Update;
A few more hints that the AoE4/”CoH3” team is expanding;
1) SEGA Europe are now running a Relic recruitment drive using the CoH banner:
Our friends over at Relic Entertainment are growing their team and need your help! Are you a Programmer, Designer or Producer who'd love to work for one of the hottest studios in Vancouver? Or know someone that is? Get in touch with the lovely Nadine Blackie or check-out https://lnkd.in/eheMS-F for more info!
Programmers, Designers & Producers! Want to join Vancouver's hottest games dev studio? Relic Entertainment are scaling up big time and looking for some superstars to join their team. Interested in finding out more? Speak to the lovely Nadine Blackie or checkout their careers website: https://lnkd.in/e3yq8PC
2) AOE4 director Quinn Duffy offering some insight and also talking a bit about AOE
https://forums.ageofempires.com/discussion/comment/24343#Comment_24343
Relic's Quinn Duffy (Director for Age of Empires 4) and Carolina (also in Quinn's team for AOE4) made a stream in October for the 18th anniversary of Homeworld.
While playing Homeworld Remastered they answered community questions and some of them are related directly or indirectly to AOE4. I listened to this on a plane and the quality wasn't so good, but I put some of them down as best I could also with the timestamps if you want to better listen for yourself.
Will RTS games see a revival like in the 90s when we used to have tons of good RTS games?
Quinn: Yes, I think if you look at strategy right now, and you look at the super popular games, you see MOBA games. There's millions of people enjoying that simplified strategy games right now.
But i could see a return of the classics, else do you think we would develop Age of Empires 4? So I think there's a good possibility real strategy games come back.
I think things are cyclical, they improvised enormously in the 90s, and I think Relic is one of the few companies that do these kind of games.
Carolina: Whats interesting is that if you look on forums like Dawn of War's or Blizzard's you can see people saying we should go back to the roots of RTS when it was thriving in the 90s. Instead of establishing the genre for what is known, right now it is a genre that struggles to innovate within its own yard.
You have to make sure you only do the right amount of innovation without changing the formula, like you see in these remasters.
Quinn: Yes, and I think we have a very sophisticated audience who expects certain features to be in the games and you want to make sure those expectations are met, but also that you are trying to make them as accessible as possible.
Let's get people to be exposed to systems, to understand how they work, and have fun using these systems.
00:53:30
Do you think the old rock-paper-scissors is better then the current APM based system in strategy games?
Quinn: I think that is the challenge on executing a strategy has become, it is such a focus on micro control. Im definitely from the school of more delibirate strategy where you have time to take a bit of approach to the surrounding land. I like that [...] I'm not an APM guy because I'm not an APM player who can find success in that, I go for understanding the tactics and the game.
When you watch people playing some of the APM strategy games, if they make 1 or 2 minor failures, within a few seconds... thats it, they lose.
01:11:30
What lessons from Homeworld are you using in making Age of Empires 4?
Quinn: Story telling, having a passionate team as opposed to only game design, having the experience of working with Microsoft from back then (Impossible Creatures)
Carolina: Narrative value in the campaign, how you are structuring the missions, how you are telling the story with the use of cinematics. How important it is to create an ambience around what is happening, there is a lot that falls into the the ways how you manage audio and visuals to make it a memorable experience.
01:24:15
Wololo joke haha
01:27:00
About complexity and competitivity
Quinn: We want players to get to that strategy in a way that isn't limited by physical skill (reflexes/APM)
Carolina: With so many games coming out we need to make sure we make players stick to our game for as long as possible, so we want to build games that are complex, interesting and deep for the competitive players and the old community members. But at the same time we have to innovate on how we're teaching players to play the game, not as in making them so accessible as dumbing them down, but while keeping the game interesting for its established community we need to make them accessible for players who haven't played RTS games before and make it easier for them too.
Quinn: Yes, communities have a lot different players: competitive players, social players, modders, streamers/casters. You have all of these groups that didn't really exist when Homeworld was being made. These are new changes in the RTS game world. We kinda have to work with support, there's a lot there to design for a lot of audiences, to satisfy everybody.
01:37:15
How much are you playing Age of Empires 2?
Quinn: A lot! And all of them! We need to figure out as a player how the game works, what you're interested in, what you can use for inspiration, how they did hings, how we might change things.
What do you change, what do you keep, what do you need to modernise etc.
01:40:45
Have you worked on Dawn of War?
Quinn: No, I worked on Homeworld, Impossible Creatures, Company of Heroes 1, Space Marines and Company of Heroes 2.
Update: New Relic Office & Gentrification Drama Daryl Tagabi works in the chrome plating area at Hudson Plating and Coating Ltd. in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, January 28, 2016. After 40 years of business, Hudson Plating, one of the many businesses being pushed out as the area by tech companies [read Relic/SEGA]
*SNIP*Mount Pleasant, an eclectic mix of early 20th-century houses, a couple of historic apartment buildings, warehouses, old factories and operations like Hudson, has been rigorously protected for industrial use as a result, and is a case in point: Almost all of it is zoned as industrial, both in city plans and in Metro Vancouver’s 2011 regional growth strategy, which introduced a strong emphasis on preserving industrial land in the Lower Mainland.
But the area – minutes from downtown and suddenly a hipster favourite for work and play – is facing huge pressure as new kinds of businesses push to get in, some of them claiming they are the contemporary version of industrial.
New Relic Office (Mount Pleasant) vs Old Office (Yaletown) - An economic decision?
