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Spencer: Black Tusk E3 '13 teaser was "a concept piece", not a in-dev game

chubigans

y'all should be ashamed
Yeah, maybe that new IP isn't cancelled and Phil Spencer is trying to avoid talking about it.

There is no way MS handed them over this huge franchise and didn't say "put every single guy you've got on this project because it's coming out next year."

I'm sure they've got their new IP in the wings that they'll come back to. Someday. :\
 
What in the world?!




Wow, no kidding. They never alluded to that at all. They always presented it as a game, a game in development. So many people were hyped for this specific game.



Calling it a concept is pretty crazy. They never even really showed any gameplay at all. Wow.
 
I still don't buy it. Black tusk pitched an idea that ms loved enough to throw halo money at. It's not going away.

We don't know any of that, aside from comments from them saying they were hoping to make the next Halo. If it was a stealth action game most entries in the genre come nowhere near the ~6 million sales a core Gears instalment can make.
 
There is no way MS handed them over this huge franchise and didn't say "put every single guy you've got on this project because it's coming out next year."

I'm sure they've got their new IP in the wings that they'll come back to. Someday. :\

Oh yeah, it's probably on hold after this announcement. I doubt it's cancelled, though, because weren't the recently hiring writers for this project?
 

Zaph

Member
Anyone see this tweet chain?

https://twitter.com/HannoLemke/status/427807647257985024

Looks like they are working on more than Gears.
That would be great, but I don't buy it.

A new, untested studio simultaneously developing two AAA games? Even with Microsoft's money, that's a really big ask. Working on two AAA games at the same time really requires a studio with several shipped games, strong culture and low turnover. Not saying it's impossible, just unlikely.

I have no love for the Gears franchise, but MS needs big, exclusive games with names people know in order to claw back marketshare. As much as MS seems to be going on about family and The Livingroom etc, they know 'dudebros' made the 360 what it is and they need them buying the XONE. They want the Gears shipped yesterday, so every warm body at that studio will be on it.

Spencer isn't going to make a statement like that, which he knows will generate more ire, unless the game is dead and he just wants to get ahead of it and move on and not have the press ask "So where's the stealth game?" every time they show off the new Gears.
 
I know the pitchforks are perpetually and forever waving for anything MS related nowadays... But can't it just be as simple as the Black Tusk teaser being an early game concept that as they went down the path of building just didn't pan out? This happens all the time, usually it isn't anything to get worked up about.

They couldn't get the concept into a full game, so rather than have this expensive studio toil away at unknown, they give them the keys to a huge franchise in need of a reboot.

But I suppose it is more fun to imagine grand conspiracies to screw us, the gaming public, out of being able to play that spy game they showed 30 seconds of cg from.
 

Plywood

NeoGAF's smiling token!
Unannounced Halo project.

frogout.gif
oddone stahp
 

chubigans

y'all should be ashamed
Oh yeah, it's probably on hold after this announcement. I doubt it's cancelled, though, because weren't the recently hiring writers for this project?

I doubt its cancelled, but I also have doubts MS would let them move on to a new IP if the next Gears game sells spectacularly and moves consoles.

Most studios become a franchise factory until they get big enough to split into two teams.
 
I Feel sorry for black tusk. They were developing their own original IP that looked really promising: a spy/stealth game which looked like a spiritual successor to the original awesome splinter cell and syphon filter games. Now they are just Microsoft's bitch making a gears game every other year along with 343 and Halo. :( not happy.
 
When's their game due then? Mid 2015?




I dont see any way it comes out this year. Especially when just a year ago Black Tusk was talking about creating a new IP, and you look at E3 they were working on the mysterious new Black Tusk game. The New Gears game cannot be that far in development, at least no longer than a year. But we will see.


I am so shocked Microsoft revealed this now. This would be a great E3 bombshell, but now, we know they will talk about it at E3, it ruins the big impact it could have had at their conference, they cannot talk about Titanfall this year at E3, unless its an expansion. They obviously cannot talk about that New Black Tusk IP, since they are working on Gears Now. Maybe they have some BIG surprises up their sleeve for this year.
 
