Ken Burnside on how screwed Asmodee is

[dbm]

An American billion is 9 zeros, a British billion is 12, so it’s not even clearly language based…

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

but they have a different word for that, mill-ion, mill-iarde, bill-ion, bill-iarde, and so on, they would not call it 2100 millions, they would call it 2.1 milliarde

Replied with this post before I saw yours. Small correction: it's 'milliard', not 'milliarde'. And 'billiarde' is not a word in French

Interesting thought. My maternal language is French (French Quebec also uses long scale), so I am pretty familiar with the difference between long and short scale But even in a country that uses long scale, you wouldn't say '1,200 million' when you mean 1.2 billion. In French, for example, a billion (1 followed by 9 zeros) is called 'un milliard'. 'Un billion' in French is what you'd call a trillion in English i.e. 1 followed by 12 zeros.

In French, you'd say '1.2 milliards' instead of '1,200 millions' when you mean 1.2 billions dollars. In other words, long vs. short scale has nothing to do with this notation. In other, other words, countries (at least French speaking ones!) have actual words describing a billion vs. a trillion and don't resort to what you've proposed.

I think my hypothesis about wanting to standardise the units to millions of dollars is what's happening here.

 

[Umbran]

Maybe. But if the source of that figure was originally French (or one of several other European countries) where long scale numbers are a normal feature, 1,200 million would be correct notation rather than 1.2 (or even 1.200) billion.

Long scale has a separate word for 10^9. The more correct long scale notation would have been 1.2 milliard, rather than 1,200 million.

 

[mamba]

Replied with this post before I saw yours. Small correction: it's 'milliard', not 'milliarde'. And 'billiarde' is not a word in French

it is in German (and it keeps going.. trillion, trilliarde, etc,)

 

[Gradine]

I feel like when you've reached a point where getting bought out by Saudi investors is your best case scenario you've made some very serious mistakes at some point down the line.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

it is in German (and it keeps going.. trillion, trilliarde, etc,)

Never got to that tier in Duolingo...

 

[billd91]

Long scale has a separate word for 10^9. The more correct long scale notation would have been 1.2 milliard, rather than 1,200 million.

It does, in some languages. But even where variations on milliard exists, apparently "thousand millions" comes up in common usage and remains a correct notation. So the source of Ken Burnside's info and how it may have been translated is still relevant.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

It does, in some languages. But even where variations on milliard exists, apparently "thousand millions" comes up in common usage and remains a correct notation. So the source of Ken Burnside's info and how it may have been translated is still relevant.

As a native French speaker, I can tell you that this isn't common usage in the French language at least.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The post states all the existing licenses remain in place.

Sure, but instead of the license being auto-renewed, I would bet that we're going to see it expire at the end of the term.

The game license belongs to Sophisticated Games. So a ‘worst case scenario‘ from this development would probably mean Asmodee taking on the publishing of the game; the game could still continue though the trade dress would probably change.

No, the worst case scenario is that Asmodee decides they're going to make their own RPG and tell Sophisticated Games their license will not be renewed at the end of the current term.

Until we hear from Sophisticated Games -- who know what that license period is, which we don't, and are presumably in contact with Asmodee over all of this -- I wouldn't assume that nothing is going to change. There would be no point in Asmodee making this announcement if nothing will be different going forward.

 

[dbm]

No, the worst case scenario is that Asmodee decides they're going to make their own RPG and tell Sophisticated Games their license will not be renewed at the end of the current term

If Asmodee are managing the brand on behalf of MEE then they would have to get the best deal for them. So Asmodee can’t simply give themselves the license for nothing or peanuts. They would have to out-bid Sophisticated Games for it, which they could do irrespective.