Propaganda Games has shut down

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Propaganda Games has shut down

Post by TronFAQ »

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/19/propa ... shuttered/

Well, now we know Evolution really bombed. Disney wouldn't shut down Propaganda if it had done well. Whatever DLC they had in the pipeline may still be released, but nothing more will be developed.

Unfortunately, while the marketing was good, the game itself stinks. Completely the reverse of Tron 2.0.


At least the film was half-decent, and apparently has done well enough that Disney is still considering another sequel. Maybe next time they can try a little harder to make a better game to go with it.
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Re: Propaganda Games has shut down

Post by zook_one »

Just read the same thing. Oh well...
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Re: Propaganda Games has shut down

Post by Daddyo »

Do you think this might mean that future updates to Evolution is out of the question, like additional maps?

I noticed in the PC version all the coding seemed outsourced to China.

Maybe this is Xistence's chance to take over the Tron gaming reigns! Put that proposal together for Disney quick.
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Re: Propaganda Games has shut down

Post by TronFAQ »

Disney made a statement saying that Propaganda had completed work on Evolution before shutting down. I take that to mean whatever DLC was already in development, was completed and will be offered for sale soon. They probably had plans for additional DLC on top of that (there was talk of adding Disc Arena style gameplay), but it will have been scrapped now.

Tron Evolution is effectively dead and abandoned. You probably won't even see any patches. Fortunately, there don't seem to be any serious bugs. Though not being able to select a resolution higher than 1680x1050 without hacking the config files, was a stupid decision that should have been corrected.

The LA Times confirms the low sales figure for Evo that I quoted in an earlier post. It sold under 200,000 copies. Again, considering the game's budget, marketing, and the sequel being in theaters: that number would be considered shockingly low by Disney. Even Amnesia: The Dark Descent sold better than Evo, and that's an independent PC only game with almost no marketing at all.
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Re: Propaganda Games has shut down

Post by xistence »

I'm surprised... not.

Read the same in german press today. Awaited that, based on the many statements all around. And again: big fail for disney marketing, they didn't learned from the T2.0 disaster.Well, their problem.
Daddyo wrote:Maybe this is Xistence's chance to take over the Tron gaming reigns!
Although ('cuz of my new job) i'm much limited in time, i still working in small steps on my map and still on Diu (working out the character-sheet for the RPG-part right now, whoever cares about that info).
Sometimes i wished i would get payed for that, so i could do that full time. It stinks, if life gets in your way on your creative path (booooo...). And i hate to extend the deadlines all the time, this is not as i like or am used to work.
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Re: Propaganda Games has shut down

Post by Load81 »

Well, here's hoping for a better game based on the Cartoon that comes out in the future! ;) On a serious note, I really thought Evolution would break the habit of bad games based on movie. I think many of us were hoping for the next T2.0. Yearning for the excitement we got playing with our fellow Tron fans. The anticipation of seeing whose online. The struggle of trying to squeeze into a full server! I'll hop into an EVO multiplayer just to see what's going on, but there is only so much button mashing / constant mouse clicking I can do in an evening.

On a side note, now that Disney owns Marvel, maybe we'll get a Tron vs. X-men Street Fighter game! :P
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Re: Propaganda Games has shut down

Post by Meatsack »

I'll echo the sentiment and say I'm not surprised as well. My son bought the game for the 360. I beat it on normal in about 6 hours. Seeing it from a game designer's point of view, I saw so much more potential and depth that could be had from such a setting. They could have at least taken a page from the Mass Effect 2 style of character development! However, being what it is, I don't see modding it anytime soon, if ever. I have no interest in it.

