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TESO: How big was its budget?

Aeladiir
Aeladiir
✭✭✭✭✭
The way I take it, Zenimax Media, being a private company if I am not mistaken, has a right of withholding any information concerning their finances, including the budget of ESO, subscriber numbers, etc. and are thus not obliged to share this information with anyone, community included. Most of the sites, Forbes amongst them just as well, assume that ESO's budget was around 200 million US dollars. But where did that money go to? Was such a sum of money truly invested in ESO? Was it more? Was it less? If it was - why does the game feel so rushed?

In my opinion, the budget MUST'VE been somewhere around that if not even higher. Take Star Wars: The Old Republic for example. SWTOR had a budget around 200 million dollars. That is pretty much a fact. ESO has a longer development cycle and a larger team. ESO had more trailers (also cinematics), better cast and more voice actors hired, the advertising was so huge that FIVE MILLION PLAYERS tested the game during beta. Fun fact, though, they share the same engines (Simultronics HeroEngine).

Yet given the QUALITY of the content, in my opinion the game DOESN'T feel like a game with such an amount of money invested in it. But if 200 million dollars truly were invested in the game, how much more would be necessary to fulfill the game's potential?

A quote from 2012:
ZeniMax announced today that it has recieved a $300 million USD investment from Providence Equity Partners Inc for convertible preferred ZeniMax stock. This cash will be used to fund its newly formed online division (headed up by former Mythic Exec Producer Matt Firor) plus develop and publish future games as well.

We are pleased to partner with one of the best managed companies in the videogame industry, said Michael Dominguez, a Managing Director of Providence. ZeniMax Media has an outstanding series of proven interactive entertainment content and a burgeoning position in the rapidly growing global video game market. We look forward to working with Robert to build value at ZeniMax Media over the long-term.

"We believe that Providence will be an ideal partner for us as we build our businesses worldwide in the years ahead. Providence shares our strategic vision for the Company and is excited by the opportunity to help us move into a position of leadership in this industry, added Robert Altman, ZeniMax chairman.

What do you think? What is your estimation concerning the game's budget? How hard did they really work to actually create ESO?

/from here on now it's just me ranting a bit:
I believe ESO had a huge potential and that people at Zenimax knew that. I mean, hey, Skyrim was a major success, the franchise was at its peak, five million people showed interest in the game during beta, the timeline was perfect for an absolutely amazing main story, epic side quests and awesome PvP. We hardly received any of that. PvP sounds awesome when they talk about hundreds of players on-screen at the same time, but we all know that's not the truth. It's funny that so many people - even in 2012 - realized that it's not going to work because of the engine.

I'd say the idea behind ESO was simply: MONEY. Earning as much as possible. I'm sad to say but it still is. The idea of a quality product is somewhere waaaay behind it, somewhere in its shadow.

And some food for thought: Witcher 3 had a budget of 40 million dollars (to give another comparison: Skyrim's was around 85-100 mil.$). And I know it's a singleplayer game but everyone who worked at CD Projekt Red worked their arses off. They had a VERY tight schedule and were working in very, very bad conditions (compared to huge companies, that is - one of the anonymous sources from CPR described the conditions "inhuman" as I read somewhere a few weeks ago). And look at their product. A next-gen product for PC, PS4 & XONE that is going to live on for many, many years, because it was created by people who cared for it and worked hard for its quality. And of course I'm not saying that people behind ZOS weren't working hard - most likely they were and still are. ESO as an MMO will also live for many years. The main difference is in the quality and in the amount of "love" that was put into the product. It took 'em 40 million dollars to create a game that might just be the best in 2015. Dedication. Hard work. Determination and strong will. ESO clearly had a budget larger than 100 million $ - that should've been more than enough to create a top quality product. GW2's budget is estimated somewhere between 50-100 million $ and the game is considered to be one of the best MMOs out there. Just for comparison.

I don't know. I'm disappointed, that's all. For the past few weeks the only thing that has been keeping me in the game was two guilds that I own. The people in them. Don't want to leave 'em & don't want to destroy the guilds because I invested a lot of hours in making them what they are today.

Edited by Aeladiir on May 30, 2015 1:28AM
  • pecheckler
    pecheckler
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    With each design decision or choice to ignore requests/bugs/issues it seems more apparent every month that the game's quality is of little importance compared to increasing profits. Ironic considering usually the failing of games created by publicly traded video game companies.
    Edited by pecheckler on May 30, 2015 1:06AM
    End the tedious inventory management game.
  • LegacyDM
    LegacyDM
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    The way I take it, Zenimax Media, being a private company if I am not mistaken, has a right of withholding any information concerning their finances, including the budget of ESO, subscriber numbers, etc. and are thus not obliged to share this information with anyone, community included. Most of the sites, Forbes amongst them just as well, assume that ESO's budget was around 200 million US dollars. But where did that money go to? Was such a sum of money truly invested in ESO? Was it more? Was it less? If it was - why does the game feel so rushed?

