210°

Slightly Mad Studios’ Response To Project CARS Wii U Delay Is Infuriating

One Angry Gamer "EA and Ubisoft can afford to piss off hardcore gamers and then advertise their junk to casuals who don’t know any better. Slightly Mad Studios can’t afford the luxury of selling a turd in a bag with a flashy $100 million dollar advertisement campaign. They have to deliver what they promised to the people who paid for that promise."

Moonman3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

Hopefully Drive Club and Forza drive their game in the bargain bin fast.........or maybe to where they buried those E.T. Atari games. That would make them change their name to Slightly More Mad. :)

2015 has so many games on all consoles let alone Wii U to buy. I say they are Slightly Stupid.

lilbroRx3575d ago

That is 100% correct. By 2015 no one will care about this game anymore, especially on a system that has a rep for getting the versions of multiplats with with the least amount of effort and care put into them with a higher price tag(and it will be higher by the time this comes out).

Anyone who wanted this game would have already gotten it and there will be so much else out on the Wii U by then that only fool would still buy this game on it after all of this.

Also, it seems the Sony zealots have caught wind of this news and have start rushing this article with agree promotion of comments that are disfavorable to Nintendo and disagree slamming anyone who calls out SMS or uses rational logic.

zeal0us3575d ago

Mario Kart 8 came out 3yrs after MK7 and people still cared about it. I'm pretty sure if a lot of WiiU owners back this game will still want it regardless it coming out a year later.

Chrischi19883575d ago

Are you kidding me? Are you really comparing Nintendos best franchises, that always have long legs, not only during the release, to Project Cars? And what has Mario Kart 7 to do with Mario Kart 8 on Wii U? I never read a comment, that uses stuff as logic, that has no connection at all.

SilentNegotiator3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

If Nintendo fans historically bought third party games, maybe Nintendo home systems wouldn't get the delays when developers needed to focus development.

It's like watching a chicken yell at the egg that the problem is all its fault, you fanboys getting mad at devs/pubs for doing what only makes the most business sense. No racer sim was ever going to do amazingly on a Nintendo console and anyone with the option to play it on another system was going to; Nintendo fanboys might boycott it, but anyone with a Wii U and only a Wii U that wanted this game will buy it, delay or not.

Concertoine3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

@SilentNegotiator

Maybe you should educate yourself a little bit before you write something like that.

1. In the consumer polls on the studios OWN WEBSITE, the Wii U owners showed the most interest, only behind PC.

2. This game was originally only coming to the PC and Wii U, and Wii U owners contributed greatly to the game's production.

With basic logic, we know that the Wii U is the only console this year not getting a racing sim, so the demand for this specific game is obvious. This game was in place to sell very well, and now it will not. It'll come out for 60 bucks by the time every other version is 40, and no one will buy it because they either don't want to spend full price on a old game or don't want to support an asshole studio. Sure some people can wait that long, but look at the comments on all these articles. People are pissed and are refusing to buy it.

SilentNegotiator3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

OH MY! Internet polls! Well, well, well then!

"With basic logic, we know that the Wii U is the only console this year not getting a racing sim, so the demand was obvious"

Actually, with basic logic, you have to establish a real demand (not internet polls) in the first place before you establish that a lack of something means that there will be a demand for it.

And it's a fact that core PS/Xbox fans buy a LOT more third party games than core Nintendo gamers (read "not including the casual-heavy Wii"). Entitled Wii U fans will still get their game that they contributed to, just not right away.

In fact, by your logic, if a lack of sims automatically means a presence of demand, then there will DEFINITELY still be a demand on Wii U a few months later.

Concertoine3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

@Silent

I can't think of a better way to show demand than funding the damn thing, personally.

