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Mythic and Bioware officially "merged", UO cancelled?!

  • Thread starter eekamouse
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HD2300

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More interesting will be what EA will do.
Will they keep their smal lines alive or go for the big kill?

UO at the moment seems to be the training ground for developers, so they can head out and work on newer games, but is that enough to keep it going?
UO is still a very profitable cash cow. If UO has 70k paying subscribers, not including expansions and gamecodes, that is ~11 million just in subscriptions per year. No way they would dump it.
 

Archie

Sage
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EVE is space based competing only with itself.

WAR is fantasy based competing with WoW, Darkfall, DOAC, UO, Mortal Online, AoC. Lots of competition in a tiny market.
TBH from the previews so far the new Star Wars mmo it looks like a single player game not a MMO.

They got 750,000 subscribers with WAR, the problem is 700,000 left. The PvP fantasy MMORPGs market is just too small and too competitive. I'd say if the new Star Wars mmo is more PvE focused (WoW in space) than PvP focused, then it will do very well.
What's Star Wars: The Old Republic? (Fantasy? Sci-Fi?)
 

Mark_Mythic

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Have no fear, at this point is doesn't really mean anything different.

Here is the skinny. EA bought Origin and Mythic, Origin leadership abdicated and Mythic leadership stuck around so they made Mythic their online RPG division and moved all of their Origin properties under the Mythic banner.

Then EA bought Bioware and grouped Bioware and Mythic into one big RPG division. For a while everything around here said Bioware-Mythic and that was just kind of messy so we now are just called Bioware because Bioware is simply a bigger name in the industry.

All the games that Mythic makes are still here in Virginia and being worked on by the same people, just under a different name. There are also people in this studio working on the pvp part of Star Wars because we have a lot of experience as a studio in MMO PVP. No drama, just EA trying to buy the best companies in the business and keep them all straight.

:thumbup1:
 
B

Babble

Guest
But isn't it scary what Mythic makes?
Warhammer is in sort of maintainance mode, with some changes delivered hoping players return.
DAoC seems also in maintainance mode as UO.

So Mythic manages the retirement MMO department.

:p

And I still would like to know who the Bioware manager of the MMO department will be.
As Mythic replaced the EA ones I think history and company policy will repeat itself.

:)
 
E

Evlar

Guest
@Mark

Seeing as they're partaking of your team's PvP knowledge for the Star Wars game, hows discreetly asking them if UO can have the graphics engine they're using.

Seems like a fair trade to me :)
 

Nexus

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@Mark

Seeing as they're partaking of your team's PvP knowledge for the Star Wars game, hows discreetly asking them if UO can have the graphics engine they're using.

Seems like a fair trade to me :)

No fair would be them giving the UO player base beta keys for creating the environment for the Mythic folks to gain the knowledge of MMO PvP
 
A

AesSedai

Guest
... so we now are just called Bioware because Bioware is simply a bigger name in the industry...
- Interesting, I did not know that. Looking at UO, Mythic, and Bioware websites made me think the two were still working as differently named entities under the Bioware MMO division of EA.
x: I still can't believe Origin is gone.
 
M

maroite

Guest
I could see some in-house arguing over which name gets top billing "Mythic BioWare", "MythicWare". I think the only thing to do would be to come up with a whole new name. That way neither side would feel slighted... how about OSI?
Uhh... or they could just get rid of Mythic completely and leave BioWare as BioWare.

Considering BioWares name is much more widely know and respect than Mythic AND OSI.

Have no fear, at this point is doesn't really mean anything different.

Here is the skinny. EA bought Origin and Mythic, Origin leadership abdicated and Mythic leadership stuck around so they made Mythic their online RPG division and moved all of their Origin properties under the Mythic banner.

Then EA bought Bioware and grouped Bioware and Mythic into one big RPG division. For a while everything around here said Bioware-Mythic and that was just kind of messy so we now are just called Bioware because Bioware is simply a bigger name in the industry.

All the games that Mythic makes are still here in Virginia and being worked on by the same people, just under a different name. There are also people in this studio working on the pvp part of Star Wars because we have a lot of experience as a studio in MMO PVP. No drama, just EA trying to buy the best companies in the business and keep them all straight.

:thumbup1:
Mark beat me too it. -.-

Not that I dislike Mythic... ok I was really let down by WAR, and I do dislike Mythic a little but I respect their experience in PvP and RvR. I think that between DAOC and WAR, they can correct the problems, intensify the good, and make SW:TOR PvP really amazing.
 

