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Home , Bing Gordon, Denis Loubet, Distinctive Software, Don Mattrick, Larry Probst, Origin Systems

EDITOR’S NOTE LETTERS TO a) A link to the Chief Economist website, by Julianne Greer as I’m unable to find it.

Over the last week, I received several asked our writers to give us a well- THE EDITOR b) A small section for each article Letters to the Editor regarding the rounded, fresh look at EA and they did To the Editor: I agree with almost all of containing relevant links (ie: link to the games mentioned in our last issue, not disappoint. spoke with John Tynes’ article, “Feature Creep.” game homepage at last) particularly Chief Economist. I agree, it employees of Systems all the way However, it’s a shame that John Tynes sounds like a great game. Alas, it is not to the top – the very top – and came rejects the Revolution out of hand Huge thanks in advance. real – a figment of Mark Wallace’s back with “The Conquest of Origin.” Mark because of its controller because it will imagination. Our last issue’s theme, and Wallace proffers the example of United be exactly what he is looking for. -Florian Hufsky title, was “Why Haven’t They Made Artists as a possible parallel for EA’s Nintendo has shown time and time again This?” And the response from our growth over the years in “Unrisky that it will make fun games with an easy readers shows that perhaps our writers Business.” Jason Smith gives us a look at learning curve. were onto something. Maybe someone EA back when they were , should make Chief Economist. I’d be idealism and all, in “Setting the Stage.” -Jeff Liu happy to pass developers or publishers Find these articles and more in this along to Mark Wallace for further week’s issue of The Escapist. To the Editor: I’m stunned about the discussion, should any desire. game Chief Economist mentioned in The Enjoy! Escapist 13 (“Capitalism is teh Speaking of developers and publishers, suxx0r!!111!”), but I’m unable to find we have arrived at the topic of this the game on the net. week’s issue. One developer and publisher in particular, The Big One: EA. This made me realize an issue in The We have not highlighted an individual Escapist: most of the time there are no company before, so we thought it best to “related links” to the topics you’re talking start at the top, the biggest of our about (ie: there’s no link to introversion’s growing industry. website or the uplink website in the uplink article). Now before everyone gets upset and starts shouting, “Brown-nosing!” or “Not I, as being a lazy ass, thus request the another rant!” give us a chance. We following: To the Editor: I’d say my previous reply sporting those oh-so-long string of That gaming opens us to the full was rushed. For one, I am sure I’m adverts at startup? spectrum of human expression is to be subconsciously affected by advertising, applauded. Unfortunately the simple that being one of its main benefits in TV I’d also just like to re-iterate that, interactions seem to be crowding out the and magazines. And perhaps it was despite what Andy from last week may great ones. sensationalist, and sounded think, advertising does not a good unreasonable. Nevertheless, there is a magazine make. In fact, a picture of a Thanks for the article and the magazine good reason why the advertising seemed pint of beer will likely not affect the in general. Looking forward to more, so annoying, and that is the lack of content of the article it is shoehorned context sensitivity. into in any tangible way. Now if you’ll -Ben Warr excuse me, I have a sudden craving for The Wall Street Journal is read by many a Carlsberg. To the Editor: Today was my second thousands of people, and costs next to time reading an article from The Escapist nothing, and so a wide range of adverts -Doug Inman (linked from Shacknews.com) and I are appropriate. A physically published again I found it very enjoyable. The gaming magazine might be read by one To the Editor: In regards to SMAC (and Escapist provides a mature and thought thousand, and the price ensures only gaming in general) I’m reminded of the provoking commentary on gaming that I gamers will be affected to any degree, malleable triusm, “Simple minds think of find lacking from other publications. and so gaming adverts are the most people, average minds think of events, Particularly the articles on MMOG sensible choice. great minds think of ideas.” Never before economies and feature creep have been in a game has there been such a very good reads. I look forward to The Escapist is read by relatively few, confluence of Great Ideas - technological reading more in the future. and the target audience are those who and spiritual determinism, the Will to enjoy games without the constant Power, near-pornographic fetishism of -Ryan market pressure of the mainstream. Is it Progress; the list goes on and on. When really fair then to expose these gaming a game erupts onto the scene with the recluse to the exact corporate standard authority of (at least) a century of which may alienate them from Official concepts behind it, it can’t fail to enthrall Playstation Magazine, or any EA game the true science fiction dork. “ is the Antichrist.” The scene: a bar at a gaming convention in the late 1980s. The speaker: an executive at the computer game company Origin who today, no doubt, would prefer to remain anonymous.

