EA closes Dice Canada

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Makes business sense. Acquire and absorb, minimize any inefficiencies and streamline them to your business model. Not saying it's good or bad.
 
Aelfgeft said:
Makes business sense. Acquire and absorb, minimize any inefficiencies and streamline them to your business model. Not saying it's good or bad.
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Not really business in the traditional sense, it's more like legal piracy. They're buying up intellectual property and their competition, then dissolving the competition. Record companies used to do something similiar with some bands - they'd give them a contract, front them a little money ($40,000 or so), then do nothing [either with them or for them, for 5+ years]... cuz the band's sound competed with one of their prime acts. They were just locking out the competition.

A decent legal counter is to hold them financially liable for all subsequent work that should have been done on the game - maintenance basically. If you call EA about BF2 (and any incompatabilities that will eventually arise with it) and they say 'we no longer support that' then you could sue them. If the company they took over could reasonably be expected to have maintained the game (patches, support) then a credible argument could be presented that they purchased that responsibility.
 
NoEcho said:
Not really business in the traditional sense, it's more like legal piracy. They're buying up intellectual property and their competition, then dissolving the competition. Record companies used to do something similiar with some bands - they'd give them a contract, front them a little money ($40,000 or so), then do nothing [either with them or for them, for 5+ years]... cuz the band's sound competed with one of their prime acts. They were just locking out the competition.

A decent legal counter is to hold them financially liable for all subsequent work that should have been done on the game - maintenance basically. If you call EA about BF2 (and any incompatabilities that will eventually arise with it) and they say 'we no longer support that' then you could sue them. If the company they took over could reasonably be expected to have maintained the game (patches, support) then a credible argument could be presented that they purchased that responsibility.
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The thing is that business models change every 15 years. EA's approach would be not dissimilar to the junk bond acquisitions and ventures of the 1980s, a la Milken. Still to this day, it's not illegal. Why? Free enterprise. Private corporations can offer to conglomerate others. if they accept, their life is in their buyer's hands. Put in a context everyone here can understand, can you buy a game and never play it? Throw it away? Yes. The essence of a free market.

However, the key thing would be eventual monopolization of the games industry, and the rising of a new, dedicated competitor. Let's face it, we still have companies like LucasArts, BioWare, UbiSoft, and others. I think eventually EA, honestly, will run into Atari's current state, playing their name with nothing to back it up. Blizzard could go on forever. I wouldn't be too worried.
 
Aelfgeft said:
The thing is that business models change every 15 years. EA's approach would be not dissimilar to the junk bond acquisitions and ventures of the 1980s, a la Milken. Still to this day, it's not illegal. Why? Free enterprise. Private corporations can offer to conglomerate others. if they accept, their life is in their buyer's hands. Put in a context everyone here can understand, can you buy a game and never play it? Throw it away? Yes. The essence of a free market.

However, the key thing would be eventual monopolization of the games industry, and the rising of a new, dedicated competitor. Let's face it, we still have companies like LucasArts, BioWare, UbiSoft, and others. I think eventually EA, honestly, will run into Atari's current state, playing their name with nothing to back it up. Blizzard could go on forever. I wouldn't be too worried.
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EA has no name to play.
 
Old news? Did we not know that EA was buying Dice months ago?

This is what happens when companies buy other companies. They consolodate, they re-structure, they "trim" to get their bottom line up.

Check this out... I'm going to post a word below this sentence and it will trigger mass hysteria and gnashing of teeth...

EA.

:eek:
 
k1pp3r said:
That statement caused me to run around my office like a rodent. . . .while grinding my teeth. . .
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Dude... I almost had the same reaction. Except my blood begain to boil, gush out of my pores and then I had to bath in a tub of ice to cool off. What sucked is that the ice bag had EA advertising on it...

Oh, the teeth thing happened, too. There's just somethin' about that name, baby!



EA : It's in the name.
 
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=68401

Electronic Arts has confirmed it has closed down Digital Illusions Canada, the Ontario-based division of DICE - the studio officially acquired by EA only days ago.

Speaking to our sister site GamesIndustry.biz EA's communications boss Tiffany Steckler confirmed the closure, and that staff from the studio were currently being considered for other positions within Electronic Arts.

"In Canada we have three locations - Burnaby, Vancouver and Montreal - so we didn't need a development studio in Ontario," she revealed.

