EA To Acquire Mythic Entertainment

[The Continental]

Straight from the press release (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060620/20060620006061.html?.v=1):

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 20, 2006--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS - News) today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Virginia-based Mythic Entertainment®. Upon completion of the acquisition, Mythic Entertainment will become EA Mythic, a wholly-owned studio dedicated to developing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). Mythic is recognized worldwide for revolutionizing the online gaming space with the award-winning Dark Age of Camelot® and is currently developing Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning(TM) under license agreement with Games Workshop.

Alas poor Warhammer Online. We hardly knew ye...

Editor's Note:Thanks to RainOfTerror for a similar submission

[Zeroman]

Someone will stop this... right? Games Workshop or... someone? Right?

[dotbomb]

Good for Mythic's owners. They deserve to be bought. Too bad for us gamers it is EA.

[michaelwhite]

I don't really know what to think about this. My DAoC guild (all three or four of us) has intentions of playing Warhammer Online but I don't know if I do now. Mythic is bad enough as it is.

[Returner]

Damn I was so looking forward to Warhammer. Guess I'll have to keep plying Lineage II. DAOC was so cool and now EA is going to fuck up Warhammer.

[Heretic Machine]

Whelp, another one bites the dust.

[Deadend]

Well, there goes the chance that Warhammer won't suck.

[GrinR]

AAAAGAGGGGGHHHH

[Nim]

I was a Team Leader for one of the DAOC classes for a while, and as such, got to interact with Mythic folks in a fairly regular basis. I don't agree with every decision they made about the game, but they were always thoughtful about them, and genuinely listened to the input the TLs gave them. I never doubted their interest in keeping the players happy and the game fun.

So it's unfortunate that they just got swallowed by the Borg. I guess they're entitled to cash out, but EA of all people.... /weep.

[Cool AN]

Poor Mythic. I hardly knew you.

[Citizen Philip]

Mythic! Now with more crap!

[Sloth]

mythic was always my least liked developer.

[Captain Awesome]

I was so excited to play this game too, no way its happening now.

EA can suck a fat dick.

[vash]

i foresee them saying patches are expansions and charging for them ;)

[Flatpicker]

EA is a prime example of the old saying shoveling s%^t against the tide.
As much as I hate what they have become. They have stuff that I like and I will end up buying it anyway. Burnout, MOH, etc etc. Therefore they win. Most unhappy am I.

[Jack Random]

<vader>NOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!</vader>

[Asmodan]

Come on, after the fantastic support EA through behind Earth and Beyond why would anyone be worried about this?

[Steve_Erhardt]

Well... fuck. I'm with Flatpicker on this... in the general scheme, I'm not at all impressed with how EA treats us, but they have coughed up a few diamonds I've enjoyed. I'll just sacrifice a few extra chickens tonight and hope like fuck they don't Warhammer Online up the ass as they are apt to do. *sigh*

[GrinR]

Come on, after the fantastic support EA through behind Earth and Beyond why would anyone be worried about this?

E&B was a horrible turd.

[Captain Awesome]

Well... fuck. I'm with Flatpicker on this... in the general scheme, I'm not at all impressed with how EA treats us, but they have coughed up a few diamonds I've enjoyed. I'll just sacrifice a few extra chickens tonight and hope like fuck they don't Warhammer Online up the ass as they are apt to do. *sigh*


Don't kid yourself. They said the same thing about Dice and Westwood.

[Royal Fool]

Okay, kids, let's check out EA's track record of MMOs:

Ultima Online - Still running after almost 7 years, with 5 expansions.
Ultima Online 2 - CANCELLED
Ultima X Oddysey - CANCELLED
Motor City Online - CANCELLED
Earth & Beyond - CANCELLED
The Sims Online - All but dead

Fun!

I predict that W.A.R. won't be a huge failure... but I doubt if it'll get the tech/dev support it needs and I'm certain EA will milk it with expansions.

[Nite_Moogle]

The Katamari keeps rolling...

[Plays4Pants]

Find the irony -

keep buying the sims, retards, its harmless fun.


