Forum Discussion

Iron_Guard8's avatar
Iron_Guard8
Legend
5 years ago

Re: How long was BfN in development for?

There was talk of the next game going as far back as 2016 when they were hiring AAA shooter designers for single and multiplayer aspects. Frontline Fighters was the last big update the game had for awhile and that was released in December 2016, so less than a year but we got a lot more new stuff for it than BfN got, and we knew by that time a new game was being worked on to some degree. It seems like it took longer than expected which is why we got Wall-Nut Hills for GW2, and then the outfits for Torchwood and Hovergoat later on as well. 

Assuming they were working on the game in full after Frontline Fighters, that's just under 3 years till Founders. GW launched in 2014 ( February initially and June on PC) and GW2 launched and then in February 2016 GW2 launched for all platforms, with BfN hitting founders in September 2019. The shorter lead time between GW1 and 2 is likely due to less changes between them than BfN had, since BfN changed a lot of things while GW2 was more of an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary product.

This still looks to be not enough time as what we got has never felt finished. The team was smaller for BfN so that must have been a huge part of why, but it still seriously hurt the game as people at launch couldn't even play, and we still have serious issues with moving and shooting to this day.

As far as the future. It looks bad indeed after the sudden stop, especially after hearing they had something like 4 years of content being worked on. That being said, they may have just decided to take a break after being unhappy with how the game did for them, and will make another game once things have settled down and they will almost certainly try to recapture the magic that made GW and GW2 such hits. They know these games can make money, as they've seen that with GW and GW2. Had BfN been fully fleshed out and functioning, it would have fared better, but I'm thinking if they make a new game, I really want them to, it will be more akin to what succeeded; i.e GW and GW2, maybe taking some of the better aspects of BfN into account though as well.

6 Replies

  • benn1nat0r's avatar
    benn1nat0r
    Seasoned Ace
    5 years ago
    @Iron_Guard8 Thank you for explaining the whole story to me. As I said, I only played gw2 for 25 hours and remember hearing rumors at the time. Maybe they were working on a gw3 before deciding to make a spin-off to better address more casual audiences?
    Your point about the hiring gives me some hope - Popcap Seattle is hiring a lot of people at the moment. Many of these listings were made in late August, at a point where EA already new they were going to cancel BfN. As PopCap Seattle makes the mobile games (as I understand it), this could mean EA decided to green light the PvZ mobile rpg prototype they had a survey on some time ago, despite BfN seemingly underperforming. This could mean they are at least planning on continuing the franchise on mobile.
  • Iron_Guard8's avatar
    Iron_Guard8
    Legend
    5 years ago

    I saw some Frostbite engine jobs at Seattle as well and all 3 PvZ shooters and many other EA PC/console games use that engine. I did a quick check and every Frostbite engine game I can find is a PC/console game as opposed to a mobile game. Maybe they want Vancouver to change focus to other IPs and have the PvZ games more centralized? I'm not going to get my hopes up on such a small thing but I do want GW3, so maybe it's a good sign.

  • benn1nat0r's avatar
    benn1nat0r
    Seasoned Ace
    5 years ago
    @Iron_Guard8 Hmm the frostbite engine jobs are indeed weird. Maybe PvZ 3 was made with that engine? Would be weird, though, as all other Frostbite games are 3D and not mobile games, as you said. Maybe they are trying to incorporate some features from the engine into the one they use for the mobile games, to improve the 3D models after the outcry about the art style? (I don't know if such a thing would even be possible). To me, it seems like the Frostbite job listings are too few to develop a PvZ shooter and I doesn't seem like the Seattle team has experience with 3D development. Maybe they will hire even more people in the next months, then I'd be hopeful and think they will be working on a new shooter.
  • Fork_x_Spoon's avatar
    Fork_x_Spoon
    Not applicable
    5 years ago
    @Iron_Guard8 I swear, I remember the only layoffs I remember were a couple when EA bought them and another in 2017 for the Seattle division. I think the reason why it isn't as good is because they completely changed and took a risk with this game. Like Wolfy said, they took a risk with it and it simply didn't work out.
  • TheSprinter85's avatar
    TheSprinter85
    Hero
    5 years ago

    @benn1nat0r I am hoping that Option 2 or 3 is the case. If another team worked on the PvZ games and we got another shooter as a result, that would be cool. I just wish that BFN did not bomb like that. It had a lot of potential that it did not live up to.

    I am hoping that one of the following 2 things happen, or both:

    • Another PvZ Shooter is made and/or the franchise is continued in some way.
    • Some major unfinished content still gets added into game, such as Ice Lettuce, with balancing if possible.

    Hopefully EA will provide more news and updates on BFN and their plans for it soon. They said they would.

  • Iron_Guard8's avatar
    Iron_Guard8
    Legend
    5 years ago
    @Fork_x_Spoon wrote:
    @Iron_Guard8I swear, I remember the only layoffs I remember were a couple when EA bought them and another in 2017 for the Seattle division. I think the reason why it isn't as good is because they completely changed and took a risk with this game. Like Wolfy said, they took a risk with it and it simply didn't work out.

    I honestly don't know but I've seen several references, mostly on Reddit discussions, that the team was much smaller for BfN than it was GW2. The team may have still been working there, they just were working on other projects.

    @benn1nat0r I went and checked further and every single frostbite game is a full on PC/console product. I'm not 100% what languages are used for mobile games, but I'm certain it's not frostbite, so it's only a shred of hope, but it's all I got right now.

Featured Places

Recent Discussions