Layoffs at Bioware What does this mean for content

[AkulaX]

Meanwhile, half my WoW guild, and who knows how much of my SWTOR guild is playing Diablo.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. That is why it sold 3.6 mil copies right out of the gate. I played the hell out of d1 and d2 as well back in the day. D3 is really no different but gaming has really evolved since the hayday of d2. Honestly I dont think D3 will stay very populated for long when the nostalgia wears off.

[theskurGe]

A flop? It has shattered all previous 1 day PC sales records. What would you consider a success if not this?

 

Just because something is popular, doesn't mean it's good.

Just look at Twilight or Justin Beiber.

 

That being said, people eagerly waited for Diablo 3... for 12 years. And for a lot of people it was a huge let-down. They dumbed it down to sell more copies to the lowest common denominator, just like they dumbed down WoW.

Edited May 23, 2012 by theskurGe

[Muskaan]

Just because something is popular, doesn't mean it's good.

Just look at Twilight or Justin Beiber.

 

That being said, people eagerly waited for Diablo 3... for 12 years. And for a lot of people it was a huge let-down. They dumbed it down to sell more copies to the lowest common denominator, just like they dumbed down WoW.

 

This is EA. They are looking at profitable over good.

[oredith]

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. That is why it sold 3.6 mil copies right out of the gate. I played the hell out of d1 and d2 as well back in the day. D3 is really no different but gaming has really evolved since the hayday of d2. Honestly I dont think D3 will stay very populated for long when the nostalgia wears off.

you're not kidding. how much of the ToR population do you think bought into ToR without too much research, because they were nostalgic about SWG?

[Leggomy]

Just because something is popular, doesn't mean it's good.

Just look at Twilight or Justin Beiber.

 

That being said, people eagerly waited for Diablo 3... for 12 years. And for a lot of people it was a huge let-down. They dumbed it down to sell more copies to the lowest common denominator, just like they dumbed down WoW.

 

The point isnt whether you like it or not. The point is it was/is a huge success. Biggest 1 day sale in the history of pc games.

[Muskaan]

The point isnt whether you like it or not. The point is it was/is a huge success. Biggest 1 day sale in the history of pc games.

 

No wonder they had server and connectivity issues the first 24 hours. Jeez.. 3.5 million people trying to log in at the same time.

[theskurGe]

you're not kidding. how much of the ToR population do you think bought into ToR without too much research, because they were nostalgic about SWG?

 

I wasn't as nostalgic about SWG as I ws for KOTOR and the pre-EA Bioware.

 

I purposefully stayed away from forums, screenshots, and pretty much everything so I wouldn't spoil the game for myself. That turned out to be a huge mistake.

 

If I had kept informed, I would have noticed that they brought over key members of the Warhammer Online Age of Reckoning team to help with SWTOR. And I would have known that this game was dfoomed from the start.

 

I played WAR, and they devs made the exact same mistakes in this game, only they added voice acting and a decent storyline.

We are even being treated to the same type of post launch sub die-off and studio layoffs.

 

 

The point isnt whether you like it or not. The point is it was/is a huge success. Biggest 1 day sale in the history of pc games.

 

Financially, yes it is a success. As a game, not so much. But consumer-bots programmed to spend, spend, spend will keep it afloat.

 

Edited for mis-quoting the wrong person. I have the dumb.

Edited May 23, 2012 by theskurGe

[Leggomy]

No wonder they had server and connectivity issues the first 24 hours. Jeez.. 3.5 million people trying to log in at the same time.

 

They also gave away another 1.2 million copies. So really its almost 5 million trying to login at once.

[eventidephoenix]

sincerely hopes the art team was fired

[Suromir]

They should allow addons now. It would probably help a lot.

 

Atlasloot.... I miss you

 

doesn't matter if they allow them or not if there's no one playing that makes them....

 

for instance, Vanguard..it allows mods..but no one makes crap for it because not many play.

 

SWTOR is far from Vanguard in "dire straits" I know..but even if they were to allow addons there has to be SOMEONE to create them.

 

we probably wouldn't see much for SWTOR

[Temad]

What does it mean for content?

 

Well if 100 workers got you very little content, 50 workers will also probably get you very little content.

 

In conclusion, it won't mean anything.

 

[Leggomy]

This reminds me of right before LOTRO went f2p. How do I end up on these sinking ships all the time lol.

[oredith]

doesn't matter if they allow them or not if there's no one playing that makes them....

 

for instance, Vanguard..it allows mods..but no one makes crap for it because not many play.

 

SWTOR is far from Vanguard in "dire straits" I know..but even if they were to allow addons there has to be SOMEONE to create them.

 

we probably wouldn't see much for SWTOR

it's a failure in vision, and really, just a honest (at least i think it's a honest) mistake of perspective.

 

Bioware thought that their great game would overcome the community, and sustain the community, thus, the game.

 

what they mistook, was that this is a MMO, and it's the other way around, it's the community that makes for a great game. the game is the players', not the developers. not since the moment it went on sale.

[CKNairb]

A flop? It has shattered all previous 1 day PC sales records. What would you consider a success if not this?