Ideally, with future studio growth, Relic moving from the Yaletown district to Mount Pleasant, is an economic decision. Supply and demand. Vancouver is a fast growing city that needs more "space" by transforming low-density into high-density (higher buildings).
A growing tech industry needs more office space which usually forms in clusters. For future growth, Yaletown higher density/"non-industrial" was probably too expensive compared to former industrial Mount Pleasant.
The downside to this "cycle" is referred to as gentrification.
Definition of gentrification
: the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents
So Relic/SEGA (long-term) want to maximize profits as the Vancouver tech industry moves into former industrial-zoned areas as the lease/rent is usually lower.
Now from a corporate perspective there is nothing wrong trying to maximize future profits from AoE/CoH3 etc..
BUT!
What's wrong, however, is some yuppies trying to pretend something they are not with all the virtue signaling (claiming moral superiority/holier than you attitude).
The Relic GM should not try to dress it up as "sustainable", "come on its 2017", smart, funky, trendy or any other "buzzword" these smooth-talking leaders can come up with.
This to me just proves once again, some of these "oil salesmen" will say anything to keep some false narrative going.
It's also not cool these tech leaders (including Relic GM) trying to pretend they know "better" (arrogance behind the mask "civility") than the majority of an area's residents (Mount Pleasant) that has lived there a long time.
These tech leaders/yuppies trying to rebrand Mount Pleasant sounds more or less like South Park SoDoSoPa virtue signaling:
*SNIP*
Relic began to look for a new headquarters in 2016 that could allow the 20-year old company to grow their employees from 180 to up to 350.
"Selecting the future home of the studio was a complicated process,” said Relic general manager Justin Dowdeswell. “We worked hard to find the right space, the right neighbourhood, the right partner, and the right location for staff – down to charting every employee’s journey to the office."
The perfect employee’s journey to the new office and the bicycle club of excellence saving the world from global warming?. Saving dolphins, saving hungry kids etc. Very nice, but no solar panels?
Flashback - General Manager give praise to the "old office" in Yaletown;
Wednesday 12th April 2017 http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-04-12-sega-had-a-plan-to-quietly-become-a-powerhouse-in-pc-publishing
*SNIP*
So much has changed. Relic was acquired at auction by Sega, which took over as publisher on Company of Heroes 2, and it is now gearing up for the launch of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III. It is no longer based in the financial district, moving instead to the reclaimed warehouses of Vancouver's Yaletown, a favourite location among the city's many game developers and tech startups.
Justin Dowdeswell, Relic's general manager, says the new offices are "not as flash" as the previous space, but it in many ways it is a better fit for the company. "It's where a lot of the Vancouver studios began,"
In contrast here what the former SEGA Europe boss (Jurgen Post) has said- Wednesday 24th May 2017;
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/7ddq59/we_are_amplitude_studios_ask_us_anything_and/
We are Amplitude Studios! Ask us anything and enter our giveaway! But just as important, how long do you see yourselves supporting Endless Space 2? What are your sales goals for ES2 in its lifetime?
[–]Slowhands_amplitudeAmplitude;
We don't really have specific sales goals. Or let me put it this way: As long as we can keep paying the electric bills we'll keep adding content We started the studio because we love doing this, and that drives us much more than financial goals. Unless we go bankrupt and have to fire everyone, of course...
Quotes from Relic own website;
In essence, we envision the type of games that we would love to play, and then we create them.
Our studio is different from most others. We value ideas and innovation so every game we create is a true reflection of our entire teams’ capabilities. We believe in the autonomous, entrepreneurial spirit of an indie developer – only with the extensive resources of a large publisher.
In other Relic news, DoW3 failing miserably? Want to boost studio morale and deflect blame away from the leadership? Say hello to;
If anyone still thinks SEGA is happy with the DoW leadership (this include the GM) then you need to pay more attention to the recent recruitment details.
A Chief Operating Officer (COO), also called the chief operations officer, is a position that can be one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, comprising part of the "C-Suite". The COO is responsible for the daily operation of the company,[1] and routinely reports to the highest ranking executive, usually the chief executive officer (CEO).[2] The COO is usually the second in command at the firm, especially if the highest ranking executive is the Chairman and CEO.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_operating_officer
IIRC, Relic hasn't had an “official” COO since Ron Moravek 1998-2004 and Alex Garden (CEO & founder) left Relic in 2004. After Alex left to join Nexon NA, Ron Moravek steps up in THQ/Relic leadership as GM + THQ VP (2004-2006 and later 2012-2013).
The simple fact is this;
Without AoE4/CoH money, Relic devs would now be looking forward to massive laid off.
AoE4 will either break or make Relic.
The Relic GM bandwagon of smooth talkers should spend less time virtue signaling and more time+focus trying to turn around the Titanic.
The 33-year-old developer was killed in the crash. His wife and their child survived the crash, thanks to Brian's last-minute sacrifice.
According to Erin Wood, she and the baby would not have survived the crash had Brian not swerved at the last minute, taking the brunt of the impact himself.
FYI here what game developers actually care about; Developer Satisfaction Survey 2016
http://docplayer.net/53344086-Developer-satisfaction-survey-2016.html https://www.igda.org/
Snapshot: Preferred Employer
Respondents were given the opportunity to give an open-ended answer to the question, “Which
developer or publisher would you most like to work for?” For the third year running, Valve
topped the list with 12% of the vote. This represented 50 votes. Blizzard came in second with
10% of the vote followed by a tie between BioWare and “my own studio” (both with 5%).
