Because of the devs they hired that worked on GTA V / read dead redemption
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
Microsoft Studios |OT3| I thought they were supposed to be sold off by now
- Thread starter Figments
- Start date
- Status
Because of the devs they hired that worked on GTA V / read dead redemption
"Like the glory days of Mass Effect, with a multiplayer element like Destiny"
You had me... Then you lost me.
Oh shit I forgot about that. So it's not only Playground's second studio with some reaaaaal talent, holy crap. Talent as in having formerly worked on huge and highly successful games.
He also keeps saying Xbox One X exclusive, then talks about next generation. Xbox One X is a family with S and OG, so it couldnt be exclusive to X.
He also talks about mods a lot, and letting modders create their own stories. Honestly, I could see a new Shadowrun game being made, but im not convinced with his pitch.
I don't think The Initiative will be making games as massive as Rockstar's. They had like 1000 devs working on GTAV in total. I don't know the number for RDR2, but I assume it's similar. I think it's more likely it will be closer to Halo in terms of team size and scope.
Having ex-Rockstar members doesn't necessarily tell us anything. The Halo 4 and 5 team had ex-Rare devs who worked on DKC3, DK64, Viva Pinata and Banjo-Tooie in it.. And yet there was a mysterious lack of googly eyes in the new Halo games.
Having ex-Rockstar members doesn't necessarily tell us anything. The Halo 4 and 5 team had ex-Rare devs who worked on DKC3, DK64, Viva Pinata and Banjo-Tooie in it.. And yet there was a mysterious lack of googly eyes in the new Halo games.
Last edited:
Holy shit. I had no idea. No wonder it manages to look so good and have so much content.
Fair.
I thought they were under GP as they were in this thread before the banner updates.
But I'm assuming Rare isn't the publisher, so what will the box say, Dlala, Rare and MGS?
Finally I caught up since XO! Hahaha
So, a few things:
I've seen many complaining about MSGP output this gen, and I agree to a point.
I would've liked to see more big games coming from them but the other day I had a thought: What would be the state of Xbox as a platform without their games. And we would've got as exclusives only MCC, H5, FM5-7 and Gears 4 (not sure if HW2 counts here, but that won't change things a lot).
The answer is not great, at all.
As for XO's IX I got the impression that maybe they got the idea of bringing XO back when they saw they got inXile and Obsidian was looking well, and thought that E3 was too far off to keep it under wraps for this long and that those aquisitions deserved more attention, hence why they brought XO back (and why aside from said aquisitions and CD3 MP, the rest was content we would've got on IX for October, November and December. Like all Game Pass announcements of games coming before holidays) but Obsidian got complicated and they saw that without Obsidian it'll be way too close to a regular IX and they had already set some expectations that come with the XO name and that's why at the last moment they "pushed through" paraphrasing ZhugeEX
I actually liked the idea of concentrating IX. At least for now they don't have enough content for an interesting show each month so why not condense it in a show every 3-4 months? One at the end of winter for example to talk spring games, then there's E3 where you can show more about games you announced on the conference, then maybe at TGS or PGW (GC is too close to E3 to have anything meaningful) and then another before holidays as it's the biggest time of the year for hardware sales.
As for Obsidian's next game with T2... I'm sorry guys but I don't think they acquired Obsidian and then realized they had a game in the works that have to be negotiated with it's current publisher (wich btw, publishes other games, or not, on your platform).
They probably talked this already while they were working out the aquisition, so if T2 has issued a statement, that's very likely the final word on this.(edit: also, that makes it so no "MS paying to prevent a game reaching gamers on other platforms"...)
Yeah they will be funding a game they can't turn into a sequel, but the IP was always Obsidian's so if they didn't want to turn the IP into a franchise the result would be the same. Also, they'll be selling the game. It's not like they'll fund it and that's it
What I can see is T2 limiting the project budget though as to minimize risks
I think it's a AAA-looking AA (at most) game.
And that's it's biggest strenght and it's biggest problem.
It's a strenght because people is more likely to be attracted by a visually pleasing/interesting game, but at the same time, a AAA-like presentation comes with AAA-like expectations, and they were not ready to deliver in the other fronts.