    In my opinion, the budget MUST'VE been somewhere around that if not even higher. Take Star Wars: The Old Republic for example. SWTOR had a budget around 200 million dollars. That is pretty much a fact. ESO has a longer development cycle and a larger team. ESO had more trailers (also cinematics), better cast and more voice actors hired, the advertising was so huge that FIVE MILLION PLAYERS tested the game during beta. Fun fact, though, they share the same engines (Simultronics HeroEngine).

    Yet given the QUALITY of the content, in my opinion the game DOESN'T feel like a game with such an amount of money invested in it. But if 200 million dollars truly were invested in the game, how much more would be necessary to fulfill the game's potential?

    A quote from 2012:
    ZeniMax announced today that it has recieved a $300 million USD investment from Providence Equity Partners Inc for convertible preferred ZeniMax stock. This cash will be used to fund its newly formed online division (headed up by former Mythic Exec Producer Matt Firor) plus develop and publish future games as well.

    We are pleased to partner with one of the best managed companies in the videogame industry, said Michael Dominguez, a Managing Director of Providence. ZeniMax Media has an outstanding series of proven interactive entertainment content and a burgeoning position in the rapidly growing global video game market. We look forward to working with Robert to build value at ZeniMax Media over the long-term.

    "We believe that Providence will be an ideal partner for us as we build our businesses worldwide in the years ahead. Providence shares our strategic vision for the Company and is excited by the opportunity to help us move into a position of leadership in this industry, added Robert Altman, ZeniMax chairman.

    What do you think? What is your estimation concerning the game's budget? How hard did they really work to actually create ESO?

    /from here on now it's just me ranting a bit:
    I believe ESO had a huge potential and that people at Zenimax knew that. I mean, hey, Skyrim was a major success, the franchise was at its peak, five million people showed interest in the game during beta, the timeline was perfect for an absolutely amazing main story, epic side quests and awesome PvP. We hardly received any of that. PvP sounds awesome when they talk about hundreds of players on-screen at the same time, but we all know that's not the truth. It's funny that so many people - even in 2012 - realized that it's not going to work because of the engine.

    I'd say the idea behind ESO was simply: MONEY. Earning as much as possible. I'm sad to say but it still is. The idea of a quality product is somewhere waaaay behind it, somewhere in its shadow.

    And some food for thought: Witcher 3 had a budget of 40 million dollars (to give another comparison: Skyrim's was around 85-100 mil.$). And I know it's a singleplayer game but everyone who worked at CD Projekt Red worked their arses off. They had a VERY tight schedule and were working in very, very bad conditions (compared to huge companies, that is - one of the anonymous sources from CPR described the conditions "inhuman" as I read somewhere a few weeks ago). And look at their product. A next-gen product for PC, PS4 & XONE that is going to live on for many, many years, because it was created by people who cared for it and worked hard for its quality. And of course I'm not saying that people behind ZOS weren't working hard - most likely they were and still are. ESO as an MMO will also live for many years. The main difference is in the quality and in the amount of "love" that was put into the product. It took 'em 40 million dollars to create a game that might just be the best in 2015. Dedication. Hard work. Determination and strong will. ESO clearly had a budget larger than 100 million $ - that should've been more than enough to create a top quality product. GW2's budget is estimated somewhere between 50-100 million $ and the game is considered to be one of the best MMOs out there. Just for comparison.

    I don't know. I'm disappointed, that's all. For the past few weeks the only thing that has been keeping me in the game was two guilds that I own. The people in them. Don't want to leave 'em & don't want to destroy the guilds because I invested a lot of hours in making them what they are today.

    Good post. Kind of matches mine that I wrote hours ago. As stated in mine, I think the problem is these companies invest large sums of cash developing what I call a gimmick. This gimmick is designed to differentiate their product from a competitor and attract a lot of people upfront. However, when the gimmick wears off and you peel back the onion, the mmo is the same as every other mmo that has been released since EQ. Most mmorpgs are nothing more than pve quest regurgitation with rvr pvp sprinkled on top. Eso's gimmick is mega server technology with the ability to use any armor and any weapon as any class.

    My post lists a plethora of ideas that I believe would be in the step in the right direction for making these games feel more immersive, interactive, and enjoyable tapping into the heart of the human psyche.
    Legacy of Kain
    Vicious Carnage
    ¥ampire Lord of the South
  • Heromofo
    Heromofo
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    The way I take it, Zenimax Media, being a private company if I am not mistaken, has a right of withholding any information concerning their finances, including the budget of ESO, subscriber numbers, etc. and are thus not obliged to share this information with anyone, community included. Most of the sites, Forbes amongst them just as well, assume that ESO's budget was around 200 million US dollars. But where did that money go to? Was such a sum of money truly invested in ESO? Was it more? Was it less? If it was - why does the game feel so rushed?

    In my opinion, the budget MUST'VE been somewhere around that if not even higher. Take Star Wars: The Old Republic for example. SWTOR had a budget around 200 million dollars. That is pretty much a fact. ESO has a longer development cycle and a larger team. ESO had more trailers (also cinematics), better cast and more voice actors hired, the advertising was so huge that FIVE MILLION PLAYERS tested the game during beta. Fun fact, though, they share the same engines (Simultronics HeroEngine).

