Madden Creative Director, Ian Cummings is Leaving Tiburon

[Hooe]

Quote: Originally Posted by LiquorLogic

Also, I find it hard to believe that a start up company designing facebook games pays more than Tiburon. Could I be wrong ? Yeah, but that just seems fishy to me.

One of the big topics at GDC this year was the explosion of social games, which came out of nowhere and now have more total players than traditional console games do. They face their own set of problems, but there's a large amount of money to be made in that area.

[Smoke6]

Quote: Originally Posted by coogrfan

Asking EA to scrap a functional (if unspectacular) football engine for unproven technology in the wake of the NBA Elite fiasco seems a tad unrealistic, imo.

Read my post above this one and please refer to madden 06-07 on 360 and PS3.

Check your madden history bro, it was just a few years ago they scrapped that engine for who know why, and gave us there Xbox engine in HD with even more restrictions.

[LiquorLogic]

Quote: Originally Posted by ScriptOhio

One more time guys.... The devs have a direction or idea for the game, they take it to EA Management. Management says no, that's not important, you need to put this in the game instead (example: a content item that's download purchase only). Everyone can blame the devs til they are blue in the face, but those that do obviously haven't actually worked in a professional setting. I'm sure money had something to do with Ian leaving, but I guarantee a huge part was him and his staff being handcuffed by management and the amount of idiot junk that spews out of peoples mouths on sites like this. His response was always "we are trying", a lot of people realize when he says that it doesn't mean we are trying to figure out how to do it, but most likely "we are trying to get this put into the game but the people at the top don't feel its important". His job EA also to spit the company line, did you really think he would come out every year and say "can't do it, management doesn't care what you want"? Cmon thats breach of contract and opens him up to a lawsuit... That is after they throw him out the door. Believe it or not, but developers don't have free reign over what the produce, every action is strictly monitored by their bosses to maximize the profit. They are making an absolute killing on MUT, much more than the sales would have netted if the 10% of you who didn't purchase the game would have went out and bought a copy. As far as everyone who says this lawsuit will change things... The lawsuit will fail miserably, probably won't make it last preliminary hearings. Anyone can file a lawsuit, that doesn't mean it will go anywhere.

I'm sorry, but I don't actually buy the explanation that Ian wasn't happy with the direction Madden was going. First of all, he's leaving to develop facebook games. There can't be much depth to that. Leaving Madden, to develop facebook games, because EA wants to cater to the casual crowd seem idiotic to me. Second, Ian clearly made attempts make the game more sim: They added Pro-Tak, slowed the game down, made the drop backs, of the QB, more realistic, and, among other things, they stretched the ratings to further separate the elite from the average.

The problem was that Pro-Tak looked like a group hug; the speed, which was the default speed online, was too slow, and the stretched ratings were useless because ratings, especially in the trenches, meant absolutely nothing. Games that were four and seven years old, respectively, were still head and shoulders above anything that Ian and company were able to produce. The dev team obviously had the freedom steer the game in the direction that sim gamers wanted, but it's a real possibility that this team simply wasn't talented enough to pull it off. Maybe Ian did leave for the money; however, I find it hard to believe that a start up company, making facebook games, pays more than EA Tiburon. Maybe Ian gave up, or maybe Tiburon gave up on him. We'll never know.

Quote: Originally Posted by CHooe

One of the big topics at GDC this year was the explosion of social games, which came out of nowhere and now have more total players than traditional console games do. They face their own set of problems, but there's a large amount of money to be made in that area.

That's a good point, but EA and Tiburon are well established companies. You would think they pay top dollar, but who knows.