How you could actually support the dishonest and backstabbing decision of this developer baffles me. It's easy when such a decision doesn't effect you, if this were the other way around and the money donated by PS4 owners was used to make a Wii U version and resources were even taken to ensure the latter made it out on time, this website would be on its head. The first multiplat to EVER have any potential to sell on this platform has now lost that potential, and yet another developer has succumbed to what they better hope is money over actual integrity.
This isn't something we should damage control or support even if one does hate the Wii U, this is the kind of blatant dishonesty that should be seen with disdain from ANY gamer.

randomass1713575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

@SilentNegotiator If the audience that funded your game is most interested in a Wii U version, it stands to reason that the Wii U version should get some priority in development. They have also been working on that version since the beginning and before the PS4 and Xbox One versions were made. It's a lot like Rayman Legends and how its main audience was on Wii U. It sold like crap but sold most on the Wii U even though they angered a lot of fans with the game's delay. I think the same thing will happen to this game. It's competing with other racing sims on the other consoles, so now the only audience that really wanted it is going to pass on it because of the delay. The developers just shafted their backers and fans and more than likely just ended the chances of success on Wii U. I was on the fence about whether to get it on PS4 or Wii U so I'm not entirely affected either way. But this was just a lousy move and Wii U owners have every right to be frustrated when they and PC owners were the ones who backed this game.

SilentNegotiator3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

1) They didn't fund it alone. PC demand is probably 100x higher (considering the genre), so I imagine PC support was way higher (where it counts, not internet polls).

2) They need to actually SELL the game to more than the original funders to make a profit. They need to establish a demand that makes them an actual profit, not breaking even.

3) No one got backstabbed. The game is still coming to the Wii U, just late. It's still coming to PC on time. Enough with the entitlement.

Concertoine3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

@Silent

Yeah, you're right. How dare i feel "entitled" to a product i contributed to with the expectation that it be delivered on time as promised for the first console platform ever announced. I should have known my money was going towards the other two platforms. I should shut up and take it like a b**** because i am but a lowly Wii U owner who dared to expect a quality product delivered punctually.

.../s

randomass1713575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

@SilentNegotiator

1. You need to prove that before you try to use it in a debate and you have no solid figures. If anything all of the proof suggests exactly the opposite of PC support being "100x higher" than Wii U in the poll they made for feedback.

2. Based on public response, the Wii U version is most likely going to sell less than before. Mission accomplished?

3. Wii U owners have every right to feel entitled. They backed and supported this project. They are part of why it exists. I wasn't even sure if I would get this on Wii U and even I can completely sympathize with everyone who is upset by this. This is not gamer entitlement, it's gamers feeling betrayed and used. Their funding was put toward the other releases and not the other way around. Telling Wii U owners that they need to just sit down and take it is pretty asinine.

Knushwood Butt3574d ago

Just curious, but what percentage of the development costs were funded by the Wii U crowd?

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 3574d ago
InTheLab3575d ago

But wouldn't Mario Kart do the same to them if they launched on the WiiU? It's the biggest racer out this year and certainly has a larger fan base than Forza or DC. Even months after launch, the hype for MK8 has yet to die and people will still run out and buy Kart this fall so where does that leave Project Cars?

SilentNegotiator3575d ago

Months after launch? You mean month. Singular.

Concertoine3575d ago

I doubt it. Mario Kart is a whole different racing game, whereas Forza and DC and The Crew all directly compete with Project Cars. And while MK8 still sells pretty well, by fall it will have dropped off and christmas sales for the kids will be carrying it.

Magicite3575d ago

So both PS4/X1 get 2 great racing games this fall while WiiU gets only 1 and only next year?
Not sure if WiiU owners should feel sad or angry.

deafdani3575d ago

You forgot Mario Kart, which has been out for a month now. :P

But yeah, I assume you meant racing sims and all that. Not cartoony racers.

mcstorm3575d ago

After that response I'm definitely not picking this game up was looking forward to it and wanted to see what the wiiu version was like before deciding if I should get it on the wiiu or Xbox one but that response is a big fcuk you to gamers imo and I'm option out and spending my money on something else.

