The Death of Bioware

[M76]

The gaming industry is so damn profitable I doubt many publishing companies would risk their entire reputations on pushing game development to ultra poor countries. I could be wrong but I hope I'm not.

If development is outsourced to low wage rate countries no one will ever want to go into this field of work, because there won't be jobs for it.

We are not talking ultra low wage countries. And outsourcing work to ultra low wage countries like India costs more in the long run anyway. Been there, done that.

LOL@ not risking their reputation. It's all about the money. If they wouldn't want to risk their reputation no game would ever become an epic store exclusive. They don't give a shit about reputation.

 

[Derangel]

Nobody said that everything is outsourced, but still there were numerous games that were done there in their entirety. The unusual part is when a game is done at more than one studio. That has only become a practice recently with big publishers rushing research to the extreme.

Small studios do a lot of out sourcing as well, but out sourcing work that can't be done at one studio is different than what is being talked about here. What Auer was talking about was taking ALL production to countries with no/less worker protection laws. Something that simply is not feasible in the industry as it is right now. You can make some games in those countries but you can't make ALL the games in them.

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

The gaming industry is so damn profitable I doubt many publishing companies would risk their entire reputations on pushing game development to ultra poor countries. I could be wrong but I hope I'm not.

If development is outsourced to low wage rate countries no one will ever want to go into this field of work, because there won't be jobs for it.

The quest for money in the gaming industry amounts to pure greed and no desire to uplift the people that built that wealth. I'm not sure how labor laws are completely thrown out the window at these developing companies. At least in the US they seem somewhat effective , though I do see and hear about violations and not much is done because speaking up = no job. However, thats actually led to some successful lawsuits.

I think what needs to happen is EA needs to be targeted for a massive lawsuit in defense of their developing staff. They probably also need to be targeted for lying to their consumer base and sued for it appropriately. Setting a precedent in the court system that this shit cannot and will not stand.

See that pushed out to whatever countries back that lawsuit and do a little house cleaning. Maybe then, all the publishers will think twice about enslaving their staff and still releasing broken shit to their consumers and lying about the state it's in.

Uh no. It's capitalism baby there is no reputation, there is only money and monopoly. You don't like it, you don't get to play games so fuck you. You want to play games you'll take what you get and you'll like it and you'll eat it and you will pay what they ask.

That's how markets work. The seller always wins, the customer just has to suck it up and eat it.

 

[doublejack]

About time. Bioware has been in a coma for over a decade.

I agree completely. I was initially thinking how it would suck to see Bioware die, but then I started thinking how long it has been since they made any truly great games. 2010, Mass Effect 2.

So... RIP. Bioware has been in a coma and it is time to pull the plug.

 

[TangledThornz]

Its stories like EA and Bioware that made me glad I never got into game development. Sounds like a shitty industry to be in, sadly.

 

[Dan_D]

Its stories like EA and Bioware that made me glad I never got into game development. Sounds like a shitty industry to be in, sadly.

It's been shitty for two decades. The issues have only gotten worse as game complexity and costs have risen. Another change from 20 years ago is that we now know about these issues. Social media wasn't a thing back then. What went on behind closed doors at studios was largely unknown to anyone outside the studios.

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

It's been shitty for two decades. The issues have only gotten worse as game complexity and costs have risen. Another change from 20 years ago is that we now know about these issues. Social media wasn't a thing back then. What went on behind closed doors at studios was largely unknown to anyone outside the studios.

The issues in everything get worse as production values go up because that means they cost more. This happened in Hollywood as well. When games look close to real life the issues are going to be an order of magnitude worse than they are now.