Comments on: Codemasters disasters #4 Managing brands http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/ A veteran's view on marketing games Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:07:25 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: retox http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/comment-page-1/#comment-1442 retox Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:56:09 +0000 http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/#comment-1442 with the success of Company of Heroes as a RTS gamers tend to forget that Soldiers of WW2 was a much more interesting and engaging take on the RTS world. Most people I have talked to about the SOWW2 usually say it was too hard. But if you get into it and avoid the disk bootup bugs that have sometimes happened it is a really detailed and unique game. I am director of a company that work with hard to reach people to engage them through games and build their skills. (also a case study in the Byron Report for all its worth :/ and did speak to Codemasters about the use of older games in this setting, but it never got anywhere as they only saw the latest games having any real value. Say that to Ubisoft and Prince of Persia developers, that old ip is not worth much!! There is real value in older games and their ip. stumble across Manic Minor on Google and it is now a online multiplayer game. OK no $$$ in that but it shows that there is a market for taking a step back at unique games and continuing the brand. I just bought Turning Point for the 360 and after half an hour I could not play it any more. It was simply a poor designed and thought out game. Ok, it can be argued that it could get better after the time i game it, but after playing a lot of these types of games you would think that thought would have been put into it's design and playability. The weapons just felt wrong and the innovative (not) jump from 1st to third view when interacting with the environment just made it frustrating. CM have made some great games, but there are a lot of crap that is created just to tap into the hupe and LCD of certain gamers. There are a lot of gamers that want a hell of a lot more challenge and depth that would buy these sorts of games. Instead we just get by with the usual and make the sad mistake of buying games that are over hyped and over rated. with the success of Company of Heroes as a RTS gamers tend to forget that Soldiers of WW2 was a much more interesting and engaging take on the RTS world.

Most people I have talked to about the SOWW2 usually say it was too hard. But if you get into it and avoid the disk bootup bugs that have sometimes happened it is a really detailed and unique game.

I am director of a company that work with hard to reach people to engage them through games and build their skills. (also a case study in the Byron Report for all its worth :/ and did speak to Codemasters about the use of older games in this setting, but it never got anywhere as they only saw the latest games having any real value. Say that to Ubisoft and Prince of Persia developers, that old ip is not worth much!!

There is real value in older games and their ip. stumble across Manic Minor on Google and it is now a online multiplayer game. OK no $$$ in that but it shows that there is a market for taking a step back at unique games and continuing the brand.

I just bought Turning Point for the 360 and after half an hour I could not play it any more. It was simply a poor designed and thought out game. Ok, it can be argued that it could get better after the time i game it, but after playing a lot of these types of games you would think that thought would have been put into it’s design and playability. The weapons just felt wrong and the innovative (not) jump from 1st to third view when interacting with the environment just made it frustrating.

CM have made some great games, but there are a lot of crap that is created just to tap into the hupe and LCD of certain gamers. There are a lot of gamers that want a hell of a lot more challenge and depth that would buy these sorts of games. Instead we just get by with the usual and make the sad mistake of buying games that are over hyped and over rated.

]]> By: Ben http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/comment-page-1/#comment-1410 Ben Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:06:09 +0000 http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/#comment-1410 Interesting points raised here. Personally speaking I think publishers should be encouraged to make one off games, as if they do a good job they could be the next Halo. The problem - particularly with the likes of Codemasters - is they seem to have lost the plot no matter which games they're backing. I remember how big Micromachines was, V3 was a great title, hard to imagine after seeing the awful sequels. Interesting points raised here. Personally speaking I think publishers should be encouraged to make one off games, as if they do a good job they could be the next Halo. The problem – particularly with the likes of Codemasters – is they seem to have lost the plot no matter which games they’re backing.

I remember how big Micromachines was, V3 was a great title, hard to imagine after seeing the awful sequels.

]]> By: Jase http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/comment-page-1/#comment-1399 Jase Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:44:32 +0000 http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/#comment-1399 Well Codies did quite well with Flashpoint mission packs created by the QA dept I think. It just seemed like every studio had a go at making the sequel! :) Good luck to the guys on the latest sequel! Well Codies did quite well with Flashpoint mission packs created by the QA dept I think. It just seemed like every studio had a go at making the sequel! :) Good luck to the guys on the latest sequel!

]]> By: M@ http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/comment-page-1/#comment-1382 M@ Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:38:24 +0000 http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/#comment-1382 And as far as I'm aware, and as we were told at the time, the reason that Micro Maniacs wasn't Micro Machines v4 was more to do with Hasbro purchasing Galoob and Hasbro having their own internal games division so they wouldn't release licenses of any of their own IP rather than to do with Codemasters losing anything. Just after the launch of MicroManiacs Hasbro sold the interactive rights to their whole catalogue to Infogrames, and hence the 2002 Atari Micro Machines game. And as far as I’m aware, and as we were told at the time, the reason that Micro Maniacs wasn’t Micro Machines v4 was more to do with Hasbro purchasing Galoob and Hasbro having their own internal games division so they wouldn’t release licenses of any of their own IP rather than to do with Codemasters losing anything.
Just after the launch of MicroManiacs Hasbro sold the interactive rights to their whole catalogue to Infogrames, and hence the 2002 Atari Micro Machines game.

]]> By: M@ http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/comment-page-1/#comment-1381 M@ Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:14:06 +0000 http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/#comment-1381 Umm, you've got it wrong about Micro Maniacs Bruce. The Dev Team wasn't disbanded till about 2 years after Micro Maniacs was released, having been working for a year and a bit on an entirely different game, that got canned mostly because of the external "expert" that was brought in who scheduled it to death. To be honest, it did surprisingly well for an after-the-pub game that was incorrectly marketed at 12 year olds. Also, it got a chart topping Number 1! ;) OK so not in the largest territory ever but it was hardly a complete failure. Umm, you’ve got it wrong about Micro Maniacs Bruce.
The Dev Team wasn’t disbanded till about 2 years after Micro Maniacs was released, having been working for a year and a bit on an entirely different game, that got canned mostly because of the external “expert” that was brought in who scheduled it to death.
To be honest, it did surprisingly well for an after-the-pub game that was incorrectly marketed at 12 year olds.
Also, it got a chart topping Number 1! ;) OK so not in the largest territory ever but it was hardly a complete failure.

]]> By: Bruce http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/comment-page-1/#comment-1364 Bruce Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:57:07 +0000 http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/#comment-1364 Colin happened as a game that was a hit, then a sequel, then another. It wasn't managed as a brand. The same with TOCA/Race Driver. Colin happened as a game that was a hit, then a sequel, then another. It wasn’t managed as a brand. The same with TOCA/Race Driver.

]]> By: mattia http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/comment-page-1/#comment-1363 mattia Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:27:10 +0000 http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/21/codemasters-disasters-4-managing-brands/#comment-1363 Isn't Colin McRae a Codemaster series? At least they had one brand that was used for more than one game :) Isn’t Colin McRae a Codemaster series? At least they had one brand that was used for more than one game :)

]]>