    Yet given the QUALITY of the content, in my opinion the game DOESN'T feel like a game with such an amount of money invested in it. But if 200 million dollars truly were invested in the game, how much more would be necessary to fulfill the game's potential?

    A quote from 2012:
    ZeniMax announced today that it has recieved a $300 million USD investment from Providence Equity Partners Inc for convertible preferred ZeniMax stock. This cash will be used to fund its newly formed online division (headed up by former Mythic Exec Producer Matt Firor) plus develop and publish future games as well.

    We are pleased to partner with one of the best managed companies in the videogame industry, said Michael Dominguez, a Managing Director of Providence. ZeniMax Media has an outstanding series of proven interactive entertainment content and a burgeoning position in the rapidly growing global video game market. We look forward to working with Robert to build value at ZeniMax Media over the long-term.

    "We believe that Providence will be an ideal partner for us as we build our businesses worldwide in the years ahead. Providence shares our strategic vision for the Company and is excited by the opportunity to help us move into a position of leadership in this industry, added Robert Altman, ZeniMax chairman.

    What do you think? What is your estimation concerning the game's budget? How hard did they really work to actually create ESO?

    /from here on now it's just me ranting a bit:
    I believe ESO had a huge potential and that people at Zenimax knew that. I mean, hey, Skyrim was a major success, the franchise was at its peak, five million people showed interest in the game during beta, the timeline was perfect for an absolutely amazing main story, epic side quests and awesome PvP. We hardly received any of that. PvP sounds awesome when they talk about hundreds of players on-screen at the same time, but we all know that's not the truth. It's funny that so many people - even in 2012 - realized that it's not going to work because of the engine.

    I'd say the idea behind ESO was simply: MONEY. Earning as much as possible. I'm sad to say but it still is. The idea of a quality product is somewhere waaaay behind it, somewhere in its shadow.

    And some food for thought: Witcher 3 had a budget of 40 million dollars (to give another comparison: Skyrim's was around 85-100 mil.$). And I know it's a singleplayer game but everyone who worked at CD Projekt Red worked their arses off. They had a VERY tight schedule and were working in very, very bad conditions (compared to huge companies, that is - one of the anonymous sources from CPR described the conditions "inhuman" as I read somewhere a few weeks ago). And look at their product. A next-gen product for PC, PS4 & XONE that is going to live on for many, many years, because it was created by people who cared for it and worked hard for its quality. And of course I'm not saying that people behind ZOS weren't working hard - most likely they were and still are. ESO as an MMO will also live for many years. The main difference is in the quality and in the amount of "love" that was put into the product. It took 'em 40 million dollars to create a game that might just be the best in 2015. Dedication. Hard work. Determination and strong will. ESO clearly had a budget larger than 100 million $ - that should've been more than enough to create a top quality product. GW2's budget is estimated somewhere between 50-100 million $ and the game is considered to be one of the best MMOs out there. Just for comparison.

    I don't know. I'm disappointed, that's all. For the past few weeks the only thing that has been keeping me in the game was two guilds that I own. The people in them. Don't want to leave 'em & don't want to destroy the guilds because I invested a lot of hours in making them what they are today.

    Good post. Kind of matches mine that I wrote hours ago. As stated in mine, I think the problem is these companies invest large sums of cash developing what I call a gimmick. This gimmick is designed to differentiate their product from a competitor and attract a lot of people upfront. However, when the gimmick wears off and you peel back the onion, the mmo is the same as every other mmo that has been released since EQ. Most mmorpgs are nothing more than pve quest regurgitation with rvr pvp sprinkled on top. Eso's gimmick is mega server technology with the ability to use any armor and any weapon as any class.

    My post lists a plethora of ideas that I believe would be in the step in the right direction for making these games feel more immersive, interactive, and enjoyable tapping into the heart of the human psyche.

    Whats worse is that the mega server helped kill off the player base in places like Australia where i am because a Oceanic Mega Server was always needed to compete in eso. Normally this would not matter but with the way combat works to other mmos the mega server did more harm than good.

    Plus ZOS holds the record for rebranding an mmo the quickest in less than 10 months after launch.
    Add in the fact that they are stubborn buggers that follow "we want it this way and we dont care for feedback".
    In making the Improving On ESO series i am on season 5 but still have a created list of another 187 ways to improve on ESO.

    Worse is the simplest things were overlooked and mark my words the pay to win side of failing mmos is just around the corner.

    I still have faith in them to turn it around by the end of this year but i no way condone their actions about putting the pc side on the backburner for 8 months. Even though i am swapping to console heck thats the only reason i am giving them a second chance.

    Stay tuned for more Improving On ESO series so much to cover not all necessary but everything should be considered.
  • Doc_Baconb14_ESO
    Comparing ESO to Witcher 3 is pretty radical. Two completely different animals. Especially when considering limitations on the creative process, and the significant difference of maintenance between the two.

    Also, most of what you said is incredibly biased speculation.
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