View Full Version : SAFEHOUSE NEWS: Electronic Arts to buy Mythic Entertainment
SHStaff
06-20-06, 08:39 PM
SUMMARY: Today Electronic Arts announced that it has entered into an agreement to buy Mythic Entertainment. Mythic Entertainment will become EA Mythic, a wholely owned studio dedicated to developing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games.<br><br>The press release can be found in .pdf form <a href="http://info.ea.com/news/pr/pr786.pdf">here</a>, or on Mythic Entertainment's website <a href="http://www.mythicentertainment.com/press/06202006EAMythic.html">here</a>.<br>
View full article (http://www.thesafehouse.org/news/news_284.php)
What do you think about this story? post your comments below.
I read a rumor snippet about this somewhere on the net this morning. Guess its true. I'm thinking WoW is starting to have an impact on the smaller games out there. Its too bad, IMO. There seems to be a need for a niche gaming culture that is being overshadowed by the brute commercial force of Blizzard. I'm not knocking WoW, all the power to tham. It's just dissappointing to see solid independents folding or moving to the big houses just to stay afloat. I only dabbled with DAoC back in the day, but their existing fans are still pretty rabid. Hopefully EA will leave well enough alone.
Interesting perspective by THQ CEO Brian Farrell on Blizzard's dominance. (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=17817)
I think there is a significant market for a game (or games) that aren't shooting for the 6 million subscriber base or the casual gaming mechanics that attract them.
My 2 coppers anyway.
Interesting. This is EA's move to get into the MMORPG market. At the Mythic E3 cocktail party, Marc Jacobs promised that Warhammer Online was going to be the best MMORPG out there compared to anyone, "including WoW". I suspect EA will focus on this Warhammer rather than fiddle with DAoC much.
The trouble I see is that EA doesn't exactly have a stellar record when it comes to supporting MMOGs. I fear unless DAoC is making enough money, it might get the axe just like what EA did to Motor City Online and Earth & Beyond.
DAOC is going bye-bye, if it's not profitable.
ragweed
06-21-06, 02:55 PM
The trouble I see is that EA doesn't exactly have a stellar record when it comes to supporting MMOGs. I fear unless DAoC is making enough money, it might get the axe just like what EA did to Motor City Online and Earth & Beyond.
UO is still going and is on it's 9th expansion I believe. So they got something right.
UO is still going and is on it's 9th expansion I believe. So they got something right.
Richard Garriott did UO right in spite of EA, not because of EA. As he said here (http://archive.gamespy.com/interviews/february03/british/):
It's ironic that the top selling online product at EA, even today, is Ultima Online. We constantly tried to tell them that we understood the online game business and give advice, but the company had a very different agenda. Even the four or five other massively multiplayer games they've launched have flopped compared to Ultima Online.
On the one hand, I feel vindicated that we were giving good advice, but unfortunately there was a substantial disagreement as to the future of online gaming there, and it just wasn't possible to sustain the relationship.
That was a few years ago though; maybe EA has changed its focus after its missteps and will trust the people at Mythic to do the best for both DAoC and Warhammer Online, but I wouldn't count on it. EA is like SOE, so when everything goes well then everyone is happy, but if things don't go to the company's expectations they start fiddling with things, usually to the detriment of the game.
Sarkaukar
06-25-06, 01:34 AM
DAOC is going bye-bye, if it's not profitable.
Or if they need to funnel funds to an inhouse project.
Burn EA, Burn!!!
EA unfortunately will dismantle the game like they have for almost all non-inhouse developments.
R.I.P. AirWarrior - original(1987) to AW3(2001), MPBT 3025 - original EGA (1991) to 3025 (2001) and other Kesmai games.
Still chuckles thinking about how EA's Majestic crashed and burned in a very short period of time.
Caowyth
06-26-06, 05:37 PM
I'd be more upset if Mythic wasn't already hamstringing themselves with development of Warhammer Online for the 360 as well as the pc.
braincandy99
07-20-06, 07:15 PM
Matt Firor is leaving Mythic.
I hear it is not because of the Mythic/EA deal, but he's leaving nonetheless.