I would definitely like it to stick to WW2 - that iconic link between Band of Brothers and CoH is one of the most unique associations in video games and should be preserved.
Former THQ boss (Danny Bilson) tried making CoH into a good movie using BoB actors (unfortunately this project partly failed due to THQ financial troubles)
They could do a spin-off series but to separate the core franchise CoH3 from the BoB series are a big marketing mistake.
Without BoB immersion and ww2 patriotism, there is no way I and many others would still be interested in ww2 games.
Thanks to Relic (Kyle?) for posting this patriotic ww2 short-film:
Keep the focus on more marketing efforts similar to this and Relic/SEGA should have no problem selling CoH3 to an engaged and passionate fan audience.
For the same reasons, World of Tanks and War Thunder have some epic trailers that understand how to market ww2 patriotism and immersion/artistic vision.
War thunder WW2 Trailer;
World of Warships - Wait for Me;
World of Tanks - Remember Dunkirk: Timeline of a Miracle;
For CoH3 WW2, there are plenty of good and not well-known storytelling to focus on.
Here is a couple of examples;
On 5 May 1945, a few days after Hitler’s suicide, American soldiers under command of US Army Captain John C. "Jack" Lee, Jr. teamed up with a number of Wehrmacht soldiers under German major, Josef Sepp Gangl who was opposed to the Nazis to rescue VIP prisoners from Castle Itter .
I can give a guarantee prediction, ww2 patriotism is going to make a comeback and the Wargaming/SEGA Europe partnership is here to stay for many years to come.
Wargaming Alliance is the third party publishing arm of the business, which has now joined with Wargaming Labs. There are already partnerships with big triple-A developers like Creative Assembly and its Total War: Arena game, so why has this merger of the third party publishing team occurred?
Warning to Relic from old school Homeworld fan;
Do not, for whatever reasons try to bring the current Canadian anti-masculine culture/bias into CoH3.
If you do, SEGA is going to lose millions of dollars in missed marketing opportunities. I could talk for hours how bad this will make you look (globally) by the time CoH3 comes out. Perceptions and timing is everything in marketing.
Remembrance Day special; Relic read and learn from WW2 vets; 'This isn't the Britain we fought for,' say the 'unknown warriors' of WWII http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1229643/This-isnt-Britain-fought-say-unknown-warriors-WWII.html
As a former alliance leader (RAZOR), my MMO friends helped popularize WW2 memes and propaganda posters to many thousands of SCI-FI fans.
WW2 is not a niche genre if you market it right. So either learn more about your audience or keep losing more money from your nr.1 passionate fan audience. Your choice.
Update to my previous post - Coming top Relic leadership “restructuring/change”;
My prediction about SEGA Europe searching for a new Relic COO/chief operating officer (second in studio command) was spot on and new COO job description posted a few days later; https://ca.indeed.com/Chief-Operating-Officer-jobs-in-Vancouver,-BC
The new Executive producer (David Littman) is practically a de facto chief operating officer with the official title;
"Production Leader Creating AAA Games at Relic Entertainment".
Confirmed; Relic top leadership “restructuring” (again) Turning the Titanic?
Relic seek CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (second in Relic command/"GM babysitter")
For future reference;
https://boards.greenhouse.io/relic/jobs/939606
Relic Entertainment, a wholly owned studio of SEGA, is the award winning RTS developer of Homeworld, Dawn of War and Company of Heroes, and we’re on the hunt for a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to join our leadership team. As a studio leader, you will play a huge part in creating a workplace where people are energized and empowered to not only do their best work but to continually surpass their best. You will have ownership and creative freedom to solve our most challenging problems.
As an integral (and new!) part of our leadership team, you will be challenged to solve complex problems, drive change, and challenge our thinking. We are looking for a positive, humble, and highly-motivated leader who can teach us a thing or two. [read alot]. Running a high-performing studio is a collective effort, and you will play a critical role in that effort – shaping and guiding the future growth of the studio. [hey look SEGA need "babysitter" for Relic GM]
As our COO, you will… Partner with our General Manager to build a high-performing studio that supports great talent in doing their best work
Design and drive the strategic vision and roadmap for our operational teams
Build and lead a high-performing operational team (Talent, Marketing & Communications, Space Planning, IT, Legal, Finance & BI) that is aligned with supporting our developers in doing their best work
Oversee the day-to-day operations of the studio, and keep the GM appraised of significant events
Support our GM in developing and overseeing the long-term business strategies of the studio
Collaborate with our GM to ensure that our values, people and operational teams are continuously in alignment with our product goals
Support the execution and quality of our games by driving the continuous improvement of our people and processes to enable talent and innovation at all levels of the studio
Create focus for your teams and operational leaders – cut the noise, guide them through priority setting, and hold them accountable to constantly executing on meaningful work
Partner with our Executive Producers to ensure they have the support needed to deliver on our studio roadmap
Partner with our GM and Finance Director to lead our annual budgeting and operational plans that support our long-term financial strategy
Assess and manage risks to the studio – whether it be projects, people or resourcing
Build a positive work environment focused on accountability, results and having a ton of fun
Ideally, you are...