^irony is found in the word "harmless"

[Magnanimous Gnome]

i foresee them saying patches are expansions and charging for them ;)


EA doesn't really do support unless it's expansions, so I'd say you're right.

I wasn't going to play this anyway, but fuck EA nonetheless. Every developer they buy is one less developer that has even a chance of making a great game.

[Klade]

The smartest thing EA could do is just sit back and not touch Mythic in anyway shape or form. Like Vivendi does with Blizzard.

However, since EA has never been able to do this before I doubt it has a chance of happening now.

Somewhere in the bowels of Blizzard's Strategic Marketing and Intelligence Dept. a lone man sits at a desk, the lights turned low, a single unadorned bulb shining down on his bald plate. And the laughter echoes off the walls in all directions, a ceaseless maniacal laughter.

[MacDuff]

I feel that EA is the perfect example of this "customer service" problem developers are having. Creative decisions are being made by executives who have no idea how to make truly entertaining products. The gaming industry needs a Walt Disney. In his prime, he made sure the best idea was the one that got used. The Disney animation studios had no formal structure of managers or supervisors. People got shuffled around into different positions until they found the one they were best at.

No one runs a studio like that anymore, and I don't understand why. Developers need a new source of funding and they need it soon, or else there isn't going to be a game on the market that hasn't been brutalized by a board of directors whose sole concern is cost and marketing data.

[Roc Ingersol]

Damn Shame, I used to like Mythic... /sigh.

You can see the bastardization already starting. They used to be the good guys because their community people didn't just feed the players a line of shit. Now, Sanya's already saying that they sold the company to EA, not because of funding reasons, but for marketing purposes. :rolleyes:

Because people routinely sell their whole damn company to score a larger marketing budget... /sigh

[Captain Awesome]

Because people routinely sell their whole damn company to score a larger marketing budget... /sigh


Money talks; Bullshit walks.

[bryan]

Damn Shame, I used to like Mythic... /sigh.

You can see the bastardization already starting. They used to be the good guys because their community people didn't just feed the players a line of shit. Now, Sanya's already saying that they sold the company to EA, not because of funding reasons, but for marketing purposes. :rolleyes:

Because people routinely sell their whole damn company to score a larger marketing budget... /sigh

My intial reaction is 'Aww fuck.' It still is. I'm pretty dismayed by this news, disappointing, to say the least. However, don't dismiss Sanya's reasoning. We gamers are a relative minority. Mythic by itself just does not have the marketing capital to penetrate the general public's awareness. Probably nowhere near. And against the monolithic juggernaut that is WOW, they need a truckload of marketing.

[Evil Avatar]

That certainly was a clever way to acquire the Warhammer license.

[xcalibur]

My hopes for WHO are now dashed. Here's to hoping Gods and Heroes turns out good!


-X

[michaelwhite]

I'm not certain, but in the case of the previous developer of Warhammer Online, I suspect Games Workshop has the option to pull the license at any time.

[bean19]

Hopefully this won't mean that Warhammer Online will now have to go through a ridiculous chain of approval in two directions - have to clear everything with Games Workshop and then with EA. . .

Still, I can totally see how Mythic might need the money to launch something like Warhammer Online.

[Dakar]

Well Mythic has just sold themselves into inclusion with my ongoing EA boycott.

I'm a big Warhammer/40k fan and I couldn't wait to play WAR, shit I even joined the newsletter and stuff. I will not be playing it or buying it now.

This is terrible news, back to waiting on Relic for my GW gaming fixes.

[lockwoodx]

JESUS CHRIST #@$!#%!#%!#%^@!$@!!!one!!

[GoblinToe]

HAHAHA.

I liked WoW very much when I played it, but damn, it would be nice to have at least SOME competition in the marketplace. Blizzard does a fine job IMHO, but some other options would be nice. Like maybe some new Sci-Fi a la Anarchy Online! Every time I try a different MMORPG I always wonder why I'm bothering with it when there's WoW.

Well, it ain't gonna be Warhammer Online. From this point forward it'll spiral downward into the mists of mediocrity.

[gawaintheblind]

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


Edit: Ownzored by the dude with the <vader> tags.