It's a game made by 40 people. As good as they might be 40 people can only do so much and that level of visual presentation came at the expense of gameplay and polish I'm afraid
They are ones to keep an eye on though, because MS backing can (and surely will) help them with said shortcommings, and artstyle and story (wich is something you can't just throw money at to improve) are already there
As I said when someone proposed putting police chases in the game, for me FH is a celebration of cars and music. If you add drama to it... it won't be FH anymore, FH is a fun/happy game
Now if they were to reboot PGR though... :p
I think we'll get a date for Ori WotW as well in addition to Ashen and Below and maybe a sneak peak into NT next project
So, a few things:
I've seen many complaining about MSGP output this gen, and I agree to a point.
I would've liked to see more big games coming from them but the other day I had a thought: What would be the state of Xbox as a platform without their games. And we would've got as exclusives only MCC, H5, FM5-7 and Gears 4 (not sure if HW2 counts here, but that won't change things a lot).
The answer is not great, at all.
As for XO's IX I got the impression that maybe they got the idea of bringing XO back when they saw they got inXile and Obsidian was looking well, and thought that E3 was too far off to keep it under wraps for this long and that those aquisitions deserved more attention, hence why they brought XO back (and why aside from said aquisitions and CD3 MP, the rest was content we would've got on IX for October, November and December. Like all Game Pass announcements of games coming before holidays) but Obsidian got complicated and they saw that without Obsidian it'll be way too close to a regular IX and they had already set some expectations that come with the XO name and that's why at the last moment they "pushed through" paraphrasing ZhugeEX
I actually liked the idea of concentrating IX. At least for now they don't have enough content for an interesting show each month so why not condense it in a show every 3-4 months? One at the end of winter for example to talk spring games, then there's E3 where you can show more about games you announced on the conference, then maybe at TGS or PGW (GC is too close to E3 to have anything meaningful) and then another before holidays as it's the biggest time of the year for hardware sales.
As for Obsidian's next game with T2... I'm sorry guys but I don't think they acquired Obsidian and then realized they had a game in the works that have to be negotiated with it's current publisher (wich btw, publishes other games, or not, on your platform).
They probably talked this already while they were working out the aquisition, so if T2 has issued a statement, that's very likely the final word on this.(edit: also, that makes it so no "MS paying to prevent a game reaching gamers on other platforms"...)
Yeah they will be funding a game they can't turn into a sequel, but the IP was always Obsidian's so if they didn't want to turn the IP into a franchise the result would be the same. Also, they'll be selling the game. It's not like they'll fund it and that's it
What I can see is T2 limiting the project budget though as to minimize risks
WHF is it really a AAA/hi AA though?
I think it's a AAA-looking AA (at most) game.
And that's it's biggest strenght and it's biggest problem.
It's a strenght because people is more likely to be attracted by a visually pleasing/interesting game, but at the same time, a AAA-like presentation comes with AAA-like expectations, and they were not ready to deliver in the other fronts.
It's a game made by 40 people. As good as they might be 40 people can only do so much and that level of visual presentation came at the expense of gameplay and polish I'm afraid
They are ones to keep an eye on though, because MS backing can (and surely will) help them with said shortcommings, and artstyle and story (wich is something you can't just throw money at to improve) are already there
I have to disagree on that.
As I said when someone proposed putting police chases in the game, for me FH is a celebration of cars and music. If you add drama to it... it won't be FH anymore, FH is a fun/happy game
Now if they were to reboot PGR though... :p
Thanks for saving me having to write the same exact thing ;)
I think we'll get a date for Ori WotW as well in addition to Ashen and Below and maybe a sneak peak into NT next project
Last edited:
Noted.
But FH has to go somewhere different. FH4 feels too much of the same as 3. When I play online, sometimes it is hard to even fill the room. The game is fun, but it felt like FH 3.5
They need to drastically evolve the game moving forward IMO.
I thought it would be interesting to do a side by side Xbox and PlayStation First Party Comparison. I was going to do Nintendo as well, but I wasn't for sure where to start with them.
No fancy editing or anything, and if anything is wrong let me know. I wasnt for sure how many Employees Playground had. I didnt know several studios employee count.
No fancy editing or anything, and if anything is wrong let me know. I wasnt for sure how many Employees Playground had. I didnt know several studios employee count.
#1 Obsidian - Easily at the top purely because of the games their talent have been involved in in the past. New Vegas, KOTOR 2, Baldurs Gate were some of the best (if not technically impure) RPGs games I have ever played. Fully staffed and backed by MS resources makes me excited to see what they can achieve. They can become a top tier RPG studio, especially with Bethesda going in an awkward direction and Bioware chomping at the GaaS bit.
