Steam/Origin

[algoreith]

ok i dont know if its been posted somewere but lets remember;
1- FC mention that the game would be on steam soon(TM)
2- FC partner with EA in the making/finance of the secret world
3- EA have orgin (EA games only) as valve got steam
4- EA hear that FC want to put AO on steam
5- EA tell FC that since we are partner you wont go on steam
6- AO is not on steam yet and will be a soon(TM) status forever

[Bambam]

True? Possibly.

But that's what you get for joining forces with EA, it's hardly a secret.

Bullfrog, Microprose, Westwood Studios, Origin Systems... who's next? BioWare? ...only Maxis and DICE seems relatively safe.

[Mastablasta]

No. Because for a multitude of reasons this is just the stupidest conspiracy theory.

[algoreith]

No. Because for a multitude of reasons this is just the stupidest conspiracy theory.

what is the reasons?

[Mastablasta]

That none of it makes any sense, because that's not how a publishing deal for a specific project works.

[algoreith]

how they do?

[Mastablasta]

You can read up on that on the Internet. If you don't know and if you don't care to know, you shouldn't post threads like this.

[Gimpynoob]

ok i dont know if its been posted somewere but lets remember;
1- FC mention that the game would be on steam soon(TM)
2- FC partner with EA in the making/finance of the secret world
3- EA have orgin (EA games only) as valve got steam
4- EA hear that FC want to put AO on steam
5- EA tell FC that since we are partner you wont go on steam
6- AO is not on steam yet and will be a soon(TM) status forever

1-You are wrong.

2-You are wrong because I said so.

3-I said so because I know better then you.

4-I know better then you because you don't know nothing.

5-You dont know nothing because you are wrong.

6-Now shut up because I told you to.

[Tanisthonus]

You are wrong because TSW is on Steam.

[algoreith]

yeah but that was before origin

[Mastablasta]

Origin is many years older than tsw.

[algoreith]

oh yeah im not so sure gimme proof

[Esssch]

He's mistaken. It's only roughly a year difference.

Origin - June 3, 2011
The Secret World - July 3, 2012

Now, the precursors of Origin have been around since 2005ish, in the form of EA Downloader, but that's not the discussion at hand!

[Mastablasta]

Regardless, none of this makes any sense.

[Wrangeline]

I definitely agree with Masta.

EA has no say or sway or input or anything with any game in FC's library beyond TSW (and even there it's limited and is based on strict and specific contracts) and FC as a company isn't a partner with EA in any general way. EA is just a publisher for TSW and that's it.

The whole publisher and dev system woudl fall apart quickly if any publisher deal made for any specific game meant that the developer-company would become that publishers bitch.

It just doesn't work that way.

[algoreith]

Origin is many years older than tsw.

in my book thats only one year

[Gimpynoob]

Ya except when certain businesses start to control significant percentages of their market they gain the power to influence even illegally other business that are dependent on them. For example DeBeers controlled so much of the diamond distribution networks that it was the only possible business partner for most of the mining companies worldwide. It controlled everything in that market, from prices to transactions between other firms. Similarly, but to a lesser extent, some supermarket giants did control such large percentages of the retail market that they dictated almost freely the prices, payments and other conditions to many of their suppliers. If anyone thinks that big business is big business because they work hard I would recommend a reality check. Great success comes to those who work hard AND are rutheless in their business dealings.

The OP's suggestion might be a funny conspiracy theory, but it is not as far fetched as some might think.

[Wrangeline]

Ya except when certain businesses start to control significant percentages of their market they gain the power to influence even illegally other business that are dependent on them. For example DeBeers controlled so much of the diamond distribution networks that it was the only possible business partner for most of the mining companies worldwide. It controlled everything in that market, from prices to transactions between other firms. Similarly, but to a lesser extent, some supermarket giants did control such large percentages of the retail market that they dictated almost freely the prices, payments and other conditions to many of their suppliers. If anyone thinks that big business is big business because they work hard I would recommend a reality check. Great success comes to those who work hard AND are rutheless in their business dealings.

The OP's suggestion might be a funny conspiracy theory, but it is not as far fetched as some might think.

I see no connection between what you just said and EA and the gaming industry. Some companies in the gaming industry are able to make an offer that smaller companies can't refuse (because the offer is that good). This is done to buy exclusivity deals and such. A publisher however can't make a company do something it doesn't want to do just because it published one of their games. It doesn't work that way.

But if we were to take your view seriously then I'd have to point out that Valve and Steam is more powerful than EA and Origin. So if EA tried to muscle FC into something they didn't want to do, then FC could just go team up with Steam and never need to look back.

[Gimpynoob]

Ever seen the movie "Master and Commander" with Russel Crowe?

Sometimes you have to choose between two weevils.


Small companies sometimes have to accept an offer they can't refuse because they don't like horse heads in their bed.

A "gentlemen's" agreement between two (or a few) big guys to exploit all the little people is easier to make and more profitable for them then the alternatives, competition to the death or playing fair and allowing everybody to have a reasonable piece of the cake.

And why would a big company trying to control a market support a small company that is rebelling against his competitor? Help it survive so that it can give a bad example for the other small companies and make trouble again later?


This said, there is the counterpoint that maybe these big distribution companies are in countries that regulate and supervise them to avoid situations of abuse. Let's hope so, for the good of those small companies and us the consumers. Kinda tired of games that are all the same same.

[Wrangeline]

This said, there is the counterpoint that maybe these big distribution companies are in countries that regulate and supervise them to avoid situations of abuse. Let's hope so

So you're saying that you were just theorizing and that you have no actual examples to give of any of this actually happening in the gaming industry?

Ok then

Until something concrete shows up, I'm gonna ignore the entire topic. Discussing conspiracy theories when there's nothing real to base it on is a bit of a waste of time to me. It can be fun to talk about but so far that's all it is. Just talk.