I miss Impulse. I really do. I also think that it would have wiped out Stardock’s games unit if it had gone on for another year. Profit is something all businesses strive for – within reason. The problem is, profit can become such an overwhelming motivating factor that it can warp all other considerations. Was Stardock making games in order to make cool games or what it making games to enhance the installed base of Impulse? By the end of 2010, it was starting to get blurry.
Now, we live in a world where we still keep an eye on the bottom line but it is a much more abstract, long-term concept. I don’t have to care about the profitability of Fallen Enchantress, for example. It would be great if it makes a ton of money. But our primary objective for it will be to be seen as the #1 PC strategy game of the current age. And we’re willing to do what it takes, even if it doesn’t make short-term business sense, to make that happen.
Moreover, I’ve forbidden any PR on it. I’ve been nixxing interviews and preview shots being sent out. ONLY when the beta goes out does the press or anyone get stuff. Because, and I shouldn’t say this, but many members of the press are friends of mine and they have great integrity and it’s important that tends of thousands of users, who have the beta in hand, will be in a position to back up the early previews that yes, Fallen Enchantress delivers the goods.
Let me put it another way, in 2012, if you want to play a modern PC, turn-based fantasy strategy game. Fallen Enchantress better be the #1 choice, by far, or we failed.
How 'bout Sins for the RTS market?
I imagine all the money made from selling Impulse doesn't hurt either.
I'd imagine it's pretty easy to not care about profits when your job isn't on the chopping block. How many of those people who got fired last year are living the dream?
I dunno, you should ask them, as nearly everyone got rehired.
How many modern turn based fantasy strategy games are there? Isn't it just Elemental and Heroes?
Semantic nitpicking aside, I sincerely hope that Fallen Enchantress delivers. I've been disappointed in the "Stardock Games Unit" for quite awhile now, and every promise or game since Demigod's release has been another nail for me. If it truly is the dream working there, then let it show through your work. If Impulse being gone improves Stardock back up to the quality that should be expected, and demanded, from a company as popular as you have become, then congratulations on the dream. Hopefully it's not a case of having your cake and eating it too.
Despite being unwilling to use gamestops Impulse, I wish E:FE the best and still avidly follow it's development. I wish the players and the developers the best of luck with it. I didn't understand why a management team couldn't have been hired for Impulse. Among other options. But then I know nothing of the internal stuff that drove the decision to let go of it. But, if it had to be sold, "why'd it have to be gamestop" (I ask myself). I saw them as being so diametrically opposed to Stardocks branding of itself, that I could only relate to the news as being an April Fools joke. It just didn't fit. But done is done. I still hope for in house distribution from Stardock though.
After a time exploring other games, I'm back to playing Fall from Heaven. Civ4 + FfH2 is solid; save for the MAF.
With a proven quantity like Kael at the helm, I'm sure E:FE will be grand!
Frogboy,
You should be aquiring the rights to old beloved classics and make modern classics:
Wing Commander
Star Control
Homeworld (obviously)
Why wouldn't you contact Lucasarts and make the world best PC Star Wars game?
The heart might not race at these ideas, but they would make money.
Your also holding on to your best cards( Gal Siv2/Sins 2) far to long.
And your heart was in the right spot, but you gave to much away( free games) for the Elemental problem.
just my two cents.
Coming back to Stardock is like coming back to family. (A crazy, dysfunctional family for sure . .but that's comforting too.)
True story.
Since Disciple 3 has no AI, nor units that weren't in the previous game, you will succeed. Their next expansion is going to take until Galciv3 I think.
Nah - they should be doing what they are doing - creating and evolving a brand new IP with graphics of their own. If elemental is a hit, they have the talent available to make it a franchise. Fingers crossed for all games that give me cancer.
Posting to follow
I get a copy of FE and a chance to judge how SD did. I gotta be honest, I'm going in with no expectations and no foreknowledge this time, unlike Elemental. Not doing PR for FE is good...but make sure to listen to your testers and people giving you honest feedback about the game, and leave enough time to make real changes if necessary. It sounds like FE will have the freedom for that, which Elemental lacked.
Because if I had to point to one thing that really hurt it, it was the disconnect between what SD saw at release and what pretty much everyone else saw. And trying to rewrite the game against the clock of people's post-release expectations was like burning the candle at both ends.
I don't game. But I hope you meet your goal!
I do have to second WhiteElk's call that I also wish for Stardock to start self-distributing their own games again.
My reasoning is I don't want to give Gamestop a 30% cut of future purchases from you guys, and what I've seen from Gamestop since the purchase of Impulse hasn't been positive. Also, I suspect Stardock as a corporation will last longer then Gamestop.
Kodiak888: Paradox has a game coming down the pike set in the Majesty universe.
As for a future project: I'd really want to see the Stardock guys make an RTS themselves (not Sins), in the style of Kohan. Maybe renessiance-era technology.
Hmm, #1 is a great goal, but in reality I don't see you achieving it. I would like to be positively surprised. I hope you surprise me
Anyways, I wanted to jump on your words in the first part of the text where you say #1 strategy game but later you say #1 fantasy turn-based strategy game
New Sword of the Stars looks like it will be way better strategy game then FE, and there are a couple of fantasy strategy games coming out as well that by their previews looks amazing. So you will have a tough competition. I hope you are really ambitious if you really want to be #1 (Deus Ex 1 or Baldur's Gate ambitious).
You get so much more bang for your buck with TBS IMO. Either fun/$ or playtime/$, it just makes fiscal sense.
Great news Frogboy. I look forward to the Sins expansion and Fallen Enchantress. However I will only get them when made available on something other then Impulse. Hopefully after the Impulse exclusive expires you'll go back to selling your games direct like many other indies do or make games available on other platforms like GG or Steam. Gamestop is a non starter for me, I haven't purchased a single game on Impulse since the sale and even with FE for free I will not use it.
Anyway, very happy to see the games unit at Stardock back on track and look forward to new games from you.
There is another coming out in 2012:
The more, the merrier, I say. Hope E:FE comes out on top of course.
EDIT: Didn't read the others who mentioned the game already.
I'm being cautiously optimistic about FE. WoM was good, but not as good as I had hoped when I pre-ordered. I certainly haven't played as much of it as I'd have wished I would have. As I'm getting FE for free anyway, FE has to basically do one thing: entertain me enough that I want to play it.
And don't worry Brad. If E:FE doesn't deliver the goods, I'm sure the world at large will be more than happy to tell you where it went wrong in a nicely presented, calm and constructive manner. *Cough*
D*mmit I love this company, anytime a business values it's employees it's a win in my book. But I have to say that the other games mentioned will no doubt be better than this one simply due to them not being contagious.
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