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Should we move to a new OT?

  • Yes

    Votes: 86 21.9%
  • No

    Votes: 80 20.4%
  • Wait until a couple weeks before E3

    Votes: 226 57.7%

  • Total voters
    392
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.

RellikSK

Member
Nov 1, 2017
2,470
I bet MS buys Undead Labs or Moon Studios this year. Or both.

I dont think Moon Studios wants to get brought.

I dont get why people have a obsession with MS buying studios. Them working closely with Playground, Moon Studios and Undead Labs seems to be working out well, why jepordize that?
If MS wants more first party studios the best way would be to create/build one from the ground up like they did with The Coalition.
 

Vinc

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,387
I really don't get why some of you guys want MS to acquire studios that already make games for them. That'd be like for people to really push for Sony to buy Quantic Dream or EA.


Root for them to create NEW jobs, foster NEW talent, and create NEW games. Not stuff we already have regardless.


I'm very happy we get to play Moon Studios games, same for Undead Labs, but I'd like MS to invest even more into creating more and better games.
 

Rodneybouch

Member
Feb 28, 2018
322
It's not photoshopped. It's an official Electric Square image.

Electric Square are making multiple games (some being multiplatform), but they are making an exclusive AAA game for Xbox One.

I did look to that picture and I can say it photoshop. If not find the original and look closely. Just saying that I am looking at their website photo for the last couple of months and this picture seem like a photoshop montage ...
 

willbsn

Member
Oct 25, 2017
228
lLTBN2y.png


No car freaks around here? This isn't a car based on a real body, hm? Three headlights?

Yeah the third headlight is just the light source from the image.

It's so small it really could be anything, real car or fake.
 

Remo Williams

Self-requested ban
Banned
Jan 13, 2018
4,769
Microsoft has a great relationship with both studios. Why buy them when they're already making games for MS?

Because that can change in a flash, and we've already seen it happen with Bizarre and Bioware, and to a lesser extent partners like Crytek. Not that I think that they will be going after any of those studios, but it's not hard to see the potential long term benefits. According to rumours, Microsoft are on a shopping spree, so something will probably come out of all that, we just don't know what yet.
 

Rychu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,263
Utah, USA
I did look to that picture and I can say it photoshop. If not find the original and look closely. Just saying that I am looking at their website photo for the last couple of months and this picture seem like a photoshop montage ...
Oh. Okay I see what you're saying, it's possible they are using Adobe Photoshop to make concept art.

I thought you were saying it's "photoshopped" as in fake and not real, just added into an existing image.
 

daniel77733

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,639
Does anyone know if Microsoft/Undead Labs will detail the two DLC packs before the game itself releases? I'm assuming they will but wanted to ask to see other's thoughts.
 

Rodneybouch

Member
Feb 28, 2018
322
Ok so I am active on Sumo digital. From what I am reading , they are partner with Microsoft on Crackdown 3 since 2014. Microsoft has been pushing money in since than. The finance are hard to get since Sumo is register in offshore scheme but there were 331 persons employed by the compagny by end of 2016 (Decembre 31 2016). 279 of them were link to game developpement rest were administration (44) and directors (8). For 2015, 214 persons employed by the compagny (190 development+ 24 administration). For 2015, 210 persons employed by the compagny (192 development+ 18 administration). They have several project. In 2015, 3 active project in development and one on the verge of starting (Crackdown 3).

So the project for the 4 studio

One studio is working on Crackdown 3 (7,400 000 pounds getting in for 2015 year alone. )
One is working on Dead Island 2
Two other working on Snake Pass and add on (Hitman, Forza etc ...

It's kinda funny the project name on the paperwork is Crackdown 3

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hof7ck57nij3ub9/Crackdown 3.JPG?dl=0


so Maybe project gravity maybe the final name of studio gobo (Electric square) game. By the way , I pushing for a VR version of Forza 7 for them (They have a lot of VR experience and also they have F1 2012 under their belt :P )
 
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Gundam

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
12,801
I dont think Moon Studios wants to get brought.

I dont get why people have a obsession with MS buying studios. Them working closely with Playground, Moon Studios and Undead Labs seems to be working out well, why jepordize that?
If MS wants more first party studios the best way would be to create/build one from the ground up like they did with The Coalition.

I don't think it's so much obsession, "wanting" them to be bought, but MS has come out and said that they are looking to make or buy a number of studios within the nearish future, so it's easy speculation, and not super unfounded, given Microsoft's acquisition of things in the past like Rare and Bungie.
 

Rodneybouch

Member
Feb 28, 2018
322
Does anyone know if Microsoft/Undead Labs will detail the two DLC packs before the game itself releases? I'm assuming they will but wanted to ask to see other's thoughts.

