Dcubed Posted December 19, 2012 Posted December 19, 2012 http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=504815 Clearlake have bought the company, but there's basically no chance of them keeping them running. They've almost certainly bought them for the purpose of selling off their assets upon their bankruptcy. Didn't even last the rest of the year. It was always inevitable, but I thought that they might at least be able to hold on a bit longer. Now there are only 4 major Western 3rd party publishers left (Activision, EA, Ubisoft and Take Two) Very sad to see them go
gaggle64 Posted December 19, 2012 Posted December 19, 2012 Hopefully it's not the end and new management can pull something out of this mess. I do hope they survive, they've brought mostly fresh stuff in over the last few years. At least the franchises will be saved, I just pray they won't be farmed off and quietly killed by one of the big names. Roll on MetroLL, South Park and the next Company of Heroes in the meanwhile.
Cube Posted December 19, 2012 Posted December 19, 2012 At least they went out on a good note: giving a load of their games away for either free or "pay what you want".
Agent Gibbs Posted December 19, 2012 Posted December 19, 2012 http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=504815 Clearlake have bought the company, but there's basically no chance of them keeping them running. They've almost certainly bought them for the purpose of selling off their assets upon their bankruptcy. Didn't even last the rest of the year. It was always inevitable, but I thought that they might at least be able to hold on a bit longer. Now there are only 4 major Western 3rd party publishers left (Activision, EA, Ubisoft and Take Two) Very sad to see them go This is terrible news! So where does this leave some/most of their games?
Magnus Posted December 19, 2012 Posted December 19, 2012 At least they went out on a good note: giving a load of their games away for either free or "pay what you want". Maybe if you'd paid more for them, they'd still be in business!
Cube Posted December 19, 2012 Posted December 19, 2012 So where does this leave some/most of their games? I'm suspecting an Acclaim kind of thing, where various publishers pick off the franchises like a pack of mangy vultures.
Dcubed Posted December 19, 2012 Author Posted December 19, 2012 (edited) I'm suspecting an Acclaim kind of thing, where various publishers pick off the franchises like a pack of mangy vultures. Pretty much. The name might still exist in some fashion, but they're gonna go the way of Acclaim and Midway. Might be a good chance for Nintendo to pull a Bayonetta 2 here and "steal" some Wii U exclusives... Edited December 19, 2012 by Dcubed
Cube Posted December 19, 2012 Posted December 19, 2012 Imagine Nintendo buying Volition (Red Faction, Saints Row).
Agent Gibbs Posted December 19, 2012 Posted December 19, 2012 Imagine Nintendo buying Volition (Red Faction, Saints Row). Well IF they can't get GTA getting Saints row would be a good rival
Rummy Posted December 19, 2012 Posted December 19, 2012 On the Saints Row subject; I bought SR2 just having seen a trailier of SR3 ages before it was out - loved SR2. SR3 was still good, but seemed to lose some of the essence I loved. It was no GTA(only have IV to compare to as all I really played) but it certainly had some very good things over it, loved it. Shame to see the franchise die, if Nintendo pick it up and I have/get a Wii U, will definitely buy it at some point. As for THQ going under, an unfortunate sign of the times. A long, but imo good, article - The Rise of Costs, The Fall of Gaming.
CoolFunkMan Posted December 20, 2012 Posted December 20, 2012 Sad to see yet another publisher go, it just goes to show how difficult the industry is becoming. It looks as if they'll keep going, to get Company of Heroes 2, Metro: Last Light and South Park: The Stick of Truth out though. There's a bit more info here: http://www.vg247.com/2012/12/19/thq-sold-to-stalking-horse-files-for-bankruptcy-protection/
The Bard Posted December 20, 2012 Posted December 20, 2012 If Company of Heroes 2 is cancelled I will kill everything. All of the things.
Ville Posted December 20, 2012 Posted December 20, 2012 (edited) As for THQ going under, an unfortunate sign of the times. A long, but imo good, article - The Rise of Costs, The Fall of Gaming. Great read, although alarming as hell : o Makes you wonder if Nintendo has really been the most sensible one in the middle of all this arms race...yep, I still don't approve of their constant and totally weird shenanigans, but at least they're not pushing the productions costs into the stars. Right? However, what is the alternative then? I mean there's no denying the fact that even though costing fortunes to make, these triple-A titles can be just amazing games to play. Also, it's quite a natural tendency of the human mind to push the boundaries as far as you can, hence the bloated productions, I guess...So what are the possible scenarios then? Crash and burn, then what? (c.f. environmental issues, i.e. people using all the resources of the Earth and...then what?) Edited December 20, 2012 by Ville
Dcubed Posted December 20, 2012 Author Posted December 20, 2012 Great read, although alarming as hell : o Makes you wonder if Nintendo has really been the most sensible one in the middle of all this arms race...yep, I still don't approve of their constant and totally weird shenanigans, but at least they're not pushing the productions costs into the stars. Right? However, what is the alternative then? I mean there's no denying the fact that even though costing fortunes to make, these triple-A titles can be just amazing games to play. Also, it's quite a natural tendency of the human mind to push the boundaries as far as you can, hence the bloated productions, I guess...So what are the possible scenarios then? Crash and burn, then what? (c.f. environmental issues, i.e. people using all the resources of the Earth and...then what?) The alternative is to make games with reasonable budgets (with projects that have been managed well and not just littered with wasted time and staff, ALA Rockstar and Team Bondi) that sell themselves on their gameplay, instead of their flashy graphics and lavish production values.