Why the holy-fire view of William M. Hawkins III, founder of Electronic Arts? Because (as this exec explained) EA meant to win in the computer game business not only by making good games, but by preventing competitors from making good games too - by actively interfering with their ability to do business. As one example, EA had filed a frivolous lawsuit against Origin. Forced into a costly out- of-court settlement, Origin execs asked Trip Hawkins why he had allowed the suit; he responded, “This is just business. This is the way we’re going to win.” Furthermore, EA was all about could be a case study for future MBA marketing. For Hawkins the question was students. never, “How good is this game?” It was always, “How can we sell this?” To high- Why did Origin sell? It was partly due - minded execs at Origin - makers of the brace yourself - to the price of floppy and Wing Commander series, the disks. high priests of the high end, who valued commitment to an artistic vision - this Changing the World attitude was sacrilege. Founded in 1983, Origin was a creature of the dawn. Garriott had already gotten Ultima designer and Origin co-founder rich in high school, from a game he Richard “” Garriott even coded in BASIC in his bedroom and sold worked an EA reference into Ultima VII in a ziplock bag. Founding Origin with (1992). Two high-profile nonplayer $70,000 in family money, he and his characters, Elizabeth and Abraham, brother Robert created a culture that perform seemingly helpful tasks for the prized creative vision and expansive, player - but E. and A. turn out to be thoroughly developed game settings. murderers in league with the player’s The company later took the slogan “We nemesis, the Guardian. The three items create worlds.” that power the Guardian’s evil generators are a cube, a sphere and a Origin project director Stephen Beeman tetrahedron - the former EA logo. recalls, “Origin’s cardinal virtue was its commitment to do whatever it took to This reference in Ultima VII proved ship the director’s vision. We had a prophetic. In 1991 Hawkins left EA to motto for it: ‘A game’s only late until it found the short-lived 3DO Company. The ships, but it sucks forever.’ If the game’s next year, 1992, Origin entered dire creative vision demanded a megabyte of financial straits and sold out to EA. Yet graphics, and the only way to load that Origin never sold its soul; rather, EA into memory was to write our own spent the next 12 years gradually and operating system -” (the dubious painfully devouring it. The sad story “voodoo memory” scheme Origin created in 1992 for Ultima VII: The Black Gate)

“- well, that’s what we did, and damn Commander had five core team the risk to the schedule or the members; Wing Commander II suddenly consequences to the budget, not to had 25. Star designer Chris Roberts, mention the programmers’ lives.” among others, drew a substantial salary. - a vision generally inspired by our love megabyte high-density floppy disks. In recent years, Electronic Arts has taken of film - then busted our asses to figure Origin games, in particular, required lots While Origin’s cash reserves were tapped heat for its sweatshop working out a way to pull that off. By contrast, of disks - often eight to ten disks that harder than ever, the Apple and conditions, but marathon crunches were companies like LucasArts or id started cost about 70 cents apiece. Cost of platforms collapsed, a fact of life at Origin long before the with an idea of what it was possible to goods became such an issue that while taking with them many small retailers. purchase. Project teams endorsed do, then crafted killer gameplay around was in development, Origin not only lost the sales of its Apple Beeman’s doctrine: “Sleep is for the that. When our creative vision turned out the team jokingly suggested shipping the and C64 back inventory, but it suddenly weak.” to be achievable in a reasonable time (as game pre-installed on its own 20MB hard had to eat bad debt from failed with Wing Commander I and II), we hit drive. (Strike shipped on eight floppies in companies in the channel. Worse, Producer worked at home runs. When the creative vision 1993, but CD-ROMs finally became had chosen to develop Origin from 1989 to 1996. “I always felt turned out not to be achievable, commonplace in time for a later new projects first on the Apple platform we were genuinely trying to change the development dragged on until the next expanded edition.) Wing Commander rather than the technically inferior IBM world,” he says. “There was a feeling of year (or beyond), when improvements to was a huge, unanticipated success, and PC - “a horrific mistake,” he now says. creating something new, of being on the the hardware made it achievable.” the high cost of manufacturing it Retooling the pipeline would take six cutting edge; that was incredibly consumed all the company’s ready cash months. exciting. That, more than anything else, The problem was, creating worlds took a and more. drove people to do exceptional work.” lot of disk space. Normally in this situation - high short- In a single year Origin’s payroll term expenses, but higher long-term Employees treated each game as a Seventy Cents Times Eighty Zillion skyrocketed. Prior to Wing Commander potential - a company borrows money. learning experience. Richard Garriott By 1992, Origin faced a cash shortfall and Ultima VI, Origin games were But as bad luck would have it, at that made it a point of pride to start each caused by factors almost entirely outside created by a programmer or two, with time there was no money in Origin’s new Ultima entirely from scratch, with its control. some contract art and writing. Wing home state, . The savings-and-loan not a line of code carried over from earlier games. Even the map editors and Origin was a publisher, which meant other tools were coded anew. manufacturing boxes and stocking them in the retail channel. In that primeval Beeman says, “We started with the pre-Myst era, computer games shipped vision of what we wanted the game to be not on CD-ROMs but on 3.5-inch, 1.44- industry had collapsed following a real- got bigger budgets! We were able to do estate bubble. With half the state’s more and cooler things than we’d been financial institutions unable to lend able to do before. In most ways, though, money, banks could ignore small EA gave us a lot of rope - enough to businesses in favor of big, safe hang ourselves, as it turned out!” corporations. Just a year or two later, this crisis passed, but Origin got caught Garriott: “We doubled the size of the at just the wrong time. company from 200 to 400 that first year. We went from 5-10 projects to 10-20, just say, lacked confidence in Origin’s As the Garriotts dipped into their own and staffed those projects almost development management and - less savings to make payroll, they entirely with inexperienced people. It sensibly, I think - in the Austin contemplated options. Richard says, won’t surprise you to learn those