26 votes

Warner Bros. shuts down three game studios, cancels Wonder Woman title

15 comments

  1. [8]
    TumblingTurquoise
    Link
    Meanwhile, the Nemesis system is securely locked down by patents, so now there is more or less no hope of ever seeing it implemented again during my lifetime.

    Meanwhile, the Nemesis system is securely locked down by patents, so now there is more or less no hope of ever seeing it implemented again during my lifetime.

    14 votes
    1. [6]
      danke
      Link Parent
      The internet controversy over the Nemesis patent is extremely overblown – a game would have to plagiarize basically the entirety of the intricate game loop described to infringe upon it. It's a...

      The internet controversy over the Nemesis patent is extremely overblown – a game would have to plagiarize basically the entirety of the intricate game loop described to infringe upon it. It's a patent on a highly specific collection of several mechanics, not a patent on each mechanic. Studios could easily implement something similar without infringing if they thought it were worth the cost to develop a whole game around it.

      7 votes
      1. [4]
        TheRTV
        Link Parent
        Yea, but they can still be sued. Which takes it to court and consumes time and money.

        Yea, but they can still be sued. Which takes it to court and consumes time and money.

        10 votes
        1. raze2012
          Link Parent
          Pretty much. Remember Gods and Monsters, now known as Immortals Fennyx Rising? They changed the name because Monster (the energy drink) sued over the name. It's a stupid case and Ubisoft would...

          Pretty much. Remember Gods and Monsters, now known as Immortals Fennyx Rising? They changed the name because Monster (the energy drink) sued over the name. It's a stupid case and Ubisoft would have easily won, but they went the cheapest way and chose to just change the name instead.

          Even as a loose threat, businesses don't want to deal with being sued.

          8 votes
        2. [2]
          stu2b50
          Link Parent
          You can be sued for anything, at any time. The patent isn't changing that.

          You can be sued for anything, at any time. The patent isn't changing that.

          2 votes
          1. Grzmot
            Link Parent
            It increases the chances of the lawsuit being accepted by the judge instead of thrown out immediately.

            It increases the chances of the lawsuit being accepted by the judge instead of thrown out immediately.

            4 votes
      2. Requirement
        Link Parent
        I suspect the reality of the situation lies somewhere near your comment and that it's really just that it's not an appealing enough system to the majority of gamers to be bothered with potential...

        I suspect the reality of the situation lies somewhere near your comment and that it's really just that it's not an appealing enough system to the majority of gamers to be bothered with potential lawsuits, even if unfounded.

        5 votes
  2. [4]
    Wafik
    Link
    It's a terrible shame for those involved but it's not very surprising at this point. WB has taken the mantle from EA as the worst video game company. The mismanagement and indecision is unmatched....

    It's a terrible shame for those involved but it's not very surprising at this point. WB has taken the mantle from EA as the worst video game company. The mismanagement and indecision is unmatched.

    Multiversus already got a second chance and failed again. I don't think the San Diego studio had released a game and Monolith lost most of their relevant talent back in 2021. So while I loved FEAR and other games they made, Monolith was no longer that studio.

    I'm sure if the second Wonder Woman movie wasn't such a disaster a WW game would have made more sense. Without that, who wanted that game? I guess it could have been good. A God of war clone but WW definitely could have worked, but apparently they blew $100 million to figure out the current version of Monolith wasn't the team to make it.

    8 votes
    1. [2]
      Perryapsis
      Link Parent
      This is interesting to me, since I still think of Warner Bros as a movie company that licenses a few video games. My impression is that they don't have the same notoriety as EA because EA is...

      WB has taken the mantle from EA as the worst video game company.

      This is interesting to me, since I still think of Warner Bros as a movie company that licenses a few video games. My impression is that they don't have the same notoriety as EA because EA is purely a game company.

      2 votes
      1. CannibalisticApple
        Link Parent
        Yeah. I wouldn't call WB worse than EA since the games are far from their priority. Half the decisions are due to incompetence and a lack of understanding of the game industry among the upper...

        Yeah. I wouldn't call WB worse than EA since the games are far from their priority. Half the decisions are due to incompetence and a lack of understanding of the game industry among the upper echelons, while EA's are 100% greed.

        WB is also just all-around bad in pretty much all departments right now. I won't forgive them for Coyote VS Acme.

        5 votes
    2. CannibalisticApple
      Link Parent
      Does what happened with Multiversus even count as a "second chance"? They released the game in open beta, and then deliberately shut down the servers for a year before putting out the full...

      Does what happened with Multiversus even count as a "second chance"? They released the game in open beta, and then deliberately shut down the servers for a year before putting out the full release. I never played it personally, but from what I'm told the game before and after had some notable differences.

      On that note, there are two separate modding projects right now to keep it going. One is based on the beta and the other is based on the full release. @CrystalManta is on teams for both of them and knows more than I do, but even now the game has some pretty ardent fans. It really seems like its downfall was due to bad management and executive decisions than issues with the game itself. Again, see the weird decision to take it offline for a whole year. That's killer for a live service game.

      2 votes
  3. [2]
    phoenixrises
    Link
    Gift link pulled from the /r/Games subreddit Related: https://imgur.com/a/1ncgPAK

    Gift link pulled from the /r/Games subreddit

    Related:

    F.E.A.R. Platinum – featuring the base game and both expansions – will be available as part of the GOG Preservation Program by next month. Originally scheduled for a later timeframe, we’ve decided to accelerate this release to properly recognize Monolith’s contributions to gaming.

    At GOG, we believe in celebrating the creative minds that have shaped gaming history. Monolith Productions has given players some of the most unforgettable experiences, blending groundbreaking gameplay with rich storytelling. To honor their legacy, we’re proud to announce that F.E.A.R. Platinum will be joining the GOG Preservation Program – and sooner than planned, with other Monolith icons to join eventually as well.

    https://imgur.com/a/1ncgPAK

    6 votes
    1. GunnarRunnar
      Link Parent
      Hopefully someone at GOG can jump through the hundred hoops that are necessary to figure out No One Lives Forever's IP rights and get them released on GOG too.

      Hopefully someone at GOG can jump through the hundred hoops that are necessary to figure out No One Lives Forever's IP rights and get them released on GOG too.

      2 votes
  4. Eji1700
    Link
    There was a big leak in the MK community recently that ALL mk1 development has been canned. We're just getting the "Final" DLC if that leak was correct (well known and often correct leaker,...

    There was a big leak in the MK community recently that ALL mk1 development has been canned. We're just getting the "Final" DLC if that leak was correct (well known and often correct leaker, however they said they were no longer going to after this one), and there will be no more mk1 support.

    It's very possible MK/NRS was on the chopping block for a bit there, and it might still mean they said "screw supporting MK1, just make another game", or the leaker could just wind up wrong. I'm curious to see what happens next as MK1 is very close to being great.

    1 vote