#2 343i - Something about an open world Halo gets me super excited about what these guys are going to achieve in their next project. Couple that with the fact they have been working in the next game for ages, they must be doing something special with the franchise (finally!). Always had a soft spot for Halo and next gen feels like the right time for a comeback.
#3 Ninja Theory - These guys are absolutely loaded with talent, with MS helping their expansion and total freedom to create NT is poised to take the storytelling crown next gen. Hellblade is a phenomenal achievement that reflects what they can deliver with full resource.
That being said I think it's unfair to not mention the dark horse studios like inXile, Compulsion and Undead Labs. With the right growth I can honestly see some of these moving to the top of what MS can deliver to Game Pass.
I miss the Hot Wheels expansion... :'(
They could do one with a slot car thematic :)
If FH3 couldn't get nominated to TGA, FH4 shouldn't. I loved and played the shit out of FH3 and was mega hyped for FH4 (like some of you probably knew here), but FH4 was quite the letdown, especially in terms of progress. My fear of Britain being less fun to drive in than Australia also came true. Australia was just so good, but Britain was quite meh. Britain is beauiful, but that's kinda it for me.
It's funny in a way all these acquisitions make me more worried about next gen, of course this is a very personal feeling.
I see ms going all out with 1st party development, which is a great thing, but at the same time it makes me worried they might ''forget'' about the jp partners like they did late 360 to early current gen and such making me miss the jp games I adore.
Here's hoping spencer and his team keeps trying on that end, early next gen is very important for this kind of support.
I see ms going all out with 1st party development, which is a great thing, but at the same time it makes me worried they might ''forget'' about the jp partners like they did late 360 to early current gen and such making me miss the jp games I adore.
Here's hoping spencer and his team keeps trying on that end, early next gen is very important for this kind of support.
4) Bring older catalog titles to current gen. Specifically stuff like The Bards Tale remastered which launched last year for PS4 only.
YES! I was also underwhelm when I saw the FH4 DLC trailer. It reminded me of Blizzard for FH3.
Hot Wheel was the one that made me instantly purchase the DLC for it.
Bottom Line: MS has to make sure FH keeps expanding. I feel they hit the ceiling with FH4. They really need to do travel uncharted grounds. With rumors circulating that FM8 is skipping this year and launching with Next Gen Xbox, it would be nice for Playground to take a longer time with FH5 to truly evolve the series.
I was underwhelm that there were only 5 special races in FH. (the ones with Halo, Train,Boat, Etc) Those for sure were the most fun I had with my friends. Why stop at 5 events?
I couldn't disagree more, FH4 delights me in ways that FH3 just never manged to.
I believe they will try to get Japanese support moving forward. I think we will hear about several big and mid-tier Japanese ports this E3.
Respecting your opinion of course, but objectively FH4 is the better game (Metacritic, Features).
I'm honestly super excited about Inexile.
INexile, with help from obsidian to make a Wasteland game, ala "fallout New vegas". and have that put bethesda to shame, and get bethesda back to making actual good rpg's.
INexile, with help from obsidian to make a Wasteland game, ala "fallout New vegas". and have that put bethesda to shame, and get bethesda back to making actual good rpg's.
Opinions and all that, but FH4 is better. FH4 is pretty much the perfect racing game imo. Hotwheels for FH3 was cool though.
Nope, FH3 is more fun. The races are more fun and Australia is a more fun place to drive. Does it have more features? Of course, but the features didn't make the game more fun for me.
What makes it near perfect?
Absolutely.
Would also be weird if Bard's Tale stayed only on that console.
To be fair, that number doesn't constitute full time employees from start to finish.
That number is every person who had a hand in any of the tiniest details of the game over the course of its development, internal or external. And there was an ass ton of consultants and external contract workers who had a hand. Could be anything from texturing a tree to a piece of clothes. Still a crazy number nonetheless.
I'm assuming this is what "Bleeding Edge" will be.
Ninja Theory are talented storytellers but their bread and butter are action games. Hellblade was a deviation in the way combat was distinctly secondary to the story.
Question is though - if "Bleeding Edge" is close reveal, it a previously independent game now published by Microsoft, or did they have a previous distribution deal in place? I feel like it's more likely going to be published by Microsoft, but it's an interesting thought.