 

If this was not a MMO, then yes I would agree, but a MMO lives on continued subscribers. Which SWTOR is loosing a lot and had been for a while.

 

So yes it's a Flop

[Tuscad]

it's a failure in vision, and really, just a honest (at least i think it's a honest) mistake of perspective.

 

Bioware thought that their great game would overcome the community, and sustain the community, thus, the game.

 

what they mistook, was that this is a MMO, and it's the other way around, it's the community that makes for a great game. the game is the players', not the developers. not since the moment it went on sale.

 

This is a good post.

[Rouge]

If this was not a MMO, then yes I would agree, but a MMO lives on continued subscribers. Which SWTOR is loosing a lot and had been for a while.

 

So yes it's a Flop

 

Let's educate you a bit: Only one another MMO that is not WoW or SWTOR has reached over 500 000 subscriptions in the so-called "West". That was WAR. It reached 800 000 at it's height, briefly. SWTOR reached 1 700 000. A game like RIFT reached no more than 400 000 at best according to the highest estimate, Age of Conan had 445 000, Everquest I never had more than 450 000.

[Rouge]

This reminds me of right before LOTRO went f2p. How do I end up on these sinking ships all the time lol.

 

Because there has been only one subscriber MMO during this millennium that has been a long term success so far, WoW. (A honorary mention goes to EVE, although it doesn't fully fit the bill.) If you have played other subscriber MMOs, you have found yourself on those sinking ships.

 

Go and play TERA or get TSW when it launches and you will be on yet new sinking ships. It's normal for the genre, it's the fault of the games' audiences as much as faults in the games themselves.

[oredith]

Because there has been only one subscriber MMO during this millennium that has been a long term success so far, WoW. (A honorary mention goes to EVE, although it doesn't fully fit the bill.) If you have played other subscriber MMOs, you have found yourself on those sinking ships.

 

Go and play TERA or get TSW when it launches and you will be on yet new sinking ships. It's normal for the genre, it's the fault of the games' audiences as much as faults in the games themselves.

there's a depressing truth to this.

 

I think a portion of ToR supporters supported it for no other reason than that it stood a good chance (pre-launch) to be the WoW killer.

 

i imagine ToR pre-launch to be some really sexy silhouette of a woman walking down the hall. Only, once she actually comes into view, you realize it's all a trick of the shadows.

[Celebrus]

Let's educate you a bit: Only one another MMO that is not WoW or SWTOR has reached over 500 000 subscriptions in the so-called "West". That was WAR. It reached 800 000 at it's height, briefly. SWTOR reached 1 700 000. A game like RIFT reached no more than 400 000 at best according to the highest estimate, Age of Conan had 445 000, Everquest I never had more than 450 000.

 

So...let me sit if I get this straight.

 

You're saying that it's going to be that much more painful for SWToR because it's going to fall that much further than those other failed games did?

 

Whitney Houston, Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen....failure is failure regardless of where it falls from.

[Sir-Coffee]

doesn't matter if they allow them or not if there's no one playing that makes them....

 

for instance, Vanguard..it allows mods..but no one makes crap for it because not many play.

 

SWTOR is far from Vanguard in "dire straits" I know..but even if they were to allow addons there has to be SOMEONE to create them.

 

we probably wouldn't see much for SWTOR

 

You're right.

[Rouge]

So...let me sit if I get this straight.?

 

What I am saying is that the supposed "flop" is far more succesful than any other MMO not named WoW has been.

[Tuscad]

What I am saying is that the supposed "flop" is far more succesful than any other MMO not named WoW has been.

 

There can only be one...

[banecolton]

What I am saying is that the supposed "flop" is far more succesful than any other MMO not named WoW has been.

 

What you seem to be saying is that it has more box sales, what you are missing is the drastic drop in active players. If you don’t have enough active players to keep the community going then box sales become irrelevant…no reoccurring monthly subs, no big money and no community.

[Rouge]

What you seem to be saying is that it has more box sales, what you are missing is the drastic drop in active players. If you don’t have enough active players to keep the community going then box sales become irrelevant…no reoccurring monthly subs, no big money and no community.

 

I wouldn't call a nest of adders continously chanting "Tortanic" and "SWTOR hits an iceberg" for six months a community...

 

Box sales aren't irrelevant, they (and game shop) are the only things that the Great Messiah GW2 has - which a lot of people would want SWTOR to be too.

Edited May 23, 2012 by Rouge

[Goretzu]

Let's educate you a bit: Only one another MMO that is not WoW or SWTOR has reached over 500 000 subscriptions in the so-called "West". That was WAR. It reached 800 000 at it's height, briefly. SWTOR reached 1 700 000. A game like RIFT reached no more than 400 000 at best according to the highest estimate, Age of Conan had 445 000, Everquest I never had more than 450 000.

 

If you look at WAR and SWTOR they peaked (and dropped in largely the same way), just SWTORs peak was higher.

 

EQ1 (like LOTRO and EvE) is a bit different as they were slow and sustained builds.

 

In fact it's getting a bit worrying with the parrallels between WAR and SWTOR now.

Edited May 23, 2012 by Goretzu