Larian Studios Forums Divinity - Original Sin Divinity - Original Sin - General Larian getting bought out! ?

EA are worse than Activision for these reasons:
1) Killed way more good developers than Activision.
2) Way greedier than Activision.
3) DRM and DLC policies are worse than Activision.
4) Own more good franchises than Activision and either don't use them or rape them.
5) Activision has less sequel shovelware factories.
6) EA attempt to save face by hiding behind the LGBT community and claiming "it's the player's fault", while Acti are just a passive cancer on the gaming industry.
7) They have their own spyware client.

I wish I was stuck in 2004, where EA were respectable and would still publish good games for several more years.

1) True
2) Not true
3) Not true
4) True
5) Hahahaha... Nope. EA is super-original compared to Activitions repeat infinitum

Those are some nice arguments you posted there, chief.

I was only speaking hypothetically as I don't know myself. There are a lot of people here that love Larian games that also are in tighter contact with developers than me. I've created a large gratitude thread a few years ago after playing Divinity 2: Ego Draconis but that was it

I suspect that one can learn a lot about Larian management from those videos the guys over at Larian are constantly making for the fans. But I consciously didn't watch them not to know more about the game that was stated upon general announcement. And still I guess those videos are aimed at showcasing the games and the development process rather then delving into management structure so there still might be something behind Swen. I might be wrong though and I better be wrong, Swen seems like a really great guy.

LOL! I think that's might not even be the whole list.

I see your Sims 3 list and raise you selling maps of past CoD's to the sequel that came a year after that for 15 euro a piece...

Those cost 500 euro?
EA are selling pets for 35 euro.

Also you're referring to map packs, which include at least two maps. Not defending the concept, both are cancer, EA is just the larger one. Consider that all the DLC released for Modern Warfare 2 costs less than the pet DLC for The Sims 3.

Don't ever sell out please. I can't phantom the horror alone seeing Larian games under the likes of EA or Bethesda. Ugh..

Torchlight 2 is an example of dev studio bought and it helped release a game most will agree it fits the (small) series and is better.

Blizzard had all the money to polish to death D3, but is that some key people left is because of the dev studio bought? It's not that clear.

Origin Systems is an example often quoted as a studio killed by its bought, but when you look in detail it's far to be that clear. For Ultima series, Ultima VII part 2 has been released after EA bought. Ok let say it's been a dynamic out of EA context. But games as Crusader: No Remorse or No Regret was done long after EA bought. Wing Commander III was done after EA bought.

It feels like before EA bought the studios was in the rise and after in decline. But the details don't confirm it. Looks more like a normal studio dev life cycle, at some point their fail to adapt to evolution of the market, their passion decline, their creativity starts decline. For me Origin get killed by its inability to design games with good controls, they was trying to be inventive on that matter but was mainly tedious to awful.

Larian would be stupid to accept any deal before the phenomenal success of DoS has finished show all its scale. Even then if the success is confirmed and the passion is still here, I doubt big money will make them not try their chance one more time. And if the passion isn't here much then I doubt any DoS follow-up will be this good.

I could understand Swen wanting financial security, it sounds like it's been tough for a few years, but it would be sad that after finally getting out from publishers and achieving a large success, to then sell out to a cooperate overlord.

I thought there was an Ikea pack, but it turns out that was for Sims 2.

Seeing those lists though makes me relieved to have boycotted both for the last decade (aside from DRM-free releases on GOG). A plague on both their houses.

How does that matter? The games from Acitivision just suck...


I would call it even. Both have the highest prices for games in the industry and both want to push the price upwards no matter what.


Agreed. But for how long?


I don't see how this makes Activision a better company. Also Diablo 3 proves you wrong...


CoD proves you wrong. But if you mean mobile: yes.


I don't think it's EA acting like that, it's just Bioware. And then it's just your interpretation.


Say hello to the Battlenet.


I don't say that I like EA that much. In fact I hate them for what they've done to Dragon Age. But then again, when I look at the games Activision produces and the way Blizzard handles DRM and the money they want for their games I can't call them better. Evil is evil anyway. There is no real comparative to evil...