"Many of the staff from that office are now being interviewed for positions at either EA Canada or elsewhere and the work that was being undertaken at Ontario will now be transferred to Stockholm, back to the Digital Illusions team in Sweden," she added.

EA Canada employs over 1000 staff at its Vancouver studio, where it develops some of its leading franchises including Fight Night, FIFA, SSX and Need for Speed.

Electronic Arts announced on Monday that it had completed its acquisition of the Battlefield developer, after a courtship that began in 2004.
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I'm still curious about the updates... 2142 sounds like a trashy addon and I'd like to know if they will continue to support BF2
 
EA is hurting the gaming industry and leading it down the wrong road. Hopefully someone sticks it to EA and teaches them a thing or two about innovation and making great games rather then trying to monopolize the industry. Also note EA just bought out Mythic Entertainment a month or so ago... (I believe they are just going to fire most the team and take there games and innovation they have been working on and screw it over... Warhammer Online) I already know one EA game that will fail horribly.... The new C&C 3 Tiberium Wars. There is no way in hell that game will hold a candle to Supreme Commander.
 
nullzero said:
I already know one EA game that will fail horribly.... The new C&C 3 Tiberium Wars. There is no way in hell that game will hold a candle to Supreme Commander.
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neither game is finished yet, so your statement is null. as are you!
 
If C&C 3 is anything close to how C&C Generals was I can already see the outcome. No need to turn this into a personal flame war Bo_Bice. Its simply my opinion that it will be a better game. Other people will possibly love C&C 3, but im not really a big fan of the C&C series after EA took it over from westwood.
 
nullzero said:
...not really a big fan of the C&C series after EA took it over from westwood.
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i personally think the C&C series stopped when EA bought WestWood... generals is like a bad dream that you want to forget :eek:
 
Aelfgeft said:
Makes business sense. Acquire and absorb, minimize any inefficiencies and streamline them to your business model. Not saying it's good or bad.
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exactly (or some plan like that) but most here hate EA cause they don't know a business model nor have they got a clue what one day of work is like. all they do is have issues with BF and whine ...but why not its a forum after all
 
G'ßöö said:
exactly (or some plan like that) but most here hate EA cause they don't know a business model nor have they got a clue what one day of work is like. all they do is have issues with BF and whine ...but why not its a forum after all
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Don't go near this thread then. They'll rip you a new one for not throwing a fit that EA didn't make the game work perfect for every player here with every imaginable configuration you could think of.
 
G'ßöö said:
exactly (or some plan like that) but most here hate EA cause they don't know a business model nor have they got a clue what one day of work is like. all they do is have issues with BF and whine ...but why not its a forum after all
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I work every day in a service industry, and I work bloody hard. By analogy, if I created a document which had as many flaws and problems as a piece of software sold by EA, you can be guaranteed that I would not have a job.

And I dont know what industry you work in, but generally I dont know any industry where the business model is based on delivering subpar work/performance to the dissatisfaction of customers.

Customer service is king and the customer is always right. People generally dont complain unless they have a problem, they would much rather be playing their games instead of wasting their time posting on the internet.

It really irritates me when I see people like you whining about other people making legitimate complaints about software that they paid for.
 
Defiant you hit this on the nail! I bought C&C Generals a while back near its release and I expected a finished product with very few bugs. Instead what I got was what seemed like a beta... the netcode was horrible, the multiplayer lobby was poorly designed and lacked a real community. The GUI was slow and buggy and the game just felt like it was still a beta and rushed. Still my hopes were up that EA would address these issues and fix the game in a big way. Well it seems that never happened they just seemed to cut the support and leave the game to rot like they have done many times before.
 
defiant007 said:
Customer service is king and the customer is always right. People generally dont complain unless they have a problem...
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Hardly. Fact is, as consumer advocacy increases, more and more people are coming up with ways to get the most for no money. The heyday of honest merchants coming out in first has long since passed. Call me embittered if you like, but I've worked in both small retail chains and big ones, small companies and big companies, and I can say with a great deal of certainty that the customer is often right, but no more than that. Many customers would break something, return it, and demand their money for something that is their own fault. Are they right?

A person buys a computer and gets frustrated and kicks it. Because of this, it no longer works. Is the customer right?

Someone buys something electronic at a Wal-Mart, puts something cheaper or no longer working back in the box, and returns it. Are they right?

Businesses/corporations have earned a reputation for being "evil" more and more because of conniving and dishonest people who are out for number one. Do you then begrudge these companies their reaction in kind?
 
