EA Gets Pissy At Sony, Claims Tools Suck
It is no secret that many developers have bitched and moaned about Sony's PlayStation 3 development tools and how it works. None have been so blunt as to flatly declare that they "just suck." A big ole nasty storm between software giant EA and Sony is-a-brewin'. Here's what EA Tiburon had to say:
“The truth is the PS3’s tools and the way it works just sucks. The truth is they are both virtually the same in terms of hardware when it comes to how powerful they are, maybe the PS3 has a few different things that makes it a bit more advance, and Sony has this idea that it is designed for optimal development but that’s a load of crap. In the last generation we would make the game for PS2 and then port it over to Xbox, but because Xbox was easier to develop for, we could actually enhance the title a little if we wanted to. The case with this generation is different, now we make the game for 360 first and then port it over to PS3, but we really don’t have the time to mess with how the PS3 works to really add to much more. It will change in the future, but for now it sucks.”
Sony's sure to be unhappy about that one! I somewhat recently purchased a 60GB PlayStation 3 ($350.00 through a fantastic deal, I might add) and I've yet to purchase a game for it. Nothing that is currently out, save for Ninja Gaiden Sigma, has me excited, however I don't think NGS should even be selling at full price. ...but with upcoming titles like Heavenly Sword and Metal Gear Solid 4 coming relatively soon, I can't help but get excited and think maybe EA is just not having any luck with the 'tools' on their own? Then again, they aren't the first and definitely won't be the last to complain about them. What do you think?
Does EA need to take a breather or does Sony need to get its act together? You decide!
EA Slams PS3, Saying Its Tools "Just Suck" [PSX Extreme]
[via EvilAvatar]
Super Timsy
Posted to Video Games on 29 August 2007
· Comments (13)
Other stuff like this: Bitchy, Development, EA, Electronic Arts, Pissy, PlayStation 3, PS3, Sony
I think it very interesting that they believe they will be able to enhance games for PS3 in the future.
If the PS3 tools are anything like their PSP tools, I have little reason to doubt this guy. Fanboys like to scream "Lazy Developers!" (especially toward EA) without thinking about what the other two hardware manufacturers provide (cheaper prices, better libraries/documentation, clearer standardization, etc.).
I've heard pretty much the exact same sentiments from numerous guys at EA and other companies.
I really can't speak to any of the gaming equipment, but I can say, throughout their electronics and computing divisions, Sony has a long history and mature reputation for supplying cryptic and substandard documentation and tools to service and development "partners". When you call them on it they talk to you like you're the one that's too stupid to figure their materials out and suggest you find someone that knows what they're doing.
I don't know how they treat customers (because I never buy their finished goods), but their partners in service and development they treat like shit.
Here's how I see it. Get over it!
I am so sick of hearing about the game developers whining about how the PS3 is different. Maybe if they would stop romanticizing the "good old days" of PS2 and Xbox and work there would be more games for the PS3. These people get paid really well, have cushy jobs in relation to most other people in the world, and they bitch that the PS3 is too hard. Boo f-ing hoo. I don't know how it is in the gaming in industry but in my job if you don't adapt well to new tasks you get let go.
This isn't only a PS3 issue - there are a lot of shitty games and wii-makes for the Wii right now because of lazy developers.
Yeah Yeah, Sony thinks the PS3 sucks, the REAL question is how does one get a PS3 for $350?
Adam, I'm not too sure you should be making comments like that when to quote you ...
'I don't know how it is in the gaming in industry'.
I have worked in 2 industries as a software engineer. Gambling, and now Gaming. I left the gambling industry looking for the as you put it 'cushy jobs that pay well'. If only it were true!
I had to take a significant pay cut and now have to work much longer hours. The programming is more challenging and fun, but it's by no means 'cushy and pays well'. This is the case as I have found out across the gaming industry, hell another great benefit is the lack of job security in studio development. You finish that game XXX for Mega Publisher YYY and it's time to scale down the studio.
Mathematically the shitiness of a game is affected by the shitiness of the console and development tools.
That's all the article says.
The truth is, they probably will "get over it"... if by "it" you mean "developing for the PS3 in the first place." Sounds like they're over it already, as a matter of fact.
EGH...
didn't everyone say the same shit about the ps2?
raindog...if you think that game developers are just going to stop writing for the ps3...you're delusional. they want to make money...and there are plenty of non-xbox fanboy consumers who want their fix of sony titles.
They said the same thing about the PS2, but sucked it up and developed for it anyway because it was the dominant system within a year of its release, much like the Wii.
They also said the same thing about the Saturn.... and then stopped developing for it, because the Saturn tanked just like the PS3 is doing now.
@Adam: "Maybe if they would stop romanticizing the "good old days" of PS2 and Xbox and work there would be more games for the PS3."
You say this as if people enjoyed working on the PS2. Sony has never had great developer tools/relations (my experiences mirror BeeDee's to the letter, especially about talking with Sony reps). However, back in the PS2 era they did have an insane demand for the machine so developers put up and shut up about their not-so-friendly dev tools/docs so that they would have the "privilege" of making a game on their platform.
But things are very different now: Wii + DS fueled casual game-pandemonium, MS aggressively focusing on developer relations, etc. Without the huge demand for hardware/software, Sony needs to pick themselves up and make some changes.
"These people get paid really well, have cushy jobs in relation to most other people in the world, and they bitch that the PS3 is too hard."
I really wish GayGamer or some other site would run a series on the "Myths of games." Because this "paid really well / cushy jobs" thing is far from the truth for great majority of people working in games.
Haven't you heard of EA_Spouse? Developers (programmers especially) have some of the most longest hours for (sometimes) the least pay. It's not all tightening the graphics on level 3.
Yeah, this idea that game developers, visual effects artists, and animators have these fantastic, high-paying, party-like jobs (ala Pixar) is absolute BS. The vast majority of these places are no better than sweatshops. These companies are very aggressive at bringing foreign workers and newbie graduates in to force down the wages and quality of working conditions.
On several projects I've been on, in and out of studio subsidiaries, the only people being paid well are upper and senior mngmt. In too many cases the designers, artists, and engineers are actually making less then minimum wage. Unfortunately SAG is the only union actively trying to protect workers. The WGA, AFTRA, and IATSE have focused on other issues and left the gaming industrty employees out in the cold.
I think the comments from some of the people here are typical of the ignorant that speak without having any factual information. The gaming community should direct that anger and indignation at mngmt - who are actually taking in staggering amounts of money.
Mngmt wants easier too use development and porting tools and quality documentation so they don't have to hire fairly paid specialist to come in and make things right.
Nonetheless, I stand by my previous comments regarding Sony in particular (just like Disney) - they have a long and well established reputation for wooing management into partnering contracts and then leave the people actually doing the work out in the cold.
As it has been mentioned a couple times, yeah, the PS2 had the reputation of horrible to work on (in fact, before the PS3, it was labeled as the worst system to develop for). But something that has been a bit forgotten was that the original Playstation also had a "poor to develop" for reputation (but it wasn't the worst system released to develop for). I can understand why PS3 clearly has this reputation (the multiple, asymmetrical processor architechture is what I am certain is causing a lot of it...but by no means all of it), but according to Sony's history: Playstation was only bad to work on (not horrible, just bad), PS2 earned the reputation of "worst system to develop for" until PS3...PS4 will require offerings of entire civilizations of souls to the devil in hopes to keep it somewhat together.