development community in general. “Ultimately we chose EA because EA’s projects were not well managed. That There were a lot of strange decisions.” vision for the future, their prediction of was totally Origin’s fault. We failed, and platform shifts, and their planning to we ended up killing half of those , artist: “Before [the meet that challenge was right on.” products. That’s probably what set up purchase], the desire to keep Origin the EA mentality that ‘Origin is a bunch afloat did much to keep politics on the And, too, Trip Hawkins had left EA. “Had of [deleted],’ pardon my French.” back burner. But afterwards, survival Trip still been there, there’s no way we transformed into a competition at the would have gone with EA,” said an Origin Spector: “Once it became apparent we feeding trough. As production groups staffer involved in the deal. were getting a little crazy, EA started became more insular, Origin fractured. taking a firmer hand with us, integrating That was the death of any ‘Origin Starting Out Fine us into the machine in subtle and not so Culture.’ It didn’t help that each Origin’s employees on the early years subtle ways, and that’s when things production head was a dictator over his after the purchase: started to get a little less pleasant. Every team, yet each had to brown-nose EA for company has its politics but, in my funding.” Spector: “For the first couple of years, relatively limited experience, EA was an EA’s acquisition of Origin changed the incredibly political place - lots of empire Steve Powers, artist and programmer: place for the better in nearly every way. building, folks jockeying for bigger, “When EA assumed control, much of the EA brought some much needed structure better jobs, competing for resources, joy began to fade from the Origin to our product greenlight and marketing dollars and so on. And there company culture. It was a running joke development processes. And we certainly were certainly people at EA who, let’s through the company that we went from working for the Rebellion to working for mean they care less about me.’ The the Empire. Our company had a culture politicians began to look at us as the that made work an incredible joy, day in enemy, and would actively work against and day out, even though we worked us.” tremendously long hours. And the culture had to be appealing, because The Hatchet Origin paid a pittance. I started there at After EA bought Origin, authority for the wages that were just above poverty new division fell to the president of EA level. EA began to bring salaries up to a Worldwide Studios, . competitive level for the region, and people who were equivalent to hobbyists A Canadian from the Vancouver suburb were suddenly in a career. It was no of Burnaby, Mattrick wasn’t just a suit; longer a nerdy fraternity; it was he could claim seniority over many business.” Origin coders, having programmed (with Jeff Sember) his first published game, Garriott: “There are people at EA to this Evolution for the Apple II, in 1982 at age day who I respect either as brilliant or at 17. Mattrick joined EA in 1991 when EA least well-intentioned. [CEO] Larry paid him $13 million for his company, Probst was often not supportive of the , maker of things I was doing, but I respect Larry edutainment and sports games such as because he was always clear, rational the and HardBall series. and consistent in his lack of support. I Distinctive became EA Canada, and as its felt [Chief Creative Officer] Executive VP and General Manager, understood sometimes; I always felt Mattrick led it brilliantly from strength to Bing’s intent was to help me do my best. strength until 1997, when EA CEO Nancy Smith [Executive VP, North Lawrence Probst III promoted him to American Publishing] empathized and Worldwide. desired success for all at Origin. [But] there were others who got into politics, Once EA started exerting a tighter grip who very clearly would get into the on Origin, Mattrick pushed teams to stay mode of ‘Your success will work against on schedule (an insistence that badly my success. EA caring about you will damaged Ultima VIII, according to Garriott). Mattrick killed many projects Launched in 1997, UO’s unheralded later, and UO2 had to start over. The because they had spun out of control, success (it peaked at about 250,000 game never really recovered. and cancelled other projects for reasons subscribers) kicked off the MMORPG staffers still consider mysterious. Some industry and roused EA’s interest in In March 2001 Mattrick cancelled UO2. staffers believe (though not for online games. Origin presented EA a Among his reasons: UO2 would compete attribution) Mattrick undermined Origin suite of ideas for followups: a Flash with the original UO. (EA repeated this because it competed for resources with Gordon-style space opera, a martial arts story precisely with Ultima X: Odyssey, Distinctive’s new incarnation, EA Canada. game using collectible electronic cards, greenlighted 2002, cancelled 2004.) This view arose particularly because of online soccer and more. None of the the way Mattrick managed Origin’s late- proposals were sequels, spinoffs or Business Matters ’90s move into online games. licenses. Privateer Online: cancelled in 2000 to avoid competition with EA’s big bet, This move was not his idea. Originally But EA, which sold sports and licensed Earth and Beyond. The core PO team there was no money in the Origin budget games by the millions, was used to moved to Verant (later Sony Online for . Garriott went directly releasing sequels every year. The Entertainment) and created to Probst to ask for $150K in seed corporate office commissionedWing Galaxies. money to kick off the project. Without Commander Online, Privateer Online Probst’s approval, UO would have been (based on the 1993 space sim), and the Harry Potter Online, cancelled at Origin delayed, maybe never started at all. licensed Harry Potter Online. And, 2001, assigned as Hogwarts Online to EA Garriott said in a 2004 GameSpy inevitably, Ultima Online 2, which the studio New Pencil, cancelled 2005. interview, “Ultima Online was kind of a marketing department retitled Ultima red-headed stepchild during Worlds Online: Origin. Transland (a surrealist game), development. Everyone at EA was Silverheart (an RPG with design focused on Ultima IX, which was seen as Staffers argued against doing UO2, contributions from ), more of a sure thing. Nobody at EA because it would compete with UO. But Firehorse (Hong Kong John Woo-style full really understood what Ultima Online Mattrick greenlighted it in 1999, motion video), mainstream RTS was all about.” But after the beta test cancelled Wing Commander Online and Technosaur : cancelled, cancelled, drew 50,000 volunteers, EA made a assigned its team to UO2. A bunch of cancelled.... sharp reversal. They insisted Garriott guys who liked spaceships, reassigned to shelve Ultima IX and work only on UO. animate monsters? They quit six months “The business was changing radically, in