Here is what I found for your not much but better than nothing

The State of Decay 2 Add-on Pack bundle includes two add-on content packs*: Independence Pack and Daybreak Pack Independence Pack Celebrate independence with new vehicles, weapons, and gear that have been modified to give you patriotic new ways to mow down zombies. Daybreak Pack Take the fight to the zombies in this all-new game mode that introduces a new map with new siege facilities, missions and a variety of events including the challenging new "Horde" mode.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/store/p/state-of-decay-2-add-on-pack-bundle/9nnlxvnhppkl
 

Gundam

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
12,801
This is older and covered already, I'll try to summarize to the best of my memory:

Basically all bullshit. I think "MS Insider" is an Era member that posts here.
The dates given in that thread have all basically turned out to be wrong, I think with the exception of Ori 2 which we haven't heard much about. Devil's advocate: Internal delays happen all the time, though.
Some of this is extrapolated speculation from earlier info, such as files labelled "Banjo_20A" or something being found, or from often-discussed fan-wish games, like a Mass Effect Halo.
ReCore sequels have been hinted at by MS creatives, but Armature is seemingly working on something else.

Some of it might be true, but I doubt it would be because of "MS INSIDER" being an actual MS Insider.

Also, lol @ Scalebound coming back. I mean, MS got a lot of backlash over it, so who knows, but at the same time, c'mon, itsdeadjim.jpeg.
 

Trup1aya

Literally a train safety expert
Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,358
Because that can change in a flash, and we've already seen it happen with Bizarre and Bioware, and to a lesser extent partners like Crytek. Not that I think that they will be going after any of those studios, but it's not hard to see the potential long term benefits. According to rumours, Microsoft are on a shopping spree, so something will probably come out of all that, we just don't know what yet.

Buying a studio doesn't mean that relationships can't sour. MS knows this well.

Ultimately, from a consumer POV it really shouldn't matter if a studio is 1st, 2nd, or 3rd party, so long as they are delivering good games for the platform.

I don't understand the obsession people have with MS owning all the studios that make their exclusive games.
 

Trup1aya

Literally a train safety expert
Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,358
Because most people do the simple equation that the more studios you own the more first party games with a greater quality you have, I think :)

The first problem with that equation: it doesn't matter if a great game is first party or not. A great game is a great game regardless of whether it was made by a company owned by the platform holder.

The 2nd problem with that equation: owning a Studios doesn't mean their output will be of high quality.
 

Remo Williams

Self-requested ban
Banned
Jan 13, 2018
4,769
Buying a studio doesn't mean that relationships can't sour. MS knows this well.

Sure, but that an entirely different problem, and one that a platform holder has some control over. When another publisher buys a studio you depend on, or the studio gets a more lucrative offer from another company, then it's out of your hands.

Ultimately, from a consumer POV it really shouldn't matter if a studio is 1st, 2nd, or 3rd party, so long as they are delivering good games for the platform.

I don't understand the obsession people have with MS owning all the studios that make their exclusive games.

We're talking about why Microsoft might want to do that from their perspective. But even if you're just a consumer, and a fan of a game series made by an independent developer, and published by a platform holder, you'll feel more at ease if you know that the platform holder has full control over what happens with the studio, and thus the franchise. Even if the studio owns the IP and they continue with the series working for another publisher, that relationship may eventually destroy it, like what happened to Mass Effect.
 
Oct 26, 2017
8,992
Great video from Rand that you should watch



He says ms is making deals like mad to get games on Game Pass. Let's hope it's true, because that is really all I want.


Would that mean only on Game Pass? Because I am not a user of it, I buy all the games in the store and I'm fine with that. Hope those arrive in the normal store as well.
 

Trup1aya

Literally a train safety expert
Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,358
Sure, but that an entirely different problem, and one that a platform holder has some control over. When another publisher buys a studio you depend on, or the studio gets a more lucrative offer from another company, then it's out of your hands.

Sure but it's all related. Potenial situations like this are why you have forward thinking legal agreements when dealing with a studio or property who's work you value. Having a studio "in hand" isn't always for the best. Look at how many Studio's MS has shuttered.

We're talking about why Microsoft might want to do that from their perspective. But even if you're just a consumer, and a fan of a game series made by an independent developer, and published by a platform holder, you'll feel more at ease if you know that the platform holder has full control over what happens with the studio, and thus the franchise. Even if the studio owns the IP and they continue with the series working for another publisher, that relationship may eventually destroy it, like what happened to Mass Effect.

I disagree. The most important thing is that THE DEVELOPER has the freedom to control what happens with the franchise. they are the ones who have the artistic vision. They are the ones who have the connection with their fans. I have no reason to believe that MS owning Bioware would have been better for Mass Effect. Look at what happened to Fable under MS.

The best thing that could have happened for Mass Effect would have been Bioware staying independent.

