Company News Troika games sales figures

[LeonX]

The reason Andrew could see our royalty statements is because we were an open book company - besides sharing good news with our employees (like good sales numbers) everyone knew where we were financially at all times, even when the news was bad.

leon

 

[Vault Dweller]

Can you comment on the numbers, Leon? Was Arcanum the best selling Troika game?

 

[Reklar]

The reason Andrew could see our royalty statements is because we were an open book company - besides sharing good news with our employees (like good sales numbers) everyone knew where we were financially at all times, even when the news was bad.

leon

I admire a company that is comfortable enough with their employees that they don't think honesty is a dirty word. When I was working for an e-commerce company during the dot-com years upper management was always telling us how great the company was doing, despite the fact I, and many of my QA co-workers, new our products were crap. I guess I should have studied harder, stayed in the tech industry, and tried to get a job with Troika.

-Reklar
(a Fallout/RPG fan)

 

[LeonX]

I don't have any actual numbers at hand (nor do I know whether I can reveal numbers per our contract, since I don't have that with me at the moment either), but to the best of my knowledge, ToEE was our best seller - or at least our fastest. The reason it's difficult to say is because our numbers were often being adjusted after the fact for arcane business reasons (on the publisher's end). I believe Arcanum is close to ToEE in sales, but Arcanum has been out alot longer and is at a much lower price point. Vampire hasn't been out long enough to really judge how well it will eventually do, as our games tend to continue to sell (as do all RPGs) longer than most.

leon

 

[Major_Blackhart]

We Love You Leon! Anywho, thanks for responding. Please, come here more often.

 

[Killzig]

Leon, is there anything you can tell us about possible courses of action? What's the other 2/3 of the Troika doing at this time? Or is all that double secret probation kind of info...

 

[Volourn]

"Are gaming companies just paying out too much money to employees who are undeserving?"

Troika didn't do that. All their employees were deserving. Afterall, they were the best in the business.

 

[Greatatlantic]

Hey Leon, since you don't have to worry about landing a contract anymore, why don't you visit the planetvampire forums? The people there would love to hear from a Troika developer, and it would show some support for the fans.

 

[Ortchel]

He's probably a little more concerned with finding a job than making sure the fans feel supported. I'm sure Bethesda would love some ex-Troikans.

 

[Greatatlantic]

Oh, of course, never hurts to ask though, right?

 

[Ortchel]

True, true.

 

[Reklar]

"Are gaming companies just paying out too much money to employees who are undeserving?"

Troika didn't do that. All their employees were deserving. Afterall, they were the best in the business.

I hate to sound so cynical if you're being sincere, Volourn, but are you being sarcastic?

-Reklar
(a Fallout/RPG fan)

 

[Avin]

Man... I'm really pissed when something good is gone forever.

 

[Kuato]

Are gaming companies just paying out too much money to employees who are undeserving? I remember touching on this subject with EvoG not too long ago. He mentioned something about how many untalented people are in the gaming industry stealing checks for garbage 3d animations. Maybe there's something to that.

People like that would stick out like sore thumbs at a smaller company (around 30 employees) and could not be tolerated but at a company with an army of 4 or 5 thousand employees I could see this happening

If the president of EA gets paid more than Bill Gates think of how much the army of game execs they have might cost. wait dont think about it for too long though the possiblities are mind boggling

 

[DemonKing]

ToEE was our best seller - or at least our fastest. The reason it's difficult to say is because our numbers were often being adjusted after the fact for arcane business reasons (on the publisher's end). I believe Arcanum is close to ToEE in sales, but Arcanum has been out alot longer and is at a much lower price point.

That pretty much confirms my initial speculation - the TOEE figure did seem rather low for a game that was definitely more mainstream than Arcanum (albeit buggy as Hell).

I guess I should have studied harder, stayed in the tech industry, and tried to get a job with Troika.

Huh? You would like to be unemployed right about now? :wink:

 

[DarkUnderlord]

So the highest selling game was also the buggiest? That would've hurt more than it helped.

