Comments on: Eastside Hockey Manager series put on hold http://www.sportsgamerblog.com/2007/01/31/eastside-hockey-manager-series-put-on-hold/ Two guys who love Sports Gaming on their PCs and consoles rant and rave about various stuff. Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:46:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Rand http://www.sportsgamerblog.com/2007/01/31/eastside-hockey-manager-series-put-on-hold/#comment-4360 Rand Thu, 01 Feb 2007 00:48:00 +0000 http://www.sportsgamerblog.com/2007/01/31/eastside-hockey-manager-series-put-on-hold/#comment-4360 I was doing beta testing for EHM 2007 and all I can say is how incredibly disappointing this is. It's an exceptional game that's improved dramatically every year of it's release.<br />Thankfully the game is flexible and strong enough in it's current iteration then I know I'll still happily be able to play this several years down the road without feeling I'm missing a lot.<br /><br />I don't know what the sales figures were like, so it's hard to comment definitively. The game was pirated VERY rampantly though, that much I'm certain. Especially with the EHM 2005 version there were tons of people posting on the forums asking for assistance with pirated copies.<br />Marketing may also have been a reason for it's failure... besides a tiny amount of online marketing and then only in the last year or so I very seldom heard or saw anything at all about EHM. I suppose it's difficult to justify spending a considerable amount marketing the game when it's target market is largely unknown and past sales figures aren't particularly spectacular.<br /><br />I get the impression that the game is effectively cancelled altogether, though SI didn't specifically say that. At the very least I don't think it at all likely there will be any new EHM in the next several years.<br />Perhaps one day it'll be resurrected... I sincerely hope so. It was legitimately a fantastic game, with stellar support from the developers.<br />There are no competing hockey management sims to look to for an alternative either. I was doing beta testing for EHM 2007 and all I can say is how incredibly disappointing this is. It’s an exceptional game that’s improved dramatically every year of it’s release.
Thankfully the game is flexible and strong enough in it’s current iteration then I know I’ll still happily be able to play this several years down the road without feeling I’m missing a lot.

I don’t know what the sales figures were like, so it’s hard to comment definitively. The game was pirated VERY rampantly though, that much I’m certain. Especially with the EHM 2005 version there were tons of people posting on the forums asking for assistance with pirated copies.
Marketing may also have been a reason for it’s failure… besides a tiny amount of online marketing and then only in the last year or so I very seldom heard or saw anything at all about EHM. I suppose it’s difficult to justify spending a considerable amount marketing the game when it’s target market is largely unknown and past sales figures aren’t particularly spectacular.

I get the impression that the game is effectively cancelled altogether, though SI didn’t specifically say that. At the very least I don’t think it at all likely there will be any new EHM in the next several years.
Perhaps one day it’ll be resurrected… I sincerely hope so. It was legitimately a fantastic game, with stellar support from the developers.
There are no competing hockey management sims to look to for an alternative either.

]]> By: Marc http://www.sportsgamerblog.com/2007/01/31/eastside-hockey-manager-series-put-on-hold/#comment-4357 Marc Wed, 31 Jan 2007 18:05:00 +0000 http://www.sportsgamerblog.com/2007/01/31/eastside-hockey-manager-series-put-on-hold/#comment-4357 James, comparing to FM isn't ideal. FM has been around for 15 years, has aroun d a 6:1 ratio of piracy and the 6 and 1 are much bigger numbers than we are talking about with EHM. MUCH bigger. James, comparing to FM isn’t ideal. FM has been around for 15 years, has aroun d a 6:1 ratio of piracy and the 6 and 1 are much bigger numbers than we are talking about with EHM. MUCH bigger.

]]> By: James http://www.sportsgamerblog.com/2007/01/31/eastside-hockey-manager-series-put-on-hold/#comment-4356 James Wed, 31 Jan 2007 16:52:00 +0000 http://www.sportsgamerblog.com/2007/01/31/eastside-hockey-manager-series-put-on-hold/#comment-4356 Their soccer management game has been pirated far more than hockey, and it seems to be doing ok. Let's not blame the fact that you're making a hockey game. Let's not blame the fact that you're making a hockey SIM game. Let's not blame the fact that you're making a hockey sim game that's called Eastside and not NHL or something recognizeable. Let's blame piracy. Such a cop out..<br /><br />It makes me a little upset to know these are the kinds of folks I've bought every edition of soccer/football manager from. Their soccer management game has been pirated far more than hockey, and it seems to be doing ok. Let’s not blame the fact that you’re making a hockey game. Let’s not blame the fact that you’re making a hockey SIM game. Let’s not blame the fact that you’re making a hockey sim game that’s called Eastside and not NHL or something recognizeable. Let’s blame piracy. Such a cop out..

It makes me a little upset to know these are the kinds of folks I’ve bought every edition of soccer/football manager from.

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