According to Pastapadre and Kotaku, Phil Frazier (Executive Producer for Madden NFL) is the latest to leave EA Sports Tiburon.
Quote:
"It is currently uncertain where he is headed however two prime possibilities are Row Sham Bow – the new social gaming company started by former Tiburon GM Philip Holt – or the massive social gaming company Zynga which has taken on several former Tiburon employees in the last year."
Who remembers XOR football (PC). I remember when I thought that was the greatest thing. Sure would like to find it somewhere and install it for giggles.
I played the crap out of it. It's abandonware. You can download it. It's out there.
Whether exclusive license was out of there control or not, they still have to expect angry customers. If they would have kept improving the game from the prev gen consoles and PC, and provided a game on par with others of it's genre (like NBA2k11), then customers aren't angry. Or if a customer has choices, they're probably not angry.
With the way things went, they all had to expect angry customers.
Maybe it's just me but being angry over a video game doesn't mean common courtesy should go out the window.
The devs are not responsible for the licensing agreement. Why attack them over it. They have no say in that deal. If people are that angry with the agreement they should be writing angry emails and letters to the NFL. The NFL drives that train.
In theory that's a good idea, but when people don't get their personal wish, or something they think is the most important, get the fire extinguisher. When you interact with anybody on any level, at any age, and in any setting, you will get good reactions and bad reactions.
I've been on other forums, and as far as respectfulness goes, OS is the cream of the crop. In my perception, the only problem is that fan-boys, or Madden apologists don't face the same threat of punitive measures as the so called haters. People who blindly defend the game, without saying what they like, or tell people " It's just a video game, get over it, " or " nobody forced you to buy the game " cause as many threads to go down hill as the "haters."
To me, people like that are as much of a problem as trolls. I mean, if it's just a video game to them, and they don't take it that seriously, like they claim, why even click on a thread where people are expressing negative opinions about the game ?
It's one thing to disagree with someone's opinion and explain why, but it's another thing to say that they don't even have the right to have, or express,their opinion. When you to someone "it's just a video game," that's really what you're saying.
You have to be part of some social experiment regarding internet forums.
Atari 2600 Combat and sky diver. Enough said! . Good points BK.
Combat. Loved how the tank actually had the rumble. Dang it, you've got me de-railing the thread again! LOL! I actually loved Warlords. Had the curve down to a science. Man, been playing these games far too long. Maybe ya'll are right. Maybe I need to go into Gamer's Annon. "Hi I'm Brian and I'm an addict...." It's sad, I get up at 3:30AM just to play so I don't neglect my kids. "put down the controller......."
Now see, you say attack, and personal attacks should never be tolerated. But, when your company has an exclusive license and the product is sub par for many years, then it is perfectly legit for customers to voice there displeasure over the game and there displeasure over not having any alternate choices. That just has to be common sense. That's legit, just don't make personal attacks against individuals. That's crossing way over the line and should never happen, and it did.
Again if you're that upset hit the NFL up. They are the owners of that fiasco.
Now this here is exactly the attitude people face. If you criticize the game for being sub par you are a 2K fan boy. Madden didn't stand a chance. Never mind that we are what, 7 years into a new gen, and the game still hasn't reached where it was with the prev gen. I'm smart enough to see it, and guess what, I never owned NFL2k. They never made it for the PC, so I always got madden instead. Then EA took Madden away from PC'ers. Red Dead Redemption not being on the PC finally forced me to go out and get a console, and Madden STILL hadn't gotten back to where it was WELL over half a decade ago. That's just the truth. Has nothing to do with whether madden was given a chance or not. EA/TIB didn't deliver.
I disagree. I hated Madden on previous gen. I prefer '11 to any previous gen version. Not that I really think '11 is that great.
Madden had no chance of succeeding with 2k lovers. That game was their everything and EA won the rights. The EA hate was formed. Madden 12 has the best presentation I have ever seen in a football game. I hope the new crew pops in here again and give the community a second chance.
