if the 'at least' comment is quite out of place.

Quite true. I was just pointing that out. Statements like this from EA are the only somewhat accurate number you will ever get from them.

 

[Azalin]

So they admit that the DA IP was more succesful than the ME IP but then they more or less tried to turn the more succesful one it into the less succesful one with DA2?


Brilliant move

 

[Infinitron]

So they admit that the DA IP was more succeful than the ME IP but then they more or less tried to turn the more succesful one it into the less succesfull one with DA2?

Brilliant move

My guess is that EA saw more potential for TEN! MILLION! SALES! in the Mass Effect IP because, well, it's a shooter.

That was before Skyrim came out and showed the world that people still want to swing battle axes at dragons.

 

[Xor]

I don't know what to think. On the one hand, all the publisher interference from EA suggests an air of desperation for increased sales, but on the other hand, EA's been doing that shit to every developer they pick up regardless of sales. I don't know if they've learned their lesson and are legitimately worried the game won't meet sales expectations, or if they're still just retarded and don't realize all their interference really does is hurt fan expectations.

I think ME3 will sell well, at least initially. We'll probably hear about how it broke 1 million units in a week or something like that. And then after about three weeks the hype will fade away. The reality of how broken the game is will have spread by word of mouth at that point, and sales will drop considerably. Overall it might hit 2 to 3 million units by March 2013, which I imagine will be well below both Bioware's and EA's expectations.

If ME3 does do that poorly, there will be repercussions at Bioware.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

If ME3 does do that poorly, there will be repercussions at Bioware.

No, not really. Ray will just fix it in a way to make repercussions (aka mass layoffs) somewhere else.

BTW how's SWTOR doing right now? Any current subscription numbers available?

 

[Kz3r0]

I am still convinced that a 2 millions sales for ME3 is quite improbable, but that's just me.
Hilarious however that they butchered their most successful franchise DA:O in the name of streamlining obtaining such inferior results in the process, Gaider & Co. should return to post on the Codex to get advice.

 

[Infinitron]

If ME3 does do that poorly, there will be repercussions at Bioware.

No, not really. Ray will just fix it in a way to make repercussions (aka mass layoffs) somewhere else.

BTW how's SWTOR doing right now? Any current subscription numbers available?

This is from two weeks ago: http://www.darthhater.com/articles/swtor-news/19915-electronic-arts-q3-fy12-earnings-call

 

[Kz3r0]

BTW how's SWTOR doing right now? Any current subscription numbers available?

Perhaps most interestingly to players, however, is the fact that EA has reported sales of more than 2 million units of The Old Republic with about 1.7 million subscribers.

http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/0...bscription-and-sales-numbers-beats-financial/

 

[Infinitron]

So they admit that the DA IP was more succeful than the ME IP but then they more or less tried to turn the more succesful one it into the less succesfull one with DA2?

Brilliant move

My guess is that EA saw more potential for TEN! MILLION! SALES! in the Mass Effect IP because, well, it's a shooter.

That was before Skyrim came out and showed the world that people still want to swing battle axes at dragons.

I should add: I believe there was some concern at Bioware/EA that DA:O's success was a fluke - that many console gamers felt bamboozled, that they'd been tricked into buying a boring, tactical, slow-paced PC-style RPG.
Supposedly they have statistics showing that a large percentage of players stopped playing before Lothering, or something like that.

If that's true, they probably thought that a sequel in the style of the original would sell much worse. Well, the sequel ended up selling badly anyway...