Musky_Cheese
Banned
I will definitely continue to support them. Still play Dead Nation. They make great games
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Housemarque (Resogun) added PC due to console sale difficulties, talks future games
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
The majority of the PS3's came in the last couple years of the gen. They were extremely far behind MS in anything dealing with online at the start of last gen. Most of the early hits got late ports or never at all(Braid, Bastion, Super Meat Boy, etc.). Sony still had the biggest "indie" hit of the generation unless I'm mistaken.
From what I can remember, it was like Flower, Flow, Fat Princess, Soldner-X and Mushroom Wars for a long time(all great games btw).
IcyRhythms
Member
Is Resogun and their other games owned by Sony? Shouldn't be long before we see them on PC if that's not the case.
ScientificPizza
Banned
I thought sony owned Housemarque. They should definitely go to PC. Alienation is a good game that would have benefitted from a wider audience
IcyRhythms
Member
Alienation would do really well on PC.
Releasing niche indie titles on one console just seems like a terrible idea to me. You really hold back potential buyers. I still feel like console kids are still focused on the AAA blockbuster only and some still shun indie titles. Where as on PC indie or not there is a good sized audience.
In the end though if you are niche at all you need to make it available where ever you can.
In the end though if you are niche at all you need to make it available where ever you can.
IcyRhythms
Member
But that's what Sony and Microsoft shovel them. PLEASE CARE ABOUT BUDGET AND GRAPHICS
All of the better marketing money goes toward stuff from Naughty Dog, Santa Monica, 343, Turn 10, and the like.
I don't disagree with you one bit.
LiquidSolid
Member
That's a bit of an overstatement. The 360 definitely had a big advantage for a few years (in part because they forced a lot of indies to be lengthy timed exclusives if they wanted to come out on XBLA) but the PS3 wasn't THAT bad. Off the top of my head, alongside the ones you mentioned I really enjoyed Super Stardust HD, Shatter, PixelJunk Monsters, Wipeout HD, PixelJunk Eden, Critter Crunch, Sam & Max S3, Noby Noby Boy, Siren Blood Curse and Trine.
But yeah, late last gen was definitely when the PS3 started becoming a far more prominent digital platform, which led directly into this gen and forced Microsoft to change a lot of their restrictive policies.
Bastion wasn't an early hit by the way, it came out in 2011.
Sony owns Resogun, Dead Nation, Alienation, Matterfall and Super Stardust. Ubisoft owns Outland.
eyeball_kid
Member
I don't think "console kids" created that attitude, Sony did. Indie titles have become their go-to for PS+ freebies, and that devalues indie PSN games in general in the same way the mobile app market was devalued by free apps funded by VC money. Most people won't buy an indie title on PSN because they know there's a good chance it'll be free later on.
I think also many people would prefer to buy a title on Steam due to:
1) future-proofing of their digital purchase
2) Unity games generally have performance issues on PS4 unless the dev really knows how to optimize
3) Steam sales
4) faster updates
IcyRhythms
Member
I bet this developer regrets allowing that now. They could have shared those games with PC and made a fuckton of money. That's a shame
yurinka
Member
Well, between 2007 and 2010 there was a lot of visibility in the store: only a few indie games were released there, and retail games weren't there.
Now you have a store packed with all retail games plus several new indies every week, big sales every month and the top of the store is full of preorder spam and DLC packs. So it should very difficult to sell your indie game there if not published or marketed by Sony/featured in the top banners.
Sony (like Microsoft and Valve) should address the visibility issues of their stores if they don't want to end being like the AppStore/Google Play, but generating way less money.
Now you have a store packed with all retail games plus several new indies every week, big sales every month and the top of the store is full of preorder spam and DLC packs. So it should very difficult to sell your indie game there if not published or marketed by Sony/featured in the top banners.
Sony (like Microsoft and Valve) should address the visibility issues of their stores if they don't want to end being like the AppStore/Google Play, but generating way less money.
Going to admit I did not realise this. But then most folks I know are avoiding AAA (aside from pet franchises) rather than indies.