From MS perspective, I understand wanting to have a mix of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd parties handling their IPs and making their exclusives rather than owning everything and forcing devs to adapt to a culture that may or may not be conducive to their creative process.
 
Oct 26, 2017
8,992

Lappe

Banned
Nov 1, 2017
1,651
Would that mean only on Game Pass? Because I am not a user of it, I buy all the games in the store and I'm fine with that. Hope those arrive in the normal store as well.
I think games will continue to be available for traditional purchase for quite some time, but services are becoming a reality quite soon also. And the option to actually buy the game via. gamepass will remain, especially on 3rd party releases.
There will be with a 100% guarantee some gamepass exclusives (probably avatar games and other "lite" games) I just hope that we will the retain the option to download instead of stream, until streaming is problem free that is. I'm personally done buying games individually.
 

Remo Williams

Self-requested ban
Banned
Jan 13, 2018
4,769
Sure but it's all related. Potenial situations like this are why you have forward thinking legal agreements when dealing with a studio or property who's work you value. Having a studio "in hand" isn't always for the best. Look at how many Studio's MS has shuttered.

Absolutely, Microsoft has a history of mishandled studio relationships and acquisitions, so there are no hard rules or guidelines when it comes to those things. Of course, as I was saying in a previous conversation, companies, their staff, and their policies are not set in stone, they change, adapt and evolve. Spencer's Microsoft seem to have learned some lessons, since the studios they currently control are all growing and prospering, with Rare being the only ones whose future is still somewhat uncertain (although it seems that Sea of Thieves will do well for them). But it's definitely not been a painless learning process for them or their partners.


I disagree. The most important thing is that THE DEVELOPER has the freedom to control what happens with the franchise. they are the ones who have the artistic vision. They are the ones who have the connection with their fans. I have no reason to believe that MS owning Bioware would have been better for Mass Effect. Look at what happened to Fable under MS.

The best thing that could have happened for Mass Effect would have been Bioware staying independent.

From MS perspective, I understand wanting to have a mix of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd parties handling their IPs and making their exclusives rather than owning everything and forcing devs to adapt to a culture that may or may not be conducive to their creative process.

Well, that's how it may appear at first, but things are not exactly that simple. Sure, it's always for the best if studios who create the properties maintain full creative control over them, but there are a couple of things to note here. First of all, publishers usually have a significant impact on the games that they choose to develop in partnership with development studios, whether they're owned or independent, and that impact can be both positive and negative. They can make some damaging decisions, but they can also elevate the projects to another level. Obviously, funding, and marketing support that they provide can make a big difference, but there are also other resources that they can provide, like quality assurance, shared technology and so on. Finally, there's always a number of people, like producers, who serve as a bond between developers and publishers, and their input can have a profound impact both creatively, and on the business side. Change the publishers (or even just people within the same company), and the game or the game series can change in significant ways. When Bioware was bought by EA, Mass Effect changed from a series that was more an RPG to something with more focus on shooting and action, and then Andromeda happened. Or Bizarre, who were mishandled and finally shut down under Activision's management.

And the second thing, when left to their own devices, developers don't always make the most sound decisions. Just look at what happened to Bungie on - well, on every front. And while I'm really happy that Twisted Pixel managed to go back to being independent, instead of being closed like Press Play, can we honestly say that their games still have the same visibility? Do most people even know about Wilson's Heart? As good as that game might be, perhaps they could've made a better business choice than going with an exclusive VR title.

Speaking of Fable and Lionhead, it's tempting to put all the blame on Microsoft - after all, they're the big bad corporation that canceled a bunch of games and shattered a bunch of studios - but in reality the responsibility is probably more evenly distributed between Microsoft and the studio's internal management. Whose fault was it that Fable 3 failed to delight in the same way that Fable 2 did? It's hard to tell. Or that Fable Heroes and Fable: The Journey lead the franchise further down the path of irrelevance? Don't get me wrong, I do believe that Microsoft mishandled that studio badly (I'm still bitter about Milo and Kate), but I can't honestly say that it was all their fault. We all know that Molyneux often put the studio in impossible situations, and by his own admission, to not go ahead with promising projects like Survivors and Justice was an internal decision.

So I don't know, I don't see these things in black and white terms, there are both advantages and disadvantages to being a first party studio, and there are different perspectives to it.
 
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THEVOID

Prophet of Regret
Member
Oct 27, 2017
22,860
Moon Studios has already debunked this. They said even if Microsoft tried to buy them, no matter the amount, they'd say no because being independent gives them full control to do what they want to do.

Moon isn't being bought I agree. They aren't even a traditional studio where everyone works in one building. They are a collection of devs all over the world who get together remotely and such.
 