@X: I feel your pain, man. Life hasn't been easy on me and my family lately. I keep saying that I'll get back to polishing (finishing?) User error to match the script I wrote, but until I get long summers off or retire of old age, I just don't see it happening. It's hard accepting the demands of living when you'd rather be creating your own alternate realities. Just ask Kevin Flynn, right?
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Re: Propaganda Games has shut down

Post by TronFAQ »

More bad news for Disney Interactive.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6286881.html?sid=6286881

Disney is finally cleaning house. The interactive division has gone down in flames, partly thanks to Evolution bombing.
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Re: Propaganda Games has shut down

Post by TronFAQ »

I came across this message post recently, from someone who claims he used to work for Disney Interactive a few years ago. It was posted before Evolution was released.

Scroll down to the bottom, and read the message by the member bring_a_towel.

http://www.fark.com/comments/5657255/Fo ... d=63763558
I worked at the games-division of Disney for a very long time.

Kingdom Hearts (all of them) are done exclusively by Square - with effectively zero creative involvement by Disney.

All of the game from the 16-bit days and earlier were made under a completely different corperat culture.

All of the Pixar games from Nemo through Wall-E were handled by THQ - with Disney only involved as license-management. So any good or bad there can't be laid at Disney's feet.

About 4 years back, I gave this "corperate culture" feedback internally:

"Andy Moony and DCP seem to be doing a good job over at DCP proper. But at DIS, while the executive team gives lip-service to quality product, the product that we actually deliver is sub-standard for our industry, and there is little backing from the executive level either in logisitics or company strategy for the kinds of practices that would make quality products. We need to make fewer but better products - put more time and money and attention into the first in a line of product, and pick development teams that have consistently made 80%+ product in that genre, and then stick with that team for the entire line of product."

" Andy Mooney seems to be doing a good job of communicating the overall DCP strategy. But at DIS no one in the Director level or below has a very good idea of what the DIS company strategy is. There is a great deal of our products canibalizing themselves in the market. Meetings with the executive staff seem to be 90% hindsight finger pointing. There needs to be a clear strat-plan board that makes business sense and that products actually fall into neatly."

I was let go soon after.

I will say that with Split Second, Epic Mickey, and a few others, that Disney is having an up year this year. And good for them - I'm glad things have changed a bit.
A few points:
  • DCP stands for Disney Consumer Products. DCP is a major division within Disney that's responsible for all the merchandise that they sell. The person in charge at DCP is the boss of everyone at Disney Interactive.
  • Note how he mentions that earlier games were made under a "different corporate culture". In other words, the only reason earlier games were any good is because Disney didn't get involved in the development.

    Even for Tron 2.0, Disney Interactive was mostly "hands-off". It was with Tron 2.0: Killer App that DI became "hands-on" and started to dictate the direction and features of the Xbox version. And we all know how that turned out. :roll: Again, with Evolution, they were most definitely "hands-on".
  • He felt that Disney was improving. Unfortunately, though, that didn't seem to carry over into Evolution. Did it?
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Re: Propaganda Games has shut down

Post by PapstJoe »

Well, there is one question left for me : Will we get patches for Tron Evolution in the future ?
Tell me stupid, but it seems that the Tron Evo-Multiplayer is gettin' more active, isn't it ?
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Re: Propaganda Games has shut down

Post by TronFAQ »

I think we might still get the second DLC map pack for Evo on PC, but I don't think we'll get a patch.
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Re: Propaganda Games has shut down

Post by TronFAQ »

Not exactly Tron-related, but still somewhat relevant. I just found out Disney Interactive shut down Black Rock studios, which specialized in racing games. Their last title was Split/Second. Disney bought them a few years ago, back when they were known as Climax, and they changed their name to Black Rock.

Things are obviously not going well at Disney Interactive as of late. You can pretty much kiss any further Tron Evolution content goodbye. The game is dead and abandoned, on every platform.
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Re: Propaganda Games has shut down

Post by tronman63304 »

popping in kinda late, but darn.... this stinks.
while hacking his computer and arguing with the MPC tronman was shot with a laser from behind and digitized. when half digitized a message window poped up and it read
fatal error file canot be transfered click ok to cancel
WARNING file will be lost
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