Eh you don't understand what were talking about

You quoted someone who said that Microsoft are getting owned in the marketplace (PS4 vs Xbox One sales presumably) so they are mitigating risks.

You said "Exactly", New IP has always been a "non justifiable risk for them" (Microsoft) etc

I've posted saying I believe that statement to be incorrect, they've released new IP with the console (and released: Gears, Mass Effect, Kameo, Alan Wake, Too Human (lol), Crackdown, Viva Piñata, Kinect Sports on 360 as well plus other new IP), and have other new IP coming in the form of announced titles I listed and presumably other unknown titles we don't know about.

Is that not correct?

What you posted was announced before their performance in the marketplace was materialized. They can be changing their strategy going forward to lean heavily on known performers instead of new IPs. This is my interpretation, not trying to speak for BruceLeeRoy here.

I agree that Microsoft might be changing their strategy, but at this point I honestly don't think its at the expense of new IP.

I also think its an incredibly smart move to make sure they get out titles that are known performers or fan-favourites. Its also what Sony and Nintendo do, its a smart move and everyone should (and does) do it. They also need to keep making new IP (again so far so good on that front) and I also think they'll bring back older franchises, particularly from Rare.

I don't see the problem with any of that though personally, it makes a lot of sense as a strategy.
 

Bundy

Banned
Sorry, but what I understand is:
- we lied
- just a concept video to show "a game"
- after the "TV TV Sports Sports" backlash, we showed a game that doesn't even exist
 
When's their game due then? Mid 2015?




I dont see any way it comes out this year. Especially when just a year ago Black Tusk was talking about creating a new IP, and you look at E3 they were working on the mysterious new Black Tusk game. The New Gears game cannot be that far in development, at least no longer than a year. But we will see.


I am so shocked Microsoft revealed this now. This would be a great E3 bombshell, but now, we know they will talk about it at E3, it ruins the big impact it could have had at their conference, they cannot talk about Titanfall this year at E3, unless its an expansion. They obviously cannot talk about that New Black Tusk IP, since they are working on Gears Now. Maybe they have some BIG surprises up their sleeve for this year.
 
Sorry, but what I understand is:
- we lied
- just a concept video to show "a game"
- after the "TV TV Sports Sports" backlash, we showed a game that doesn't even exist

Black Tusk was working on a new IP for Microsoft, then at some point between E3 2013 and today they were moved to Gears of War.

No one lied to anyone, things just changed.
 
Oh yeah, it's probably on hold after this announcement. I doubt it's cancelled, though, because weren't the recently hiring writers for this project?

apparently they also looked for a character concept artist last november

If they were 'recently' doing anything, then it was almost certainly for this Gears project. At a guess I'd say in the last few months the purchase has been agreed and the ink on the contract dried a number of weeks ago.
 

Salex_

Member
they really should have not shown the black tusk teaser if it was only a concept piece. And even if it was a legit game they should have waited until they were far enough into dev. Sony tried to pull the same stunt and we got debacles like, Agent, TLG, The getaway, ect. I cant help but fell the same with The Order as well.

The Order definitely isn't in the same situation as those games. There's actual screenshots, a lot of info, and some people in the industry has played the game. RAD has been ready to show gameplay footage for months, but Sony's marketing team won't let them do it yet. SSM is in a similar situation when it comes to revealing their new IP.
 

IMBored

Member
I know the pitchforks are perpetually and forever waving for anything MS related nowadays... But can't it just be as simple as the Black Tusk teaser being an early game concept that as they went down the path of building just didn't pan out? This happens all the time, usually it isn't anything to get worked up about.

They couldn't get the concept into a full game, so rather than have this expensive studio toil away at unknown, they give them the keys to a huge franchise in need of a reboot.

But I suppose it is more fun to imagine grand conspiracies to screw us, the gaming public, out of being able to play that spy game they showed 30 seconds of cg from.

Yes, but usually these kind of projects don't get shown at the mainstage E3, especially the biggest E3 of the last years. The only similar situation I remember from the last years is TLG.
If the project was yearly enough to be scrapped like this then Microsoft really jumped the gun showing it.
 