Raina

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Have no fear, at this point is doesn't really mean anything different.

Here is the skinny. EA bought Origin and Mythic, Origin leadership abdicated and Mythic leadership stuck around so they made Mythic their online RPG division and moved all of their Origin properties under the Mythic banner.

Then EA bought Bioware and grouped Bioware and Mythic into one big RPG division. For a while everything around here said Bioware-Mythic and that was just kind of messy so we now are just called Bioware because Bioware is simply a bigger name in the industry.

All the games that Mythic makes are still here in Virginia and being worked on by the same people, just under a different name. There are also people in this studio working on the pvp part of Star Wars because we have a lot of experience as a studio in MMO PVP. No drama, just EA trying to buy the best companies in the business and keep them all straight.

:thumbup1:

Really though for how long?

I'm sure they said the same things at Pandemic... Westwood... Maxis... Bullfrog...


~Rai
 

Arcus

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There are also people in this studio working on the pvp part of Star Wars because we have a lot of experience as a studio in MMO PVP. No drama, just EA trying to buy the best companies in the business and keep them all straight.

:thumbup1:
*Luke stumbles a bit*

Lea: Whats wrong Luke?
Luke: Its like a million Star Wars nerds just cried out in pain, then stopped.


EA up to no good. Mythic working on a Bioware title is going to cost you alot of subs.
 

Mark_Mythic

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Really though for how long?

I'm sure they said the same things at Pandemic... Westwood... Maxis... Bullfrog...


~Rai
Well, that's life I'm afraid. Nothing is certain. I can say that there are no plans to do otherwise at this time. To declare anything more would assume powers of prescience that I just don't have.
 

Raina

Journeyman
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Well, that's life I'm afraid. Nothing is certain. I can say that there are no plans to do otherwise at this time. To declare anything more would assume powers of prescience that I just don't have.
I gottcha, EA Just has a bad reputation with it, though I do wish ya'll the absolute best of luck with the new grouping!

~Rai
 

GalenKnighthawke

Grand Poobah
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Have no fear, at this point is doesn't really mean anything different.

Here is the skinny. EA bought Origin and Mythic, Origin leadership abdicated and Mythic leadership stuck around so they made Mythic their online RPG division and moved all of their Origin properties under the Mythic banner.

Then EA bought Bioware and grouped Bioware and Mythic into one big RPG division. For a while everything around here said Bioware-Mythic and that was just kind of messy so we now are just called Bioware because Bioware is simply a bigger name in the industry.

All the games that Mythic makes are still here in Virginia and being worked on by the same people, just under a different name. There are also people in this studio working on the pvp part of Star Wars because we have a lot of experience as a studio in MMO PVP. No drama, just EA trying to buy the best companies in the business and keep them all straight.

:thumbup1:
I have not read the other posts in this tread, so I apologize if someone else has said this already.

Just to clarify Mark's post....EA bought Origin a very, very long time ago, well before UO, and for a long time left it alone. (It's important to remember that UO's always been an EA property, it's just that for a long time EA's paradigm was to let its studios, including Origin, do what they wanted to do. Why they didn't notice that this made them a lot of money, I can't guess.)

Then at some point some years back, EA abruptly closed Origin and decided UO was best under its own direct wing. That was the move from Texas to California.

Much later, EA bought or merged with or flat-out took over Mythic depending upon what article you read. They then decided UO belonged under Mythic's banner. And that was the move from California to Virginia!

Now, EA's bought Bioware and has decided the Mythic properties really belong with it.

EA seems near-obsessed with reorganizing itself and firing people. They are an old economy paradigm company that sells a new economy, quasi-artistic product line (video games).

This is a very dangerous combination, and all we can do is hope EA recovers its wits, or finds them to begin with, because their current paradigm is a looming disaster.

The old economy paradigm (all problems can be solved by layoffs and random reorganizations) doesn't even work for the old economy, let alone the new one.

-Galen's player
 

Martyna Zmuir

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Stratics Legend
As an institution, EA is crazy. They keep doing the same stupid things and seem to expect different results.

i.e. firing their best people from products that make money and then scale back support, while they dump truckloads of cash into products that completely bomb..

UO has survived in spite of EA.
 
T

Trevelyan

Guest
i.e. firing their best people from products that make money and then scale back support, while they dump truckloads of cash into products that completely bomb..
I dunno,, I gotta say, regardless of whether or not it is that close to the truth, isn't that what the games industry should be doing? Diverting resources from already successful projects in order to pursue future venues?

