Game News Josh on Interplay's woes

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Interplay; J.E. Sawyer

<b>J.E. Sawyer</b> posted a little <A href="http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?showtopic=1280&st=60">profit and problem post</a> over on <a href="http://forums.obsidianent.com">the Obsidian forums</a> detailing various games of <A href="Http://www.interplay.com">Interplay</a>'s that made a profit versus those that didn't. Here's a clip:
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<blockquote>My point is that a large number of IPLY titles failed by a huge margin. Icewind Dale was very profitable. Heart of Winter was also very profitable. Even Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale II were profitable. Remember that IWD2 only took ten months to develop. It really didn't have to sell a large number of units to turn a profit.
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It is also important for people to recognize that cancelled projects are often less damaging than projects that linger on and on for years, then finally get released to poor sales. Combine Jefferson and Van Buren. You're looking at about three years of development, with a fluctuating team size of between 6-25 people. Compare that to Run Like Hell. RLH was in development for about four years, with (as far as I know) a similar team size. It shipped and tanked hard. The cost of development certainly wasn't covered, and the cost of publishing and distribution was just thrown away, since barely any units moved. Jefferson and VB also never had to pay for audio development and voice acting. I am pretty confident that even those two titles combined did not lose anywhere near as much money as RLH.</blockquote>
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I still doubt IWD2 made a profit considering it dropped off the top 50 game sales chart in two weeks' time. It may have only taken ten months to develop, but then there's license fees and so on that have to be paid to <a href="http://www.atari.com">Atari</a>. Maybe if you also include the sales of the later bundle packs, it made a profit.
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He's spot on about RLH. Imagine if that money and people had been spent on one of <A href="Http://www.blackisle.com">BIS</a>'s PC CRPGs. Heck, you could have made two PC CRPGs for the time and cost of RLH. The PC CRPGs that <A href="Http://www.blackisle.com">Black Isle</a> made did tend to actually turn a profit.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.nma-fallout.com">No Mutants Allowed</A>

 

[taks]

I still doubt IWD2 made a profit considering it dropped off the top 50 game sales chart in two weeks' time. It may have only taken ten months to develop, but then there's license fees and so on that have to be paid to

remember, they didn't pay the fees

taks

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Just imagine if companies put that kind of money into an RPG.

 

[Eragon]

Though Run Like Hell was a money pit, it was one of several that Interplay had during that time period.

1) Klingon Academy
2) Star Trek New Worlds
3) Giants: Citizen Kabuto (PC and PS2)
4) Messiah
5) Kingpin
6) Of Light and Darkness
7) MDK2: Armageddon

Even BIS had its own problems that eventually ate up most of their profits:

1) TORN (or Sunder as it was originally known). That LithTech license wasn't cheap.

2) The failed attempt by BIS in creating its own 3D Engine. How much money, assets (art and code) and talent was wasted during the time between Stonekeep 2, Van Buren, and Jefferson?

Five years in development and BIS never shipped a title using that technology. :evil:

Which does bring up the question, "What was the last title Black Isle shipped using their own internally developed technology?"

Fallout 2, maybe?

 

[Ultron]

Why did TORN get the axe? There seemed to be a lot of interest in it, and it looked, visually at least, nicer than NWN.

 

[taks]

Why did TORN get the axe? There seemed to be a lot of interest in it, and it looked, visually at least, nicer than NWN.

oh man... where to begin... engine upgrades killed them. they kept having to rewrite code as they modified the engine. they apparently couldn't agree on the story. i think there were major design problems, too... i think the post mortem we got after it was cancelled was along the lines of "there was no way in hell this game could have survived..."

taks

 

[plin]

Though Run Like Hell was a money pit, it was one of several that Interplay had during that time period.

1) Klingon Academy
2) Star Trek New Worlds
3) Giants: Citizen Kabuto (PC and PS2)
4) Messiah
5) Kingpin
6) Of Light and Darkness
7) MDK2: Armageddon

Even BIS had its own problems that eventually ate up most of their profits:

1) TORN (or Sunder as it was originally known). That LithTech license wasn't cheap.

2) The failed attempt by BIS in creating its own 3D Engine. How much money, assets (art and code) and talent was wasted during the time between Stonekeep 2, Van Buren, and Jefferson?