That said I did think there was a relatively limited audience for arcade games of the sort they make. I'd be sad if the audience is not big enough to support more of their games.
Yeah. They are one of the few devs I buy sight unseen.
I doubt that.
in addition, about indie games – https://galyonk.in/on-indiepocalypse-what-is-really-killing-indie-games-3da3c3a1ea76
and this also:
Mostly the same on PC as well. SteamSpy data for 2016:
D
Deleted member 471617
Unconfirmed Member
Love Housemarque.
- Dead Nation was a very good and fun game.
- Alienation was even better in my opinion and I loved the RPG elements.
- Outland was fucking awesome and my 2011 game of the year. Really hoping for a sequel but I know that Ubisoft owns the IP.
Will definitely be buying Nex Machina on release day and waiting to see what Matterfall turns out to be. Not into space shooters even though I know that Super Stardust and Resogun are excellent games.
Sony should really try to purchase them in my opinion.
- Dead Nation was a very good and fun game.
- Alienation was even better in my opinion and I loved the RPG elements.
- Outland was fucking awesome and my 2011 game of the year. Really hoping for a sequel but I know that Ubisoft owns the IP.
Will definitely be buying Nex Machina on release day and waiting to see what Matterfall turns out to be. Not into space shooters even though I know that Super Stardust and Resogun are excellent games.
Sony should really try to purchase them in my opinion.
the_batman
Banned
games like this just needs to be advertised more, even if it's just a button in the PS store that says "Games $15 and under"
^ best post here, imo. All points are valid.
LiquidSolid
Member
SMH. Why on earth would they regret "allowing that"? Sony and Ubisoft gave them money, they made some great games in return. They wouldn't be where they are now or have lasted over two decades if they hadn't worked with major publishers.
We are reading stories about them saying that they need to add a new platform because there's a disruption in indies sales on PlayStation 4.
HM needs to understand that just like everything in the gaming industry, you are dispensable and can be replaced anytime.
I do hope that it works out for them, but HM needs to put in work before they can see major hits.
EDIT: What I'm trying to say is that it's cool that they made deals, but 6 games exclusive? The blame is on you.
xabbott
Member
Just like any creative medium. If you can make deals and keep the IP you're generally better off. Obviously that isn't always possible but if you wait until you're in trouble to make those deals you probably have less leverage.
Panajev2001a
GAF's Pleasant Genius
With season passes and general DLC's (the exploitation that pushes some people into askingnloudly where A and AA games have gone ironically) the average big triple A game publisher is aiming for an average revenue per user a lot higher than what people feel as the proper AAA price point.
It is not a direction very dissimilar from the mobile one that publisher are taking: AAA games are offsetting more and more of the hidden price increases in F2P like territory (real F2P games have just shifted the entire price there). This kind of stance is one of the many factors IMHO why AAA publishers/developers keep consolidating and indies and small publishers are denied their fair shake.
killatopak
Member
awesome!
I don't want to play resogun in my ps4 but would gladly do it on my laptop where I can play anywhere.
I don't want to play resogun in my ps4 but would gladly do it on my laptop where I can play anywhere.
Some comments in the thread seem to point out that "niche genres are dead on pc too, not only on console", if I understand correctly.
This is not true: the shmup genre is finding some "new life" on PC (thanks to the effort of Degica and the others); not only the big names (Cave, GRev) but also a lot of doujin developers (aka Japanese indies, for example the famous Crimzon Clover).
The same observation can be done for other niche genres such as the visual novels.
Maybe this is a reality that console players don't know because they don't follow Pc related threads.
PC can be a good place to bet on for arcade games and others. Housemarque can do well.
This is not true: the shmup genre is finding some "new life" on PC (thanks to the effort of Degica and the others); not only the big names (Cave, GRev) but also a lot of doujin developers (aka Japanese indies, for example the famous Crimzon Clover).
The same observation can be done for other niche genres such as the visual novels.
Maybe this is a reality that console players don't know because they don't follow Pc related threads.
PC can be a good place to bet on for arcade games and others. Housemarque can do well.
