Development Info Dragon Age 2 & more Mass Effect in early 2011

[Jason]

Tags: BioWare; Dragon Age

<a href="http://www.vg247.com/2010/02/08/epic-shooter-dead-space-2-need-for-speed-and-new-dragon-age-out-q4-fy11-says-ea/" target="blank">Since we've gone nearly an entire day without any BioWare news...</a>
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<blockquote>EA has just confirmed that Dead Space 2, <b>“Dragon Age Title TBA”</b>, “Shooter from Epic TBA”, “Need For Speed Title TBA” and “Action Title TBA” will all ship between January-March 2011.</blockquote>
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And while not as intriguing as "Action Title TBA", there is <a href="http://pc.ign.com/articles/106/1067716p1.html" target="blank">more Mass Effect on the way</a>.
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<blockquote>"Winter of 2011 marks the chilling return of Dead Space, a highly rated, wholly owned franchise; another big driving simulation from Need for Speed; a new shooter being developed by Epic Studios and co-published by EA; and finally <b>something far reaching for Mass Effect</b>," Schappert stated.</blockquote>
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[shihonage]

The sheep says TBA-A-A-A-A-A-A-






... I got nothing.

 

[Malakal]

Something to look for.

What? They might fix the annoying shit and add more rpg elements. Or not fix that and make combat more enjoyable. Or dunno funny characters. There is always some chance for some improvement, even in AAA titles.

 

[MetalCraze]

2011 will be the last year of Bioware before EA will close them down - especially after the upcoming failure of swtor, the traditional 4 year lifespan of EA-bought studios is almost over.

And good riddance.

 

[Twinkle]

BioWare is too EXTREME to go down without a fight.

 

[KalosKagathos]

2011 will be the last year of Bioware before EA will close them down - especially after the upcoming failure of swtor, the traditional 4 year lifespan of EA-bought studios is almost over.

And good riddance.

http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/newsbit?newsbit=14349

Legendary Studio’s Newest Title Wins over 30 Industry Awards, Ships Over 3 Million Units Becoming BioWare’s Sixth Consecutive Blockbuster Franchise

It's 3 million shipped, not sold, but it still should be more than enough for EA to keep the studio alive. Why shoot a duck that lays golden eggs?

 

[MetalCraze]

Tell that to Black Box, Westwood, Bullfrog, Origin, Pandemic etc etc with current "victim" being Criterion Games which judging by how EA already closed its two divisions will be next very soon.
What's the difference about who will make Dragon Age 2012 and Dragon Age 2013? It still will be crap but sharing money with a bought, but still a different studio is not how EA rolls

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

Something to look for.

What? They might fix the annoying shit and add more rpg elements. Or not fix that and make combat more enjoyable. Or dunno funny characters. There is always some chance for some improvement, even in AAA titles.

This is the guy who thinks that Arcanum is shit, but is sincerely hoping for improvements in Dragon Age 2011™ and Mass Effect 2012™ by EA.

 

[Malakal]

Arcanum is shit for me as I didnt enjoy it very much.

And I dont have anything else to look forward to.

 

[Grunker]

2011 will be the last year of Bioware before EA will close them down - especially after the upcoming failure of swtor, the traditional 4 year lifespan of EA-bought studios is almost over.

And good riddance.

It's not that I know anything about SWTOR, but someone should really store this in case it becomes a booming success. I'm pretty sure Bioware'll still be alive too.

Kindda Cleveish prediction there, Skyway.

Wyrmlord?

 

[Clockwork Knight]

It would be really retarded to close down Bio, seeing how successful they are and...

oh yeah, EA.

 

[aries202]

1) The company behind the games e.g. devs. and publishing houses are paid pr. shipped units, not sold units.
2) It's probably not Dragon Age 2 in 2011, but a title - or maybe titles? within the Dragon Age: Universe. This could easily be the case, since the DA titile in 2011 is to be made for both, pc, consoles and handhelds.
3) I don't think EA will close Bioware down anytime soon. Bioware seems to be making money to EA...

 

[circ]

3) I don't think EA will close Bioware down anytime soon. Bioware seems to be making money to EA...

