Saboteur, Dragon Age slated for Q1 '09

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpotPosted Jun 18, 2008 1:15 pm PT

EA CEO tells analysts that Pandemic's WWII stealth actioner and BioWare's fantasy RPG won't make the 2008 calendar year.

Yesterday, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello spoke at the William Blair & Company Growth Stock Conference in Chicago. Besides revealing the existence of a new Need for Speed and top-down strategy elements in Godfather 2, the executive also delivered a double shot of less-welcome news. Namely, that two of the top games from EA's recently acquired BioWare and Pandemic studios won't be arriving this year.

When asked by an analyst about which of EA's new intellectual properties would be among its internal top 10 bestsellers for 2008, Riccitiello began listing his picks. "Mercenaries 2, Mirror's Edge, Spore, Dead Space, including subscriptions Warhammer [Online]--but that won't show up in NPD, Battlefield: Bad Company...that'll certainly get in there," he predicted. Then, the executive added "Saboteur and Dragon Age" before quickly tacking on the qualifier, "but those two won't make the calendar year because they're coming in fiscal Q4." EA's fiscal year ends on March 31, 2009, which means that both games will now arrive in the first three months of next year.

Today's revelation will be a blow to those awaiting Saboteur, which had been expected on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 sometime in 2008. First revealed last March, the game aims for a different take on World War II, casting players as a member of the French Resistance using stealthy commando tactics to battle Nazi occupiers. After an early version was shown to the press last year, the game has remained largely in the shadows.

Riccitiello's words were less of a shock to role-playing gamers awaiting Dragon Age, which EA previously announced would arrive before April 1, 2009. The PC game is a completely original IP, unlike BioWare's last Western-fantasy RPG, the Dungeons and Dragons-based Neverwinter Nights (2002). (BioWare farmed out development of its 2006 sequel, Neverwinter Nights 2, to independent RPG studio Obsidian Entertainment.) Currently, the Canadian studio's most public property is the sci-fi RPG Mass Effect, which was recently released on the PC after its 360 debut last year.

68 Comments

  • stinger822

    Posted Jul 8, 2008 12:52 am PT

    I won't be boycotting ME 2 or Dragon Age, sure they might be from the soulless entity known to all as EA, but these games are still being developed by Bioware and thus they demand to be played and shall be.

  • theREALBookdust

    Posted Jun 23, 2008 9:10 am PT

    I don't buy into boycotts, just because EA is a heartless corporate machine doesn't mean that good games don't come out of their doors.

    But what's this about Saboteur being revealed in March? '08? I've known about this game since '07 when Game Informer did an article on it.

  • darkride66

    Posted Jun 23, 2008 8:09 am PT

    Wait. Why is everyone looking forward to this? Aren't we all supposed to be boycotting anything to do with EA? I thought EA was some sort of shambling soulless being that needs to be killed. If that's truly the case, no one should buy Mass Effect 2, to hammer that message home. Personally I think EA is a great company with fantastic, talented people. I always look forward to EA's titles.

  • impar

    Posted Jun 22, 2008 3:13 am PT

    Greetings!

    If it is like Mass Effect, Spore and Alone in the Dark, I will passs.

    They come infected with DRM that only lets you install the game three times .
    http://www.neoseeker.com/news/8256-mass-effects-drm-angering-many/

    EA ruining games.

  • -E-N-E-M-Y-

    Posted Jun 21, 2008 9:11 am PT

    I can wait, Mass Effect 2 will be a great game.

  • Legend-of-Evil

    Posted Jun 20, 2008 9:48 pm PT

    Well, just another game that will destroy any PC gamer who doesn't have the money to update all the time.

  • andrew_ribbons

    Posted Jun 20, 2008 2:04 pm PT

    Mass Effect is their most important project for me at the moment, i keenly await it's sequel in the coming years

    Good things come to those who wait people, i'm sure Dragon Age will be awesome

  • whitey_rolls

    Posted Jun 20, 2008 4:06 am PT

    no it says warhammer will be a top seller of 2008, we won't be waiting it will be out OCT/Nov 08 .... atleast if it wants any business.

  • Vash67

    Posted Jun 19, 2008 3:56 pm PT

    Wow, I completely forgot about Saboteur.

  • gr8jedimaster

    Posted Jun 19, 2008 2:49 pm PT

    Well I hope Dragon Age will eventually be put on 360 because there's no way I'm upgrading my PC for it.

  • s3NoXeRs3

    Posted Jun 19, 2008 11:11 am PT

    /sigh looks like we gotta wait for warhammer once again. Hopefully this game dosnt turn into huxley and mythica"LoL" But as long as it actually comes out and the game is perfect. I guess i can play wow and AoC a little bit longer.

  • prdroog posted Jun 19, 2008 9:47 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    prdroog

    Posted Jun 19, 2008 9:47 am PT (hide)

    dragon age looks stupid.

  • cooldude03

    Posted Jun 19, 2008 9:26 am PT

    I'm happy to see EA taking risks with new IP's. Some of those titles I've been looking forward to playing. With these talented developers working hard these games should be very successful.

  • greatcarbuncle

    Posted Jun 19, 2008 8:06 am PT

    agreed blackcatf. i'm glad that they're putting quality before an early release, as so many thought they would

  • CCTman

    Posted Jun 19, 2008 8:06 am PT

    I would much rather wait longer for a better finished product than a having an unfinished product rushed to market. As everyone knows that is one of the things EA is known for is rushing titles to market before the Dev is finished. It's kinda why I'm crossing my fingers on Warhammer Online.

  • blackcatf

    Posted Jun 19, 2008 7:46 am PT

    I actually see these delays as a good thing. My biggest concern when EA acquired BioWare was that they would push deadlines in favor of allowing the time-line to shift a little to ensure a quality product.

    That has been a criticism of EA in the past, so it is good to hear that they aren't forcing their acquired game studios to rush a product just to meet the estimated release date and putting another flawed product on the market. That being said, I would still like other companies to ship products to me by the time the say the will when I order them (ARE YOU LISTENING DELL?)

  • jknight5422

    Posted Jun 19, 2008 7:07 am PT

    Pushing a title back is nothing new in the video game business.

  • Agreb91

    Posted Jun 19, 2008 6:53 am PT

    I can wait longer for Mass Effect 2, as long as it stays a very good game like Mass Effect.

  • Pilch_R_eD

    Posted Jun 19, 2008 6:02 am PT

    wow "ctg867 " it seems your just not popular wherever u go, no offense. Anyways, I dont see whats really upsetting here. Delays are the norm to me now, I dont expect anything to be out really untill the developers give a set in stone date and they burst with confidence of that date. Some good things before then anyways, still, Dragon Age FTW!!! ^^

The Saboteur Quick Links

Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum | Check Prices

Check Prices: $49.99 – 59.99

GameStop $49.99 SHOP ›
Amazon.com $49.99 SHOP ›
Dell Home & Home Office $59.99 SHOP ›
advertisement
The Saboteur Boxshot Enlarge the boxshot
The Saboteur

Game Stats

  • Rank:
    14 of 77,746
    (up by 2)
    X360 Rank:
    4 of 1,753
    Highest Rank:
    10 in 2009
    Tracking:
    2,891 Track It»
    Wishlists:
    1,384 Wish It»
  • Player Reviews:
    7
    Player Ratings:
    118
    Users Now Playing:
    42
  • Top 5 User Tags:
    1. saboteur
    2. pandemic studios
    3. pandemic
    4. ww2
    5. wwii
  • Mature Rating Description

    Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. Learn more

Full Game Details »Close
Also on

Games you may like…

Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.

See More Similar Games
advertisement