Nydius
Member
This is a great observation that I didn't even think about. Back during XBLA's heyday on the 360, many of the gaming sites I frequented had dedicated sections for Arcade. Every week there would be posts of the new releases, info on their publishers, the game design, and sometimes reviews. This was even in some print publications. I wouldn't have known shit about games like Castle Crashers or Trenched (sorry, Iron Brigade) had I not seen posts about new and upcoming Arcade titles.
Now all I ever see in gaming sites or magazines are the typical, expected, big budget releases. A few indies pop up from time to time but only if they've generated enough pre-release buzz or if they've been successful as an Early Access title. I rarely know what's getting released or when and searching both PSN and Xbox Store (on Windows 10, at least) for new releases is a complete nightmare. Conversely, back on the X360 I enjoyed my weekly trips to the store and demoing new release Arcade titles and seeing if there were any I wanted to buy.
Grim Patron
Member
Lol
I actually kind of wonder how many of the more receptive people have a PC too and just get the games there? Usually these days they hit consoles and PC at the same time, and most of the time if I want it I'd just get it on PC. Usually it's either an exclusive or in a good sale, or it'd be good portable in a few instances.
Velurian
Member
God I loved that game!
SMOK3Y
Generous Member
Myself I'm not a huge 'indie' fan myself but I do know mates who say theres way too much shit on PSN store & they're talking about indies etc
LiquidSolid
Member
They're not "adding" a new platform, this is the first game they've self-published and it's coming out on PS4 and PC. They're not even saying indie games don't sell on PS4, just that they don't think many megahit indies happen on consoles anymore (something I disagree with, as I mentioned in my other post). If they didn't think it was sustainable at all, they wouldn't currently be working with Sony on Matterfall.
As for your edit, what? Blame for what? What a ridiculous thing to say.
Depends on the contracts and whether they're happy working with the publisher. Seeing as they have been working with Sony for over a decade (and still are), I assume they're pretty happy with that arrangement. They're just branching out in another direction with Nex Machina, the self-published game they've been teasing for a few years. There's nothing wrong with their situation.
Crab Milk Mickey
Member
Housemarque bought back the rights to Outland, for what it's worth.
ArtHands
Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
Perhaps the Sony deal for matterfall was made before they decided to change their direction ahead to sustain themselves.
seems they are happy with working with Sony, but due to the indie climate (and the death of PS3/Vita), they think its better to future proof themselves by self publishing and release on PC too, instead of solely relying on Sony.
LiquidSolid
Member
Really? That's cool. I remember Ubisoft still had their logo on the game when they ported it over to PC, so assumed nothing had changed in that regard.
I doubt it. They were teasing Nex Machina long before Matterfall was announced and seeing as we still haven't seen any Matterfall gameplay, I doubt it was far into development at the time.
But yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if that second paragraph were true. They always seemed really excited to be working with Eugene Jarvis, so they probably saw it as a good opportunity to branch out and take a risk.
There was a point early in the PS3 gen where AAA titles were either scarce or so awfully pedestrian that the burgeoning digital wave was a breath of fresh air. I remember absolutely rinsing Stardust when it came out. There flow of titles was considered and spotlighted well as such.
Now, on PC, I have such a freaking massive library of indie titles that I just don't get through them, especially with the big budget quality being really high (or the worst combination of really high quality and time vampires). The volume is crazy and they quality isn't shoddy either. Buying a Humble Bundle can quickly add 10 or so great games to your library and it really feels exponential.
Personally, my desire is to see these games go portable. On Switch, on Vita, these titles become my premium titles. Recent example - I've had Oxenfree on my PC since a Humble Bundle sale last Christmas, played up to the ferry docking and put it down. I recently bought it on release on iOS, played end to end over the course of a week and loved it. So yeah, portability, or ease of access where we are talking that we can just download this stuff straight to a TV.
I hope saturation doesn't cause a bubble to burst because the market has really shifted back to a creative medium, much like when I got into things around the Amiga days, after such a middle of the road dirge that kicked off the PS3/360 generation.