 

[taks]

People like that would stick out like sore thumbs at a smaller company (around 30 employees) and could not be tolerated but at a company with an army of 4 or 5 thousand employees I could see this happening

yup, any larger company ends up with a bell curve of employee talent in nearly every function. smaller companies tend to require a bit more ability from employees since they often have to multi-task. as a result, weaker folks end up getting forced out.

i personally don't think the companies are just paying too much, i think there are just so many places thinking "i can do it better," that we end up with tons of failures. this just happens to be noticeable since it's occuring in the genre that we all follow intensely. it's happening in other industries, too, but most of us don't follow those trade rags (telecom, for instance, is an area in which i regularly notice the same types of issues).

hopefully it will settle out and we'll get some quality competition back in the spotlight...

taks

 

[Killzig]

People like that would stick out like sore thumbs at a smaller company (around 30 employees) and could not be tolerated but at a company with an army of 4 or 5 thousand employees I could see this happening

Why would it be so difficult for them to pass under the radar or just leech on for a free ride? In such a small company with even smaller groups don't you think there might be some amount of we-are-family-kumbaya vibe going where maybe the more talented might pick up the slack for the lessers and thus end up dragging the company down to that speed unknowingly?

 

[Reklar]

ToEE was our best seller - or at least our fastest. The reason it's difficult to say is because our numbers were often being adjusted after the fact for arcane business reasons (on the publisher's end). I believe Arcanum is close to ToEE in sales, but Arcanum has been out alot longer and is at a much lower price point.

That pretty much confirms my initial speculation - the TOEE figure did seem rather low for a game that was definitely more mainstream than Arcanum (albeit buggy as Hell).

I guess I should have studied harder, stayed in the tech industry, and tried to get a job with Troika.

Huh? You would like to be unemployed right about now? :wink:

Heh, no, I wouldn't like to be unemployed right now, especially in California, but if I had been working for Troika at least I would have been employed longer than the two years I was at the dot-bomb I did work for. Not to mention the management team would have been more fun to be around (and not a bunch of micro-managing jerks).

-Reklar
(a Fallout/RPG fan)

 

[bryce777]

ToEE was our best seller - or at least our fastest. The reason it's difficult to say is because our numbers were often being adjusted after the fact for arcane business reasons (on the publisher's end). I believe Arcanum is close to ToEE in sales, but Arcanum has been out alot longer and is at a much lower price point.

That pretty much confirms my initial speculation - the TOEE figure did seem rather low for a game that was definitely more mainstream than Arcanum (albeit buggy as Hell).

I guess I should have studied harder, stayed in the tech industry, and tried to get a job with Troika.

Huh? You would like to be unemployed right about now? :wink:

Heh, no, I wouldn't like to be unemployed right now, especially in California, but if I had been working for Troika at least I would have been employed longer than the two years I was at the dot-bomb I did work for. Not to mention the management team would have been more fun to be around (and not a bunch of micro-managing jerks).

-Reklar
(a Fallout/RPG fan)

Experience making ecommerce stuff is about as useful as experience as a cobbler when it comes to getting more serious progamming jobs. You were smart to get out of that garbage.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

I'm not too sure about claiming Troika dug their grave only on their own, but I think it's fair to say they dug most of it. Hopefully, has has been said, developers will take this as a lesson.

 

[bryce777]

I'm not too sure about claiming Troika dug their grave only on their own, but I think it's fair to say they dug most of it. Hopefully, has has been said, developers will take this as a lesson.

I'm sure there are things they could have done better; there always are. I still think that especially with toee if they had had a little more time and budget they could have done much better saleswise and likely still be around, and I think they had a lot of talent artistically, storywise, and even in the programming department.

 

[DemonKing]

I think they had a lot of talent artistically, storywise, and even in the programming department.

I sometimes wonder how a company that produced a game with such atrocious dialog and voice overs as existed in TOEE, managed to produce Bloodlines, which had some of the best voice over work and dialog I can remember.

The same could be said for the terrible isometric graphics of Arcanum compared to the (physical) beauty of the TOEE engine.

Perhaps in the end they failed because the only thing consistent about a Troika game were the bugs.

 

[Remax]

I sometimes wonder how a company that produced a game with such atrocious dialog and voice overs as existed in TOEE, managed to produce Bloodlines, which had some of the best voice over work and dialog I can remember.

Looking at the credits, I think it's due to the people involved. The same people who did the dialog in Arcanum (which was really good, imho) appear in Bloodline's credits, but not Temple's.

The same could be said for the terrible isometric graphics of Arcanum compared to the (physical) beauty of the TOEE engine.

Same thing. Totally different artists in the two games.

Of course, Vault Dweller will just accuse me of READING again... :wink:

 

[Vault Dweller]

Just for the record, we are clear that my post was a joke, right?