Gotcha, fair point. I think, though, if MS bought Sega and Persona/P-Studio imploded, they'd be less than impressed :D
Generally, I think it's a better idea for MS to start up a couple of new studios in Japan, or pick up some smaller ones (say, Mistwalker, Experience Inc) and staff them up. Obviously that'll take longer, but I don't think there'll be too many established studios in Japan that'll be particularly interested in a Microsoft buyout. Obviously the global market is a much bigger one, but I can't imagine there are many out there that are eager to completely abandon their domestic market.
Totally agree. I think the most effective and efficient way for them would be to attract famous directors (or to buy their studios/companies as you said), like Ueda, Kojima, Taro, Sakaguchi, etc... . They have many admirers among their colleagues and younger talents in the industry so by using their name and connections Microsoft can actually become an option that Japanese developers consider IMO.
I just want to chime in to help beat back the narrative that Gears 5 is struggling for player count in MP. I habe NEVER had to wait long for a match to populate. There is the very rare cases where the player pool has to be expanded twice but I habe never even give a thought to low player count in any of the MP modes because it fills so quickly.
It is simply not true that Gears is struggling to fill MP matches.
Literally no one has issues finding matches in Gears 5 except some ERA users who, coincidentally, think that Gears is dead (which is false, as I proved) or that Gears 5 was badly received by the community (which is mostly false too, as I proved before) or that the Gears games are not considered good by the professional critics and thus, they need to change (which is false too).
Wait...
Hold on...
It's almost like some people are making things up just to support the narrative they are trying to push... 🤭
- Gears 4 and 5 got a 85-86 metascore and received praise for its well designed encounters and tight gameplay. The new mechanics in Gears 5 (abilities, leveling up, giving orders to Jack, being able to jump over obstacles while running) were considered good additions to the gameplay, making it more complex, tactic and varied. It also received applause for its inclusivity, being 3 of the 4 main characters a Hispanic woman, a Black man, and a man of Asian (Indian) origin, something that is still not too common in AAA games.
- Some relevant scores for Gears 5: The Telegraph (10/10), VGC (10/10), IGN (9/10), Dualshockers (9/10), LevelUp (9/10), Jeuxvideo (9/10). As per Gotypicks, it received some GOTY awards too.
- Gears 5 is the second highest rated game in the franchise on Metacritic by players with an 8.2 user metascore, having 3,000 user reviews as of now (only Gears 1 has a higher score, 8.4). Its campaign is usually regarded as one of the best in the franchise alongside 2's and 3's. It is also the game in the franchise with the highest amount of user reviews on Metacritic, proving again that it's been played by a ton of people and that's it not "only hardcore fans" who have reviewed the game. It has almost double the reviews Gears 3 and 4 have.
- Gears 5 is the 14th most played game on Xbox right now globally according to Trueachievements (before being a Game with Gold it was #21, 1.5 years after launch).
- Gamstat had Gears 5 at 9 million players in November with 1.1 million monthly active players. It's tracking way better than 4 in terms of players too.
- 28th most played game in the US, 5th most played game in Mexico, 6th most played game in Colombia, 19th most played game in France, etc. Most of the the games surpassing it are free to play behemoths like Warzone, Rocket League, Apex Legends and the like. It's more popular on Xbox Live than games like Fallout 76, ESO, Borderlands 3 and is just behind PUBG.
Gamstat, Trueachievements, Metacritic and Xbox Live show that Gears 5 had 1 million more players launch aligned than 4 as of November 2020. It'll surpass Gears 4 in terms of total players in a few months (if it haven't done so during the Holidays which is very possible). It's having a higher MAU rate too. This "shrinking players" thing is factually false. All metrics show us that Gears 5 is alive and doing better than past entries.
And some of you don't have eyes if you haven't noticed a change in the art direction.
This is how Gears looked under Epic Games:
It was all grey and beige and the image had a lot of filtering to make it look like movies like The Hurt Locker (which were popular when Gears 1 came out). The environments were always urban and there were close to zero natural environments.
And this is, for comparison, how Gears 5 looks, look at the colors and the decorative elements and imagery:
If Epic Games used to go for a 90% urban - 10% natural environment ratio, The Coalition goes for the opposite. Colors are much more vibrant, too.
