[Technosteve]

Wished this was true, the voice acting would improve and i would have a game.

[SparkTR]

Kickstarter is a possibility i have no doubt the devs can raise 2million if they wanted to. Also i don't like the idea of big publishers grabbing everything. Look at EA for example they have their grubby tentacles in everything that doesn't belong to them.

Apparently money isn't the issue, since they already have ample amounts through investors. The IP just isn't available to them, which is why Stalker 2 is dead.

[Foffy]

If true, this is my personal S.T.A.L.K.E.R. ending. I would rather see it die than Bethesda to touch the series in any way. They would ruin it, and probably try to hammer it with the Fallout games or something.

[Lord-Audie]

The publisher of the best sold/reviewed single player RPG of last year, acquires IP.

DOOM AND GLOOM.

Neogaf.gif

[Snuggler]

The publisher of the best sold/reviewed single player RPG of last year, acquires IP. DOOM AND GLOOM. Neogaf.gif

Sigh. This is so dumb. Have you even played the STALKER series? There are very clear reasons as to why fans of the series would not want a publisher like Bethesda taking over the IP. And I don't think any of us give a crap about Skyrim's metacritic scores or sales, especially in this context. But NeoGAF is just being NeoGAF, rite?

[Gez]

Apparently money isn't the issue, since they already have ample amounts through investors. The IP just isn't available to them, which is why Stalker 2 is dead.

Ah, it thought it was an original IP by GSC Game World. Serves me right for not researching it.

[Mahonay]

The publisher of the best sold/reviewed single player RPG of last year, acquires IP. DOOM AND GLOOM. Neogaf.gif

[Zeliard]

Is this really that bad? The old team is operating as a skeleton developer, and this probably means they now have a publisher. Not like it will become gamebryo and shit over night.

Yeah, one of the most poorly-managed publishers in the industry. The levels of mismanagement at Zenimax/Bethesda would be comical if it didn't result in so many layoffs, delays and cancellations. I'm sure everything will be fine.

[Lord-Audie]

Sigh. This is so dumb. Have you even played the STALKER series? There are very clear reasons as to why fans of the series would not want a publisher like Bethesda taking over. And I don't think any of us give a crap about metacritic scores or sales, especially in this context. But NeoGAF is just being NeoGAF, rite?

Umm lets use some logic here.

If the owner of the Stalker IP is put into a position of having to sell the IP.

What are the chances that same group will develop a game?

If bethseda buys the IP? How hard for you would it be to ignore the game?

Either case you won't get a new stalker game.

For the others, they will get a new game that they might enjoy.

Talk about selfish.

[JoeMartin]

The publisher of the best sold/reviewed single player RPG of last year, acquires IP. DOOM AND GLOOM. Neogaf.gif

You have never played Stalker.

[Snuggler]

You have never played Stalker.

Hey, if you don't like it, don't play it! Stop being such a NeoGAFFer .

But really, I don't care that much if this happens. As I said in my first post in this very thread, it might be better than no STALKER at all. But I can't help but get irritated when people with no understanding of why people are reacting in such a way and drop in make drive by shit posts like that.

[Corto]

I'm not so down on this rumor as the majority here. Bethesda knows what is getting and what its target audience wants. They would need to keep the IP more or less as is to differentiate it from Fallout. The risk of streamlining the game for consoles was not a factor as I seem to remember that GSC had those plans already for STALKER 2.

[Dragonzord]

The publisher of the best sold/reviewed single player RPG of last year, acquires IP. DOOM AND GLOOM. Neogaf.gif

Well I can completely see why STALKER fans would care about well reviewed/selling games.

[saunderez]

You have never played Stalker.

I have and I don't see whats so unique about it that no other developer could possibly make a game of equivalent quality.

[trw]

The publisher of the best sold/reviewed single player RPG of last year, acquires IP. DOOM AND GLOOM. Neogaf.gif

Yes, Stalker fans wants the kind of game Skyrim is...
I agree Bethesda isn't a bad developer and Skyrim is a good game but there's nothing in it that would translate to Stalker. If Bethesda would play to their strengths and focus on those in a Stalker setting it would be Fallout with anomalies. Stalker is a completely different game and the series strengths are all things that Bethesda haven't done properly in anything they've made.

[Dragonzord]

I have and I don't see whats so unique about it that no other developer could possibly make a game of equivalent quality.

Bethesda would never put weight on bullets. Bethesda would never make a game that requires you to drop off items in a spot and come back for them later. In a Bethesda game, you can carry about 5 weapons, a full set of armor, and all the heals in the world. You can not do that in STALKER. A mainstream dev/publisher knows that it wouldn't sell because of that. It would ruin all the moments of the game brought on by not having enough of something and regretting bringing something else instead of what you intended.

[geebee]

This is an outrage. Clearly they should have given this to SWERY.

... that would be amazing, actually.

