EA closes down Westwood

[Damian79]

"Without EA surviving the market, how would a developer even get stock or money from publishers who wouldn't have large budgets to publish such risque titles? (Like Rez, for example) So there would be no developers to crush."


Nintendo, Sony, MS?

[epmode]

Originally posted by Ammadeau
Bullfrog was one of my favorite developers. They made Syndicate, Dungeon Keeper, Octane and several others. EA killed them.

i wasn't aware of that. for a time, i absolutely adored bullfrog, then they sort of stopped making good games. i thought it was because molyneux left. you're saying ea had something to do with it?

[Captain Vegetable]

Originally posted by Andrew
Without EA surviving the market, how would a developer even get stock or money from publishers who wouldn't have large budgets to publish such risque titles? (Like Rez, for example) So there would be no developers to crush.

You're wrong. Plain and simple.

You're acting like the gaming industry lives and breathes because EA says it can.

If EA decided to opt-out, or even if they had to terminate due to financial hardship, I garauntee the industry would remain unchanged as a whole.

[AaronChance]

Originally posted by epmode
i wasn't aware of that. for a time, i absolutely adored bullfrog, then they sort of stopped making good games. i thought it was because molyneux left. you're saying ea had something to do with it?

I believe Dungeon Keeper 2 was the last game they made before being despanded by EA, which was some time aftr Molyneux left. They still made good games, but they just didn't make good profits. They were quietly put out to pasture, basically.

When has EA ever supported a niche game?
Give me a single instance.

[StriderKyo]

Originally posted by Andrew
So you want a crippling setback to the videogame sector in business? That's interesting.

If there is ever another videogame crash, I guarantee that EA will be the specific cause. All it takes is two years in a row of mainstreamers realizing EA sports games aren't worth buying year after year after year (this will eventually happen) and they'll up and leave, taking a ton of trickle-down revenue with them.

EA makes a few good games, but that doesn't half make up for the shit they pull. EA is fucking evil.

[Jeremy]

Well, I'm sad to see Westwood die, since they have provided me with some fun games. As for EA, they, as a whole, suck ass. Their games rarely undergo any noticeable changes and their complacencty is slowly corroding their dominance.

[MVS]

Hmmm...

Apparently EA is trying to get 2 billion in funding and look towards acquiring one of 2 companies: Sega or Vivendi.

They are going after Blizzard (sub-Vivendi), I would speculate.

[Jeremy]

Holy fucking hell, if EA buys Sega, hell will freeze over.

[GameCynic]

If Sega is purchased by EA I'm giving up gaming. Seriously.

...although I doubt they would want to buy Sega....its not like they make all that much money....

[MVS]

Well, buying Sega, I could see for EA.

They effectivly kill the distant 2nd in sports games, and instantly rule the market (moreso than now).

Profit wise, I think either buy out is a good idea for EA.