How to be a bad game company

[VGmasters]

If you were to run a game company, what kinds of bad decisions would you do with your games?

One thing I would do is wait till a developer is finished making a game to be made as a console exclusive. Then days before it's released, I would delay the game for about a year so it can go multiplatform (and telling that it would sell better that way), on the same day that other games for top selling franchises are released. When it releases, and the game sells poorly, I would shut down the developer and cancel all their future projects.

Another thing I would do is create a long awaited sequel to a fighting game series (like Darkstalkers or Guilty Gear), and add things such as pre-order exclusives, micro-transactions, an online pass, on disc/day one DLC, a DRM, one save file (and most likely cannot be deleted), and it would be made to not be played as used on another console.

[Jin]

- Remove keyboard shortcuts to port game to console.
- Always online DRM.
- Force players to subscribe to a digital distribution service.
- Remove parts of games and sell as DLC/expansion/standalone.
- Remove customization and sell as DLC/expansion.
- Remove in-depth elements in order to simplify the game for new players.
- Lie about game features in pre-release interviews.

[MonoBro]

I would hype everyone up for an amazing sequel and then deliver it five years later with a really small budget.

[HighWay]

basically be EA

[Chdonga]

I would crap out sequels just to milk every penny out of every game I release. I would fill my games with overpriced DLC and microtransactions. I would bribe reviewers and give them special working copies of my games so they would be ignorant to the problems my games may have. Then, I would hire Chinese people to praise my games on the internet and justify anything and everything my company does.

I would call my company Electronic Arts.

[TB1ZZL3]

-Take responsibility for absolutely nothing
-Assume everyone is an idiot
-Create extravagant marketing campaigns for games that are rushed out the door
-Buy small companies and turn them into complete money sinks by fucking up their games and ruining sales
-Fuck up beloved franchises to appeal to consumer trends that don't actually exist

So basically EA. Everyone has made that joke already but isn't it incredible that they still have any money?

[Halberd]

Forced matchmaking in multiplayer that always hooks you up to laggy overseas servers

[loluntilmypie]

- Go to make an announcement at a huge reveal, only to tell people to be prepared for an announcement later in the future.

Square Enix, you fucking idiots.

- Add online multiplayer to a game sequel that doesn't need it whatsoever and throw out the old game mechanics for the crappy new ones which suit the online multiplayer.

- Constantly change the controls layout for every single sequel so that players have to go through that fucking tutorial each and every time.

- Throw out the old features of a game which made it great and add in some shitty gimmicks which make everything just as bad.

- Focus one game purely on one console and expect it to work perfectly on all other platforms which it's ported to.

Yeah hi Bethesda, you don't do yourself many favours with this.

- Hint at a sequel in one game, but make hundreds of prequels/spin-offs for years and years and then wait until nobody gives a shit about the game, then announce the sequel.

- Crap on game developers which show a lot of talent and potential by completely forcing them to create a terrible game, then blame the developers for the game and shut them down.

- For the online community, force people into thinking that the best way to play is to be a complete fucking douche.

- Make the online laggy as hell and don't do a thing about hackers.

- Throw in secret pro-Nazi propaganda which people don't realise about until someone actually raises the case on an online blog.

[robotking98]

1) Constantly release sequels that nobody wants to see any longer
2) Hardly release anything "new", and instead just constantly bring people back to games with DLC.
3) Have said DLC be more expensive than the game itself and provide little actual content
4) Ignore reports from players that parts of the game don't work as intended
5) Constantly harass the player in-game about buying DLC claiming that it "enhances gameplay".

[Mismo]

. Enable pre-ordering even though game hasn't got a release date is not nearly done yet.
. Always online DRM.
. Day one DLC

[Shade]

-Make you pay five dollars for a new outfit for your character. (Capcom)
-Make you pay extravagant amounts of money for the ability to play online. (Essentially every company out there)
-Make you pay twenty dollars for a map pack with three maps. (Every FPS ever)
-Hype up the super expensive awesome deluxe special edition turbo HD remix preorder that only comes with two or three items of interest. (Once more, fucking everyone)
-Online passes in fighting games. (Netherrealm, seriously? MK9 shouldn't have had that, no fighting game should.)
-Fifteen dollars for a hat. (I'm looking at you Valve)
-Release a half dozen versions of one game with two or three new characters. (Capcom again)
-Lastly, yearly releases, it doesn't make the gameplay any better guys. Just take your time and release it when it's done. (Ubisoft, COD series)

[orangebomb]

Release pointless DLC that doesn't really change the game experience, or simply use DLC as episodes instead of a proper sequel. {Valve}

Make games that are full of bugs and game breaking glitches that make it unenjoyable to play, and constantly continue to do so. {Crave and a few others}

[bstrong7890]

Let's See

Always Online DRM
Online Pass
Shifting the blame onto consumers when Something Goes Wrong
On Disk DLC (More like Microtransactions)
Speaking of Microtransactions having this in a game that you paid 60 dollars for
Day 1 DLC
Releasing a game incomplete only to have the rest of the game as DLC
and thats all I have right now

[Wavepad]

At 3/15/13 12:46 AM, HighWay wrote: basically be EA

Thats the best advice.