[Vandenh]

Damn..; there goes my interest in the game.

[Kefkataran]

Fuck. This game looked like a real potential fun competitor to WoW. It still could be, but... fuck.

[bryan]

EA is the great harbringer of bland.

[skarironfist]

I am fully aware of EAs track record with developers.

But in this case, mythic will need alot of money to launch Warhammer Online to a wide enough audience. That costs money, alot of it. Plus if you look at a successful launch, not of the same scales as WoW. You need a shit load of hardware. That will take alot of funding.

So lets hope:-

1. EA leave the development to the developers.
2. Provide the funding that is required for a successful launch.
3. Don't try and charge for everything.

I think people need to realise, that EA don't have that good a stable of MMORPGs. They need more than just EQ 1 Online.

They can't afford to shag up, since the number of good licenses are few and far between.

[Wasson_]

Duuhhh...Everquest is owned by Sony....If I am to belive every single google result.

Hopefully it'll end up being a good thing. I mean, It's obvious that the majority of people here on this site are expressing concern of this deal for the scantity of the up coming Warhammer game. I'm guessing EA has recognized it's potential as a torpedo they could use to jam the rudder of the Bismark that is WoW. Steer it off its corse of marketshare domination.

[BigJonno]

Well, that's my list down to Age of Conan and Vanguard.

[Sl1pstream]

The gaming industry needs a Walt Disney. In his prime, he made sure the best idea was the one that got used. The Disney animation studios had no formal structure of managers or supervisors. People got shuffled around into different positions until they found the one they were best at.

No one runs a studio like that anymore, and I don't understand why. Developers need a new source of funding and they need it soon, or else there isn't going to be a game on the market that hasn't been brutalized by a board of directors whose sole concern is cost and marketing data.


The problem is that EA is just like Disney. They've made a few decent titles, published some great titles (Ghibli studios - Criterion), but most of their stuff is pure garbage. For whatever reason, everyone loves them.

[Qoz]

Are you serious? You are not gonna buy the game, because the publisher is now EA? I find that truly hard to belive. If the game is good you will buy it.

I do agree that EA being involved increases the chance of poor post-launch patches and support.

[Knite]

Okay, kids, let's check out EA's track record of MMOs:

Ultima Online - Still running after almost 7 years, with 5 expansions.
Ultima Online 2 - CANCELLED
Ultima X Oddysey - CANCELLED
Motor City Online - CANCELLED
Earth & Beyond - CANCELLED
The Sims Online - All but dead

Fun!

I predict that W.A.R. won't be a huge failure... but I doubt if it'll get the tech/dev support it needs and I'm certain EA will milk it with expansions.

You forgot Privateer Online - CANCELLED
and BattleTech 3025 - CANCELLED
(The BattleTech game was interesting. It actually was similar to Mech-Commander 2's online galaxy mode, but muuuuuch more in depth, with a more "MechWarrior" style flair. I was in the Beta. Played it a lot. Good concept. Execution and stability on the other hand....)

[Oblivion]

WAR will never be the next WOW.

[BigJonno]

Are you serious? You are not gonna buy the game, because the publisher is now EA? I find that truly hard to belive. If the game is good you will buy it.

I do agree that EA being involved increases the chance of poor post-launch patches and support.

I'm not an EA boycotter, I'll quite happily buy a game that they've published, but when it comes to long-term support for MMOG's they have the aforementioned terrible track record. It's the long-term that matters with this style of game and I don't think EA give a shit as long as they're making money.

[Trencher]

I have a feeling WAR is going to end up being neutered for broader market appeal now. I really had high hopes for it too... argh.

[Kefkataran]

WAR will never be the next WOW.

Doubt anyone thought it would, but as I said, it at least looked like potentially suitable competition.

[didragondi]

I think Slipstream's point was regarding Walt Disney, the man, not the company. When he was personally running it they made quality oldschool cartoons with charm.

I played the hell out of Darkage for about 6 months, about 3 years ago. It was kinda fun, but I found that I lacked the feeling of accomplishment that finishing games brings with it, and you never finish a MMRPG. Also, monthly fees suck ass, hence the reason I am also not playing WOW but have played a little guild wars.

