... in favor of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 16 http://kotaku.com/ea-sports-also-hurts-after-a-rough-week-of-painful-cuts-483860247 EA Sports Also Hurts After a Rough Week of Painful Cuts Theoretically, sports should be one of the safer gigs in video games today. These are series that come out every year, they're usually reliable sellers, the publishers have sunk a lot of money into a license, and often they're the only ones holding it. It isn't like taking a risk on a new concept that fails to catch on. Layoffs at EA Today We've heard from a couple of sources that EA is cutting jobs today with estimates of as much… Read… But EA Sports wasn't spared the pain and uncertainty of the across-the-board layoffs and cost-cutting moves that Electronic Arts made on Thursday, and had been making before then. It was a tough week for one of the sturdiest labels in games development, and the dominant force, by far, in sports video gaming. Still, the changes show how pivotal the label will be as Electronic Arts tries to regain its footing before a new generation of gaming consoles hit shelves, and a new means of selling video games takes hold. EA CEO John Riccitiello Steps Down John Riccitiello, CEO of game publisher Electronic Arts, is stepping down from his position.Read… For if a series like Tiger Woods PGA Tour is put on hiatus, even for a year, then everything is on the table. I have learned, from persons with knowledge of the series' development, that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 15 is not happening. On any platform. EA's plan was to outsource that edition of the game, to give the in-house team two years to make Tiger Woods 16, taking advantage of all the PS4 and the next Xbox would have to offer. When CEO John Riccitiello gave his resignation last month, that plan was scrapped as a cost-saving move. The game hasn't been reassigned to the Tiger Woods team, either. Some of its personnel already have been sent to other teams in the EA Tiburon studio for the time being. I went to an EA Sports spokesman with that rumor and was told they wouldn't comment on it, which is not surprising. The latest game came out only a month ago, and publicly traded video game companies have investor relations divisions that don't want people chattering about unannounced products, especially ones that have been unofficially canceled. Tiger Woods PGA Tour is a 16-year-old annual series, one that presumably pays royalties to two parties—Augusta National Golf Club and Tiger Woods himself. It's admirable that the development team got a two-year window to put out a game that would be truly distinctive, rather than incrementally updating or porting over something after publishing three titles in 33 months. But if EA Sports really does put it the series on ice for a year, that is a remarkable decision. Yes, NBA Live was abruptly withdrawn in 2010 and again last year, presumably with the forebearance of its licensing partners. But Tiger Woods PGA Tour doesn't face the kind of quality concerns dogging the basketball series, much less the behemoth (or any) competition of a game like NBA 2K. Don't think that NBA Live's development staff was exempted, either. Among the layoffs it suffered was its creative director, Jason Barnes, a guy I profiled about a year ago in looking at the rebuilt game. No one on that team got their bonuses, either. Yes, when you don't ship a product, the idea of meriting a "bonus" is somewhat farfetched. But in Florida, with no state income tax, companies tend to pay you in sunshine. And customary bonuses of 10 to 15 percent are relied upon by development staff under crunch. In private conversations I had after the layoffs, the morale seemed to run from cynical, to worried, to aggrieved. These are all short term developments, though. Tiger Woods PGA Tour will return. NBA Live will be made, come hell or high water, although for what console, who knows. Long term, the biggest personnel change affecting the manufacture of sports video games, and how we consume them, figures to be EA Sports president Andrew Wilson now taking command of Origin, the company's digital distribution platform. Nothing Electronic Arts says or does, particularly in its unfortunate moments, goes unremarked upon, so it was surprising that none among the enthusiast press noted this or extrapolated its meaning when it happened. Electronic Arts has made no secret that it sees its growth in selling software as a service. The annualized nature of sports video games and the spectrum of titles EA offers under that label make it a natural fit for such a model. Indeed, I've heard Wilson and his predecessor talk about both concepts for the past two or three years, and the two-year-old "Season Ticket" currently offered on the PS3 and the 360, though light on value to anyone but a