Interview with Gaute Godager

[Mysticblood]

http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cf...e/10100/page/1

[Raeil]

Very interesting behind the scenes look not just of Funcom but the games industry in general.

Now I'll be imagining him wiring up Motorola 68000 processors to the patients like in The Terminal Man...

[kalston]

Oh that was actually a very interesting read.

[Rathothis]

Very interesting. Some people still blame Gaute for the botched launch, but he sure was a creative guy. And "good at PR" - his interviews have always been quite entertaining (like the good old steak vs McDonalds piece, Slith's awesome AoC interview, and this one).

[Kurt2013]

I knew the open pvp system and global chat in AoC was a social and psychological study!

Sadly it confirms what is wrong with the industry. Everyone (or at least the majority) would be better off, if the customers would be again the customers in old speak (e.g. the players) and not the customers in newspeak (e.g. the investors).

[Slith]

Most honest but sad parts:

"But because Funcom almost never makes money, every time there's a shift in leadership or ownership, the investors want to know where we can cut costs."
" In the 15 years I was there, we never made any money; we always lost money"

Gives me zero hopes for the future. The company had already 7 years to turn this game around and its just ain't happening.

[lmagowz]

Because they don't care. They don't know how advertise their product, and don't know how support their product

Create AO, spend all money from AO to AoC
Create AoC, spend all money from AoC to TSW
Create TSW, spend all money from TSW to Lego
Create Lego, don't have any money from it.

[Rathothis]

Most honest but sad parts:

"But because Funcom almost never makes money, every time there's a shift in leadership or ownership, the investors want to know where we can cut costs."
" In the 15 years I was there, we never made any money; we always lost money"

Gives me zero hopes for the future. The company had already 7 years to turn this game around and its just ain't happening.

It's kind of an attitude thing though.

Gaute says AoC cost US$ 40-50 million to make. Their projected revenues for TSW in a "Conan-like scenario" were US$ 100 million in the first year, so AoC's first year revenues are likely to have been close to that. Of course some of these revenues would have gone to Eidos as publisher, but overall it is likely that sticking with AoC would have made them at least a modest profit.
Source: http://l3cdn.funcom.com/funcomportal...esentation.pdf

They could have made some money with AoC - but they tried to go for the next big thing instead.

[Slith]

Lack of talent for making money coupled with a talent for making bad decisions = profits?

[ckirmser]

Well, I don't feel as alone, now. I, too, bought into the Amiga as tomorrow's platform today.

Thing is, it really was. The Amiga simply blew away all of their competitors. But, it couldn't survive Commodore's deplorable marketing.

Every so often, I drag my A2000 out and wax nostalgic by playing one of my old games.