It's not so much about games sold as it is about stock value. As soon as EA stock plummets again, EA drops a few thousand employees because the board of directors are used to a certain kind of suck it to me lifestyle. And I understand. There are few things more exciting than driving at 100+ mph on a desolate highway, high on coke with a hooker choking on your cum. EA! FUCK YEAH!

 

[Dionysus]

It's not so much about games sold as it is about stock value. As soon as EA stock plummets again, EA drops a few thousand employees because the board of directors are used to a certain kind of suck it to me lifestyle. And I understand. There are few things more exciting than driving at 100+ mph on a desolate highway, high on coke with a hooker choking on your cum. EA! FUCK YEAH!

The stock value does depend on how well the company is doing. Their problem is that they wasted a lot of energy on original IPs like Dead Space, Mirror's Edge, and Brutal Legend. There's no reason to do that when people are more interested in the umpteenth rehash of Madden, which has much nicer profit margins.

As others have noted, Bioware will be fine because they move a lot of units.

 

[MetalCraze]

3) I don't think EA will close Bioware down anytime soon. Bioware seems to be making money to EA...

Bioware doesn't make anything for EA. Bioware titles make money for EA. See the difference?
It was exactly the same with all studios I've named. It's the EA reality.

Current Bioware games are very primitive, so any inner EA studio can make Dragon Ages and Mass Effects. Just like any studio can make (and makes) Battlefields.

 

[MasPingon]

Arcanum is shit for me as I didnt enjoy it very much.

And I dont have anything else to look forward to.

Roger, nigdy nie bedziesz prawdziwym Polakiem

 

[The Feral Kid]

Current Bioware games are very primitive, so any inner EA studio can make Dragon Ages and Mass Effects. Just like any studio can make (and makes) Battlefields.

That's probably true. However, they can't get all the cocksucking and publicity the gaming press is doing to Bioware - for free. They're gonna have to buy it.

 

[Dionysus]

Bioware doesn't make anything for EA. Bioware titles make money for EA. See the difference?
It was exactly the same with all studios I've named. It's the EA reality.

Current Bioware games are very primitive, so any inner EA studio can make Dragon Ages and Mass Effects. Just like any studio can make (and makes) Battlefields.

When EA acquired Bioware, ME and DA hadn't even been released yet, and Bioware didn't have any right to their three most popular franchises. You don't know what you are talking about because you don't understand the business.

That's probably true.

It's not. Bioware and Bethesda are hot properties because no one else does what they do (except Obsidian, who sort of rides their coattails). If it was easy to match their (financial) results with a lower budget, then someone would have scooped them by now.

 

[Volourn]

"Current Bioware games are very primitive, so any inner EA studio can make Dragon Ages and Mass Effects. Just like any studio can make (and makes) Battlefields"

This makes me fuckin' laugh as you make it sound like older BIO games weren't primitive. there's NOTHING in BG on the level of ME2's end of game mission opr carry over from ME. Or DA's origins or end of game outcomes. Or NWN's chaarcter system or module making ability. Or JE's morality system. or KOTOR's moralty system for that matter.

FFS FFS FFS FFS


Then again, you rated NWN 82% despite bashing it. HAHAHAHA!

Same with BG2 and it's what/ 99%? HAHAHAHA!


Face it, you don't know what you are talking about.

 

[The Feral Kid]

That's probably true.

It's not. Bioware and Bethesda are hot properties because no one else does what they do (except Obsidian, who sort of rides their coattails). If it was easy to match their (financial) results with a lower budget, then someone would have scooped them by now.

Beth and Bio games are formulaic and stale since forever. It's not that hard for someone like EA to copy that formula and tell them to fuck off. It's the brand name that EA bought, and everything that goes with it, that it would be difficult to part with. Good publicity, praising reviews even if the game is shit - no charge, millions of loyal fanboys that will buy whatever game/dlc/expansion thrown at them providing a steady source of income. Bioware is "hot property" in the industry nowadays, and it is that they wouldn't be able to replace easily, not their (questionable) gaming developing skills.

 

[Forest Dweller]

2) It's probably not Dragon Age 2 in 2011, but a title - or maybe titles? within the Dragon Age: Universe. This could easily be the case, since the DA titile in 2011 is to be made for both, pc, consoles and handhelds.

It will be Dragon Age: New Ostragar, developed by Obsidian.