Bundy

Banned
Black Tusk was working on a new IP for Microsoft, then at some point between E3 2013 and today they were moved to Gears of War.

No one lied to anyone, things just changed.
...."an asset" created by the team to get their creative juices flowing, not necessarily an in-development game.
So it wasn't a game at all. It was a tech-demo. Nothing more.
They've teased a game that doesn't exist.
 

zhao3gold

Banned
Black Tusk was working on a new IP for Microsoft, then at some point between E3 2013 and today they were moved to Gears of War.

No one lied to anyone, things just changed.

Don't waste your time with Bundy. He is super anti-MS/Xbox. You can check all his posts.
 

Enchanted

Banned
First Albert Penello with the lies, now Phil Spencer too.

At E3 2013 did Spencer say Black Tusk studio's was working on a concept or a new game? Rhetorical, it was meant to be a new game, they scrapped it?

Gears is done, finished, the story ends were all tied nicely, Judgement was proof enough that people felt the same way.
 

jelly

Member
Not interested in Gears of War and the Black Tusk tease was one of the few things I was interested in. Microsoft focusing too much on numbers instead of creativity. Can we sell merchandise, make a TV show etc.

What a kick in the nuts. Why don't you announce another Fable at E3 for icing on the over baked cake.
 

Drencrom

Member
So, Black Tusk first game/IP got scrapped in favor of continuing an existing game series?

That's not exactly a good way to treat a new development studio.
 
So it wasn't a game at all. It was a tech-demo. Nothing more.
They've teased a game that doesn't exist.

Go back to the first page and read. They were making a game, and was making a game since 2012, now they are making something else.

If the game they showed at e3 wasn't real, were there other games they showed at e3 that also weren't real?

Back when they showed it, it was what Black Tusk was making. Since then something changed, Microsoft got the rights to Gears and Black Tusk is now working on that. There's no lies, no tricks or anything like that. Just straight up business.

And the games showed at E3 were real. Sunset Overdrive is coming this year, same is Halo. Quantum Break is still an unknown as to releasedate.
 
XboxP3: @TheRealDoffen @Jahlvardravito You can imagine with something as big as Gears there is a lot for them to get their head around.

Steverulez: @xboxp3 So does that mean the new IP you showed a teaser of at E3 is still being made, or not?

XboxP3: @Steverulez Need to focus on Gears for now.

I still have no idea if its alive or not. Probably gone at this point

Twitter
 

GeoMatrix

Banned
Well that sucks. I know there are alot of Gears fans out there who would love to see the continuation of the series for the XBONE however to have a new IP, which could have had potential be shelved is so disappointing. Just like when that Getaway game (?could be wrong on the name) from Sony got canned
 

watership

Member
A Microsoft executive lying to us to make themselves look better? Excuse me while I fall out of my chair onto the floor in surprise.

I think some of you think that this is some sort of deceitful behavior, when it's actually just the reality of business and keeping on message.
 
Go back to the first page and read. They were making a game, and was making a game since 2012, now they are making something else.



Back when they showed it, it was what Black Tusk was making. Since then something changed, Microsoft got the rights to Gears and Black Tusk is now working on that. There's no lies, no tricks or anything like that. Just straight up business.

And the games showed at E3 were real. Sunset Overdrive is coming this year, same is Halo. Quantum Break is still an unknown as to releasedate.

Why did Phil Harrison say it was just a concept then? Sunset(hope it's more Resistance quality and less Fuse) and Quantum Break look interesting. No interest in a Halo not made by the studio that created it. Destiny will be the continuation of Halo.
 

DocSeuss

Member
At some point, we knew BT was working on a Kinect shooter, right? That eventually supposedly morphed into a sci-fi horror FPS with the Kinect ripped out of it. Now Gears? A disappointing turn, to be sure.
 
I think he's trying to not get peoples hopes up about a game anytime soon, the team is supposed to be pretty large at black tusk so they're probably working on multiple projects. I actually respect him for telling us this news. It looked more like a studio tease than anything else since they were introducing the studio at the time.
 
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