GOG Delisting Several EA Games (June 25, 2021)

[Whiplash]

What did you think of Satellite Reign? I picked it up at release but never got far in it.

Satellite Reign is flipping brilliant in my opinion. It's an indie title so maybe lacks that final bit of polish, but it nails the Syndicate atmosphere and gameplay. I highly recommend you try and co-op it with someone; it's great fun to split tasks between agents with one person focusing on specific skills. Playing solo can be very tricky.

 

[ChrisReid]

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Eh, is this really true? I was 13 when I joined the CIC, and I'd been playing the games since I was six. I don't think I'm some weird outlier, a lot of people play the games as kids and have fond memories of them which probably is why EA is relaunching the series now.

You'd been playing the Wing Commander games since you were six. I'm not saying young kids don't play games. My four year old is surprisingly proficient with a wide variety of games on multiple platforms. But if there are six year olds out there playing through the Dead Space franchise, yes, they're definitely outliers. It's one thing for you to have been playing one of the most popular games around in 1992. By 2008, the gaming market was so much larger and there were so many more options for engaging kids games. I'm sure some kids played Dead Space, but it's a pretty complex game for kids that old, and it's SCARY. I'm sure the target market is people who played the original games OR are college-aged gamers (plus people who are older and younger). It definitely didn't get green lit because there's some large group of people who played the originals AND are college-aged gamers.

 

[LeHah]

What did you think of Satellite Reign? I picked it up at release but never got far in it.

Heard about it but never touched it.,

 

[bsmith1702]

I found a few articles on why EA delisted the titles. Unfortunately, they don't actually explain why they delisted the titles.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/w...isted-four-classic-games-on-gog/1100-6495268/

"When making decisions that affect players we take the time to review exactly what the potential impacts are and whether they serve the players' best interests," Bruzzo said. "When we delisted Syndicate and Ultima Underworld we missed that step and so didn't fully consider the players' perspective."

Why would these things need to be reviewed? Once in GOG's library what more would need to be done except let it sit and hope it makes money. Once available, it doesn't cost EA anything to maintain a presence there, right?

 

[Bitterman]

I found a few articles on why EA delisted the titles. Unfortunately, they don't actually explain why they delisted the titles.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/w...isted-four-classic-games-on-gog/1100-6495268/

"When making decisions that affect players we take the time to review exactly what the potential impacts are and whether they serve the players' best interests," Bruzzo said. "When we delisted Syndicate and Ultima Underworld we missed that step and so didn't fully consider the players' perspective."

Why would these things need to be reviewed? Once in GOG's library what more would need to be done except let it sit and hope it makes money. Once available, it doesn't cost EA anything to maintain a presence there, right?

it smells of marketing demand quest.

it took a mobile game to revive the interest on C&C, maybe EA is planning the same with Ultima and Syndicate after the last 2 games of the franchise pretty much buried them.

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Almost certainly:
- EA (correctly) notes it’s the end of their contract with GOG and starts to draw down.
- GOG removes the games rather than renegotiating.
- Terrible reaction blaming EA at a time when they are trying to build back an older audience.
- EA, thinking it’s a worthwhile expense to let this go and in so doing seem magnanimous, allows GOG to relist and give away the games.
- GOG relists the games… and immediately gets all the credit for saving the day.
- EA does a little press to try and get back some of the credit they expected.

(The real giveaway is that their rep is talking like they removed the game and everyone got angry… when in reality, EA kept selling the games themselves and it’s just that no one wants their service instead of GOG.)