https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2018/11/8/18073992/patrick-soderlund-new-studio-embark-nexon
Something is happening at DICE and EA in general. This year they lost a lot of big names and long time employees.
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Johan Andersson (Rendering Architect) leaves DICE, joins Patrick Söderlund’s new studio
- Thread starter dex3108
- Start date
https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2018/11/8/18073992/patrick-soderlund-new-studio-embark-nexon
Something is happening at DICE and EA in general. This year they lost a lot of big names and long time employees.
OP
OP
They are bleeding talent left and right this year, and that is strange.
Very good, EA 's output is mediocre at best lately. I hope Embark Studios finds a good multiplatform publisher, that allows them to develop creative games without moneygrabbing stuff.
Nah. Probably just the usual cycle. Where people stay a long time then go in flurries. Happens in these project based industries in my experience.
OP
OP
Both. I think that Jason talked about that in one of the previous threads. EA Motive and DICE are apparently biggest offenders.
OP
OP
Patrick will poach more. And based on this thread a lot of people left DICE this year
https://www.resetera.com/threads/em...t-hell-strong-competitors-in-stockholm.75760/
You seem determined to cling to this narrative. Why? It's the most natural thing in the world for employees that have worked closely together to leave on new endeavors.
Aside from Battlefront 2 that was savaged in reviews for MTX stuff, EA's output has actually been quite good.
Fifa is their most popular game franchise and has seen improved reviews year on year.
Learn to separate your antipathy for EA from logical discussions.
A lot of new studios are founded every year, particularly in countries with a very healthy gaming industry, as is the case in Sweden. It's pretty normal to see employees leaving to start their own companies, getting poached by other studios or just seeking a new challenge.
DICE's headcount is also pretty high and the industry is well known for its turnover rate, there are always departures after projects are shipped. This is not evidence of something 'strange' happening there.
OP
OP
EA lost 4 big names this year (maybe even more I don't remember), dozens left DICE and Jason from Kotaku also said that EA Motive lost dozens devs too. All that this year alone. To me that is not that normal behavior.
Hell Patrick left after EA paid him to stay. Jade Raymond didn't even get chance to write farewell letter, Bioware lost few big names too...
Fifa is the same game with minor improvements every year, and the last entry has a user score of 1.8/10 on Metacritic. I also wouldn't call EA's other recent games (Battlefront 1, ME Andromeda, NFS PayBack) "quite good" and even Battlefield One was the weakest BF game in a long time. But that's only my opinion of course.
You're such a lovely person :)
If you google their founders, it appears to be all ex-DICE employees :eyesemoji: interesting turn of events for sure though I'm hesitant to make any grand conclusions as of right now
These hot-takes that there is some kind of trouble at EA/DICE are pretty embarrassing. People come and go all the time, there is nothing special about that.
In the last thread about this we even had a DICE employee mention that nothing was wrong with the company, and a lot people didn't even believe that..
In the last thread about this we even had a DICE employee mention that nothing was wrong with the company, and a lot people didn't even believe that..
Stay In a company for a years till you have enough experience/money/networking to go open is your own business with your acquittances is the oldest move on the book. Why is anyone surprised?
That said, I really hope they don't use too much of what they learned on how to do business at EA.
That said, I really hope they don't use too much of what they learned on how to do business at EA.
Wouldn't be surprised if this studio will be added to the Microsoft Studio's list eventually..
Company that big will have people leave and come. Like people say in that thread a 10% average turnover after a game releases isnt that crazy. And there is alot of competition close to them,
People who worked at a company for decades want to move onto other stuff, what's surprising about this?
It's like when decade long valve employees move into other ventures and suddenly people think Steam is about to implode on itself.
People age, not everyone wants to spend the remaining of their life doing the one thing at the one place for the rest of their life.
It's like when decade long valve employees move into other ventures and suddenly people think Steam is about to implode on itself.
People age, not everyone wants to spend the remaining of their life doing the one thing at the one place for the rest of their life.
Spderlund already made more money than he could ever spend, when you already have that much money it becomes much less of a motivating factor.
As the sole strategic equity investor in Embark, Nexon, maker of games such as MapleStory and Dungeon & Fighter, will also serve as worldwide publisher for titles developed by the new company. Additionally, Söderlund, CEO of Embark, has been nominated to serve on Nexon's Board of Directors; the nomination will be ratified at the Nexon annual shareholders meeting, in March 2019.
https://venturebeat.com/2018/11/07/...atrick-soderlunds-game-studio-embark-studios/
according to that thread, 40 people out of 400 (or 700 depending on how you count), isn't really extreem? ¨10% turnover is pretty normal, and some might say healthy. Loosing many big names within a company at once could be a problem though.
There is only so long you can stay making the same games over and over again?
he was the face of frostbite.
I don't know what to say to that, it sure sounds cool inside your head but do people even want to play something like that or is it even practical, only one way to find out huh.
I don't know what to say to that, it sure sounds cool inside your head but do people even want to play something like that or is it even practical, only one way to find out huh.
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Big article about it today (Swedish): https://digital.di.se/artikel/ea-stjarnan-patrick-soderlund-startar-ny-speljatte-i-stockholm
Wait wasn't there a game with a similar concept being made by one of the former gta people? It was being made on lumberyard if I'm not mistaken? That sounded super ambitious considering that it seemed to be a small team, but here it seems more doable since they got an investor on board, plus one of the richest person in gaming.
He wasn't the guy who brought coffees in the morning, he was the tech lead guy of DICE, and has been for 18 years. It's like saying there was nothing special when John Carmack abandoned id.
I wouldn't go that far - as ever the reality is probably some boring thing, in the middle.
Yes absolutely, top management often leave big firms, and will then take some targeted key members of staff with them. So it doesn't necessarily point to something specific at DICE, but it does still leave gaps and holes and challenges for the leaders left behind.
Companies often navigate these challenges fine...sometimes they don't and they get into trouble.
And sometimes the exodus at the top can be quite large, and show that there are bigger problems with say the Board, or the Chairman. I work in the finance industry, where it's all about money, so often if the CEO and CFO leave in short order you know there is trouble afoot. For a creative industry I don't know what the equivalent would be, maybe the CEO and Creative Director for the main game or portfolio of games?
I think I was a little surprised because Patrick always looked so disinterested during interviews and conferences. I assumed he was sick of his career.
Well with Soderland leading that studio....
Few months ago.
They should get Patrice Desilets to join, so that Ubisoft can buy it out.
I think is because EA fucked DICE
We have reports that DICE is losing a lot of people because of the star wars backslash (there was a thread last month i think).
They will lose even more if EA doesn't change this loot box/microtransactions/always or only online program in their games.
What's the last great game goty contender EA released? They fucked one of the greatests ips of all time and damaged DICE image too
EA's basically coasting this generation, it's not a surprise that some people would want or need to fulfill their ambitions somewhere else.
They just coasting on the UT money. That bubble will burst soon because they pissing a lot of people off in terms of gameplay and servers for that.
Last gen at least they were trying to create new games.
Good on the Dice guys for leaving.
Repi was, at least to me, the technical face of DICE (and someone I was a huge fan of ~15 years or so back on Beyond3D ;)), so I don't think you can say that this is just normal churn.
That said, I'm sure DICE have a ton of talented employees and will be perfectly fine.
That said, I'm sure DICE have a ton of talented employees and will be perfectly fine.
I can agree on that. He actually stayed there for a bit longer that he wished for because ea offered him more money and more freedom.