Five years in development and BIS never shipped a title using that technology. :evil:

Which does bring up the question, "What was the last title Black Isle shipped using their own internally developed technology?"

Fallout 2, maybe?

IWD2 I would think.

And the engine for van buren looked much better than any other CRPG engine out today IMO .

 

[Jed]

IWD2>Infinity Engine>BioWare

 

[taks]

IWD2 used the IE which was developed by bioware (though BIS did modify it)... i think FO2 is the correct answer for a completely internal technology.

taks

 

[Spazmo]

And if you really want to get prickly, you could even say that since the Fallout engine was developed when it was still Dragonplay under lead programmer Tim Cain (who, y'know, left), BIS has never produced anything with its own technology.

But that's going a bit too far.

 

[taks]

now that, i did not know...
taks

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Though Run Like Hell was a money pit, it was one of several that Interplay had during that time period.

1) Klingon Academy
2) Star Trek New Worlds
3) Giants: Citizen Kabuto (PC and PS2)
4) Messiah
5) Kingpin
6) Of Light and Darkness
7) MDK2: Armageddon

You left out Sacrifice and Galleon. Of the above, though, only Giants and MDK2 were good, interesting titles.

Which does bring up the question, "What was the last title Black Isle shipped using their own internally developed technology?"

Fallout 2, maybe?

Then again, Fallout 2 used the Fallout engine, which was developed before BIS even existed. So, you could pretty much argue that BIS never developed an engine for a released game.

BIS also never developed game with a new character system nor a unique setting in house, either.

It's rather odd when you think about it. Remember Origin's tagline, "We Create Worlds"? If BIS had a tagline like that, it would have been "We License Everything."

 

[taks]

hehe... this is getting funny.
taks

 

[Anonymous]

Taks, try to make some useful commentary for once, please.

AND STOP FUCKING SIGNING YOUR NAME.

 

[Rayt]

<
I still doubt IWD2 made a profit considering it dropped off the top 50 game sales chart in two weeks' time. It may have only taken ten months to develop, but then there's license fees and so on that have to be paid to <a href="http://www.atari.com">Atari</a>. Maybe if you also include the sales of the later bundle packs, it made a profit.

Maybe it sold solid in Europe.

 

[Volourn]

Funny Saints MDK2 which IIRC was a BIo dveloped title. LOL Of course I never palyed it so that guarantees it sucks. And, btw, IIRC as well MDK2 sold a good number of copies and supposedly made money thoguh "not a bundle".

 

[plin]

Taks, try to make some useful commentary for once, please.

AND STOP FUCKING SIGNING YOUR NAME.

He can do whatever the fuck he wants.

OMG IR TEH LAMMAHS GOSDROR!!! LOLLL BITCH FUCK OFF OMG

 

[Anonymous]

WE KNOW HIS NAME IS TAKS, HE DOESNT NEED TO PUT IT IN EVERY POST.

 

[plin]

WE KNOW HIS NAME IS TAKS, HE DOESNT NEED TO PUT IT IN EVERY POST.

MAYBE HE ENJOYS DOING IT, LET HIM DO WHAT THE FUCK HE WANTS, QUIT BEING A LITTLE CHILD.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I wouldnt care so much if his posts went beyond


'lawl

taks'

 

[Voss]

see, plin, you're asking too much

 

[plin]

Well, I wouldnt care so much if his posts went beyond


'lawl

taks'

Add a "fuck off" or two, take away the name and it's your post, so why complain?

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Ah, the Codex. Home of the zing!.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I wouldnt care so much if his posts went beyond


'lawl

taks'

Add a "fuck off" or two, take away the name and it's your post, so why complain?

Because mine are more direct and to the point, so fuck off. Lately, i've been trying to avoid that, too. Taks has always done it.

 

[plin]

Well, I wouldnt care so much if his posts went beyond


'lawl

taks'

Add a "fuck off" or two, take away the name and it's your post, so why complain?

Because mine are more direct and to the point, so fuck off. Lately, i've been trying to avoid that, too. Taks has always done it.

OMG STOP SIGNING YOUR PSOTS WITH CHILDISH TAUNTS!!!



edit: heh, I don't care anymore.