[Smoke6]

Quote: Originally Posted by LiquorLogic

I'm sorry, but I don't actually buy the explanation that Ian wasn't happy with the direction Madden was going. First of all, he's leaving to develop facebook games. There can't be much depth to that. Leaving Madden, to develop facebook games, because EA wants to cater to the casual crowd seem idiotic to me. Second, Ian clearly made attempts make the game more sim: They added Pro-Tak, slowed the game down, made the drop backs, of the QB, more realistic, and, among other things, they stretched the ratings to further separate the elite from the average. The problem was that Pro-Tak looked like a group hug; the speed, which was the default speed online, was too slow, and the stretched ratings were useless because ratings, especially in the trenches, meant absolutely nothing. Games that were four and seven years old, respectively, were still head and shoulders above anything that Ian and company were able to produce. The dev team obviously had the freedom steer the game in the direction that sim gamers wanted, but it's a real possibility that this team simply wasn't talented enough to pull it off. Maybe Ian did leave for the money; however, I find it hard to believe that a start up company, making facebook games, pays more than EA Tiburon. Maybe Ian gave up, or maybe Tiburon gave up on him. We'll never know.

Besides the bolded being false as SPEED was the overall factor once again, I can see him leaving because wanted to limit his creativeness and innovation with this game, if thats what it was. people do it all the time when they feel they're talents or ambitions are being held back for either money or whatever.

[coogrfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Smoke6

Read my post above this one and please refer to madden 06-07 on 360 and PS3. Check your madden history bro, it was just a few years ago they scrapped that engine for who know why, and gave us there Xbox engine in HD with even more restrictions.

If I understand you, you're claiming Madden 09-11 (NG) are ported versions of the ps2/xbox game with graphical updates.

If that is what you're saying, my response would be to say that is complete and utter nonsense. If, otoh, I misunderstood you, please accept my apologies.

[ryan36]

Quote: Originally Posted by cdub71323

Glad someone else feels the same way, just see my post on the page before this. Ian was great with the community, so of course people aren't gonna like that he's gone. But, he never contributed that much to the actual game

I don't think you can say that about any dev that puts in 60hrs a week on a flagship title.

Quote: Originally Posted by chrisphil1724

I'm very happy to hear this. I feel this job was more then Ian Cummings could handle. Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy but the series has been going sideway at best since he took over.

I disagree. It's decidedly been going toward more sim, year in and year out. You can question the implementation, but I don't think this is anywhere NEAR the same vision.

Quote: Originally Posted by SA1NT401

HOnestly, i couldnt care less about what happens to their "football" title.....Madden is forever dead to me.

If this was true, you wouldn't post here. You obviously care, you're in this forum... that's the definition of care.

Quote: Originally Posted by LiquorLogic

I find it hard to believe that a start up company, making facebook games, pays more than EA Tiburon. Maybe Ian gave up, or maybe Tiburon gave up on him. We'll never know. That's a good point, but EA and Tiburon are well established companies. You would think they pay top dollar, but who knows.

I doubt EA gave up on him, they kept coming up with "promotions" via the title for him. My guess is, they liked him a lot. As to your second point, maybe he gets stock options or something, or maybe it's less money but more fun. He can be less famous now.

And everyone, stop w/the 2k comparisons.

[Hooe]

Quote: Originally Posted by LiquorLogic

The problem was that Pro-Tak looked like a group hug; the speed, which was the default speed online, was too slow, and the stretched ratings were useless because ratings, especially in the trenches, meant absolutely nothing.

The Pro-Tak in Madden 10 was especially prone to the "group hugs", haha, but it still added a significant something to the game, IMO.

Wasn't game speed adjustable if one played any mode but ranked online? I enjoy the slower game speed.

I remember seeing a really intelligent post on here about that whole ratings assertion in that the apparent uselessness of the ratings is moreso a function of the game sliders than ratings. I personally have never had problems differentiating between good and bad linemen in my time with M10 and M11, though admittedly I've never tried to put kickers and quarterbacks on the line because that thought always struck me as kind of silly and pointless.

Quote:

That's a good point, but EA and Tiburon are well established companies. You would think they pay top dollar, but who knows.

If he indeed left for a startup, presumably the risk he's taking is trading relative financial stability at EA for the chance to be one of the top people on the ground floor of this new company, should it succeed and take off. This could be worth more money than anything Tiburon could offer, and obviously he'd have more creative freedom as he will no longer be limited to making only football games.

[Segagendude]

Just hire the Man himself-----Mr. John Madden-------the game's namesake-------to be the new creative director.

He's got nothing else going on right now......and he can go with what he knows is football, and if they (the suits) don't like it, he can tell em to "stick it". Afterall, this was originally HIS idea!