I don't know about that. I got in arguments at work with "Maddenheads," I was such a 2k fanboy. Ian actually finally cured me. I did/do believe in him. Just had to temper my expectations. And, believe it or not, I wasn't trying to get into a peeing match with Pared. I know you, and most of the others in this thread want to have the developers do like the old days, I just don't see a scenario where it would work. It wasn't Ian's or Phil's fault. It was just reality. All of the above points are valid, about developers having thick skin, pinhead posters and how the forum changed over the course of the Madden interaction, in particular. In a perfect world folks would be nice and Madden would be the perfect game. I really think that Madden has a far better chance of achieving "perfection." And maybe that'll happen with the new guys in charge.
In a feeble attempt to bridge the gap and get back on topic, I feel that it was as much the sales loss as any better opportunity that led to the voluntary departure of Phil. I can only speculate, but it still makes no sense to me that if all were well in Tiburon land that either would leave. All we could see are the gaming site interviews. Nobody knew anything from that. It looked all "hunky-dory." No indication of impending departure. Now I've had my issues with my job, but I"ve got babies to feed. And according to Ian, Phil's not coming to Sham-Bow-Wow, or whatever it's called. Come now, I know we tend to get "chicken little" and "grassy-knoll" around these parts. But come on. Go do the PR circuit and come back and resign? Hmmm..... 2+2=3? Something ain't adding up.... And who will take over for Roy Harvey? How long will it take for the new super-sized gameplay team to impact core gameplay on both games? I want to know what Pasta knows.....
I think it boils down to the fact that some people just don't know how to voice negative opinions, and some people don't know how to receive them. This is not exclusive to forums. I've seen grown men spew venom at teenagers in retail shops because they misunderstood a sale and thought they were getting ripped off. The teenager of course had nothing to do with that misunderstanding, but tempers flare and ignorance wins out, and an adult acts like a child because he feel he was lied to and absolutely destroys another humans day to make himself feel better...
Now, my point is, even though the 300 customers before this guy were polite, and chances are that the next 300 will he as well, that person is going to suffer from a residual feeling of negativity. They may even not want to come to work anymore.
Thanks to the anonymity ot the internet, this behavior becomes common, and all it takes is one bad apple...
I understand saying that default should have thick skin, but that should be for when people are saying that your product is inferior, not for when some A-hole calls them wastes of life, or personally attacks them. How many times did I read how Ian was lazy or a liar, followed by pages of personal attacks. This type of behaviour is totally unacceptable imo.
I still stand by with what I said. But back on topic. But to be honest what is the topic. Is it to say best wishes to Phil? Talk about the direction they take now? Or talk about how this will kill the community part of this game for OS? I just have no idea anymore.
Yeah, this thread has gone way past saying good-byes to Phil and should be closed.
I still stand by with what I said. But back on topic. But to be honest what is the topic. Is it to say best wishes to Phil? Talk about the direction they take now? Or talk about how this will kill the community part of this game for OS? I just have no idea anymore.
I thought it was all things about Phil, post-Phil and Madden future. That's a deep question..... I know I'm going to bed. Ya'll sort this out. BTW, I'm pretty sure that Phil is reading this very thread, right now. So, GOOD LUCK AND THANKS FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE. Now give us the skinny......
I wanted to take a quick moment to provide what is likely my last post here on OS.
I've started what is set to be my last week at Electronic Arts Tiburon. After 14 years at EA, I've decided to take a position with a new company working on products of a different genre, and platform. I do this for mostly selfish reasons. I've worked on sports games, and on top of that football games, for 99% of my time at EA. While many in the community will argue that I was no good at my job , I felt like it was time to become a better game developer by working on something different. Different challenges to help take me out of my comfort zone and grow as a professional. On top of the development goals, it has been a goal for my family to get back to the bay area for some time. It's really beautiful there. To sum it up, I'm leaving for two reasons: 1) My family really wants to be on the west coast and 2) To help me grow as a game developer.
