Interview Chris Avellone Sugarbombed Interview, Part Two

[Bubbles]

I don't think Paradox ever had anything like this:

I really wish Tyranny had had a launch party like that.

 

[Lurker King]

I will repeat this for the millionth time "Your Gods (Avellone, Cain, Fargo, etc.) are either causals, or traitors, or both".

Avellone and Fargo, sure, but Timothy 'hammer of the faithless' Cain? You go too far, sir.

They all are hardcore storyfags who give up their dreams in order to make a buck. Fuck them.

 

[MRY]

...Obsidian locked me out of my profile after my departure, and they've refused to delete my account...

Seems a bit extreme, to say the least.

IIRC, they needed the renegade points to unlock some dialogue options in their negotiations with Paradox. Without those points, they probably wouldn't have been able to make a game where Evil Won(tm).

 

[Fairfax]

Hate to admit it, but Pete Hines is definitely good at his job. I still remember all the Fallout 3 shit.
The fake letter to the Washington Post complaining about Fallout 3 posters being disturbing, the bullshit story about Bill Clinton being approached to voice Eden, the private intelligence agency ashamed for thinking Fallout 3 pictures were terrorist propaganda (not really), the free merchandise (pip-boy clocks and vault boy bobbleheads) sent to "journalists", and so on. All of that got them a bunch of exposure in addition to their heavy marketing campaign.

Also this:

I have a lot of respect for Pete Hines - if you see him on the trenches at E3, he takes his job seriously and isn't fucking away on his mobile phone while journalists ask the developers shitty questions that PR should be listening to and monitoring (sorry for the tirade, am channeling past experiences).

He does a good job spinning their bullshit to the press and reassuring Bethestards everything's A-ok, and he also knows when the bullshit goes too far. Several months before Fallout 3 came out, Pete Hines was telling people they'd never dumb down franchises and that old-school Fallout fans had no reason to worry. Then someone interviewed Emil Pagliarulo (FO3's lead designer/writer) and he said "hardcore PC gamer got older, we're console players now", which obviously pissed a lot of people off. Pete Hines realized the guy was a fucking liability and took him off the game's media tours and interviews until the game was released. Even though the guy got the same job as lead designer and writer on FO4, he's still a nobody, and most Bethestards know the names "Avellone" and "Sawyer" but have no idea who he is.

The whole review copy thing by Bethesda is the most Bethesda move ever, and I'd bet Pete Hines had something to do with it. The gaming press is a huge part of why Bethesda became so sucessful and got away with anything. Now that Bethesda has a loyal fanbase and can buy more influence through streamers and youtubers, they gave journos the bird and ditched them. Pure fuckery, but very smart and efficient nonetheless.

 

[circ]

I will repeat this for the millionth time "Your Gods (Avellone, Cain, Fargo, etc.) are either causals, or traitors, or both".

No. They just got older.

Life ..

I got older. I still think Pink Floyd is shit.

 

[abnaxus]

How the fuck did Altman get hold of Lynda Carter.

 

[animlboogy]

You can't deny Bethesda's marketing acumen. Look at all the other janky open world RPGs. The Witcher 3 is the only one to even get close to what Bethesda does in that space, and they had to do it by brute-forcing their team into making a ton of actual content, and creating graphics comparable to big budget action games.

Without the marketing these games would be received on the same level as any other buggy, ugly RPG. They build them with relatively small teams (by AAA standards), leave in reams of bugs, always have art and animations that look a good 10 years behind all similar games, yet they get the most hype and adoration from press and consumers alike.

When Skyrim was selling absurd amounts, one of their three platforms had an issue that made the game unplayable as the save grew in size, yet it still had the reputation of being the best RPG on the market according to the average person.

These people know how to sell stuff.

 

[Fairfax]

How the fuck did Altman get hold of Lynda Carter.

How? Jerry Bruckheimer is a famous film and TV producer. If it wasn't him, the CEO of CBS is also member of ZeniMax's board.

Fun fact: President-elect Trump's younger brother, Robert Trump, is also a member of the board. Bethesda has a connection with the President of the United States. Let that sink in.

