Company News Reynolds gives the company line

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Fallout 3 (Van Buren); Interplay; Sean Reynolds

<b>Sean Reynolds</b> has <a href="http://forums.interplay.com/viewtopic.php?t=37749&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0">posted his two cents</A> on the subject of <A href="http://www.blackisle.com">Black Isle</a> being dead. Here's what the cueball said:
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<blockquote>Hey, I know I've been away from the BIS boards for a LONG time, but that's because we hadn't announced the games we were working on and so what I could post was very limited, and I didn't want to get anyone frustrated by withholding information.
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There are still some people from BIS around. Several programmers, several designers, and many of the artists as well. Most of these people worked on BIS games that you liked. Still here, still working on games, still trying to make games an fun and interesting as we can.
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Yes, a lot of the old guard are gone. Yes, that sucks. Many of them were friends of mine and now they're out of work (though some have already landed jobs elsewhere, which is good). But the people who remain were hired because the people at BIS felt that those people could make the kind of games that BIS was known for. So it's not really fair to say that BIS is dead. It's certainly changed, and it's a lot quieter around here, but we're still going to try to live up to the BIS name.
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Anyway, that's my piece on this. I'm going to try to visit the forum on a regular basis, but if people insist on being jerks then I won't stick around. I tell it to people straight, and admit when there's something I can't say any more about. I'm not your enemy. Let's see if we can have some polite conversations.
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Thanks, and good gaming!</blockquote>
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Everyone that wouldn't make console games is gone, so as far as I'm concerned, that's pretty damned dead.
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In case you're inclined to believe any of the above, he later states:
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<blockquote>From what I can tell, Interplay would LOVE to release Fallout 3.</blockquote>
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Oh yeah, be sure to read that whole thread, it's amazing how dumb people can be.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.nma-fallout.com">No Mutants Allowed</A>

 

[Anonymous]

But the people who remain were hired because the people at BIS felt that those people could make the kind of games that BIS was known for.

Baldur's Gate:Dark Alliance!

 

[Sol Invictus]

I kerpwn them on the 6th page. Wonder how long it'll take before someone bans me. That said, I'm not going to stick around to find out. Think of it, as you may, as my last post.

 

[Volourn]

Bis may have gone through changes; but it is alive. Life change; only war remians the same. :D It's too bad their focus has gone away from rping games; but that's irrelevant to a company.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Well, it's kind of like saying Atari is alive because Infogrames has adopted their name. That's about all it is right now, just a logo they can slap on things like BG:DA2.

 

[Volourn]

Last I checked, BGDA2 was being made even before all the hubaloo started. Not to mention that a number of the BIS employees still work here. Quite frnakly, it just means the division is just going through changes. Not the kind of changes we all want to see; but simple changes nontheless.

As to compare it to the Atari situation; theey're not even remotely the same considering that Infogrames bought Atari name while BIS has not been bought since it was and always has been simply a division of Interplay.

 

[Anonymous]

From what I read before here, the only people left there are working on BG:DA2 and they worked on BG:DA1, the others had a hand in FO:BOS.

Black Isle is dead, dude.

 

[Volourn]

Huh? BIS didn't do BGDA as it was an outsourced game, and many of the people who worked on BGDA2 worked on Jefferson, and Van Buren (as wellas FOBOS). Seriously, "dude", BIS isn't dead.

 

[Vault Dweller]

What was BIS? What was it associated with? PC RPGs of certain style made by people with certain styles. Now, the PC games are no more and the core people are gone, and so is BIS. I'm sure that legally it's alive and kicking, but what legal stuff got to do with reality? Even if Iply realize the error of the French ways, and hire and bunch of designers it woudln't be the same BIS. What was that saying? You cant cross the same river twice or something like that.

 

[Volourn]

HuH? Isn't it true that the original "core" people of BIS have been gone for years? Weird... Sorry; but you and I may not like it; but BIS is alive.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Who? And what exactly do you mean BIS is alive? Alive how? Making console games that have little do with the games they made before? Here is an analogy. We have a user named Volourn for example, who may choose to never use computers again and pass the username to another guy who despite being called Volourn wouldn't have anything in common with the original. Technically, Volourn would be an active users, but... etc. Don't be silly

 

[Anonymous]

I vote for a new Volourn.

 

[Whipporowill]

I vote for a new Volourn.

Anyone setting up a poll?

 

[Volourn]

VD, the difference, is the new Volourn would *not* be me. However, BIS is new a new BIS. It is BIS. Theya re simply concentrating on soemthing new.

Actual relevant example. Yours was cute and funny; but missed the mark.

BIO used to be a medical software company; they now make video games. Theya re still the same company, however, just concentrating on something different. That's absically what has happened to BIS except their change isn't as far fetched as they are simply going from PC games to console games while BIO went from medical software to game software. See what I mean? Same company; different goals.

