Company News BioWare is still alive

[Tel Prydain]

3. EA acquisition included chunks of vesting stock options. The five-year anniversary of that deal and, therefore, the commencement date of the vesting period may be coming up this month. So its distinctly possible there is some kind of vesting cliff EA avoids by their departure.

If I was making stuff up I'd guess that the vesting period is already up, and that's why they are leaving now. Take all the money and run.
It's clear from ME2/DA2/ME3 that they have been away from the wheel. I imagine this was their plan from the moment EA took over.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

I don't know if that's them leaving the wheel or what.
I think that's the result of them tasting a bigger paycheck and trying to climb the corporate ladder even further.

 

[Harg Harfardarssen]

3. EA acquisition included chunks of vesting stock options. The five-year anniversary of that deal and, therefore, the commencement date of the vesting period may be coming up this month. So its distinctly possible there is some kind of vesting cliff EA avoids by their departure.

If I was making stuff up I'd guess that the vesting period is already up, and that's why they are leaving now. Take all the money and run.
It's clear from ME2/DA2/ME3 that they have been away from the wheel. I imagine this was their plan from the moment EA took over.

Very possible. The vesting option point was highly speculative. And, upon further reflection, kind of weak; five years is an awfully long time for a cliff. Particularly because EA's share price is like 1/5 of what it was when they acquired Bioware, so the exercise price for an option granted in 2007 would be higher than getting the shares on the public market. So if one was involved it probably came from other grants made after the acquisition.

In any event, options probably would only affected the timing rather than the decision itself - the most likely cause of their departure is still TOR.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Yeah, that definitely cost them more money than shares and such would ever have.

 

[tuluse]

Vault Dweller thanks for the info. You kind of figure companies would be better planned than that.

 

[Rpgsaurus Rex]

Live long and prosper.

 

[Storyfag]

The reason for cutting the development and not allowing Obsidian to patch is just a guess, but it's the only one that makes sense under the circumstances. As for the idea of absolute morality in the SW universe, did you not watch the prequel trilogy? Not to mention he works damned closely with all the novel writers, and in case you missed it the Drew Karpyshyn novel COMPLETELY retcons any moral ambiguity out of the events of KOTORII.

Lucas... works closely... with novel writers...

 

[ravenshrike]

The reason for cutting the development and not allowing Obsidian to patch is just a guess, but it's the only one that makes sense under the circumstances. As for the idea of absolute morality in the SW universe, did you not watch the prequel trilogy? Not to mention he works damned closely with all the novel writers, and in case you missed it the Drew Karpyshyn novel COMPLETELY retcons any moral ambiguity out of the events of KOTORII.

Lucas... works closely... with novel writers...

Not in the sense that he writes anything. But he requires detailed synopsis of plot and maintains veto power over everything.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

You've been at Bio forums for 10 years and only NOW learned of the Codex?

 

[Mastermind]

First of all guys I feel blessed to have found this place after 10 years of watching my comments and trying not to offend any attention seeking, zit-popping, Dorito munching product of the lowest common denominator Mass Market wetdream of EA, in the Bethesda Forums and the Bioware forums. I love how you guys can say all the nice words and have them actually mean something I can both enjoy AND respect....

Indeed, you can say a lot of nice words on the codex. For example, you can call people niggers or faggots and nobody here bats an eyelash, including niggers and faggots.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Don't be such a faggot nigger Mastermind.

 

[Jaesun]

Also mastermind is our resident dumbfuck. Feel free to put him on your ignore list, just FYI.

Everybody else does.

 

[hoverdog]

Jaesun, I don't know who you are talking about.

 

[Mastermind]

Also mastermind is our resident dumbfuck. Feel free to put him on your ignore list, just FYI.

Everybody else does.