Experienced – 7+ years of senior leadership experience in operations in a comparable industry; ideally you’ve worked in games, entertainment or tech
Strong understanding of business operations (HR, Finance, IT, etc) and experience leading cross-functional teams
Substantial experience working in companies that have gone through high-change or growth
Post-secondary education in business, leadership, marketing and/or game development
Results driven – you have an impressive track record of building teams, rallying people, and consistently achieving results
Service minded – you are laser focused on providing best-in-class experiences to our candidates, employees and players
Player focused – you understand how the work our operational teams do impacts the quality of projects we deliver to our players
A clear communicator – you understand the impact of your words and actions in encouraging and activating those around you
A change agent – you lead change, explain ‘the why’ behind change and pursue improvement relentlessly
And believe in...
Relationships matter – you listen, care deeply, ask questions, and understand the role that people play in our studio success
Managerial courage – you are transparent, practice direct feedback, make decisions, and deal head-on with problems when they come up!
Leading by example – you create accountability, apologize when you’ve made a mistake, and practice what you preach
IIRC, Relic hasn't had an “official” COO since Ron Moravek 1998-2004 and Alex Garden (CEO & founder) left Relic in 2004. After Alex left to join Nexon NA, Ron Moravek step up in THQ/Relic leadership as GM + THQ VP (2004-2006 and later 2012-2013). So big Relic leadership change and prove SEGA/Tim Heaton is not happy with the current Relic leadership.
Translation; Relic don't fuck up again OR else!. Should the current GM get fired, the COO will become the interim general manager until they find a replacement.
TBH if Relic leaders continue to mess up, I would not be surprised if Relic merges with Creative Assembly.(see below SEGA/CA promotions for possible hint of this). SEGA trust CA a lot more than Relic and recent SEGA promotions confirm this. Several former CA leaders have moved up within the ranks of SEGA Europe.
The other promotion sees Creative Assembly studio director Tim Heaton bumped up to executive vice president of studios. While he will continue to oversee the Total War studio, Heaton will also work with other studio directors within Sega Europe on best practices and studio collaborations.
Sega Europe unveils new president and COO - August 2017
"With the road to 2020 mapped out by Sega Sammy, all areas of the business must work closely together to drive continued success and innovation/ It will be up to the team and I to ensure that Sega Europe continues to be a leader in the games business around the world. I am very much looking forward to the challenge."
Tatsuyuki Miyazak added: "Sega has outlined a solid plan towards further profitability by 2020 and needs cutting edge leaders to help make this goal a reality. In that respect, Chris joins SEGA Europe at a very exciting time We believe that Chris has all the qualities required to take Sega Europe to the next level and help us achieve these goals. We are looking forward to seeing how the business moves forward under his guidance."
The news follows promotions for John Clark, who is now executive vice president of publishing, and Tim Heaton, who has become executive vice president of studios. Both will support Bergstresser in his new role.
Creative Assembly director running Relic Entertainment on interim basis (2013)
"My role in this phase is to keep the studio focused on delivering [Company of Heroes 2], to find the necessary staff to take Relic into the future and to ease the transition," said Heaton. "Although there are no plans to tie the two studios together, we're already seeing knowledge feed back from Relic into [The Creative Assembly]."
Heaton will oversee Relic as it approaches the June 25 launch of Company of Heroes 2, and searches for a permanent general manager. Alex Peters, who served as general manager under previous owner THQ, left the company for Activision shortly before THQ's first bankruptcy auction in January, in which Sega acquired Relic for $26.6 million. Sega owns both Relic and The Creative Assembly.
*SNIP*
‘Hey, you know, if you need any help with Relic just let me know’, and the Sega bosses came back with, ‘Yeah, get yourself an apartment there for the year’. So, for the past six months, I’ve been splitting my time between CA and Relic – three weeks here and three weeks back home on average. And you know what? Running two studios is twice as hard as running one. Who knew?
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
On my first visit to Relic two things dawned on me through the mists of jet lag. That there was a game to deliver – Company of Heroes 2 was to launch at the end of June, and that there was very little studio leadership. The previous general manager of Relic had left well before the purchase of Relic by Sega, and although there was an executive producer on CoH 2 that was pretty much it. Nobody was leading the studio in a game-centric way from the front.
The Vancouver-based gaming company, one of the city’s oldest gaming companies, will vacate its existing Yaletown office and move to the Nickel, a new four-storey building at 285 West 5th Avenue – the former Hudson Plating site.
The building has a floor area of 71,000 sq. ft., including light industrial on the ground floor and office and creative spaces on the upper three floors.
Relic is set to occupy 47,000 sq. ft., about 66% of the building’s space, allowing the company to almost double its workforce from its current 180 employees to up to 350.
“We are excited to welcome Relic to Mount Pleasant, an area of Vancouver where we have been actively transforming a number of formerly heavy industrial sites into places of employment for the industries of the future,” said Brent Sawchyn, the principal for PC Urban Properties Group, the building’s developer, in a statement.
“Re-imagining this particular site has come with serious challenges, but we believe Vancouver’s future lies in repurposing these properties, allowing them to reach their true potential and provide spaces for sustainable employment.”
Relic’s new headquarters will have an interior design that reflects the “cerebral work of making strategy games” such as pieces of code as murals and creating a space that can become a hub for the public gaming community.
The building is set to reach completion in early-2019, and Relic is expected to move into its new space shortly after in the summer.
Founded in 1997, the SEGA-owned company is currently marking its 20th anniversary by partnering with Microsoft Studios to make the fourth instalment of the Age of Empires series.
