Mike Wang Has Left EA Canada and the NBA Live Development Team

[ataman5]

^^
We could eXpect that kind of reactions out of live 11 now.

[23]

mj... that was uncalled for an I know you way better than that.

You cannot come on here as if the TOS still doesnt apply. Chill man

Write your thoughts out better than all of that.

[BroMontana82]

Quote: Originally Posted by Pared

krazyboy is actually right. The overreaction is phenomenal. It takes more than one person/two people to make/break things. And let's not all pretend the staff in place don't all have a different way of looking at game development after last year. These guys deserve a lot more credit than they're being given. Go look at the credits for Live '10. Way more than one or two names but if you'd read this forum you'd never know that.

yes and no. people are missing the point i think. it's not that wang leaving could be taking the series in the wrong direction, it's the decisions (probably strictly business) being made by those higher up.

the problem here is that we obviously know they are taking live to a new direction that wang didn't agree with. and we can assume it's the direction most people on here applauded. but a few people can make or break things if those few people are the ones in control making the big strategic decisions. if a certain direction is decided by a few of those at the top of leadership structures, it sets the business on a certain course. and this can lead to it's demise. one example would be myspace. there was nothing inevitable about MySpace’s decline when Facebook overtook it. it made strategic mistakes. newscorp. set tough revenue goals and the site neglected its technology and added new features such as job listings and horoscopes that drove web traffic but had nothing to do with its core users’ interest in music.

it will be determined to see what happens in terms of direction and sales next year but the opinion of one might not even make business sense. what if EA figures that arcade sells more than sim? and it works? then for them, it's a win. it can obviously go the other way too depending on what the core fanbase wants.

[Pared]

Good post.

[michaeljordanjr]

Quote: Originally Posted by sambf12

yes and no. people are missing the point i think. it's not that wang leaving could be taking the series in the wrong direction, it's the decisions (probably strictly business) being made by those higher up. the problem here is that we obviously know they are taking live to a new direction that wang didn't agree with. and we can assume it's the direction most people on here applauded. but a few people can make or break things if those few people are the ones in control making the big strategic decisions. if a certain direction is decided by a few of those at the top of leadership structures, it sets the business on a certain course. and this can lead to it's demise. one example would be myspace. there was nothing inevitable about MySpace’s decline where Facebook overtook it. it made strategic mistakes. newscorp. set tough revenue goals and the site neglected its technology and added new features such as job listings and horoscopes that drove web traffic but had nothing to do with its core users’ interest in music. it will be determined to see what happens in terms of direction and sales next year but the opinion of one might not even make business sense. what if EA figures that arcade sells more than sim? and it works? then for them, it's a win. it can obviously go the other way too depending on what the core fanbase wants.

Great post. Now that I've cooled off I can speak with a clear mind.

What hurts the most is the company is not invested in art, it's invested more in sales. Successful companies are those that balance creed with bottom line. With EA it's JUST bottom line.

The gaming world is still in an infancy and the head honchos are people who know nothing about gaming.

If EA Sports let Mike have 100% control, he would have made NBA Live 11 what NBA Live 10 could have been had they entered next Gen properly.

But because of the deficit in talent in the past and because NBA Live Next Gen had ONE YEAR of great talent(LIVE 10) it would be impossible to compete with just one development cycle.

EA has no patience, they don't invest in artists, and they are literally KILLING this franchise. I'd say it's almost 6 feet underground now after Marcus and Mike leaving.

Who will replace these guys? NBA Jam is already coming to the Wii so that market is TAKEN.

My goodness what a year, I was so enthusiastic, even after release, but then the bugs and and the waiting and the waiting, I mean this was just messed up....

I'm confident to say and predict, NBA Live will have two years left before it's killed off officially.

[mvb34]

Quote: Originally Posted by michaeljordanjr

Great post. Now that I've cooled off I can speak with a clear mind. What hurts the most is the company is not invested in art, it's invested more in sales. Successful companies are those that balance creed with bottom line. With EA it's JUST bottom line. The gaming world is still in an infancy and the head honchos are people who know nothing about gaming. If EA Sports let Mike have 100% control, he would have made NBA Live 11 what NBA Live 10 could have been had they entered next Gen properly. But because of the deficit in talent in the past and because NBA Live Next Gen had ONE YEAR of great talent(LIVE 10) it would be impossible to compete with just one development cycle. EA has no patience, they don't invest in artists, and they are literally KILLING this franchise. I'd say it's almost 6 feet underground now after Marcus and Mike leaving. Who will replace these guys? NBA Jam is already coming to the Wii so that market is TAKEN. My goodness what a year, I was so enthusiastic, even after release, but then the bugs and and the waiting and the waiting, I mean this was just messed up.... I'm confident to say and predict, NBA Live will have two years left before it's killed off officially.

Are you and other jumping gun until see the offerings of NBA live 11 ?? Wang was not the lead producer of NBA Live 10..

[BrianFifaFan]

Quote: Originally Posted by mvb34

Are you and other jumping gun until see the offerings of NBA live 11 ?? Wang was not the lead producer of NBA Live 10..

No, he was the Lead Gameplay Producer, the only thing that really shined about this game. Modes? Shalllow. Graphics? They are cool, but don't keep a gamer coming back. If the gameplay guy says this is where we should go and the Head guy says, "no" Houston, we have a big problem. NBA Live's gameplay has been really bad for a while. And now the only guy who is known for his gameplay expertise when it comes to basketball gaming is gone. It's not like there was any recent version of the game that played well...... So color me confused as to why they are trying to set the game's identity or set it's course forward. The track record as of late has been in one direction unitl this year. South....

[BrianFifaFan]

Quote: Originally Posted by michaeljordanjr

Great post. Now that I've cooled off I can speak with a clear mind. What hurts the most is the company is not invested in art, it's invested more in sales. Successful companies are those that balance creed with bottom line. With EA it's JUST bottom line. The gaming world is still in an infancy and the head honchos are people who know nothing about gaming. If EA Sports let Mike have 100% control, he would have made NBA Live 11 what NBA Live 10 could have been had they entered next Gen properly. But because of the deficit in talent in the past and because NBA Live Next Gen had ONE YEAR of great talent(LIVE 10) it would be impossible to compete with just one development cycle. EA has no patience, they don't invest in artists, and they are literally KILLING this franchise. I'd say it's almost 6 feet underground now after Marcus and Mike leaving. Who will replace these guys? NBA Jam is already coming to the Wii so that market is TAKEN. My goodness what a year, I was so enthusiastic, even after release, but then the bugs and and the waiting and the waiting, I mean this was just messed up.... I'm confident to say and predict, NBA Live will have two years left before it's killed off officially.

I agree. You know why David Rutter of Fifa is so successful? He has a guy named Gary Patterson who knows soccer/football. And he lets him come up with a game that looks and feels like soccer/football. And it sells like hotcakes. It took four years to get there, but now it's king. The NBA Live Head Producer needs to have that kind of trust, and reap the rewards of having patience and letting a great game grow out of the junk that has been NBA Live. Sadly, I'm not thinking he has that in him. Not based on the latest news.

Sorry, but a guy who has been with the series since his motion capture days doesn't necessarily have the goods to determine what's good for the series. Chances are, he was part of the long line of people who got this game into the sorry state it has been this gen. Not an insult, per se. Just stating fact. This game has blown chunks all of this gen. Sales have been poor and critics have panned it bad. A new vision was needed and ,seemingly, has been rejected. Sad days......