BioWare/Pandemic Super-Developer Sales Hit the $800 Million Mark

[fitbabits]

Thanks to Gamasutra (http://www.gamasutra.com) for the news (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8417).

Officials from newly-formed “super developer” BioWare and Pandemic Studios have provided an update on 2005 progress for the company, announcing that combined sales of video game titles from the two company's various titles have totaled over $800 million in revenue, with 28 million copies sold, as the company is poised to make new announcements at Game Developers Conference later this month.

..........

Pandemic Studios was named “Best Overall Developer for PS2” by consumer website IGN in 2005 and BioWare was named one of “Canada's Top 100 Employers” for the third year in a row. Highlights for the previous year from BioWare Corp. include Jade Empire, which recently won the Game of the Year award in the role-playing game category at the Ninth Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.

..........

"And, the best still lies ahead for BioWare/Pandemic," commented Ray Muzyka, joint CEO of BioWare Corp. "The advent of next generation platforms opens up new vistas for us to experiment with new approaches and fresh ideas. By pushing the limits of these new worlds and building 'event' products, and by continually focusing on creating the best place for team-oriented talent, we will continue to drive innovation in the industry and deliver top-quality games to our valued community of fans."
Talk about bucking the trend...

[Varsity]

And that is the benefit of self-publishing!

[dotbomb]

Talk about bucking the trend...

Go figure publishing well polished and fun games = success!

Good for them.

[Xerxes]

Sounds like they combined their backgrounds to sound that much more impressive. Don't know what that proves exactly. Weren't they in talks to bring lionhead into the fold?

[The Continental]

That's kind of an odd business pratice to combine each of the companies past accolades and sales figures in some wacky joint press release that leads the reader to believe that the newly merged company has accomplished these feats recently, rather than individually over the last decade or so.

[HardScores]

My BioWare PR contact is awesome. Seems like they have a well-made company.

[Citizen Philip]

Continue to make games that don't suck, don't let your head get too big and make gaming a better place.

I will buy.

[SuperMonkeyFighter2]

That's kind of an odd business pratice to combine each of the companies past accolades and sales figures in some wacky joint press release that leads the reader to believe that the newly merged company has accomplished these feats recently, rather than individually over the last decade or so.

EXACTLY! I was going to comment, but this says it all right here

[Viking+]

Believe me... the pressure is on now more than ever to make amazing games.

[Heretic Machine]

Well, whatever they put out next better be a lot more than another shitty nU*rpg.

[Rifter]

Now... if Pandemic would go on and make Battlezone 3... and make it closer to feel of BZ1 than BZ2... :-)

[Viking+]

Well, whatever they put out next better be a lot more than another shitty nU*rpg.


Ok, I'll bite. Can you please decipher nU*?

[GrinR]

Couldn't have happened to nicer folks. I met Ray years ago when they were still working on Balders Gate - I thought he was a tremendously smart and pleasant person. I'm happy to see BioWare living up to its potential.

[Zanzibar]

Now... if Pandemic would go on and make Battlezone 3... and make it closer to feel of BZ1 than BZ2... :-)

Can I get an "AMEN?"

AMEN!!

[Ultima Thulian]

Both companies make fantastic games, so its success is deserved. Can't wait for Mass Effect, it looks sweet.

[Taco]

The advent of next generation platforms opens up new vistas for us to experiment with new approaches and fresh ideas.

Right Bioware, that sure proved to be the case with the XBox.

[The Continental]

Ok, I'll bite. Can you please decipher nU*?

I'd wager that "nU" would be something like the more "guided" KotOR vs. the more open ended Baldur's Gate games.

[Ultima Thulian]

I'd wager that "nU" would be something like the more "guided" KotOR vs. the more open ended Baldur's Gate games.

In that case, he's gonna be dissapointed with Mass Effect. I heard it's very similar to Kotor.

[Taco]

In that case, he's gonna be dissapointed with Mass Effect. I heard it's very similar to Kotor.


But Ray said next gen tech allows them to not do the same old boring shit they've done for the last 3 years. Right?