Other titles Relic is known for creating include Company of Heroes, Dawn of War, Homeworld, and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War.
Mount Pleasant is of course one of Vancouver’s tech hubs, and a number of new developments proposed or planned for the neighbourhood are designed with tech companies in mind.
Last year, DHX Studios moved into a new five-storey, 75,000-sq-ft building at 380 West 5th Avenue. The television entertainment company, which produces animation and live action for kids and families, employs 700 people at this new purpose-built Vancouver office.
Further east at the southwest corner of Main Street and East 4th Avenue, a major multi-building tech campus that includes a new headquarters for Hootsuite is proposed by local developer Westbank.
New Office for Relic Coming in 2019
http://gamejobhunter.com/2017/11/21/new-office-relic-coming-2019/
Exciting news for the Relic team! As covered by Urbanized, Relic will be moving into a shiny new headquarters in Vancouver in early 2019. The new office is being designed by the firm PC Urban in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, in a building that was known as the Hudson Plating Metal Works in a former life.*SNIP*
Project
275 West 5th, Vancouver, BC
Category
Commercial
275 West 5th Avenue is PC Urban’s third and largest acquisition in the Mount Pleasant area. Historically the heart of industrial warehousing and light manufacturing in Vancouver, Mount Pleasant is a quickly gentrifying area spurred on by the City’s rapid densification, the re-development of False Creek Flats into the Olympic Village, and the importance of rapid transit and its proximity to the downtown core and surrounding residential cores. We will redevelop this 23,000 sf property into a 71,000 sf commercial building targeted toward the technology and design/creative industries seeking a home in Mount Pleasant.
This property was home to the Hudson Plating metal works. The existing building will be demolished, the property remediated, and replaced with a new building of 23,000 sf of light industrial/commercial space at grade and three levels of employment generating space in 15,000 sf floor plates. There will be 97 underground parking stalls in addition to generous end of trip facilities and bike parking. Views to downtown and the North Shore mountains are extraordinary. The property is a short 3-block walk to the Cambie Street Canada Line Station.
The building is under development and in the preleasing stage.
http://harris-interactive.com/about/
Harris Interactive is a full-service, digital consultative custom market research agency that combines sector expertise with award-winning research design.
We go above and beyond to make complex decisions easy and provide simple, actionable insights. And now, our industry-leading technology delivers those insights faster than anyone else. And with in-house expertise covering all areas of research, design, implementation, analysis, and reporting – with particular strengths in loyalty, brand and new product development – we’re with our clients every step of the way.
At Harris Interactive our legacy, expertise and relationships made us who we are but technology drives our future and speed of delivery allows us to anticipate challenges.
Fans deserve a better game and talented Relic devs deserve a better leadership. It's simple as that. Mediocre leadership lead to mediocre results.
Yes, moving forward more Relic leaders are going to get fired and/or replaced. No amount of Relic's wishful thinking and singing kumbaya are gonna change that.
DoW3/CoH2 dissent voting with their wallet made that happen. Without that, do you really think SEGA would demand these surveys as independent (unbiased) from previous "Relic biased research"?
If you understand a bit what's going on its pretty hilarious to watch.
From DoW3 was first announced, Relic leaders desperately tried to paint a "rosy picture" about Relic's future and that they had a positive relationship with fans. All the CoH/DoW dissent was "just a fluke" and had nothing to do with Relic's leadership capabilities.
Why would SEGA give up on CoH2/CoH3 for DoW3 and AoE4?
Were they misinformed by Relic? Imagine this; Relic goes to SEGA and says they made some huge mistakes with CoH2. To get more CoH2/CoH3 money, how many Relic leaders would take personal responsibility and risk their career over this? Apparently, not a whole lot.
I KNEW from Relic leaders body language that there was some kind of internal conflict going on.
Not very courageous, some Relic leaders choose the easy way out. Focus on DoW3 and AoE4, forget about CoH like an orphan.
All Relic leaders should be forced to watch this clip from There Will Be Blood (2007)
at least 10 times; I've abandoned my child!
So you want good answers? then start by asking better questions to yourself. What is critical thinking? Why is this relevant? Why are Relic leaders not good at critical thinking compared to other competitive studios? Why can't some Relic leaders handle personal criticism? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking
Critical thinking is the objective analysis of facts to form a judgment.[1] The subject is complex, and there are several different definitions which generally include the rational, skeptical, unbiased analysis or evaluation of factual evidence.
Do these failing leaders suffer from cognitive dissonance?
Look at Relic leaders that are behind all this virtue signaling and completely not related to any Relic IP. Coming next, a charity event for endangered unicorns and bigfoot?
A lot of CoH fans still don't seem to grasp that SEGA has been on a collision course with Relic's leadership for at least a year now.
The DoW3 executive producer, brand manager, game director. Now all gone or has been replaced.
Look at Axis Animation http://www.axisanimation.com/ that made the awesome DoW3 announcement trailer and vastly outclass anything Relic could have done. With no community interactions, Axis Animation (not Relic) captured the essence and art style of DoW perfectly.
From the first in-game footage was released this was pretty much the end of DoW3. Just by getting the immersion right they could have easily made a lot of money.
Since when do SEGA Europe EVER release AAA games without an Executive producer? The DoW3 team when in full production was without an Executive producer for one year. Normally, when a top leader leaves there is a smooth transition. https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamstephenmac/?authType=name&authToken=Al7T&trk=prof-sb-browse_map-photo https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-littman-52668b27/
The new Executive producer is practically a de facto chief operating officer with the official title;
"Production Leader Creating AAA Games at Relic Entertainment".
