Microsoft Studios (& Partners) Current and Future Landscape

Rychu · Jan 4, 2018

MosquitoSmasher said:
Dude I fully agree with you here and what I mostly meant was how they always tend to have at least one game that will blow you away visually. Which E3 was it that they had Days gone, God of War and another game? I was amazed by all the amazing graphics.

I just want that again from MS. I remember when they showed Halo 4 for the first time, me and my buddies went "this is 360? Hooooooly shit". I didn't really have that with any of their E3 shows ever since Xbox One launched.

Microsoft can do amazing graphics just fine, have you seen Ryse? It's a BEAUTIFUL game. But Ryse's gameplay isn't the best. What Sony nails is story and giving fun gameplay to that story.

Microsoft's games in the last decade tend to either have story but terrible multiplayer (Halo 4) or have great gameplay and multiplayer but AWFUL story (Halo 5). They need to master a balance.

The best examples I've seen this generation are what Microsoft needs to do more of are Ori and the Blind Forest and Sunset Overdrive. Two games that balance it out perfectly.

Synth · Jan 4, 2018

Rychu said:
Microsoft can do amazing graphics just fine, have you seen Ryse? It's a BEAUTIFUL game. But Ryse's gameplay isn't the best. What Sony nails is story and giving fun gameplay to that story.

Microsoft's games in the last decade tend to either have story but terrible multiplayer (Halo 4) or have great gameplay and multiplayer but AWFUL story (Halo 5). They need to master a balance.

But Ryse was Crytek.

Rychu · Jan 4, 2018

Synth said:
But Ryse was Crytek.

That's right but it's still a first party Microsoft game (published by Microsoft Studios, funded by Microsoft, overseen by Microsoft Studios and exclusive to Xbox One forever)

Microsoft prefers partnership deals in which they contract studios to make games for them but they fund them, publish them and tell them stuff to add, stuff to remove, stuff to change. And if the IP is successful, Microsoft will purchase the IP rights or contract that studio to do a sequel (like Ori), you won't see Microsoft making new IP with a first party studio. Halo 6 and Gears 5 likely won't ever wow you even if it had amazing graphics.

Synth · Jan 4, 2018

Rychu said:
That's right but it's still a first party Microsoft game (published by Microsoft Studios, funded by Microsoft, overseen by Microsoft Studios and exclusive to Xbox One forever)

Microsoft prefers partnership deals in which they contract studios to make games for them but they fund them, publish them and tell them stuff to add, stuff to remove, stuff to change. And if the IP is successful, Microsoft will purchase the IP rights or contract that studio to do a sequel (like Ori), you won't see Microsoft making new IP with a first party studio. Halo 6 and Gears 5 likely won't ever wow you even if it had amazing graphics.

Yea, I know that partnerships are MS preferred avenue for content. It was more that I wouldn't really say that Ryse is much of an example that MS can still do amazing graphics. Nintendo could have signed Crytek to make Ryse on Wii U and they still would have put out something that slapped most other games around. This is Crytek we're talking about. You'd have to do something terribly wrong for their game, on their engine not to look amazing.

Deleted member 19924 · Jan 4, 2018

Gears 5 is going to be interesting, TC said themselves that they'll be experimenting heavily with new ideas. The Gears of War franchise has never moved away from its core, very excited for what TC will do gameplay-wise.

Rychu · Jan 4, 2018

Flux said:
Gears 5 is going to be interesting, TC said themselves that they'll be experimenting heavily with new ideas. The Gears of War franchise has never moved away from its core, very excited for what TC will do gameplay-wise.

I hadn't heard that, I figured it would be like Halo and Gears 4 where everything stays the same.

Very cool if they're doing unique things and trying to innovate the franchise. Gears 4 was fun but it did feel a lot like a 2006 cover shooter with updated graphics and modern particle effects. That gameplay might've been unique in 2006 but it's very bland and generic in 2016.

Startropper · Jan 4, 2018

Flux said:
Gears 5 is going to be interesting, TC said themselves that they'll be experimenting heavily with new ideas. The Gears of War franchise has never moved away from its core, very excited for what TC will do gameplay-wise.

