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Geoff Keighley talks No Man's Sky, Sean Murray "open" to explain what happened to NMS

Yagharek

Member
He's pretty well respected now I think. He does a really good job and put on good shows. He's a fine journalist. And he's got a good sense of humour.
I mean, I already liked him but he totally won me over with what stands as the absolute best tweet of 2016:

catseqbvf.png

This is hilarious. Good sense of humour.
 

Sapientas

Member
Sean might be open to discuss his own game in October? What a humble guy, right?I knew it was all a big misunderstanding after all.
 

faridmon

Member
To be fair, Geoff was the one who started this hype and made the game look much bigger than it was, even when he ''knew'' back in march when he saw the game not being as ambitious as we were told.
 
Super props to geoff. We need more of this. Eloquently stated truth bombs. Not all journalism has to be scathing. He said the same things but in a great way.
 
D

Deleted member 471617

Unconfirmed Member
I don't have a problem with the game being $60 and given a retail release. I think that most of the blame here should be on Sony and the executives in charge of overseeing the game, not Sean Murray and Hello Games. Seriously, a developer that consists of what? Eight people? Compared to a massive company that oversaturated the game and then rushed it out? Give me a break. Wouldn't be surprised at all if that's how it went down. Murray and Hello Games were in over their head but Sony just made it worse. Like several of their releases, NMS needed more time and instead was rushed out. Can't wait to see TLG be a five hour dud and see Sony get a pass. Maybe Murray can be blamed for that as well. *SMH*

I haven't played NMS and have no interest in doing so and regardless of what's in the game and what's not in the game, considering the fact that Sony was overseeing the game since almost the beginning, they should be way more accountable than a studio consisting of eight human beings. Seriously, what a joke especially when huge blockbuster AAA games from massive studios release average overpriced games with a huge rip off that's called the season pass get a free pass every single time yet a small indie studio gets flamed to hell. Makes no sense at all.

If NMS was all Murray/Hello Games and Sony had nothing to do with the game at all, then yeah, I would agree with the majority here but sorry, I can't see how Sony can't be blamed first and foremost but this is my own personal opinion. To each their own.
 

nynt9

Member
I don't have a problem with the game being $60 and given a retail release. I think that most of the blame here should be on Sony and the executives in charge of overseeing the game, not Sean Murray and Hello Games. Seriously, a developer that consists of what? Eight people? Compared to a massive company that oversaturated the game and then rushed it out? Give me a break. Wouldn't be surprised at all if that's how it went down. Murray and Hello Games were in over their head but Sony just made it worse. Like several of their releases, NMS needed more time and instead was rushed out. Can't wait to see TLG be a five hour dud and see Sony get a pass. Maybe Murray can be blamed for that as well. *SMH*

I haven't played NMS and have no interest in doing so and regardless of what's in the game and what's not in the game, considering the fact that Sony was overseeing the game since almost the beginning, they should be way more accountable than a studio consisting of eight human beings. Seriously, what a joke especially when huge blockbuster AAA games from massive studios release average overpriced games with a huge rip off that's called the season pass get a free pass every single time yet a small indie studio gets flamed to hell. Makes no sense at all.

If NMS was all Murray/Hello Games and Sony had nothing to do with the game at all, then yeah, I would agree with the majority here but sorry, I can't see how Sony can't be blamed first and foremost but this is my own personal opinion. To each their own.

1- Hello Games are more than 8 people, and whether they lied or not has nothing to do with how many people they have. You can lie as a solo indie developer, and you can lie as a massive studio (Gearbox). A lie is a lie. So the point is moot.

2- Sony weren't overseeing the game. Sony are known to be extremely hands off with indie developers and they let them do their own thing. And Sony didn't force Murray to lie. He did that of his own accord. So the point is moot.

3- Said AAA games with micro transactions don't outright lie to their customers. So the point there is moot, and it's a false equivalency anyway.