Aelfgeft said:
Hardly. Fact is, as consumer advocacy increases, more and more people are coming up with ways to get the most for no money. The heyday of honest merchants coming out in first has long since passed. Call me embittered if you like, but I've worked in both small retail chains and big ones, small companies and big companies, and I can say with a great deal of certainty that the customer is often right, but no more than that. Many customers would break something, return it, and demand their money for something that is their own fault. Are they right?

A person buys a computer and gets frustrated and kicks it. Because of this, it no longer works. Is the customer right?

Someone buys something electronic at a Wal-Mart, puts something cheaper or no longer working back in the box, and returns it. Are they right?

Businesses/corporations have earned a reputation for being "evil" more and more because of conniving and dishonest people who are out for number one. Do you then begrudge these companies their reaction in kind?
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WTH are you babbling about? The discussion is about EA Games. If your theory was correct then why does blizzard, ID Software, Valve, etc etc all release great games? Truth is EA games doesn't "fix" or "make" games.. They purchase the company that is making the title... push the deadline to get some more profits in and then.... RID of the company.

So sorry to nullify everything you just said up above but to me.... it sounded like a bunch of horse sh*t
 
Dillirium said:
Truth is EA games doesn't "fix" or "make" games.. They purchase the company that is making the title... push the deadline to get some more profits in and then.... RID of the company.
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Like Microsoft, Apple, Ford, GM, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Wal-Mart, the US Government, and every other company, entity, corporation that has ever purchased something smaller and incorporated it into their structure.

This is wrong why?
 
WhyYouLoveMe said:
Like Microsoft, Apple, Ford, GM, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Wal-Mart, the US Government, and every other company, entity, corporation that has ever purchased something smaller and incorporated it into their structure.

This is wrong why?
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It's one thing for a company to purchase another company to aquire its patents or resources. But it is somehow extremely sad to see art (movies, music, games) monopolized in the same fashion. I could care less if I'm using Word by MS or Word by someone else, if it does what I need it to and it works. But when we are talking about art, I'm going to be pissed off when companies ruin something great just for profits, and then rape the guy who made it.
 
I didn't say it was wrong.... he's trying to say that the general public is the cause of EA's releasing of crappy products. Lets take a quick look at Coca'Cola.. They release a crappy product like "VANILLA COKE".. Public said hey... that's some craptabulous drinkage.

Coca Cola stops making it.

EA Games however.. Release a bug forsaken game that had promise before they rushed it out. DEVELOPMENT NOT FINISHED.

Instead of correcting the problem in some manner.. they buy another company and redo what was done.

I just think it's awesome that so many people are starting to see this problem. it's too bad they have such a stronghold on the SPorts market for consoles however. I'd like to see them go bankrupt.
 
Namork said:
It's one thing for a company to purchase another company to aquire its patents or resources. But it is somehow extremely sad to see art (movies, music, games) monopolized in the same fashion. I could care less if I'm using Word by MS or Word by someone else, if it does what I need it to and it works. But when we are talking about art, I'm going to be pissed off when companies ruin something great just for profits, and then rape the guy who made it.
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I would suggest that many a business man/woman would suggest that purchasing another company to acquire its resources/patents is an art. I don't think art has anything to do with anything here. lol
 
Dillirium said:
the general public is the cause of EA's releasing of crappy products.
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END of discussion.

This thread and every other "hate EA" thread can be locked.
 
Are you an EA employee? The CEO or something? If so... BOOOOOOOOOOOO

just because you say /EOT doesn't mean it is.

EA SUCKS !!!!111!!
 
I'm just saying, dude. If you continue to feed a dog, will it not come back? Apparenty enough people haven't stopped feeding EA.

And guess what? I fed 'em!! I bought BF2, SF, EF and AF! *gasp* Someone smite me! rofl
 
Dillirium said:
If your theory was correct then why does blizzard
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Diablo 2. Great game, numerous patches, and endless bitching about stats being nerfed and making the game "umplayable". Numerous people always questioning Vivendi's business tactics.

ID Software
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Daikatana, one of the most famously awful games ever released, all on the name Romero.

Valve, etc etc all release great games?
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I'm gonna say this again. EA has nothing on the Steam forums, where more bitching has been going on since time immemorial. Steam came out years ago, and still has numerous problems up the wazoo. How many people yelled their ass off when CSS/DOD/Garry's Mod/Fill In The Blank was bought by Valve and turned from a free mod to a retail purchase?