The game needs it. Very quickly dropped from the charts where even FH3 was outselling it. Curious about the overall sales but I doubt it sold very well.

Personally I would love to see G5 go more open world. Focusing more on exploration and discovery.

Rychu · Jan 4, 2018

Crucible said:
The game needs it. Very quickly dropped from the charts where even FH3 was outselling it. Curious about the overall sales but I doubt it sold very well.

Personally I would love to see G5 go more open world. Focusing more on exploration and discovery.

I want to see Gears to go more towards the horror action shooter side. The gameplay definitely needs an update, felt like I was playing a remastered 2006 shooter in Gears 4. They either need to completely go away from being a cover shooter or innovate the cover shooter type gameplay.

Betelgeuse · Jan 4, 2018

Rychu said:
I hadn't heard that, I figured it would be like Halo and Gears 4 where everything stays the same.

Very cool if they're doing unique things and trying to innovate the franchise. Gears 4 was fun but it did feel a lot like a 2006 cover shooter with updated graphics and modern particle effects. That gameplay might've been unique in 2006 but it's very bland and generic in 2016.

Agreed wholeheartedly. I enjoyed G4 as well, but ultimately found the game rather drab with respect to design, mechanics, characters, and story. I have little interest in returning for a second playthrough, and it was the first game this generation where I thought the term "last-gen" design actually had some merit to it.

G4 was pretty incredible from a production and polish standpoint - particularly for it being The Coalition's first outing. Thus, I can't help but pine for an alternate universe in which they didn't pick up the Gears IP and instead channeled the talent they demonstrated with G4 into something to which they felt less shackled to the traditions established by prior entries. While posing a greater risk of performing worse than G4, a different IP on the other hand may have afforded them a chance to exceed its relatively stagnant sales - hell, they might've produced a new breakout IP MS could greatly use.

Deleted member 19924 · Jan 4, 2018

Rod talked about "doing it right before doing it different" (or something to that extent) in the months leading up to Gears 4's release and as a response to the criticsims on the game's derivative style. Rod even said the TC staff were dripping with cool ideas for Gears 4 but couldn't implement at that time, I have no doubt Gears 5 will be significantly different from the norm.

Betelgeuse · Jan 4, 2018

Rychu said:
I want to see Gears to go more towards the horror action shooter side. The gameplay definitely needs an update, felt like I was playing a remastered 2006 shooter in Gears 4. They either need to completely go away from being a cover shooter or innovate the cover shooter type gameplay.

What little brainstorming I've done has led me to two ideas on gameplay innovation: (1) make all characters in your party playable - this would certainly increase the complexity of design and balance, but it would afford a considerable expansion in playstyles by allowing for per-character customization and abilities, and (2) expand upon the Boom shield in Gears 3 by making it a regular item - Gears would still be a cover shooter, but now your cover is mobile! Traversal would be far more emphasized and dynamic without limiting cover to pre-positioned walls and crates, while still respecting Gears' core cover-based gameplay.

SnatcherHunter · Jan 4, 2018

Rychu said:
I hadn't heard that, I figured it would be like Halo and Gears 4 where everything stays the same.

Very cool if they're doing unique things and trying to innovate the franchise. Gears 4 was fun but it did feel a lot like a 2006 cover shooter with updated graphics and modern particle effects. That gameplay might've been unique in 2006 but it's very bland and generic in 2016.

Agreed. I keep saying Gears need true horror segments. Make it legitimate scary and then other scenes over the top action set pieces..

Not just regular cover shoot here and there.

rtv190 · Jan 5, 2018

holy shit those AoE 4 and Perfect Dark rumors better be true.

Rychu · Jan 5, 2018

rtv190 said:
holy shit those AoE 4 and Perfect Dark rumors better be true.

AoE 4 is already announced. Where have you been? https://youtu.be/RYwZ6GZXWhA

Shingi_70 · Jan 5, 2018

There are new rumors?

CristianTheWriter · Jan 5, 2018

PositiveGamer said:
Damn that's true..

I still think BattleToads was indeed coming. Let's not forget Spencer wearing a BattleToads shirt. I don't think it was just for KI.

I think maybe MS got cold feet ? Didn't like the design of the game? Something that will resurface eventually.