megahit, spend a ton to make a ton - ways an independent developer/ instead of consistently turning out publisher like Origin probably wasn’t smaller games, making some money equipped to handle,” says Spector. “We every year. I thought he was nuts at the were becoming a blockbuster business, time. Took me several more years to like the movies. When Origin’s revenue admit that, like it or not, he was right and profits took a hit and EA gave us a and I was wrong.” very… aggressive budget number to hit, it was mostly my projects that got killed The forces that propelled Electronic Arts - I wasn’t happy about that. But what to success and gave it the funds to were they going to do? Kill Richard purchase Origin - the incessant Garriott projects? Chris Roberts marketing, the quest for blockbusters, projects?” even the ferocious executive infighting - also made it difficult to exploit Origin Spector’s games (Ultima VII Part 2: effectively. EA could have preserved Serpent Isle, Ultima Underworld, System Origin as a small design house gestating Shock and many more) consistently new ideas. Rather than alienating brought returns a small studio would staffers and discarding the valuable think quite respectable. But the Ultima and Wing Commander brands, EA economics of a billion-dollar corporation could have kept Origin alive in body and are different. For EA it makes more spirit, just as it could have preserved the sense to reach for the sky with every other studios it bought: Westwood and single project. The games that die or get Bullfrog and and... cancelled become tax writeoffs, and the hit pays for all the rest. The worst But though this was technically possible, case is the mere modest success, a it was not imaginable. Like any huge mediocre return on equity without company, EA is risk-averse. The corresponding tax advantages. company has every incentive to play it safe and do a competent job on Madden Spector says, “Mattrick told me I needed 2009 or Tiger Woods 2017. to make games more like Richard and Chris - swing for the fences, go for the A New York Times article on EA (August “I still think it was possible to make it 8, 2005), “Relying on work,” Garriott says now, “except no one Sequels,” observes, “Electronic Arts made time to make it work, and there plans to release 26 new games [in were evil elements in the company.” 2005], all but one of them a sequel, including the 16th version of NHL Red Dots Hockey, the 11th of the In 1992 Steve Powers found in a and the 13th of the PGA Marketing department trashcan a group Tour golf game.” In the article CEO photo of the entire company. “It was Probst said sequels appeal to Wall Street taken on the steps of the Wild Basin investors because they have a steady building during the Ultima VII ship following among consumers. “He added party,” Powers recalls. “I scanned it and that the company had a goal of putting used it as my Windows wallpaper for out at least one entirely new game every years. One by one, as people left or were year, and had several major original fired, I Photoshopped a red dot over games in its pipeline.” Blogger Bill Harris them, blotting them out of the scene. observed, “A ‘goal’ of one new game a Most of the dots tended to come in year? Damn, Larry, don’t be so crazy clusters around Christmas. Just before ambitious. Remember Icarus.” Christmas 1997, I dotted my own face

Beeman says, “You’d like to think a marriage of EA and Origin would result in a merger of their strengths. But instead of combining EA’s execution with Origin’s creativity, the end result was more like Origin’s execution with EA’s creativity. EA limited Origin’s selection of projects to sequels or other ‘proven’ ideas, then let Origin run wild. I think this was pretty much the introduction of that meme into the industry, but clearly we still see it today.” and left. For years I kept the image In 1998, Don Mattrick opened a $54 struggling through Year Four of a updated while working for other game million EA Canada development studio in projected three-year development cycle studios, and it wasn’t until fairly recently Burnaby. By 2003 it had 700 employees, on Garriott’s new MMORPG (working that the last face got erased.” and Mattrick made plans to add another title: Tabula Rasa). building. The studio currently produces Some notable dots: sports games such as NBA Live, Triple EA finally shut down Origin in 2004 and Wing Commander designer Chris Roberts Play Baseball, NHL Hockey, and FIFA relocated UO to their California studio. left Origin in 1996 to found the game Soccer, the best-selling sports game in The last employee fired was producer company . Roberts wrote and the world. “Don Mattrick is a champion Jeff Hillhouse, Richard Garriott’s first hire directed the 1999 Wing Commander of the [British Columbia] high-tech back in 1983. Hillhouse, like many other movie (Rotten Tomatoes score: 7%). He industry,” said studio president Sydney key Origin employees, now works with released the space game Freelancer in Williams in a 2000 interview. Last Garriott at NCSoft. 2003 to modest success, then left Digital month, in a move that stunned the Anvil to found Point of No Return industry, Mattrick, the heir apparent to Allen Varney designed the PARANOIA Entertainment. So far the name appears , left Electronic Arts after 23 paper-and- roleplaying game (2004 apt. years with the company “to seek other edition) and has contributed to computer opportunities.” EA gave no reason for his games from Sony Online, Origin, Warren Spector left Origin in 1996 to departure. Interplay, and Looking Glass. work for Looking Glass, then run Austin. In 2000 he produced the In 1999, four years after Ultima VIII, bestselling game, . The genesis after colossal labor and at least two of DX was an Origin project called complete restarts, Origin released the Shooter, which EA cancelled shortly disappointing Ultima IX. No one at the before his departure. “DX could have time realized this would be Origin’s last been an EA title!” Spector says. new game. Richard Garriott soon left Origin and founded Artist Denis Loubet left Origin in 1997 (get it?), hiring most of the Ultima IX and is now a partner in Iron Will Games, team EA laid off. In 2001, Destination which runs the boutique MMOG Ashen metamorphosed into the American Empires. One of the designers once branch of Korean online gaming giant described it conceptually as “Ultima V for NCSoft. NCSoft Austin has published City 10,000 players.” of Heroes and Guild Wars, and is now In 1982, computer games were still sold in plastic bags.

Trip Hawkins, a newly-minted millionaire after his time at Apple, wanted to change that. He wanted to give developers more credit for their work, and at the time, any credit at all would be more than most. Just as United Artists was designed with a mission to revolutionize the film industry, Electronic Arts had equally grand ambitions. EA derived not only its name, but it’s own mission of revolution, this time in games, from United Artists.