 

[Azalin]

I don't think Paradox ever had anything like this:

.

Jerry Bruckheimer is on Zenimax's board?

 

[Bubbles]

Jerry Bruckheimer is on Zenimax's board?

ZeniMax's Board of Directors consists of eight individuals:

• Robert A. Altman (Chairman and CEO, ZeniMax Media Inc.)
• Ernest Del (President, ZeniMax Media Inc.)
• Jerry Bruckheimer (Jerry Bruckheimer Films)
• Michael Dominguez (Managing director, Providence Equity Partners Inc.)
• Leslie Moonves (President and CEO, CBS Corporation)
• Cal Ripken Jr. (President and CEO, Ripken Baseball, Inc.)
• Harry E. Sloan (Chairman and CEO, Global Eagle Holdings, LLC)
• Robert S. Trump (President, Trump Management, Inc.)

 

[abnaxus]

 

[Deleted member 7219]

You can't deny Bethesda's marketing acumen. Look at all the other janky open world RPGs. The Witcher 3 is the only one to even get close to what Bethesda does in that space, and they had to do it by brute-forcing their team into making a ton of actual content, and creating graphics comparable to big budget action games.

Without the marketing these games would be received on the same level as any other buggy, ugly RPG. They build them with relatively small teams (by AAA standards), leave in reams of bugs, always have art and animations that look a good 10 years behind all similar games, yet they get the most hype and adoration from press and consumers alike.

When Skyrim was selling absurd amounts, one of their three platforms had an issue that made the game unplayable as the save grew in size, yet it still had the reputation of being the best RPG on the market according to the average person.

These people know how to sell stuff.

And that makes me hate them. I hate Todd Howard for being the public face of this shamefur dispray. And I hate Pete Hines for being the PR guru who makes it happen.

 

[Joni Odin von Hassenstein]

All this bitching about Obsidian becomes a bit tiring.
Especially when he refuses to say antyhing bad about Bethesda.

 

[polo]

Nice, i like how he bashes obsidian, its good popcorn material.
Also, i just noted the retarded icon didn't pass the intelligence check.

It says retadred, i hope its intentional.

 

[Bubbles]

All this bitching about Obsidian becomes a bit tiring.
Especially when he refuses to say antyhing bad about Bethesda.

Maybe he has nothing bad to say?

 

[Maculo]

Okay, I admit that I was wrong in the prior Chris Avellone interview thread. I said Chris did not sound mad, but I definitely got that vibe from this interview. From the Bethesda comments to his disappointment in Jessica Johnson being laid off, he did not sound happy with certain members of Obsidian.

 

[Somberlain]

ZeniMax's Board of Directors consists of eight individuals:

• Robert A. Altman (Chairman and CEO, ZeniMax Media Inc.)
• Ernest Del (President, ZeniMax Media Inc.)
• Jerry Bruckheimer (Jerry Bruckheimer Films)
• Michael Dominguez (Managing director, Providence Equity Partners Inc.)
• Leslie Moonves (President and CEO, CBS Corporation)
• Cal Ripken Jr. (President and CEO, Ripken Baseball, Inc.)
• Harry E. Sloan (Chairman and CEO, Global Eagle Holdings, LLC)
• Robert S. Trump (President, Trump Management, Inc.)

Robert was born to a Jewish family[2][3] in 1947.

Bruckheimer was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of German Jewish immigrants.[5

Moonves was born to a Jewish family[9][10] in New York City,

Sloan was born to a working class Jewish family[5][6] in Torrance, California.

More like Zionmax, right?

Spoiler

 

[Bubbles]

That's a normal ratio in the entertainment industry. Perhaps a bit low even.

 

[Azrael the cat]

Again, insightful as to the different things that players vs developers will look for in a company. The 'you don't see Pete Hines fucking around on his mobile phone while journalists are asking the developers questions that PR should be fielding' is telling. Almost every creative in the industry would be looking at Bethesda's marketing department and thinking 'fuck, I wish that my work was pushed as hard as that'.

 

[aratuk]

I have a lot of respect for Pete Hines - if you see him on the trenches at E3, he takes his job seriously and isn't fucking away on his mobile phone while journalists ask the developers shitty questions that PR should be listening to and monitoring.

