Five That Fell - A Next Generation Editorial

[fitbabits]

bapenguin sent me an email to let me know that Next Generation (http://www.next-gen.biz) had posted a really cool editorial that's certainly worth a minute or two of your time.

You can read the whole thing here (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3357&Itemid=2).

Companies come and go. That's life. But some live in the memory even, if not in actuality. We've picked five that blazed across the sky, then dimmed or disappeared...

For all its immaturity, you can tell the videogame industry is getting on in years. With increasing, even alarming, frequency, the faces of our youth have begun to disappear – forced from the market, absorbed into conglomerates, restructured into oblivion, or simply retired from the grind.

The first big wave hit back in the mid '90s, when increased development costs, the demise of the American arcade, and the shift from 2D development left dozens of small and mid-sized developers – from Toaplan to Technos – out in the cold. Those that didn't die completely – Sunsoft, Vic Tokai – often pulled out of the US market, or even out of the videogame business. Western outfits braced for the storm by merging with larger and ever larger publishing conglomerates, rationalizing that it was the only way to survive in an uncertain market.
Editor's Note - Atari (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3357&Itemid=2&limit=1&limitstart=1), Origin Systems (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3357&Itemid=2&limit=1&limitstart=2), Sierra On-Line (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3357&Itemid=2&limit=1&limitstart=3), Black Isle (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3357&Itemid=2&limit=1&limitstart=4), and Looking Glass Studios (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3357&Itemid=2&limit=1&limitstart=5) are the five companies featured.

Wow! Some really interesting stuff in here.

[TrackZero]

Holy shit. They really picked the 5 big companies that actually sprung to my mind.

[Lord Nerdious]

RIP Black Isle, we hardly knew ye.

[Watership]

Looking Glass Studios. I miss you so.

[SexualChoc]

Wow. It makes you think how big you can be, to then suddenly dissappear. Who's next?

[fitbabits]

Wow. It makes you think how big you can be, to then suddenly dissappear. Who's next?
Sony! :rolleyes:

[phantomhitman]

Sony! :rolleyes:


you messed up the last part, no emoticon needed.

[fitbabits]

you messed up the last part, no emoticon needed.
Ah, but it's like a shit shield! :)

[SexualChoc]

Sony! :rolleyes:

Oh fitbabits, how I love you so. :D

[camberiu]

I think they should have mentioned Infocom, Microprose, Spectrum Holobyte, Accolade, Epyx, Broterbund, Data East and Cinemaware. All giants of their times, and all very gone......

And Psygnosys, of course.

[crashedout]

SOmetimes I weep for what Sierra became. Those quest games were awesome and I lost many a hour playing those. Remember the cheat books with the red film viewer?

[TrackZero]

Wow. It makes you think how big you can be, to then suddenly dissappear. Who's next?

Valve?

The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 10 characters.

[Flatpicker]

Nice to know that WC sent Origin into EA's arms.
Damn you Chris Roberts,WC wasen't even that good.

[Nightstorm]

Ok, after reading that I can safely say that I wish Next Gen returned to magazine greatness. That editorial oozes with the excellent work that the old Next Gen mag used to produce. Please give me a reason to check my mailbox Next Gen!

[Com_Gaunt]

I really miss origin and all the awesome games they had.
I remember playing Ultima Underworld for the first time and imagining how excellent games would be in 10 years. Unfortunately EA skull and butt fucked Origins remains, the same they did with Bullfrog. Motherfucker!!

[fitbabits]

Ok, after reading that I can safely say that I wish Next Gen returned to magazine greatness. That editorial oozes with the excellent work that the old Next Gen mag used to produce. Please give me a reason to check my mailbox Next Gen!
Doesn't it, though? I mean, there's very little pandering or fluff - it's all very well written (the article in question). I loved, loved, LOVED, Next Gen.

[Returner]

Interplay, believe it or not they are still around wit ha whopping two employees. I'm sure they won't be around much longer or should I say hope.

[devicelimit]

Valve?



I doubt it. At least not in the near future. Valve has their own engine that the license so until the Source engine dies Valve won't die. They've also positioned themselves to become a publisher as well and they have good managment.

[screwtape]

I play through the Thief series and System Shock 2 at least once a year. It's such a shame Looking Glass went under.

And yeah, that was a great article. Does Next Gen have a print magazine, and is it always full of stuff this good?

[fitbabits]

And yeah, that was a great article. Does Next Gen have a print magazine, and is it always full of stuff this good?
Not now. There used to be a print version called Next Gen years and years ago, but it folded. Next Generation (the website) is fairly new and from what I understand will remain online-only.

[Nightstorm]

Yeah I wish they stopped being online-only. They have the quality, I just want them to return to print.

When the old Next-Gen was being published I lived oversea's (due to my dad's job) and had a subscription that sent my issue to my aunt's place (in the US) who then sent it his company's mail distribution (in a brown envelope so as to feign personal mail and not oversea's ship a magazine) who then sent it to my dad who gave it to me.

Now I was always behind a couple months, sometimes more if they collected them before sending, but the second it arrived I started reading every letter from the beginning to end. They were talking about game physics long before most other people, some of the best written industry articles, and great no nonsense previews and reviews that actually communicated the quality of a game. None of this a bad game gets a 60%. If they got a bad game it got 1/5 stars just as it should.