Today, most gamers don’t remember a time when Electronic Arts (or as they prefer it now, EA) wasn’t an industry leader. Over time, the company has, ironically, come to represent all the worst aspects of the gaming industry: endless sequels, licensed derivatives, poor working conditions, and This was a rather significant change in the closure or dismemberment of many the industry. Until this point, game beloved studios. This wasn’t always the designers were barely credited for their case. work, if they were even mentioned at all. Atari was particularly notorious in its Trip’s mission caught the attention of the day, leading to the creation of the first greatest game designers of the era, and “easter egg”: a developer credit in with a phenomenal stable of games for Adventure. the Atari 800 and Apple II, they took the gaming public by storm. Early EA More than just credit, developers for releases included M.U.L.E., Archon, Hard early EA products had their names Hat Mack, and featured prominently on the packaging, Dr. J and Larry Bird Go One on One. and a number of early advertisements and games even featured photographs In terms of commercial success, Hard and interviews with the development Hat Mack was a bestseller, Archon was team. As a company, early EA was a classic bestseller, and Pinball entirely focused on external developers, Construction Set was a classic to the point where they had no internal bestseller. It was a really remarkable development teams at all. debut set of products. - Trip Hawkins That was a very conscious decision on Trip’s part to keep a clear separation. We See Farther EA modeled itself after a record label. The initial lineup was just the tip of the The artists were external and on iceberg. Over the next few years, EA contract, and the internal employees would attract the best talent in the were there to support the artists. Trip industry, dominating the marketplace. never wanted to create a situation Attracted by the promise of more respect where the external artists felt like they and more credit for their work, Bill were competing for resources with the Budge, David Maynard, Jon Freeman and internal development. Dan Bunten were among the first to sign - Jeff Johannigman on. Expert Involvement negotiate deals like these for their Even in 1982, the trend toward licensing contractors that a purely independent had already begun, with games based on studio couldn’t. It was collective Tron and Star Wars, among others, bargaining at its finest. For the individual already in existence. But the first time developers, meeting with the expert individual sports stars became involved could be a greater reward than the with a video game was EA’s Dr. J and financial ones. Larry Bird Go One on One, and it proved to be a landmark development for the Yeah, especially in the early days, we company. Not only was it an incredible had those kind of figures involved in commercial success at a time when the design process. Back when we did computer games weren’t doing Yeager’s advance flight simulator, Ned exceedingly well, but it paved the way Lerner was meeting with Chuck Yeager for future titles. on a fairly regular basis. Ned would sit down with General Yeager, show him Interestingly enough, and unlike most the program in development, and let modern games, the namesakes of these him handle the joystick. General Yeager titles were actually heavily involved in would tell Ned, “Yeah, this doesn’t the game development process. In the quite feel right, I think you ought to be process of developing One-on-One, both doing it this way.” And on Earl Weaver Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Larry Bird gave Baseball, much of the thrill for producer pointers to designer Eric Hammond on Don Daglow, was in collaborating with how to better capture the feel of Earl Weaver on the design. basketball. Future EA games would - Jeff Johannigman expand on this model, with Chuck Yeager’s Advanced Flight Trainer, Earl Revolutionizing Sales Weaver Baseball and the now-perennial EA games weren’t released in plastic Football. bags. Taking another cue from the music industry, Trip commissioned “album These types of titles were another way cover” packaging for their products, with that EA could reward developers of the custom artwork for each title. The results day. As a successful company, EA could ended up as unique flat boxes, with detailed, high quality art, developer This sales force would have an incredible credits and game descriptions. This impact on the industry. Maintaining a helped the early EA titles stand out distribution channel of this size required among the rest, at least until the rest of more titles than EA was capable of the industry followed suit. publishing at the time. Their solution was to partner with other developers and I kept track and counted 22 publishers to fill in the gaps, as a games- competitors that went to the same focused distributor themselves. printer and used the same album Distribution would be the foundation of format that we pioneered. However we EA’s initial relationships with Origin later had to drop it because with Systems, Westwood and Maxis, among increasingly crowded shelf space the others. albums got turned sideways (‘spined out’) and were too thin to see the Aftershocks brands. At that point we began If one were to say that early EA was thickening the albums into boxes. idealistic, they wouldn’t be far from the - Trip Hawkins mark. Certainly, it was a business first and foremost, but like many startups, EA At the same time, EA began to was founded with a mission to change revolutionize the sales and distribution the industry. But with such incredible system for games. Up to this point, any success, the rapid expansion that comes company selling software would have along with going public, company culture their product placed into retail by a changes. Only as EA’s culture changed, it general software distributor, who would pulled the rest of the industry along in take a rather significant cut of the sales its wake. amount. When Larry Probst arrived at EA in 1984, as VP of Sales, he rapidly grew The first thing that began to change, the sales force and cut out nearly all the even in the early ‘80s, was the developer distributors, giving EA much higher promotion. Though it never quite margins than its contemporaries. regressed back to the early days of Atari - to this day developers still have credits in the game manuals - the active larger company needs somebody who whole bunch of cannon fodder, young is more operationally effective, and less kids who are eager to make their break of an entrepreneurial revolutionary. I into the game industry. They bring ‘em think Larry Probst is one hundred in, they work ‘em to death and then percent business and sales. they bring in someone else. Turnover promotion of individual developers has In 1991, Trip Hawkins stepped down - Jeff Johannigman rate is not important. The generally faded away. Certain from his position as CEO, and Larry organizational structure allows them to developers, the Sid Meiers and Will Probst took the reins of the company. The Human Story function very well with a very high Wrights of the world, are still promoted This change of command subtly adjusted Will EA change, shifting back towards the turnover rate. individually, but franchises and brands the focus of the company: While Hawkins ideals at which it started? Probably not - Chris Crawford have long since become the primary was a developer with a talent for without a very strong push in the right focus. business and marketing, Probst was a direction. But the industry is different Spurned by the ea_spouse’s words, or salesman with a history at product- now, as is the focus on it, and things perhaps the similarly inspired (and In 1987, EA also began shifting their oriented companies. The renewed may change despite them. In late 2004, recently settled) class-action lawsuit, or publishing focus to include internal expansionism EA showed in the ‘90s is working conditions at EA were even the focus of industry groups like development. The first such title was just once indicator of the change. graphically described in an essay EA: the IGDA, a leaked internal memo Skate