It's been fun reading through all of the speculation in this thread. In the absence of details, it's easy and fun to go crazy with conspiracy theories. Here are some things that I'd like to call out as 100% false:
1. Myself or others that left recently were 'forced' out. This is not at all true. We're all leaving for our own reasons but not one of us were forced out. Without getting into specifics, I had discussed my departure with people in our label weeks ago and had even considered opportunities outside of Sports before deciding to become a free agent. I'm not sure they would have supported these conversations if they were really forcing me out.
2. There were creative differences between myself and Cam. Again, this is not at all true. In fact, I can say that the entire football leadership team (Cam, myself, Roy Harvey, Mike Young, etc...) all agreed on the overall vision for improving our products. I very much agreed with Cam's decision to double the size of our core football team after we wrap up Madden 12. Doing this will better allow us to make key improvements to the gameplay experience of both of our titles. Outside of core football, Cam and I shared a passion to try to get more story into our depth modes as well as several other items that I can't share without spoiling the future. Cam was a great addition to our studio and team, and will absolutely keep things moving in the right direction. This guy lives and breathes football.
As you all know, Roy Harvey will be shifting over from NCAA to take the EP position on Madden. He has done a phenomenal job in leading NCAA Football up to this point. There are many that feel NCAA is the superior product and his leadership on Madden should lead to great things. On top of Cam and Roy, you all know Mike Young. Mike is remaining on the team as the Creative Director for Madden and very much cares about the franchise. He has many fresh ideas that I'm sure you'll love in years to come. Behind these guys is a large team of dedicated and talented engineers, artists, designers, and support staff that are all very much excited about the future. No one person can ship a great game or cause a team to fail. It really is a team effort and the team that remains is very strong. Different for sure, but strong.
Through my 14 years with EA, I've worked on Madden in a variety of roles. I started as a Tester, served as a Lead Designer, and ended my career here at the Executive Producer. While no single product was perfect, there are things about each of them that I'm terribly proud of. Features like QB Vision, which was incredibly polarizing (not in a good way), helped me grow as a developer. The fact that I contributed to products like Madden 04 and Madden 05, which many still view as the best in the series, still brings a smile to my face. And all along the way, I've worked with some very talented people that each have taught me how to be a better developer and person.
Towards the back side of my career at EA, I started to interact directly with the community through sites like this. Initially, this was very much against the rules but once started, the benefits of our relationship become very clear. Since then, some level of interaction has become a requirement of all game teams. As Facebook and Twitter have become more popular, the mechanics of the interaction have changed slightly but the fundamentals are still the same. A direct level of communication with your most passionate fans is absolutely critical. We make the game for a lot of people and it's important to know exactly what our audience wants. You all are an important part of our audience and the fact that you take time out of your lives to discuss our product means you care. Even when the feedback gets negative, it's still coming from an individual that truly wants a great game of simulation football.
I'd like to thank everyone in the community for the interaction we've had over the years. I've had the pleasure of meeting many of you through community events and trade shows and have valued each meeting. Your feedback has helped to shape the product in many ways.
I'd also like to publicly thank the team's I've worked with through the years. I've worked with hundreds of people and literally everyone has helped make the franchise what it is today. I honestly hope I can cross paths with these great men and women in the future.
All the best everyone. It really has been an honor and pleasure working on this great franchise.
I wanted to take a quick moment to provide what is likely my last post here on OS.
I've started what is set to be my last week at Electronic Arts Tiburon. After 14 years at EA, I've decided to take a position with a new company working on products of a different genre, and platform. I do this for mostly selfish reasons. I've worked on sports games, and on top of that football games, for 99% of my time at EA. While many in the community will argue that I was no good at my job , I felt like it was time to become a better game developer by working on something different. Different challenges to help take me out of my comfort zone and grow as a professional. On top of the development goals, it has been a goal for my family to get back to the bay area for some time. It's really beautiful there. To sum it up, I'm leaving for two reasons: 1) My family really wants to be on the west coast and 2) To help me grow as a game developer.