4- How was the game rushed? Sure, it's incomplete, but more time doesn't necessarily lead to a better product. Look up "the mythical man month". And again, doesn't change the fact that Murray lied. If they didn't get to do multiplayer and all the things they promised, they should have clearly stated those things are t in the game, and stopped using marketing material with those. And come clean after the release of the game and provide a roadmap to make amends instead of going radio silent. So the point is moot.

Saying "that's just my opinion, to each their own" doesn't make facts become not facts.
 
Geoff was worried that the big premiere put a huge weight on the team's shoulders, something they could never really escape from.

I'm glad he said this because people who think Sony marketing overhyped the game are forgetting how much hype this game had early on before Sony even got involved.

I'm interested to see who's idea it was to price the game at $60 though
 

Mike Golf

Member
I haven't ever really watched any of Geoff Kieghley's content but I think I will now, that was a very well said piece. Succinct, honest, and covered the major points of contention.
 

Skux

Member
As much as I'd love a 60 Minutes-style sit down with Sean, that ain't gonna happen lol. If I were Sean the game industry would never hear from me again.
 

Sorcerer

Member
I just have this creepy feeling if Sean does actually agree to this, he is going to break down and cry during the interview. I don't get the feeling he is going to be standoffish.
 

Sapientas

Member
I don't have a problem with the game being $60 and given a retail release. I think that most of the blame here should be on Sony and the executives in charge of overseeing the game, not Sean Murray and Hello Games. Seriously, a developer that consists of what? Eight people? Compared to a massive company that oversaturated the game and then rushed it out? Give me a break. Wouldn't be surprised at all if that's how it went down. Murray and Hello Games were in over their head but Sony just made it worse. Like several of their releases, NMS needed more time and instead was rushed out. Can't wait to see TLG be a five hour dud and see Sony get a pass. Maybe Murray can be blamed for that as well. *SMH*

I haven't played NMS and have no interest in doing so and regardless of what's in the game and what's not in the game, considering the fact that Sony was overseeing the game since almost the beginning, they should be way more accountable than a studio consisting of eight human beings. Seriously, what a joke especially when huge blockbuster AAA games from massive studios release average overpriced games with a huge rip off that's called the season pass get a free pass every single time yet a small indie studio gets flamed to hell. Makes no sense at all.

If NMS was all Murray/Hello Games and Sony had nothing to do with the game at all, then yeah, I would agree with the majority here but sorry, I can't see how Sony can't be blamed first and foremost but this is my own personal opinion. To each their own.
I don't think Sony is blameless in this and should be held responsible to some degree for allowing such blatant disregard for it's consumers, considering they were involved in publishing and funding development. Even so, they are very clearly second plane here. During the entire development Hello Games, Sean especially, were always portrayed as completely in control on the project, being the mouthpieces for the game and 100% of the PR, while Sony only provided what they needed on the background.
So yeah I can't really buy the idea that Sean was forced to lie because of Sony's pressure. That seems extremely reductive.
 

Sorcerer

Member
I don't think Sony is blameless in this and should be held responsible to some degree for allowing such blatant disregard for it's consumers, considering they were involved in publishing and funding development. Even so, they are very clearly second plane here. During the entire development, Hello Games and Sean especially were always portrayed as completely in control on the project, being the mouthpieces for the game and 100% of the PR, while Sony only provided what they needed on the backgrounds.
I really can't buy the idea that Sean was forced to lie because of Sony pressure. That seems extremely reductive.

I think Sony periodically checked in and Sean got nervous about meeting the deadline and just told Sony everything was fine when it wasn't, one little white lie led to another and it all piled up.
I mean in a way you want to applaud Sony for being so hands off and letting an indie do their thing. Maybe Sony would have been understanding had they known what was really going on.
 
As others have said, I've come to really respect Geoff these past few years. He seems to really be one of the most positive and honest voices the industry has.
 

prag16

Banned
-Sean Murray didn't want Geoff near the team anymore earlier this year as he thought Geoff was too "negative."

RG0BS1U.gif


Explains a lot. Instead of being open to constructive criticism, Murray chose to just marinate in his narcissistic megalomania.
 

udivision

Member
I just have this creepy feeling if Sean does actually agree to this, he is going to break down and cry during the interview. I don't get the feeling he is going to be standoffish.