He wore the shirt because Battletoads came to Shovel Knight and later Killer Instinct.

nekkid · Jan 5, 2018

Trup1aya said:
By this logic all racing games are conceptually the same- because you're always trying to reach the finish line quickly.

In reality though, FH and PGR are quite different. cross country race in FH3 isn't conceptually similar to a Cone Challenge in PGR. Not even close. Yes you are driving in life-like vehicle models, using an arcade physics engine. But the senses tested, the skills utilized, and the emotions evoked are a world apart.

Also, It's not really about "ramping difficulty" it's about having more layers for players you peel through, should they be interested. In PGR, an experienced driver could still make the early game challenging by taking on more difficulty- just like FH.

PGR is a deeper racing game than Forza horizon is. Both games have handling mechanics that are welcoming to newcomers. But PGR progressively offers opportunities to test and push your limits within those mechanics. Have you mastered this Hairpin turn? Great, now do it through these cones. Great, now do it while overtaking two Volkswagens. Great, now do it through these less convieniently placed cones, in the rain. Great, now do it while overtaking two Ferraris in the rain. Now do it while actually racing 7 supercars. And ofcourse, if that is too much for someone, they always have the option to scale down the win condition.

There's no universe where this approach is detrimental to a games appeal- Simple to learn mechanics up against progressively more challenging circumstances is the design philosophy that has kept Mario afloat for decades.

FH will never be as deep as PGR, and its races will never evoke the same feelings one gets from playing PGR. They are conceptually too different. That doesn't make it a better/worse game. But it's certainly very different. And in lieu of that sort of experience being available in their arcade racing title, MS should offer a PGR game as well!

I think you're my soul mate...

I might have to fire up my 360 and go back to PGR for a bit.

Deleted member 26104 · Jan 5, 2018

Rychu said:
I hadn't heard that, I figured it would be like Halo and Gears 4 where everything stays the same.

Very cool if they're doing unique things and trying to innovate the franchise. Gears 4 was fun but it did feel a lot like a 2006 cover shooter with updated graphics and modern particle effects. That gameplay might've been unique in 2006 but it's very bland and generic in 2016.

I can't agree with that. There's literally no other game that plays like gears of war. It's wholly unique, and they've got the cover based shooter down to an art.

Halo 5s gameplay mechanics were a massive departure for the series.

Rychu · Jan 5, 2018

Shingi_70 said:
There are new rumors?

I mean it depends on the last time you were here. The latest rumors are:
- Playground Games are working on an open world Fable RPG (and its likely a reboot), the fable project is codenamed Project Wisdom.

- The Coalition is working on a third person Perfect Dark game in partnership with another studio

- A mech game is in development exclusively for Xbox One and Windows 10

- Forza Horizon 4 takes place in Japan

- Crackdown 3 has 4-player co-op and a Beta is coming soon

- Halo 6 will have a "really high" player count

- Age of Empires IV isn't coming out this year

Rychu · Jan 5, 2018

TehPotentialz said:
I can't agree with that. There's literally no other game that plays like gears of war. It's wholly unique, and they've got the cover based shooter down to an art.

Halo 5s gameplay mechanics were a massive departure for the series.

I'm not the only one with this complaint, many people have said the gameplay felt outdated or too samey/generic.

Moose the Mooche · Jan 5, 2018

Rychu said:
I mean it depends on the last time you were here. The latest rumors are:
- Playground Games are working on an open world Fable RPG (and its likely a reboot), the fable project is codenamed Project Wisdom.

- The Coalition is working on a third person Perfect Dark game in partnership with another studio

- A mech game is in development exclusively for Xbox One and Windows 10

- Forza Horizon 4 takes place in Japan

- Crackdown 3 has 4-player co-op and a Beta is coming soon

- Halo 6 will have a "really high" player count

- Age of Empires IV isn't coming out this year

What does that mean?

Poodlestrike · Jan 5, 2018

Moose the Mooche said:
What does that mean?

That H6, or rather, whatever the upcoming Halo game is, will have at least one mode with a "really high" number of players in it. Specifics are tough to come by.