[Sword-of-Kings]

Release day 1 DLC
Release on-disc DLC
Lie and say the DLC isn't on the disc
Release DLC that is changes nothing in the game
Release DLC at a high price that adds very little to the game
Make people pay for to see the ending
Make it cost 10 dollars extra to see the ending
Have always on DRM
Release the same game every year with slight changes
Drop the price of the game by 10 dollars every year after its release
Make the game look and sound like shit and make people pay more to make it look and sound like it should

I could go on forever.

[SmartyPants]

At 3/15/13 12:46 AM, HighWay wrote: basically be EA

Sums up the thread, honestly

[Dimitrilium]

At 3/16/13 01:04 PM, SmartyPants wrote:

At 3/15/13 12:46 AM, HighWay wrote: basically be EA

Sums up the thread, honestly

+1

[BleachFanatic12]

Makes all my games for the Nintendo Virtua Boy

[sweet21]

The netire game is day one DLC, the disk only contains the code but none of the models or textures! Bwahahaha! Gimme all those sweet Austrailian price equivalent dollars! Hee hee hee hee hee!

[littlegonkyboy]

DLCs everywhere
dubstep music ingame (eh call of duty eh call of duty EHHHH!!!)
the same game recycled everytime (assassin's creed)
kinect support (because kinect it's cool for retarded children)
unbearable deadlines (gameloft...gameloft)

[mrpwnzer]

EA is worse than Hitler after all...

[TacoBell-Lord]

Not responding to customers when they complain & need help. Being totally unresponsive proves your true intentions in the video game industry.

[Shade]

Because I have nothing better to do, let's go through this post and match descriptions to games and their companies.

At 3/15/13 12:14 PM, entropy wrote: -take out half of game and re release it as four 'DLC' packs two months later, that cost half the price of the game each.

Capcom, Ubisoft and EA are all equally guilty of this one. Capcom mainly pulls this in fighting games like Street Fighter X Tekken

-push all of my DLC down players throats while they're playing

Treyarch/Infinity Ward, EA and Capcom. EA does this in everything. I can't boot up MvC3 without being reminded that I can spend twenty dollars for a new outfit for Wolverine. Try playing a CoD title without being reminded you can spend a week's salary on six maps.

-enable pre ordering that's 20% more expensive, even though more than enough copies will be made

Everyone.

-take a game from last year, give it a new campagin, say it's 'HD', and tweak the multiplayer slightly. Then sell it at full cost

Once more, everyone

-call everything hardcore and intense and revolutionary

Ubisoft with Assassin's Creed, every Cawadoody and come to think of it, every fucking FPS EVER MADE.

-bribe reviewers to rate my games WAY higher than they are

Wasn't 343 accused of that?

-appeal to trends and memes that the majority of my mindless retarded consumers will eat up and love

Gearbox pulled one of those with Borderlands 2's Minecraft references as well as arrow to the knee jokes long after the joke had gone from unfunny to wishing death on whoever utters it.

-release weapon packs that cost $10, but do nothing other than change the appearance of pre existing weapon models

Bethesda did this with Brink.

-treat pc gamers like total shit by making them subscribe to my shitty online gaming service, acting as if they don't already have steam

EA does this with consoles too.

-produce tons of shitty games based off of popular movies that everyone will buy just because they liked the movie

Fucking everyone

-Call my company EA

Capcom does this on a regular basis.

[BANGsquared]

Just do whatever EA does, and never apologize to my fanbase.

[KittenXing]

Well besides say " do what EA does" I'm going to try and be abit more original with a bad company.

- Make an extremly good game ( To atleast make a profit. ) Then with each sequal I will take something fron the last game hat everyone loved and replace it with a shit game mechanic.

- Quick time event to do the most common of actions ( EX: Gta you perform car jackings alot so to steal or get in a car you have to mash Triangle/ Y before he even starts to get in

- Misleading titles

- Relase and awesome demo for a game ( Around 20 minutes long) Ful game is the demo with an additinal 10 minutes ( good for indie game) Id also charge ten buck for the game and sell additinal levels for a dollar each.

[Kanon]

At 3/15/13 12:46 AM, HighWay wrote: basically be EA

Be activison and sell dlc for $14.99 each.

[superdan123]

Do everything EA games and Capcom do now and your on your way.

[momijirabbit]

I GOT IT!
EA.

[JRob]

At 3/15/13 06:52 AM, loluntilmypie wrote: - Go to make an announcement at a huge reveal, only to tell people to be prepared for an announcement later in the future.

Square Enix, you fucking idiots.

- Add online multiplayer to a game sequel that doesn't need it whatsoever and throw out the old game mechanics for the crappy new ones which suit the online multiplayer.

SquareEnix (Final Fanatasy should have never been made into an MMORPG)

- Constantly change the controls layout for every single sequel so that players have to go through that fucking tutorial each and every time.

SquareEnix (sort of)

- Throw out the old features of a game which made it great and add in some shitty gimmicks which make everything just as bad.

SquareEnix (Waiting for them to go back to turn-based, or at least go back to the FFIV ATB system)

- Hint at a sequel in one game, but make hundreds of prequels/spin-offs for years and years and then wait until nobody gives a shit about the game, then announce the sequel.

SquareEnix (Kingdom Hearts, anyone?)

- Crap on game developers which show a lot of talent and potential by completely forcing them to create a terrible game, then blame the developers for the game and shut them down.

SquareEnix

[JRob]

Are there any examples that haven't already been done? Really, I can't think of any other than giving an explicit "fuck you" to the fans.