You're looking at UO from a success point of view.. a "guaranteed earner" - which I agree with. Loyal playerbase, keep them happy and they will keep handing money over. But EA needs to find new ways to expand to keep making money, otherwise it wouldn't be a very good business.

While I don't like many of the games EA may release, and while they may be a failure, they've published some fantastic games in the last few years and 3 of my favourites have come from Bioware developers; ME1, ME2 and Dragon Age: Origins.

Now, EA have "owned" Bioware since just before Mass Effect's release. Any money they put into projects that Bioware developers work on is a well justified risk. On the other hand, any money put into UO expansion development would need more consideration IMO.

Many former UO developers seem to be working for Bioware on non-UO projects now which is sad from the point of view "they're ours!", but I would hope that if there was any more UO expansions released that staff from other Bioware projects may be temporarily put to work on UO development, including old UO staff.

Totally unfounded idea here but I would imagine that if you had a bunch of developers working for UO and you also had a team that needed all the experienced developers you could get, it would be a good idea to get the UO developers working on your big budget projects (and theyre already being paid by you) and put them back to work on UO stuff when they're really needed.

Anyway to finish off, I think having UO in the same boat as Bioware is a good thing, as Bioware have got different IPs out there that are successful and are guaranteed to get funding. I reckon that if UO managed to get through "THE RECESSION" as everyone calls it, it can get through a developer name rebranding.
 

Nok

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I dunno,, I gotta say, regardless of whether or not it is that close to the truth, isn't that what the games industry should be doing? Diverting resources from already successful projects in order to pursue future venues?

You're looking at UO from a success point of view.. a "guaranteed earner" - which I agree with. Loyal playerbase, keep them happy and they will keep handing money over. But EA needs to find new ways to expand to keep making money, otherwise it wouldn't be a very good business.

While I don't like many of the games EA may release, and while they may be a failure, they've published some fantastic games in the last few years and 3 of my favourites have come from Bioware developers; ME1, ME2 and Dragon Age: Origins.

Now, EA have "owned" Bioware since just before Mass Effect's release. Any money they put into projects that Bioware developers work on is a well justified risk. On the other hand, any money put into UO expansion development would need more consideration IMO.

Many former UO developers seem to be working for Bioware on non-UO projects now which is sad from the point of view "they're ours!", but I would hope that if there was any more UO expansions released that staff from other Bioware projects may be temporarily put to work on UO development, including old UO staff.

Totally unfounded idea here but I would imagine that if you had a bunch of developers working for UO and you also had a team that needed all the experienced developers you could get, it would be a good idea to get the UO developers working on your big budget projects (and theyre already being paid by you) and put them back to work on UO stuff when they're really needed.

Anyway to finish off, I think having UO in the same boat as Bioware is a good thing, as Bioware have got different IPs out there that are successful and are guaranteed to get funding. I reckon that if UO managed to get through "THE RECESSION" as everyone calls it, it can get through a developer name rebranding.
Well said!

The BioWare is huge! Definitely not the run of the mill development studio. BioWare has 5 studios under their name... BioWare Austin, BioWare Edmonton, BioWare Galway (Ireland), BioWare Montréal, and now... BioWare Mythic (aka Fairfax). BioWare doesn't have a new name, it has a new studio in a family of studios.

Also BioWare brings to the party a great track record...

In Development:

Released:






Mythic transitioning into part of the BioWare family has been in the works for a while... and some people are just now hearing about it. The move is great for us as DAoC/UO/WAR players and community, and great for BioWare, EA and Mythic because there are so -many- devs that know the products from the inside and all three company cultures.

Also on a side note, those former UO devs that are working on SW:TOR... their influence will be clearly visible to UO players when SW:TOR launches.
 
E

Evlar

Guest
Just pondering here...

Might it not be a good idea to change Ultima Online's name to something else, whilst EA are at it?

I mean, it's not like the game really is (given the "off on a tangent" changes over the years) Ultima Online any more is it?

Perhaps something like,

EverWorld of WarDiablo

I think that sounds quite catchy ;)
 
B

BuzZzZ

Guest
That isn't even remotely humorous.

As far as the merger? I'd like to think it means good things for UO. I might be rather optimistic here; but I'd like to think developer resources, technology, and support will be shared back with Mythic and therefore benefit Warhammer and Ultima Online.
Well I found it funny
 
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