or Die, but when contracted The Human Story by an anonymous promised changes. Could EA lead the developers didn’t rebel, more projects Look at what happened with Steve Jobs blogger under the handle ea_spouse. industry back to greener pastures? I were begun. Later, projects that were and Apple, look at what happened to a These sentiments, and their possible suppose it depends on whether any of once contract work would be done dozen other similar successful start-up outcome, have been echoed by other that old idealism still survives. internally instead, the most notable companies. The person who has the developers in the industry, including being John Madden Football. This trend real founding vision and the drive and ones once working with EA. I’d certainly like to see it though. was exacerbated in the ‘90s as EA the ambition to get a small little purchased a number of its former company off the ground, from zero to EA will consist of an “officer corp” of Jason Smith functions as chief techno- partners, converting them into internal several hundred employees, has a project managers and executives and a whatsit for The Escapist, and still development studios. Today, most EA particular mindset, a particular drive, remembers his introduction to EA games releases are from these internal studios, particular ambition, a particular , back on his Commodore 64. He would and the number of publishers that are and a particular desire to be in control like to thank Jeff Johannigman, not also developers has dropped to of certain aspects of the business. Once Stephanie Barrett, and Chris Crawford nearly none. a company gets to a certain size and for their time in the writing of this goes public, those traits make it article. difficult to grow to the next level. A The first sports videogame I owned was Work, and the more time that passes, published by Electronic Arts. It had no the better I remember my renditions “Madden” in the title. It did not showcase sounding. But, that’s what nostalgia is, the acronym of a sports league on the memory combined with love to produce cover. It had no online roster update a feeling of comfort. feature, for the roster contained only two players. This game broke the sport down Later that year, EA took me on a journey to its most basic of competitive to the New World, to find fortune and elements, a game of one on one. One fame, and to subjugate the native on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird quickly inhabitants. I don’t think that I managed became the most-played game on my to find allSeven Cities of Gold, but it Atari 800XL. wasn’t for lack of searching. But then, in May of 1985, The Expedition was Lost at I loved this game. My friends loved this Sea! I had discovered the female of the game. They would ride three miles to my species. I lost touch with EA over the house just to play it. And play it we did, next few months, seeing as how we for hours. We mowed lawns to replace didn’t really have that much in common worn out joysticks. Eventually, my anymore. Seems it was more friends got their own versions and we interested in fantasy chess games and didn’t get together as often, but the talk solving murders on blimps, and I had in study hall was always about who had my thoughts on what Hard Hat Mack made the janitor sweep up the really meant. shattered backboard the most. It was this game that started my love/hate I bumped into EA again in 1986 at a relationship with EA; this game was friend’s house, where he showed me where we first met. Starflight, and my life was forever changed. EA had managed to convince After capturing my heart, EA allowed me me to buy new hardware so that I would to compose a song to sing in it, with the be able to play a game. I spent $3200 release of the Music Construction Set. I on an IBM 8088. My quest for answers to spent most of my time trying to re- the mysteries of the Crystal Planet and create songs by Huey Lewis or Men at the Ancients was a contributing factor in my leaving college after only a semester. Sadly, I had to let EA go. We just weren’t gaming industry I learned to respect, Turns out, my tuition fund was short by the same beings who met on a nameless love, hate, somehow feeling all of those about $3200. My love had become half-court, some 17 years earlier. We still at once. EA helped make me a gamer; obsession. How could I have been such a saw each other from time to time. But EA played a role in shaping me into who fool? EA, once again, proved that it was more often than not, any plans to be I am now. the only one for me, and any doubt was together would be suddenly cancelled by erased with the release of Starflight .2 EA, with usually little or no warning. We How do I feel about Electronic Arts had made arrangements to meet again today? To understand my answer, you Unfortunately, the world had other plans in Britannia, but those never came to would have to think back to your first for us, and I received orders to report for pass. I started visiting EA everyday, love. Not your first crush or your first duty on the TCS Tiger’s Claw. With the climbing into the cockpit of a 100-ton kiss, but the first time you ever wanted release of Origin’s Wing Commander, EA Battlemech to make the journey, but to be with someone forever, and to have found its first true challenge for my sadly it took away my ‘Mech. I started to that person never change. Now imagine attention, and I didn’t see jealousy for become distrustful. I didn’t allow myself that almost 25 years have passed, and what it was until it was too late. EA to expect EA to follow though with you are two totally different people. You wanted so desperately to be the object anything, to save myself the still care about that person, and you still of my desire, that it was willing to take disappointment. value her for her contributions to your those things I now loved and make them life over the years. its own. At the time, I didn’t complain, I guess I could have done things as I was still able to fly against the differently, been a better customer I still love Electronic Arts. But, I am no Kilrathi. Looking back, I see this as the maybe. Perhaps I could have learned to longer in love with Electronic Arts. Does moment where our relationship started accept EA for who it was, and adapted to that make any sense? to go sour. its changes. I just wish that it could have been more understanding of my needs, If not, let me tell you about the time I Little things that I would have been and my wants. I wish it would someday left Sony Online Entertainment standing willing to overlook before were becoming remember how to be that which at the altar. bigger and bigger issues for us. Some attracted me in the first place. I will days I still think about the last big break- always cherish those early memories we JR Sutich is a Contributing Editor for The up we had. EA wanted to move to had together, how EA brought my friends Escapist magazine and is rumored to Trammel, and I wanted to stay in and me closer together, and taught me have been banned from an online game Felucca. valuable lessons about life, love and loss. during its initial design stage. Electronic Arts was the first name in the The lush countryside is bathed in golden light. Horses’ hooves fwhump solidly into the turf. Pistol shots are sharp, commanding. The period detail is unbelievable. The main characters have been acted well (with one or two exceptions), and extras wander everywhere you look. You really do have the sense of being in a 19th-century town on the frontier of the American West, where morals and ethics are dictated by who controls the land, and control is wrested through the merciless application of hot lead. The idealist fights for his notions of justice, the rancher fights for his livelihood, both fight to win the affections of the alluring madame of the local brothel - the realist, as usual - who is happy enough to have the attention. The characters are, on the whole, well drawn. The plot, such as there is, is engaging. The biggest release of the year, it bogs down in places, but there are hours more content here than usual.

The rise of the Western game? A new MMOG in hush-hush development at EA? Neversoft and ’s open-world shooter, Gun?