Here's hoping next gen graphics are not playing any part, at all, in the design ideas for Dragon Age.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Well, whatever they put out next better be a lot more than another shitty nU*rpg.


Don't get your hopes up.


Here's hoping next gen graphics are not playing any part, at all, in the design ideas for Dragon Age.


I hold little hope for Dragon Age even seeing the time of day. Why waste money catering to the people who made you a success in the first place when you can pump out another derivative "RPG" that shows little of what made your company so great to begin with? The big paycheck from a certain software giant cum console maker certainly makes the decision easier. :(

[DoubleUranium]

Never mind that they probably sold 10x more copies on the console versions.

[Taco]

I'd like to see the numbers, blockbuster PC titles (which BG2 + Exp were) hold their own with pretty much everything except the Halos. Which KOTOR and it's clones weren't.

[BioGeorg]

Don't get your hopes up.
I hold little hope for Dragon Age even seeing the time of day. Why waste money catering to the people who made you a success in the first place when you can pump out another derivative "RPG" that shows little of what made your company so great to begin with? The big paycheck from a certain software giant cum console maker certainly makes the decision easier. :(

Some weird grief you have there.

DA seeing the light of day or not - why shoul we can it? The type of games we make take years to develop and we're better be damn certain about something before we announce it publicly and work years on it in the first place. Thus the chances of DA seeing the light are extremely high, especially given our flawless trackrecord on that matter. If we ever decided to can it, we would have a damn good reason for doing so, after investing years of work on it.

Your "big paycheck from evil console maker" theory is neat, but BioWare has always created both Console (MDK2, KotOR, JE) and PC games (Shattered Steel, BG1, BG1-ToB, BG2, BG2-SoA, KotOR, NWN, NWN-SoU, NWN-HotU). That's called not putting all your eggs into one basket.


I'd like to see the numbers, blockbuster PC titles (which BG2 + Exp were) hold their own with pretty much everything except the Halos. Which KOTOR and it's clones weren't.

Numbers are treated confidential in this industry, so you won't get them. They are hard to come by as well, NPD stats not very representative since it's not including a lot of the foreign markets which make a significant % for many game makers, including us.

When talking about BG2, please remember that BG2 not only released in a time when the console market was structured significantly different and that the game now has been on the shelves for like 7 years. According to our webpage (http://www.bioware.com/bioware_info/about/), of which I do not know how up to date it is, KotOR 1 has already outsold BG2.

KotOR Xbox outsold the PC version by quite a bit - but even there the reasons are complicated (different release dates, etc) and not a good indication for the health of the PC market. If anything, KotOR was a good example that doing a proper release on two platforms will give you great sales on both of them, win-win situation.

But I think it's possible to state that the average console game does better these days than the average PC game. A huge hit on the PC has a much higher $$ potential due to the large install base and a few, select games (Sims, WoW) do very very well because of that - but for games that don't hit that sweet spot, the PC market can be punishing (thinking of The Movies - Great, innovative game IMO, apparently didn't do well enough to satisfy the publisher.).

take care
Georg

Disclaimer: The above is my personal opinion and should not be constructed as something else

[S1n1star]

Some weird grief you have there.

DA seeing the light of day or not - why shoul we can it? The type of games we make take years to develop and we're better be damn certain about something before we announce it publicly and work years on it in the first place. Thus the chances of DA seeing the are extremely high, especially given our flawless trackrecord on that matter.

As for your "big paycheck from evil console maker" theory is neat, but BioWare has always created both Console (MDK2, KotOR, JE) and PC games (Shattered Steel, BG1, BG1-ToB, BG2, BG2-SoA, KotOR, NWN, NWN-SoU, NWN-HotU). That's called not putting all your eggs into one basked.

Some people just hate you when you get successful. Its good to hear you guys dishing a little back to the self styled critics that don't know one damn thing about how things work in this biz.

[Frogleg Special]

According to our webpage (http://www.bioware.com/bioware_info/about/), of which I do not know how up to date it is, KotOR 1 has already outsold BG2.