Sydle · Jan 5, 2018

Regarding Gears 4, I think TC did a fantastic job meeting their goal of doing it right before changing it. Can't argue they understand what makes Gears work and know how to make more of it. That said, I'm looking forward to seeing them change it up.

Rychu said:
I mean it depends on the last time you were here. The latest rumors are:
- Playground Games are working on an open world Fable RPG (and its likely a reboot), the fable project is codenamed Project Wisdom.

- The Coalition is working on a third person Perfect Dark game in partnership with another studio

- A mech game is in development exclusively for Xbox One and Windows 10

- Forza Horizon 4 takes place in Japan

- Crackdown 3 has 4-player co-op and a Beta is coming soon

- Halo 6 will have a "really high" player count

- Age of Empires IV isn't coming out this year

The only one I don't buy is TC working on Perfect Dark. As much as I'd love for it to be true, my gut reaction to the rumor is that Gears 5 has a sub title with "Dark" in it or it's a codename for a Gears spin off like a media project or VR experience. I imagine TC would design it and have another studio build it, similar to how 343 oversees all things Halo.

On another note, I really hope PG is working on Fable. I think they could do an amazing job rebooting it provided they are given the right amount of time.

Rychu · Jan 5, 2018

Moose the Mooche said:
What does that mean?

We actually don't know. We only know that maps will probably be bigger and that player count will be much bigger than Halo 5's.

People have speculated on this and this there are two common speculations:
1. That they are going to do a 1v100 mode
2. That they are going to considerably expand Warzone into something much bigger

Theorry · Jan 5, 2018

The Coalition always said that they wanted to make sure they first could make/show that they could make a Gears of War game before making big changes.
So i am expecting a different kind of Gears with 5. I dont think 4 was dated by i can see why some people would say it was.

I do think Halo and Gears are in a difficult spot MP wise. Both have a very loyal and hardcore fanbase.
But they both need to have the casual audience also. And its a very very thin line pleasing them both as you need them both to have succes. I dont envy the devs.

BananasWithGuns · Jan 5, 2018

When it comes to Gears 5 I also think it's worth keeping in mind that they'll actually have some time to build the game from the ground up. Gears UE and Gears 4 happened extremely quickly compared to the purchase of the IP and the full transformation into The Coalition.

As a diehard Gears fan since the first game it's what is allowing me to forgive the issues I have with Gears 4 and be very hopeful for the next game. Plus they just seem to give more of a shit compared to Epic, at least on the multiplayer side. While I hate the esports push for Gears (and Halo) they definitely seem to be embracing the community as opposed to fighting with it every step of the way like Epic did. Plus Ryan Cleven is a cool dude.

nekkid · Jan 5, 2018

I do think Ryse fills a hole, too. So it's a shame it hasn't been rumoured.

I reckon a melee-based action franchise is something they're missing.

Trup1aya · Jan 5, 2018

Rychu said:
I think this stems from this:
E3 2016: Halo 6 won't be at E3 yet
E3 2017: "Don't expect any Halo at E3." *everyone expects Halo*
*disappointed*
Gamescom 2017: We aren't showing any Halo 6 yet.
Most recently
Fans: "HALO 6 IS GOING TO GET REVEALED AT TGA"
343: We want to make Halo 6 the best and most polished game yet, for this reason, we aren't going to show any Halo at this time. When we are ready and when the gameplay is polished enough, we will show it off.
Fans: Damn I guess it isn't coming until 2019 or 2020.

I mean I guess it's possible it comes out early 2019 (January or February) if they're really concerned about quality control but if that's the case, I think it's more likely that they push it from October to late November-early December or something like that.

But, it could be that they just don't want to make people wait multiple events to see the same games over and over again/fatigue. And want to avoid situations like Crackdown 3, where they show the game and it looks like garbage, isn't ready yet.

That being said, in 2017, almost all of the reveals we saw were for 2017 or 2018 games from virtually every publisher. You don't need to reveal a game 3-4 years before it comes out anymore, people aren't interested in that. If you reveal Halo and release it 8 months later, people will buy it. This isn't some new IP where you need multiple showcases to prove its good, this is a game where everyone knows what to expect (there will be concerns about campaign but I'm sure they'll show the campaign at E3 to minimize that).

