430°
NYC_Gamer4337d ago

Radical was bound to close after the failure of both Prototype games

moegooner884337d ago (Edited 4337d ago )

Really upset about this, loved Prototype 2, and The Simpsons hit and run was a blast

user54670074337d ago (Edited 4337d ago )

Simpsons Hit and Run was great but as soon as Activision took charge of Radical they went down hill.

I really think people are forgetting that Radical were only good before Activision aquired them.

saladthieves4337d ago

It's too bad because the Prototype IP was a good one, having had played and enjoyed both games. It's all about the money when it comes to Activision, nothing else; and there's currently one cow that generates most of it: Call of Duty. If they know they can double CoD $ales next year and they had to kill off a few cool promising IPs to get there, they'll do it.

It just sucks!! Hopefully the prototype IP will come again in the future?

omi25p4337d ago

so do activision only have Treyarch and sledgehammer as developers now?

zeal0us4337d ago (Edited 4337d ago )

Activision kills yet another studio. Sometimes I wonder why don't they sell studio or IP rights. At least that way they could get some money rather than no money.

badz1494337d ago

both Radical and Sucker Punch improved both games a lot in their 2nd iterations.

Sucker Punched acquired by Sony while Radical is now closed! it's really clear now who's really thinking about GAMES and GAMERS and who only cares about MONEY 1st gamers 10th! (2nd - 9th are also money btw!)

good job there Activision! /s

sikbeta4337d ago

Was a matter of time, Acti being Acti, game doesn't do well and they kill the studio...

lastdual4337d ago

It's not like Activision didn't try to make the Prototype games succeed. They marketed the heck out of them both. The simple fact is that despite the marketing push, not enough gamers cared.

Usually people complain when a publisher sends a game out to fail without spending anything to market it. This definitely wasn't one of those cases.

pixelsword4337d ago

I haven't played either one; do you need to play the first one for the 2nd one to make sense?

BlackTar1874337d ago

last duel,

I never saw any marketing for Prototype 2 anywhere. They must have marketed it around my viewing channels

lastdual4337d ago (Edited 4337d ago )

@BlackTar187

There were ads on most major gaming sites, along with video ads on sites such as GameTrailers and IGN (mostly "preoder at GameStop" ads).

Prototype 2 definitely had a decent advertising budget, so I don't think we can blame Activision for not getting behind it.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 4337d ago
HebrewHammer4337d ago

Lot's of talent at Radical. Let's hope they all recover, and quickly.

DiRtY4337d ago

They are in Vancouver...

http://www.mgsvancouver.com...

lot of talent on the market...

HebrewHammer4337d ago

Maybe they can relocate easily to Rockstar Vancouver!

Arcanine4337d ago

STAY AWAY FROM MY MAN!! i know who YOU ARE!

user54670074337d ago (Edited 4337d ago )

Totaly agree...

Prototype was a crap franchise...sorry to be blunt but it was nothing "amazing" was it. I mean the second one didn't really feel like a sequel...more of an expansion.

If the games don't sell then why keep a studio around

saladthieves4337d ago

Lots of others beg to differ. I for one enjoyed both games. Hopefully it won't be the last we hear of the franchise.

Trebius514337d ago

I never liked the prototype series...only cause there are so many other sandbox games that are superior. Prototype is worth a playthrough, especially if you only own a 360. But it really doesnt bring anything extraordinary to the genre. I hope the talent in the studio is able to create new projects in the future.

Louis_Guzman4337d ago

@egidem: Obviously not enough to matter. Prototype series was crap and here's the result. Good riddance.

ABizzel14337d ago

@Mike

I have to disagree with you. Prototype was a good franchise, it just couldn't compare to the waves of games releasing every year. IMO Prototype is comparable to a good movie game. They're enjoyable and worth the playthrough, but no one wants to pay $60 for it.

It's sad, but in Activision's eyes if you're not selling 5 million+ you're dead weight. The first Prototype sold over 2 million copies, and the second is on it's way to 1 million, so obviously people like the franchise.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4337d ago
jerethdagryphon4337d ago

its hard but not everygame can sell millions

especially niche type genres

its a shame really

ATi_Elite4337d ago

You know what this means......

Radical gets to make Call of Duty games now!!!

NonApplicable4337d ago

I don't think you understand the meaning of CLOSE DOWN.

MariaHelFutura4337d ago

Not mentioning the Hulk:UD is downright disrespectful. It was the first superhero game done right and led the evolution into the superhero games of today.

8bit_Nes_Rambo4337d ago

Yeah, try Nes Batman or Marvel vs Capcom.

LightofDarkness4337d ago (Edited 4337d ago )

Seriously, no. Spiderman 2 came out the year before that, largely regarded as the best Superhero game of that generation. Not to mention MvsC, Freedom Force and TMNT (arcade).

They made a good game, which was in the upper echelons of superhero games, then made that game 2 more times with out the license (Prototype). Before that, their track record was nothing to write home about. Honestly, much better studios have gone under (Clover) to considerably less fanfare and coverage.

That said, it's always terrible when people lose their jobs, so if that's the outcome of all this, my sympathies go out to everyone.

Hudahudahuda4337d ago

lol now since when is superhero games a genre?

