Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : GTIS - Will it be a Phoenix or not ? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Robert Floyd who wrote (1797)	3/17/1998 12:07:00 PM
From: Jim Fisher	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 2319

An observation can be made here that many folks on this thread are asking Miller-a developer;wanna-be publisher, about GTIS, his current publisher. Miller would know little of GTIS's business and particularly little about their accounting or strategic plans. In fact, due to limited number of SKU's and platforms and their recent foray with G.O.D., Apogee may be relegated to the back of the bus in terms of partnering. GTIS has its own problems and they are much bigger than Miller getting his ego stroked by a wiley bunch on the internet. Asking him questions, as in Buddy's list (good list, addressed to wrong person) is like asking the folks who make Beanie Babies about accounting and issues for Sears Roebuck and Company; he wouldn't have a clue. he'd be "clueless" as he claimed. If you want to know what 3D card will work best on his games, or maybe how to import wave files for custom sounds, or a cheat code for more bullets, he's your man. To ask about strategic, finance or stock issues is wasting your breath, he has tried to say that in may ways: "I don't know, clueless, haven't watched that...etc." Its only his way, maybe due to ego, that he can't say "I have no clue, I makes frickin video games and they do all the marketing and distribution. They are the traded company, they are the ones with the money, they are the ones you guys want to know about. I'm just a supplier...like buns to McDonalds". You have really given way too much GTIS credit to Miller, congratulate him on his games, if you like them. I am surprised that no one here has treated his him as he probably is in real life. At the quarterly GTIS sales meeting, a developer like Apogee comes in, shows the betas, and then leaves so the rest can get to the business at hand. FWIW, all IMHO.

To: Robert Floyd who wrote (1797)	3/17/1998 1:55:00 PM
From: Scott Miller	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2319

>>> 1. Wouldn't game producers always be pumped-up about their projects. Are they objective enough? <<< It's pretty easy to read between the lines of what they're saying. Plus, most producers I know are quite frank with me, in an off-the-record way. >>> 2. Would these producers be honest with you if they were able to acknowledge problems? <<< Yes, as has happened many times. >>> Would you be able to share any of those problems with us without violating your insider trading rule, or would you only share the good news (or more probably just your impressions that things are going well)? <<< I could share some problems, but I'm friends with these game companies and will not express these problems publicly. If I do that to their games, they will be more inclined to bad mouth our games. Professional respect for competitors comes into play here. >>> 3. Do good "vibes" about a product usually translate into success? Good vibes are certainly a better indication of success than bad vibes. ;) >>> Are you confident these producers know what will be a successful program? The producers I know at GT are very good--I don't know them all though, so I can't make a blanket statement. >>> Do they typically run these games buy a test sample... Test groups are used. >>> 4. How many successful programs (let's say top 20) do you think GTIS needs to be a successful and profitable company? This is not a reliable way to look at things. One ultra-super-mega hit, like a Myst, can keep a company afloat for years (depending on the size of the company and how wisely they spend their profits). But there are simply too many variables involved to boil it down to a number of top 20 hits. >>> What fraction of these need to be produced in-house at GTIS? When making your determination, please consider G.O.D. will be making the profit margins on out-of-house products shrink. <<< Since the first part of your question cannot be answered to any reliable degree (without many more parameters), this second part is equally tough to answer. However, I will say that a publisher that owns brands is better off than one that doesn't. This is common sense. A publisher is better off owning properties that it can continually exploit (without fear of losing the brand, such as when Activision lost the MechWarrior brand), and GT is definitely making business moves with that in mind. Scott Miller Apogee

To: Robert Floyd who wrote (1797)	3/17/1998 8:12:00 PM
From: RJC2006	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2319

<<<3. Do good "vibes" about a product usually translate into success? Are you confident these producers know what will be a successful program? Do they typically run these games buy a test sample, to see if the games really do appeal, or do they just put them out in the market as fast as they can and hope for the best? If they do "test" their product first, maybe you could enlighten us on the process behind the testing?>>> My instinct dictates that the nature of your questions tells me that you already know the answers. It stands to reason that a horrible game to a developer is much like the face only a mother could love. <<<4. How many successful programs(let's say top 20) do you think GTIS needs to be a successful and profitable company? What fraction of these need to be produced in-house at GTIS? When making your determination, please consider G.O.D. will be making the profit margins on out-of-house products shrink.>>> I was wondering how long it would take to point out the obvious. I don't know about you but there is an outside chance that after talking to THE Scott Miller I might be inclinded toward a pirate copy of Duke Nukem Forever! But that wouldn't hurt 3DRealms, only GT. Wow! His behavior here is now finally starting to make sense. As Scott has not even a passing acquaintance at such trivial things such as accounting I wonder how much help he would be in answering your questions. After all, 3D Realms gets a pay check regardless of whether the game sells or not.