This is a thing that completely baffles me.
Assuming that EA pretty much kills the studios they buy how do they continue to make a profit? Or why would any studio let EA buy them if it means sacrificing their creative freedom?
This is a thing that completely baffles me.
Assuming that EA pretty much kills the studios they buy how do they continue to make a profit? Or why would any studio let EA buy them if it means sacrificing their creative freedom?
Money.
People keep buying their games. Studios keep taking their money to be bought. It all comes down to money. People might criticize EA but it seems more people would rather buy their games. When people quit buying EA games, EA will no longer keep going.
Their plans might seem absurd, but their business plans are working. Every living soul that own games like Mass Effect and other games made by companies under EA's regime contributes to EA's existance.
That, and for some reason people keep on buying Fifa and Madden each year, even though it's practically the same.
Does none of the studios think long term then?
Their games still keep selling and selling a lot, even their dumped down games. For example with Crysis, the first one didn't sold that well but received heavy praising. The second one sold a lot more but it was dumped down to target a wider audience. They even ported it to consoles.
EA is not the only one doing this trough..
Maybe true but sooner or later the ones running the studio get, well, tired. If a suit shows up with a truckload of money and you've been dealing with all the crap pretty much on your own for a decade or two... The offer of a big fat check and a golden parachute is probably incredibly tempting. Granted you might be signing the expiration date for half or more of your employees. But, well, its still a big fat check.
Sir Robin, the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot.
Who had nearly fought the Dragon of Angnor.
Who had almost stood up to the vicious Chicken of Bristol.
And who had personally wet himself, at the Battle of Badon Hill.
Greed can keep the most wretched of creatures alive.
Sims, Madden, Fifa. Digital distribution.
And still they're not doing well, stock lost 75 or 80% within five years.
As for the studios letting themself being bought: what SirRobin said & some of the studios were not truly independent before but at least partially owned by venture capitalists and/or other investors.
^Because people think SWTOR is a good game. But its still better than Warhammer Online: AoR.
they prettymuch own exclusive rights to all the sports games, as well as a few other major titles (Sims)
Stopped playing SWTOR a long time ago, but I had always been leery about EA having anything to do with it. Just havent removed my signature and at least SWTOR was a new game, BF3 is a updated version of BF2 where they took out maps so they could sell them as DLC. Will never ever ever buy another BF game and probably never buy a EA licensed game. EA is dead to me.
They make money because people buy their games and DLC. If people didn't, they wouldn't make money and therefore would close.
Because the people that own studios for the most reason see one thing, dollar signs. If I have a game I've made and you offer me a lot of money for it, which EA can do thanks to their big pockets, I probably would sell it to you. Then, it doesn't matter what I think, you have the rights to it and can do what you want with it. That's why studios sell themselves. It's a paycheck and business, not a friendship.