36 replies to this topic

[Auren Rhysode]

I've gotten back into MWO recently after drifting away during beta, and WOW is there a lot of bitterness to be found in this community. After reading through all the grief about broken promises and whatnot, I got to the part where PGI seperated from IGP just before the latter filed for bankruptcy. While I'd like to believe that the people working on MWO are doing it because they love their work, I am also aware that they aren't working for free.

Considering that there is only so much work that will get done without enough money to pay the workers and how the owners of IGP are apparently in debt to the tune of 22 MILLION CANADIAN DOLLARS, I have to ask:

Did they take all the money that was supposed to be used to develop MWO?

[DAYLEET]

PGI paid something to get the rights back or something. Im not afraid for pgi money, they hired 3 new guys last month and everything in game cost money. They also extended the MechWarrior rights to 2020.

Edited by DAYLEET, 01 November 2015 - 10:48 PM.

[DivineEvil]

As far is I can remember, they broke off pretty peacefully, so I wouldn't expect anything aside from paying for the MWO publishing rights, which IGP had.

All the bitterness is either about:
1.) People bragging about promises, which were never made.
2.) People bragging about rights, which they never had.
3.) People expecting a pacing from PGI, which they cannot possibly keep up due to limited paying audience and the corresponding shortage of executive staff.

[Windsaw]

Auren Rhysode, on 01 November 2015 - 10:40 PM, said:

I've gotten back into MWO recently after drifting away during beta, and WOW is there a lot of bitterness to be found in this community.

The community is downright pleasant right now.
You should have seen it months ago. It was downright toxic.

[Mister Blastman]

22 million dollars? Says who?

[Summon3r]

DAYLEET, on 01 November 2015 - 10:45 PM, said:

PGI paid something to get the rights back or something. Im not afraid for pgi money, they hired 3 new guys last month and everything in game cost money. They also extended the MechWarrior rights to 2020.

worst news i have heard in hmmm about 2 years?

[slide]

It is fairly well known that IGP used some of the founders money to fund MWT and other projects. How much is unknown but I have no doubt that they held up funding to PGI and used their position as publisher to dictate the direction MWO would go. Basically promising and allowing PGI enough funds to develop the next big sale pack.

IGP were selling founders packs in MWT right up to the day they switched off the servers even though they had known for at least 6 months that the game was going no where and had had no developers even working on the product for longer than that. The people that ran IGP are not much more than criminals in IMO. I don't know what PGI had to do to get a hold of the rights to MWO but what ever it was it was worth it as they are finally heading down a better path than the one they were on. IGP would ultimately have been the death of this game.

If they do actually owe all that money then sucked in because you reap what you sow.

[Khobai]

Quote

Considering that there is only so much work that will get done without enough money to pay the workers and how the owners of IGP are apparently in debt to the tune of 22 MILLION CANADIAN DOLLARS, I have to ask:

Did they take all the money that was supposed to be used to develop MWO?

Its pretty normal (and fair) for a publisher to take most of the profits (typically its a 70/30 split). Since they front the vast majority of development costs.

My guess is IGP was taking 70% of the profits, crytek was taking 10% of the profit for royalties, and the remaining 20% was going to PGI. I read somewhere they negotiated with crytek to use the engine royalty-free but I was never able to verify it. Crytek normally takes 10% royalties.

MWO's initial seed money was around 10 million I believe. That was provided by IGP through whatever investors they got on board. But the additonal ~10 million or so raised from founders packs and phoenix packs was probably mostly going to IGP (at MOST 1/3rd of that money actually went to PGI).

Quote

The people that ran IGP are not much more than criminals in IMO.

Yeah except there is no accountability in the real world. When someone like donald trump goes bankrupt and thousands of people lose their jobs and livelihood from cancelled building/maintenance contracts, hes not held responsible. IMO the government should go after those people's personal assets when that happens, they shouldnt just be able to file bankruptcy, and still remain billionaires, while everyone they employed suffers.

Edited by Khobai, 02 November 2015 - 02:27 PM.

[Lugh]

GRiPSViGiL, on 02 November 2015 - 07:38 AM, said:

[redacted]

OMG I get enough of that crap on TV watching games don't need it here too...

Edited by Marvyn Dodgers, 02 November 2015 - 04:55 PM.
Unconstructive

[Coolant]

GRiPSViGiL, on 02 November 2015 - 07:38 AM, said:

[Redacted]

You should take the advice in your signature, "The changes never matter...the ability to adapt is all that does. Those that can't adapt...complain!"

