This topic has been beat to death... but I love when it gets revived cause well I love EHM so much the idea of discussing a new one excites me!
1. No offense to Dabo (as I am pumped for it) but I think it will be a long while before that develops into even what EHM 05 or 07. Still super excited as the work thats being put in this time seems to be worthy of a good product and especially with the most recent update I am excited, but I don't expect initial version to be near SI released EHM games. Think more Freeware EHM.
2. I would say this is number 3. I am sure I am not the only one to have some pirated stuff, and to keep it short to not get in trouble.. Piracy had nothing to do with EHM failing. If they want to re-consider viability of EHM they need to look in the mirror. Marketing costs money, so no point making a game that well is gonna cost more money to make and market than it will make. Unless there is a possibility for return down the road. Without offending Riz, how much could he possibly make. I think SEGA could take a hit of bringing on a guy to take Riz's spot in FM and let him go back to EHM. Make the game license-less and really then your only costs become development (Riz I am guessing takes in around 50-75K for his work on FM) and marketing.
You give away a free copy of EHM 2013 (being realistic) with every purchase of FM and you sell EHM to non FM buyers for $29.99. IF FM sells say 8 million copies (just guessing) that is 8 million copies of the game sold with no cost of a physical media production cause it will be a download. You would only need to sell 2000 copies to enter the profit of a license-less game. Realistically you would be somewhat taking a hit for first year of reproduction (which is not a good way to get back in) but it would be a risk reward thing. Is the risk of losing say $40K to Sega worth the reward of a possible new franchise. Even if 1 in every 15 owners who buy FM come and buy EHM in the following year EHM then becomes a viable game again.
3. It is my understanding that he would not really be able to do this exactly. He is no longer the owner of the code that he actually wrote
as far as I know. I think SEGA owns the code to the EHM franchise. Which would mean that Riz would have to comeback and start from scratch, or buy the code off them (which might not be hard) or risk copy right infringement. I could be wrong here, but thats what I get out of it.
Riz has stated his desire to work on the project again, and I have spoke with him about it. There are some things he would love to do, and has ideas if a game does get developed. He has stated it isn't IF he comes back to EHM but WHEN. The problem is the when is not a near future type of when.
It would be interesting to see what the terms of his contract are (sorry to Riz as I am now discussing both contract AND previously income) but I wonder what the rules are about producing games in your spare time for profit. I know that if Riz were to work on a Hockey Manager game on his spare time, he would have whatever the member list here is 3,000+ buying it. It'd be cool if he took up the project as a pet project much like Freeware was. Although it would be so hard I imagine to work for one company writing code which becomes copyrighted to them and then going and making the same type of game and not using that code.
Heh I have thought this for a while, but I picture Riz reading this chat and then loading up his own patched version of EHM 2011 that he has been updating to perfection in his spare time.