JacketsNest1013575d ago

@Silent

The reason third party don't sell well on Nintendo home console is because the majority of them are half-assed ports that show little effort by the developers. We only buy good quality games. Make the games good, and we'll buy them,

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3574d ago
iamnsuperman3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

This is the problem with crowd funding. You have no rights and such should really complain about what the developers do with the money. This is the risk with giving money through crowdfunding sites and the risk should be known and accepted before giving the money away.

Also doesn't his statement make sense. Essentially the One and PS4 are built upon a similar architecture that makes porting PC games a lot easier. The Wii U isn't and so more time is going to be needed. From the sounds of it, the lead platform is PC. The crew was (as reported) ported to the PS4 in 6 months with 3 guys. That is a testament to the similar architecture. The Wii U has a problem in that it isn't similar. So that port is going to take longer

Now an argument can be made to say delay the PC, PS4 and One version or why didn't they manage the development process better. But these guys are privately owned and aren't the biggest developer in the world. They have probably spent all this time getting a good PC game then worried about the console versions later

MasterCornholio3575d ago

In my opinion if Nintendo went with X86 it would be a lot easier for 3rd parties to make games for the Wii U.

lilbroRx3575d ago

That is rubbish. You don't understand anything about CPU's if you believe that.

As devs have stated before, Wii U devleopment takes no longer than 360/PS3 developement, and the PS4 and XBONE take more to develop for than the PS3/360/Wii U.

Architecture isn't an issue because they are using Unity which "already adapted the Wii U hardware to take ports directly from the PC".

rawz3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

Just wow.

The game had 1 year head start on Wii U. So you are basicially saying that Wii U needs 2 years extra development time on Wii U? Give me a break, you obviously know nothing about it then.

The point especially iamnsuperman is missing is, that the game was originally ment to release on PC and Wii U. So they should be the lead platforms because that is what has been told to people who funded the project.

"This is the problem with crowd funding. You have no rights and such should really complain about what the developers do with the money."

Another wow. If you have funded the damn project, you HAVE A RIGHT to complain when you are being screwed over. Crowd funding is no other. You may be missing some legal rights, but you can write an article about it.

E: Considering the disagrees of other comments, people can't accept the fact their anticipated game has **** developers.

MasterCornholio3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

@above

Well since you two are such experts then why did they delay Watchdogs on the Wii U?

I thought they said it was because they needed more time to optimize the game for the Wii Us hardware.

mydyingparadiselost3575d ago

"Well since you two are such experts then why did they delay Watchdogs on the Wii U?

I thought they said it was because they needed more time to optimize the game for the Wii Us hardware."

Actually the WatchDogs release was postponed because the team working on the WiiU version was pulled off of it to help with the game on the other platforms. There was apparently some issue that only they could take care of and because of it the WiiU gets another late port.

lilbroRx3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

They delayed it because the Wii U version was never a priority version to begin with.

It wasn't even being worked on by the same people who worked on the other versions of Watchdog's. They gave it to some B rank studio in Budapest or something. Can't remember the exact place but it wasn't their A Team.

They've never made the Wii U versions of anything multiplat a priority beside Rayman Legend. That is why the Wii U versions of Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell were filled with bugs, performance problems and missing features.

Its called halfassing.

Chrischi19883575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

No, Ubisoft gave Watchdogs for Wii U to Ubisoft Bukarest, with way less developers, while all its main devs were working on the PS4, Xbox1 and PC versions. That is why it got delayed. And so it doesnt interfere with Mario Kart 8 that just happend to be released 3 days after Watchdogs original releasedate.

And that there are people trying to say we are not allowed to complain, because it was crowdfunded^^ How stupid is that? Complaining is not bound to any rules. Of course the Dev Studio can make what they want, but we also can complain when we want it. In what world do you live?

slivery3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

So what was stopping third parties from making games on PS3 and Xbox 360? You never heard anyone complain about anything other than the cell which that is understandable it was completely new.

The problem is many people are acting like PowerPC architecture is new or something but it has been in a lot of consoles since its conception pretty much.