No, they are either fighting, or adventure games with characters that happen to be superheroes.

MEsoJD4337d ago

The prototype games were horrible. Only fun for 20 minutes. Cant say I was surprised, though Simpsons Hit and Run wasn't that bad.

Darth_Bane794337d ago (Edited 4337d ago )

I think they brought this upon themselves. Making a sequel to that game after the first one selling so poorly, and having such a bad reputation, was a huge mistake. And from the results we can see that no matter how much money Activision poured on marketing for this game, it's bad reputation preceded it. Maybe they should have worked on something better with a new name, that could have saved them from this sad outcome.

PtRoLLFacE4337d ago

omg bungie my prayers are with you!

titans99994332d ago

ummm, selling 2 million copies of each is hardly "failure."

+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 4332d ago
JaredH4337d ago

I guess if Activision owns you you're either shutting down or making Call of Duty...

NYC_Gamer4337d ago (Edited 4337d ago )

Can you really blame Activision though?why should they keep funding a studio that can't produce ground breaking software that move units....

narked4337d ago

Why not market it better then? If you compare prototype to other games it was too silent of a release.

SilentNegotiator4337d ago

@narked

I don't know about that; here in the US, I saw an ad pretty every day for a week from a little before and after launch of Prototype 2.

torchic4337d ago

@narked

are you serious? that game was marketed well, with the Johnny Cash live action ads coming on TV all the time.

I've seen worse advertising for AAA Sony exclusives trust me.

MariaHelFutura4337d ago

Radical created the first well done properly finished superhero game in the Hulk:UD. Show some respect.

narked4337d ago

@SilentNegotiator & @torchic

can't say the same thing about Europe then I'm afraid. I seen some ads on the internet (although only a couple), but on british and italian tv not that much.

madjedi4336d ago (Edited 4336d ago )

@nyc gamer ground breaking software and activison shouldn't be in the same sentence ever, if you think otherwise i pity you.

Did prototype 1 and 2 do enough in sales to cover their development and marketing budget, if it did why close the studio.

This isn't tiny atlus or nis as a publisher it's fucking 20-25 million+ copies of cod sold every year and 6 million copies of diablo 3 sold recently. If anyone can take a hit with a bad game it's certainly activison. Still sounds like simple greed to me.

And yet people consider ea to be the worst company in gaming, go figure.

SilentNegotiator4336d ago

@maria

Hulk:UD was pretty good, but had some balance issues. I remember (I don't remember the difficulty levels, but I played normal, for sure, if that was how it worked) parts of the game towards the end where I'd be getting smacked left and right by robots without opportunity to do anything.

Besides some balance issues, it was a solid game.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4336d ago
MoveTheGlow4337d ago

Or making Skylanders. Don't forget that money tree they've got growing in their backyard, it's pretty important!

Kran4337d ago

The Simpsons: Hit and Run

<3

Best.

Simpsons.

Game.

Ever.

Period.

310dodo4337d ago

Funny how Activision use to say EA milked franchises and killed creativity.

really...?

anyways Simpsons Hit N Run was awesome!!
Prototype/2 was a 7 ratings game at best.
the new character turned everyone I know who loved part 1 off.

Show all comments (122)
120°

Activision Blizzard Faces $23.4M Fine for Patent Infringement

Activision Blizzard ordered to pay $23.4M for patent infringement involving popular games.

Read Full Story >>
infinitestart.com
Skuletor4d ago

Another L for Xbox, when are they going to have good news?

MrDead4d ago

I would read the article but the giant pop-ups from the top and bottom of the screen made me close it.

Without reading $23.4 million isn't a deterrent for a company that size.

peppeaccardo4d ago

Boss: Let's fire a few people to recoup on that loss.
Slave: Cortana has decided to get rid of Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks.
Boss: Let's get those Firing Letters "Copilot Approved" and send them through the power of the cloud.
Slave: Long Live Phil !!!
ALL in the room: LONG LIVE PHIL !!!!

rlow13d ago

Well another troll company with a patent trying to extort money out of companies. Seems like they’re going to try and sue everyone.

PRIMORDUS3d ago

Not enough drain them for more, fuck Blizzard POS company.

130°

Judge Delays Ruling on FTC's Attempt to Exclude Evidence in Microsoft's Favor in Activision Case

The legal battle for the acquisition of Activision Blizzard continues, with Microsoft countering one of the FTC's latest moves and the Judge delaying a relevant ruling.

Read Full Story >>
techraptor.net
thesoftware73086d ago

Look, to be honest the FTC should just stop.

MS has A/B and nothing has really changed yet...if you are worried about 5-10 years from now...just drop it cause the future is unpredictable.

Take this week's news, that 4 Xbox exclusive are going Multiplatform.

100°

FTC and "Gamers' Lawsuit" Lawyers Denounce Microsoft's Layoffs in Activision Blizzard Legal Battle

The FTC and the lawyers behind the "Gamers' lawsuit" against Microsoft over the acquisition of Activision Blizzard are denouncing the recent layoffs within the respective legal battles.

Read Full Story >>
techraptor.net
Abriael96d ago

It's like watching a bad legal drama.

XiNatsuDragnel96d ago

Best part there's no dramazation lol