Way I see it, Compulsion are attempting WHF was a case of a AA studio attempting to pull of a AAA endeavour.
It didn't work out as well as they would have hoped but it was certainly an eye-opening audition tape. The artistry and storytelling are the real assets.
imo, Compulsion might as well be called Dark Horse. I have seen enough of them between Contrast and WHF to believe they are very talented, just held back.
Phil, or whoever advocated for acquiring them, must think similarly.
According to Rychu, Jez Corden claimed Microsoft put them in touch with some kind of recruitment specialists to help the studio grow.
I'm quite excited for what their future holds.
I thought it would be interesting to do a side by side Xbox and PlayStation First Party Comparison. I was going to do Nintendo as well, but I wasn't for sure where to start with them.
No fancy editing or anything, and if anything is wrong let me know. I wasnt for sure how many Employees Playground had. I didnt know several studios employee count.
This is why competition is important.
Microsoft wouldn't have done this if not for Sony styling on them for years.
Phil has taken 3 trips to Japan this year and I don't think it was for any one project or only multiplatform games.
He has repeatedly stated he believes Japanese games are important.
Now he's got the budget, I'm somewhat confident he will purchase a small or mid-sized studio.
I pray pray he picks up Mistwalker (20ish) and Grounding Inc. (50-70ish iirc)
Even if you truly prefer FH3 to FH4, your position on whether it deserves awards or not is bereft of logic.
I mean, Both games didn't come out the same year. This is about 2018 awards, and FH4 is one of the best rated games of 2018.
I was saying that since FH3 didn't get nominated for TGA goty in 2016 neither should FH4 this year because I consider FH3 to be a better game.
Player numbers are not a stat for how good a game is, MetaCritic is more so.
4 > 2 > 1 > 3 to me. I still liked all of them a lot, but 3 and 4 are on the opposite sides of the greatness part of the spectrum for me.
Mind you, that's based on vanilla versions, I still need to play FH3 expansions.
It says lots of people are playing it and continue to play it, which is what the game awards are all about, it is after all a popularity contest.
Speaking about crazy developer numbers, what do you think MS means by AAAA when it comes to the initiative? Is it just about the budget? Since Darrel Galagher is head of the studio, should we expect a game like tomb raider, or should we expect a huge game like gta.
I know, Im just saying that I had more fun with FH3 and find it a better game than FH4. Im not saying FH4 is bad, it's a good game, but not as good and fun as FH3 imo.
I know what you are saying I'm just saying I, other gamers and critics disagree. Australia may have been prettier (to you) but the map and it's criticality leaves FH3 in its dust.
Forza Horizon 4 just launched.
Forza Motorsport 8 will likely launch in 2020.
That leaves a 1 year gap in 2019.
I would not be surprised if FH has more content on the books beyond what is announced/projected.
To name one example, the Hobbs and Shaw spinoff from Fast & Furious releases in July, 2019. I could see a collaboration there making sense.
Forza Motorsport 8 will likely launch in 2020.
That leaves a 1 year gap in 2019.
I would not be surprised if FH has more content on the books beyond what is announced/projected.
To name one example, the Hobbs and Shaw spinoff from Fast & Furious releases in July, 2019. I could see a collaboration there making sense.
BOTH
Expect an ordinary story (Prob like Tomb Raider, Gears, etc)
and a massive online GAAS game.
OHHHHH! That would be amazing! I was thinking maybe MS has been working on that Forza Kart game that was rumored befire E3.
Honestly, if there is a Kart game, I hope it is not named Forza. Too many Forza games IMO.
Are we in 2016? Are the games in contention the same games as in 2016?
Additionally, FH3 not getting nominated has less to do with the comparative quality of the game and more to do with how racing games tend to get overlooked.
It's like how goalkeepers really never get a fair shake when it's time to pick the FIFA footballer of the year.
I'd like them to embrace the crazyness that was Hot Wheels and go in any way they can.
Make another futuristic where cars float!
Also, yes, more special races! Make at least a story! .
To me 4>1 (it surprised me more in a time when I was wondering if I simply didn't like racing games anymore)>3>2
The base games.
Hot Wheels makes 3 take the 1st place at least for now, let's see what they have in mind going forward
Hope not. Hope it will actually be a massive SP game with optional online component like GTAV and RDR2. I just prefer SP waaaay above MP and I hope to see MS bringing that with some of the new studios.
- Status