EA to shut down Visceral; Star Wars game moving to another studio and being revamped

[johnhoftb]

[Top of OP Update] Just heard Visceral was originally EA Redwood, and not a bought out studio. Still sucks.

https://www.ea.com/news/an-update-on...r-wars-project

Our industry is evolving faster and more dramatically than ever before. The games we want to play and spend time with, the experiences we want to have in those games, and the way we play…all those things are continually changing. So is the way games are made. In this fast-moving space, we are always focused on creating experiences that our players want to play…and today, that means we’re making a significant change with one of our upcoming titles.

Our Visceral studio has been developing an action-adventure title set in the Star Wars universe. In its current form, it was shaping up to be a story-based, linear adventure game. Throughout the development process, we have been testing the game concept with players, listening to the feedback about what and how they want to play, and closely tracking fundamental shifts in the marketplace. It has become clear that to deliver an experience that players will want to come back to and enjoy for a long time to come, we needed to pivot the design. We will maintain the stunning visuals, authenticity in the Star Wars universe, and focus on bringing a Star Wars story to life. Importantly, we are shifting the game to be a broader experience that allows for more variety and player agency, leaning into the capabilities of our Frostbite engine and reimagining central elements of the game to give players a Star Wars adventure of greater depth and breadth to explore.

This move leads to a few other changes:

A development team from across EA Worldwide Studios will take over development of this game, led by a team from EA Vancouver that has already been working on the project. Our Visceral studio will be ramping down and closing, and we’re in the midst of shifting as many of the team as possible to other projects and teams at EA.

Lastly, while we had originally expected this game to launch late in our fiscal year 2019, we’re now looking at a new timeframe that we will announce in the future.

Bringing new Star Wars games to life for every passionate fan out there is what drives us as creators. It’s what has inspired us to deliver the massive new Star Wars Battlefront II experience launching in just a few weeks. It fuels our live service in Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes. Making games in the extraordinary Star Wars universe is truly a dream for so many of us at EA, and we have so many more experiences to come for players on every platform. We want to take the time to get each game right, to make it unique, to make it amazing.

We look forward to answering more of your questions, and sharing more on our plans and timeline for this new Star Wars experience, in the months to come.

[dope_danny]

Honestly this was on the cards mid Dead Space 3 when they were told 'no, you arent making a game about degenerative mental disease but a cover based co-op action shooter with microtransactions'. Folks understandably started to jump ship after that as it shifted to become another one of EA's 'zombie studios' and shutdown was inevitable.

[Edge-]

Honestly this was on the cards mid Dead Space 3 when they were told 'no, you arent making a game about degenerative mental disease but a cover based co-op action shooter with microtransactions'. Folks understandably started to jump ship after that as it shifted to become another one of EA's 'zombie studios' and shutdown was inevitable.

Yep. Them getting stuck working on Hardline didn't help either, as it tanked pretty hard if memory serves.

EA royally fucked them and the promising IP that Dead Space initially was. It was so disappointing to watch the game devolve into "Gears of Bros" by the third installment. There was no way it was ever going to meet the completely insane 5M sales just to break even.

I'm normally not on the "FUCK EA!" train because they do some good shit, but this is purely EA running Visceral into the ground through terrible management and direction.

[Jtbrig7390]

Such a shame.

[dope_danny]

Yep. Them getting stuck working on Hardline didn't help either, as it tanked pretty hard if memory serves.

EA royally fucked them and the promising IP that Dead Space initially was. It was so disappointing to watch the game devolve into "Gears of Bros" by the third installment. There was no way it was ever going to meet the completely insane 5M sales just to break even.

I'm normally not on the "FUCK EA!" train because they do some good shit, but this is purely EA running Visceral into the ground through terrible management and direction.

EA's biggest issue the this decade is over homogenisation. Higher ups demand separate teams take separate games and force the same things into them. I would bet good money Mass Effect Andromedas post launch focus on multiplayer and lockboxes was not a bioware idea either. Its actually strange since around 2008 every company started to decide action focussed co-op with a lot of dev time put into multiplayer pvp was mandatory. Not just in the west either look at the frankensteins monster that is Resident Evil 6. But thankfully most companies learnt 'wider makert appeal to spite the core audience' is in fact a gamble not a safe bet due to brand loyalty if it spites the core appeal. EA is the only dev i can think of that still brute forces it so hard.

Still one more skull for the skull throne i guess.

[Edge-]

EA's biggest issue the this decade is over homogenisation. Higher ups demand separate teams take separate games and force the same things into them. I would bet good money Mass Effect Andromedas post launch focus on multiplayer and lockboxes was not a bioware idea either. Its actually strange since around 2008 every company started to decide action focussed co-op with a lot of dev time put into multiplayer pvp was mandatory. Not just in the west either look at the frankensteins monster that is Resident Evil 6. But thankfully most companies learnt 'wider makert appeal to spite the core audience' is in fact a gamble not a safe bet due to brand loyalty if it spites the core appeal. EA is the only dev i can think of that still brute forces it so hard.

Still one more skull for the skull throne i guess.

Eh, the post-launch multiplayer stuff for ME:A wasn't the games problem and everyone was expecting it to return after ME3. ME:A's problems seemed squarely on BW rather than EA. EA actually seems to have sort of backed off their studio-closing bullshit in recent years (which I realize sounds odd given the threads topic), and their studios have more freedom with what they make with less interference from EA outside of minimal stuff like, "It needs a multiplayer mode!" that can be bolted on without significantly impacting the core game.