It's just that other than the Star Wars name, Kotor 1 for the Xbox has way more ads and marketing strongarms than BG2


KotOR Xbox outsold the PC version by quite a bit - but even there the reasons are complicated (different release dates, etc) and not a good indication for the health of the PC market. If anything, KotOR was a good example that doing a proper release on two platforms will give you great sales on both of them, win-win situation.


Although you won't admit, KOTOR Xbox:
- Had more ads
- Came out first, while the PC version release date is in limbo for a while. Don't you forget that
- The game itself is clearly designed with the controller in mind (big fonts, big menus). It maybe the reason Bio has the right idea now to separate RPG for PC and Xbox.
- Did I say it had more ads?

:. The treatment of KOTOR Xbox and PC haven't been thoroughly neutral and impartial

If the above points were negated, Xbox version won't sell 'quite a bit' more than the PC, because the only thing going is Xbox as the more mainstream, affordable platform. I don't want to talk about KOTOR 2 because that's an LA/Obsidian thing.

[Taco]

Some people just hate you when you get successful.

Hardly, they've been successful for awhile. Only relativley recently did they yank all their eggs out of one of their baskets. I don't count KOTOR as a PC game, that's console trash through and through and we haven't seen a PC game since BG2.

[Frogleg Special]

Yeah, KOTOR was once like Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth for its "almost vaporware" status of the PC version. Talk about balance of treatment.

[Heretic Machine]

Ok, I'll bite. Can you please decipher nU*?

Alright... you remember Metallica's last album? That was nU*Rock. So is everything that people like Linkin' Park put out. I think it's crap, and my label of nU*RPG for games like KOTOR and Jade Empire is meant to draw a similarity between the two.

Oh, and I don't believe that KOTOR being a console game is inherently bad. I like consoles. Bethesda seemed to make a fine RPG for the console without compromising the gameplay. But with KOTOR, it's like Bioware tried to take the mind of a Final Fantasy game, and put it into the body of Neverwinter Nights... It just doesn't work.

[Frogleg Special]

Morrowind was a PC game pushed to Xbox at the last moments. It seems okay. I haven't played Oblivion, but with the right mindset (catering both PC and Xbox gamers in terms of interface) I expect the outcome to be positive.

Bioware also seem to understand now with Dragon Age and Mass Effect.

[Xerxes]

*He sees the blood on the PC gamers breath, then runs out of thread swiftly...

[BioGeorg]

But with KOTOR, it's like Bioware tried to take the mind of a Final Fantasy game, and put it into the body of Neverwinter Nights... It just doesn't work.

Given the success of the game in both sales and critical ratings, it worked very well for us. Not much more to say about that topic.

[Taco]

Yes, but you upset Taco of the Evil Avatar forums.

I believe this is an issue that needs to be rectified.

[BioGeorg]

Yes, but you upset Taco of the Evil Avatar forums.

I believe this is an issue that needs to be rectified.

There's hope :)

[Heretic Machine]

Given the success of the game in both sales and critical ratings, it worked very well for us. Not much more to say about that topic.

Yes, it sold well. Crap often sells very well, please reference the topic about the FFXII Famitsu review if you need to see an example. But you guys didn't always make crap, you used to make really good games. Could you try, maybe, going back to that?

[Taco]

http://www.gametab.com/xbox/star.wars.knights.of.the.old.republic/1051/

He's already answered that. No matter how much you or I disagree, the proof is in the pudding. As sad as it is.

[Xerxes]

Perigon, so if you like a game that nobody else likes, it's not crap? That's the extreme cause people did like the BG stuff. But I'm trying to get a feel for what crap is defined by you. Is it the console "rpg" thing or the betrayl of a pc game maker? Doesn't play like all their other games.

I don't know how much BioGeorg cares but I'm curious. A game that's well received by the masses not just by selling well but like he said rated highly as well, considered crap. My only beef was how weak Malek felt playing against as the boss. As far as BioWare can see they are still making good games.

[Taco]

Combat was stale and boring, character development and choices were rather limited(even with all the choices there are really only two character types and both can still be successful with slasher strategies), the enviroment looks and layouts were yawn worthy and on a rail, and the dialouge + good/evil system was just barely good enough of a gimmick for one play through. It was pretty painful in other games. And lastly, their games are easy and you are handheld from beginning to end.