In fact, it’s none of the above. It’s the 1980 epic filmHeaven’s Gate by director Michael Cimino. It won’t be coming to an Xbox360 near you anytime soon, but it just may hold important lessons for the future of the gaming industry. you have Batman, , Harry slightly unusual projects like Black & Potter, Marvel Comics, the Lord of the White and TimeSplitters. Not all of these Rings, The Godfather and pretty much have been smashing successes, but most every major sports franchise on the face were fun and even, inventive. of the planet - from the NHL to the NFL, NCAA football and basketball, golf stars, But the fact remains that while EA may, NASCAR, FIFA soccer, the NBA and even from time to time, produce the sleeper Heaven’s Gate is a gorgeous film. It’s a founded it in 1982 to the biggest, richest a non-sport sport like Arena Football - gem like Black & White, its apparent goal bit too long and a bit too self-indulgent company on the face of the planet doesn’t mean your games are engaging is to hit on the secret alchemical (it clocked in at three and a half hours devoted exclusively to bringing people and fun. formula, the unfailing recipe that will when originally released), but the semiconductor-based fun. enable it to turn brain-sweat and lessons it holds have little to do with art, It doesn’t mean that all of them are database tears into gold every time. storyline or gameplay. The lessons it But its size doesn’t necessarily mean EA yawners, of course. Madden NFL 2005 Blockbuster after blockbuster, bringing holds have to do with money, where it is the best. Riches are not the mother of is one of the best-loved sports games EA yet more scads of cash, enabling the comes from and how to get it. And as invention. Gamers are often surprised around. From its humble beginnings with company to either fund a few more of much as we’d prefer it were otherwise, when riches and invention walk hand in games like Archon and Pinball those innovative little games or just look it’s money that determines whether the hand, and don’t often expect it from a Construction Set, EA has since the other way entirely, thumb the Hit games we play are mind-blowing pieces cash-heavy company like EA. Except by shepherded great games like Battlefield Stick and flatten the competition. of interactive art or mind-numbing those loyal Madden NFL fans, EA gets 1942 and Battlefield ,2 Need for Speed sequels in yet another licensed franchise. slapped around and spat on for being the and the most popular computer game of It’s a lot like a big movie studio, in that evil empire of game development on a all time, (even if the company sense. Or anyway, a big movie studio of Where money in the games industry is daily basis. You name the name, EA has at first supported it only reluctantly). It 25 years ago - around the time Heaven’s concerned, of course, there’s no better been called it. Profit-hungry. Power-mad. Gate was released. place to find it than at Electronic Arts, Uncaring, uncreative and uncouth, not to Inc., the industry’s behemoth. EA took in mention unethical and even I hear someone groaning in the back of almost $3 billion in revenue in its 2004 underhanded. the lecture hall. Fear not. I’m not about fiscal year, and is looking to grab about to tell you games are as important as 10 percent more than that in 2005, The company definitely has its faults, movies and should be accorded the same about what eBay takes every year. While where its products are concerned (as due (though that’s true, at this point, it stumbles now and then (as it is doing, well as in other areas, as ea_spouse can has also kept the MMOG Ultima Online more or less). Games get compared to slightly, now), EA has gone from a tell you). Licenses are not the sole going long past the point most people movies all the time - they’re as popular ballyhooed upstart when Trip Hawkins ingredient of good games. Just because expected, and has occasionally taken on as movies, we’re told, they’re as engaging as movies (or more, in many were glamorous. People wanted to be a cases), they may or may not represent part of the industry not just because the next step in narrative entertainment, they loved movies, but because some of and some feel they offer better value for the glamor of the movies rubbed off on the buck. But what’s often glossed over anyone who was involved. in these comparisons, however accurate or inaccurate they may be, are the The moguls held on for decades, parallels between the industries producing movies, good and bad. Some, themselves, not at the level of design like Irving Thalberg, were movie men and development, which is usually what from the beginning. Others, like Goldwyn interests gamers (and where there are and Harry Cohn, who was a pool shark indeed striking similarities), but at the and streetcar conductor before founding level of money and decision-making Columbia Pictures, got their start in very power. different businesses.

The two industries haven’t evolved The end of the movie moguls is exactly in parallel, but it’s worth looking commonly dated to 1963, with the at what’s happened in Hollywood to get a Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton epic, sense of where EA fits into what’s Cleopatra. Beginning with a $2 million happening in gaming. Because the truth budget, the production eventually ended is, we may not have as much to fear nearly $50 million later, and three years from EA as we think. behind schedule.

Unlike the gaming industry, the movies Cleopatra ended the age of epics, but it were controlled by cigar-chomping was only a matter of time before they moguls from the beginning. Warsaw were back. Before that could happen, native Schmuel Gelbfisz got his start in though, the 1970s saw the rise of deep, the garment business in New York before personal, character-driven movies that going on - as Samuel Goldwyn - to found were emphatically the embodiment of a the company that would later become director’s vision, rather than a producer’s Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, aka MGM. Early desire for dance numbers and expensive on, someone got the idea that movies costumes. The Best Picture Oscar winners of the decade, every one of ushered in the blockbuster mentality of them, are among the best pictures ever the 1980s and ‘90s. To protect made (in this reviewer’s opinion): themselves from directors, the studios Patton, The French Connection, The wanted big-ticket productions again, Godfather, The Sting, The Godfather Part easy stories, bright special effects. Was II, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Rain Man really the best picture of 1988? Rocky, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, and Actually, it might have been. Die Hard Kramer vs. Kramer. Even the losers were was released that year. The Terminator great: M*A*S*H, A Clockwork Orange, had already come out, and Terminator 2 Deliverance, Chinatown, Jaws, Taxi was well on its way. By 1997, the best Driver, Star Wars, Dog Day Afternoon picture was Titanic, and the decade and many more. wound up with Jar Jar Binks annoying moviegoers the world over. I’m a big fan It was The Deer Hunter that turned out of Die Hard, but for character and to be the problem. It was The Deer storyline the ‘70s directors’ pictures are Hunter - directed by Michael Cimino - where it’s at. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, the that convinced United Artists, and money was making decisions again, Cimino himself, that the new age of the chasing more money, at the expense of - epic was at hand. All you had to do was you guessed it - innovation and give a great director unbridled control inventiveness. over their films - as the producers of earlier years had had over theirs - and You see where I’m going with this. It’s you could spin celluloid into gold. not such a new thesis: Once you have money, you want to protect it. Once you But like Cleopatra, Heaven’s Gate turned have as much money as EA, you protect out to be a bloated and expensive your cash by not taking any risks. failure. It bankrupted United Artists and There’s not much incentive for EA to effectively ended Cimino’s career. innovate. They could probably churn out sports franchises for the rest of Larry It also ended the era of the filmmaker’s Probst’s days and do just fine. film.Heaven’s Gate was the final over- extension of ‘70s auteur culture, and That doesn’t mean that good games are producer, of the schmatte king looking dead, though. With the movies, a funny for a little burnish through what was thing happened on the way to the suddenly the hottest entertainment blockbuster, and if gamers are lucky and medium of the day. If you were talented, America is ready for it, the same thing charming, ambitious and willing to could happen with games. socialize as though your career depended on it (which it did), you could What happened was the birth of often convince one of the many bored independent film. In the shadow of businessmen, flush from the boom, to Hollywood’s blockbuster mentality, invest a million or two in your little jewel independent producers started throwing of a movie. Whether the mini-mogul money at young directors, giving rise to made his money back or not didn’t really a new round of thoughtful, non- matter; the movies were cool again, and blockbuster films put together with little his cash bought him entree to that more than a script, a camera and a world. couple of actors and people to work as production assistants. Filmmakers like If gamers are lucky, the same thing will Todd Solondz, Wes Anderson, and Kevin happen for games. The talent is already Smith were guys you could meet on the there. There are plenty of interesting street in New York and chat with over games out there now, plenty of drinks with friends (if you had the right innovation, plenty of inventive designers. friends). You got the sense they weren’t You won’t find most of them at your local chasing fame primarily, they were GameStop, though, because big chasing their art - though no one chases developers and publishers can’t afford to art without the thought of renown being take the risk. They’re too busy protecting close behind. their money by hunting up the next blockbuster game. The people who were dead set on the glamour were the money men. There What gaming needs is more brave have always been independent money. It needs cash that’s willing to go Hollywood producers, but the 90s saw outside the system and fund developers the rebirth of the non-Hollywood who are independent in the sense that the ‘90s indie filmmakers were: small Even if he did realize that, what he can’t today. They’ll still get their start making groups of talented individuals working yet get out of gaming is glamour. But in small games, but now they’ll be able to together on the cheap to create their about five minutes, that’s going to get them in front of the public. And version of art. That talent exists, and I’d change. It might be the huge success of gradually, being an indie gamedev will wager that money isn’t far behind. Spore, it might be the dismal failure of come to mean something very cool, not The Godfather. It might be some game just to gamers, but to everyone. But first, gaming needs to become cool - EA hasn’t yet sunk its teeth into, or one and I’m sorry to say that it just isn’t yet. that comes from somewhere else entirely We’re still a few short steps away from Gaming is cool if you’re a gamer, sure. (World of Warcraft, anyone?). But it’s that time, though, so wish EA luck. But to most Americans, even to many going to happen, and the game that Whether it’s a Cleopatra, a Heaven’s who own a console, gaming is still a makes gaming as cool as the movies Gate or a Jaws (one of the first modern curious, new thing. It doesn’t yet have were 10 years ago is probably going to blockbuster successes), one day soon, a the cachet of the movies. Tourists don’t come from a company like EA, a big game is going to make a big splash descend on Austin to visit the gaming company with the money and the reach and end the age of the gaming mogul. Walk of Stars. Even famous novelists get to market the hell out of a product, to And once again, the guy with the best more play than famous game designers. get it in front of everyone in the country game will win. Marvin Mogul may be aware that games - not just gamers - to draw people’s do as much business as Hollywood attention to games as just another Mark Wallace is a journalist and editor movies do box office sales, but he fixture of the entertainment universe. residing in Brooklyn, New York, and at doesn’t realize that for no more than it Walkering.com. He has written on cost him to fund an independent film, Whether the game itself succeeds or fails gaming and other subjects for The New and often for much less, he could fund a is almost unimportant. What counts is York Times, The New Yorker, Details and new game that stands to make him just that it will open a new door for the many other publications. as much money. developers and designers who have to content themselves with making browser-based games and freeware EA Settles on Artist Overtime Suit A disgruntled fan has created a site called Recall Executive Editor Producer EA settled out of court on an overtime lawsuit Madden in an attempt to provide an information Julianne Greer Jonathan Hayter October 5, awarding members of the class action a source for other owners of the game. The site total of $15.6 million. The terms of the settlement contains links to EA’s responses to problems thus Contributing Editors Lead Web Developer changed the status of entry-level artists to an far, and also has phone numbers disgruntled Joseph Blancato Whitney Butts hourly position, rather than salaried. They will no players can call for assistance. JR Sutich longer be eligible for stock options or bonuses. IT Director Schwarzenegger Signs Gaming Bill Copy Editor Jason Smith There hasn’t been any word on the similar suit filed Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill that Wendy Beasley by software engineers earlier this year. called for legislating the sale of violent and sexually Publisher explicit games to minors on Friday. It was unclear Research Manager Alexander Macris Madden PSP Owners Challenge Everything, as to whether or not Schwarzenegger would veto Nova Barlow Including EA the bill, as much of the gaming industry is based in Associate Publishers The PSP version of Madden 06 has more than a few California, but he ultimately sided with the wishes Contributors Jerry Godwin kinks to work out. Not only will the game lock up of the state Senate. Joe Blancato Gregory Lincoln at times, but the kick meter randomly disappears Dana Massey during plays. Franchise is also on the fritz, and EA’s Jason Smith Director of Advertising official workaround hasn’t lived up to expectations. JR Sutich Susan Briglia Allen Varney Mark Wallace Chairman of Themis Group Thomas S. Kurz

Volume 1, Issue 14, © 2005. The Escapist is published weekly by Themis Group, Inc. Produced in the United States of America. To contact the editors please email [email protected]. For a free subscription to The Escapist in PDF format please view www.escapistmagazine.com