Emphasis mine. Sounds awfully specific, no? I'm sure a lot of people at Obsidian, reading that, would know exactly who he's talking about. It's Feargus, isn't it?

 

[Azrael the cat]

The whole review copy thing by Bethesda is the most Bethesda move ever, and I'd bet Pete Hines had something to do with it. The gaming press is a huge part of why Bethesda became so sucessful and got away with anything. Now that Bethesda has a loyal fanbase and can buy more influence through streamers and youtubers, they gave journos the bird and ditched them. Pure fuckery, but very smart and efficient nonetheless.

Not only that, but they were smart enough to do it with a product where they already knew it would be well-received (nu-Doom). Regardless of what Codex thinks of it, it was generally received as a superb compromise between old-Doom and the commercial realities of the new shooter market, and most importantly, as providing a genuine alternative to the CoD cover-shooters. It's also the kind of product where the audience is sufficiently well-defined that they could beta-test the hell out of it, and know in advance whether it's on track.

Prior to nu-Doom, a publisher's decision not to give away early review copies was universally interpreted as a concession that the game was shit (i.e. that the best they can hope for is to scrape some money back from sales before the bad reviews get published). By starting the trend with a successful product, they've carved their own exception to that rule, allowing them to give or withhole early review copies as they please for all future titles.

 

[Azrael the cat]

I have a lot of respect for Pete Hines - if you see him on the trenches at E3, he takes his job seriously and isn't fucking away on his mobile phone while journalists ask the developers shitty questions that PR should be listening to and monitoring.

Emphasis mine. Sounds awfully specific, no? I'm sure a lot of people at Obsidian, reading that, would know exactly who he's talking about. It's Feargus, isn't it?

Probably, but it's also indicative of the lack of professionalism at E3 and similar events in general. It's designed to bedazzle journos, from the days of booth-babes, to the current SJW-speeches, it's all there so that you can send a pretty girl or give a 'special hands-on pass' the moment a journo starts picking apart anything resembling a fault in the products.

But if you look at the photos, it's clear that half the fucking PR monkeys are getting bedazzled by their own tricks. They're treating it like a party, not an industry show.

The most common story coming out of every E3 for years now, is that it was a waste of time and that they learnt nothing of interest about any of the games. That never happens to Bethesda's major titles at E3. The thing might be scripted to hell, totally fucking misleading, or just a plain pack of lies, but they always have something that looks like a hands-on and gives the journos a bunch of stuff to rave about (even if most of it never appears in the goddamn game).

 

[Lurker King]

You can't deny Bethesda's marketing acumen. (...) Without the marketing these games would be received on the same level as any other buggy, ugly RPG.

Give them some credit. It is not just marketing. They also did some empirical research regarding causals' preferences.

 

[aratuk]

I inherited what remained of Vault City when one of our lead designers/studio head couldn't make time for it.

Another passing slight. That one is definitely identifiable as Feargus, isn't it?

And Feargus won't let him log in to the forums! It was Feargus who made him fight the wolves, and helped the wolves defeat him!!

 

[Roguey]

Guise, Avellone's been praising Bethesda's marketing since 2010

http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/n...ris-avellone-game-designer-fallout-new-vegas/

This is a little random, but marketing support from Bethesda, and how it changed my opinion on game development marketing and how much it can help your title when they are involved early and they understand the title. They didn’t just meet us halfway, they did more than I’ve ever seen a marketing department do in all the companies I’ve worked with. As an example, one of the first marketing meetings I’d had for the game was very early in the development process, and during the meeting, the head of PR/Marketing said “I’ll start playing the builds so I can demo this myself,” which amazed me. Then he did it. You’d be surprised how often marketing doesn’t want anything to do with talking about or demoing a title, they leave that to the developers. Bethesda really stepped up in all these aspects.

-We also had a marketing plan. This is a rare thing-and even more rare, we had a marketing plan early. This may be a difficult thing for someone outside of game development to realize, but it was a godsend to actually hold it in our hands and know what the future of the product was and how to plan for it.

(then they altered the deal)