Even in the classic urban environments Gears has, you can notice a dramatic shift in the visual identity. While urban environments in the old Gears games were grey, beige and black, urban environments in 5 are more yellow, red or green. Blue, a color pretty much non-existent before, appears much more in 5's urban environments. Urban environments in Gears 5 are more similar to those of a fantasy game instead of a retro futuristic war game like Gears 1, Homefront or Resistance.
Character design has changed a lot too. Now characters are less "bulky" with less body protection - especially in arms and legs - and have much more color to them. They feel more natural and agile and less "dudebro-y", if you will. Characters in 5 have more realistic body proportions too.
This is a good write up. I enjoyed Gears 5, it's not my favorite game, but the changes you described are what made me give it a chance. Now I'm somewhat excited for where Gears goes next as opposed to totally put off by it.
What do we know about Double Fine? Prior to the acquisition, they'd put out at least one small title almost every year, but since they've joined XGS, all we've heard about is Psychonauts 2 (except for Rad, which was a Bandai Namco publishing deal). Is the whole studio working on Psychonauts 2? Do they have a smaller team or two being headlined by other directors in the studio? Have they staffed up since the acquisition?
With the conversation surrounding Japanese first party studios in Japan, I personally feel like the best method is for Xbox to transition Tango Gameworks into their 'Xbox Japan' team - similar to what Sony have had with their Japan studio.
I think Tango was created with the vision of being a multi-team studio. MS should focus on expanding this studio to having multiple teams and projects at work (some AA, some AAA). You could also pitch the idea of a Lost Odyssey Reboot to Tango as well to see if they're interested in the IP
Once the acquisition is complete, these should be the 5 biggest Xbox studios in terms of number of employees:
- 343 Industries (+600 or +700)
- Zenimax Online (+400 or +450)
- Bethesda Games Studios (+400 or +450)
- Playground (+300)
- id Software (+300) (could also be Arkane or Rare, Linkedin is not 100% reliable)
How many employees has The Coalition ? It's 182 on Linkedin but I recall seeing a way bigger number of employees on this thread or on Twitter.
With the conversation surrounding Japanese first party studios in Japan, I personally feel like the best method is for Xbox to transition Tango Gameworks into their 'Xbox Japan' team - similar to what Sony have had with their Japan studio.
I think Tango was created with the vision of being a multi-team studio. MS should focus on expanding this studio to having multiple teams and projects at work (some AA, some AAA). You could also pitch the idea of a Lost Odyssey Reboot to Tango as well to see if they're interested in the IP
One of the key points of the acquisition was that Bethesda Softworks would retain creative control over their group of studios and continue to publish games as they see fit.
Mikami runs Tango, but chooses to be more of a mentor to up-and-coming directors these days. John Johanas and Evil Within 2 (such a bizarrely under-rated game) was the first such project. Ikumi Nakamura and Ghostwire Tokyo was to be the second, but she quit. I think they've always been on the smaller side, I don't see that changing.
Once the acquisition is complete, these should be the 5 biggest Xbox studios in terms of number of employees:
- 343 Industries (+600 ou +700)
- Zenimax Online (+400 ou +450)
- Bethesda Games Studios (+400 or +450)
- Playground (+300)
- id Software (+300) (could also be Arkane or Rare, Linkedin is not 100% reliable)
How many employees has The Coalition ? It's 182 on Linkedin but I recall seeing a way bigger number of employees on this thread or on Twitter.
Pretty sure Arkane is on the smaller side, even with two separate studios working on separate projects. I remember around the time Prey released, one of the mods here (can't remember which) inferred that Arkane's games are whatever the low end of the AAA budget spectrum is. I want to say Arkane Austin had around 75 people when Prey shipped. There's approximately 150 people total between the two offices.
Totally agree. I think the most effective and efficient way for them would be to attract famous directors (or to buy their studios/companies as you said), like Ueda, Kojima, Taro, Sakaguchi, etc... . They have many admirers among their colleagues and younger talents in the industry so by using their name and connections Microsoft can actually become an option that Japanese developers consider IMO.
I'd like for Microsoft to create or buy a Japanese start up company like Hajime Tabata's JP games but it seems like a long and protracted process.
As the risk of eye rolls, an acquisition of Sega solves a lot of problems quickly. While Sega's development teams have become heavily consolidated, they do have Japanese studios within their somewhat convoluted CS R & D structure and have relationships with other JP studios whom they outsource their IP to (Valkyria Chronicles games & Shining Resonance).
