CGiRanger
Banned
This is a super long read and I'm still parsing it. But it sounds like a lot of things went down, and I'm actually very surprised how in-depth he goes into how the project got started from his perspective. Also it sounds like, at least from what he can tell, that no one left at either the developer or publisher is anyone that was working there when he was. He also heaps tons of praise upon Brian Mitsoda, even though apparently they don't quite get along well together.
If you’re not familiar with D.I.C.E., you’re not missing much. As one described it, it’s where game executives go to jerk each other off, pretend to facilitate contracts, give awards to themselves, and compliment each other on the hard work the developers at their studios do. The Biz Dev guys go there to feed on these same executives and devour them slowly from within like humanoid parasites from the movie The Bay. It’s all part of the vampiric theme.
To explain my contract: I worked on Bloodlines 2 for almost 2 and a half years, from 2016 to mid-2018, then my contract came to an end. They didn’t use anything I wrote during that time, which was a number of major characters and side missions, check my LinkedIn. This made me sad, but it’s not my choice. The whole experience was like the last five minutes of Barton Fink (not the beach scene, the scene before it, know-it-all), but stretched out over 2 and a half years. Even if I had known all that work was useless, I’d have written anyway, even though its part of your life you don’t get back, so you can’t really dwell on it too much. I’ve been on projects where a LOT more got thrown away… as Bloodlines 2 proved for almost everyone on it in the end, apparently.
- Nobody I worked with in the trenches is still there, and I have never asked them what happened. It all sounded painful. Not only did I not know why they were fired, were let go, quit, or whatever, but I respect their right to speak for themselves and they have, although in a limited capacity. I do think they were classy and respectful in their responses.
- When I finally found out Brian Mitsoda was fired (quite suddenly it seems), my reaction was “what the everlasting fuck?!” One of the best, if not the best, qualities of Bloodlines 1 was the writing. It’s not even up for debate. If you want to debate it, good luck to you in your future endeavors but be prepared to lose. A lot.
- That’s my suspicions about Brian. Me? I suspect I was brought on because I gave the project RPG validity (which the critics who hate me most should have a field day with and I agree — even I’m laughing as I write this), since Hardsuit Labs hadn’t done an RPG before — they’re mostly known for shooters (which isn’t the best fit for a game like Bloodlines, since, well, the franchise isn’t really about guns). I’d like to think I helped during the pitch, but that’s for others to judge. Paradox certainly signed the damn thing, and I didn’t even have to blow anyone. This time.
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