Should We Worry?

EA acquires Bioware/Pandemic - should we feel a frisson of anxiety? I do, and I'm not sure why, exactly. When Bioware and Pandemic came together it was hailed (by their PR, as well as by industry watchers) as an innovative structuring of capital and resources to allow a studio to remain independent. Well, they are independent no longer! irst Riccitiello went back to EA, and now this. What does it mean? Was it just not working out? Can they remain creatively independent under EA? Was it an offer they couldn't refuse (I mean holy shit, $629 million is a shitload of money)?

Comments

[Girl_from_Mars]

I know my friends and i are hailing this as a sign of the apocalypse.
I hope this means that they are too far along for EA to seriously screw with Mass Effect, but i dont know. (Mass Effect 2007! *picture of Madden on the cover*)
I havent been really excited for a game in a long time, but ME looks so good.

My KOTR fanboy friend said that this will confirm KOTR3, but it will mean:
Less Clothing
More Stealth
Micropayments!

Sad day.

[Paul]

With EA owning both pandemic and Bioware, nothing good can come from this, but watered-down multiplatform dreck. Hopefully they will still stay console-centric, because like it's been stated before when games go multiplatform they tend to suffer.

I believe that when games are exclusive to a specific console such as the 360 or PS3 they turn out to be better games that showcase that consoles ablilities

[Paul]

With EA owning both pandemic and Bioware, nothing good can come from this, but watered-down multiplatform dreck. Hopefully they will still stay console-centric, because like it's been stated before when games go multiplatform they tend to suffer.

I believe that when games are exclusive to a specific console such as the 360 or PS3 they turn out to be better games that showcase that consoles ablilities

[Paul]

With EA owning both pandemic and Bioware, nothing good can come from this, but watered-down multiplatform dreck. Hopefully they will still stay console-centric, because like it's been stated before when games go multiplatform they tend to suffer.

I believe that when games are exclusive to a specific console such as the 360 or PS3 they turn out to be better games that showcase that consoles ablilities

[Paul]

With EA owning both pandemic and Bioware, nothing good can come from this, but watered-down multiplatform dreck. Hopefully they will still stay console-centric, because like it's been stated before when games go multiplatform they tend to suffer.

I believe that when games are exclusive to a specific console such as the 360 or PS3 they turn out to be better games that shwocase that consoles ablilities.

[cesarano]

I don't think it's that big of a deal, honestly. I mean, everyone forgets the good studios that EA pretty much owns. The guys making Spore? That's EA. Before Lorne Lanning chose to move on, Oddworld Inhabitants was EA.

Plus, developers that get sick of EA just leave. You know Infinity Ward? They were the guys that made Medal of Honor in the first place, then when EA became a bunch of jerks they made a new studio and did Call of Duty.