Add to that a ton of IP worth reviving like Phantasy Star, Shinobi, Jet Set Radio or Vanquish that Microsoft can produce. What's interesting is that if you think about it, MS already own the studio that developed Alpha Protocol in Obsidian & while they don't own Platinum they will own Tango Gameworks. They can potentially do a Vanquish 2 given that it's Shinji Mikami's studio and he directed the first one but that's in the "highly unlikely" territory I guess.
Once the acquisition is complete, these should be the 5 biggest Xbox studios in terms of number of employees:
- 343 Industries (+600 ou +700)
- Zenimax Online (+400 ou +450)
- Bethesda Games Studios (+400 or +450)
- Playground (+300)
- id Software (+300) (could also be Arkane or Rare, Linkedin is not 100% reliable)
How many employees has The Coalition ? It's 182 on Linkedin but I recall seeing a way bigger number of employees on this thread or on Twitter.
What do we know about Double Fine? Prior to the acquisition, they'd put out at least one small title almost every year, but since they've joined XGS, all we've heard about is Psychonauts 2 (except for Rad, which was a Bandai Namco publishing deal). Is the whole studio working on Psychonauts 2? Do they have a smaller team or two being headlined by other directors in the studio? Have they staffed up since the acquisition?
I don't know how they're structured but going by Tim Schafer's interviews it seems like all hands on deck with Psychonauts 2 since it's their biggest game. I hope they do more frequent smaller scoped games like RAD & Headlander after Psychonauts 2 though, those were really fun.
Once the acquisition is complete, these should be the 5 biggest Xbox studios in terms of number of employees:
- 343 Industries (+600 or +700)
- Zenimax Online (+400 or +450)
- Bethesda Games Studios (+400 or +450)
- Playground (+300)
- id Software (+300) (could also be Arkane or Rare, Linkedin is not 100% reliable)
How many employees has The Coalition ? It's 182 on Linkedin but I recall seeing a way bigger number of employees on this thread or on Twitter.
as for id, I am interested to see what they can do if they make an Xbox specific title. They are known to make their own engine sing, so imagine what they could potentially kick out as an exclusive game.
One of the key points of the acquisition was that Bethesda Softworks would retain creative control over their group of studios and continue to publish games as they see fit.
Mikami runs Tango, but chooses to be more of a mentor to up-and-coming directors these days. John Johanas and Evil Within 2 (such a bizarrely under-rated game) was the first such project. Ikumi Nakamura and Ghostwire Tokyo was to be the second, but she quit. I think they've always been on the smaller side, I don't see that changing.
There you go I suppose lol. The Coalition has been a big studio for a while otherwise they would not have been able to release AAA games in a span of 3 years.
Do you reckon Gears 6 will stick to the 3 year release schedule, or do you think they might take an extra year this time to realise an ambitious feature etc?
There you go I suppose lol. The Coalition has been a big studio for a while otherwise they would not have been able to release AAA games in a span of 3 years.
Do you reckon Gears 6 will stick to the 3 year release schedule, or do you think they might take an extra year this time to realise an ambitious feature etc?
Gears 5 released in 2019 and I'm very sure the next big Gears release will get more time, and as such not releasing in 2022. Gears 5 receiving tremendous post-launch support and Gears 5: Hivebusters requires resources, and XGS has enough other studios delivering content in the next 1 - 3 years. I expect the next mainline Gears game (I'm not so sure it'll actually be numbered) in 2023 or later.
I'm not even the hardcore fan of Gears (I play mostly the campaign), but it's obvious that the art style and characters design are the pillars to the franchise identity. I said it before, if you want that to change, you don't want Gears, you just want a new shiny TPS
Gears 5 released in 2019 and I'm very sure the next big Gears release will get more time, and as such not releasing in 2022. Gears 5 receiving tremendous post-launch support and Gears 5: Hivebusters requires resources, and XGS has enough other studios delivering content in the next 1 - 3 years. I expect the next mainline Gears game (I'm not so sure it'll actually be numbered) in 2023 or later.
That's my inkling as well with Xbox having the studios to deliver content I think it will allow The Coalition to work on the next Gears for longer than usual. I think they deserve it as well because although they are amazingly efficient, they have been on a tightish deadline to release the games and they always come out feature complete and high quality, imagine what they could do with more development time.
Just atmosphere or gameplay too? I don't ever want a Gears shooter with no blind fire, there are other ways to create tension but it seems like every horror shooter is like that.
