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Microsoft closes several large Bethesda affiliated game studios

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Re: Microsoft closes several large Bethesda affiliated game studios

#21

Post by bombcar »

ajmurmann wrote: post #14
fidotron wrote: post #9

What is extraordinary about the Microsoft games unit and Xbox is how immune their senior staff are to the repercussions of their bad decisions. They're certainly not taking responsibility for the failed gamepass experiment, trashing the Xbox brand, or the acquisitions they now regret since successfully closing Activision. Failing upwards has never been so conspicuously obvious as it is in modern corporate America tha…

In what regard has gamepass failed? I keep hearing nothing but excitement about it? Does it lose a lot of money? Similarly, how did they trash the Xbox brand? I've always been a PlayStation or Nintendo user so my view is quite tainted here.

From what I understand gamepass has heavily undercut actual game sales (why buy a game for $70 when it'll probably be on gamepass at some point, and most games are a month of play or so).

Re: Microsoft closes several large Bethesda affiliated game studios

#22

Post by drrlvn »

HDThoreaun wrote: post #10
Apocryphon wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never played Prey 2017?

Theyve released 5 bad games since prey

Only one, Redfall. They're only closing Arkane Austin, not Arkane Lyon. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkane_Studios#Games_developed

Re: Microsoft closes several large Bethesda affiliated game studios

#23

Post by iLoveOncall »

Apocryphon wrote: post #6
DannyPage wrote: post #3

Hi-Fi Rush was a fantastic game, won major awards, showed off the promise of XBox Game Pass… and for their efforts their studio has been shut down. There have multiple instances of this in just the past few weeks; are publishers really going to just bet on their prime AAA titles (Call of Duty, Halo, GTA6, etc) and nothing else? And those games either take a lot of rotating studios and a long development cycle to rele…

Just as with movies, it seems like we’re witnessing the death of mid-budget (AA) games.

Honestly I think it might make sense.

I can't remember a single AA game that was great. Actually, I can't remember a single AA game other than the ones I remember because of how bad they were.

I think AA in games has, for a long time, meant "We want to do a AAA but don't have the money or time" and this can only end in disaster.

Re: Microsoft closes several large Bethesda affiliated game studios

#25

Post by raincole »

DannyPage wrote: post #3

Hi-Fi Rush was a fantastic game, won major awards, showed off the promise of XBox Game Pass… and for their efforts their studio has been shut down. There have multiple instances of this in just the past few weeks; are publishers really going to just bet on their prime AAA titles (Call of Duty, Halo, GTA6, etc) and nothing else? And those games either take a lot of rotating studios and a long development cycle to rele…

Considering how many games are getting released each month, I am having a hard time comprehending what this "the gap" is referring to.

Re: Microsoft closes several large Bethesda affiliated game studios

#26

Post by ProfMeowsworth »

HDThoreaun wrote: post #10
Apocryphon wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never played Prey 2017?

Theyve released 5 bad games since prey

There are two Arkanes: Austin and Lyon. Redfall was made by Austin and I think they didn’t make any game between that and Prey (2017). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkane_Studios

Re: Microsoft closes several large Bethesda affiliated game studios

#27

Post by fidotron »

ajmurmann wrote: post #14
fidotron wrote: post #9

What is extraordinary about the Microsoft games unit and Xbox is how immune their senior staff are to the repercussions of their bad decisions. They're certainly not taking responsibility for the failed gamepass experiment, trashing the Xbox brand, or the acquisitions they now regret since successfully closing Activision. Failing upwards has never been so conspicuously obvious as it is in modern corporate America tha…

In what regard has gamepass failed? I keep hearing nothing but excitement about it? Does it lose a lot of money? Similarly, how did they trash the Xbox brand? I've always been a PlayStation or Nintendo user so my view is quite tainted here.

I refer to my other answer about gamepass.

For the Xbox brand they have failed to release quality versions of every major Xbox franchise bar Forza Horizon (Halo Infinite, for example), and this mismanagement has been ongoing for so long the sales figures of the Series consoles are dire. (And the Series X is not bad by any stretch). Now they are having to release their games on their major competitor, the PS5, making the point of buying into the Xbox ecosystem . . . what exactly?

And to emphasise here Sony are not exactly doing stupidly well with PS5 software and support, they just aren't actively screwing it up completely.

Re: Microsoft closes several large Bethesda affiliated game studios

#28

Post by failuser »

iLoveOncall wrote: post #23
Apocryphon wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just as with movies, it seems like we’re witnessing the death of mid-budget (AA) games.

Honestly I think it might make sense. I can't remember a single AA game that was great. Actually, I can't remember a single AA game other than the ones I remember because of how bad they were. I think AA in games has, for a long time, meant "We want to do a AAA but don't have the money or time" and this can only end in disaster.

How many As does Psychonauts have?

Re: Microsoft closes several large Bethesda affiliated game studios

#29

Post by m12k »

Apocryphon wrote: post #6
DannyPage wrote: post #3

Hi-Fi Rush was a fantastic game, won major awards, showed off the promise of XBox Game Pass… and for their efforts their studio has been shut down. There have multiple instances of this in just the past few weeks; are publishers really going to just bet on their prime AAA titles (Call of Duty, Halo, GTA6, etc) and nothing else? And those games either take a lot of rotating studios and a long development cycle to rele…

Just as with movies, it seems like we’re witnessing the death of mid-budget (AA) games.

Conversely, the recently released surprise hit Helldivers 2 is a very prominent AA game has sold millions of copies and seems well poised to win a bunch of game of the year awards (recently concluded PSN account linking controversy notwithstanding).

Re: Microsoft closes several large Bethesda affiliated game studios

#30

Post by glenstein »

DannyPage wrote: post #3

Hi-Fi Rush was a fantastic game, won major awards, showed off the promise of XBox Game Pass… and for their efforts their studio has been shut down. There have multiple instances of this in just the past few weeks; are publishers really going to just bet on their prime AAA titles (Call of Duty, Halo, GTA6, etc) and nothing else? And those games either take a lot of rotating studios and a long development cycle to rele…

Yeah, I have a hard time understanding the push to consolidate everything into a small set of core titles.

Consider private label brands on Amazon, which at least maintain numerous distinct brand identites focusing on different categories.

Having a portfolio of actually distinct companies with unique personalities and signature approaches to design and gameplay is exactly what you want if you are trying to maintain a thriving ecosystem.

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