For SMS to say the Wii U is harder to develop for is a total lie in a sense, it may be a bit more difficult than the PS4 or Xbox One but it is by no means actually hard to do. They are obviously pretty experienced in game development, for them to not know about PowerPC or how to develop on it is an insane notion.

IBM's PowerPC architecture was released in 1992 and it was used in several consoles. It was used in the Pippin, the M2, The Gamecube, the PS3, the Xbox 360 and the Wii. The Wii U uses PowerPC architecture also.

So again what was stopping third parties then? No one complained about how hard PowerPC was to work on before, to be honest I have never heard anyone complain about it until now and why would they, developers know PowerPC, it has been around a long time now.

So there is no way all of the sudden the Wii U is harder to work on. You also have to ask yourself, why are they saying this now? Why was there so much talk from them about the Wii U version but they never mentioned that before when they said they were working on it. You would think if they have always been having trouble with the Wii U version they would have made that known before and not when they decided to delay the game, it makes it comes off as an excuse then.

Which it is just an excuse, you can't tell me a team as talented as that doesn't know how to work on 12 year old architecture.

That would be like them saying working on x86 is hard, pretty much.

As I said I think they just got greedy and lazy, they knew porting from PC to the PS4 and Xbox One would be easy, so they took advantage of that. Before they planned on working on PS3, Xbox 360 and the Wii U versions but it appears they just gave up once they realized they could put it on PS4 and Xbox One which would make them easy money and take literally no work to do.

I mean we all know how easy it is to move games from PC to x86 consoles now, they have stated it many times it only takes a matter of days and can be done with literally only a few people. So it's easy to understand why they did but it still is very screwed up how they chose to go about it.

So people coming up with excuses like they didn't have the money to continue with older versions or they don't have the time or work force to get the Wii U version out at the same time is total bullshit, just like SMS's official statement that all the sudden they are now having trouble working on the Wii U version when before it was smooth sailing? It just doesn't add up.

I actually could understand if they only planned on putting the game on PC when they first put out the kickstarter but that wasn't the case was it? They listed other console versions for a reason because they are bullshitting you when they use "the architecture" excuse. They know PowerPC and if they hadn't, if it was this big of a problem for them to have to delay the game this long, they would have never initially put up the consoles they did which were the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U but they did because they are lying right now, the architecture is not new or anymore difficult for them.

randomass1713575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

@MasterCornoholio I could have sworn an N4G article popped up saying that the Wii U version was delayed because the team working on it was told to work on the other versions for polish. In fact, here's one of the articles I wound up reading. They don't explicitly state it, but it seems like they pooled resources from the Wii U team to make the other versions. http://www.ign.com/articles...

edit: Also slivery can have another bubble. :D

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 3575d ago
Bubbamilk3575d ago

I've been following the game for well over a year about 2 actually. And it was in development way longer than the ps4. I'd say that was there extra time to figure out the incredibly complex architecture of the upgraded wii that was an upgraded GameCube and so on.

Wii u fans FUNDED their game. And the just let it sit for about a year to work on 2 systems that did not fund it at all.

I'm a multi task kind of guy and that only works by being efficient and using logic. Logic would tell me that if its easier to port to ps4 and Xbox than port those last when the wii u is finished and release them all at the same time

And this is a way bigger issue than just that. Since the wii u has been released its been nothing but this shit right here. We have no problem delaying the wii u to release it with other systems but if its the other way around than we just go forward and release the ps4 and the wii u will release sometime later at full price when the ps4 version is in the bargain bin

The industry wants Nintendo dead which is just crazy to me but if u think about it nintendo despite all the bad media and poor sales continue to make everyone else look bad by releasing perfection one game at a time.