I suspect SEGA is now reviewing Relic's top job applications. Do Relic has a problem with favoritism/nepotism? If true, do you think SEGA would tolerate that? Favoritism if not dealt with can cost SEGA millions of dollars.
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Relic-Entertainment-RVW4161332.htm
I worked at Relic Entertainment full-time (More than a year)
Pros
-most of the colleagues are friendly and awesome to work with
-new GM seems to know the problems with this company and is trying to fix them
Cons
-favoritism is key to survive in this place if you want to keep your job
-old timers are only good at little of what they know and most are not updated to the current technology and skill sets
-poor management over all
-might be time to let go some of the top decision makers, some of them might be stubborn and ignorant when looking at the current market
Advice to Management
Don't just listen to what the leads/managers says. Listen to the little guys. Some of them are afraid to speak their mind because of their managers.Look at your game sales and you shall know that some of the decision maker shall be let go
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Relic-Entertainment-RVW5962386.htm
I worked at Relic Entertainment full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
Some incredibly talented people to work with, office location, full-time position benefits are good.
Cons
Too many managers, but no one seems to take actual responsibilities for anything. Often people are treated unfair, management is reluctant to criticism. The career progress is all about traditional hierarchical career path, based on technical proficiency and past performance, not employee potential and/or talent.
Do you really think SEGA is not going to step in after DoW3 fail and protect their investment?
What have Arch Warhammer said about SEGA's plan for Relic?
Looking at some leaders body language in past interviews/streams, it's obvious if they mess up with AoE4 and/or CoH3 a lot more leaders are gonna get fired. Personally, thats the primary reason im relative optimistic about the future.
From a customer perspective, you want more competition in Relic, not less. You want Relic leaders to fear they might lose their jobs. When leaders fall into the trap of complacency, they tend to get sloppy and not caring about retaining loyal customers. Sound familiar?.
SEGA is not perfect, but believe it or not. They are several steps ahead of Relic incompetent leadership, which on several occasions has been pretty delusional.
Your manager will show his or her failure to grasp the role by losing touch with the activity in your department. Everyone else will know the top three or five most pressing issues and priorities, but your boss can't keep track.
He or she will ask people about unrelated issues and when they try to say "But look, this issue is critical and we have to address it today!" the boss will get agitated or say "Yes, I knew that!" when it's obvious s/he didn't.
We know what's up when our boss mouths the right words but doesn't understand what they mean. We can tell when he or she asks a question that makes it clear he or she has no understanding of the topic.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/high-impact-leaders-inspire-people-low-manage-mack/ High impact leaders inspire people. Low impact leaders manage people.
When it comes to inspiring people, this includes inspiring ourselves, high impact leaders are the only ones who can make it happen. Who is inspiring you to develop yourself to a higher level? If it's not the person you see in the mirror, you're already in trouble. If someone else wants to help you, that's great. That's a bonus! But, if it doesn't start with you, your life is going to be filled with blaming others for your own circumstances and lack of options.
SEGA should listen to dissent from the "little guys" in Relic. They know whats going. In general, there are two types of leaders. Those that learn from their mistakes and those that dont. There is no shame to admit that you're on a learning curve and ask for help.
We (as a community) are all in this together to help each other right? Or perhaps your part of the problem not part of the solution?
Complete Relic survey/questionnaire (32 total) and commentary in this video;
I share my thoughts on Company of Heroes 3 through a survey provided by Relic, which includes what they might change/improve upon in the next entry. Excellent timing as I originally had a video on this very subject out in a few days. Hope you (and Relic) enjoy my opinion!
My CoH2/CoH3 development analysis that might be of interest to some;
Commercially failures & missed marketing opportunities
Relic hasn't really landed a solid commercial hit since CoH1. Eventually, fans get impatient and less tolerant of Relic constant failures. Running a corporation/ fan-oriented customer service ain't Disneyland where everyone supports you and don't say mean things.
Relic is at the top of RTS gaming not because they are "the best" but rather by the process of elimination (less RTS studios to compete with).
I'm not sure the DoW3 team will be trusted by SEGA making new AAA IPs, so part of that team could end up making CoH3 and some devs from AoE4/CoH2?. Or perhaps DoW3 will start doing DLC for CA Total Warhammer Series?. Who knows. Anyone comfortable with the DoW3 team working on CoH3?.
I have mixed feelings about this and atm favor big laid off except for the best talented DoW3 devs.
As a fan, you want more RTS competition, not less.
Steve Jobs, billionaire co-founder of Apple and former CEO
The Relic identity crisis: Reality vs Theory Crafting (pragmatic vs visionary leaders)
To use Band of Brothers as an analogy. Reality/pragmatic would be Winters and delusional leaders/pseudo-intellectuals/safe space warriors in Relic would be Soble. There is a thin line between visionary and delusion.
When a studio is lacking both pragmatic and visionary leaders that's not good. Now fans can help improving the practical leadership but long-term visionary leadership? Don't think so. That's not how Steve Jobs became the great visionary leader of the tech industry (RIP Steve). Pragmatic leaders solve problems and visionary leaders plot the destination and prevent problems like a navigator on a ship.
Relic is not a unified small studio like when they created Homeworld 1 with a team of 20.