 

[Dionysus]

Beth and Bio games are formulaic and stale since forever. It's not that hard for someone like EA to copy that formula and tell them to fuck off. It's the brand name that EA bought, and everything that goes with it, that it would be difficult to part with. Good publicity, praising reviews even if the game is shit - no charge, millions of loyal fanboys that will buy whatever game/dlc/expansion thrown at them providing a steady source of income. Bioware is "hot property" in the industry nowadays, and it is that they wouldn't be able to replace easily, not their (questionable) gaming developing skills.

What? The brand name is "Bioware" and the personnel are pretty much the only thing that came with it. Whether you like their games or not, the people at Bioware made the company what it is. It's not like we've seen a Westwood-style braindrain. They are what made them popular, and no, it isn't terribly easy to bite on that. Otherwise, EA wouldn't have bothered.

 

[The Feral Kid]

and the personnel are pretty much the only thing that came with it.

No

 

[MetalCraze]

This makes me fuckin' laugh as you make it sound like older BIO games weren't primitive. there's NOTHING in BG on the level of ME2's end of game mission opr carry over from ME.

BG had classes that were different from 'shooter'. BG also had stats and skills. And stats and skills driven combat. It had DnD which is far more complex than what DA or ME has. Hey characters could even -die- there. Finally the 2nd part of BG has a much bigger world than a pair of corridors and copy-pasta outdoors and buildings called "planets" in ME. And ME isn't even a RPG, but a primitive console shooter like 10 others.

Or DA's origins or end of game outcomes.

Except all origins lead to the exactly same shit and end of game affects nothing. Wow gimmicks are like some kind of an achievement these days.

 

[Azrael the cat]

That's probably true.

It's not. Bioware and Bethesda are hot properties because no one else does what they do (except Obsidian, who sort of rides their coattails). If it was easy to match their (financial) results with a lower budget, then someone would have scooped them by now.

Beth and Bio games are formulaic and stale since forever. It's not that hard for someone like EA to copy that formula and tell them to fuck off. It's the brand name that EA bought, and everything that goes with it, that it would be difficult to part with. Good publicity, praising reviews even if the game is shit - no charge, millions of loyal fanboys that will buy whatever game/dlc/expansion thrown at them providing a steady source of income. Bioware is "hot property" in the industry nowadays, and it is that they wouldn't be able to replace easily, not their (questionable) gaming developing skills.

You say 'Bioware is hot property' as though it is completely unrelated to their products. They are hot property because it is really really hard to make anything resembling an rpg (traditionally a niche genre, at the centre of the game-market only when computer games themselves were niche nerd-only fare) appeal to the mass mainstream. Don't fall for the fallacy of thinking that because Bioware games are marketed to idiots, that idiots are capable of making them. Same applies for Michael Bay films and soap-opera script writers. There's a reason Michael Bay gets paid that much money - it's because it's really really hard to do what he does. Just see the massive graveyard of attempts by the less talented. I hate it, and I wish it weren't true, but 'making stuff that appeals to the mass market' is a rare skill in itself.

You can point to the hype, but ALL wannabe-big games are hyped these days, and plenty of those still fail (see: Dante's Inferno).

Having said that, I don't think they (and certainly not Bethesda) are great writers. They could probably hire better than what they have. But better writers =/= challenging and interesting dialogue+scripts. Their fans like them BECAUSE their stories are predictable pulp fodder. Getting better writers would mean that the characters are less obviously copy-pasta, and would lessen the number of structural flaws, but you wouldn't see the end of predictable stories because that's what the mass market wants. Just like in films and books. Again, I hate it and I wish it weren't true, but it's not going away anytime soon and is just a part of life that one needs to get used to.

But if you want to get an idea of how difficult it is to make an oversimplified, dumbed-down rpg sell really well, compare how many games like ME2 and FO3 do well each year compared to the number of pure FPS, Sims, mmorpgs and so on. That should give you a pretty good idea of the proportion of the industry that is capable of making them.

Gaming has long surpassed the growth stage where companies would just 'miss' the fact that there's only 2 companies hogging the entire mainstream rpg marketshare, don't you think? Do you REALLY believe that all those other companies haven't been told to consider whether they can crack open that market? Bio and Beth have it to themselves because others can't do it. Simple as that.