[Escapist] Goodbye BioWare, Hello Indie.

[busydude]

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/9453-Goodbye-BioWare-Hello-Indie

An excerpt.

EA's restrictive policies prevented him from finding a creative outlet on his own. They claim ownership over any competing product - this includes indie games - done by employees, even on their own time. Making games under the table wasn't an option for Fedor: "The legal implications for one, the stress implications for another. You don't want to end up being a huge success only to find out you're bankrupt from lawyer fees."

Stress became a problem for Fedor: "My jaw was 100 percent clenched all the time. I would bite my tongue in my sleep. I would constantly be gritting my teeth and I didn't notice it anymore." He didn't like the changes he saw in his personality either. "I became a much more curmudgeonly, angry and dismissive person. I would snap at [my girlfriend] just doing dishes." When he left, it felt right at once. "It was cathartic. I immediately felt better telling [my boss] that I was leaving. Now, suddenly, I'm moving forward again."

The decision to go indie was easier than the decision to leave. "In almost every situation I was happy, it was a small team and in every situation I was unhappy, it was big," explains Fedor. "Nothing is smaller than indie." Going to another studio wasn't an option for either developer. Leaving BioWare, ultimately, wasn't really about BioWare. It was about experimentation and autonomy, and in this area no studio can compete with being independent. "That's the best offer I've got. Me paying myself to do whatever the hell I want for the next eighteen months," says Fedor.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

What causes all these studios like Bioware to be acquired by companies like EA? Can't anything be done to stop that?

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

It's a corporation. A lot of other companies work like this. That's why a lot of people burn out and start up their own shops. Even the UFC operates like an evil corporation.

 

[CPA]

What causes all these studios like Bioware to be acquired by companies like EA? Can't anything be done to stop that?

You know what stops it - stock owners voting down the acquisition price. You know what stops the acquisition - strong balance sheets
You know what stops weak balance sheets - strong management

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

You know what stops it - stock owners voting down the acquisition price. You know what stops the acquisition - strong balance sheets
You know what stops weak balance sheets - strong management

I'm no wall street whiz...is it really that simple? To acquire a company you just vacuum up the shares?

And this is something that only affects publicly traded companies, right? I mean, a private company, EA may come and make an offer, but in that case the owners could say no...unless greed motivates them to say yes...?

 

[mindcycle]

Good article. Reading through that really shows just how hard it is to make it as an indie. It's tough to complete with multi-million dollar ad campaigns when you have little to nothing to invest in marketing your own product. I'm glad that some people are willing to take that risk, however.

I'm probably going to pick up the iOS RPG mentioned in the article, Emissary of War, that started as an iOS Dragon Age. Seems pretty interesting.

 

[Bateluer]

The exodus of talent from Bioware Post-EA continues.

 

[JamesV]

What causes all these studios like Bioware to be acquired by companies like EA? Can't anything be done to stop that?

EA offers the owners of development companies huge lump sums of cash for their business, and many times let them run the business themselves (to a point of course).

So, as a dev, you have two choice :
1. Hope to make a ton of money off a game, and pay yourself decently while producing it.
2. Develop a game while shuffling your millions, but you can't make high level decisions.

I'd choose #2 anyday. It isn't selling out, simply making the most out of what you have. I don't like the way large companies nerf gaming, but I can understand why developers sell.

 

[motsm]

I'd choose #2 anyday. It isn't selling out, simply making the most out of what you have. I don't like the way large companies nerf gaming, but I can understand why developers sell.

It's almost the exact definition of selling out actually...

I agree though, I understand why they do it, and I can't knock them too hard for it. It does however give me a greater respect for developers that don't sell out, and treat their customers with an extra level of respect.

 

[thespyder]

EA offers the owners of development companies huge lump sums of cash for their business, and many times let them run the business themselves (to a point of course).

So, as a dev, you have two choice :
1. Hope to make a ton of money off a game, and pay yourself decently while producing it.
2. Develop a game while shuffling your millions, but you can't make high level decisions.

I'd choose #2 anyday. It isn't selling out, simply making the most out of what you have. I don't like the way large companies nerf gaming, but I can understand why developers sell.

I would say that it IS selling out, in most cases. However, the problem is a bit more along the lines of:

1. Borrow huge amounts of money to pay bills and keep your employees working for you in the "HOPE" that you can cover the debt at some point when your game goes public.

2. Get paid enough to pay your people and keep you in something other than Ramen Noodles during the development phase. Lose some control over the overal direction of the game. And reap some of the profits once the game goes public.

go over to Goldhawk sometime and see what the developers there have to say about the development of their Xenonauts. For indie developers it starts out as hand to mouth and a lot of borrowing to make ends meet. Sure there is the hope of a payoff at the end, but it isn't a guarantee.

And even 'Established' development houses who are riding high off of previous licenses, don't always have enough to maintain a decent development staff and offices and all of the other things that companies need to spend money on just to keep the lights on, while they enter into 2-3 year development cycles on a product.

And when faced with medium to big immediate guaranteed payoffs vs long term "Potential" profits for the investors, that is often a very difficult decision to make. And companies like EA capitalize on that.

 

[gorcorps]

It's a corporation. A lot of other companies work like this.

True story. If I filed a patent tomorrow for something even unrelated to my field, my company would most likely end up owning it. If it WAS related to the field you're just SOL.

 

[BD231]

I don't understand why more developers don't get over on large entities like EA. Use them for the publicity/revenue then defect as an entire group. These small devs need better lawyers and better contract conditions.

The only reason they're helpless is because they continue to sign on the dotted line.

 

[SMOGZINN]

True story. If I filed a patent tomorrow for something even unrelated to my field, my company would most likely end up owning it. If it WAS related to the field you're just SOL.

That is because you are a corporate serf. You don't just work for your company, you belong to them.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

The exodus of talent from Bioware Post-EA continues.

Well, soon to be another repeat of Origin, Bullfrog, etc.

 

[gorcorps]

That is because you are a corporate serf. You don't just work for your company, you belong to them.

*shrugs*

For now the advantages are outweighing the disadvantages. By the time that's no longer the case I'll have enough experience to get another job fairly easily.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Actually, I can understand better why an indie developer would sell out to EA, they have very little resources or established reputation. It is a bit more sad when an established developer like Bioware sells out. But I cant really judge too much because I dont know what kind of financial situation Bioware was in before they were taken over. I am pretty sure that a big part of it was that they wanted to make a MMO and needed EA's resources.

 

[Bateluer]

Well, soon to be another repeat of Origin, Bullfrog, etc.

Yep.

Can anyone name a single developer that was bought by EA that improved after?