Mandalore Posted December 20, 2012 Posted December 20, 2012 Damn, Relic is fully owned by THQ. I don't remember any good coming from selling off Acclaim's assets. Disney bought Turok, then raped it. Some crappy company bought Extreme G and a few others just to sit on the names and do nothing.
Cube Posted December 20, 2012 Posted December 20, 2012 Burnout 3 and Burnout Paradise came out of it.
Jimbob Posted December 20, 2012 Posted December 20, 2012 Another developer could be gone, which is a real shame indeed. THQ did make good games, and at least it's good that the franchises could be safe. Hopefully the company survives.
Mandalore Posted December 20, 2012 Posted December 20, 2012 Burnout 3 and Burnout Paradise came out of it. I don't think Criterion were ever an Acclaim asset.
MoogleViper Posted December 28, 2012 Posted December 28, 2012 However, what is the alternative then? I mean there's no denying the fact that even though costing fortunes to make, these triple-A titles can be just amazing games to play. Also, it's quite a natural tendency of the human mind to push the boundaries as far as you can, hence the bloated productions, I guess...So what are the possible scenarios then? Crash and burn, then what?[/i] Well the huge increase in indie games, and their success, in recent years shows that there are viable alternatives.
flameboy Posted December 29, 2012 Posted December 29, 2012 I don't think Criterion were ever an Acclaim asset. Your right the earlier Burnout games were just published by Acclaim as far as I know. Anyway picked up a THQ game the other day Darksiders 2 as it was cheaper and I missed it previously....
darkjak Posted January 1, 2013 Posted January 1, 2013 If Company of Heroes 2 is cancelled I will kill everything. All of the things. This. Also, I hope Nintendo bring out their giga wallet and just snag EVERYTHING up. CoH2 Wii U exclusive? Plus Saints Row 4? Yes, please!
The Bard Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 CoH 2 Wii U exclusive has to be the worst idea I've ever heard. In fact it's so bad that my brain cells tried to drown it out by simultaneously committing mass seppuku.
heroicjanitor Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 Now there are only 4 major Western 3rd party publishers left (Activision, EA, Ubisoft and Take Two) Very sad to see them go And Zenimax! (Own id Software and Bethesda). But yeah sad to see them go. Got a lot of games for a fiver there at the end, but I was broke so I was allowed to pay low.
darkjak Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 CoH 2 Wii U exclusive has to be the worst idea I've ever heard. In fact it's so bad that my brain cells tried to drown it out by simultaneously committing mass seppuku. Care to elaborate? If you're referring to people owning the first being PC gamers: Franchises have swapped formats god knows how many times. Final Fantasy for the Playstation? Perfect Dark for Xbox? Bayonetta for Wii U? And to my knowledge, CoH 2 isn't even connected to CoH 1 in terms of story. If you're referring to strategy games not working for consoles: a clever designer could get it to work with the Pad. Maybe even better than keyboard and mouse. If Nintendo want the Wii U to compete with more powerful consoles and still win over gamers, Nintendo need to use every dirty trick in the book!
The Bard Posted January 3, 2013 Posted January 3, 2013 (edited) No they couldn't. True RTS' have never and will never work without a mouse. Especially a game like CoH, which to be played on any level beyond the absolutely basic, has to involve a great deal of precise and swift micromanagement, involving identification and proper utilization of cover, garrisoning units at just the right angle to create choke points etc. There is no way it would work on the Wii U, nor would it find an audience. We saw attempts at RTS type gameplay on the DS with Final Fantasy and some others that simplified the design a great deal and made it massively slower - something that would ravage a game like CoH which is several degrees of magnitude more complex. Swapping formats is not the point here; it's the fact that anyone who insists that RTS' can be played on consoles doesn't play them to any level of proficiency. Look - CoH is a series to be lauded and celebrated for its complexities and depth, and risking anything that could tarnish the legacy of one of the best games ever made should be anathema to any gamer who intends to do more than play it for an afternoon as a quaint curio and then set it down forever. Finally "Nintendo need to use every dirty trick in the book." I don't give a fuck what Nintendo need to do, their strategy for success is not something I care to be privy to. All I care about is the games, not the continuing success and vitality of a corporate giant, so to me, and anyone else who is a gamer first, it is not what the acquisition of licenses will do for Nintendo's longevity, but rather the quality of the games that they'll be playing that matters most. Edited January 3, 2013 by The Bard
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