Sega's European Boss comments on A:CM and CA's upcoming Alien title...

Started by JustaGrunt, Aug 10, 2013, 10:14:16 PM

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Sega's European Boss comments on A:CM and CA's upcoming Alien title... (Read 34,071 times)

JustaGrunt

JustaGrunt

Staff Edit

Original source: http://content.yudu.com/A29r4i/MCV090813/






Hey there, everyone.  In a recent article, there were some interesting comments made by Sega's European boss Jurgen Post. When discussing Creative Assembly's upcoming Alien title, Post mentioned that the game is being produced...

"...in-house so it's easy to manage the production of it."

Source:  *edited*

As the article mentions, it seems to me that Sega is very much aware of the outsourcing issues that plagued A:CM, and are keen to avoid such problems with Creative Assembly. This is good news for CA's game, but at the same time, I think it once again supports the idea that Sega was NOT aware of the large degree of outsourcing with A:CM.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Outsourcing report
- single player (timegate/ demiurge)
- multiplayer (timegate/demiurge)
- dlc: bug hunt (demiurge/*nerve)
- dlc: recon map pack (*demiurge/nerve)
- dlc: movie map pack (*demiurge/nerve)
- dlc: single player dlc (dark side studios)
- additional wii u sku: cancelled (demiurge)

With additional production assets coming from PolyCount, as well as an art studio in Shanghai, China.

Source:  http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=244479

In addition, I found Post's following comments to be interesting as well...

"Colonial Marines, although it didn't review well, did sell well to start. So there is an appetite for Aliens. Going forward Creative Assembly is a good quality developer and our aim is to create a good quality game."

I'm a little torn on what he mentions here because as far as I'm concerned, a lot of the initial sales for A:CM can be tied to ill-gotten gains due to false advertising and a review embargo.  As such, I find any comments praising the game's initial sales to be rather disingenuous.  Anyway, as some of you may know, it has been said that 20th Century Fox is upset with Sega, who, in turn, is upset with Gearbox, who, in turn, are upset with TimeGate. It has been suggested to me that once the false advertising suit is settled with Sega/Gearbox, Sega may very well turn around and sue Gearbox for damages, including any that may come from the false advertising case.  To learn more about this issue and help support the cause, please consider signing the following petition to  help promote truth in advertising in the video game industry:

https://www.change.org/petitions/judge-maria-elena-james-sega-of-america-gearbox-studios-edelson-llc-support-refunds-for-a-cm-purchasers-who-feel-misled-by-deceptive-advertising

Mr. Domino

Well, CA's game was announced as being an "Alien" game, not "Aliens" - just by that fact alone, I had more hope placed on it than CM from the beginning. The fact that Sega's being a lot more careful now, and will probably be watching the development very closely, will hopefully be a good sign. They're likely looking for this game to be a critical darling after CM, possibly even to the detriment of sales, depending on how serious they are about having Aliens as a "pillar" going forward.

Ash 937

Quote from: JustaGrunt on Aug 10, 2013, 10:14:16 PM

"Colonial Marines, although it didn't review well, did sell well to start. So there is an appetite for Aliens. Going forward Creative Assembly is a good quality developer and our aim is to create a good quality game."

I'm a little torn on what he mentions here because as far as I'm concerned, a lot of the initial sales for A:CM can be tied to ill-gotten gains due to false advertising and a review embargo.  As such, I find any comments praising the game's initial sales to be rather disingenuous. 

True...but it's the money that's talking here, not the quality of the game itself.  A:CM, in this sense, can be positively regarded for it's initial sales.  I don't think Post is saying anything that is disingenuous or out-of-line, he's just taking a particular perspective.  He is definitely right to point our that there is an appetite for video games based on the Alien franchise.

Staplepuffs27

Perhaps Sega got away with good sales based on the name alone. However, the backlash has hit, and I don't think they'll be able to get away with phoning it in again. Similar to how the first AvP movie was a commercial success, but the AvPR was the lowest grossing film from either franchise.

ikarop

ikarop

#4
Quote from: JustaGrunt on Aug 10, 2013, 10:14:16 PM
As the article mentions, it seems to me that Sega is very much aware of the outsourcing issues that plagued A:CM, and are keen to avoid such problems with Creative Assembly. This is good news for CA's game, but at the same time, I think it once again supports the idea that Sega was NOT aware of the large degree of outsourcing with A:CM.

