EA's old IP revivals undaunted by Syndicate disappointment
Having sat on large chunks of its back catalogue for several years, EA has recently started digging up old properties and bringing them back. It didn't work out so well for Starbreeze's Syndicate FPS, but that hasn't put EA off its necromancy.
Having sat on large chunks of its back catalogue for several years, EA has recently started digging up old properties and bringing them back. It didn't work out so well for Starbreeze's FPS reboot Syndicate, EA Labels boss man Frank Gibeau has said, but that hasn't put EA off its necromancy.
"Syndicate was something that we took a risk on. It didn't pay off - it didn't work," Gibeau told CVG. "But in general it doesn't change my appetite for wanting to go look in the library and see what we have and maybe bring back some IPs for the next-generation. That's the nature of the business; some stuff works, some stuff doesn't."
One such success was the new SSX, which Gibeau described as a "very successful launch." Saying that its shiny appropriation of the Autolog social features seen first in EA's racing games "really showed why it made sense to bring that back," he noted that we'll "probably see more" from the franchise "in the future."
EA's also bringing back the splinter of the Command & Conquer series which didn't burn out and wither up in C&C: Generals 2 and, after a seven-year break, SimCity in, well, SimCity. "There are numerous IPs that I think about all the time," Gibeau said, only naming those two but surely, definitely, certainly, hopefully, thinking about Dungeon Keeper.
It's a shame we're unlikely to see more Syndicate. While the single-player campaign was mediocre, the setting was lovely and the co-op multiplayer jolly good fun. I certainly would like to see more of it myself, whether as DLC or in a cooperative-based sequel.
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replyAlice O'Connor posted a new article, EA's old IP revivals undaunted by Syndicate disappointment.
Having sat on large chunks of its back catalogue for several years, EA has recently started digging up old properties and bringing them back. It didn't work out so well for Starbreeze's Syndicate FPS, but that hasn't put EA off its necromancy.-
If syndicate was more a sequel than a reboot that changed the core mechanics it might have done better. Seriously what is the point of using the nostalgia card then game turns out to be radically different. If they would have stuck with what worked in the past for the series you might have had a success here. There are plenty of people myself included that want modern takes on old series but not complete reboot/retooled efforts.
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couldn't have said it better myself.
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Exactly. The only thing they "resurrected" was the name.
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Yup, but then you get the Fallouts of the world that work out, and convince them there's a chance.
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I'm assuming that the dev team has an engine for a generic shooter then asks EA for a license they can wrap that art style over top of it.
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Maybe if the revivals actually played like the older games instead of having nothing to do with them then people would give a shit? Just maybe a little bit?
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Syndicate had almost no marketing effort, news of the game came incredibly late. I imagine it's budget was tiny too, so of course it's not going to work out well. I don't think I'd blame the IP or even the developer here, I'd blame the idiotic publisher who essentially sent the game out to die.
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basically this. ignore my post.
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Yep. Stop trying to turn old franchises into FPSs. Just do your best to update them, while keeping core gameplay concepts in tact.
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I'm so pissed there wont be a Bulletstorm 2
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100% this, I really loved it not sure why people did not like it(unless they compared the old Syndicate).
Sure it wasn't a Syndicate game but it was really cool as what it was I want a follow up of the same stuff and juiced up.
I wonder if they used another IP name if it would of done better, sort of wish they did for they may be a chance it won't get #2? -
I agree.
I loved the game, but it could have been called something else. -
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Yeah, the game was so good, but they shouldn't have tried to ride off the coattails of a long-established franchise that already had a loyal fanbase. :(
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EA should have pulled a 2kgames and had two syndicate games in development, the fps and a modern throwback to what gamers remember. Look at how much more excited people are for the throwback xcom versus the fps.
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I haven't finished it yet but from what I've played, it's actually really good.
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We'll see how much of EA LA RTS is left in BioWare Victory.
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we need theme hospital the driving sim
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Wat.
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At some point I heard the announcement for a reboot of Syndicate. I was super psyched for a solid 10 seconds. Then I saw it say something about being an FPS and I groaned. I don't think of Syndicate as a game that could translate well into an fps. GTA made the transition well but that makes sense (GTA 2 is still the best multiplayer GTA, tho). Command And Conquer though, had an FPS game at some point and it wasn't all that good. And I argue that syndicate is more of an RTS - real time strategy - game.
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With all the prowess and hope of a Civ FPS, undaunted, EA published their Syndicate FPS with little fanfair or advertising and yet still wondered what happened.
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Wow EA is really showing some smart business sense there. They pushed out a shooter that was as generic as it gets with almost no marketing and no connection to the IP and sell around 200k between all platforms(estimated from VGChartz), and say...
Shit this is awesome, lets do more!
Well played EA... well played.-
They also revived SSX this year, which did well for them, and everyone's drooling over Sim City.
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In the eyes of EA, those are way old.
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There was this last year.
http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/08/10/alpha-centauri-trademarks-registered-by-ea/ -
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My Civ FPS post was a joke. Please don't let this come true.
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Uh oh...does this mean they might resurrect Dungeon Keeper? Oh god...I hope they don't touch that shit. I need a kickstarter team to enhance the graphics of Dungeon Keeper! OH EM GEEEE
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The co-op for this game is fucking incredible. :(
Give it a chance!-
Be that as it may, it still wasn't the game people wanted. Look at Fallout 3, they tried really hard, and succeeded, at keeping the original feel and spirit of the original while bringing it to the modern era. It was a huge success.
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We vote with our wallets.
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Wing Commander FPS will be bad ass
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I would love a game like wing commander only updated!
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Me too! But not an FPS. It would remind me of those scenes from the movie
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Looking forward to the Hard Hat Mack fps.
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