Is Internal EA Memo Taking a Jab at Dead Space Designer?

Steve Butts

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Is Internal EA Memo Taking a Jab at Dead Space Designer?


A memo from EA Games' President congratulating Visceral Studios for Dead Space 2 may include a not-so-thinly-veiled potshot at former EA employees.

Visceral Studios, formerly known as EA Redwood Shores, is currently celebrating the reception of its latest game, Dead Space 2. EA Games Label President Frank Gibeau sent a memo to the studio, expressing his congratulations for not only making a great game, but also for earning review scores higher than those for the original game:

Please join me in congratulating the Visceral Studios teams at Redwood Shores, Montreal, Melbourne and Shanghai for creating an unparalleled experience in Dead Space 2. The game we created in 2008 was recognized by critics as iconic - what we didn't expect is that the team at Visceral would leapfrog that first effort with a bigger, better, and much, much scarier second game that has secured Dead Space as a bona fide franchise. Dead Space 2 launches with a 91 Metacritic - higher than DS1. The New York Times has stamped it as the first big blockbuster of 2011.

Dead Space 2 is a game our entire company can be proud of. The team at Visceral Studios faced down adversity and never got sucked into petty competition. Their answer was simple - they just made a better game. Congratulations!

Frank

That last bit about how the studio "faced down adversity and never got sucked into petty competition" may say more than the words themselves indicate. Reading between the lines, it could be a dig at Visceral Studios' General Manager Glen Schofield and COO Michael Condrey, who each left EA in 2009 to join rival publisher Activision's new San Francisco studio, Sledgehammer Games. Schofield and Condrey were instrumental in the success of the original Dead Space and when they left, EA was quick to deny suggestions that the pair's departure would damage the sequel's potential.

Given the review scores, EA seems to have been right about that at least.

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Tzekelkan

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Well, good for them. I'm so happy that we live in an age where sequels can be often better than the original (minor exceptions be damned, Bioshock 2). It's a sign that the devs are gamers just like us and they put passion in their product, not simply taking sequels as chances to cash in on what was popular (minor exceptions be damned, countless yearly installments of popular franchises).

And about the jab to the designer, well what do you expect? At least they're not namecalling the competition this time. It just shows you that no one man is vital to the creation of a good game or series (minor exceptions be damned, infinite untenable promises of Peter Molyneux' Fable).
 

vrbtny

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Sep 16, 2009
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Ooh, snap!!

But now I'm worried that The Escapist is turning into one of those magazines for Girls about celebrity gosip.
 

squid5580

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Feb 20, 2008
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EA is definitely right. Man DS2 is freaking amazing. Not a big fan of the MP side but that isn't why I bought it in the first place. It deserves such a high score. The team better be seeing some huge bonuses in their paychecks in the very near future!
 

gibboss28

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This just sounds like pointless office gossip. Hell not even that because its not even an office that (probably)any of us belong to.
 

Terramax

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vrbtny said:
Ooh, snap!!

But now I'm worried that The Escapist is turning into one of those magazines for Girls about celebrity gosip.
Join the club.
 

Bretty

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Terramax said:
vrbtny said:
Ooh, snap!!

But now I'm worried that The Escapist is turning into one of those magazines for Girls about celebrity gosip.
Join the club.
Finally. It is getting worse every month.

Need a new direction IMO.
 

Sniper Team 4

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Hee hee. Always fun to see something like this instead of the "professionalism" that these companies try to pass off. If someone stabs you in the back, of course you're given the right to take shots at them.

I watched one of the Dead Space anime movies last night, and it got me interested enough that I went out looking for Dead Space today. Sadly, no Game Stops have either a new or used copy. Everyone probably had the same thought as I did when Dead Space 2 came out: "Gee, if it's this good, I should go play the first one before I get the second one." Curse me for being so slow.
 

Thorvan

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Tzekelkan said:
Well, good for them. I'm so happy that we live in an age where sequels can be often better than the original (minor exceptions be damned, Bioshock 2).
Hey, Bioshock 2 is a damn fine game.

...

I didn't really have a point there, but yeah. Everyone should stop yelling at that game, it's still bloody excellent even if it didn't quite reach the pizazz of the first one; in fact, I'd almost say that certain features are even better than the first. (Fontaine, I'm looking at you.)

Off topic rant aside, I don't think it was really a "jab" at them; in fact, it seemed more of a lamentation than an offense. These guys were damn awesome, but we sucked it up and did the best we could regardless.
 

sir.rutthed

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Nov 10, 2009
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Why is this on the newsfeed? I could understand if the guy had something along the lines of "Those other guys can bite my shiny metal ass", but I'm having a hard time imagining this as even juicy gossip. So they're being congratulated for not letting controversy influence their work product, I'd say that's the kind of thing we should encourage.
 

Lex Darko

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I'm sorry I don't see any veiled jabs at one in that memo. To me it looks a like memo written by a manager to employees congratulating them on the completion and initial success of a recently finished project.

This in my eyes is a non-story. Instead of wasting resources "reporting" gossip like this maybe the reporting staff could try to find information about actual games. And while you do that, why not start with Project Dark by From Software, no one has info on that game. I'm sure the first to break that story would certainly get more attention than those who report about imagined slights directed at former employees.

http://www.fromsoftware.jp/en/inquiry/ Here you go, now get us a real story please.
 

Jumplion

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I am totally getting Dead Space 2 as soon as I can, though my wallet is nearly strapped for cash, I have enough for one more game. The next game on my list is either Killzone 3 or Bulletstorm, two very different games that I want for different reasons.

Conglaturations!
You have completed a greet game
And have prooved the justice of our culture .
Now go and rest, our heroes !!!
 

Something Amyss

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Dec 3, 2008
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vrbtny said:
Ooh, snap!!

But now I'm worried that The Escapist is turning into one of those magazines for Girls about celebrity gosip.
I wouldn't worry about it just yet. This is mostly a humourous little deal.

If they start posting articles about whether Miyamoto and Kojima are BFFs....Well...
 

Callate

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Dec 5, 2008
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The General Manager and COO? I can't say I'm surprised that didn't have a detrimental effect on Dead Space 2- it's entirely possible those two had bugger all to do with any creative aspect of the game whatsoever.
 

Danpascooch

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Apr 16, 2009
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I'm about to finish Dead Space 2, I'm right at the end (wait, why the fuck am I posting? I'm gonna go finish that) and it really is much better, even though the original was awesome
 

BabyRaptor

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vrbtny said:
Ooh, snap!!

But now I'm worried that The Escapist is turning into one of those magazines for Girls about celebrity gosip.
Well, at least they haven't started talking about whose knocked up. Or how you can wear the same clothes as your favorite programmer for way less!
 

Danpascooch

Zombie Specialist
Apr 16, 2009
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Steve Butts said:
Please join me in congratulating the Visceral Studios teams at Redwood Shores, Montreal, Melbourne and Shanghai for creating an unparalleled experience in Dead Space 2. The game we created in 2008 was recognized by critics as iconic - what we didn't expect is that the team at Visceral would leapfrog that first effort with a bigger, better, and much, much scarier second game that has secured Dead Space as a bona fide franchise. Dead Space 2 launches with a 91 Metacritic - higher than DS1. The New York Times has stamped it as the first big blockbuster of 2011.

Dead Space 2 is a game our entire company can be proud of. The team at Visceral Studios faced down adversity and never got sucked into petty competition. Their answer was simple - they just made a better game. Congratulations!

Frank
Holy fuck! Did they just inadvertently announce more Dead Space games?