It's so frustrating for me because I'm generally not a big fan of most horror/action-horror games, but I absolutely adored the first Dead Space. I was super excited to see where the franchise would go and wanted it delve deeper into the more atmospheric horror style and move away from the, "HEY, THERE ARE GRATES IN THIS ROOM! THE NECROMORPHS ARE TOTALLY NOT HIDING HERE!" that marred the first game. Instead we got two sequels that moved further and further away from the limb-shredding and horror elements that worked so well in the first game : /

[Arrashi]

Hey, EA is being EA. At least some things don't change in that industry.

[effs]

Was really looking forward to this game. Not anymore

[McNeil]

Another great studio devoured by this fiend. And I really wanted a new solid Dead Space without all the unnecesary co-op and action elements, just go full horror and make the players lose their mind. I wasn't really expecting a new game to be made anytime soon though. For some reason they had ridiculous expectations for Dead Space 3 to meet while they deliberately screwed over the game with forced co-op and taking away most of the horror aspect that made the first 2 Dead Space great in the first place.

[dope_danny]

Another great studio devoured by this fiend. And I really wanted a new solid Dead Space without all the unnecesary co-op and action elements, just go full horror and make the players lose their mind. I wasn't really expecting a new game to be made anytime soon though. For some reason they had ridiculous expectations for Dead Space 3 to meet while they deliberately screwed over the game with forced co-op and taking away most of the horror aspect that made the first 2 Dead Space great in the first place.

Worst part is one of the team gave an interview like a week ago saying they were in talks for a DS4 that pretended DS3 was all in issaccs head ala sonic mania with sonic 4.

[Video Games]

ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I loved dead space so much and now this.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

Oh EA can suck the biggest dick they force micro transactions and move dead space away from horror then shelf’s it and fires the people who made it. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I buy another EA game.

[Mirishka]

Eh, the post-launch multiplayer stuff for ME:A wasn't the games problem and everyone was expecting it to return after ME3. ME:A's problems seemed squarely on BW rather than EA. EA actually seems to have sort of backed off their studio-closing bullshit in recent years (which I realize sounds odd given the threads topic), and their studios have more freedom with what they make with less interference from EA outside of minimal stuff like, "It needs a multiplayer mode!" that can be bolted on without significantly impacting the core game.

It's so frustrating for me because I'm generally not a big fan of most horror/action-horror games, but I absolutely adored the first Dead Space. I was super excited to see where the franchise would go and wanted it delve deeper into the more atmospheric horror style and move away from the, "HEY, THERE ARE GRATES IN THIS ROOM! THE NECROMORPHS ARE TOTALLY NOT HIDING HERE!" that marred the first game. Instead we got two sequels that moved further and further away from the limb-shredding and horror elements that worked so well in the first game : /

I loved the first Dead Space as well. Was a really, really great sci-fi horror game.

[Deleted]

[Top of OP Update] Just heard Visceral was originally EA Redwood, and not a bought out studio. Still sucks.

https://www.ea.com/news/an-update-on...r-wars-project

“We are closing a studio we alone fucked up.”

Good ol publishers.

[Skizzit]

God damnit, I was really looking forward to that Star Wars game. They are going to turn it into some kind of forced co-op watered down and focus tested to death horse shit aren't they? Fucking EA man.

Our Visceral studio has been developing an action-adventure title set in the Star Wars universe. In its current form, it was shaping up to be a story-based, linear adventure game. Throughout the development process, we have been testing the game concept with players, listening to the feedback about what and how they want to play, and closely tracking fundamental shifts in the marketplace. It has become clear that to deliver an experience that players will want to come back to and enjoy for a long time to come, we needed to pivot the design.

A story-based, linear adventure game is exactly what I and pretty much everyone I know wanted. What I don't want is some kind of generic, open world, busy work filled, side quest littered collect-a-thon. I want Star Wars Uncharted and not Star Wars Assassin's Creed... But they gotta milk every cent outa that cash cow. No one is going to buy loot boxes and costume DLC for a linear, story-based, single player game after all. They would have to make DLC with actual content in that case and fuck that! That takes actual effort!

Maybe I am wrong and the game will turn out to be awesome, but this statement has completely killed any excitement I have for the game.

[dope_danny]

God damnit, I was really looking forward to that Star Wars game. They are going to turn it into some kind of forced co-op watered down and focus tested to death horse shit aren't they? Fucking EA man.



A story-based, linear adventure game is exactly what I and pretty much everyone I know wanted. What I don't want is some kind of generic, open world, busy work filled, side quest littered collect-a-thon. I want Star Wars Uncharted and not Star Wars Assassin's Creed... But they gotta milk every cent outa that cash cow. No one is going to buy loot boxes and costume DLC for a linear, story-based, single player game after all. They would have to make DLC with actual content in that case and fuck that! That takes actual effort!

Maybe I am wrong and the game will turn out to be awesome, but this statement has completely killed any excitement I have for the game.

But didn't you hear? the open world meme is the hot ticket with the kids! instead of designing set pieces with individual assetts you can copy paste the same small amount all over a mostly flat sandbox full of busywork and the consumer still considers it a good game! What a hustle right?

[GennGreymane]

He called it

[Blade Wolf]

This sums up my feelings regarding EA. Can the cancer that is publishers just fuck off from this industry?

[minteK917]

You can already tell Bioware Edmonton is next. Once Anthem doesent sell 10 million units, the studio is done. Dragon age is on hold until this destiny loot lobby clone garbage is out and flops, then the whole studio is done.

[Schattenlied]

Yep. Them getting stuck working on Hardline didn't help either, as it tanked pretty hard if memory serves.

Indeed it did, given that is was about the quality of what we would get from mods if modding was enabled in BF4, and they charged full game price for it... It flopping is understandable, hell, expected.

Battlefield really needs modding again... Series was built on the modding community, and it's a total mess right now.