Now, on PC, I have such a freaking massive library of indie titles that I just don't get through them, especially with the big budget quality being really high (or the worst combination of really high quality and time vampires). The volume is crazy and they quality isn't shoddy either. Buying a Humble Bundle can quickly add 10 or so great games to your library and it really feels exponential.
Personally, my desire is to see these games go portable. On Switch, on Vita, these titles become my premium titles. Recent example - I've had Oxenfree on my PC since a Humble Bundle sale last Christmas, played up to the ferry docking and put it down. I recently bought it on release on iOS, played end to end over the course of a week and loved it. So yeah, portability, or ease of access where we are talking that we can just download this stuff straight to a TV.
I hope saturation doesn't cause a bubble to burst because the market has really shifted back to a creative medium, much like when I got into things around the Amiga days, after such a middle of the road dirge that kicked off the PS3/360 generation.
I loved Resogun and I didn't buy Alienation because i simply did not know it existed. The moment I got Alienation through PS Plus I made sure I bought the DLC season pass to support it. Its a shame it didn't sell well because I have been playing Alienation non-stop, I wish it had more dlc coming up but they just moved on.
64bitbros
Member
Link?
I would love to see where you got that from. Pretty sure this is incorrect.
twinturbo2
butthurt Heat fan
I'll be getting the PC version of Nex Machina, just need the presales on Steam to go live. Or are they waiting for the release date before I can buy?
LordRaptor
Member
The makeup of this forum is primarily 18-35 NA console owners and they have little interest or exposure to games that do not target that demographic.
Consequently they have little understanding of just how large and diverse the PC market is (and how healthy), and it is that size and diversity that allows niche genres and titles to thrive, even amongst a sea of competition.
blastprocessor
The Amiga Brotherhood
I'd suggest that it's because the games have not appealed l mean they have not created a sequel to the very popular Super Stardust like why not? Resogun was just 'OK'.
Sorry Housemarque you are a good independent developer up there with Thatgamecompany in terms of quality but your games such as Alienation and Dead Nation where awful.
Sorry Housemarque you are a good independent developer up there with Thatgamecompany in terms of quality but your games such as Alienation and Dead Nation where awful.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
For the most part we console players are pass that. That thinking is 5-8 years old.
It's hard for the media now because there are just so many releases now you can only even play more then a minority of them at a time let alone cover them.
It can baffle me what indie games get selected by seemingly random chance for wall to wall coverage over similarly good games that get ignored though.
MrS
Banned
Agreed, but I doubt they have the resources to do an effective job of advertising their games to all of us who would buy their games. Social media and WOM can only do so much and it costs a lot of dough to advertise on the PSN store. Their social media presence isn't that great either tbh. It's a sad state of affairs because Housemarque are one of the best devs out there imo and I love their games.
Theslammer
Member
I still don't get why they don't get into the Sony Worldwide Studios network. Nex Machina is great, but it doesn't have Sony's publishing backing to it as Resogun and Alienation did. Maybe adding a physical release would help as well even though they're smaller games.
I mean, I do get it because some studios like to remain independent, but I feel with their relationship, they could blossom as Naughty Dog and Guerrilla had and do their own thing by adding a unique component to their published games.
Shai-Tan
Banned
I think most of the faster paces dual stick shooters are better on mouse anyway. I bought Nuclear Throne and Enter the Gungeon on console but I only ever play them on PC because it feels much better to aim with a mouse. Nex Machina has small arenas so maybe it doesn't matter.
Also if I'm sitting at my PS4 I'll play one of the AAA games I haven't finished. I played loads of Housemarque games in the past but if I could just play it on my laptop I would. I did play Super Stardust on Vita but performance requirements are too much for their newer games and/or I already played (Dead Nation).
Also if I'm sitting at my PS4 I'll play one of the AAA games I haven't finished. I played loads of Housemarque games in the past but if I could just play it on my laptop I would. I did play Super Stardust on Vita but performance requirements are too much for their newer games and/or I already played (Dead Nation).
ArtHands
Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
What do you mean? They are not remaining independent because they like to. They are doing it as an insurance in case Sony stop publishing their game due to lowering sales, and they ended up having no ip which they can use to sell their game.