Even their remakes are better than the competition

But u are right about one thing this particular problem is crowd funding and its in a long list of problems with video games the last 2 generations. Dlc is robbery period. And so is what SMS has done here. We need to let all of these bad habits die by not supporting any of them

MsmackyM3575d ago

Well said. The pattern I've been seeing with most multiplats is purposely delaying or gimping the Wii U version. I know MS and Sony pay for timed dlc and skins, it would not surprise me if they were also paying to sabotage Wii U ports. It just doesn't make business sense to sabotage sales of your own game unless you were getting paid elsewhere. At this rate Project Cars is guaranteed D.O.A.

slivery3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

Could not have said it any better myself, so many people are believing them but PowerPC has been around forever and as you mentioned it has been used in older consoles as well.

So its such a lame excuse trying to say the architecture of the Wii U is the problem when we all know for a fact they already had platforms in mind that use PowerPC at first.

Your logic is sound, that would be the logical thing to do but they must not be that logical. As I said they got greedy and lazy, they just simply didn't want to continue working on those platforms and instead dropped everything to make quick buck off effortless work as we all know how easy it is to port PC to PS4/Xbox One and vice versa.

There really is no other explanation other than being lazy and greedy. It is not like this isn't the first time we have seen these type of practices with companies before but I am sure we were all hoping SMS was maybe a little different but I guess not.

b6gaming3575d ago

I am not buying this game on any console or for my pc or buying any games they may make in the future.
Their arrogant and stupid behaviour is uncalled for.

If the game is so easy to port from Pc to Ps4 and Xbone then they should of done that last and just focused on the Wii U version instead of putting it on hold.

Chrischi19883575d ago

Rayman Legends was OK to put on hold, because it was only the Wii U version. Why didnt they release Rayman Legends and then made it multiplat? No, they wanted to release all versions together.

The other way around, like with Watchdogs, doesnt work.

And now Slightly Mad Studios... why did they not hold all the versions, until all are finished? Isnt that the way it should be with all games? Release them on the same day, so all versions have equal chances?

I am so sick and tired of this. I have a pretty good gaming PC, but wanted to get it for Wii U, because of local multiplayer, but now I wont get it at all.

DC7773575d ago

There are obviously some bs "parity" type agreements like the one MS has that are bumping back Wii U versions of 3rd party multi-platform games.

"The parity clause that forces independent developers to release games on Xbox at the same time as other platforms has caused a lot of discussion within the game community, and Microsoft Game Studio honcho Phil Spencer gave his take on it as part Kris Graft’s fireside chat at the Game Developers Conference, reported on Gamasutra.

Spencer explained that the platform parity is about making sure that when they buy an Xbox players get “the best independent games, state-of-the-art and new.”

That said, the clause doesn’t come without problems, and he admits that some developers “can’t afford to develop on both platforms simultaneously.” As a consequence those that start on another platform may be locked out permanently.

It’s quite obvious that Microsoft’s best interest is to defend its own platforms, but we’ll have to see if Spencer’s awareness of the flaws of the clause will lead to changes in the future."

Granted this is about indies but I'm sure other agreements like this are out there. It has happened too many times now to be anything else. Obviously with lower 3rd party sales forecasts Wii U will always be the odd man out and the one to be bumped. It will probably not be knowledge available to the public. It's some b.s.

ironfist923575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

Its only a delay, theyre not cancelling it...

And wouldn't you prefer a definitive, refined and proper Wii U version rather than a thrown together one and shipped at the same time?

Gamers these days...

lilbroRx3575d ago

The definitive version of any game will be on the PC.

purp13m0nk3y3575d ago

Agreed. But it still begs the question. Why is the WiiU version not shipping before Xbox/PS4 or at the least at the same time.

Simple answer. Money talks. They will sell many more copies on the other consoles so that's what the distributor pushed for. And even if, as the devs say, and the distributor has no influence.

It still makes sense from a business stand point to focus on the platform/s that stand to make you the most money.

ocelot073575d ago

I do agree with you for the most part. As I mentioned below. If its all about sales then why are they delaying the Wii U version and not the XB1? As far as I can tell in terms of console sales the Wii U and XB1 are neck and neck.