Edited by Marvyn Dodgers, 02 November 2015 - 04:55 PM.
Unconstructive in quote

[Mister Blastman]

I will repeat my question as it is being ignored... "22 Million, says who?"

Where is your proof? What is your data? I'm not attacking you, OP, I just want you to back up your first post with facts to help your case.

[GRiPSViGiL]

Coolant, on 02 November 2015 - 08:42 AM, said:

You should take the advice in your signature, "The changes never matter...the ability to adapt is all that does. Those that can't adapt...complain!"

I should chage it to be more specific and I will actually. The changes I am referring to there actually reference balance. So basically playing to the Meta is what it is really referring to.

My counter point to you would be that the game hasn't changed at all in over three years. We still only have Team Death Match because CW is garbage and a waste of time. I have adapted to the state of the game...I don't play it. Keeping my finger on the pulse until PGI gives us an acceptable long term reason or end game to play this game. I am waiting for your retort.

[Kira Onime]

Coolant, on 02 November 2015 - 08:42 AM, said:

"The changes never matter...the ability to adapt is all that does. Those that can't adapt...complain!"

Very flawed quote for a game.

[Xetelian]

I seriously hope they aren't millions in debt, not after I founded and bought 3 of the mech packs and 3 heroes.

If I lose all the digital goods of this game I'm going to be a very very sad panda.

[cSand]

Summon3r, on 01 November 2015 - 10:58 PM, said:

worst news i have heard in hmmm about 2 years?

yea because a million other companies were clamouring to make us a MW game

and of course having no game is better than MWO jsut because it doesn't meet the standards of the neckbeards

Edited by cSand, 02 November 2015 - 02:29 PM.

[GRiPSViGiL]

Kira Onime, on 02 November 2015 - 08:54 AM, said:

Very flawed quote for a game.

How so? Care to elaborate? As described above I was referring to balance concerning the meta, perhaps you think it means something different.

[Revis Volek]

Lugh, on 02 November 2015 - 07:54 AM, said:

OMG I get enough of that crap on TV watching games don't need it here too...

Ditto...

Im sure some fatcat with a jet, 3 houses, 6 cars, and more money then he knows what to do with really desrevers your money more then a small scale developer....

Fan Duel is making someone rich...and it isnt you. Do with your money as you wish but essentially Gambling really isnt a sounds way to make money.

Again, to each his own. But to come here and say Gambling is a better use of my money is kinda funny to me.

Edited by DarthRevis, 02 November 2015 - 02:52 PM.

[GRiPSViGiL]

DarthRevis, on 02 November 2015 - 02:51 PM, said:

Ditto...

Im sure some fatcat with a jet, 3 houses, 6 cars, and more money then he knows what to do with really desrevers your money more then a small scale developer....

Fan Duel is making someone rich...and it isnt you. Do with your money as you wish but essentially Gambling really isnt a sounds way to make money.

Again, to each his own. But to come here and say Gambling is a better use of my money is kinda funny to me.

Did we not gamble on PGI to make a robust FPS Battletech game? Sure, I got what I would say a solid two and half years of enjoyment from MWO until PGI ish the bed with CW. I consider it a bet I lost. A big one at that considering the amount I put in which eclipsed more than 5 years of WoW subs and expansion.

As far as Fantasy sports betting I only play small amounts but at least I have potential to win much larger amounts. I have been breaking even for the most part with my system. Makes watching sports much more engaging, heck I have even gotten back into hockey because of it. Something I haven't followed for at least 15 years. At least with Fanduel and Draft Kings I know what I get. They even pay the very next day when you win. PGI can't compare.

[Kira Onime]

GRiPSViGiL, on 02 November 2015 - 02:34 PM, said:

How so? Care to elaborate? As described above I was referring to balance concerning the meta, perhaps you think it means something different.

Depends on your definition of "complain".
I've seen communities label any sort of dislike and expressing it as "complaining".

[crustydog]

In a nut shell, PGI got the contract back from IGP because IGP failed to perform their end of the deal. This process took time because legal stuff.

IGP's new debt is largely unrelated to PGI and MWO - it has more to do with the finances of IGP's parent company.

As I understand it, I believe MWO has been back under PGI control for about a year now - Three Cheers to PGI for continuing with the development... and recovering from the brink of total disaster.

Nice save, as we say in Canada.