Huh? Did I miss something? Epic dumped Infogrames??

[Tetris L]

http://www.homelanfed.com/index.php?id=21714

UC 2 is also the first Unreal game under Epic’s new publisher, Microsoft Game Studios, leaving their long time publisher Infogrames/Atari (which inherited the Unreal franchise when it bought its publisher GT Interactive)

Huh?? Is this for real or did HomeLanFed get things mixed up? Was there any official announcement by Epic, Atari or MS Games recently?

 

[Loibisch]

No, this is for real.
It was long rumored that UT2004 would be the last game Epic would have published by Infogrames. I'm not too fond about MS as a new game studio, but I realize they can't **** it up much more than Infogrames did.

Begone Infogrames

 

[Tetris L]

they can't **** it up much more than Infogrames did.

Infogrames sure acted like a bunch of muppets quite often. I'm not sure it can't get worse though.

Take a look at Halo and you get a rough idea what might happen to Unreal under MS as publisher:

- preferable published as Xbox exclusive first. PC version later
- no more OpenGL support
- no more Linux server support
- no more Linux or Mac client
- even more Ads (MS, Xbox, Intel, Nvidia, ...)
- lousy MS customer support
- Clippy asking "It looks like you're coding an aimbot. What do you want to do? ..."
- ...

 

[Scuzzbuster]

boy, the Linux support possibility is disturbing. Talk about stabbing the community...probably shouldn't panic yet though. But the thought of product the quality of Halo PC coming out with an "Unreal" name in the title is the most frightning of all. HaloPC made 2k3 look like the game of the century.

 

[Hanover_Fist]

- Clippy asking "It looks like you're coding an aimbot. What do you want to do? ..."
- ...

 

[BoboThePenguin]

- no more Linux server support

If I'm not mistaken, Suprisingly, Halo PC does have linux server support.

 

[W0RF]

You know, MS Games DID publish Dungeon Siege and the AoE series...

 

[Prophetus]

Don't be alarmed, I'll have a preview of UC2 up soon and it explains the partnership between Epic and MS.

 

[TWD]

The partnership with microsoft is mostly so that epic's little company made to create x-box games can publish easier. We don't know if that's going to affect the publishing of their PC titles.

Dang that happened a LOOOOONG time ago.

 

[Loibisch]

Infogrames sure acted like a bunch of muppets quite often. I'm not sure it can't get worse though.

Take a look at Halo and you get a rough idea what might happen to Unreal under MS as publisher:

- preferable published as Xbox exclusive first. PC version later
- no more OpenGL support
- no more Linux server support
- no more Linux or Mac client
- even more Ads (MS, Xbox, Intel, Nvidia, ...)
- lousy MS customer support
- Clippy asking "It looks like you're coding an aimbot. What do you want to do? ..."
- ...

You know, it's not like MS is coding the bugger, just publishing. While that will give them the opportunity to decide certain things with future games their influence on Epic will be minimal. I'm sure they have a contract ruling what MS can and cannot do, and I certainly doubt Epic would have signed soemthing that gives them less control over their own games, especially when it comes to things like Linux support.

 

[Prophetus]

Listen, Epic has total control over their games. Although I was extremely concerned about the partnership, after receiving the details and playing UC2, I humbly admit that the partnership was a good idea. MS isn't publishing all Unreal games, just as Atari was originally signed to publish three Unreal titles, these deals are limited. MS didn't ruin the spirit or intent of Unreal. On the contrary, they improved it.

UC2 rocks and it doesn't split the community. UC2 isn't remotely similar to UT2004 and provides another level to the unreal universe. When I was invited to play the game, I originally had negative feelings (mainly because I dislike console games). However, when I saw and played the game, I immediately enjoyed it.

 

[mortus\pyro]

Halo doesn't have a dedicated linux server.

Epics partnership with microsoft will not in any way affect the future of the unreal series (be that in linux servers/versions/first release on PC etc). HaloPC cannot be used as an example in this scenario because microsoft actually own bungie not just publish for them

 

[TWD]

Uhh.. UC2? I haven't seen anything about a UC2 yet....

Still they're right. First there's no indication to show that ms will be publishing the pc titles. Second they are only the publishers and epic wouldn't give up their liberties like that. In bungies case they were bought out so they had to do what ms wanted. That's not the case with epic.

 

[tool]

I saw previews of UC2 and im skeptical as to how good it will actually be. My main concern is the support it will recieve, UC got zero in the way of support and content for Xbox live. Epic coulda really taken advantage of Xbox live and released a lot of great content for UC, instead they decide to release three crappy maps and call it good.

 

[TossMonkey]

From a pure publishing standpoint Microsoft is the most financially reliable source. I doubt they could control Epic's developing strategy at all, and having them being a publisher means that it would be cheaper and less risky to develop more console games for the developers. I think it's a completly win-win situation myself. I never liked Infogrammes/Atari anyway, not after the XMP fiasco.

 

[TWD]

UC2 rocks and it doesn't split the community. UC2 isn't remotely similar to UT2004 and provides another level to the unreal universe. When I was invited to play the game, I originally had negative feelings (mainly because I dislike console games). However, when I saw and played the game, I immediately enjoyed it.

WHEEE

http://planetunreal.com/features/uc2/index.shtml

This is gonna be most interesting not just in how it plays but how it changes the unreal community. Tho I believe proph when he says it doesn't split the community.

 

[Dead_Hood]

This really shouldn't surprise too many people. Epic did have that 'secret' meeting with Bill Gates when they were making UT, and I'm sure he wanted a publishing deal then. However, at that time Epic was still under contract from GT/Infogrames, so they couldn't do anything about it.
Like them or not, Microsoft does have a very good publishing division. Most of their software ships in good condition with almost no bugs, and (on the whole) they are good about getting them fixed.

 

[HyDeZaLoT]

naw, everyone is screwing up in the software biz... all the suits are having fielddays going on vacation in tahiti... while firing the companies/programers that allowed them to live such a life... the same is with craptari and Legend Entertainment