BioWare Montreal absorbed by EA Motive. Mass Effect IP returns to Edmonton

Exactly

Lot of dreamers say that "EA said they were happy with MEA...."

That doesnt mean anything. I was happy that I got a C+ and didnt fail the test but I wanted at least a B and shot for an A.

EA isnt going to tell investors that they werent satisfied. Instead they will make vague statements and take the glass half full approach.

Dreamers? Really? I think it's unambiguous, they are happy with ME: A and they are optimistic about it. Besides EA has admitted poorly performing games to investors. I'm sure they would do the same with ME: A if it did poorly.

Oh I'm sure they knew it was broken at launch. Just like I'm sure EA knew and didn't care. That's why I don't preorder or buy games as soon as they launch.

Yes, both Bioware and EA knew the game had problems  and did not care so i will also never preorder from them again. 
It will be buy after a few weeks or on release day at best if i think the game is good.

I literally said in my original post that the other person quoted that the game was critically panned. Then the discussion turned into "yeah but the memes!" Now we're back to "yeah but the critics!!"

I don't think there will be DLC either. That's what my OP was about. Can you all at least try to follow along this conversation instead of rehashing the same circular arguments over and over.

Also the fact BW Montreal is no more and we have no idea how many people from BW Edmonton and BW Austin are working on Mass Effect Andromeda. We know there are enough people to work on patches and MP DLC's, but for SP Story DLC? It is a mystery.
And with the merger happening even before game went Gold, we are certain they didn't start developing DLC's right after game was released. So that also makes historical precedent unable to be used for argument, as this is now an exceptional situation.


Pretty much new information we got just changed everything on this topic, so many past arguments no longer work.


So if BW Austin and BW Edmonton are currently working on ME:A SP Story DLC, we have no idea when did they started. So first DLC might not come for many months to come. Or if they didn't start, but will soon, then first DLC or an expansion might not show up until start of next year. It depends did they first waited for BW Montreal to merge with EA Motive, to re-organize their own manpower and resources. Do note, while EA and BioWare did denied Anthem was delayed due to ME:A development, they doesn't rule out it got delayed for DLC or an expansion development. As well it depends will it be a work of Casey Hudson to give ME:A a DLC or expansion, which would also mean it's very late release. If it happens.


So really, with the new pieces of information, we are all doing what Mac Walters wanted us to do all those years ago. Speculate.
And I hate it, I want for EA and BioWare to give us a clear response already.

Well in the one report about the ME:A development it said that they had focus group predicting the Metacritic scores.  If that's true they definitely care.

Even from EA's CEO.

"Mass Effect [Andromeda] is an interesting title; it was in development for a really long time and represented a lot of the great things that BioWare is known for: story, size, depth, breadth, imagination," Wilson said. "And while overall the aggregate review scores were lower than we would have liked, we did have over 100 reviewers score the game at 80 or higher.

They care.

What do you mean, how much I want to make it?  It's not like I said the game won't be getting DLC because of the scores.  Someone said they don't care about the scores, I posted examples that show that they do care about the scores, simple as that.  If the CEO says the scores weren't where they would have liked, obviously that means they had a goal in mind, ergo they care.

Actually the 5 month critical mark isnt sonething we created but something based on past occasions. Going all the way back to ME1, the first SP DLC usually releases 5 months after the game came out. This was true with ME1, ME2, ME3, DA2, and DAI. Past data proves this.

This means if past patterns are to be applied, then late August is when the DLC would release.


bsn.boards.net/thread/11225/mass-effect-timing-speculation-thread

...which are not applicable if the dev of Andromeda was as abnormal as has been made out.

There isn't a hard and fast guide for release schedule to be found by comparing DLC of previous games using different engines from different studios which all apparently had much smoother developments. It's grasping at straws.

I still lean towards there being DLC but something of Edmonton and/or Austin is doing it, at a less important and strict schedule than anything shifted/used for Anthem at the moment. That MEA is no longer anything of a significant priority, but that they may not be letting go the prospect of DLC profit. But because of such vague timelines (kind of in months instead of weeks) internally, and other reasons, they can't really strongly hint anything, let alone officially state anything, until it is absolutely coming on a specific date.

Again, only lean. Whatever lol.

My impression is MEA underperformed to hopes but it was an expected and still profitable and company-driving underperforming, and that they're wrapping up (over now, weeks, perhaps months) its cycle for a while (instead of going nuts with huge expansions of a surprisingly super blockbuster of a game) as they highly prioritize Anthem and move towards prioritizing DA4, until they return to the ME series.

'Interesting' really is the word for MEA's outcome, I'd bet. I don't think the series (or even more post-release prospects) is necessarily dead, but I also don't get any sense that its something EA cares to focus on at the moment, and I wouldn't be surprised that if, say, Anthem or other sci-fi shooter toned properties hugely overperform, ME franchise does indeed get shelved - but I don't think that has happened yet, or necessarily will happen in the next years. Its just there - did good, made money, had controversy, didn't blow socks off, but with its circumstances didn't justify a studio devoted just to the franchise.

Could be wrong. I just don't think today's hopes for MEA DLC are unrealistic yet. It may be taking time, of unusual circumstance, etc, but if the franchise has any import to Bioware, I think they may still get 1-3 DLC out if only to assure audience that there is a path forward; I wouldn't expect so much sequel tease as DAI did in its final DLC, but I do think there may be a mix of closing off of some plotlines and a communicated open and more refined attitude to what may be in another game.

We don't even know that. IIRC that was based on Frazier mentioning on Twitter that since he's not Bioware anymore, they should talk to someone at Edmonton (i.e. Bioware HQ, where all the leads are) in reply to someone asking about DLC. It hasn't been confirmed.

Seriously, the sheer lack of information people are basing their speculation on here is absolutely unreal.