Why so butthurt Faeson? A quick trip to GD is all it takes to confirm the codex is a racist psycho neonazi cult, so it's not like I'm slandering your good name.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Yeah I feel like Moses the morning after the first orgy in the name of the golden calf...paying the bill for the sake of some dumb punks who couldnt hold their liqor. I stayed in the TES forums mostly because I had some good buddies there, and before oBlvion it was a pretty cool place, but after they went mainstream the place crawled with kiddies saying stupid shit all the time, and lately it started to get really tiring, so I told them to fuck off and left...but now I am in a place where even if Imight not agree with all the opinions at least we are free to express them and "gulp" even back then up....
My girldfriend just preordered the Mass Effect collection for me as a Christmas gift (surprise surprise) you you can imagine I will have some firsthand experience with the rise and fall of Bioware..
I couldnt bear the fact of telling her that I could have gotten the games a hundred times, and maybe there was a reason I didnt...oh welll, she is the kind of consumer that EA must drream about; she had never played a RPG in her life and she only got into them so we would have something else to share, which actualy worked quite nicely and now I am trying to win a Super Bowl bet so she has to play Planescape Torment

To make up for the crappy gift, will your girlfriend be tossing salads?

 

[Random]

I'm honestly okay with Bioware remaining afloat, because the only thing that scares me more than the decline of video games is

the eventual loss of all of them.

 

[Jaesun]

I'm honestly okay with Bioware remaining afloat, because the only thing that scares me more than the decline of video games is

the eventual loss of all of them.

If BioWare suddenly disappeared we would lose what exactly....?

Also there is this thing called Kickstarter. Apparently you have never heard of it.

 

[racofer]

I'm honestly okay with Bioware remaining afloat, because the only thing that scares me more than the decline of video games is

the eventual loss of all of them.

If BioWare suddenly disappeared we would lose what exactly....?

It would cut the amount of posts per day on the Codex by a half. At least after a couple of months following BiowarEA's demise, since our posts per day during those months would likely increase two-fold. 2*(posts-per-day)/2 = posts-per-day.

So yea, nothing would change.

 

[Random]

I'm honestly okay with Bioware remaining afloat, because the only thing that scares me more than the decline of video games is

the eventual loss of all of them.

If BioWare suddenly disappeared we would lose what exactly....?

Also there is this thing called Kickstarter. Apparently you have never heard of it.

And here I was trying to be all doom and gloom. You brighten my day every day, Jaesun.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

What I really don't get is why they don't go and use old IP's with established fandom already?
Crusader no remorse anyone?

 

[markec]

What I really don't get is why they don't go and use old IP's with established fandom already?

I am surprised by this also, for a long time now Im expecting a new third person tactical shooter with four player co-op and immersive storytelling called Baldurs Gate 3.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Well, really, what's the point of owning all those IP's if you're not going to use them.
IP's only add value to a company's balance sheet in reality if there's some use behind them.

 

[markec]

Well, really, what's the point of owning all those IP's if you're not going to use them.
IP's only add value to a company's balance sheet in reality if there's some use behind them.

Well if you ask me most of the IPs they own are better left dead. I think they dont see the profit in reviving certain series also they try to rape a limited number of IPs per year to minimize the flak they get.

 

[markec]

I work in Marketing guys and it dont work like that; the golden rules of advertising to the "Circus and bread" masses that EA catters to it´s "New is better" and "hit t while it´s hot" they wouldnt even know how to do retro it is not even in their language; they have tons of great IPs rotting....which I dont know if it is best, as much as I would love System Shock 3, a new Dungeon Master. lands of Lore or even a proper Ultima I get the feeling they would be souless garbage if produced from within EA

Well everything EA produces is soulless garbage.

 

[Brinko]

What I really don't get is why they don't go and use old IP's with established fandom already?

I am surprised by this also, for a long time now Im expecting a new third person tactical shooter with four player co-op and immersive storytelling called Baldurs Gate 3.

EA probably can't get the D&D license. It either costs too much or WotC is too busy trying to make D&D online be good.