I am not arguing that EA is a great company. It isn't. Nevertheless, I have yet to see a company that hasn't done something equivalent or worse than releasing a game that has caused problems for a minority of players. The anti-EA hatred is due for the most part to a bunch of people who think in a microuniverse where everything revolves around them, ignoring the majority of player base that has no problems. Endofuckingstorymac.
 
nullzero said:
If C&C 3 is anything close to how C&C Generals was I can already see the outcome. No need to turn this into a personal flame war Bo_Bice. Its simply my opinion that it will be a better game. Other people will possibly love C&C 3, but im not really a big fan of the C&C series after EA took it over from westwood.
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lighten up. yeesh. your name is nullzero, so you are indeed null.

you didn't state 'your opinion' as your opinion previously, which is why i called you on it. you were speaking as if you were some time traveler. you're entitled to your opinion of what game will be better, whether it be distorted and dictated by a game companies past actions, or whether it be open-minded and objective.
 
ID Software did not make Daikatana.. Daikatana was created by an Egotistical turd (John Romero) who split from ID Software sometime after Doom 2.

Valve creates awesome games. Doesn't purchase other companies and then ditch them leaving their fan base in wonder. Valve has a great track record.

You're always going to have patches to "tweaK" or bug fix certain things.. Diablo 2 came out just fine. They had to do minor buf fixes but nothing like BF2 when it was first released. Game wouldn't even load on many machiens (period).

Should I even mention madden 2k2 for pc? Jesus tap dancing christ... Save us all
 
Dillirium said:
ID Software did not make Daikatana.. Daikatana was created by an Egotistical turd (John Romero) who split from ID Software sometime after Doom 2.
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My mistake. You are correct. It was not developed by ID, but instead by Ion Storm, famous for, in my opinion, the most innovative FPS ever made, Deus Ex. Once again, a great studio produces a dud. And with the track record of The Sims, Medal of Honor, Need For Speed, etc, I fail to see why EA is so horrible.
 
*sigh* Gamse after John Romero left the company were fine yes. John Romero left ION Storm after the failure of Daikatana. Probably humiliated due to the reviews of him Not "making you his b*tch".

yes Deus Ex Was a great game developed by Ion Storm.. Released under Eidos... NOT Electronic Arts.



I think the shortbus needs to pick you up so I can school you some more.
 
Dillirium said:
yes Deus Ex Was a great game developed by Ion Storm.. Released under Eidos... NOT Electronic Arts.
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Where did I say EA released it? :confused:

Blind raging hatred tends to blur vision, I know.
 
that wasn't my point. People reading thus far have figured out we're talking about EA of course. I just want them to note that Deus Ex was not created by EA Games. Yet, created by Ion Storm and distributed under Eidos Interactive.

But you're steering this conversation the wrong way. We're talking about EA games and their bad Business practices. So lets steer this puppy back to where it should be.

EDIT:
Just wondering. If you in fact see EA games in a negative impact into the market like I"m reading on the first page... why are you backing them up so much? We both know their business practices are "LEGAL" but come to the point of un-ethical. This is where it comes down. I dont' want to say there should be laws in place on how many smaller companies a larger business could buy but bleh.. EA just ruins the consumer market for games. They may have a few good titles but for the most part.. they're really throwing crap at us.

Last game i purchased was BF 2 from EA. Last one too. I'm sticking with blizzard for sure. TBC looks promising...
 
Never did steer it away. Their bad business practices have been, overwhelmingly attributed to problems with one of the most played and popular games of all time. I have argued that there have been titles with as much or more complaints, and no one acknowledges that Valve/Sierra, Blizzard/Vivendi, or other companies have pissed people off in other ways. A year ago, the EA hatred was instead fueled at Steam. Years ago, after Lord of Destruction came out, people screamed bloody murder that Blizzard was robbing them of content. It's always the same, self-centered people that see the problems as huge as long as they affect THEM, the other 99.999% of the gaming world be damned.

Diablo 2, Half Life 2, Battlefield 2 (heh, all sequels) have all generated a constituency of people demanding the game be tailored to fit their wants despite them working fine for the majority of people. I'm just trying to save you guys some carpal tunnel and quit using the "corporation of the week" as a springboard to vent their anger. Life's too short.
 
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