Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[EA Mythic reclaims original Mythic Entertainment name]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/11/ea-mythic-back-to-the-original-mythic-entertainment-name/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/11/ea-mythic-back-to-the-original-mythic-entertainment-name/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/11/ea-mythic-back-to-the-original-mythic-entertainment-name/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It was only a name change! Remember when Mythic Entertainment, the force behind Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online sold out and got slapped in the face with the EA brand? Many gamers associate a stigma to EA and were disheartened by the name retrofitting that took place in 2006. In an interesting twist, Mark Jacobs announced yesterday that EA Mythic has reclaimed the Mythic Entertainment name. As to why, according to Jacobs it's as simple as EA wanting to reinvent itself. EA's recently acquired studios Bioware and Pandemic retained their identities.

In an MMORPG.com interview conducted by Jon Wood, Jacobs explains the new rationality being employed by John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts. EA wants studios functioning as their own city states with more creative freedoms and maneuverability, an example Riccitiello uses in a February 10th Gamasutra article. It's important to note that even with the name change Mythic Entertainment is still a part of Electronic Arts. (Duh!) Mark Jacobs also confirmed that the company will be revealing a new logo soon.

Two more Warhammer Online announcements are planned for later today. What will they be? It could be about the Collector's Edition pre-orders, a release date, or worse another delay. We will keep you posted.

MassivelyEA Mythic reclaims original Mythic Entertainment name originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowaredaocdark-age-of-cameloteaea-mythicelectronic-artsJohn-riccitiellojon-woodmmorpg.commythicmythic-entertainmentpandemicwarwarhammer-onlineFri, 11 Jul 2008 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[EA officially gobbles Bioware, Pandemic]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/ea-officially-gobbles-bioware-pandemic/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/ea-officially-gobbles-bioware-pandemic/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/ea-officially-gobbles-bioware-pandemic/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Though the news was dropped on us with considerable weight last October, and was subsequently eclipsed by the slightly more mind-blowing Activision Blizzard merger, the acquisition was finalized earlier today; VG Holdings, the company that owns both Bioware and Pandemic, is officially part of the greater Electronic Arts family. Fans of industry heavy-weights like Neverwinter Nights and Baldur's Gate can now, officially anyway, preemptively mourn the destruction of their favorite RPG franchises at the hand of the EA corporate machine.

For my part, I think it's going to be years, maybe even a decade, before EA completely commodifies the creative talents at Bioware and Pandemic. Bioware still seems confident that they can topple the existing MMO giants, and I still have confidence in their abilities to put together a marquee title. This announcement was really only a legal formality, as we've been told that most of the changes in the immediate short term have already taken place. All that's left to do is twiddle our thumbs and wait for the media emerge... sometime before the end of the decade.

MassivelyEA officially gobbles Bioware, Pandemic originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowarebusinesseaelectronic-artspandemicvg-holdingsMon, 07 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EA buys Bioware, their MMO delayed]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/11/ea-buys-bioware-their-mmo-delayed/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/11/ea-buys-bioware-their-mmo-delayed/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/11/ea-buys-bioware-their-mmo-delayed/#commentsFiled under: ,


Shocker! Huge videogame publisher EA purchased a company called VG Holding Corp. this afternoon, which suddenly means that the company that makes Madden and the company that made Knights of the Old Republic and Neverwinter Nights are now one and the same! Both BioWare and Pandemic Studios are apparently held by VG Holding Corp, which means EA now owns them both.

And while it means we don't quite know what's happening to BioWare's Mass Effect (one hopes it doesn't become Mass Effect 2008, with new TrueTouch roleplaying), it also means BioWare's planned MMO is being pushed back. While EA plans to get 10 titles out of the two game makers (the BioWare we know couldn't make 5 titles in 4 years if their life depended on it), the MMO is being pushed to "more towards the back end of the schedule," which puts it around 2011.

Personally, for the sake of my sanity, I'm going to have a little more faith in EA than I would if you'd hypothesized this to me yesterday. I love BioWare and their games (all the way back to Baldur's Gate), and I can only hope that they'll stand strong against EA, and choose quality over quantity, a choice that EA seems to make wrongly time and time again. BioWare will still be BioWare, right? Right?

... Right?

MassivelyEA buys Bioware, their MMO delayed originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Oct 2007 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowareeamergermmopandemicpurchasesThu, 11 Oct 2007 21:30:00 EST