First M.J. dies, and now THIS!?

[CrazyEyes]

So, Bethesda just bought id. Kotaku seems to want to pass it off as some sort of mutual collaboration to avoid publishing expenses or risks, but an acquisition is an acquisition. Also, the name of the studio is pretty dumb (ZeniMax). For those who don't know, I'm not a big fan of Bethesda's... works. My gut tells me that, since their games sell more, they will take the liberty of having some say in id's games. What do you folks think will happen?

 

[Shatari]

Meh, Id disappointed me with Doom 3, and to be honest Return to Castle Wolfenstein wasn't anything to write home about either. Bethesda on the other hand seems to be doing okay, producing Redguard, Morrowind (I haven't played Oblivion yet), and Fallout 3. Any involvement they have with the Id titles is bound to be positive.

 

[CrazyEyes]

Meh, Id disappointed me with Doom 3, and to be honest Return to Castle Wolfenstein wasn't anything to write home about either. Bethesda on the other hand seems to be doing okay, producing Redguard, Morrowind (I haven't played Oblivion yet), and Fallout 3. Any involvement they have with the Id titles is bound to be positive.

Yeah, see that is where I disagree. While Doom 3 was certainly not that great, I would definitely play that (or, actually, Quake Live) over Oblivion or Fallout 3. I have not played RTCW in ages (and even then I did not play it much) so I can't really comment on that. I must also mention that the Quake 4 singleplayer was actually good for me. The atmosphere and level design, mainly. It is certainly what Doom 3's should have been.

I accidentally typed "ROTC" instead of "RTCW". Whoops.

 

[Nahkis]

Id does have a habit of making excellent multiplayer games, like the above mentioned RTCW and RTCW: Enemy Territory. Admittedly, RTCW singleplayer was pretty bad, but the mp was good fun. Most of their shooters are arcade-ish, which doesn't please all players, but is something I personally prefer. As long as that doesn't change, I don't mind.

 

[Weren]

Meh, Id disappointed me with Doom 3, and to be honest Return to Castle Wolfenstein wasn't anything to write home about either.

But they made Enemy Territory: Quake wars. That was brilliant.

 

[Archonsod]

So, Bethesda just bought id.

About a week ago. Do try and keep up

Kotaku seems to want to pass it off as some sort of mutual collaboration to avoid publishing expenses or risks, but an acquisition is an acquisition.
Also, the name of the studio is pretty dumb (ZeniMax).

Zenimax Media Inc. bought Bethesda in 1999. Zenimax are in fact the publishers and owners of Bethesda and now ID, as well as various web design, console and mobile games developers.

For those who don't know, I'm not a big fan of Bethesda's... works. My gut tells me that, since their games sell more, they will take the liberty of having some say in id's games. What do you folks think will happen?

I would think it to be highly unlikely, given the two are still entirely separate companies. It's like saying Rockstar would have a say in Firaxis' games because they're both owned by Take2 ...

More than likely, I'd say they were after Id for the technology.

 

[Rabid Potatoe]

Not like anything's been lost. Id can't make games for ****.

 

[Almalexia]

Hm. Well, I hope that ID doesn't get all into TES five's grills: sure, their style is good, it just doesn't really... match, with the whole Elder Scroll's vibe. A bit too grotesque for it, I think.

 

[Archonsod]

I'm not sure why you'd want two companies you own to actually compete against each other. Unless you're some kind of stereotypical fantasy villain and wish them to prove which is superior before offering them the job of right hand man.

 

[Austupaio]

Competition is good. A looming threat that if your sister company does better than you, you'll lose your job, is damned good for productivity.

 

[Archonsod]

Bad for profits though, which are far more important

 

[CrazyEyes]

About a week ago. Do try and keep up

I am in Bavaria, on vacation. 'Sides, there wasn't a topic on it already.

Zenimax Media Inc. bought Bethesda in 1999. Zenimax are in fact the publishers and owners of Bethesda and now ID, as well as various web design, console and mobile games developers.

In the best terms: wups lol
Seriously, I did not know they were a publisher that existed beforehand. And the articles didn't really tell me as much.

I would think it to be highly unlikely, given the two are still entirely separate companies. It's like saying Rockstar would have a say in Firaxis' games because they're both owned by Take2 ...

Yeah, this is easy for me to comprehend, seeing how much **** EA is in control of.

More than likely, I'd say they were after Id for the technology.

Really?
Unless there is some new super engine I haven't heard of, the idTech 3 (I think that's the name of it - the D3/Q4 engine) engine is a little outdated and, while adequate, isn't anything to write home about. It has the added downside of making everything look like plastic.

 

[Archonsod]

In the best terms: wups lol
Seriously, I did not know they were a publisher that existed beforehand. And the articles didn't really tell me as much.

Zenimax was originally founded by the CEO of Bethesda IIRC he's still a major shareholder, but no longer in direct control of either company. They're a true media company rather than a specialised games publisher though; they've got their finger in many pies from movies to music.

Yeah, this is easy for me to comprehend, seeing how much **** EA is in control of.

It may come as a surprise to you, but a lot of the **** games published by EA have **** all to do with EA and everything to do with the game simply being ****. I suppose you could blame EA for giving the developer a chance to publish the game rather than smacking them around the head and telling them to make a decent game, but I'd rather an industry where even ****e gets a chance to shine rather than only being fed what some marketing suit thinks will sell millions.

Unless there is some new super engine I haven't heard of, the idTech 3 (I think that's the name of it - the D3/Q4 engine) engine is a little outdated and, while adequate, isn't anything to write home about.

Yes, because it was developed several years ago. If they only wanted one specific engine they'd have licensed that one specific engine rather than paying considerably more to buy the guys who made it. When I say they're looking at the technology, they're looking at what Id are making now and in the near future rather than what they did under a different publisher. For one, they won't draw any money from stuff they've already sold.