Submitted by Djenx
JoWooD announces the cancellation of development of Stargate-SG1: The Alliance, the TV tie-in that was slated for release this October. The announcement states the work done to date by developer Perception Games "does satisfy neither our quality requirements nor the fans expectations," leading them to conclude "we now simply have lost confidence in their ability to finish this project in time and sufficient quality." The update leaves open the possibility that development on the project may continue elsewhere, and may end up with different target systems:
Following the termination JoWooD has asked for repayment of their investment in development and further expenses. According to our reading of the contract the rights to the title as well as the source code are transferred to JoWooD?. After delivery of the code and assets JoWooD will review the possibility of seeking out developers if it is economically viable to finish the title? reports Michael Paeck, Executive Producer for JoWooD Productions Software AG. ?We are, however, not prepared to release anything but a top quality title. Fans of the show as well as gamers would not accept anything less. There are several options to consider, among them potentially moving to next-gen consoles for the title.?
wow, that came as a suprise. From the screenshots i saw .. the game looked pretty neat to me.
Ouch, thats got to be unplesent news. You have to feel for those guys.
JoWooD sound like a bunch of freaking idiots. Demanding their money back, and demanding the source and content to a game they don't acctually own the rights to. Perception owns them.
Damn eh, being a fan I was looking forward to that. Though, looking at the trailer and interviews I'd have to say it didn't strike me as anything fascinating. For an SG1 game i'd really want something that gave you a little bit of freedom and exploration with the gate system, not just your usual mission based FPS.
Still, I really feel for those guys who would have put so much time and effort into the game, it must really suck to be in their position at the moment.
The E3 demo and most of the screenshots I saw looked pretty disappointing to be honest. If this was in fact in the best interests of the fans, then more power to JoWood for taking a stand and saying, hey, the quality is just not there. I believe JW sunk quite a bit of money into the production of the game (I've heard from 3 - 7 million euro from different places), so for the money they sunk into the title, you can bet they would expect better quality than what has been shown. But in the interest of the game, I hope it gets worked out soon and this doesn't sink JW OR Perception.
e3 was a while ago mate....the game hadn't even hit alpha by that time...
Bless ya Unit. All the Little Creatures ain't gonna make up for this shocker, eh?
bob???? ok this is some who clearly knows me...they know my fav beer after all....i give up who is it? :)
The game was starting to come along nicely. I'ts a huge project after all.
That's another nail in the coffin for Australian development. This is probably another case of being bullied into selling to a US publisher who has them over a barrel. If this trend continues we will all be developing 3rd rate licensed games for the 8-14 year old market based on stupid kids morning television programs (games no respectable game developer in the states would touch with a barge pole).
In this case JoWooD could take them over completely. Indeed they could even go after the directors of Perception. Effectively the existing owners would be paying JoWooD to XXXXX them up the XXXXX. I'm sure the contract also stipulates that they must smile while they are being XXXXX'd.
The locally owned industry really needs some major government assistance before it disappears completely. Where is the game developers association in all this? The silence is deafening.
I think you'll find there is another side to this story - one in which JoWood's actions are (unfortunately) understandable, if a bit too late. This is bad for the local industry in more than just the obvious ways. The reputation of all Australian independent developers' has taken a hit by association.
That's so funny!
The local industry is a little more robust than that. There are a number of very successful companies in Australia. They're just very discrete. There are now more developers of a higher calibre than at any time in the history of Australian game development.
Publishers cannot afford to ignore the considerable talent that Australia has in game development, that's why they're here and why Australian development will continue to grow as it has done over the last 10 years.
A few companies turning sour like Perception or Bluetongue doesn't mean the whole industry has gone down the toilet. Games development is an international business. What it does mean however is that the more succesful local companies will be able to reap the rewards. It's just a natural process of evolution.
"A few companies turning sour like Perception or Bluetongue doesn't mean the whole industry has gone down the toilet."
Do you even know what you're talking about? I would say no. Bluetongue hasn't gone sour, they were bought out by one of the biggest publishers in the world, THQ, and are going strong. Its one of the most succesful developers in Australia.
