Visceral Had to Convince EA to Delay Battlefield Hardline

GR: Believe it or not, it took a bit of convincing for Electronic Arts to delay Visceral Games' upcoming first-person shooter.

[Dark_Overlord]

"According to Battlefield Hardline creative director Ian Milham, the team really wants to do its fans right and make a quality product, so the studio went to its publisher and worked to get EA to allow them more time. Apparently Visceral's request was met with a bit of friction."

Typical EA, wanting to release broken crap then fix it later. Glad Visceral convinced them though :) I don't think EA could afford for another mess like BF4.

[annoyedgamer]

They did, they afforded The Sims 4 and they will do it again.

[mikeslemonade]

They better because this game looks last gen.

[FullmetalRoyale]

I'm genuinely shocked that they were tempted to release it as is(was) after the backlash from BF4.

EA's m.o. seems to be "make a great game eg: DAO. Then release a stripped down soulless sequel: DA2. Then after you've chased away the loyal fan base, make a sequel that feels like a true sequel to the original: DAI, with some damn soul in it."

Only after you get the fans back can you start trying to screw them again. I thought they had realized that. Then again, perhaps they did.

[Yui_Suzumiya]

I didn't like Origins but I love II.

[Ashlen]

Or just not fix it at all...

[mochachino]

If you're going to spend millions making a game, may as well give it a few more months to make it right.

[insertcoin]

Sometimes delaying games, as Sony said earlier, is the best option instead of releasing a half-assed game.

[Volkama]

Of course there was friction. If I have to delay any project at work there will be friction. Whoever is managing the project has a responsibility to get it complete within planned deadline, and that person wouldn't be doing their job if there was no friction.

Welcome to the world of grown ups.

[ScottyHoss]

But what if the deadline were unreasonable and you needed more time? There's a thin line between delaying something (game or otherwise) for the fact that it will not be finished regardless of work ethic and not using the time given effectively, but it is a line EA should easily be able to recognize, especially after BF4. If they can't, they're not doing their jobs properly.

[Volkama]

I'm not suggesting a delay is never the right decision, or that there are not valid reasons. I am just saying that there will always be opposition to it, this is normal and expected.

[Parasyte]

@Volkama
Thank you for proving you know nothing of game development.

[Volkama]

Do go on. Tell me how game development is so different from any other industry? Tell me how Peter Moore encourages his staff/contractors/partners to take their time, how he relishes the opportunity to deliver that news during EA's investor calls.

They're a major publisher investing millions of dollars into these projects. Do you believe the decisions and schedules are made lightly? That "when it is done" is a sustainable way for such a company to operate?

Do you know how much an extra 3 months development would cost (think salaries for 100 odd people).

I will surely appreciate any wisdom you can share on the subject.

[annus]

@Parasyte

And what's your experience?

Do you think people just make games and release it when it's ready? You know that EA is a company right? They run on money, with the goal to make more money.

Hardline was going to release in the prime time of sales, right before Christmas, of course there was friction when they wanted to delay till after that.

I'm curious as to what you think non-technical roles play in the gaming industry, or do you simply believe they suddenly don't exist in such a project?

[LazyGoron]

Agree 100%... these forums are made up of people (no offense intended) who primarily do not work in white-collar, professional, and business environments.

I have to handle millions of dollars in premiums for an insurance company, in multiple states. I have employees who report to me and I report to someone. I'm required by my boss to complete projects, deadlines, reports, presentations, meetings, etc. and I have to use my resources (my team) to get the job done in a time frame set by someone, usually my boss or more importantly, a client.

If I am late, even if it is a valid excuse, it's my fault. If I say, "but boss, wouldn't you rather have a better report than a 'half-assed' report?" He'd look me in the eyes and laugh and say: "I pay you to get it done 100% right and do it in the time I tell you to"

There is no arguing or convincing from me because I am responsible to get my work done, doesn't matter the time-frames, hang ups, or anything else. I have a project and a deadline, my job is to get it done.

Fail to understand how people don't get this. EA has backers, sponsors, adverts, and people I can't think of that have money on BF Hardline. If the 'dev' can't make the deadline, that's bad for EA's business. They have responsibilities and expectations as well and they want to meet them, it's the same for the expectations they give to the dev, they have to be met (that's the assumption when you begin a contract with anyone)

EA's position should be: Visceral, we gave you plenty of resources and time to make a decent game. Your inability to not meet timelines and expectations is your fault, not the publishers. The dev has to agree to the time-frame or at least know about it before the game begins being made.

It's not a dictatorship where EA controls 100% of the aspects of the game. Visceral had a job to do and they didn't do it in the agreed time. That's not inherently bad but it should and does affect them negatively, as it would with anyone who fails to meet a deadline for their boss.

[audiophile101]

finally someone who has put this in simple English as to why this stuff happens.

these kind of deadline requirements can even relate all the way down to call center employees. They have metrics to be met from the client and if the client is not satisfied enough then they can pull out and go with someone who can get it done

[GarrusVakarian]

So EA would have happily had another BF4 situation on their hands if Visceral didn't push for a delay?

I should be shocked, but I'm not. EA gonna EA.

[sovietsoldier]

im still not buying that pos mod they made, should have been free for all the bf4 bs we had to go through.

[gamerfan0909]

Have you seen the single player video they showed like 2 months ago? Looks nothing like Battlefield and looked pretty damn good. Idk why people use this mod crap. The game is clearly built from the ground up as its own IP. I don't think they should've used the battlefield name though.

[WeAreLegion]

This is why I think Visceral is too good for EA. They're a wonderful team and need to work with a publisher who actually cares about the games they're releasing.

[uth11]

I don't have much love for EA, but I do understand that their income depends on getting these releases out. They have lots of employees to pay and if releases slip, then their revenue will slip and they will miss projections and their stock will get punished, etc.. So they have a lot of pressure to make their deadlines. This is why they are pushing something like EA access.. Gives them guaranteed revenue.

I guess a company like Sony is different because they don't rely solely on software for their revenue.

[Iltapalanyymi]

this video is always relevant, when it comes to EA.

[NeoGamer232]

In business when a company is paying $50 million or whatever to get a game made you don't just phone up and say, "our game needs more time to complete"...

You have to do this little thing called "justification". It is not uncommon that the source of funding million dollar projects will give you a hard time when you ask for a delay that is going to miss the holiday buying rush and add to the costs of the game further.

Although I am not an EA fan, this is BS.