Llama, I know you love me. :D

 

[Major_Blackhart]

I've been kinda silent on this front, so I'm just gonna go head first without thinking. the BIS we have come to know is gone. While technically, BIS is still alive, it's on life support, and it's brain dead. I think that's the best way to put it. And I say on life support cause of IPLY's financial situation, as well as the fact that there have been so many fired. And I say it's brain dead, cause now, it's only used on console titles, and they make shit games to boot. So, I say it's gone, but not gone. It's a shadow of it's former self would probably be the best way to put it.

 

[taks]

given that the only game they released in the last two years was IWD2, i'd say BIS as we "knew" it has been gone for quite a while.

btw, maybe you did pwn sean in that thread exitium and maybe you don't like the fact that BIS is console only (for now), sean does still work at BIS and i'd find it hard to imagine him dissing his own company on their fora. maybe he is towing the company line, but he HAS TO or he gets fired as well. i can't understand why that concept is so hard to grasp.

taks

 

[Spazmo]

Okay, Volourn, let's take a restaurant. We'll call it Tony's Pizza. Tony's makes really good pizza and a lot of people like these pizzas. Tony's does a brisk trade in Pizza. One day, El Muchacho Taco, a Mexican restaurant, comes along and buy's Tony's Pizza. With their controlling interest in Tony's, they tell the kitchen that they now also have to serve steaks. Tony's Pizza now serves pizza and steak. Tony's hires a few extra cooks to prepare these steaks. This goes on for a while without any terrific success--the pizzas just don't seem to be as good anymore and while the steaks are selling fairly well, they don't seem to be making any money. El Muchacho Taco now decides that Tony's Pizza will serve only steaks, phasing out the unsuccessful pizza aspect. So they fire all the pizza chefs, leaving us with a restaurant called Tony's Pizza that only has steak cooks.

Is this Tony's the same as the original Tony's? I rather think not.

 

[triCritical]

I love it! I just love how Theseus' ship and personal identity can come into game company discussions.

For those who do not know the story of Theseus' ship, it involves a persons ship which is continually being changed part by part until there is nothing original. The person then ask the question is it the same ship?

My own opinion is no, but I am no philosopher...

 

[Vault Dweller]

VD, the difference, is the new Volourn would *not* be me. However, BIS is new a new BIS. It is BIS. Theya re simply concentrating on soemthing new.

And that "new" also destoys the old BIS, they aren't even making console rpgs like kotor, they are making action games, so even the spirit, the RPG style is gone. It is quite dead, Volourn.

maybe he is towing the company line, but he HAS TO or he gets fired as well. i can't understand why that concept is so hard to grasp.

I highly doubt that he was forced to go and make ridiculous claims, it's one thing to say "Hi fellas, I'm still working here", it's quite another to try to convince people that the iply execs had no other way but to cancel FO3.

...Theseus' ship ...

It's a different ship, imo.

 

[Elwro]

]...Theseus' ship ...

It's a different ship, imo.

Do you think there exists a point in which the ship ceases to be Theseus' ship, or do you imagine that the process is fuzzy-like?

 

[taks]

I highly doubt that he was forced to go and make ridiculous claims, it's one thing to say "Hi fellas, I'm still working here", it's quite another to try to convince people that the iply execs had no other way but to cancel FO3.

given that neither you nor i work there and all else we have to go on is the word of ex-employees, likely a little disgruntled, i'd say there's a fair chance he's right. consider this... we know for a fact iply couldn't pay BIS salaries as was. even puuk has told us his paychecks were bouncing. what then does a company do? if you've had any involvement in any sort of professional industry i think you'd understand... the first thing to go is the most expensive and that, VD, is the employees. if iply had stuck it out and driven the company out of business, everyone would be out of a job and there would be NO CHANCE the stockholders would ever get a return. as it stands, most of the company is still working and the stockholders have a shot at getting some of their investment back. this does not mean they will still be working in a year, or even 6 months, but at least now they have a paid job search.

i do agree, however, it is a different ship. but as well, all things revolve. are the dallas cowboys the same "america's team" as they were back in the 70s/80s? is the IBM that "invented" the PC still the same IBM (hint: the plant where the first PC was created is an empty building in fort lahdeedah, FL)? change is a constant, and to think otherwise is foolish and shortsighted.

mark

 

[taks]

keep in mind, i think iply bungled a TON of things leading up to the release of those 17 employees. they certainly screwed the pooch and people's lives were severely affected as a result. if it weren't for the fact that caen and molitor (er, titus) has 72% of iply stock, i guarantee they would have been forced out by now for gross misconduct.

mark

 

[Volourn]

Ahh.. This argument is useless because in the end whether or not BIS is alive or not is irrelevant as they simply aren't making games I want, and that's the bottom line that matters.

That said, one final thought, whether we like it or not, BIS is very much alive.

 

[taks]

you just have to have the last word, eh?

i won't play any of their games, either. not any new ones at least (i still have the fallouts and PS:T on my list of "to buy"). i just can't get into consoles... oh well, maybe when my son is old enough... who knows.

mark

 

[Anonymous]

When he's old enough, you point him here.