EA places the Mass Effect Franchise 'on hiatus' According to Kotaku

[Kendo 2]

According to a report posted at Kotaku on 11 May 2017, the Mass Effect franchise has been placed in limbo by EA.  Read the full article HERE.

 

[Doublezero]

It's looking like project 'Dylan' will be Bioware's last chance to avoid the axe, if they last that long. After playing Mass Effect: Andromeda I no longer have any faith in Bioware's ability to make a decent game let alone one that's good enough to sell the amount copies EA demands. If EA does shut down Bioware they'll just have another studio make Mass Effect games anyway, and who knows, a new studio just might get it right.

 

[Kendo 2]

Quote

Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson told investors that the publisher is “very happy with how BioWare is doing, how BioWare is treating Mass Effect. And our expectations for Mass Effect are still strong for the future and the franchise overall."

Sounds to me like EA hasn't learned its lesson.  I can say one thing with certainty, there won't be any DLCs for Andromeda.

[ritualclarity]

2 hours ago, Kendo 2 said:

Sounds to me like EA hasn't learned its lesson.  I can say one thing with certainty, there won't be any DLCs for Andromeda.

 

Spoiler

 

[zilvradrow]

It is sad to read this. When i remember in the early 2000s, when BW worked with WotC, they made great  and successfull Games. After the sold out with EA, i had bad feelings about this 'fusion'. With DA:o and ME1 they made 2 Top games, with a great potencial, cause they were great (IMO DA:o was a true follower of the BG franchise), but then with the prequel i've seen EAs script - Hack'n'slay moneymaker and DA2 was born, ready to set a fantastic Gamefranchise against the Wall.

I don't know why EA do this, but why they interrupt BW so hard? When i want to play a RPG Series, i don't want to play an Action RPG like Diablo2 oder Hellsgate. SIMCITY online is an terrible example too. Great names changed to milking cows, the Communities are degraded to "buy and shut up". The essential Game creators gets a loaded Gun to their head and must do what the EA Management wants, so fast as possible. Money Money Money... 

I had a nightmare. EA bought Bethesda/Zenimax in 2019, in 2024 was TES VII released, and no one bought it. To many bugs, to many Mistakes and to many DLCs (with some Bugfixes, you must pay for it), cause in 2020 TES VI was ruined...

Jm2c

[Doublezero]

Quote

"Based upon industry sell-through data, we believe that EA sold-in at least 2.5 million units of Mass Effect: Andromeda, a March 21 release, for incremental revenue of $110 million, offsetting the new releases a year ago," Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter wrote in an investor note.

https://www.thestreet.com/story/14114720/1/5-etfs-to-buy-if-you-love-ea-s-fourth-quarter-earnings.html

This doesn't sound like official numbers though. I wonder how much EA was expecting to sell.

[Kendo 2]

The Quarian DLC/expansion/whatever is officially dead in the water.

It's really sad what happened to Mass Effect but the devs who made the games great no longer work for Bioware/EA so what was being put out really wasn't 'Mass Effect' anyway.  That's my opinion anyway.  I'm glad I didn't buy or play Andromeda.  EA's version of Bioware destroyed the franchise, but I have fond memories of Shepard, Jack, Liara, Rhex, Edi and Joker...everyone really.  Also glad those memories didn't get tainted.

I wish CDProjektRed would buy the ME franchise.

[Guest]

And buy TES and FO franchise. At least CDProjekt Red have the skills to actually do voice protagonists the proper way. I still don't play W3, but right now, CDProjekt Red is the only company I'm looking at for RPGs. I hope Cyberpunk 2077 lives up to everyone's expectations.

Edited May 19, 2017 by Guest
mad typos left and right...oh my!

[Kendo 2]

OFF TOPIC

Spoiler

 

Aside from a few bugs TW3 is a great fucking game.  I think the reason some people don't like it is due to the difficulty.  It is a high risk and low reward game, there isn't any sort of opponent leveling (walk in to the wrong fight at the wrong time and you'll die), the combat doesn't involve spamming buttons until you win.  There's all of that and the story is really raw, and the world is realistically offensive just like I imagine a war-torn Medieval society would be.

And there's going to be a Witcher TV series on Netflix!  Andrzej Sapkowski (the author of the books) is going to be a creative consultant and some of the scene directors from the game will be directing episodes.  No idea who's going to star in it but I hope they don't cram it full of Hollywood Millennials who can't act.  I HOPE it is a European production like Vikings or Game of Thrones.

 

 

[ritualclarity]

12 hours ago, Kendo 2 said:

The Quarian DLC/expansion/whatever is officially dead in the water.