The difference being XB1 owners have 2 similar games in Forza 5 and Forza Horizon 2. Meaning XB1 owners might skip Project Cars in favour of Forza.

Where on Wii U all they have currently in terms of racing games is Mario Kart and Need For Speed both being completely different type of racing games compared to Project Cars. Meaning more Wii U owners would buy Project Cars since there is noting similar on the Wii U to buy.

Sony on other hand have 8million owners so far. They have drive club coming out. But remember a good portion of drive club is free to PS+ members. Meaning PS4 owners can test it out. If they don't like it they can then look into getting Project Cars. Even if they do like it they can still buy Project Cars due to having a free version of drive club.

Ck1x3575d ago

That's not even a guarantee at this point though, it's not like Project Cars is a household name coming this holiday. It has a lot of similar competition to live up to! People have to understand that you have to throw semantics out the window of saying 1 is a sim and the others are arcade racers. All of the racing games coming out for the rest of this year are high fidelity graphic styles chasing a sense of realism. That's what makes them competitive in the same space. You don't need to ask what sets this game apart from MK8 just by seeing both. But on the other systems, people are not going to put in the effort to learn about project cars...

purp13m0nk3y3575d ago

@ocelot

Xbox1 hardware is x86. Like PC/PS4. Development for all three platforms will happen in unison. It would be incredibly counter productive to do otherwise.

Sadly the WiiU's Power PC based hardware makes it the odd one out this gen. It sucks because the WiiU hardware is in no way bad. It's just different and thus requires unique development.

AKR3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

No, no, no. Don't give me that.

If your platform of choice was singled out as the delay-ee, you'd probably feel the same way.

Nobody likes being obviously treated as a lower-class citizen. We're all Gamers; and despite our differences in opinion, we should not be treated differently as a consumer group - being separated by corporate perks.

It would be different if this game were just announced to be coming to the Wii U; but the kickstarter campaign TO GET THE GAME FUNDED, started on Wii U and PC. PS4/XBOX One weren't even in the picture yet. THAT'S what has people so angry. How can the version of the game that has been in development from the get-go suddenly need extra time? That's stupid.

ironfist923574d ago

Plenty of my most wanted games get delayed, even for PS4. Am i going to cry about it like a self entitled brat?

No.

And ive been waiting for Project Cars since 2012, when it was originally supposed to come out then had various delays.

ocelot073575d ago

I honestly don't understand why they delayed the Wii U version. Well I do a bit the Wii U version may not be up to scratch at this point.

If it is due to sales and money. With SMS thinking they would sell more on PS4 and XB1 then I think there wrong. I can see why they want to release on PS4 asap because there is what 8 million PS4 owners? There is a couple million sales right there. Because even with Drive Club coming in October remember a good chunk of Drive Club is free to all PS+ members. Meaning you don't actually have to spend money on it if you don't have to. Meaning extra money to spend on Project Cars.

On XB1 it's different. There is only what 4 million owners currently. Meaning much lesser sales than the PS4 version. Plus with Forza also coming out most people will only be buying the one racing game Forza or Project Cars. Since Forza is a established franchise I think the majority of XB1 owners will go for that.

Wii U how many Wii U owners is there about the same as XB1? So about 4 million. The difference here is. The Wii U does not have any racing games other than Need for Speed and Mario Kart. So I think this would sell well on Wii U if it has released along side the other versions.

What am saying here. If it is about sales and not that the Wii U version needs more time in development. Then this is completely wrong. Because I think the Wii U version would out sell the XB1 version. Maybe even the PS4 version as well if it has released the same time.

AKR3575d ago

Wii U has sold about 6+ million worldwide. It's actually closer to the PS4 in sales than the XOne is.

ocelot073575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

I know I just cut a few off each platform as there is no doubt people would of traded there Wii U or XB1 or PS4. Meaning there is probably plenty of second hand units sitting on shop shelves.

SilentNegotiator3575d ago (Edited 3575d ago )

And selling much slower.