By in-house he means that Sega is developing the game themselves, CA is owned by them. There isn't a third party involved this time (like Gearbox or Rebellion). So he isn't acknowledging the infamous outsourcing matter specifically unfortunately.

Chris P

I love the subliminal cracks at GBX and how they basically say "yeah we're not outsourcing this time, we've learned our lesson".

I hope they have learnt their lesson. If this next Alien game falls through as well, I will lose all my hope for SEGA and their use of the ALIEN / ALIENS license. So far, with ACM, they've raped the name and milked it for its marquee value alone. I seriously hope Creative Assembly has something good in the works, something us Alien fans will be proud to play. I haven't touched my copy of ACM since February. Didn't even play it past the 1 month mark. Haven't bothered with the DLCs either.

I hope this new Alien IP title has seriously scary and intelligent AI. That's all you really need for a GOOD Alien game. Dark, scary environments, realistic AI and limited weaponry at your disposal. I'm tired of playing as a Marine every time. Make it suspenseful, put me in a ship like the Nostromo and have me chase down a friggen cat with an Alien on the loose. Seriously, there'd be more terror and excitement in that, than running in with a motion tracker blaring and a smart gun at the ready.

Xenomorphine

Getting good AI is an objective for every game, not just those to do with these films.

Not keen on a human perspective game, though, personally. Not unless there's something totally out of left field to distinguish it from every other shooter/RPG/whatever-it'll-be in existence.

demonbane

So Gearbox didn't work on dlc? Then are people who salute Gearbox's effort on their forum idiots?

cloverfan98

I played the xbox version for a bit and I plan to get it for either that or the PC but is it really that bad? There's no redeeming things to be found in ACM?

xeno-kaname

Quote from: cloverfan98 on Aug 11, 2013, 06:37:35 AM
I played the xbox version for a bit and I plan to get it for either that or the PC but is it really that bad? There's no redeeming things to be found in ACM?

The multiplayer. As buggy as it is, it has potential. And it's fun when it's working right.

PsyKore

I hope Sega do sue gearbox eventually. They'll have a lot of backing from people if they do.

I'm very interested now to see how CA's Alien game will turn out.

JustaGrunt

JustaGrunt

#11
Quote from: demonbane on Aug 11, 2013, 06:19:52 AM
So Gearbox didn't work on dlc? Then are people who salute Gearbox's effort on their forum idiots?

I've tracked a lot of the development history for A:CM and can vouch that all the DLC was outsourced, just like the main game, as well as multiplayer, was.  Even though different development studios, such as Nerve, Demiurge, and Dark Side, were responsible for putting the DLC together, for what it's worth, these companies were still remotely supervised by a Gearbox employee or two, who most likely had a relatively small hand in development.  But, for all intents and purposes, it was these other studios who put in the real work and were responsible for producing all the dlc. 

So going back to your question, yes, many people have been misguided on who is to blame or praise for the DLC, largely because Gearbox has failed to acknowledge the level of outsourcing in the DLCs.  So, for example, the people who praise Gearbox for the last DLC, Stasis Interrupted, should actually be giving credit to Dark Side Studios.  Or, for those who were happy with Bug Hunt, the credit should really have been going to Demiurge.  Given this, it has always bugged me how the DLC is advertised as being from Gearbox when in reality, just like the main game, the majority of it, if not all of it, is being made by others. 

ikarop

ikarop

#12
I posted about Darkside here well before the DLC came out and I've seen with my own eyes how some of the levels were laid out by GBX employees. As I've said before too, the DLC was then finalized by Darkside while overseen by GBX, which is a common practice nowadays as you can tell by their portfolio, but people from GBX definitely worked on it, some of them up to the last minute.

Thomas

This game should never have been released at all.......

Gearbox should have the b***s to admit they have no buisness doing big IP like Aliens which they obviously only wanted for the PR/Press it brought....(before the game was released obviously).......

The only once i feel bad for is Timegate Studios who became the fall-guys/gals in all this. They made my two favorit addon packs that i still play to this day........

Shame on you SEGA........

Shame on you GEARBOX.......

I any of them had any guts they would admit they blew it big time with this sad game that could have been such an amazing game if the right people who actually gets it got to do an Aliens game.......

Local Trouble

Sega should make a new game that contradicts everything that happened in A:CM, just for spite.

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