It takes years of hard work to earn and build a consumer trusted brand. But it only takes a few bad leaders to mess it all up. Relic needs to take their reputation more seriously which among hardcore fans are close to the same level as EA/Bioware (that's not a compliment). Relic like Bioware once had a positive relationship with fans, not anymore. Relic has some serious bridges to repair with CoH3.
As a CoH fan, you have to understand there is not one Relic, but two. The old school leadership mindset that was gaming professionals and Neo-Relic which is dominated by these pseudo intellectuals wannabes visionary.
In theory, I'm sure what neo-Relic say make some good sense. But there is a big difference between theory and reality. Hence the saying, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, that’s soviet communism for you.
Cobra's quickstep guide to avoid another iceberg collision (DoW3); Don't alienate your target audience
This isn't a blow to feminism, but a part of history. This would be like a man watching a woman give birth and upon seeing her triumphantly and yet fondly cuddle her newborn baby demand recognition for his small but intrinsic role in the event that created that moment.
Step 2; Relic Competitive readiness?
Relic should recruit/promote their leaders more wisely based on credentials and with consistency in words and action. No favoritism and diversity manifesto which alienate your fan audience and make good leaders leave or stay away. Mediocre leadership leads to mediocre results. Running a corporation is a competitive "fighting game" and not the same as a charity organization which relies more on compassionate leadership.
South Park - Reality Crashes The Charity Party (Please donate now, for shameless Relic)
Competitive readiness (no complacency) drives innovation and will give more corporate results than tree hugging hipsters. Without competition, leaders become sloppy. Trying to reinvent the wheel with mediocre visionary leadership is a recipe for a disaster.
I was baffled by Relic's DoW3 delusional behavior, echo chambers and pseudo-intellectualism running Relic into the ground. I know this RTS team is getting some new leaders so maybe that will improve things.
Five months after taking over, on February 12, 2014, Wilson gathered 146 of the company's top leaders at EA's headquarters. Together with Gabrielle Toledano, EA's chief talent officer, Wilson hatched a plan to help them understand why so many customers were unhappy.
The group was led to the basketball court, which had been temporarily remade into a conference space with stations of computers and telephone lines. For hours, executives went through the steps of installing, troubleshooting and playing the company's games. They also listened in on customer service calls so they could hear firsthand players' frustrations.
"We weren't thinking about everything we were doing in the context of the player experience," said Wilson.
That's how EA is trying to turn around the Titanic.
Step 3; Stop pandering to vocals & false narratives (MSM, campus and social media)
The silenced majority of PC/console gamers, rarely post on forums or social media. At best they will play a few games per week. They are not "PC bro's", quite the contrary. Go do some background research on the downfall of the movie industry/Hollywood, mainstream media and South Park season 19 to stay out of trouble. Americans' Trust in Mass Media Sinks to New Low http://news.gallup.com/poll/195542/americans-trust-mass-media-sinks-new-low.aspx Watch South Park free here; http://www.southparkstudios.nu/full-episodes
South Park season 19 is a very smart serialized narrative and should make it clear to anyone why pandering to these vocals will end badly for Relic (or anyone else in the entertainment/media industry). South Park writers are not stupid, they know for the show to survive free speech needs to be restored. Comedy is the last bastion of free speech and South Park definitely knows that.
Gathering customer feedback from this audience will be difficult so don't be lazy. I suggest more private emails and surveys with rewards.
Step 4; Individualism vs Drama Triangle
But hey man, this is 2017 why should Relic worry about individualism & personal identity? Let's victimize people and tell them they are oppressed. There you got a receipt for a disaster. Reality is not for the faint-hearted.
I'm warning you Relic, don't even think about pandering to these "fake SJW" (social justice warriors)/professional victims as that will surely alienate your target audience. By the time CoH3 come out this "hypersensitive victimhood culture" will end at the bottom of the dirt.
I do feel compassion for these "professional victims" because they are prisons of their own minds. There is not a snowball chance in hell this will end well for them.
Western victimization is the new racism and that's basically what neo-Relic believes in.. It's important to remember this is Company of Heroes, not Company of Villains or Company of Victims.
Step 5; Learn about WW2 patriotism and forget the Drama Triangle
WW2 game makers like Wargaming understand WW2 patriotism far better than neo-Relic leaders so Wargaming is destined to do rather well in the years ahead. Relic needs to wake up.
In general for a corporation, neutrality is good for business. That's why Band of Brothers was such a masterpiece (9,5/10 IMDb rating) because it doesn't try to alienate the target audience.
Here is a great BoB clip showing the perspective of the "average" German veterans;
HONOR IN WARTIME:American WWII pilot Charlie Brown (left) was struggling to keep his damaged bomber airborne in the skies over Germany in 1943 when Luftwaffe ace Franz Stigler (right) flew alongside. Instead of firing, Stigler gave a salute.
Ted Kirkpatrick recounts a story about a bomber pilot named, Charlie Brown. His plane was badly damaged with wounded men on the plane, and was accidentally flying the wrong away -- into enemy territory. A German pilot was ordered to take Charlie Brown's plane down, but as he flew near the plane and saw how badly it was damaged, he unexpectedly led Charlie Brown out of enemy territory and back to England. Charlie Brown kept the story quiet because if the Germans found at that their pilot had let him go, they would've punished him. About 50 years after the war, the two men finally found each other and became good friends.
Failures to understand the "veterans perspective", is why the Hollywood movie industry usual fails at making good money from WW2. There are two sides to every story and Relic has to stand for excellence on all levels.
