PLACE YOUR BETS! Brian left because...

[yin26]

O.K. Now I'll speculate on why he left, just for fun. No, I don't have any real insider information, but let's just say I've watched the situation as closely as I could for several months (and been privy to an e-mail here and there). Finally, what I think doesn't matter, so don't get in a tizzy if you disagree with me. Anyway, I think Brian left because...:

Rumor has it that Brian hasn't been in the office for several weeks (actually, this is pretty much a fact). As far back as when we sent version 2 of the list I had already gotten some hints that he wasn't around. So was there already a problem months ago?

I think Brian was just trying to do what he did with Civ2. Do you remember how he made that game basically on his own? He went to England and sent periodic updates back to Sid. Amazing! So it would stand to reason that he'd try the same approach with Civ3. Of course, things are quite different now that Firaxis is a "real" company...

What I mean by that is Firaxis may well be falling into a worn-out trap for young companies, namely over-reaching. Do you guys remember Trilobyte? Long story short: They came out with 7th Guest, made millions, and then spent money and chased silly projects like crazy. They went bankrupt. Is this happening with Firaxis?

I don't really think it's that bad, but I do think that Brian left primarily because he no longer shares the same vision with Sid and where the company should go. Think about it from Brian's point of view: Civ is the perhaps the greatest TBS in gaming history. He took it well beyond expectations with Civ2. And now the opportunity to make a Civ3 is here. Keep in mind, too, that Civ was "stolen" from them by Activision to make CtP, but now the chance is back in home court. If there were ever a cash cow and the opportunity to solidify your company's reputation, surely Civ3 would be it.

But look at the Firaxis web site. Do you see Civ3 promoted there? No. What do you see? Dinos. To me, the message is pretty clear: Sid's baby gets top-billing while Civ3 is left to cook in the background virtually undiscussed. Make no mistakes. Sid runs Firaxis, and if he wants Dinos, he gets Dinos.

So instead of putting a full effort into Civ3, which is guranteed money, Firaxis under Sid's leadership has chosen to "diversify" and push his own projects, not only Dinos, but also the on-line push of SMA! All this, mind you, with a reportedly small staff, a staff which must be working on all cylinders these days to keep up with such a workload. Of course, if it all comes together, Sid and Firaxis look like geniuses. But these are the first signs of a young company so drunk on its own early success that it finds itself with more money and enthusiasm than good business sense. Then again, maybe these are bold steps leading to a higher level?

If you ask me, they should have spotlighted Civ3 long ago and poured their hearts and souls into it, making a 2000 released date probable instead of impossible. Sid's "Next Big Thing" should not have taken that spotlight and drained the company's resources away from a game that is going to sell itself. So what if Sid is sick of the series, if that's that case. The market is starving for a great Civ3. Common sense dictates they should have realized that.

Frankly, I don't give a spit about dinosaurs, and maybe you are like I am in that regard. Even if Dino's end up being a great game, it's still, well, about dinosaurs. It's not a subject I can easily identify with. It's about as foreign to me as mind worms, which, incidentally, I hated with a passion. It has been Civ's recognizable TBS history that has drawn in so many people. But Dinos? Sid himself says he got the idea from his son. No doubt a bunch of kids will pull the game from the shelves, and maybe schools will buy it by the truckloads. But I'll take a good long time before I even consider buying a game about Dinos. But that's just me. If I want a good TBS, I'll keep playing Civ2. If I want a good RTS, I'll keep playing Age of Kings.

I believe Brian looked at this writing on the wall and found that he wasn't being given enough to work with, that Firaxis was Sid's kingdom, and that Civ3 was NOT the top priority. Given those circumstances, I think I would have left Firaxis as well. Who knows. Maybe it will all work out and Sid will once again look like a hero.

But to delay Civ3 and push an untried concept seems simply insane. For God sakes, Firaxis! Civ3 is like a winning lottery ticket and you're shoving it in the sock drawer. Anyway, that's my take on this. Not that it matters. Brian is gone. Civ3 will eventually be made, but it's going to be really fun to see if Firaxis made the right decisions...

[Bkeela]

Maybe Brian and Sid were gay lovers, and they simply had a lovers spat.

Bkeela.

[yin26]

Hmmm. I hadn't thought about that...but in Hunt Valley?!