Everyone was saying Sea of Thieves would get delayed and won't make Q1 2018 and gets delayed to Fall because Microsoft was quiet about it, then we randomly got a 30 second date announcement saying "March 20" in December. I don't think people are seeing the shift in game marketing. And I hope that at E3 2018, when every game is brand new and "Fall 2018", "Early 2019", "Spring 2019" they finally realize that games aren't announced that far out anymore.

The best thing 343 could do for Halo, from a marketing standpoint, is move it out of Q4. The franchise has never been as unpopular as it has it is now, and no matter how good H6 is, it will get swallowed by the big multiplat FPS that come out for the holidays.

Move it to Q1. This gives them the time to add additional polish, and launch at time when it can have more of the spotlight to themselves.

Also, Halo absolutely needs multiple showings to prove its good these days. I'm not sure what approach they plan to take, but the community is very divided on how the game's mechanics should be. They are gonna need a strong reveal and a strong beta period, and a marketing cycle effective enough to win over the side that will inevitably be pissed by the decisions made for the sandbox.

Trup1aya · Jan 5, 2018

nekkid said:
I think you're my soul mate...

I might have to fire up my 360 and go back to PGR for a bit.

Only if you can live with a dumbass... I sold my 360 so I can't play PGR. I need to fix that. I play geometry wars retro with my son, and it makes me long for PGR2.

Rychu said:
I'm not the only one with this complaint, many people have said the gameplay felt outdated or too samey/generic.

If gameplay feels generic, it's because they incorporated so many mechanics from other shooters, in an attempt differentiate from halo's unique formula.

No AAA FPS franchise on the market today has gameplay deltas like H3>Reach>H4>H5. It's easily the least "samey", to a fault.

BananasWithGuns · Jan 5, 2018

nekkid said:
I do think Ryse fills a hole, too. So it's a shame it hasn't been rumoured.

I reckon a melee-based action franchise is something they're missing.

Unfortunately Crytek didn't want to sell the IP. We'd probably already have seen the sequel announced by this point if they had.

noctix · Jan 5, 2018

Rychu said:
I mean it depends on the last time you were here. The latest rumors are:
- Playground Games are working on an open world Fable RPG (and its likely a reboot), the fable project is codenamed Project Wisdom.

- The Coalition is working on a third person Perfect Dark game in partnership with another studio

- A mech game is in development exclusively for Xbox One and Windows 10

- Forza Horizon 4 takes place in Japan

- Crackdown 3 has 4-player co-op and a Beta is coming soon

- Halo 6 will have a "really high" player count

- Age of Empires IV isn't coming out this year

All of them are nice and quite plausible.
Btw i am pretty sure we already knew about crackdown 4p coop.

gcwy · Jan 5, 2018

Synth said:
Yea, I know that partnerships are MS preferred avenue for content. It was more that I wouldn't really say that Ryse is much of an example that MS can still do amazing graphics. Nintendo could have signed Crytek to make Ryse on Wii U and they still would have put out something that slapped most other games around. This is Crytek we're talking about. You'd have to do something terribly wrong for their game, on their engine not to look amazing.

I think MS is more than capable of producing excellent visuals in games both technically and artistically.

Rychu · Jan 5, 2018

Trup1aya said:
Only if you can live with a dumbass... I sold my 360 so I can't play PGR. I need to fix that. I play geometry wars retro with my son, and it makes me long for PGR2.

If gameplay feels generic, it's because they incorporated so many mechanics from other shooters, in an attempt differentiate from halo's unique formula.

No AAA FPS franchise on the market today has gameplay deltas like H3>Reach>H4>H5. It's easily the least "samey", to a fault.

What? Gears of War 4 is extremely samey compared to Gears 1-3, gameplay is EXACTLY the same. As someone who was a huge fan of the first few Gears games, playing Gears 4 years later the gameplay feels really outdated. I never said that Halo gameplay was generic, I love Halo 5's gameplay.

nekkid · Jan 5, 2018

Trup1aya said:
Only if you can live with a dumbass... I sold my 360 so I can't play PGR. I need to fix that. I play geometry wars retro with my son, and it makes me long for PGR2.

