*** OOTP joins Sports Interactive! ***

[Willy]

Congratulations Markus!



Willy

[Marc Duffy]

At Sports Interactive, we are firm believers in organic growth. We are not some corporate machine that churns out games.

Our football (soccer) game was born out of a passion by two brothers back in the early 1990's.

In signing EHM, we took on Riz who shared a similar passion but for Hockey

In signing OOTP we continue that trend but this time with Markus.

We don't sign games for the sake of signing them, our Head of Development Marc Vaughan takes a keen interest in other games and spends time playing them and talking to the developers

In 1999 SI had seven employees, we now just have a little over 30 with a fantastic network of researchers and helpers worldwide. OOTP will have no better home than SI Towers

[cameronbelldina]

Stupid question and i dont mean to get ahead of myself but am I correct in assuming that OOTP7 is going to be the innagural release of OOTP in conjuntion with SI? If so that is over a year and a half before the next installment of the franchise. If im right (im almost positive that i am) its going to be a wait but if its going to make OOTP the pinnacle of perfection in the genre I would wait for 3 years.

[Kezzek]

Well, I'll probably be stoned to death for this--but I don't really like this development.

From what I've seen, SI prefers to get licenses for their products. Are we going to see OOTP with MLB licensing now? The impacts of dealing with salaries/points, MLB demands on what is included in the game, and the myriad other junky crap just give me a gut ache. What will the impact be on purely fantasy rosters/leagues?

Getting more (and bigger) fingers in the pie, we're going to see impacts on the game. BIG ones and not all of them good. Will the benefits outweigh the negatives? That remains to be seen. I trust Markus' decision making on this as I'm sure it was a long and difficult decision to make.

Still, my gut is beginning to ache. And I trust my gut instincts.

Of course, I did have a sausage breakfast burrito this morning...

[Gastric ReFlux]

No MLB licenses, please!!!!! I'll play OOTP6 for the rest of my life if future OOTPs charge me for MLB licenses.

[Ben Music]

Well, I have to say I'm already impressed seeing Marc and Marc out here answering questions and making comments. I think it bodes well!

Congrats to Markus and the OOTP group!

[Marc Duffy]

Originally posted by Kezzek
Well, I'll probably be stoned to death for this--but I don't really like this development.

From what I've seen, SI prefers to get licenses for their products. Are we going to see OOTP with MLB licensing now? The impacts of dealing with salaries/points, MLB demands on what is included in the game, and the myriad other junky crap just give me a gut ache. What will the impact be on purely fantasy rosters/leagues?

Getting more (and bigger) fingers in the pie, we're going to see impacts on the game. BIG ones and not all of them good. Will the benefits outweigh the negatives? That remains to be seen. I trust Markus' decision making on this as I'm sure it was a long and difficult decision to make.

Still, my gut is beginning to ache. And I trust my gut instincts.

Of course, I did have a sausage breakfast burrito this morning...

Not sure what you mean here, we've never had a license for Championship Manager in the ten years we were involved.

[Marc Duffy]

I'm not 100 familiar with the MLB licensing, but in my experience any costs for liceneses are absorbed into the cost of the product rahter than being an extra you pay for (am I missing something here)

[Marc Duffy]

Originally posted by Ben Music
Well, I have to say I'm already impressed seeing Marc and Marc out here answering questions and making comments. I think it bodes well!

Congrats to Markus and the OOTP group!

I'd like to think it sums up exactly what Sports Interactive stands for. We're a family OOTP is our new brother

[cameronbelldina]

Im curious too. If there is spike in the cost it will piss of many around this community. I appreciate Marc out here helping out it really shows that they care.

[Scott Vibert]

I would guess it typically depends on the market... if the market is such that the costs of the license can be made up for with the increased sales.. the cost of the game doesn't have to increase.

If the cost of the license is beyond the increased profits from added sales then either the development/publishing house would take a lessor share or they'd pass the added cost to the consumer.