[connorkimbro]

It's my hunch that dino's is being advertised because it's a new concept, and they are allowing civ3 to advertise itself. .

that's my thought anyway. .

[yin26]

That makes a kind of sense, but wouldn't be wise. I mean, at least they could do LITTLE of what they are doing with Dinos for Civ3. But as far as I can see, there's nothing. Zero. Nada. And Tim's latest update makes it sound like Civ3 is really a mess at this point.

Bad move, I say.

[Derek]

quote: But to delay Civ3 and push an untried concept seems simply insane. For God sakes, Firaxis! Civ3 is like a winning lottery ticket and you're shoving it in the sock drawer.

I agree 150%!!! I wrote a Column a few months back saying you could put out total crap, but put Civ3 on the box, and it would still be a best seller. So why not make the game live up to its hype.

I also agree that Firaxis is probably strained to the limits in terms of personell.

Let's hope that Hasbro has chipped in to get some experienced hot developers to help out. But it's kinda scary that HASBRO just reported a $53 million dollar loss! Sounds like spending cuts will be around the corner!

Another thing is that, like you said, Brian probably wants this to be his baby, but I think Sid wants some of the younger designers to get in on the act, and push some new ideas into the game.

---> FIRAXIS, pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaseee put some effort into this game! Don't just give us Civ 2.5! Your fans expect more!

[War4ever]

i think we may see a civ3 from both sid and brian and from their own respective perceptions... if this is the case, maybe gamers will be treated to two games of glory.... question now is who releases first and whose is better?

[Pythagoras]

Maybe its not Sid, its Hasbro. All these hot shots Brian has never worked with telling him how to make his game, all from the big bad publisher. Firaxis knows to leave Brian alone and let him do his thing, Brian has worked with them for years. I can see Brian going to see J.Briggs saying "get these hasbro morons off my back!!" and Jeff saying, uhh no, no hasbro = no civ 3! So Brian stuck between his desire to make Civ III, and his desire to be in charge when all these morons from the publisher keep trying to control his product just said screw it. He's made plenty of fine games for Firaxis and Sid, maybe its time to move on. (He did major in philosiphy/history to become a game designer...)

I'm not sure that he would be ticked about the lack of promotion for his product. It could be simply the nature of Hasbros and Firaxis's relationship - let Hasbro promote since Firaxis already has enough to promote with its limited staff. And if I was a game designer I wouldnt want to be pressured by all the hype, the release date - I'd want to be left alone to make a great game.

Firaxis also knows how Brian works. They know how each other works, how to work with other people. I'm also sure that Brian would have at least *****ed somewhere to someone, and Sid/Jeff wouldnt want him to leave and appease him.
[This message has been edited by Pythagoras (edited February 09, 2000).]

[Derek]

Yeah I think Pythagoras has part of the story, too. Hasbro, as the main backer, possibly tried to get creative control over the project with it's own developers. Brian probably had his own vision and the two clashed. He probably found this paralyzing to his work and finally just gave up. Maybe he said to Sid and Jeff, "either them or me," and Sid had to side with HASBRO. Brian probably would have felt betrayed and left to design on his own.

Man I feel like the National Inquirer!

[yin26]

Yeah, I bet Hasbro said: "Civ2.5 will make as much money as Civ3, but Civ2.5 will cost a lot less and be published a lot faster. Hardcore fans can go jump. "

But this doesn't really explain why Civ3 is pushed to 2001. I think it's a simple matter of Sid putting all his influence behind Dinos and letting Civ3 come together in bits and pieces.

[Pythagoras]

Maybe Brian's v Hasbro's vision was creating a lot of friction with the creation process so Firaxis and Hasbro made a deal - no Brian in exchange for the date to be pushed back. So they trashed Brian, put Sid in charge who is used to the whole making everyone involved happy thing, and got a release date extension to make sure that it was a good sequel. ALSO Hasbro has been LOSING money recently and Civ III is something that needs to get done. Maybe nothing at all was getting done with Brian and Hasbro's conflicting views, so they trashed Brian to move things along and stop wasting resourses on a stalemate.