Xbone has done ~5 million in ~8 months, Wii U has done ~6.5 million in 1 year and ~8 months. Do the math. And Xbone is back on top of Wii U in sales after a few weeks of what will no doubt be one of Wii U's biggest releases in its entire lifetime giving it a short lived boost.

Xbone won't be behind Wii U for long. You fanboys were going on and on about how Wii U had the larger install base than Ps4, too, despite the fact that it too was rocketing past Wii U's sales. Even when it was obvious that Ps4 was a week or two to outselling Wii U, fanboys were still going on about how Wii U had the larger install base (from a year headstart) and how they were entitled to this and that.

Realplaya3575d ago

@ SilentNegotiator the first week at the price drop Wii U outsold the X box one and since people like to throw VGC numbers out there

Xboxone - 63,521
Wii U - 62,668
As of July 5th also did you realize that the Wii U still has smash at the most critical time of the year. They get Bayonetta, Hyrule Warriors and I could go on and on. So don't let that one week surge in sales for the X box one feel you as the Wii U will be in second pushing towards first for a while. The one selling point of the One was the Kinect and guess what you lost your leverage.

Show all comments (73)
170°

Why did EA Kill Project CARS?

This video explains why we think Electronic Arts didn't see a future in the sim racing title Project CARS and promptly cancelled the fourth instalment.

Jin_Sakai531d ago

After the last installment I’d say most hardcore fans left. It’s just not that good anymore so I can’t really blame EA this time.

masterfox531d ago

because it was always a project and it never got finished :D

ChubbyBlade529d ago

Every game is a project. Your joke doesn’t make sense

InUrFoxHole529d ago

It makes perfect sense. It's obviously a play on the title. Jesus christ you must be a blast at parties.

ApocalypseShadow530d ago (Edited 530d ago )

Ask Bullfrog or Black Box or Tiburon or Studio 33 or Criterion or any of the previously acquired developers who made racing games as competition, or as developers of EA games, then eventually dissolved into oblivion or reassigned. Just ask them. They'll tell you why.

ApocalypseShadow529d ago

Oh. I forgot. Even Code Masters were absorbed into Criterion. Another racing developer EA took over.

Every racing developer either absorbed by EA or eventually destroyed by them. They either kill competition or have them in the end make Need 4 Speed for them.

MadLad529d ago

EA only cancels projects for one reason.
They didn't see enough money in it.

Kombatologist529d ago (Edited 529d ago )

Not when it's because it didn't meet some crazy margin. It's like if something doesn't make EA a billion dollars on day one (I'm exaggerating that figure of course), they swiftly put it out to pasture.

SurgicalMenace529d ago (Edited 529d ago )

Much like if you're spending money on what's a bad investment for your desired goals, you'd do away with it, if you're wise. We should try to get away from thinking we know more about business than individuals that have been doing it for decades. Perhaps you could benefit from going into business instead of wasting all of your talents in comment sections. It's clear that you're the missing piece that EA's been looking for.

MadLad528d ago

I've made a good amount of money betting on underdog investments over the years.

EA sets unrealistic expectations of their more niche developers, yet continue to fund absolute blunders like DICE and the Battlefield series year after year.

dumahim529d ago

EA butted in and messed with the formula and act shocked when it doesn't work out.

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90°

Original Project CARS creator trying to re-hire EA team

Ian Bell, the founder of Slightly Mad Studios, is aiming to hire former Project CARS employees to work on his upcoming GTR Revival project.

Sgt_Slaughter533d ago

If it's just going to be another sim-cade that doesn't do either one correctly then no thanks.

Project CARS 2 was a step in the right direction but the physics still aren't where they should have been, so what did they do for PC3? Go completely arcade. That killed the franchise.

220°

EA dropping Project CARS

From GI.biz: "EA is dropping Project CARS, GamesIndustry.biz can reveal.

The Slightly Mad Studios-developed series was launched in 2015, with EA confirming today that it has made the decision to "stop further development and investment" in the franchise.