It's really sad what happened to Mass Effect but the devs who made the games great no longer work for Bioware/EA so what was being put out really wasn't 'Mass Effect' anyway.  That's my opinion anyway.  I'm glad I didn't buy or play Andromeda.  EA's version of Bioware destroyed the franchise, but I have fond memories of Shepard, Jack, Liara, Rhex, Edi and Joker...everyone really.  Also glad those memories didn't get tainted.

I wish CDProjektRed would buy the ME franchise.

I hope not...

I would loose my job if it did happen

11 hours ago, endgameaddiction said:

And buy TES and FO franchise. At least CDProjekt Red have the skills to actually do voice protagonists the proper way. I still don't play W3, but right now, CDProjekt Red is the only company I'm looking at for RPGs. I hope Cyberpunk 2077 lives up to everyone's expectations.

They do everything much more "proper way" than the current games that are being released. I hope this continues. I hope they continue to remember the fans and deliver quality packed, well written games well into the future. Doubt other game companies will do this.

 

I also hope the Cyberpunk 2077 is able to live up to everyone's expectation. I say that because CD Red does have some serious competiti0on... themselves. Which might be the hardest to beat. I hope it meets at least the same quality as WIII and I will be happy. Also there are some hints in WIII that someone from that game might be present in Cyberpunk 2077 or at least referenced. That is just so cool in itself. Same EA/MEA doesn't have the basic storytelling skills and tech ability to give just the basic solid well built game. Nobody is asking for a classic just solid, reliable game with some decent story. Nothing that hasn't been done before. just the basic shit. So sad that they can't even do that.

10 hours ago, Kendo 2 said:

OFF TOPIC

  Hide contents

 

Aside from a few bugs TW3 is a great fucking game.  I think the reason some people don't like it is due to the difficulty.  It is a high risk and low reward game, there isn't any sort of opponent leveling (walk in to the wrong fight at the wrong time and you'll die), the combat doesn't involve spamming buttons until you win.  There's all of that and the story is really raw, and the world is realistically offensive just like I imagine a war-torn Medieval society would be.

And there's going to be a Witcher TV series on Netflix!  Andrzej Sapkowski (the author of the books) is going to be a creative consultant and some of the scene directors from the game will be directing episodes.  No idea who's going to star in it but I hope they don't cram it full of Hollywood Millennials who can't act.  I HOPE it is a European production like Vikings or Game of Thrones.

 

 

Spoiler

yes, there have been some that some here might know that has stated the very thing you have. It is a hard game. there isn't a "proper leveling" of the character for the NPCs. If you decide to run head into NPC and stories that are many levels above you... you can. There is such a freedom to that I never thought possible. At first I didn't like that but then started to realize it is really perfect if you pay attention. If you accidentally run across someone to high you do have a chance to ride off out of danger, (retreat) or fight. There are actual strategies that you can develop to beat these higher level, harder (hard as shit) characters using spells, timing hits, potions, and dogging. (a fucking lot of dogging ;)) and you can beat someone 2x above your character and really the sky's the limit.

Seriously, people have "hardcore" mode and love it... WTF is the matter with not having proper NPC leveling? That doesn't make sense to me now that I understand what is going on in the game. The game is rich and deep in both the game play and the characters. The fit and finish is so good you could stand there and count the lashing an NPC gets. Leave the cell and come back (before the lashing should be done) and continue to count... and realize the timing of the time you weren't able to hear.. matches about the time that the lashes should have taken place... WOW.

This is a game that you can replay, over and over and over again and still find a way to challenge yourself even if it is taking on higher and higher level contracts well above your current level. Then when you are board of that... raise your difficulty level. Rinse and repeat.

I repeated the game. (don't remember how many hours I played those first few areas) until I was able to go in with level 2 and beat level 8~10 NPCs. Tall about challenge. I had a save that I jumped off of to do just that. here is the interesting part. So long as I timed it perfectly and used the tricks (potions, spells ) perfectly they dropped like flys... If I glitched out and missed my step.. and they hit me... I was near death or out right killed. One hit death at that level. Now that is a CHALLENGE... hardcore... kiss my ass... lol

Needlessly to say I really enjoyed myself with the game. I need to go back but I wont play it until I have a lot of time to truly keep the story going and not start. stop. The game is HUGE and that is the only real drawback to the game. You want to complete it fully to the point you are done with it or start over if you didn't.

 

[Doublezero]

EA actually expected this game to sell 6 to 9 million copies.

[ritualclarity]

"EA and Bioware need a reality check"...

Yep.