Actually, I can't remember if Dead Space allowed blind fire or not. Making a game like Dead Space with a health indicator that doesn't take up the whole screen like Gears used to be would be good.
What do we know about Double Fine? Prior to the acquisition, they'd put out at least one small title almost every year, but since they've joined XGS, all we've heard about is Psychonauts 2 (except for Rad, which was a Bandai Namco publishing deal). Is the whole studio working on Psychonauts 2? Do they have a smaller team or two being headlined by other directors in the studio? Have they staffed up since the acquisition?
Tim Shafer himself confirmed they'd be supporting other Xbox studios with their established franchises as well as branching out of games to work on the next version of MS Excel and other Office programs.
Source: https://youtu.be/YuRTYh5LwDs
Tim Shafer himself confirmed they'd be supporting other Xbox studios with their established franchises as well as branching out of games to work on the next version of MS Excel and other Office programs.
Source: https://youtu.be/YuRTYh5LwDs
That's my inkling as well with Xbox having the studios to deliver content I think it will allow The Coalition to work on the next Gears for longer than usual. I think they deserve it as well because although they are amazingly efficient, they have been on a tightish deadline to release the games and they always come out feature complete and high quality, imagine what they could do with more development time
That's one aspect that doesn't get mentioned enough, because XGS having more studios means efficient studios like TC, Turn 10, ... getting more time to deliver something even better and I am excited about this.
That's one aspect that doesn't get mentioned enough, because XGS having more studios means efficient studios like TC, Turn 10, ... getting more time to deliver something even better and I am excited about this.
Well Turn 10 has already been given more time because it is 2021 and Forza Motorsport is still nowhere in sight despite the last one coming out in 2017 and Turn 10 always delivered a Forza game every 2 years and I do expect The Coalition to be given more time and we should get better games due to it.
This is great but why does Microsoft have so many Xbox apps? Why not having everything in the same Xbox app. I hate looking for something in the Xbox app, then seeing if it available in the GamePass app (this is where Quests for Microsoft rewards are kind of tracked), and then discovering that while you can trigger a download from either the GamePass app or the Xbox app - you cannot buy a game or check the price of a game in either app. A visit to the Microsoft store via the website is needed. And there is also an Events app which I have never opened - not sure what this one is for. This is a bit of a cluster fuck IMHO. How can anyone at Microsoft/Xbox look at this and be happy with the experience?
Well Turn 10 has already been given more time because it is 2021 and Forza Motorsport is still nowhere in sight despite the last one coming out in 2017 and Turn 10 always delivered a Forza game every 2 years and I do expect The Coalition to be given more time and we should get better games due to it.
It's one of my most anticipated games, because of the time Turn10 got and what they've said about the direction of the reboot. I can't wait, because the team delivered good games in a 2 year rhythm.
An update on the status of xCloud on the PC and iOS - along with new stats from team Xbox and an Xbox Live Gold debacle.
www.youtube.com
Notes:
- Xcloud coming to PC in Spring still, coming 'sooner rather than later'
- Opened for preview to wide demographic
- Works w/ Edge/Chrome (chromium engine), safari unknown, same w/ firefox
- Doesnt look like it will coming w/ an app, will be coming in a browser most likely, unknown whats going to come with the previously leaked Xcloud PC App
- Should just be able to log into a browser (speculation)
- Latency feels about good as it does on an Android
- iOS update: further behind still
There's, what, nine, ten million PS4's in Japan? I'd imagine Atlus see that as a viable audience to sell into. I know the PS5 is widely expected to do much worse, but let's be honest, Persona 6 is going to straddle both generations anyway.
But yes, in general, I agree that Sega wouldn't sell if they thought that was a possibility.
Oh yeah, I'm not saying Playstation is an insignificant market in Japan, I'm just saying if Atlus was regularly releasing new games on PC and if people could play them on the phones (or even smart TVs) they already own those 10 million odd consoles wouldn't be missed as much. Especially since some of those players would follow the games to wherever, especially when the barrier to following the games is so low. If it were gonna be exclusive to Xbox Series X I'd be less optimistic, but PC gaming is picking up in Japan and the average commute in Tokyo is like an hour, so there's definitely room for traditional games steamed on mobile.
It's hopefully, gods, ancestors and faeries willing, a moot point and Sega will stay Sega, but I guess I'm hedging my bets and trying to stay optimistic if it happens, hah.
www.inxile-entertainment.com
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www.youtube.com