*edit* Man I got to be the ultimate definition of lurker. 17 posts since feb 05, and probably not much more if I included the years before that heh :)

[agentgray]

I play through the Thief series and System Shock 2 at least once a year. It's such a shame Looking Glass went under.

And yeah, that was a great article. Does Next Gen have a print magazine, and is it always full of stuff this good?
Didn't LG make a flight sim that was pretty impressive for it's time?

[agentgray]

Sunsoft used to have this great FREE quarterly newsletter about their games: Batman, Blaster Master, Fester's Quest...loved them all.

[Rafer]

Origin was really tragic, although after reading this escapist article (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/14/4) it's apparent Origin had other issues, like lots expensive projects that ended up getting cancelled and I was surprised that Origin employees were underpaid by EA standards. When EA tells you that you need to take better care of your employees you gotta wonder what their morale and turnover was.

[Watership]

Doesn't it, though? I mean, there's very little pandering or fluff - it's all very well written (the article in question). I loved, loved, LOVED, Next Gen.

They were seriously in love with the "ULTRA 64". I want to find my mags and reread all through those articles.

[Watership]

Not now. There used to be a print version called Next Gen years and years ago, but it folded. Next Generation (the website) is fairly new and from what I understand will remain online-only.

I find the web site has a closer business focus than the magazine ever did. I think that's because they know the online gaming culture is big on focus, rumours and reviews, and not so much on developers, publishers and well.. Money. There is space for them in their current incarnation.

[screwtape]

Didn't LG make a flight sim that was pretty impressive for it's time?
Yeah, they made the Flight Unlimited (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_Unlimited) series. Never played it myself, but like most of LG's projects, it sounds like it was ahead of its time.

[lockwoodx]

I still have my kings quest 1 cartridge for the pcjr. I feel dissapointed they had Atari in there over Micropose or Accolade.

[bapenguin]

I miss Bullfrog. :(

[Zacharai]

SOmetimes I weep for what Sierra became. Those quest games were awesome and I lost many a hour playing those. Remember the cheat books with the red film viewer?

Yes. Oh yes.

Sierra also had a $0.99 a minute phone service that you could call for hints to their games. I don't want to hazard a guess on the money they reaped from me that way. Odd that the article didn't mention the Space Quest or Quest for Glory (nee Hero's Quest) games they created as well. QFGI is right up there with Planescape: Torment (and Fallout 2) in the impact it had on me.

[Wyrm]

I miss Bullfrog. :(

QFT man. I do as well. That one stands out in my mind. And Cavedog, but they're mostly with whatever is making Supreme Commander now, so that's badass.

My predictions? I think RARE is the next big game company to go, and I think NC Soft is fucked as well.

[drakkarim]

nice read, weird that I remember playing pretty much all the games they've mentioned, i must be old :)

bullfrog made syndicate didn't they? that was a kick ass game, surprised nobody's done a followup (there was something, but don't remember if it was released here).

whoever made dungeon master where you're the bad guy creating dungeons to kill off the good guys, i think is also gone, brilliant games.

[Sazime]

nice read, weird that I remember playing pretty much all the games they've mentioned, i must be old :)

bullfrog made syndicate didn't they? that was a kick ass game, surprised nobody's done a followup (there was something, but don't remember if it was released here).

whoever made dungeon master where you're the bad guy creating dungeons to kill off the good guys, i think is also gone, brilliant games.
Yes, they did Syndicate, and a sequel that came out on a couple consoles (PS1 being one of them).

[Wombat]

Although it's not a software firm, I think 3DFX belongs on that list. They were top of the game with the Voodoo and Voodoo 2 boards, and then they managed to piss it all away. They were really the origin of the 3D graphics boards business, and they blew it.

[Banacek]

How did Ultima Underworld NOT sell? I don't understand...

[PacoTaco]

"and I think NC Soft is fucked as well."

You're stoned man, worldwide NCSoft is bigger and richer than EA. Half of South Korea plays Lineage lol.

[mister_slim]

My predictions? I think RARE is the next big game company to go, and I think NC Soft is fucked as well.
As far as I'm concerned, Rare is dead already. They've managed about 1 and a half good games in the last five years, but spread out over like six different games.

[gawaintheblind]

Origin was one of the best gaming companies to date. WC: Privateer was, and still is, goddamn amazing. I have a 486 that I rebuilt purely to run it in all of its glory.

They had a lot of issues, notably too many people with imagination and not enough bean counters, but god, I wish there was a company like that today. Even with the problems they had, I don't know of any company who has entered one end of the EA meat grinder and not emerged hamburger on the other side. Good luck, Mythic....

[Roc Ingersol]

No Bullfrog? wth.

[Stormwatcher]

Holly shit, Wing Commander is AWESOME, WTF.
I agree with all 5 companies. They are my favorites.

[Sazime]

Origin and Microprose were two of my favorite game companies for a long time. Bullfrog had a couple great games, but that was it. Not surprised the owners sold eventually.

[dr_wily]

microprose!
oh the humanity... xcom, MOO, MOM

sunsoft was the shit.. blaster master was like my favorite game even though it was hard as hell.