The announcement was made internally and it's unclear at this stage to which extent staff could be affected. EA said that employees working on Project CARS will be moved into "suitable" roles "wherever [they] can.""

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gamesindustry.biz
Terry_B535d ago

Typical for EA. They buy studios that created nice games..and are sooner or later destroying them and move the people to work on the old same 5+ EA series.

italiangamer535d ago

They will put the developers on the 1000th Need for Speed for the rest of their entire careers, just like Criterion.

SurgicalMenace535d ago

To be fair, it's not EAs fault it falls directly on the consumer. Everytime these companies choose to drop a series they're met with backlash though the gamers didn't support said series enough to justify its continuation. Attempting to paint every company as evil all because they're in it to succeed is ridiculous. They have to make money just like each of us typing in this section. If a job wasn't supporting you well you'd quit and find a new one, this is the same mentality concerning series.

TheColbertinator534d ago

@SurgicalMenace

No it is their fault. They don't listen to fans and burn the franchise to the ground by introducing elements that nobody wanted instead of increasing support for said respected franchises.

I order a steak, they make a steak. 1st sale
I order a steak again, they vomit on my steak and charge me more for it. No sale.

EA in a nutshell.

Tapani534d ago

@TheColbinator Well how do you think they make the billions then?

Their fans ARE buying their games. You are just not their focus group, and I can guarantee their customer insights team is more thorough and detailed in their reaearch than any N4G commentors’ opinion on the matter. Otherwise EA would not exist as a company, and they’d be bankrupt.

deleted535d ago

The one that still hurts the most though was Criterion w the Burnout series. Acquired Criterion's tech for their own existing IP, then shut em down. It's basically parasitic. I sure do miss Burnout's crash mode!

Hofstaderman534d ago

Sounds eerily similar to another large unnamed corporation hey. I believe some EA bigwigs shifted to that company back in the day, would explain the similarities.

rlow1534d ago

Must be talking about Sony

peppeaccardo535d ago

and instead they come out with that piece of shit of Need for Speed which looks like an Anna & Barbera cartoon. C'mon .... PC2 was my go to game for VR racing and the first one i played for tens of hours. i was so lookiing forward to PC4 after that failure of PC3 ... what a shame EA, they are bombing all the good games and stick to the garbage ones. EA when you think you have reached maximum of disappointment they top it off with style .... screw them!

SurgicalMenace535d ago

Need for Speed continues to sell so why would they get rid of what's producing what they need to maintain stability?

EazyC535d ago

What they did to this series was idiotic. The premise was great -- a sim/simcade game that GENUINELY got developed in line with its community. There is a huge gap in the market for this...I mean, PD hasn't listened to fans at all over the last year with regard to simple Gran Turismo 7 tweaks. Sim racing fans are screaming for a title where they actually give a shit about their users.

Project Cars 2 was genuinely on to something, it just needed some refinement. But instead they followed up by selling off to EA with a braindead GRID clone with Project Cars 3. Again...idiotic.

SurgicalMenace535d ago

Well since you're the authority on properly managing a million dollar company, why don't you just call them to let them know of your divine wisdom?

Hardcore sim racers are the ones who are competing acrossed the globe, no company in their right mind would focus on a forever moving casual market. They have to focus on those dedicated to supporting their efforts. Notice how you're speaking from a perspective of self opposed to the collective. Perhaps they sold out because they, like us, needed the money knowing that they could reinvest it into something new. PC was a decent racer but very few people mainlined it over GT or Forza.

EazyC534d ago

I'm not a divine authority but I notice a pattern where these huge corporations turn completely tone deaf of what the "average fan" wants.

vallencer534d ago

Hate to break it to you but project cars 3 was published by Bandai in 2020. EA didn't buy codemasters, which owned slightly mad studios, until 2021. Either way the sales were super poor for the game and it's not surprising EA would just drop the game. BUT it still sucks because it's one less sim racing game on the market. Especially because the first 2 were really good.

Tzuno535d ago

and focuses more on cartoon network games

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