AlteredForms
Banned
We've all heard the numerous praise and heart-warming narratives surrounding our favourite studios in times past. One must merely browse the front pages of gaming publication to view positive review scores, developer interviews, advanced teasers and so much more. Gaming studios and their publishers are spending enormous amounts on building respectable and financially viable brands and intellectual properties, all the while promoting their companies as laidback environments where developers can creatively thrive and grow under the tutelage of caring and attentive CEOs and managerial staff. But what about those studios who masquerade such affection on the surface and behind closed doors do otherwise? Overpaid magnates with casual timetables who command millions as their employees are held to harsh deadlines and unforgiveable working schedules? Publishers who offer money to entrepreneurs in exchange for huge percentages in return, or acquiring existing studios under pretence of sincerity and smothering them with the pillow at the first wrong move. The fact is that gaming studios are businesses and hard decisions need to made, but they're usually not in favour of employees nor consumers and those transgressors we condemn to the fiery pits of the underworld for all eternity.
Be the Dante to my Vergil as we explore the circles of gaming hell!
Mine:
Crimes: Heresy - Disbanding Team Silent, Hideo Kojima Controversy, Cancelling P.T. & Forsaking Castlevania
You mean to tell me that a company chose to release the individual responsible for creating said company into a powerhouse? It's absolute heresy! I'm not claiming Konami wasn't successful prior to Metal Gear Solid as Castlevania already made them good money, but Metal Gear brought millions of fans into their fold with games that were both critically and commercially successful. I can't even remember what the controversy was really about, but it came across as Konami wanting to be the big dick when reality it was Hideo and that didn't sit well with them. From there they disbanded Team Silent after four solid games in the Silent Hill franchise and outsourced development to Western developers whilst doing the exact same with Castlevania. Their worst mistake in my opinion was cancelling P.T. and robbing us of what could have been something special. Nowadays they're attempting to repair the bridges, but a lot of people are pissed that Bloober Team won the contract to the SH2 Remake, though I'm hopeful it will turn out well.
Crimes: Fraud - Mod Acquisitions, Half-Life 3, Chaotic Steam Storefront & Elitist Hiring/Work Policies
Many would be surprised to see a respected and adored developer here in the underworld, but I have mixed feelings about Valve as a whole. Growing up in the 90s and seeing so many talented and passionate developers at studios such as ID Software, Epic Games, Rare and LucasArts was something special. Most of these were started by those same individuals who banded together to create something original, something from those design meetings and something entirely within. The problem with Valve is their creative bankruptcy as all of their ideas have come from the modding community. Portal = Narbacular Drop, Team Fortress = 1998 Quake mod, Counter-Strike = 1999 Half-Life mod, Dota2 = Dota WOWIII mod, Day Of Defeat = 2000 Half-Life mod, Garry's Mod (Facepunch) which made them a tonne of money and put Source on the map. Humble modders offered the chance to expand their original ideas, but had to sign them over as a result. The only original thing Valve has created is Steam and even that has been flooded with crap as they rake in the money, and their lack of diversity and elitist hiring policies don't help either. A member on here applied with two degrees and didn't even get an interview, it's clear they seem themselves as something more than they actually are.
Crimes: Treachery - Closing Studios, Origin, Lootbox Monetization, Overpaid CEOs....
Nobody was expecting a different answer and those that were are wrong. Electronic Arts has such a long rap sheet that I cannot even begin to describe half of their crimes. From acquiring so many successful studios and simply chocking them to death to ransoming their exclusive titles on the Origin storefront and monetizing every single thing under the sun. Keep in mind that this behaviour isn't a thing of the past as some of their recent games (namely Star Wars: Battlefront 2) were rife with controversy thanks to the lootbox system and random drops. Their CEOs have already made tremendous money whilst their studios were overworked and usually shut down afterwards and their games haven't been all that good nowadays. I'm tired as I write this and can simply go on no further, so I'll allow LarryBundy to highlight 10 successful studios which EA have acquired in the past and simply pulled the plug on, enjoy!
Be the Dante to my Vergil as we explore the circles of gaming hell!
Mine:
Crimes: Heresy - Disbanding Team Silent, Hideo Kojima Controversy, Cancelling P.T. & Forsaking Castlevania
You mean to tell me that a company chose to release the individual responsible for creating said company into a powerhouse? It's absolute heresy! I'm not claiming Konami wasn't successful prior to Metal Gear Solid as Castlevania already made them good money, but Metal Gear brought millions of fans into their fold with games that were both critically and commercially successful. I can't even remember what the controversy was really about, but it came across as Konami wanting to be the big dick when reality it was Hideo and that didn't sit well with them. From there they disbanded Team Silent after four solid games in the Silent Hill franchise and outsourced development to Western developers whilst doing the exact same with Castlevania. Their worst mistake in my opinion was cancelling P.T. and robbing us of what could have been something special. Nowadays they're attempting to repair the bridges, but a lot of people are pissed that Bloober Team won the contract to the SH2 Remake, though I'm hopeful it will turn out well.
Crimes: Fraud - Mod Acquisitions, Half-Life 3, Chaotic Steam Storefront & Elitist Hiring/Work Policies
Many would be surprised to see a respected and adored developer here in the underworld, but I have mixed feelings about Valve as a whole. Growing up in the 90s and seeing so many talented and passionate developers at studios such as ID Software, Epic Games, Rare and LucasArts was something special. Most of these were started by those same individuals who banded together to create something original, something from those design meetings and something entirely within. The problem with Valve is their creative bankruptcy as all of their ideas have come from the modding community. Portal = Narbacular Drop, Team Fortress = 1998 Quake mod, Counter-Strike = 1999 Half-Life mod, Dota2 = Dota WOWIII mod, Day Of Defeat = 2000 Half-Life mod, Garry's Mod (Facepunch) which made them a tonne of money and put Source on the map. Humble modders offered the chance to expand their original ideas, but had to sign them over as a result. The only original thing Valve has created is Steam and even that has been flooded with crap as they rake in the money, and their lack of diversity and elitist hiring policies don't help either. A member on here applied with two degrees and didn't even get an interview, it's clear they seem themselves as something more than they actually are.
Crimes: Treachery - Closing Studios, Origin, Lootbox Monetization, Overpaid CEOs....
Nobody was expecting a different answer and those that were are wrong. Electronic Arts has such a long rap sheet that I cannot even begin to describe half of their crimes. From acquiring so many successful studios and simply chocking them to death to ransoming their exclusive titles on the Origin storefront and monetizing every single thing under the sun. Keep in mind that this behaviour isn't a thing of the past as some of their recent games (namely Star Wars: Battlefront 2) were rife with controversy thanks to the lootbox system and random drops. Their CEOs have already made tremendous money whilst their studios were overworked and usually shut down afterwards and their games haven't been all that good nowadays. I'm tired as I write this and can simply go on no further, so I'll allow LarryBundy to highlight 10 successful studios which EA have acquired in the past and simply pulled the plug on, enjoy!
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