[gabbo]

Thankfully it appears to be false.
Would not be a good fit for the IP

[saunderez]

Bethesda would never put weight on bullets. Bethesda would never make a game that requires you to drop off items in a spot and come back for them later. In a Bethesda game, you can carry about 5 weapons, a full set of armor, and all the heals in the world. You can not do that in STALKER. A mainstream dev/publisher knows that it wouldn't sell because of that.

What a crock of shit, if STALKER sold enough to prompt them to buy the IP then it stands to reason they think another STALKER game will sell. The Bethesda hatred around here is reaching stupid levels.

[duncandun]

Umm lets use some logic here. If the owner of the Stalker IP is put into a position of having to sell the IP. What are the chances that same group will develop a game? If bethseda buys the IP? How hard for you would it be to ignore the game? Either case you won't get a new stalker game. For the others, they will get a new game that they might enjoy. Talk about selfish.

apparently he wanted to sell the IP for completely selfish reasons, atleast according to FB posts. His company left him in the dust over this news and formed a new company. His reasons seemed to have more personal bias and not monetarily motivated.

It's doubtful that Bethesda would buy the rights now, after his company abandoned him. I can only assume talks were being held with the idea of GSC still developing the game and bethesda not taking up those reigns.

[Emitan]

What a crock of shit, if STALKER sold enough to prompt them to buy the IP then it stands to reason they think another STALKER game will sell. The Bethesda hatred around here is reaching stupid levels.

Fallout bullets had weight. And then we got Fallout 3.

[Dragonzord]

What a crock of shit, if STALKER sold enough to prompt them to buy the IP then it stands to reason they think another STALKER game will sell. The Bethesda hatred around here is reaching stupid levels.

What are you talking about? I didn't even say anything hateful about Bethesda. I didn't say the STALKER name wouldn't sell. You're arguing things that don't even exist. I would argue that a STALKER by Bethesda would not be anywhere near the same because of Bethesda's approach to difficulty. Your anger is reaching stupid levels.

[Odrion]

There really aren't enough suicide gifs to explain how I feel right now.

[saunderez]

Fallout bullets had weight. And then we got Fallout 3.

Well no shit, they changed the entire game from a 2D isometric turn based RPG to a 3D first person real time RPG. If there were to make a STALKER game they wouldn't have to make such drastic changes to the formula.

[Semblance]

Man. I am speechless.

I didn't think we'd ever see a new Stalker game anyway though, so whatever.

[Technosteve]

get out of here BETHESDA, am I right gaf?

[saunderez]

What are you talking about? I didn't even say anything hateful about Bethesda. I didn't say the STALKER name wouldn't sell. You're arguing things that don't even exist. I would argue that a STALKER by Bethesda would not be anywhere near the same because of Bethesda's approach to difficulty. Your anger is reaching stupid levels.

You're arguing that it makes good business sense to buy an IP then totally change the gameplay. You're also arguing that Bethesda is a single studio and not a publisher with many different studios under their wing.

[Zeliard]

What a crock of shit, if STALKER sold enough to prompt them to buy the IP then it stands to reason they think another STALKER game will sell. The Bethesda hatred around here is reaching stupid levels.

What exactly has Bethesda done as a developer that makes you think they'd be capable of making a STALKER game?

The best hope if this news is true and they don't just sit on the IP indefinitely is that they hand dev duties over to someone else, but then there's still Bethesda the resource-hemorrhaging publisher to deal with. Lose-lose.

[Poimandres]

What a crock of shit, if STALKER sold enough to prompt them to buy the IP then it stands to reason they think another STALKER game will sell. The Bethesda hatred around here is reaching stupid levels.

I actually think it's unlikely a new STALKER game would be as brutal and unforgiving as the original games, regardless of the developer.

But it's not hard to see that the strengths of the previous STALKER games are not where Bethesda's strengths lie. Which is not to say that they are a bad developer, or would make a bad game, just that from prior titles they don't seem like a natural fit for the STALKER franchise.

[Yagharek]

I would rather give it to Bethesda then let the franchise die off.

Isn't that the same thing from a quality perspective?

[Big-E]

Disastrous news.

[Neuromancer]

Well on the bright side it means we console players will get it, whatever 'it' ends up being.

[AppleMIX]

Isn't that the same thing from a quality perspective?

No.

I would assume we would get another Stalker game. Even if it's bad, it is still one more game that we wouldn't of have otherwise.

People really need to stop caring about a game's legacy.

[Rorschach]

Fuck me in the ass.

[Ravensmash]

Don't see the reason for the hatred.

Those STALKER fans who hate this rumour have their games already, and everyone else has a potentially good title to look forward to.

[DTKT]

Well, this really sucks.

But at the same time, if there is one thing that Bioware does well, it's open world. That's a plus on my book. A more open Stalker sounds good to me.

