NCsoft Brighton to Axe Dev Team
By
Aero_,
Posted on: 2008-09-10 13:53 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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If you are here, chances are you like superhero comics. However, in the USA, just about every kid is brought up them (slight exagaration). In the UK kids are as likely to have grown up reading Beano, and an even smaller proportion will have been exposes in other EU countries do to the nead for translation. It all amounts to a smaller market. If you need evidence, look at how small the non-english server populations are. You can't put it all down to a lack of advertising, since there wasn't that much in the US either.
I'm sure you would get some take up for Asterix Online in the USA, but it's going to be a much smaller market than the DC MMO. Would it be worth marketing such a game in the US? Quite possibly, given the large population and wealth, but if your creditors are hammering at your door it is better to stick to the safe bets (unless the jig is up anyway, in which case a more risky stratagy would be called for).
Which is not to say that NCSoft are thinking of axing French and German support, but it is what I would do if I where in charge.
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Superheroes aren't just about comics anymore. Look at how popular all of the superhero movies have been over here.
[url=http://vox-doom.deviantart.com]Take A Gander At This.[/url]
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Sorry buddy but that's just plain wrong. I've been reading Fantastic Four, Spidey and Hulk et al since I was 6.
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It's a selection effect. You being here implies a familiarity with superhero comics. It doesn't mean you are typical.
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Very few people "collect" Beano/Dandy etc.
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Funny, because I know a couple of people who do just that.
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Yes, it's a specialist market
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Exactly. There are many people in France who read superhero comics, but it is a significantly smaller proportion of the population than those in the US. Many of those who do read them read them in English, and hence don't need french localisation anyway. Add into that France only has one fifth of the population of the United States, and you are left with a very small market.
I really should do something about this signature.
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Superheroes aren't just about comics anymore. Look at how popular all of the superhero movies have been over here.
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Batman has been in movies since 1940. But if you look at the gross takings for superhero movies you will see that the US far outstrips the whole of Europe added together.
I really should do something about this signature.
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But if you look at the gross takings for superhero movies you will see that the US far outstrips the whole of Europe added together.
[/ QUOTE ]Which also applies to several other markets, including (AFAIK) videogames.
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Theme= NCsoft Brighton to Axe Dev Team
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nice, you discuss about comics^^
I actualy activated my account just to post here, to show respect to all that forced to leave, possible have to leave and yeey for those who can stay 
Face it, Europe just isnt a big 'target' of many MMO's, eventualy you have to re-set all current layers of management and people and start up a new one. They way NCsoft is doing this, beats me.
How ironic, where not long ago was said the future is bright and great things were ready to be announced, i serious hope they didnt meant this.
I just hope all of this is for the better, for the games, for us and for Europe/US. I wish all those not able to stay to find a great place to continue their career.
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The only MMO that was advertised, here in Greece (at all!), was WoW and although I have no real numbers, I know many people in person, that play it.
NCsoft failed to do the same (at least here).
Now NC EU staff is paying for that failure by losing their jobs...
You should not blame the market (i.e. our EU countries) for that failure and not presume that all players should been comic lovers.
What would be the point in advertising in Greece? there is no greek localisation, no greek GMs, Greece has a tiny population anyway. Face it, you aint worth thier while.
I really should do something about this signature.
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What would be the point in advertising in Greece? there is no greek localisation, no greek GMs, Greece has a tiny population anyway. Face it, you aint worth thier while.
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PRAF, is this thread the place for this stuff?
�How do I like my MMOs? I like them the way Paragon Studios used to make them.� - a fitting tribute from kiasa.org
EU, Union mostly.
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What would be the point in advertising in Greece? there is no greek localisation, no greek GMs, Greece has a tiny population anyway. Face it, you aint worth thier while.
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That's a bit harsh. Blunt, but harsh.
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What would be the point in advertising in Greece? there is no greek localisation, no greek GMs, Greece has a tiny population anyway. Face it, you aint worth thier while.
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When did LB take over your account Praf? 
"Idealism is such a wonderful thing. All you really need is someone rational to put it to proper use." - Kerr Avon
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Bit of an attack on the whole country there,
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Bit of an attack on the whole country there,
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Greek food is probably a bit spicey for him....
Anyway
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What would be the point in advertising in Greece? there is no greek localisation, no greek GMs, Greece has a tiny population anyway. Face it, you aint worth thier while.
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Wrong as usual, if they had that attitude this game would not have left the states.
Sandman is definitely Graphic Novels, not sure I'd say they were a comic, but then the lines are blurry. They are something I have read
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"
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Sandman is definitely Graphic Novels, not sure I'd say they were a comic, but then the lines are blurry. They are something I have read
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Uh, Sandman was released as single issue comics first, then collected into trade paperbacks.
