Confirmation: EA Will Publish Aftermath

[Chris D]

Originally toted as a Steam-only title, I recently confirmed with Valve's Doug Lombardi that the EA deal will bring Aftermath to the stores. If you remember from the original online reports of the title, it was suggested that a boxed form wouldn't be available.

Chris_D: Does this mean that EA will bring Aftermath to the stores?
[br]
Doug: Yes.

Stay tuned for more information on Aftermath.

 

[63]

You're good.

 

[PHxHav0c]

I thought EA were only going to be Publishing XBox titles from Valve, or is Aftermath on XBox aswell and that's what they're talking about?

 

[ricera10]

At least they'll spread the message of Half-Life 2 and its future expansion to ignorant masses...

I wonder if they'll make a Deluxe Edition?

 

[Computer5k]

AS long as I don't have to look at the EA logo every time I start the game, I'll be ok with that :3

 

[63]

AS long as I don't have to look at the EA logo every time I start the game, I'll be ok with that :3

No logos.

 

[Chris D]

I thought EA were only going to be Publishing XBox titles from Valve, or is Aftermath on XBox aswell and that's what they're talking about?

EA are Valve's publishers for ALL retail titles including consoles and PC. The only thing not affected is sales of Steam... at the moment.

 

[French Ninja]

At least they'll spread the message of Half-Life 2 and its future expansion to ignorant masses...

You really sure that the HL community needs to add people from the "ignorant masses"? I know several communities which did such that and had serious consequences. :|

 

[Mopar33l]

You really sure that the HL community needs to add people from the "ignorant masses"? I know several communities which did such that and had serious consequences. :|

There is no need for more noobs. Just look at GTA:SA forums. :|

 

[Pesmerga]

Good news for me!

 

[63]

There is no need for more noobs. Just look at GTA:SA forums. :|

Or anything including the word "Halo".

 

[TheMastahC]

Or anything including the word "Halo".

I love you.

 

[Jaded]

Well, im certainly going to buy from Steam, the lesser evil in this case.

 

[Operator]

=( Sad face from me, why does EA have in infect all that was once good and pure?

 

[Chris D]

EA are purely distributing the game, they won't have any say in its development. They will not be able to ruin Half-Life 2.

 

[Gorgon]

Good news for me!

great for me 2. Valve knows they r going to lose millions if they don't bring it to stores

 

[operative x]

Did we really need an interview for this? I thought it was pretty obvious from the earlier press release.

 

[Chris D]

It's not an interview. It's just that if I'd have quoted Doug as saying "Yes", it wouldn't have meant a lot, so I decided to quote the whole chat.

And no, due to the reasons I explained earlier, it was due to be a Steam-only title at first - even before Valve and VU split so it wasn't obvious at all.

Thanks for your feedback though...

 

[dream431ca]

You guys seem to have a hard time distingushing between publishers and developers:

Developers: I.E. VALVE. A company that designs and makes a game.

Publishers: I.E. EA. A company which sells (or distributes) a game for the developer AND has no say on WHAT THE GAME HAS TO HAVE IN IT!

Learn the the terms people.

 

[Megalomaniac]

Oh man, EA will screw it up some how, in some way, if anything is wrong with this game its there fault!

 

[dream431ca]

Oh man, EA will screw it up some how, in some way, if anything is wrong with this game its there fault!

If anything goes wrong, I'll blame you because you said something will go wrong :E

 

[Hyperion2010]

The contract says that EA publishes what valve sends them with no questions asked right?

 

[dream431ca]

The contract says that EA publishes what valve sends them with no questions asked right?

If EA changes anything..Valve can sue them...people, stop worring.

 

[Ermac]

"EA GAMES... publish everything.."

 

[Smigit]

I knew it, didn't think they would be cutting out retail sales anytime soon.

Even though I hate EA, I'd rather they were distributing this than not distributing this. I still prefer to buy at retail so it's good news for me and others.

 

[madca7`]

You guys seem to have a hard time distingushing between publishers and developers:

Developers: I.E. VALVE. A company that designs and makes a game.

Publishers: I.E. EA. A company which sells (or distributes) a game for the developer AND has no say on WHAT THE GAME HAS TO HAVE IN IT!

Learn the the terms people.

In this case, yes. But in other relationships of publisher and developer the roles arent that clear. Its only because valvE can finance itself.

 

[Sir Phoenixx]

Publishers: I.E. EA. A company which sells (or distributes) a game for the developer AND has no say on WHAT THE GAME HAS TO HAVE IN IT!

And a lot of the time the publisher has to (help) fund the developer, and/or the publisher owns the developer, so yes they usually have a say on what a game has to have in it.

 

[<RJMC>]

why you all get mad for the expansion to come to store?

 

[117]

Well, im certainly going to buy from Steam, the lesser evil in this case.

I dunno... Its kinda close...

 

[Pesmerga]

Publishers: I.E. EA. A company which sells (or distributes) a game for the developer AND has no say on WHAT THE GAME HAS TO HAVE IN IT!

Learn the the terms people.

Publishers can (and often do) breath down the necks of the developer to get the game hurried up and finished, under threat of not distrubuting their game.

 

[Xune]

While true that a publishers main concern is getting boxed games to the shops there are subtlties that don't seem to have been considered.

For example, America's biggest game retailer is Walmart. If a publisher want's to have it's games sold there then it has to be approved by them, therefore the publisher applies pressure to tone down riskier content. Another example is that publishers love seasonal promotions, again pressuring developers into hitting deadlines around these times.

Whether Valve are rich enough to not give into EA is debatable however, the money made from peddling Valve games will only serve to give EA a bigger financial dominance over less well off developers.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

well looks like they thought of those gamers who don't have credit cards or broadband connections or combinations of many different reasons.
anyway this is good news and probably means more money for Valve despite there being a publisher involved.

 

[Asuka]

SWEET! Retail <3 MY BOX!

 

[Cole]

under threat of not distrubuting their game.

Though valve would probably have something in the contract about a time between Valve says it's ready and (When it's ready) + (X Days) in order for it to get to the stores.

 

[Yogibbear]

"EA Games.... ruin everything"






...............................................kidding......(or am I?) *cough* *splutter*

*sigh*

Okay... i stop now...

 

[KU_]

Meh, as long as the expansion doesn't have Mcdonalds or Best Buy ads like every other EA game, then I'm fine.

 

[63]

Meh, as long as the expansion doesn't have Mcdonalds or Best Buy ads like every other EA game, then I'm fine.

Dog: "I'm lovin' it!"

 

[Asknoone]

Good..

 

[Psycho]

So they'll release Day of Defeat: Source too then? That would be great, as I don't have a creditcard and I'm not going to get myself one just for Steam.

 

[Betelgeuze]