[trw]

I actually think it's unlikely a new STALKER game would be as brutal and unforgiving as the original games, regardless of the developer. But it's not hard to see that the strengths of the previous STALKER games are not where Bethesda's strengths lie. Which is not to say that they are a bad developer, or would make a bad game, just that from prior titles they don't seem like a natural fit for the STALKER franchise.

I don't know. Witcher 2 didn't tone down the difficulty even though they focused on making a game that could be ported to console. Demons and Dark souls have proved that difficult and unforgiving games have their place even on consoles and easternbloc devs seems to have a tendency to make the game they want to make regardless. If an american studio took over on the other hand...

[Easy_D]

What exactly has Bethesda done as a developer that makes you think they'd be capable of making a STALKER game? The best hope if this news is true and they don't just sit on the IP indefinitely is that they hand dev duties over to someone else, but then there's still Bethesda the resource-hemorrhaging publisher to deal with. Lose-lose.

"ZeniMax to purchase Vostok Games"

[THE NO LIFE KING]

vadernooooo.gif

[Eusis]

Umm lets use some logic here. If the owner of the Stalker IP is put into a position of having to sell the IP. What are the chances that same group will develop a game? If bethseda buys the IP? How hard for you would it be to ignore the game? Either case you won't get a new stalker game. For the others, they will get a new game that they might enjoy. Talk about selfish.

It closes off the potential for someone who will do the series justice for the fans from buying it, while Bethesda could just produce their own similar game if they really felt like doing it badly enough. If it's selfish it's not really unreasonably so.

[sersteven]

It often surprises me how much ardent hate of Bethesda there is.

I enjoy their games and think they give some of the best value propositions in the gaming biz, and deal with the negative stuff they bring, just like I do for other great gaming companies.

The Skyrim PS3 thing really hurt their public image I guess.

I would love for Bethesda to just hire most of the GSC team back and have them continue on the game, but whatever.

I like this conclusion, rather a company try a fresh start than a very poor sequel.

[The Big Rig]

Uh, I hate that STALKER 2 is dead, but I think the people at Betheada are smart enough to understand what made it different from Fallout or Skyrim.

[KieferCrimson]

Well, this really sucks. But at the same time, if there is one thing that Bioware does well, it's open world. That's a plus on my book. A more open Stalker sounds good to me.

Who?

[Sober]

What exactly has Bethesda done as a developer that makes you think they'd be capable of making a STALKER game? The best hope if this news is true and they don't just sit on the IP indefinitely is that they hand dev duties over to someone else, but then there's still Bethesda the resource-hemorrhaging publisher to deal with. Lose-lose.

Don't forget that when Fallout: New Vegas + DLC was being made, it was essentially the original developers who worked on FO1 and FO2 having their decisions being vetoed by Bethesda because they thought they knew better for the lore than the original creators did.

[Poimandres]

Don't see the reason for the hatred. Those STALKER fans who hate this rumour have their games already, and everyone else has a potentially good title to look forward to.

I think this rumour has been pretty much debunked already, but I'll bite.

It's understandable that STALKER fans would react badly to this news, not because they automatically dismiss Bethesda, but because they don't seem like a natural fit to carry the strengths of the STALKER franchise.

If it was a developer that had a solid background with shooters, the mood would be more "cautiously optimistic" in here.

The attitude that STALKER fans "have their games already" is frankly insulting. This is franchise with one full title and two semi-sequels, and there's nothing else quite like it on the market. The fans most certainly have not "had their fill" of this style of game.

I hope you'd react the same way you did here if a developer with a completely different background took over one of your favourite franchises!

[LiquidSolid]

Ew, Bethesda? Can't wait till they screw over yet another developer like they did with Obsidian and Human Head. The fact that they employ both Mikami and Carmack just depresses me.

[DTKT]

Ew, Bethesda? Can't wait till they screw over yet another developer like they did with Obsidian and Human Head. The fact that they employ both Mikami and Carmack just depresses me.

Why is Bethesda always mentioned? Shouldn't we blame Zenimax?

[GuitarAtomik]

What exactly has Bethesda done as a developer that makes you think they'd be capable of making a STALKER game? The best hope if this news is true and they don't just sit on the IP indefinitely is that they hand dev duties over to someone else, but then there's still Bethesda the resource-hemorrhaging publisher to deal with. Lose-lose.

I actually think it's unlikely a new STALKER game would be as brutal and unforgiving as the original games, regardless of the developer. But it's not hard to see that the strengths of the previous STALKER games are not where Bethesda's strengths lie. Which is not to say that they are a bad developer, or would make a bad game, just that from prior titles they don't seem like a natural fit for the STALKER franchise.

You guys do know that not everything published by Bethesda (the publisher) is developed by Bethesda (the developer) right?

[INDIGO_CYCLOPS]

You guys do know that not everything published by Bethesda (the publisher) is developed by Bethesda (the developer) right?

Standards, expectations, target audience, etc etc etc.

[Confidence Man]

So Fallout with... uh, without VATS? puke