I still have my 360 plugged in despite not using it thanks to BC. But I'd totally forgot that you can play PGR2 on that - I thought I'd have to pull my OG out the loft (then work out how to plug a SCART into my TV) to do that.

Might do that today.

Trup1aya · Jan 5, 2018

Rychu said:
What? Gears of War 4 is extremely samey compared to Gears 1-3, gameplay is EXACTLY the same. As someone who was a huge fan of the first few Gears games, playing Gears 4 years later the gameplay feels really outdated. I never said that Halo gameplay was generic, I love Halo 5's gameplay.

My bad, I thought you were saying both H5 and Gears were samey.

Gears is samey to a fault. H5 is different to a fault, imo.

Klobrille · Jan 5, 2018

One last thing ... (gimme a few min)

JINX · Jan 5, 2018

Klobrille said:
One last thing ...

Go on.......

Raide · Jan 5, 2018

Rychu said:
I mean it depends on the last time you were here. The latest rumors are:
- Playground Games are working on an open world Fable RPG (and its likely a reboot), the fable project is codenamed Project Wisdom.

- The Coalition is working on a third person Perfect Dark game in partnership with another studio

- A mech game is in development exclusively for Xbox One and Windows 10

- Forza Horizon 4 takes place in Japan

- Crackdown 3 has 4-player co-op and a Beta is coming soon

- Halo 6 will have a "really high" player count

- Age of Empires IV isn't coming out this year

Would love all of this but it sounds too good to be true.

Klobrille · Jan 5, 2018

My initial information about Banjo was wrong. I found a game ID that clearly refers to a new Banjo project. That said - I can't say what exactly this is. New game, collection, X Enhanced Nuts n Bolts. Banjo in a different game. I simply don't know. Since there is a clear connection to ... _20A/ - it is something I guess. I'm not as sure on this one as on the other things - for which I received further evidence and shared it with Zhuge by the way. That's it for now. The next ~2 years will be fun for me, too, as I hope I was able to interprete the infos correctly.

JINX · Jan 5, 2018

Klobrille said:
My initial information about Banjo was wrong. I found a game ID that clearly refers to a new Banjo project. That said - I can't say what exactly this is. New game, collection, X Enhanced Nuts n Bolts. Banjo in a different game. I simply don't know. Since there is a clear connection to ... _20A/ - it is something I guess. I'm not as sure on this one as on the other things - for which I received further evidence and shared it with Zhuge by the way. That's it for now. The next ~2 years will be fun for me, too, as I hope I was able to interprete the infos correctly.

20th Anniversary?

ThatGuyJangle · Jan 5, 2018

MosquitoSmasher said:
Wasn't it someone on NeoGAF last year that claimed funds for Xbox were being cut significantly? So that the budget team Xbox had to work with wasn't all that great and could barely really fund any real big new projects?

Well if these new rumors are all true, those are big names and i doubt those aren't big budget games. Or well, i sure hope they are. Give the team making a new Fable enough to work with so that we get a amazing looking game taking full advantage of the X hardware, you know...a real exclusive? Big exclusives for consoles tend to look amazing. I hope MS is allowing them to make some truly special games. Isn't that actually basically Phil's job, his responsibility now?

Without going into too much detail, I know for sure that Microsoft have got their cheque book out and are actively seeking out both smaller and larger titles they can get as an Xbox exclusive, both timed and full on.

JINX · Jan 5, 2018

Well this thread just gets more eventful by the day, by Sunday we will know what shirt Phil's wearing at E3 lol.

II JumPeR I · Jan 5, 2018

ThatGuyJangle said:
Without going into too much detail, I know for sure that Microsoft have got their cheque book out and are actively seeking out both smaller and larger titles they can get as an Xbox exclusive, both timed and full on.

Thats awesome to hear :) I hope Team Xbox is going to deliver finally again this E3 with some neat surprises.

daTRUballin · Jan 5, 2018

nekkid said:
I do think Ryse fills a hole, too. So it's a shame it hasn't been rumoured.

I reckon a melee-based action franchise is something they're missing.

Wasn't Ryse a mediocre game?