Also, about Firaxis doing the Trilobyte thing. They realized that Antietam has a limited market - so they limited sales to their online store. SMAC made them money, I'm sure, so did Gettysburg. SMAC-x (the only expansion they will do) is probably being bought by everyone that liked SMAC, and that might yield a decent profit. The Dinosour thing is a big '?' Its being talked about a lot, and will probably make money, and I'm sure EA will give Sid all the time he wants with it to turn it into a great, original game. Civ III? Well thats being done with a whole nother publisher. EA might not even want Firaxis to promote it on their site. I see money for Firaxis, they have also been expanding well with their resources. I dont think they are doing the Trilobyte thing. Also, the economy sucked when Trilobyte was around! Nowadays computers and internet expansion are paving the way for economic prosperity. And where computers go, games will follow.
[This message has been edited by Pythagoras (edited February 09, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Pythagoras (edited February 09, 2000).]

[yin26]

About Hasbro, here's some info:

quote: Hasbro today reported record fourth quarter and full-year 1999 revenues. Net earnings for the year increased 30% to $286.6 million compared to $220.0 million in 1998, and diluted earnings per share increased 33% to $1.42 compared to $1.07 in 1998. "Hasbro had its best year ever in 1999," said Alan G. Hassenfeld, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We delivered on our promises including building for future growth by acquiring Wizards of the Coast, enabling us to expand in the fast-growing games arena. Games have long been a cornerstone of Hasbro, and we will continue to leverage this strength. This segment grew significantly in 1999, driven not only by the success of recent acquisitions but also the enduring popularity of our core brands like Monopoly, Yahtzee, Trivial Pursuit many others. We also unveiled plans for Games.com, which we expect to launch in summer 2000 and to become the best online games portal. Hasbro's unmatched games content is truly what will set us apart."

So they are increasing revenues but losing money? That normally means they will now plan to cut production costs, doesn't it? Just another piece of my "Gut Civ3" conspiracy theory.
[This message has been edited by yin26 (edited February 09, 2000).]

[Adm.Naismith]

Hmmm, speculating should be useful. Where are we going right now? I watch we are offending a lot of people (Hasbro, EA, Sid...) without trial nor useful effects.

I mean, they may deserve some offence , but I should not be happy if someone speak of me as we are doing here.

Ok, let face it, in some post we said Firaxis was rushing game and Brian left disgusted, in other we said Firaxis cut Brian's head to gain some more time developing a better CIV III.
Sometime we ask for a revolutionary CIV then we complain because they want more than a year to develop such a hit.

Look, not every customer will be happy to buy same game three time in a row. After CIV II and SMAC + SMACx we need some breath before a major CIV III (not to mention the time needed to digest some 400+ page of sometime contraddicting wish list, Yin! ).

But Firawis, as every company, need some cash in between, better if coming from different wallets (i.e. different gamers, with different taste). Is not good to have the wealth of a company depending only from a line of product (also Coca Cola has other to Coke to make some money from).

So Sid is working on Dino. Well, may be I'll never play because (as Gettisburg) it will be a game non interesting for my taste. The problem is if we can survive another year without CIV 3? I better ask if we really need a CIV 2,5 rushed out.
I'm not sure they can do any better (or faster) if they put all programmers working on CIV III (you all know the old joke about no way nine mothers can make a baby in a month, don't you?).

I wish Brian make an interview (if contract rules allow him) and explain to us is truth, so we can go back and relax

Hint for Firaxis P.R.------
Of course some feedback on the list will put a more interesting argumento on the forum...
--------------- end of hint

------------------
Adm.Naismith AKA mcostant

[MarkG]

yin, yesterday you were posting "god, this sucks!" and you're speculating "just for the fun"??? it's a bit incosistent...

fact: Sid was working on Dino before the decision to make Civ3
quite possible: Dino will be out before civ3
fact: Civ3 wont come out until at least 2001
fact: you can't start hyping a game(civ3) when you dont have a clue when you'll be close to release date.
outcome(imho): get a new theory

[MarkG]

Naismith, I dont think we're going to hear anything else from Brian than that

quote: "things did not turn out between himself, president and CEO Jeff Briggs, and designer Sid Meier"

and he does not want to

quote: "dwell on the past because I am very excited about what I will be doing in the future"

http://apolyton.net/misc/ http://www.adrenalinevault.com/news/...=282000-131846