"you reap what you sow"

[Guest]

If they want their sales figure to drastically change for the better, they better have a reality check. Since that's all corporations care about, yeah I'm pretty sure that they'll have a reality check. And very quick.

[Kendo 2]

8 hours ago, endgameaddiction said:

If they want their sales figure to drastically change for the better, they better have a reality check. Since that's all corporations care about, yeah I'm pretty sure that they'll have a reality check. And very quick.

Evidently EA didn't get the reality check memo.  They have no intention of stopping diversity hires for the sake of 'no white hetero males diversity' and the social justice pandering.  They won't even admit their corporate culture is the problem, they're blaming Mass Effect fans...and anything else they can think of.  I guess their reality doesn't match the reality at-large.  People are fed up with rabid social justice and there's an on-going cultural backlash against the people and corporations who fomented it.  Right or wrong, a lot of ME fans think everything wrong with Andromeda stems from the SJWs at EA, from the fugly female characters to the hiring of people who don't know what the fuck they're doing.

Personally I'm GLAD Andromeda tanked and EA is losing money on the game.  They should go ahead and make another DA: Inquisition or ME:Andromeda type game that alienates the fan bases and panders to a tiny cry-baby part of the gaming demographic.  It's a winning formula.

edited to and a smiley

[ritualclarity]

This is the first time they had a very major reaction to the fans reactions to their game. They almost came short of shutting down Montreal location. That is a major change. They currently see it as the location causing the issue and not themselves though. Not their policies just poor quality control at that location and leadership sucked. Not because of the SJW etc. However, many articles and such are coming out and many references to how catering to SJW is causing the bottom line to drop are getting more and more common. These are things that they being business people will see and review, seriously.  Hopefully, they will consider them very seriously and make some serious changes on their formula with regards to this. However, how much of a change likely will be very little. MEA was one game. They are still patting themselves on the back for other games that they released so even though this is a slap in the face, they'd likely just take it as the fans didn't want a new Mass Effect game and shut that IP down. Too costly to continue. So we are very likely to never get another ME game again.

What will likely have to happen is another major upset like what happened to the ME game on another game (next release) and perhaps 2 or 3 more times before they get their act  straight. I believe they would survive this at that point. They will be really hurt but they have butloads of cash etc. so they will likely be able to fair that happening. As I understand it, MEA did make them a profit or at least they came close to breaking even. It didn't however make the$$$$ that they expected (and really should have made so they weren't far from that. Had they not fucked up everything they would be rolling in the $$$ with people yelling "Take my Money". ) 

[Guest]

Not surprised EA points the finger and hides behind a curtain. EA, grow some juevos and own up to your mistake.

 

I'm trying to decide who makes the ugliest characters at this point. BSG or BW?

[ritualclarity]

Quote

BSG or BW?

?

[Guest]

2 hours ago, ritualclarity said:

?

I mean BGS. Bethesda Game Studio and Bioware.

Edited May 23, 2017 by Guest

[ritualclarity]

Ah, I see, thanks.

 

The answer as I see it is they keep trying to one up each other on which can make the ugliest character.  

[Doublezero]

 

[Kendo 2]

This guy really knows how to troll.  The video is fucking hilarious as he dismantles EA/Bioware/Andromeda.

 

[Guest]

 

[Doublezero]

We're beating on a dead horse at this point but yeah, Bioware sucks.

http://www.oneangrygamer.net/2017/06/bioware-montreal-devs-blame-everyone-else-for-mass-effect-andromeda-failings/32530/

[Doublezero]

Man, this game bombed hard.

 

[ritualclarity]

Mass Effect Andromeda could have sold massive amount of games. Now when you think of that... and then see the massive backlash on the game, that is the reason as well not to talk too much about this.

The reason for not mentioning MEA to the investors, likely the investors had emails and other info sent into their email box. They were fully informed likely, and that is the reason not to mention these. Also this is a public discussion and most investors that would be allowed to speak (major investors) wouldn't want to stir up the pot so to say either.

Finally I gotten an email asking for a review to send in. A survey with an open ended 400 character reason for the ranking(s). Needless to say, it wasn't a pretty 400 characters given. Their main concern or first and pretty much only question given for the game (other than 5 questions for muti-player) was would you recommend this game to others. When you rate it, they ask why you rate it this way.

I don't know why they would do this at this time, unless they were toying with an idea of a DLC or some work on MEA. It did according to the briefing mentioned above in the video along with FIFA make most of the profit last year. They might be thinking on trying to see if it can continue. It is a really $$$ franchise and really pretty much ($$$ wise) this is the only road bump in the franchise so they might think about it now that they ... (think) they have gotten to the root of the original issue and that it (shouldn't) wouldn't happen again.