Klobrille said:
My initial information about Banjo was wrong. I found a game ID that clearly refers to a new Banjo project. That said - I can't say what exactly this is. New game, collection, X Enhanced Nuts n Bolts. Banjo in a different game. I simply don't know. Since there is a clear connection to ... _20A/ - it is something I guess. I'm not as sure on this one as on the other things - for which I received further evidence and shared it with Zhuge by the way. That's it for now. The next ~2 years will be fun for me, too, as I hope I was able to interprete the infos correctly.

Don't do this to me Klobrille

This year is Banjo's 20th anniversary........

pswii60 · Jan 5, 2018

Klobrille said:
My initial information about Banjo was wrong. I found a game ID that clearly refers to a new Banjo project. That said - I can't say what exactly this is. New game, collection, X Enhanced Nuts n Bolts. Banjo in a different game. I simply don't know. Since there is a clear connection to ... _20A/ - it is something I guess. I'm not as sure on this one as on the other things - for which I received further evidence and shared it with Zhuge by the way. That's it for now. The next ~2 years will be fun for me, too, as I hope I was able to interprete the infos correctly.

After playing Super Lucky's Tale, all I could think is that MS has the perfect developer there to create a Banjo game. SLT is a fun, polished platformer made on a low budget in a short space of time, so with more time, a bigger budget and Rare's supervision I could see them doing a great Banjo reboot. They might rather work on their own IPs though - although I know if I was a developer I'd love the opportunity to work on the Banjo IP.

JINX · Jan 5, 2018

pswii60 said:
After playing Super Lucky's Tale, all I could think is that MS has the perfect developer there to create a Banjo game. SLT is a fun, polished platformer made on a low budget in a short space of time, so with more time, a bigger budget and Rare's supervision I could see them doing a great Banjo reboot. They might rather work on their own IPs though - although I know if I was a developer I'd love the opportunity to work on the Banjo IP.

Oh please no, I thought SLT was awful and I don't think they are anywhere near capable of making a Banjo game. You can't just trot out Banjo on his 20th anniversary for what could be another mediocre game, the franchise couldn't survive another one. I hope Gregg Mayle's is actually leading it, Gregg has been talking about Banjo since E3 and how he would design it. I assume he would know if a new Banjo was in development so maybe he is taking an active role? I hope so.

Dr. Caroll · Jan 5, 2018

daTRUballin said:
Wasn't Ryse a mediocre game?

It was Hellblade before Hellblade was a thing. 10 hour long hack and slash game with flawless digital acting and a semi-supernatural tale of revenge. Almost every criticism of Ryse applies to Hellblade, and vice versa. Except it cost a shitload of money to make and that kinda derailed everything.

Deleted member 19924 · Jan 5, 2018

Twisted Pixel and Press Play merging and making a new Banjo under Rare's watchful eye would've been great..........

BananasWithGuns · Jan 5, 2018

Klobrille said:
My initial information about Banjo was wrong. I found a game ID that clearly refers to a new Banjo project. That said - I can't say what exactly this is. New game, collection, X Enhanced Nuts n Bolts. Banjo in a different game. I simply don't know. Since there is a clear connection to ... _20A/ - it is something I guess. I'm not as sure on this one as on the other things - for which I received further evidence and shared it with Zhuge by the way. That's it for now. The next ~2 years will be fun for me, too, as I hope I was able to interprete the infos correctly.

Refuse to believe, only because I don't want to bear the sting of disappointment again if it doesn't happen.

Trup1aya · Jan 5, 2018

daTRUballin said:
Wasn't Ryse a mediocre game?

Don't do this to me Klobrille

This year is Banjo's 20th anniversary........

Ryse was underrated, IMO.

It was a simple, yet effective story, and the combat was tight and responsive.

It got hate for being too reliant on QTEs- when that really wasn't the case at all.

It really could have used more enemy variety. A sequel could have been excellent.

Microsoft Studios (& Partners) Current and Future Landscape

Should we move to a new OT?

Yes

No

Wait until a couple weeks before E3

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Smooth vs. Crunchy

Literally a train safety expert

Literally a train safety expert

Literally a train safety expert

Flashbulb Games

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Literally a train safety expert