It's been fun reading through all of the speculation in this thread. In the absence of details, it's easy and fun to go crazy with conspiracy theories. Here are some things that I'd like to call out as 100% false:
1. Myself or others that left recently were 'forced' out. This is not at all true. We're all leaving for our own reasons but not one of us were forced out. Without getting into specifics, I had discussed my departure with people in our label weeks ago and had even considered opportunities outside of Sports before deciding to become a free agent. I'm not sure they would have supported these conversations if they were really forcing me out.
2. There were creative differences between myself and Cam. Again, this is not at all true. In fact, I can say that the entire football leadership team (Cam, myself, Roy Harvey, Mike Young, etc...) all agreed on the overall vision for improving our products. I very much agreed with Cam's decision to double the size of our core football team after we wrap up Madden 12. Doing this will better allow us to make key improves to the gameplay experience of both of our titles. Outside of core football, Cam and I shared a passion to try to get more story into our depth modes as well as several other items that I can't share without spoiling the future. Cam was a great addition to our studio and team, and will absolutely keep things moving in the right direction. This guy lives and breathes football.
As you all know, Roy Harvey will be shifting over from NCAA to take the EP position on Madden. He has done a phenomenal job in leading NCAA Football up to this point. There are many that feel NCAA is the superior product and his leadership on Madden should lead to great things. On top of Cam and Roy, you all know Mike Young. Mike is remaining on the team as the Creative Director for Madden and very much cares about the franchise. He has many fresh ideas that I'm sure you'll love in years to come. Behind these guys is a large team of dedicated and talented engineers, artists, designers, and support staff that are all very much excited about the future. No one person can ship a great game or cause a team to fail. It really is a team effort and the team that remains is very strong. Different for sure, but strong.
Through my 14 years with EA, I've worked on Madden in a variety of roles. I started as a Tester, served as a Lead Designer, and ended my career here at the Executive Producer. While no single product was perfect, there are things about each of them that I'm terribly proud of. Features like QB Vision, which was incredibly polarizing (not in a good way), helped me grow as a developer. The fact that I contributed to products like Madden 04 and Madden 05, which many still view as the best in the series, still brings a smile to my face. And all along the way, I've worked with some very talented people that each have taught me how to be a better developer and person.
Towards the back side of my career at EA, I started to interact directly with the community through sites like this. Initially, this was very much against the rules but once started, the benefits of our relationship become very clear. Since then, some level of interaction has become a requirement of all game teams. As Facebook and Twitter have become more popular, the mechanics of the interaction have changed slightly but the fundamentals are still the same. A direct level of communication with your most passionate fans is absolutely critical. We make the game for a lot of people and it's important to know exactly what our audience wants. You all are an important part of our audience and the fact that you take time out of your lives to discuss our product means you care. Even when the feedback gets negative, it's still coming from an individual that truly wants a great game of simulation football.
I'd like to thank everyone in the community for the interaction we've had over the years. I've had the pleasure of meeting many of you through community events and trade shows and have valued each meeting. Your feedback has helped to shape the product in many ways.
I'd also like to publicly thank the team's I've worked with through the years. I've worked with hundreds of people and literally everyone has helped make the franchise what it is today. I honestly hope I can cross paths with these great mean and women in the future.
All the best everyone. It really has been an honor and pleasure working on this great franchise.
Phil Frazier
Great to have had you here. Good reasons to leave, family should always be first
Who remembers XOR football (PC). I remember when I thought that was the greatest thing. Sure would like to find it somewhere and install it for giggles.
I actually think I still have it in the attic with the rest of my old games..going back to Intellivision. Yead Madden 12 looks great to me...
Go figure...