Trup1aya

Literally a train safety expert
Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,358
Absolutely, Microsoft has a history of mishandled studio relationships and acquisitions, so there are no hard rules or guidelines when it comes to those things. Of course, as I was saying in a previous conversation, companies, their staff, and their policies are not set in stone, they change, adapt and evolve. Spencer's Microsoft seem to have learned some lessons, since the studios they currently control are all growing and prospering, with Rare being the only ones whose future is still somewhat uncertain (although it seems that Sea of Thieves will do well for them). But it's definitely not been a painless learning process for them or their partners.

Well, that's how it may appear at first, but things are not exactly that simple. Sure, it's always for the best if studios who create the properties maintain full creative control over them, but there are a couple of things to note here. First of all, publishers usually have a significant impact on the games that they choose to develop in partnership with development studios, whether they're owned or independent, and that impact can be both positive and negative. They can make some damaging decisions, but they can also elevate the projects to another level. Obviously, funding, and marketing support that they provide can make a big difference, but there are also other resources that they can provide, like quality assurance, shared technology and so on. Finally, there's always a number of people, like producers, who serve as a bond between developers and publishers, and their input can have a profound impact both creatively, and on the business side. Change the publishers (or even just people within the same company), and the game or the game series can change in significant ways. When Bioware was bought by EA, Mass Effect changed from a series that was more an RPG to something with more focus on shooting and action, and then Andromeda happened. Or Bizarre, who were mishandled and finally shut down under Activision's management.

And the second thing, when left to their own devices, developers don't always make the most sound decisions. Just look at what happened to Bungie on - well, on every front. And while I'm really happy that Twisted Pixel managed to go back to being independent, instead of being closed like Press Play, can we honestly say that their games still have the same visibility? Do most people even know about Wilson's Heart? As good as that game might be, perhaps they could've made a better business choice than going with an exclusive VR title.

Speaking of Fable and Lionhead, it's tempting to put all the blame on Microsoft - after all, they're the big bad corporation that canceled a bunch of games and shattered a bunch of studios - but in reality the responsibility is probably more evenly distributed between Microsoft and the studio's internal management. Whose fault was it that Fable 3 failed to delight in the same way that Fable 2 did? It's hard to tell. Or that Fable Heroes and Fable: The Journey lead the franchise further down the path of irrelevance? Don't get me wrong, I do believe that Microsoft mishandled that studio badly (I'm still bitter about Milo and Kate), but I can't honestly say that it was all their fault. We all know that Molyneux often put the studio in impossible situations, and by his own admission, to not go ahead with promising projects like Survivors and Justice was an internal decision.

So I don't know, I don't see these things in black and white terms, there are both advantages and disadvantages to being a first party studio, and there are different perspectives to it.

Now I feel like we are converging on a similar idea. There are Pros and Cons to each arrangement, which is why I think it's important that MS use each type of relationship wherever it makes sense to do so- and this appears to be Microsoft's approach these days.

I think people are too focused on the concept of "ownership" of a studio, and not focused enough on what type of relationship it takes to deliver a great game - which is something that will differ for each studio/project.
 

Klobrille

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,360
Germany
Soooo. I just had a ... weird ... conversation with someone from LinkedIn who wants to stay anonymous.

"You misinterpreted. It's not Japan. More diverse."

I will just leave it like that.
 

SpinlyLimbs

Banned
Feb 1, 2018
914
Soooo. I just had a ... weird ... conversation with someone from LinkedIn who wants to stay anonymous.

"You misinterpreted. It's not Japan. More diverse."

I will just leave it like that.
God I hope it's not California. Japan and a part of Korea would be rad but California is just so boring, at least from when I lived there.
 

Breqesk

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,230
Soooo. I just had a ... weird ... conversation with someone from LinkedIn who wants to stay anonymous.

"You misinterpreted. It's not Japan. More diverse."

I will just leave it like that.



Aw, bummer. I had the Initial D soundtrack blaring on the radio for most of my time with Horizon 3, and I was kinda hoping to get a more complete version of that experience in Horizon 4.

Unless, of course, this means we're getting Japan and some other locations...
 

Lukas Taves

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
5,713
Brazil
Great video from Rand that you should watch



He says ms is making deals like mad to get games on Game Pass. Let's hope it's true, because that is really all I want.

I don't know who this guy is but if Ms isn't making deals like mad to get games on gamepass than what's the point? Specially after putting their own output there. They have to go all in otherwise it will fail spectacularly.
 

Klobrille

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,360
Germany
I'm still in the process to figure out what exactly I could have interpret wrong honestly. There were so many files that sound like eastern vocabulary. Maybe it's "Asia"' ... Hmmm. I'm a bit confused.
 

Remo Williams

Self-requested ban
Banned
Jan 13, 2018
4,769
Guys, I believe he's hinting at a wider Asian territory, not just Japan. I'm not sure how they would implement that, however. Forza Watersport, finally?
 
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