The Rise And Fall of Ion Storm

fakeamerican writes: "Here's a lengthy article in Salon about Ion Storm's rise and fall, written by a former employee and lifelong friend of John Romero." Shows what goofing off in class can getcha.

Comments

To summarize

[Lothar 0]

Here's a nice way to demonstrate the fall of Ion Storm.

Let me summarize the story for you...

[jjohnson]

"Yeah, we were as badly run as all our critics said, and it really was a huge waste of money, time and energy, but Goddamn, it was fun. I miss it. Won't someone give me a job doing the same thing?"

Re:Let me summarize the story for you...

[discogravy]

but the point is that the public beating they took was way out of line with what they are. I mean, the public tore into them with a wrath usually reserved for child molesters and genocidal dictators


Dude, have you played Daikatana?

Re:Wait a minute....

[ImaLamer]

Yeah, remember before they actually did anything.

The gaming mags jumped all over them and said they were the second coming... goes to show what they know about things.

Hmmm.

[sulli]

The immediacy of online raving and ranting encouraged a perpetual, streaming critique of Ion Storm. Flame Thrower and Bitch-X were the most nasty and vociferous gossips, running daily doses of rumor, innuendo and even fact. It's a typical media paradigm: put somebody on a pedestal and then kick it away. Their venom made the news irrelevant; the point was to bring down Ion. Everybody at work read these critics, argued or agreed (or perversely sent them the inside scoop), and the attacks didn't contribute to an optimistic environment.

I was disturbed by the hate and bitterness on the message boards.

Doesn't read Slashdot, does he?

Re:They should have called it "meiken."

[Anonymous Coward]

Hubris. That's a Greek word, by the way. As in "classical Greek." Its roots are . . . (continue ad infinitum).

You got beat up a lot in high school, didn't you.

Actually, I bet you still get beat up a lot.

Re:A Word of Support for John

[tswinzig]

While many people hate Microsoft and make Bill Gates the butt of every joke, very few people who know him ever call his character into question.

Uhhh yeah dude, maybe because they are scared of his power? Why burn a bridge with BG if you want to do well in the industry?

As for Romero, I agree. When they were working on Quake, and all the hype going with it, I decided one night to try a 'talk jromero@idsoftware.com' (or whatever his address was at the time). A few seconds later I was chatting with him at work. I think the conversation went something like this:

JR: Hello
Me: Whoa! Are you the real John Romero?
JR: Yes
Me: What are you doing at the office this late?
JR: Dude, I just got in to work.
Me: Cool.

Ahh yes, those were the days.

Hmmm...

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

From the looks of Stevie "KillCreek" Case, she's been working in *cough* silicon valley quite a bit since hooking up with Romero...

Yet more self-serving revisionism

[Doktor Memory]

Ah, once more with the same tune: "everybody who was talking trash about Ion Storm just wishes they could have worked there!!!"

No.

I suggest that anybody who is actually interested in the reasons why Ion Storm became an industry synonym for mismanagement and failure dig up the original articles by BitchX and Flamethrower that started off the whole public meltdown. Ion Storm did not fail because people were jealous of how well John Romero treated his friends. Ion Storm failed because Romero, Porter and Hall were incompetant managers who treated their talented employees like dirt, and focussed on creating a cult of personality rather than actually completing a game.

Unfortunatly, as revisionist screeds like Divine's article prove, that cult of personality is Ion Storm Dallas' most lasting legacy, long out-living their forgettable games.

I want my 10 minutes back

[ellem]

Reading that self-serving tripe was not anyfun; it was neither fun, not funny.

Let me summarize all 5 useless pages.

I knew Romero. He gave me a job. Everything you read was true but it was fun. Despite our best websurfing Ion Storm went under. I love John. I need a job.

I want my ten minuutes back.

There was a rise?

[Sarcasmooo!]

It's sad, really. I always hate to see bad things happen to pretty girls like John Romero.

Re:Why not call it "Daikatana"??

[sammy baby]

"meiken" sounds like a shitty name for a videogame.

Right, whereas "Tekken" just screams "ass-kicking action" to the casual listener.

But dude...

[Doktor Memory]

...didn't you hear? Design is law!

The real reason Ion Storm failed...

[SilLumTao]

as reported by Something Awful:

John Romero Releases Details on Next Project: "John Romero Presents John Romero's 'John Romero'"

Re:A Word of Support for John

[Hard_Code]

Nope, John is probably just getting what is coming to him for selling his soul to the devil for that wife of his.

Rise and fall?

[SCHecklerX]

Shouldn't that be "Fall and Sink?"