Rumors of Battlefront 2's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
May 24, 2018 5:45PM
edited May 2018
Now I know many of you believe that EA has given up on Battlefront 2, because a couple people who purport to be DICE employees, or former EA employees, or someone who talked to someone who was at a capture event--maybe--went on Reddit and said some stuff that no one can verify, then deleted their accounts, sometimes even their posts.
You found this credible because it fits your chosen narrative that EA is simply the worst games publishing company that ever existed (maybe it is), and this satisfied your confirmation bias with regard to the future of the game. You also read tweets from @F8RGE and extrapolate them to mean there are no heroes at all, and we'll never get another new one as long as we live, and your name is Swany Geonosis Fred.
But I have good news and hope for the masses! This should put to rest (for now) the Pollyanna-ish and Chicken Little-ish cries that the game is dead. This is, of course, separate from fixing matchmaking and glitches and generally satisfying the player base. This is also dependent on people's willingness to actually listen. These are observations based on what we can actually see with our own eyes, and make sense of with our own brains.
To whit:
EA is a publicly traded company, and as such, share value is the most important thing. The principals of the company held their quarterly earnings call in which they talked about maintaining support of Battlefront two over the months to come through their live service. They would not do this if they intended to immediately cease supporting their game. Their share value would drop if they lied to investors. Their share value would drop if they let this game die, because that bodes poorly for future games and future investment. It would prove their "Live Service" model can't work. If those things happen, and Disney/Lucasfilm pull the license from EA, then that forces their share value down even more, showing that they were incapable of adding value to a licensed IP.
At this point you may be saying, "Well, they can release dribs and drabs of content no one wants, with recycled content from the old game, do some patches and tweaks and call it 'Live Service.' It does not mean that we will get any new locations or heroes." Au contraire, mon ami.
You've probably seen the quote of Gordy Haab from his recent interview with Mandy News. I'll quote it here for reference:
We can assume this recording session was the one he recently did at Abbey Road. Game publishers do not spend the money on recording sessions at Abbey Road Studios with London professionals when they plan on giving up on a title. And Gordy Haab doesn't go into recording sessions to record touch-up work on existing content, or to re-record music for recycled content from the first game. This is new music for new content to come, and "that will continue throughout the year." The composer does not say this if he does not know that further work is scheduled.
Whenever you see a "leak", you have to ask yourself about what such a person would gain by delivering such information. It does not make sense that someone who is an actual current employee would put out a bunch of information designed to convince you that their company has given up on the game. It would make sense for someone who is an actual current employee to put out information to suggest that they love working on the game and want you to show your support for the title. It makes more sense for a former employee with an axe to grind to put out information that sows dissent in the player base. You should probably watch out for those people.
Then you have people like Uninspired Zebra who finds things through datamining. Legit stuff. Then whoever it was that posted the clip of the dancing Han Solo and changed one of the words in the lyrics to Extraction. These are people trying to build hype and hope for the upcoming content, not push a narrative of despair in the community of players that gives them a reason to keep working on the game! Our existence gives them a paycheck! Why would they be a Star Wars fan and current employee who loves working on Star Wars and then insist that the game is dying?
They wouldn't.
You found this credible because it fits your chosen narrative that EA is simply the worst games publishing company that ever existed (maybe it is), and this satisfied your confirmation bias with regard to the future of the game. You also read tweets from @F8RGE and extrapolate them to mean there are no heroes at all, and we'll never get another new one as long as we live, and your name is Swany Geonosis Fred.
But I have good news and hope for the masses! This should put to rest (for now) the Pollyanna-ish and Chicken Little-ish cries that the game is dead. This is, of course, separate from fixing matchmaking and glitches and generally satisfying the player base. This is also dependent on people's willingness to actually listen. These are observations based on what we can actually see with our own eyes, and make sense of with our own brains.
To whit:
EA is a publicly traded company, and as such, share value is the most important thing. The principals of the company held their quarterly earnings call in which they talked about maintaining support of Battlefront two over the months to come through their live service. They would not do this if they intended to immediately cease supporting their game. Their share value would drop if they lied to investors. Their share value would drop if they let this game die, because that bodes poorly for future games and future investment. It would prove their "Live Service" model can't work. If those things happen, and Disney/Lucasfilm pull the license from EA, then that forces their share value down even more, showing that they were incapable of adding value to a licensed IP.
At this point you may be saying, "Well, they can release dribs and drabs of content no one wants, with recycled content from the old game, do some patches and tweaks and call it 'Live Service.' It does not mean that we will get any new locations or heroes." Au contraire, mon ami.
You've probably seen the quote of Gordy Haab from his recent interview with Mandy News. I'll quote it here for reference:
What are you most looking forward to this year?
Star Wars Battlefront 2 continues and that’s another great aspect of video games, they keep building on their initial releases so I just did a recording session a couple of weeks ago for more music for Battlefront and that will continue throughout the year. One thing that is pretty common is secrecy so a lot of the projects I’m working on, I’m not allowed to speak about but I promise you that I have some really cool stuff lined up.