I was just thinking about the exact same thing.

I hope that doesn't happen.
 

KingBroly

Banned
I'm glad he said this because people who think Sony marketing overhyped the game are forgetting how much hype this game had early on before Sony even got involved.

I'm interested to see who's idea it was to price the game at $60 though

I think the game being $60 was probably Sony's call since the game was exclusive and had retail presence. If it was a download, I don't think it'd cost more than $40.
 

LycanXIII

Member
Geoff's kind of forcing Sean to come on by telling everyone that he said he was "open" to it. If he doesn't do it now, everyone will know he backed out of it. I like it.
 
D

Deleted member 471617

Unconfirmed Member
1- Hello Games are more than 8 people, and whether they lied or not has nothing to do with how many people they have. You can lie as a solo indie developer, and you can lie as a massive studio (Gearbox). A lie is a lie. So the point is moot.

2- Sony weren't overseeing the game. Sony are known to be extremely hands off with indie developers and they let them do their own thing. And Sony didn't force Murray to lie. He did that of his own accord. So the point is moot.

3- Said AAA games with micro transactions don't outright lie to their customers. So the point there is moot, and it's a false equivalency anyway.

4- How was the game rushed? Sure, it's incomplete, but more time doesn't necessarily lead to a better product. Look up "the mythical man month". And again, doesn't change the fact that Murray lied. If they didn't get to do multiplayer and all the things they promised, they should have clearly stated those things are t in the game, and stopped using marketing material with those. And come clean after the release of the game and provide a roadmap to make amends instead of going radio silent. So the point is moot.

Saying "that's just my opinion, to each their own" doesn't make facts become not facts.

Sony saying that they were treating NMS as a first party game is also a fact. Sony saying that Sean Murray didn't market the game correctly when Sony should have been in charge of that which they were due to them booking Murray and NMS on every single press conference for a whopping three minutes is also a fact. Murray went on talk shows and whatever else to promote the game. Hmmm, yeah, that's fucking Sony doing that shit. Not a 15 (I stand corrected according to Wikipedia) person independent studio. Anyone who believes that a small team like that deserves the blame more than the powerful multi-billion dollar company in Sony is dazed and confused.

As for Murray lying, that's EVERY fucking publisher, developer and studio. Give me a break. LOL. NMS had the marketing and huge brand power of Sony so sorry, to me, it's on them first and foremost. How about telling Murray to shutup? How about finding out how the progress was going? You know, things that you would assume a company as big as Sony would be doing considering the fact that they said numerous times that they were treating it as a first party game.

As usual, like with so many massive big publishers, why blame them? You know the ones with all the power and money when you can blame the little guys??? LOL.
 
I mean in a way you want to applaud Sony for being so hands off and letting an indie do their thing. Maybe Sony would have been understanding had they known what was really going on.

I don't want to applaud Sony for being hands off. Game consoles are appliances and the games that run on them should be bulletproof, regardless of their indie or major status. Sony's certification process used to be tough, but now games get through with major bugs. NMS was by far the most crashy console game I've ever played or heard of. Sony should be held to the fire for this. And let's not forget that the QA team for NMS was Sony staff. Sony should have denied cert for NMS and told Hello that they needed to spend more time polishing the game, even if that meant throwing some money Hello's way to keep the studio afloat.
 

antitrop

Member
It's really cool to see Geoff Keighley become the respected journalist he is today. I remember seeing him on the electric playground as a host and reviewer like 10 years ago to then going on to do GTTV, doing the weekly Bonus Rounds on the site, the game awards and now this. He's really made the whole trip around and I can't wait to see more of what he has to share especially in the industry.

Ya, the first time I ever saw him was on Electric Playground and the talkshow G4TV.com on G4. He's always done great work.
 

Gestault

Member
To be fair, Geoff was the one who started this hype and made the game look much bigger than it was, even when he ''knew'' back in march when he saw the game not being as ambitious as we were told.