[url=http://vox-doom.deviantart.com]Take A Gander At This.[/url]
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What would be the point in advertising in Greece? there is no greek localisation, no greek GMs, Greece has a tiny population anyway. Face it, you aint worth thier while.
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If you was trying to make a joke or been sarcastic, I am sorry but you failed to do so.
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What would be the point in advertising in Greece? there is no greek localisation, no greek GMs, Greece has a tiny population anyway. Face it, you aint worth thier while.
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PRAF, is this thread the place for this stuff?
[/ QUOTE ]For facts? I mean, it is mostly true for a lot of european countries. The populations aren't all that high, and the amount of people with a sufficient grasp of english/german/french to play the game and enjoy the community is much smaller than that. Spending money for advertising there that could be spent in the US, or one of the large EU countries, just doesn't make much sense (assuming your advertising budget isn't excessive like, say WoW's)
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if they had that attitude this game would not have left the states.
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Indeed, in terms of cost/profit, the entire EU operation was probably not a good idea. Although you could probably extend that to saying that in terms of cost/profit publishing MMOs in the west isn't a good idea (unless is's as big as WoW).
Maybe this isn't the place for such a descussion, since we all feel sympathy for those losing thier jobs, but I'm analysing why it happened.
I think its important to remember that NCSoft europe, and those other branches which are being merged, where set up before WoW managed to monopolise the MMO market. The company's Korean directors saw the potential for massive expansion of the MMO market in the west. They weren't to know that it would be another company's product that would be best able to take advantage of that.
I really should do something about this signature.
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What would be the point in advertising in Greece? there is no greek localisation, no greek GMs, Greece has a tiny population anyway. Face it, you aint worth thier while.
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If you was trying to make a joke or been sarcastic, I am sorry but you failed to do so.
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No, I was pointing out a fact. The same is true for any Eurpean country. The only way they can target the EU as a market is to treat it as a single entity, which is rather scuppered by the different languages and media.
I really should do something about this signature.
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Indeed, in terms of cost/profit, the entire EU operation was probably not a good idea.
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Having seen this company's track record of duffing non runners (Korean CoX, Auto Assault, this recent lot in Brighton and whatever else)
I'd have to say i disagree with that analysis.
Considering the fact that there are living as much people in europe then say the US I say you are very wrong. There is plenty of money to be made here. Maybe not with a superhero game perhaps, but there is huge potentional.
And sure, it might be more effort then it is worth to start offices in every country. But the french and german markets allone are big. Well worth the gamble to get in your feet there. I know for a fact that the germans love playing games. Let's not forget the former eastblock countries. In LiII for example they have more subscribers from the former eastertn part of europe then they have americans.
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Korean CoX, Auto Assault
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These should both have been duffed before release.
NCSoft published too many MMOs, instead of getting solidly behind a small number. How many MMOs do Blizzard publish? Exactly one, which means they can give it the whole of thier marketing budget, and they aren't competing whith themselves.
I really should do something about this signature.
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Considering the fact that there are living as much people in europe then say the US I say you are very wrong.
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Yes, but with 20+ different languages it costs around 20 times the amount to market to the whole EU than it does to the whole of the US. And if you start providing servers in the individual langages it pushes costs up astronomiclly.
I really should do something about this signature.
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These should both have been duffed before release.
NCSoft published too many MMOs, instead of getting solidly behind a small number. How many MMOs do Blizzard publish? Exactly one, which means they can give it the whole of thier marketing budget, and they aren't competing whith themselves.
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I agree with that in the most part, but what i am saying is that if EU CoX was the stone bonker you are saying it is, i think we would all by now be playing on US servers.
Having seen this lots ability to axe things that aint working out, regardless of wether they should or should not have ever seen the light of day in the first place.
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If you are here, chances are you like superhero comics. However, in the USA, just about every kid is brought up them (slight exagaration). In the UK kids are as likely to have grown up reading Beano, and an even smaller proportion will have been exposes in other EU countries do to the nead for translation. It all amounts to a smaller market. If you need evidence, look at how small the non-english server populations are. You can't put it all down to a lack of advertising, since there wasn't that much in the US either.
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Do 2000 AD, Preacher and Sandman count as superhero comics?
oh ok.. past couple of years I've finally discovered Alan Moores superhero musings... but I think I managed a good 35 or so years without anything but 2 or 3 spiderman comics when I was about 7.
BTW - if so many kids are brought up on superhero comics in the US then how come the US server population isn't much bigger than it is?
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