[Demo_Boy]

Poor DAOC, we hardly knew ya.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

The problem is that EA is just like Disney. They've made a few decent titles, published some great titles (Ghibli studios - Criterion), but most of their stuff is pure garbage. For whatever reason, everyone loves them.


He was referring to Walt the man, not the company. When Walt was in charge Disney made a lot of quality movies, albeit totally unoriginal ones, but they are still good. After Walt however...

[bean19]

Doubt anyone thought it would, but as I said, it at least looked like potentially suitable competition.

I don't know if anything can be the next WoW. The market is about to be filled with competition and Warhammer is a part of that. . .

However, if you follow MMORPGs closely, you should be excited about Gods & Heroes, Age of Conan, and Tabula Rasa - all games that we should see later this year (or early 2007).

WoW will be "beaten" by getting matched or exceeded by a variety of other, newer games rather than ever being directly surpassed by a new record-holder.

[Kefkataran]

I don't know if anything can be the next WoW. The market is about to be filled with competition and Warhammer is a part of that. . .

However, if you follow MMORPGs closely, you should be excited about Gods & Heroes, Age of Conan, and Tabula Rasa - all games that we should see later this year (or early 2007).

I am excited about all of those, and they are other potentially (hopefully) suitable competition.

[Wyrm]

I am excited about all of those, and they are other potentially (hopefully) suitable competition.

Chances are pretty good though, that 2 out of 3 of those games will suck. NCsoft is pushing out MMO after MMO to dominate the market with them, so you can expect one with reasonably fun gameplay and little or no depth from them.

I'm just sort of 'meh' right now. I was really thinking this game was going to be the one that would wane me off of WoW for good. Now, I'm still going to hold out hope for it, but fuck. I just wanted this to work so damned badly, it's so dissapointing that EA is doing this.

Of course, maybe they saw a great game being built (as in, it's already looking really cool) and wanted to cash in on it, which isnt neccessarily a bad thing. With proper funding behind them, they could indeed compete with WoW.

[Kefkataran]

Chances are pretty good though, that 2 out of 3 of those games will suck. NCsoft is pushing out MMO after MMO to dominate the market with them, so you can expect one with reasonably fun gameplay and little or no depth from them.

True, but I heard Tabula Rasa was looking great at E3 and with Lord British behind it... could be good. :p

[bryan]

True, but I heard Tabula Rasa was looking great at E3 and with Lord British behind it... could be good. :p

From impressions I've heard across the web, it seems the reverse is true.

And if you want to know what I think about Lord British, just think about the last two Ultima games that got released.

[Kefkataran]

From impressions I've heard across the web, it seems the reverse is true.

Everything I've heard is that Tabula Rasa looked in bad shape last year at E3 but was actually looking extremely improved and fun this year.

[bean19]

Chances are pretty good though, that 2 out of 3 of those games will suck. NCsoft is pushing out MMO after MMO to dominate the market with them, so you can expect one with reasonably fun gameplay and little or no depth from them.

Dude, Gods & Heroes is being made by the designer of Diablo II, Stieg Hedlund.

Have you read the exclusive interview (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14006) he gave Evil Avatar?

Obviously, I think they all look awesome, but Gods & Heroes has me really excited.

[bean19]

True, but I heard Tabula Rasa was looking great at E3 and with Lord British behind it... could be good. :p

It was looking really good, but I didn't get to play it. When I was at their booth, so was Greg Kasavin of Gamespot and thus all their demoers had their heads up his ass.

[Kefkataran]

When I was at their booth, so was Greg Kasavin of Gamespot and thus all their demoers had their heads up his ass.

Wait why's Greg Kasavin cause that?

[bean19]

Wait why's Greg Kasavin cause that?

Because he is with Gamespot and thus his opinion of the game has the potential to reach a much larger audience than my opinion of the game.

[Kefkataran]

Because he is with Gamespot and thus his opinion of the game has the potential to reach a much larger audience than my opinion of the game.

Just wasn't sure I understood what you were saying. :) Think I get it now, though.