big DLC spender, has always looked like the exploration of that strategy. When Only 42 People Are Playing Madden on the Wii U, It's Not a Sports Console [Corrected] Around halftime of a game on an NFL Sunday is a good time to take the temperature of the Madden NFL. If the rumors about Electronic Arts demanding a massive, if not exclusive, Origin presence on the Wii U are true (at which Nintendo balked, which is why the Wii U is in sports purgatory), then it probably has similar designs on the Playstation 4 and the next Xbox. Freed from the costs of shipping, storing and stamping discs, we could see some creative subscription models—not to a single title and its DLC, but broader all-you-can-eat plans that lure a gamer to multiple titles and, of course, the add-ons they sell. You may not be buying just FIFA or NHL or Madden in the future. You may be, simply, buying EA Sports. Game Informer is reporting that Electronic Arts will soon be closing down its EA's Partners label—responsible for Crysis 2 and 3 and Bulletstorm-. If that is gone, then Battlefield, Need for Speed and Dragon Age are really their only console franchises with a consistent presence and a confirmed future. So under a subscription model, you can understand how pivotal EA Sports—publisher of six annual series—is to a debut on consoles designed to sell games over the Internet. "Season Ticket" shows that EA Sports is by nature a subscription to the future. These games depend on current stadia, current uniforms and, yes, current rosters. Buying an older version of the game means little. It also means that EA Sports' personnel in Maitland, Fla., Burnaby, B.C., and Austin, Texas may have paid a price today—the rumor was a 10 percent reduction in workforce, across the board. But the fact their top boss is in charge of something that needs to monetize a gamer's loyalty—not to golden oldies, but current and future games, is why those who can ride out this storm should still be in one of the safer gigs in video games development. Comparatively speaking, anyway.
There is also a thread about this on the EA forums as well. My first thought when I read this yesterday was, "oh crap, I hope everyone is ok".Although they've often made decisions that we've been very critical of,at the end of the day this is the way they support themselves and their families. As far as no TW15 goes,I'm fine with it.I can see myself going trough more then one cycle with TW14,as long as the server support is uninterrupted and they keep setting up tournaments ( ex. play the pros) On the bright side, somewhere Curt Shilling is saying "Told you is not this easy "
I'm hearing grumblings that they are going to try and support TW 14 via DLC, but nothing confirmed yet. Real fans of the series should be really happy they are going to completely rebuild the game for the next gen consoles (TW 16). This begs the question, should TW be an annual release?
Should not be a every year release... Maybe update the year when they do not have a new game with DLC golfer and DLC courses possibly to keep things fresh.. I would be happy with that instead of having to drop 60 every year!!
I'm fine with 2 year span. Don't know if its feasible option. Say you you outsource some of your employes for the time they are idle. The most DLC income in the bye year will be from new courses. The problem is this is also where the biggest expenses come out licensing fees. All this is pure speculation on my part as I don't know what it costs and how much TW brings, but I think most of the money they'll get by yearly release. I'm also trilled they'll take their time with 16,hopefully it will be tested much better and have less bugs. A lot of it has to do with the fact I think simulation in 14 is the best TW to date , and I don't see much room for improvement in gameplay though. If this cancelation was after TW 13 or 12 ( which was horrible) ill be unhappy.
I would say no .... Unlike other team sports games there are no roster changes that warrant it , not any changes in gameplay ( wildcat , read option ). I would buy new clubs , new courses , new gear & what not via DLC but not sure it's needed to be yearly..... But money talks ....
I like the yearly releases even if they really are just a small update and rehash of the last game put out...there is always something new to check out and work through. I am disappointed that there won't be a Tiger 15 for Xbox 1 or PS4, ill have both systems but the more things I like to play that get taken off the board maybe I need to rethink how quickly I get the new systems. I am fine if they continue to support 14 with dlc and server support for online play though...it's a worthy game and I could play it two years if need be...
Good idea. Game needs a visual overhaul. Always thought it was pretty unrealistic looking for how little they had to do.
