The Escapist Bulletin: Why the unions of Bioware and Mythic, id Software and Bethesda will bear fruit

This week has been a big one for gamers, possibly one of the biggest in years, and the reason for this assertation may have passed you by. For those who weren't aware, this was the week that it was announced that Bethesda has bought id Software, and Bioware will be merged with Mythic to form an RPG super-studio under the EA umbrella.

Just one of these is a big deal, but to have both happen on the very same day changes the landscape of gaming forever. In both cases, developers get access to new resources, new expertise and new intellectual properties, which in turn opens new avenues for development.

Imagine what Bioware could do with a Warhammer RPG, or how id’s long experience with FPS games might shape the next Fallout game. This is a time for cautious optimism.

There may be trouble ahead

Of course, the key word there is ‘cautious’, because it’s important to remember that behind the high definition façade of successful games are people and money, both of which often complicate what seem like simple propositions on paper.

There are probably a lot very nervous people at Bioware and Mythic right now. Merging studios is usually a cost saving measure, and staff costs contribute to overheads significantly. Mark Jacobs has already left - much to his colleagues’ surprise - and there are undoubtedly other people wondering how secure their jobs really are.

There is also the concern that the two companies might not mesh well. Most people can relate to getting a new boss, with his own ideas about where the store or office or company should go, and when you’re talking about video games, which are shaped so thoroughly by the philosophy of the people creating them, it’s a genuine point of concern.

There's more than money at stake

When talking about why he sold to ZeniMax, id’s John Carmack made it very clear that things would only change for the better at id, as it had more access to funding. But despite saying all the right things, it’s hard to imagine that the beancounters at ZeniMax will be completely hands off when it’s their money at stake.

Games are getting ever closer to the status of ‘art’, and arguably some of them may have already strayed over the border into art territory, but it’s important to remember that games will always be a commercial medium.

Ever wonder why there are so many First Person Shooters and so few Turn Based Strategy games? It’s simply because FPSes sell better and publishers go where the money is. Games are expensive to make, and the cost is unlikely to go down any time soon.

Everything's going to be all right

It’s all too easy, though, to get caught up in all the bad things that could potentially happen, and lose sight of the benefits that these arrangements might bring. While a new boss can sometimes destroy a place of work, just as often an injection of new blood invigorates everyone.

While it’s a little troubling that Bioware is no longer a discrete entity, all the talent and expertise that it had isn’t going to evaporate overnight, and the same is true for Mythic. Similarly, the idea that someone other than id now owns Doom is going to take a little getting used to, but it doesn’t immediately follow that Quake V is going to be an RPG.

It’s a brave new world out there, and if we keep focusing on the negative we’re going to miss it.

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