[Steve Kuffrey]

Originally posted by Marc Duffy
I'm not 100 familiar with the MLB licensing, but in my experience any costs for liceneses are absorbed into the cost of the product rahter than being an extra you pay for (am I missing something here)

Marc,

I think the concern is partly the cost but also partly the possible restrictions that using the MLB license can bring. Not sure if a license is need in regards to CM and using real player names.

[Scott Vibert]

BTW I forgot to say Congrats to all! If OOTP:FE comes out half as good as I think it will... then I may never leave the house!

[British Baseballer]

This is superb news, I have been playing CM since its first incarnation on the Amiga. As it has already been said CM is probably the pinacle of text based games.

I think that any advice/support/ideas the 2 teams can trade is only good news for both games.

The idea of OOTP in a similar 'shell' to CM makes me hugely excited!

As for official licences CM has never had any 'official' licencing from any of the soccer leagues it simulates.

Congrats to both parties on this agreement!!

[Marc Duffy]

Originally posted by cameronbelldina
Im curious too. If there is spike in the cost it will piss of many around this community. I appreciate Marc out here helping out it really shows that they care.

It's way to early to be talking about pricing but, whats the cost your paying now $34.95? This is about £20 and it's online.

At the moment, places such as Gameplay in the UK are selling our unreleased box version of Football Manager for just £24.99 which is a great price at retail for a game the size of ours.

Therefore, I hope to quash any fears that licenses mean dramatic cost increases - it's a competitive market at retail

[LeeSkye]

I used to post my CM questions on the SI boards and found them to be a very unfriendly place.

Bingo! I stopped posting there as well. Think of soccer hooliganism and apply it there. I have never been involved in a place with more rude, obnoxious, in-your-face people than on that CM board. And what angered me more was the rude attitude of some of the moderators.

And it is a shame really. CM was THE game that finally got me to really start to watch the telecasts on television and be able to recognize the players and actually follow the leagues since the 70's.

If the OOPT and TBCB boards become part of those, be prepared for an onslaught of rude behavior.

[Andreas Raht]

Originally posted by Antonin
....But I have an automatic irrational knee-jerk negative reaction to corporate reshufflings, reorganizations and mergers of any kind. Personal experience of getting laid off and the massive dislocation it causes.

I will never be comfortable with companies "joining" other companies or being acquired or whatever.
....

Yup, that's a huge issue currently here in Germany, too. But they merge companies to "save money" (which will probably not pay out in the end, but they're looking only until the next shareholder meeting) and to kick clerks and workers...

But don't worry, what OOTP Development does when it joins Sports Interactive is completely different! We want to make OOTP even better. Nothing else. And the SI team is such a great team that we're absolutely sure that this is a very positive development for OOTP and the OOTP community!

[Markus Heinsohn]

As far as licenses go, it's really too early to tell. But if we get licenses, I can tell you one thing: I hate points as well

[Marc Duffy]

Originally posted by Steve Kuffrey
Marc,

I think the concern is partly the cost but also partly the possible restrictions that using the MLB license can bring. Not sure if a license is need in regards to CM and using real player names.

Yep, it's an unknown but in our dealings with EHM I dont think any additional license is restricting the game at all - in fact any license we can negotiate there will enhance the game (come back to www.sigames.com tomorrow for our EHM announcement day!)

[mh2365]

Originally posted by Antonin
I used to post my CM questions on the SI boards and found them to be a very unfriendly place. Heaven help you if you are a noob and asking politely about how to play the game.

I guess all of this is good for OOTP. But I have an automatic irrational knee-jerk negative reaction to corporate reshufflings, reorganizations and mergers of any kind. Personal experience of getting laid off and the massive dislocation it causes.

I will never be comfortable with companies "joining" other companies or being acquired or whatever.

Anyway, good luck to the OOTP crew.

I think we will be okay, once it comes out most of us will flood the OOTP part of the board and our names will be recongnizable to each other. Since we've spent the time playing OOTP anyone coming over from CM who hasn't played this will technically be the noob.

I'd like to think that we will take care of each other over there.