Is it time for SMAC II?

[Nikolai]

Firaxis and EA I think.

[snoopy369]

Yeah, BHG never had any interest in the game. EA owns the rights to SMAC - it's not a split, they actually own them entirely, as far as I understand it (see http://www.firaxis.com/company/faq.php#3 ). BHG didn't exist until after Brian and Tim left Firaxis in the middle of Civ3 development.

[snoopy369]

I'd be careful about calling Civ5 a debacle, by the way. It's sold well over a million units, which is not small change. Even if the developer only made $10 per copy off that (after 2K's distribution wing's take and retail's take), that's $10MM for ~4 years operation. I imagine they would rather be in the 3MM copy sales range, like Civ4, but 1.2MM or so (what I could find easily) is not half bad. At least enough to ensure they make Civ6, which is all that's important, right?

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Yeah, BHG never had any interest in the game. EA owns the rights to SMAC - it's not a split, they actually own them entirely, as far as I understand it (see http://www.firaxis.com/company/faq.php#3 ). BHG didn't exist until after Brian and Tim left Firaxis in the middle of Civ3 development.

I missed that. So since Firaxis is now owned by 2K, it's never going to happen. :/

[OneFootInTheGrave]

We only have to wait for EA to go bust, which is another five years out. Not too bad.

[snoopy369]

I missed that. So since Firaxis is now owned by 2K, it's never going to happen. :/

Well, two ways it could happen:
1. Sid buys back Firaxis, then goes over to EA.
2. Sid leaves and starts his own (third) company (just like Firaxis was started after he left Microprose).

But since he's getting up in age, he probably won't. Though I suppose EA is holding onto relatively worthless rights if they're not going to make a sequel, so perhaps they'd eventually be willing to sell them for a reasonable fee?

[snoopy369]

We only have to wait for EA to go bust, which is another five years out. Not too bad.

Or wait for the inevitable EA-2K supermerger... is that the one time geeks everywhere would cheer for the merger of the two largest game studios (if it reunited Sid with SMAC rights)?

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Well they have been downsizing for years and made about 70 measly millions on 4bn sales last year, they need a turnaround if they still want to be around in five years, and with the current management I can really see them going out of business, or more accurately being taken over by someone, perhaps Take 2, keep most of the franchises and fire the whole management team.

[snoopy369]

Erm, Take 2 is in far worse shape than EA...

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Well they are making about the same money on 4x less revenue and despite of Civ V being what it is, let's wait for GTA5, Bioshock Infinite to fund the takover of EA and hope for SMAC II

[snoopy369]

A year or so ago they were vaguely talking about bankruptcy. EA might make less profit, but the fact that they have all that revenue puts them in a lot safer position financially...

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Hey, we have to have an unplausible scenario to cling our hope onto right?