"Australian development will continue to grow as it has done over the last 10 years."
That's tantamount to saying "A new born child will grow several feet in 10 years."
Everyone knows what's going on at bluetongue and the types of projects in development. Having an association with a Publisher doesn't save a poorly performing company doing projects that are of little consequence.
Go to any gathering of developers in Melbourne (as I have recently) and you will bump into an unhappy bluetongue employee bitching about management. Stop bitching, we're all sick of hearing about it already. Do something about it instead! There are plenty of other companies to work for if it's all that bad.
And more importantly, this thread is supposed to be about Perception and SG-1 not about bluetongue going down the toilet. These issues aren't even related. I don't think it's fair to put bluetongue's problems in the same category as Perception's.
Yep. No idea. Seriously buddy, get a clue.
"Having an association with a Publisher doesn't save a poorly performing company doing projects that are of little consequence."
It's more than an association - they are owned lock stock and barrel by THQ. Just FYI.
He's right on the money. Just because you're owned by THQ doesn't mean your doing a good job.
Yeah, why shoot the messenger. What you really need to do is start listening to your staff.
It only refers to the PC version.
I know this isn't about Blue Tongue, but I just have to say something. I am an employee at Blue Tongue and from what i've seen I think they've done a great job in a difficult Australian industry. I think people all round should have some pride in where they work and try to make it better. People who stay somewhere unhappy, complain and blame others all the time for years, which I know a few people there do, only eats away at efforts of people who do care. It's disprepectful to everyone involved. I think those people should grow up and move on.
Also as for the comment:
"He's right on the money. Just because you're owned by THQ doesn't mean your doing a good job."
Um, yes it does. You don't do a company doing a bad job. You buy a stable company with solid staff and management.
As for Perception, I am sorry to hear this news.
Yes, very sad news about Perception. I hope they don't take this lying down.
I agree with the post above. If you're not happy at bluetongue then just move on!!! It's very poor behaviour. These are your friends and co-workers you're bitching about. If you don't like the games being created then move to a company where you can create the sort of games you enjoy. If you don't like the environment or the people, then do the same. If you're being treated badly then stick up for yourself. We might not be creating GTA, but at least we have a steady stream of dependable and predictable work. If you're part of the old guard and you still haven't left then stop bitching about what was and just get on with what is. Or better yet just move on, we don't need you. Plenty of others have had the guts to follow their own convictions.
There's something to be said for kids games; making games in very short timeframes is also very challenging. Not everyone wants to take 2 years to create a game. We don't all need to earn generous salaries, we're just happy to say we work in the games industry, AAA or not. Bluetongue has given us an opportunity. Not everyone needs to be working on the next best thing, they just want to get into the industry and bluetongue/THQ is one possible stepping stone. I agree that its challenging getting management attention here, but then it's up to you to make sure you get noticed.
If you don't feel like you are being respected by management then talk to management directly about it - if you have the balls to do so. If you don't feel you're being treated well then do something about it. What's the worst thing that can happen? Are they going to do fire you? If you don't feel management is doing a good job then do something about it, don't just bitch and moan behind everyone's backs. Get some balls. Getting fired isn't the end of the world. It might be the best thing that happens to you.
The other thing you guys need to realise is that its a business industry, making the next great FPS is worth squat if it doesn't sell. If a kids game sells a million copies it goes a long way to ensuring the future of a studio. You may not personally want to play Finding Nemo, but at 3 million units sold, it guarantees the studio will get another gig. As much as it dissapoints me, the studios that made gems like system shock 2 and the oddworld games are no longer in business. Quality means nothing if the bucks don't come in. I hate it, but its the nature of the world
Finding Nemo is an awesome game, I will thump any kid that tries to get between me and the console when I'm playing Finding Nemo.
It's a quality experience :) I definately hope bluetongue can start creating games like that.
err the companies that did System Shock 2 no longer doing business.. Suggest you check out http://www.irrational.com.au -- aka they just released Swat 4, Tribes Vengenance.