9 Most Controversial Video Game Moments Of 2017
6. EA Says Farewell To Visceral Games
Like Bullfrog, Westwood and Mythic before it, Visceral Games has met its end at the hands of EA, scuppering any chances of Isaac Clarke ever getting another crack at the Necromorphs. Indeed, the Dead Space series now resides in a vacuum devoid of life not dissimilar to its namesake, but it's not the only collateral damage caused by Visceral's demise.
The studio had been working on its own addition to the Star Wars universe - codenamed Ragtag - which, according to EA's Patrick Söderlund, was envisioned to be a "story-based, linear adventure game." Sounds great, right? A story-heavy Star Wars adventure would be the perfect alternative to DICE's multiplayer-centric Battlefront 2. The best of both worlds.
Our Visceral studio has been developing an action-adventure title set in the Star Wars universe. In its current form, it was shaping up to be a story-based, linear adventure game. Throughout the development process, we have been testing the game concept with players, listening to the feedback about what and how they want to play, and closely tracking fundamental shifts in the marketplace. It has become clear that to deliver an experience that players will want to come back to and enjoy for a long time to come, we needed to pivot the design.
Call me jaded, but reading between the lines of Söderlund's statement, it gives off the impression that Visceral's project simply didn't provide enough opportunity for EA to work in microtransactions and avenues for optional payment to keep players hooked.