Now we can get in an endless circle of hate where we tell each that our opinion is wrong.

If I thought Bioware had just lost their ability I probably would just shrug and move on. But they haven't, they are making games just like how they want to, and the outcome is what I've described.

[Ultima Thulian]

Hell, I loved the Kotor games, they were fresh and original at the time and did the license better than any of the recent movies...But hell, not everybody is going to unamiously love a game, but love or hate it, the Kotor series deserves some respect. That being said, I love both console and PC games, so I hope this doesn't turn into a console vs. pc kinda deal.

It's simple: Bioware/Pandemic has proved successful. With original games without licenses at that (Mercanaries, Jade Empire, etc.). Completely original titles selling well is rare nowadays. If I'm not mistaken, only 4-5 completely (no license, sequel, prequel, comic, toy, or anyother bullshit) original (Fable was one of 'em) titles cracked the top 100 sales chart for the 2004 year. Or was it 2003...hell, can't remember, but the NPD should have the #'s somewhere...

[Xerxes]

Meh, I've been humbled once today by the worst of the worst. I don't have time to tell you your opinoin is wrong, and vice versa. Combat did get redundant. But so far the only game that hasn't felt like I was going through the motions to beat a enemy is Ninja Gaiden. I though character development was decent for a 40 hour game, depending on if you flip floped on good and bad. Good and bad is a gimmick, for two play throughs, only two sides to that coin. Have any of their other games offered more than X amount of moves that never get boring, deep characters and multiple endings?

[Ultima Thulian]

Meh, I've been humbled once today by the worst of the worst. I don't have time to tell you your opinoin is wrong, and vice versa. Combat did get redundant. But so far the only game that hasn't felt like I was going through the motions to beat a enemy is Ninja Gaiden. I though character development was decent for a 40 hour game, depending on if you flip floped on good and bad. Good and bad is a gimmick, for two play throughs, only two sides to that coin. Have any of their other games offered more than X amount of moves that never get boring, deep characters and multiple endings?

That's cool. Everybody is different. But Ninja Gaiden is a straight up action game and Kotor is turn-based (with a real time effect for it) RPG, so it's a little unfair to comare the two. But in 2003, few games let you choose between good or evil, or give you a choice at all (on the consoles anyway). Keep in mind the game is limited by the StarWars licence, and it by its very nature follows a simple guidline of good (light) and evil (dark). In Jade Empire, the choices are more complex and there are several neutral choices too.

But hey, if you didn't like that is fine. I liked it though. :)

[Taco]

Have any of their other games offered more than X amount of moves that never get boring, deep characters and multiple endings?

Combat-wise and character development-wise there were a LOT more variables in BG2. There were also vast difference in maps and areas you visit, much more interesting and pleasing to the eye.

In KOTOR you end up spamming two spells and slashing(thought need not apply), and healing yourself to 100% once combat is done. Over and over and over again, and there are no battles that are more interesting than the next(see dragons and most bosses in BG2). I'd put it right on par with Diablo. Only less satisfying. To be honest, I never cared in the least about multiple endings.

[Xerxes]

That's cool. Everybody is different. But Ninja Gaiden is a straight up action game and Kotor is turn-based (with a real time effect for it) RPG, so it's a little unfair to comare the two. But in 2003, few games let you choose between good or evil, or give you a choice at all (on the consoles anyway). Keep in mind the game is limited by the StarWars licence, and it by its very nature follows a simple guidline of good (light) and evil (dark). In Jade Empire, the choices are more complex and there are several neutral choices too.

But hey, if you didn't like that is fine. I liked it though. :)

I loved KOTOR... It felt like the best use of the SW license ever. I was just agreeing with what could be considered short comings. Like he said different strokes.

[Zeal]

Both of these developers just freaking own. I can't wait to play Jade Empire 2 and Mass Effect.

[Ultima Thulian]

I loved KOTOR... It felt like the best use of the SW license ever. I was just agreeing with what could be considered short comings. Like he said different strokes.

I see what you're saying now. Sorry for misunderstanding. I do agree that the game is pretty easy.