Step 6; CoH keys to innovation (Checklist)
It's like Relic had a baby and then treated like an orphan that lost both parents. If you go play Homeworld, you'll see how far DoW3 development has deteriorated. HW was many years ahead of its time while DoW3 suffered from a massive identity crisis. Competition drives innovation, not diversity as pseudo-intellectuals like people to think.
Don’t confuse competitive capitalism with monopolized capitalism. As a consumer, you want more competitive not less. The irony here, the lack of competition against CoH is one of the reasons why Relic has become sloppy and complacent. If there have been other games like Iron harvest then this new breed RTS genre could have become a lot more popular.
http://www.edisonawards.com/news/competition-drive-innovation/
There are ways on how to initiate competition and promote innovation. Like below:
1. Find an untapped need that others are missing – Check CoH is unique
2. Implement new ideas and celebrate change – Check (partial success)
3. Listen to customers suggestions – Fail
4. Include unusual services that aren’t traditionally offered in the industry – Fail
5. Put your idea out there and promote it with all you’ve got – Fail
Step 7; Relic can't handle criticism & Lacking Courage
This has been their weakness for many years.
IMO, this partial stems from obvious progressive leanings and delusional hardliners (uncompromising). Some of the new leaders coming into power have not been respectful towards what CoH stand for (WW2 patriotism) or its (former) loyal fan base.
PC Relic takes criticism of their work very personally. The failure in DoW3 development is a good example of this. From the first screenshot of DoW3 was released it was clear the new art style was not a change fans wanted to see.
DoW3 fan criticism was mostly ignored and they instead doubled down on the biased gaming press to save them. Months later, after hitting the iceberg Relic came crawling back to the fans and beg for forgiveness.
But…we’re humans who have the internet. We know there are lots of you who don’t feel the same way. That matters. We make these games for you, and we need you in order to keep making games. So, let’s talk about where we go from here.
https://www.dawnofwar.com/article/community-update-june-13-2017
Leaders need to seek feedback both external and internal because that’s how they grow. Bad leaders don’t grow with feedback because "they don’t know; "they don’t know" (delusional leadership). The first step in reaching a solution to a problem or conflict is to identify the central issue. Yes, it takes courage to inspire others, but the introspective kind of courage. Delusional leaders don't have that and that usual should be a huge warning sign.
After the stupid idea gets implemented and utterly fails, reporters will ask the CEO's colleagues "Didn't anybody tell your CEO his idea was goofy, before it got him and your company pilloried on national TV?"
"We tried," you'll say wanly.
Trying is not enough. You wouldn't let your child run across a busy street to get his baseball and you can't let a CEO act on every cockamamie idea that pops into his head.
Gang up on him if necessary. Don't wimp out now unless you want to be asked the question "Wait -- you worked for that company?" for years into the future.
A game developed for microsoft and developed for microsoft in the past that coincides with their own online distribution environment in need of consentive to use it.
Further more, other purely microsoft releases were windows store only.
That's a fan assumption, not a confirmed "fact". Based on current trends this looks like a Win10 store/steam cross-play title. There is a "new" MS executive gaming boss in town and he is a big fan of crossplay (such as Win store/steam).
Phil Spencer recently got a big promotion. TBH, I trust Phil way more than Relic top leadership.
More "news" related to this important ms/sega partnership is coming but here are a bit more to "connect the dots"; Confirmed; Win10 + Steam crossplay are coming
Check below links MS are testing Cross-network Play; Win10 store (xbox live using Universal Windows Platform) + Steam using steamworks/win32
Rise of Nations: Extended Edition Comes to Windows Store with Cross-network Play on Sept. 14 (posted August 18, 2017)
*SNIP*
At Xbox, we support creating moments that connect gamers with their friends in new and innovative ways. In support of this, today, I am proud to announce that the historic RTS hit Rise of Nations: Extended Edition is coming to Windows Store on September 14th, with the unique cross-network play feature that enables fans to challenge up to eight players online with Windows 10, across Xbox Live and Steam. We want gamers to enjoy this classic Game of the Year-winning RTS through sharing multiplayer experiences with their friends, and it’s now a reality for Windows 10 gamers to join over two million Rise of Nations fans on Steam in mastering 6,000 years of history, from the Ancient Age to the Information Age.
For those that do not understand what this means. Phil Spencer is now considered to be the top gaming executive in MS and all the other executives will listen to him including the CEO (not the other way around). The CEO is just a business executive that is taking advice from each division leaders.
That the MS CEO want Phil Spencer as his personal gaming adviser is a huge vote of confidence is Spencer's leadership abilities and vision for MS gaming. Phil Spencer's Xbox promotion! What does it mean?
Our gaming roadmap over the next 18 months is anchored by two significant console releases – Xbox One S and Project Scorpio – and investments in growth areas such as virtual reality, video, and eSports.
Quantum computing, theorized for decades by some of the world’s greatest minds as a way to harness the very building blocks of matter and energy for unimaginable computing capabilities and intelligence, is emerging today as a feasible technology. Its realization will bring new power to cure disease and address global challenges like climate change. Our people and partners right now are solving the hard problems of experimental and theoretical physics, mathematics, and computer science that will accelerate quantum computing’s becoming a reality.
Denmark
We started the studio because we love doing this, and that drives us much more than financial goals. Unless we go bankrupt and have to fire everyone, of course... 
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Relic Entertainment