I really don't think Keighley is responsible for the extended window of trailers, promotion, interviews, and guest appearances which were mostly the source of those expectations.

Sean Murray didn't want Geoff near the team anymore earlier this year as he thought Geoff was too "negative.

As someone who's been around projects that weren't as well planned as they needed to be to deliver on their promises, it's infuriating hearing people covering their ears to those trying to prevent it from happening. At that point, it's willful.
 

DireStr8s

Member
Zero empathy for some screwball who gets The Man involved to investigate a video game. Previews showed folks shooting rocks. Folks so mad We can't shoot rocks together...zZz. Dorrito Pope playing Inside Man after Titanfall II advertisment. This guy's stuff always feels DOA.

Murray, let me get one them Coronas
 
I just have this creepy feeling if Sean does actually agree to this, he is going to break down and cry during the interview. I don't get the feeling he is going to be standoffish.

Or he'll wait till after the next big content patch. Then he'll do the interview, shrug his shoulders and say they had release date pressure but got there in the end. Thanks to everybody for their support.

Then the world keeps spinning.
 

Jimrpg

Member
I don't have a problem with the game being $60 and given a retail release. I think that most of the blame here should be on Sony and the executives in charge of overseeing the game, not Sean Murray and Hello Games. Seriously, a developer that consists of what? Eight people? Compared to a massive company that oversaturated the game and then rushed it out? Give me a break. Wouldn't be surprised at all if that's how it went down. Murray and Hello Games were in over their head but Sony just made it worse. Like several of their releases, NMS needed more time and instead was rushed out. Can't wait to see TLG be a five hour dud and see Sony get a pass. Maybe Murray can be blamed for that as well. *SMH*

I haven't played NMS and have no interest in doing so and regardless of what's in the game and what's not in the game, considering the fact that Sony was overseeing the game since almost the beginning, they should be way more accountable than a studio consisting of eight human beings. Seriously, what a joke especially when huge blockbuster AAA games from massive studios release average overpriced games with a huge rip off that's called the season pass get a free pass every single time yet a small indie studio gets flamed to hell. Makes no sense at all.

If NMS was all Murray/Hello Games and Sony had nothing to do with the game at all, then yeah, I would agree with the majority here but sorry, I can't see how Sony can't be blamed first and foremost but this is my own personal opinion. To each their own.

Hello Games self published the game, they drove the hype. I don't think Sony are completely innocent, they stood by it because it was going to make them buckets of cash. But most of the decision making was on Hello Games. In fact Sony is really just the distributor when it comes down to it, they do have a vested interest but they don't control the marketing for it.

Hello Games knew exactly what they were doing. When they delayed their game last year to be released this year, they probably knew they couldn't live up to the hype and the game was in a mess, they just hobbled something together and took a whole bunch of shortcuts. The amount of hype they had they knew there were many day 1 orders and they were going to take them for every penny.

In a couple of months Sean Murray is going to come crawling back because gamers will argue about it with one another and most of the damage will be undone.
 

OuterLimits

Member
I'm sure Sony is regretting that one of the first things you see when starting the game is "Sony Interactive Entertainment Presents".
 
Keighley is unmatched in respectful but honest reporting.

Interesting to see where this goes.
This right here.

And he's spot on when it comes to these ideas inspiring us all, even when they fall short of the mark. Molyneux will always have a special spot in my gaming heart for that. For bringing me endless hours in the Populous sandbox and surprises in Black and White and some honest heroism in Fable 2 and dreams of what could be, at some point down the line.
 

JakR

Member
Sony saying that they were treating NMS as a first party game is also a fact. Sony saying that Sean Murray didn't market the game correctly when Sony should have been in charge of that which they were due to them booking Murray and NMS on every single press conference for a whopping three minutes is also a fact. Murray went on talk shows and whatever else to promote the game. Hmmm, yeah, that's fucking Sony doing that shit. Not a 15 (I stand corrected according to Wikipedia) person independent studio. Anyone who believes that a small team like that deserves the blame more than the powerful multi-billion dollar company in Sony is dazed and confused.