We can assume this recording session was the one he recently did at Abbey Road. Game publishers do not spend the money on recording sessions at Abbey Road Studios with London professionals when they plan on giving up on a title. And Gordy Haab doesn't go into recording sessions to record touch-up work on existing content, or to re-record music for recycled content from the first game. This is new music for new content to come, and "that will continue throughout the year." The composer does not say this if he does not know that further work is scheduled.
Whenever you see a "leak", you have to ask yourself about what such a person would gain by delivering such information. It does not make sense that someone who is an actual current employee would put out a bunch of information designed to convince you that their company has given up on the game. It would make sense for someone who is an actual current employee to put out information to suggest that they love working on the game and want you to show your support for the title. It makes more sense for a former employee with an axe to grind to put out information that sows dissent in the player base. You should probably watch out for those people.
Then you have people like Uninspired Zebra who finds things through datamining. Legit stuff. Then whoever it was that posted the clip of the dancing Han Solo and changed one of the words in the lyrics to Extraction. These are people trying to build hype and hope for the upcoming content, not push a narrative of despair in the community of players that gives them a reason to keep working on the game! Our existence gives them a paycheck! Why would they be a Star Wars fan and current employee who loves working on Star Wars and then insist that the game is dying?
They wouldn't.
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Replies
Thank you, most august members of this forum.
Heavy Class Guide
Galactic Assault Guide
+1
However, I applaud your efforts.
We're living in a strange era where people prioritize their influencers and sources opposite of how they should.
I know a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy's cousin who has super secret access to EA records and it confirms the game is dead. True Fact!!!
IMO, the problem was that fixing the messed up MTX and progression system really put them behind in terms of their initial schedule for releasing content, which fed into the narrative you mentioned above. And the way they are releasing Season 2 content doesn't help as it just feeds into that same narrative for some folks. Not saying either decision was wrong, only that it feeds the narrative.
I do think that after the second half of Season 2 they will be back on their original trajectory and folks will see that it's not dying, no matter what the trolls under the bridge be selling...
You forgot one thing....EA has a history...Its not very good, and isn't going to get any better.
This isn't the first, and wont be the last game they ruin.
I wonder how well this game would be doing right now if they'd released it with the current progression system. I particularly think it would be having much more success.
Unfortunately, it's very hard to recover credibility that long after launch, especially with EA's reputation among the gaming community.
Was waiting for one of you to show up!
I pulled over from driving a moment to type the Nerdiest “I Love you for being Real” Comment/Reply.
@Indiana_Jim , Love you for being Real.
That is all. Back to driving to Longhorn!
#TheFoodThereIsGoodAF
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"When you ask for trouble, you should not be surprised when it finds you". - Plo Koon
Licensed REALTOR®
This game is far from dead but I can say that the PC population has declined over the last three months.
However, historically May & June is a slow time for online gaming due to RL things like finals and graduations.
By late June the PC population should increase a bit, but with all of the new games coming out . . .
Clone Wars will definitely bring some of the old players back if and when that happens.
I am cautiously optimistic that the overall game will improve with bug fixes and additional content.
Patience may be a virtue, but there is a limit of said patience dependent on the individual.
I have always considered myself to be a patient and tolerant person, but there are times when I can only tolerate so much before deciding enough is enough.
My tolerance is definitely being stretched and it's beginning to become uncomfortable . . .
KC
Sorry, not sure how this disagrees with what the OP said. Could you explain it for me, please?
Again, I am looking at this game from a purely business point of view. I fully understand the game is not perfect and needs some bugs smacking down.
Secondly...support was for TWO (2) months...lol..if things were not dicey with the game would have been indefinite or for remainder of year. Sorry that is a Fact. Also, a quarter is three (3) months..not 2
Yes, game is dead, time to wait for bf3.
I read the whole thing Indiana J. A little deeper than the post heading suggest but I get where you're coming from.
My question: what does Disney have to say about all of this? I see this game as good promotional platform for items and content that I personally had no interest in until I played the game. If EA can keep you kicking a soccer/foot ball for six years (don't quote me) - then they can serve up SW for at least half that time.
So I agree with Indiana and others - minus the reputation that EA has - no other big corporation is able to bundled this package (IMO)
My counter would be that this is not purely a monetary return on investment proposition for EA as they are likely contractually obligated by Disney to provide (X) amount of support for the licensed IP... additionally if EA intends to attempt to retain the Star Wars IP license in the future, they cannot abandon support for this game without hurting their chances with Disney going forward when it is time to bid for the new contract.
Heavy Class Guide
Galactic Assault Guide
It is cheap. But I have full faith in them. I have placed my hope in Dice and as we all know, Cassian says it the best.
Well I'm just gonna say it, hope won't save you. I would know.
Look at what happened to Andromeda though, that game was thrown in the can and wasn't even giving an opportunity to get fixed or improved. Battlefield V and Anthem are two bigger priorities.
