badgenome said:
You can keep saying that, but it doesn't change the fact that I have explained to you over and over again why their explanations don't add up. But I'm flexible. If "lying" is too ugly a word for your delicate disposition, then let's just call it "dissembling".
I didn't ignore it. I just interpreted it realistically. A contract (even a contract with the magical EA Partners) is not, as you seem to think, a Choose Your Own Adventure book. It is a binding agreement. Sure, Respawn retains control of its business. It retains control by building an IP that will remain an asset to them in the future as opposed to an IP that they will have to check at the door if they part ways with EA. That is what they mean when they talk about freedom and owning their own destiny. They don't mean that they can run around willy nilly getting Microsoft and Square-Enix and Burger King involved with their game against EA's wishes. That would be silly. Now, why do you ignore what Carmack said and what you yourself have said? "As stated, each deal is custom and developers can pick and choose how much of EA they want in their business." That's right. So Valve and id didn't incur much involvement at all because they weren't asking for much at all. But it stands to reason that Respawn and EA are going to be intimately involved because Respawn asked for and received a lot. You think it's a given that EA would offer West and Zampella the moon because of who they are, but who they are didn't keep Activision from firing them in the first place. (And it's funny how you can think this while also believing it's plausible that EA would let Respawn run out of money, forcing them to go to MS for additional funding.) No other publisher besides Activision has the cash to compete with EA, so it's not like they faced a lot of serious competition. Who else even was there? Microsoft and Ubi? With how ugly and personal things were getting between Kotick and West/Zampella, I can see Microsoft not wanting to do anything that might cheese off Kotick. Like helping the employees he was spying on and trying to run out of the company set up shop, and then publishing their direct competitor to COD. There was no need when they could always buy exclusivity off of whomever Respawn ended up with. Which they eventually did. |
You have no ideal how much EA wanted these guys and what they were willing to pay to get them, and you have no ideal what Jason and Vince would settle for when they had offers from everyone in the business. Since Jason and Vince have to pay EA back anyway its not like they couldn't take their services to someone else. I am pretty sure after Jason and Vince left EA with bad blood the first time, it would take a damn good deal for them to partner up with EA again. Depending on the deal, who knows what other deals Respawn can work on or accept. Exclusive publishing means no other publishers they can go to but it does not mean they could not work out a deal with MS for some extra cash on going exclusive. EA would need to be involved because the deal would also involve them and contracts are needed between all parties.
Lets think this through a little. This is EA, when have the last time they sold a game for just one console. Do you really think 50 million dollars is enough to stop a PS3 and PS4 version of the game which would easily be more profitable for EA. Thats what does not make since. It does not make sense period for EA to go exclusive with MS or any other platform because thats not their business and 50 million is what MS pays for exclusive DLC content not a full game that will be bringing in 100s of millions of dollars.
Yes, I do believe EA would give them the moon if you are looking at their track record. Of course Activision can fire them now because they already builted the Billion dollar busines and the franchise. That alone will make COD bring in bilions for a good amount of years if they just keep doing what they do now.
Are you denying that Jason and Vince has not created a franchise that consistently brings in Billions of dollars. Yes I think that EA gave them a damn good deal to see if lighting can strike again. Basically what you are saying is that these guys are just your average developers with no proven record or history of being able to run a successful business and produce products that make billions of dollars. What you are saying is that EA was the only game in town and that Jason and West had to go to EA. You are completly ignoring what these 2 have done in their career where just offering a standard publishing deal that takes away these guys control which I am very sure is something they would never go back to again is an options. You seem to ignore that Respawn is an independant developer that now has to chart their own course and make their own decisions. EA is just the publishers, they do not run Respawn and they do not control their IP which has been stated more than enough. I believe every publisher, platform owner and even dev studios were after them. I believe that they had enough offers that they could have chosen pretty much anything they wanted. I believe EA offered the best deal that allow them to get funded and also control how they run their business and I believe EA gave a lot up because of the bad blood between them from years ago.