Incidently, I would be surprised if either Activision Blizzard or EA were looking to buy Larian.

Activision Blizzard keeps their game design centralised in North America. EA already has its RPG plate rather full.

Larian RPG have Soul, and I give them my money. I bought all the games in the series Divinity.
EA, Blizzard, Bioware and bla, bla, bla... (other Big Developer or Publisher) I'll take their game with torrent, because they make the game only for money. No Soul, no working with players, publisher cut a lot interesting thing often, insert homosexuality in game (this disgusting, imho).

If one of Big Game Company absorb Larian, it will be terrible.(

With the success of DOS I think Larian would be crazy to sell out for quick money. They have now more earning potential than they ever have. They are doing what they love without a worthless suit telling them what to do. Developing what they want to develop is the dream.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Larian Studios buy the Divinity IP from a big name publisher after Divinity 2?

Why hasn't Bethesda come up in this discussion? Forget day one DLC, how about game breaking bugs months after release.

As for EA, I certainly was terribly depressed when they bought out Bioware. The wounds from the Westwood buyout/rape-fest were still fresh. That and Bullfrog. But really, Westwood was a great studio. Dragon Age: Origins was a really good game, as was Mass Effect. You can then see how EA dug their claws in and bastardized Bioware games. Mass Effect 2 was more of a cover shooter, but still an RPG of sorts. Mass Effect 3 is strait up shooter, however, with some dialog choices and weapon/class customizations.

As for Dragon Age 2, someone took a steaming dump on a really good (just short of great) game. I tried to play it, but between the sameness of location, ridiculous combat (which was too easy even with the difficulty cranked up), and general blandness I couldn't finish it. Mass Effect 3, with all its faults, is still a good game. As long as you don't try to judge it as an RPG, you'll likely find it to be a fine addition to a game library. Dragon Age 2, however, has no place in any one's game library.

[edit]

Oh really? That's the best time to sell out. Both Westwood and Bioware sold out after huge hits.

[edit2] Oh, and I can't really comment about Actizard. The only games of their's I've really played are Warcraft 2 and III, both of which were really great games, but any hope of a decent sequel is shot thanks to WoW (which doesn't stay faithful to the Warcraft lore).

I don't have as big a hate for the big publishers as some do. I tend to think there's a place for the big, eye-candy, games and even for dumb fun.

At the same time I also see the downside of what happens when a big publisher buys an indie and the most harmful thing is to rush deadlines for getting things done. Games come out half-baked and buggy because big publishers are pushing hard for a quicker release. I think Larian have already experienced this once with Divinity 2 and hence the "developers cut."

If they do sell themselves I'd prefer Paradox as they seem to allow their developers more time and leeway. However they are developing two new fantasy CRPG's right now (Runemaster and Pillars of Eternity) so from a business standpoint I don't see how grabbing Larian would benefit them or diversify their offerings. I think people can breathe out about EA. I don't see that either not with DA:I so close to being out and I've got a sneaking suspicion that that game will restore them a bit (just a gut suspicion and nothing more-i.e. turn out better than people suspect right now).

But if Larian do decide to go with a biggie I just hope for oursakes and theirs that they get one that will really nuture their projects and not just try to milk them (and us) for profits. I'd rather Larian stayed indie though. Seems they've got the cash to if they want.

Paradox don't develop Pillars of Eternity. They don't even publish it. They only do physical distribution and a bit of marketing and PR. They are a contractor of Obsidian Entertainment, that's all.

There is great value in seeing something you created grow. There is great value in doing what you want to do as a studio. Any buyer would be buying the increased earning potential of the company. There is no logical reason to sell this unless you are only in it for quick money. The purchase is just an advance on money that would be earned in the future without selling the company. Why not make that money your own way doing what you want to do?

Right I should have stated otherwise as it is Obsidian who is developing the game however I do think Paradox will be the publisher if they are distributing it.