Boss Key Productions Closing
- Thread starter fluffydelusions
- Start date
Puts that claim he was spreading that Epic is sniping "his" employees into perspective. Feel sorry for the team though, hope everyone lands on their feet.
I feel this should go without saying though. If Jaffe or Cliffy did think that it was their star power and not the teams they built at other companies, then that is their own hubris.
Nobody gets to the top on their own. Great leaders need great teams to succeed.
Unfortunate, if unsurprising. The multiplayer market is heavily saturated. For every hit like Fortnite or PUBG, there are about a hundred multiplayer games that are dead within a month (often within a week). Publishers and developers are attracted to MP games because they potentially offer extremely long retention (and therefore monetization) of customers. Unfortunately, that also means that multiplayer games tend to be mutually exclusive. Most players stick with one multiplayer game for months or years and convincing them to even try your game is an uphill battle. Most MP games have to go F2P to even have a chance and that poses its own challenges regarding monetization.
The Xenogears team formed Monolithsoft. Still alive and stronger and ever today. The Infinity Ward founders formed Respawn and after two Titanfall games are working on a big Star Wars title now. Obsidian came out of Black Isle/Interplay, some people might have heard of Fallout New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity. The Visceral team that made Dead Space formed Sledgehammer and they're leading alternate Call of Duty games now. It's certainly possible. Kev Levine didn't break away from anything though. Ghost Story Games is basically a scaled down rebranded Irrational, still under Take Two. Same studio, same publisher, different name, less staff. That's all.
One thing that tends to stick out to me is that when 8-10+ senior staffers leave as a group, it tends to work out well, but when it's just one person and maybe a friend or two, it's decidedly less successful.
Shame, Lawbreaker showed they have a lot of talent, just wrong place at the wrong time and once your MP only game is branded dead, it's very unlikely it'll ever recover, without at least going F2P, which is still no guarantee (see Battleborn or Evolve).
Radical Heights seemed like a last ditch effort to save themselves too, so can't say I'm surprised though, hope those affected land on their feet.
Radical Heights seemed like a last ditch effort to save themselves too, so can't say I'm surprised though, hope those affected land on their feet.
Lawbreakers had really fun to play heroes, not fun to look at. So they were half way there. I'm personally satisfied with just great to play for MP shooters, it's about gameplay only for me then. I'm bit bummed that MP shooters that are bit lacking in gameplay department find much bigger success with help of the artstyle and backstories. LB had nice diversity to it's cast, should have dolled and sexed up those female characters for better success though. To me it seems like the priorities are backwards. Not that I'd be rooting for any other games to fail, but I wish Lawbreakers could have atleast been sustainable for the more hardcore crowd.
They didn't, but yeah I agree with the rest of it.
Why? Isn't that pretty hard to say in regards to a family dad you actually don't know?
Lawbreakers was not a bad game, it's just very hard to get any traction because of the competition for those type of games.
What exactly did he do to not deserve your sympathy?
What exactly did he do to not deserve your sympathy?
I'm not sure if you're serious but Cliffy didn't just wake up and decide to close the studio. It was already on the cards, he definitely should not have aired that dirty laundry in public.
Wasn't it originally announced as Free To Play? If it had launched that way from the get go and had a strong marketing push and released on all three platforms instead of shit talking Xbox users right before your game comes out it could've had a better chance (not to say that last one had a huge effect on sales but it definitely didn't earn them any).
As a whole though it seemed like a hero shooter in what might've been the worst time to release a new hero shooter.
Shame.
His situation wasn't actually that different to Epic game's either. Until recently, both Fortnite and Paragon were relatively unsuccessful until Epic performed a last-ditch scramble to turn it into a Battle Royale game. Epic just had all the assets in place already, so they didn't need to release the game in 'extreme early access'. I'm sure their Battle Royale would have bombed too if it were a janky, broken mess.
His situation wasn't actually that different to Epic game's either. Until recently, both Fortnite and Paragon were relatively unsuccessful until Epic performed a last-ditch scramble to turn it into a Battle Royale game. Epic just had all the assets in place already, so they didn't need to release the game in 'extreme early access'. I'm sure their Battle Royale would have bombed too if it were a janky, broken mess.
That's a shame. I hope all the staff get snapped up by other companies because they are good developers who were let down by BK's horrible management and marketing. Lawbreakers is a example of a good game being released at the wrong time with some rather questionable marketing and word of mouth.
You know, this actually a good idea.
Maybe him returning to Gears just like Cory Barlog to God of War.
*SHRUG*
I'd be up for more Unreal Tournament. Deck 16 is still one of my favourite maps.
It's sort of surprising to hear that Microsoft didn't want anything to do with Cliffy. He's made successful games for them before and they are dying for some decent exclusives.
It's sort of surprising to hear that Microsoft didn't want anything to do with Cliffy. He's made successful games for them before and they are dying for some decent exclusives.
The issue is that few/not enough people are really up for that type of game in 2018.
Maybe, maybe not, hard to say based on that tweet alone, it wouldn't be that surprising if he wanted to make something new from the same genre.
Lawbreakers was a very fucking good game. Way better mechanics than overwatch. A lost gem and this is a real shame.
Cliffy needed to pitch something that sounded good and workable. Between Twitch arena shooters and bandwagon BR games, I am sure many would be unsure about his plans. End of the day, he is still talented, he just needs to reign it in a bit and pitch something workable.
Fair point. Catering to somebody with my tastes is a sure fire way to go bankrupt.
The 'Team" ? A COO and a general manager from Visceral games?
Wouldn't mind this. Keep The Coalition alive and let him cook up an exciting new IP with a separate studio.
Hope everyone land on their feet.
Going on your own buisness have lots of risks, unfortunately for Cliff, he faced the worst case scenario. :(
Going on your own buisness have lots of risks, unfortunately for Cliff, he faced the worst case scenario. :(
I hope they find a new job as fast as possible.
There is any case of super star developer who has found success sales wise after leaving the place that make him famous?
There is any case of super star developer who has found success sales wise after leaving the place that make him famous?
I get the impression Tim Schafer is getting enough success at Double Fine to continue running it. It does seem much easier to think up the David Jaffes of the other side though.
Too early to say but Kojima seems bigger than ever these days.
20+ shipped games, over a period of 17 years, that feels like a success for Double Fine.
Yeah, I have my own software company, so let's say saying things like he does, I would probably be homeless as of now. As a indie company, first thing you need to be humble, not arrogant.
Yet you used the term "Cliff(ail)," which is probably a bit on the arrogant side and also real lame.
Yeah, it was pretty arrogant and rude, but it was also critique how he acted. I hope that critique, is still allowed in any shape or form.
People do not want a game with such a high execution ceiling in regards to shooters. Lawbreakers failed because of it and unreal and quake haven't caught on either.
Calling people abusing him in Twitter and such as "salty" is also very mild form of critique to that behaviour. The "cunts" he used to refer some people in GAF was way more accurate if also much harsher description of the dumbfucks saying stupid shit. I don't mean you btw, you probably aren't one of those.
It really isn't. Lawbreakers is one of the most spectacular bombas in recent memory and Radical Heights seems like a cash-in of Fortnite that was going nowhere slowly.
Hopefully everyone lands on their feet but it isn't at all surprising based on the company's weak output.
I know. I already admitted that catering to my tastes will make a developer go bankrupt. I just wanted to heap praise on UT.
Poor guys bad timing. And poor choices. Made a hero shooter that was good but just couldnt compete with over watch. Made battle royal game that just couldn't compete with pub g and fortnight