As for Murray lying, that's EVERY fucking publisher, developer and studio. Give me a break. LOL. NMS had the marketing and huge brand power of Sony so sorry, to me, it's on them first and foremost. How about telling Murray to shutup? How about finding out how the progress was going? You know, things that you would assume a company as big as Sony would be doing considering the fact that they said numerous times that they were treating it as a first party game.

As usual, like with so many massive big publishers, why blame them? You know the ones with all the power and money when you can blame the little guys??? LOL.

Sony published The Order 1886 and that far more a first party title than NMS. ;)
Sony was treating NMS as a first party title through convention and in the lineup of PS4 itself, but to blame them it is like to say Destiny, Watchdogs etc. are Sonys responsibility because they have exclusive markteing. Creative control,IP ownership and final responsibility lied on Hello Games/Sean Murrays shoulders.

And finally before the release of NMS Sean Murray could have be open to the public with a statement of humble honesty and the promise of a longtime support to reach the vision of NMS.

I do not know how it will play out, but right now I think Hello Games will have a hard time to excite people with a new project.
 

takriel

Member
A sad case of confirmation bias. Geoff's views on the game didn't fit with Murray's, so Murray decided to ignore them completely.
 

Embearded

Member
People should really stop blaming Sony about NMS.
Sean himself said that the agreement with Sony was only for the marketing part and even though Sony offered to help with the development he denied.
 

- J - D -

Member
It'd be like poetry if Sean did make a statement on Geoff's show. NMS got it's spotlight with Geoff's help, so it's only right that whatever next pivotal step the NMS crew take, Geoff will be there as well. And of course, we'll be watching.
 
I don't think we will ever hear something from Murray again. Nothing he could say would change the perception of him now.

Perhaps Sony should apologise for him and NMS. They have published this thing and did not bother to check the game before release.
 

- J - D -

Member
I don't think we will ever hear something from Murray again. Nothing he could say would change the perception of him now.

Perhaps Sony should apologise for him and NMS. They have published this thing and did not bother to check the game before release.

Sony have pretty much washed their hands of this mess. It ain't gonna happen.
 

spannicus

Member
Zero empathy for some screwball who gets The Man involved to investigate a video game. Previews showed folks shooting rocks. Folks so mad We can't shoot rocks together...zZz. Dorrito Pope playing Inside Man after Titanfall II advertisment. This guy's stuff always feels DOA.

Murray, let me get one them Coronas

I'm sure Sony is regretting that one of the first things you see when starting the game is "Sony Interactive Entertainment Presents".
Lmao
 
bought into the hype around NMS and picked it up. Didn't like it much at all and thought the mismarketing was p fucked. At the same time I don't get the vitriol. It's fucked up for sure, and I do feel burned. But I also just can't let myself feel that mad about it. Idk just putting so much energy into hating this game and its creator when you could be focused on games you actually enjoy
 

xevis

Banned
> NMS is a stunning achievement and tireless sacrifice was made to bring it to life
...
> NMS is unfinished and repetitive and I told you so Sean Murray

Dorito Pope Journalism.
 

Oersted

Member
People should really stop blaming Sony about NMS.
Sean himself said that the agreement with Sony was only for the marketing part and even though Sony offered to help with the development he denied.

It might have been beneficial if they would have controlled a product more they heavily advertised.
 
> NMS is a stunning achievement and tireless sacrifice was made to bring it to life
...
> NMS is unfinished and repetitive and I told you so Sean Murray

Dorito Pope Journalism.

Honestly most games are exactly that. An impressive feat due to a huge effort with amazing elements that stand beside glaring flaws. I appreciate when both can be considered at once.
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
RG0BS1U.gif


Explains a lot. Instead of being open to constructive criticism, Murray chose to just marinate in his narcissistic megalomania.

Sure (although between saying he is a megalomaniac narcissist and con artist), I think we are still exaggerating , but if Geoff can only speak up months after the product went on sale... it also tells you something about the state of games journalism too and its independence from the game publishers.
 
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