As the Fourth Age begins, Turbine Entertainment retreats into the east where it will continue to be diminished. The studio that formerly brought us MMOs such as Asheron’s Call, Dungeons and Dragons Online, and Lord of the Rings Online is being enveloped even further into parent company Warner Bros.
So wave farewell to the familiar turbine jet logo because Turbine is no more; the studio is now being officially called WB Games Boston. Rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it? The switchover appeared to have happened yesterday according to the changing of the profile guard on Facebook.
Formerly an independent studio, Turbine Entertainment was acquired by Warner Bros. back in 2010. Following the failure of MOBA Infinite Crisis, the studio divested itself of all MMOs in late 2016. DDO and LOTRO went to the newly formed Standing Stone Games (itself made up of former Turbine devs), while Asheron’s Call and its sequel were shuttered.
I was sadder when Codemasters stopped running the EU game. Turbine became a byword for incompetence and it seems SSG are looking to carry on that tradition.
All games lose their luster with time. Studios either have to come up with new ones or actually allow their current stable to evolve. Living in maintenance mode is merely a slow death. Adapt or die.
Neither DDO nor Lotro are in maintenance mode and get regular updates.
That is basically what I call maintenance. Tweaking the old and not evolving with the times. The look and feel is antiquated in both DDO and Lotro. Especially DDO. People, myself included, want polished and evolving games. This includes the UI and graphics. So if you cant keep up with the heard, you will eventually die. My opinion only.
“As the Fourth Age begins, Turbine Entertainment retreats into the east where it will continue to be diminished.”
Not only appropriate, but also not one of those lines that is oft quoted. Well done, sir!
A+, Schlag. A+. Love it.
I’m still getting over the backstabbing we were left with during Asheron’s Call closure. I knew what was “really” left of Turbine became Standing Stone, but my level of trust with them is shaky as well. Thankfully the community has been able to pull together and develop/open several emulation projects. I honestly don’t think anyone gives a damn what is done with the AC brand at this point.
Turbine “Powered By Our Fans”…. RIP. Was a good company wth good people and good games. Glad most of them parachuted out. Seems they where always troubled by partnerships, first it was Atari, then WB, alone they might have made it?
Asheron would be ashamed…
“Killer vandalizes victim’s tombstone, scratches out name and replaces with their own.”
RIP, Turbine. You had a great run and made some great games, in your prime.
And a few years down the road they’ll be shuddered completely most likely. Basically everything is going about how I figured it would go for Turbine once WB bought them. We see this time and time again when larger corporations buy or merge with other companies.
The current state of gaming development as a whole makes me “shudder” too.
Crap, thought shuttered and still spelled it shuddered. lol.
Typing before coffee…
Exactly! :)
Sorry, but by the time WB ‘took over’ it already wasn’t the Turbine that it once was. Their prime was up to Mines of Moria. Their prime was Asheron’s Call.
When WB came in the picture the already decreasing quality of their work was getting even worse. And so the communities blamed WB. Me too, I was one of those ‘fanboys’.
And then the bomb dropped; Standing Stone Games was founded and was no longer affiliated with WB whatsoever. LotRO could finally be developed as it should be. No lonegr would numbercrunchers and suits decide the direction of the game!
Well, we all saw what that lead to…
Nope, the Turbine of old was already dead. The old-timers who left forgotten, the old-timers who remained lacked inspiration, vision and dedication and the newcomers were either out of touch with the existing community and it’s wishes or just downright incompetent.
Quite honestly, as someone who played their games for over a decade, the last 3-4 years purely out of nostalgia and because of the friendships ingame, I really couldn’t care less about either Turbine or SSG.
Yeah, like you’re the only one who has played their mmos for over a decade. :) Honestly I’m not sure why you posted what you did directed at me with the whole “Sorry etc”.
You’re coming at me as if I made an inaccurate point, when I didn’t. My point was that this “is” the usual result when larger companies buy smaller ones. They absorb them and close them.
This is the norm when it comes to software developers in particular, at least during the last thirty to forty years that I’ve been paying attention to it. I’ll just leave this friendly reminder comic at the bottom.
Why so defensive? It’s not ‘aimed’ at you, nor is it personal. The way you said it came across, at least to me, as if the takeover by WB is the beginning of the end and with that I just don’t agree.
Your friendly reminder compares WB to EA which is incorrect as well.
Yes, you are correct in saying that this is how things usually go, but the underlying thought that these ‘little companies’ deserve better isn’t always correct and in Turbine’s case specifically.
Yes, yes it was aimed at it my post. You responded to my post, you didn’t just post your own post in the thread. You replied to me. I’m actually not defensive, I’m just not going to allow you to correct me on something I am not inaccurate about. :) Carry on.