JVC Skype Interview on Matt Chat 366

[{CH}ArticleBot]

A very good video interview with JVC about old things and new available on Matt Barton's Youtube channel. Thanks to Quantomas for the tip.

www.youtube.com/embed/Ue2EvW-0oTU?rel=0
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[Dalai]

Very good interview. The interviewer knows his stuff for a change.

JVC says he would like to buy out the IP, given a chance. That would be very exciting. I'd even say it's one of the very few (if not the only) ways to bring the series back to life. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[Avonu]

Nearly nothing new information for me - much of what JVC said was known from his other interviews through all these years.
However, it was nice to hear about when game was ready to release according to JVC - something what Ubisoft (and other game companies) should take to their hearts financial benefits.

[Angelspit]

JVC says he would like to buy out the IP, given a chance.

I wonder how much the rights would be worth today, compared to the US$1.3 million of 2003.
A lot of pocket change for sure.

[Kalah]

I wonder how much the rights would be worth today, compared to the US$1.3 million of 2003.
A lot of pocket change for sure.

Maybe. Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it; if Ubisoft decide to drop the entire franchise they have no need of it anymore and may be likely to accept a fairly low amount of money, as anything is better than zero. But I guess we should hope JVC is successful enough to get enough money to buy it, however much may be needed.

[Dalai]

I wonder how much the rights would be worth today, compared to the US$1.3 million of 2003.

It's value decreased significantly over these years. Ubi's failures don't really contribute to IP value.

I would guess that "Heroes" name is worth around zero, may be less (you need to spend money to gain same interest that similar new IP could gain). But "JVC Heroes" is completely different thing - it's definitely in positive area.

[MadMax]

Let's all help out by supporting Creature Quest and buying his stuff haha.
Seriously though, what if he actually has a chance to buy the IP. Would we see a new universe, continuation of Axeoth or.. Whatever Ubi calls their junk!

[cuc]

Makes me wonder where Julia Ulano, art director of Heroes 1 and 2 has been to. (Heroes III's Phelan Sykes now seems to work in the casino machine industry.)

[Vitirr]

The quality of the games from Ubi has certainly decreased the value of the ip, but we are probably comparing with the moment in which the value was lowest. 3DO was in bankrupcy and HAD to sell.

Besides the value of a gaming ip today I'm afraid is much higher than in 2003 as the potential audience is much wider, and I think the name M&M still says something to a lot of people.

[Quantomas]

For me the two main takeaways of the interview with JVC are his investment in the games he creates and his interest in the Might & Magic brand.

It wasn't clear for me whether JVC is just an entrepreneur out to make money, after all making a mobile game is clearly following the trend, or has a passion for it. The interview makes clear that he is a genuine nerd. He creates games he would love to play.

That he has an interest in the Heroes of Might and Magic brand is good. If Creature Quest is a success, there is a fat chance that JVC and Ubisoft will talk.

Coincidentially, after watching JVC's interview with Matt Chat I watched his interview with Julien Pirou for the Might and Magic anniversary, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5xNsETF_1M. Somehow the Matt Chat interview gave me a different perspective. It seemed to me that JVC was playing it safe there, and Julien not necessarily agreeing with the answers, mostly about the eminence of roleplaying in the latter Heroes games. However, this is pure conjecture on my part, maybe Marzhin can correct me.

[Dalai]

The quality of the games from Ubi has certainly decreased the value of the ip, but we are probably comparing with the moment in which the value was lowest. 3DO was in bankrupcy and HAD to sell.

True. But let's look at the second part of the equation - buyer. Even though 3DO was forced to sell and the price was presumably low, there was no fierce competition for it from potential buyers. When IP was still good, mind you.

Besides the value of a gaming ip today I'm afraid is much higher than in 2003 as the potential audience is much wider, and I think the name M&M still says something to a lot of people.

The potential audience is wider, yes, but competition is much worse too. M&M still says a lot... to some old and tired grumpy people

[Karmakeld]

Besides the value of a gaming ip today I'm afraid is much higher than in 2003 as the potential audience is much wider, and I think the name M&M still says something to a lot of people.

I'm in no doubt that the M&M name still says something to a lot of people, just look at some of the comments from the interview, but again the difference is what it meant to people some 10-15 years ago and what it means to them today. I'm not sure those two values are the same. Sure you got a much bigger audience today, but as JVC also said in the interview, game industry is also much bigger and so is the competition. I doubt the brand has the same value today. Heroes II was voted the sixth-best PC game of all time by PC Gamer in May 1997.

[Vitirr]

Just the factor of the time passing makes things more expensive.

Additiionally, H5 and H6 sold quite well if I'm not mistaken (at least under the reasonable expectations of fantasy turn based games nowadays) and they brought a lot of new people on board of the M&M brand. So, even if latest games are not what we older fans expected them to be, the brand has a wider audience it used to have (much more people have access to computers and play games anyway).

Regarding competition, I don't think there is that much. There are not that many fantasy, turn based strategy games, and from those, apart from Age of Wonders (and yet it is quite a different game) I don't think there is anything remotely similar. Other games lack management, or have to much of it (more on the 4X side) or don't focus enough on combat...

Bottom line is, there is a public, (which is good), but that would make Ubi more hesitant to sell instead of waiting and reboot it later, especially if the price is not good.

Hope I'm wrong though.

[deepforest]

why JVC make now casual mobile crap, not fanasy tbs\rpg?
why JVC love racing, not fantasy rpg?
why Generals2 was cancelled (JVC was general manager)?
Main question:
Homm series was killed by Ubisoft(i mean 6,7). What chances for reincarnation game LIKE HoMM(all rights for homm series have Ubi)?

[Avonu]

why JVC make now casual mobile crap, not fanasy tbs\rpg?

Because it sells?

why JVC love racing, not fantasy rpg?

Watch interview

why Generals2 was cancelled (JVC was general manager)?

Ask EA

Homm series was killed by Ubisoft(i mean 6,7). What chances for reincarnation game LIKE HoMM(all rights for homm series have Ubi)?

Watch interview

[Dalai]

Just the factor of the time passing makes things more expensive.

I have a Sony notebook from 2005.
And a Spectrum from 1993.

Excellent working condition. VERY expensive. Let me know if you are interested

[hellegennes]

The cost of making a videogame today is far bigger than what Ubisoft paid to buy the M&M brand in 2003. I thus doubt the IP could be sold for less money today.

[Vitirr]

Just the factor of the time passing makes things more expensive.

I have a Sony notebook from 2005.
And a Spectrum from 1993.

Excellent working condition. VERY expensive. Let me know if you are interested

NEW things of course. I don't know how anyone could get to that by reading my whole message.

[Galaad]

Creature Quest is awesome. Seriously, try it.

For those interested here is the HC thread, and is currently the most active thread in HC. I created a Guild called HC Kreegans but you can join even if you're from CH.

Because it sells?

Also but JVC's answer was "because that's where most gamers are" which doesn't exactly have the same meaning.

JVC says he would like to buy out the IP, given a chance. That would be very exciting. I'd even say it's one of the very few (if not the only) ways to bring the series back to life. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Ditto.

[Quantomas]

Sure the Heroes fans are starving for something good after VI and VII.

Did JVC say when Creature Quest is coming to PC?