EA isn't going to spend much resources on fixing or improving this game that much. People think this game is dead not because of some youtuber, but because of someone from Dice leaked INFO and proved they were a real dev, not long after said reddit leak everything that was mentioned in the leak was reaffirmed by a BF2 announcement.
But... God bless all you people that still think this game will be a good game eventually. God bless ya.
I don’t recall seeing “proof” of the “leaker” being an actual “Dice Employee”.
Also, if the Dev team was Truly “Small”, wouldn’t he have outed himself!? Only so many people could be privy to that information 3+ months ahead of schedule, especially on such a “small” Development team. 100% dude is friends with a Hero Designer that does Skins. End of story. Because I’ll tell you one thing, he Definitely ain’t an EA PlayTester or Game Changer.
Do me a favor, go find the “Leaker”, and have him Face time me. I’d love to hear all about it.
It’s the internet, “Everything’s True, Until it’s Not.”
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Link to all my Guides here in Tips & Tricks: https://battlefront-forums.ea.com/discussion/113241/custom-class-hero-loadouts-builds-revisited-pt-2-6-14-2018#latest
"When you ask for trouble, you should not be surprised when it finds you". - Plo Koon
Licensed REALTOR®
Again, they are not equivalent. Mass Effect is IP which is owned by DICE/EA... they can do what they wish with it. Star Wars IP is owned by Disney/LucasArts and there is no way that EA would prematurely drop support for a game utilizing Disney/LucasArts IP.
Also, no one "proved" they were a dev lol.
Heavy Class Guide
Galactic Assault Guide
He blesses me every day of my life.
True.
Xbox G-tag
That Specialist rework was disappointing.
Like I say, I enjoy the game but I won't just have blind faith in it either. There is areas where there has been justified criticism. The game is good, very good at points, but could have been so much more. I'm hopeful additions bring it to a great level.
I also don't think we will see a BF3 anytime soon. Obviously the Respawn game is being touted for 2019 and from what I have heard EAs contract runs to 2020. So hoping for at least a couple of years of support here. Also, the furore that surrounded this game would hurt sales (probably not substantially, but would have a minor impact) for the next if they were released once every 2 years.
Well put.
The "leaker" proved it was a Dice employee by giving us a screenshot of the new Leia skin....
Which was reaffirmed with Dice announcement which came DAYS after leak. The exact same skin that was leaked is the exact same skin that is coming to us in Solo update -- how would anyone else but a Dice or EA employee have that sort of information ?
Maps, game modes, all that stuff mentioned in leak reaffirmed in announcement and in Solo DLC.
You people could get slapped in the face with truth and still not believe it.
A screenshot of Leias new skin is “Proof” that HE works for Dice to you!?
He could have gotten that from someone who Actually works there and gets a paycheck (Hero Designer that specializes in Skins). The leak was 3rd party information. Not actual information from someone within. You need to learn how to see what’s in front of you. No one types all that fluff and gives a few solid details within it.
If it was actually a leak from an employee, he would have gotten straight to the point.
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Link to all my Guides here in Tips & Tricks: https://battlefront-forums.ea.com/discussion/113241/custom-class-hero-loadouts-builds-revisited-pt-2-6-14-2018#latest
"When you ask for trouble, you should not be surprised when it finds you". - Plo Koon
Licensed REALTOR®
No. The leaker was not a "3rd" party the leaker SAID he/she was a Dice employee and provided proof. The proof is very convincing since everything it said was reaffirmed in the announcement. That is what we call circumstantial evidence, and there was plenty there before to make it look legit and now after the announcements were made it clearly seems it IS LEGIT.
With EA/Dice withholding information now we literally don't know anything until it's put up in an announcement -- how would this info come out by another means unless it was an employee? Nobody can get this information unless they work with the company.
The truth is everywhere. But god bless you man. God bless you for being skeptical to this day even after everything this community has gone through.
“Make it so”.
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"When you ask for trouble, you should not be surprised when it finds you". - Plo Koon
Licensed REALTOR®
Obviously if the employee did that, he/she would not have a job and would be terminated, because Devs are not allowed to talk to us.
Literally everything said in that announcement was said in the leak days prior. All the maps, all the game modes, all the skins and even a screenshot of Leia's boushh outfit which is VERY convincing and hard to dispute.
What more do you want?
Evidence.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyUQ3FFqM-TQd-3xtZmHOGQ?view_as=subscriber
Link to all my Guides here in Tips & Tricks: https://battlefront-forums.ea.com/discussion/113241/custom-class-hero-loadouts-builds-revisited-pt-2-6-14-2018#latest
"When you ask for trouble, you should not be surprised when it finds you". - Plo Koon
Licensed REALTOR®
You literally have a mountain of circumstantial evidence and in game pictures of the Boushh outfit.
If this was in a court room all that circumstantial evidence that we have would be enough to convince a jury it was true, not sure why you continue to ignore the reality of such.
God bless you though. You're like Episode IV A New Hope, but in the flesh.