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[SneakersSO]

My problem with how MS handles new IP compared to Sony, is that MS never gives them time to cultivate.

The throw massive marketing behind a new IP, and I get the impression that if the game doesnt sell gangbusters, they will never make another one.

Theres a lot of Sony games that had OK starts (this is all subjective of course)

Uncharted
Killzone
Infamous
Resistance
Motorstorm

And they pushed forward with all of these to create, I believe, superior follow up games. I wish MS would have more faith like this.

Alan Wake
Lost Odyssey
Crimson Skies (not technically a debut on Xbox)
Sunset Overdrive (maybe sometime)
Ryse

Just some off the top of my head which I believe could have made really superior sequals

From a 1st party portfolio perspective, you're right in that MS is far more likely to drop support for a new IP they helped establish to chase something that might be more popular. They could've paid Crytek to develop a Ryse 2, but instead MS paid for RotR. They could've let The Coalition pursue their new IP, but instead they became a Gears studio.

However, looking at the lowered marketing pushes MS has put forth towards their new IPs in the last year or more, its clear that budgets have gotten a little leaner for MS, and they are now just choosing to push things they know are highlighting & pushing the platform. Compare the push ReCore got, which was the equivalent of being kicked out in front of a live audience, or what Quantum Break got, or what they did for Ryse (webisodes, tons of commericals,etc.) to the ads & stuff they did for SSOD or TF1, and its clear that MS is consolidating their efforts behind their bigger, known heavy hitter versus their new titles & IP attempts.

This is actually a huge problem for MS, because some of the IP they have been trying to push are things that normally do well in WW markets on their competitors platform, and in order to reach that audience, they're gonna have to spend the ad money to do so. Take a game like Scalebound - everything I see about the title lends me to believe that it would be much more welcome on PC or PS than on the Xbox installbase. Not only that, but with Scalebound specifically, it just seems like they are completely leaving that game by the wayside outside of press conference presentations.

If you compare the sort of push they gave Halo 5, are giving Gears 4, that they give each year's Forza release, or whatever 3rd party deal they have managed to secure, and I think its safe to say that MS really isn't prioritizing their own efforts unless they can already tell the title is making a huge PR splash for them. What this means for Xbox fans is that the games they are going out & supporting on behalf of MS, like ReCore or QB, are far less likely to get sequels because the only people who are showing up for those games are the Xbox faithful and no one else. This is in stark contrast to the sort of ad campaigns MS ran during the 360 era when it came to new IP. Look at what the original Gears got, or several other MS owned IP that either got created or refreshed during that era.

 

[ebevan91]

Xbox One needs some more WRPGs. I know (hope) we will get some in the future but I feel like the lack of a good exclusive RPG is what the Xbox is missing the most. We're good on racing games and 1st/3rd person shooters with Halo and Gears. Lots of indie games too (although they aren't my cup of tea).

 

[TheSpecialOne]

Ironically, your username has just described your post.

True story.

 

[theWB27]

From a 1st party portfolio perspective, you're right in that MS is far more likely to drop support for a new IP they helped establish to chase something that might be more popular. They could've paid Crytek to develop a Ryse 2, but instead MS paid for RotR. They could've let The Coalition pursue their new IP, but instead they became a Gears studio.

However, looking at the lowered marketing pushes MS has put forth towards their new IPs in the last year or more, its clear that budgets have gotten a little leaner for MS, and they are now just choosing to push things they know are highlighting & pushing the platform. Compare the push ReCore got, which was the equivalent of being kicked out in front of a live audience, or what Quantum Break got, or what they did for Ryse (webisodes, tons of commericals,etc.) to the ads & stuff they did for SSOD or TF1, and its clear that MS is consolidating their efforts behind their bigger, known heavy hitter versus their new titles & IP attempts.

This is actually a huge problem for MS, because some of the IP they have been trying to push are things that normally do well in WW markets on their competitors platform, and in order to reach that audience, they're gonna have to spend the ad money to do so. Take a game like Scalebound - everything I see about the title lends me to believe that it would be much more welcome on PC or PS than on the Xbox installbase. Not only that, but with Scalebound specifically, it just seems like they are completely leaving that game by the wayside outside of press conference presentations.

If you compare the sort of push they gave Halo 5, are giving Gears 4, that they give each year's Forza release, or whatever 3rd party deal they have managed to secure, and I think its safe to say that MS really isn't prioritizing their own efforts unless they can already tell the title is making a huge PR splash for them. What this means for Xbox fans is that the games they are going out & supporting on behalf of MS, like ReCore or QB, are far less likely to get sequels because the only people who are showing up for those games are the Xbox faithful and no one else. This is in stark contrast to the sort of ad campaigns MS ran during the 360 era when it came to new IP. Look at what the original Gears got, or several other MS owned IP that either got created or refreshed during that era.

But they tried to buy the Ryse IP and Crytek wouldn't budge.

 

[RoninChaos]

Most people don't fuck with exclusives in the first place this gem unless they are established. Consoles sell because of mutliplatform games and the features they have for their audience. Exclusives are for the niche and as icing.

I think this is pretty true and I think it's indicative of a stagnation problem as a whole. I've played my bone and PS4 less and less because this gem hasn't given me any experiences that I truly feel were new. It feels like the stop gap generation as things were refined rather than redefined by what has been put out this generation.

 

[SneakersSO]

But they tried to buy the Ryse IP and Crytek wouldn't budge.

Crytek, a company who wound up selling assets to CryEngine and sold publishing/development rights to another IP it was actively working on (Homefront 2) in order to keep itself afloat, refused money from one of the largest corporations in the world? I guarantee you Crytek would've sold had MS come with the right price. They were probably just holding out until MS came back with a price they could agree on.

 

[RPS37]

I can see Scalebound turning out like ReCore and I'm starting to get sad.

 

[theWB27]

Crytek, a company who wound up selling assets to CryEngine and sold publishing/development rights to another IP it was actively working on (Homefront 2) in order to keep itself afloat, refused money from one of the largest corporations in the world? I guarantee you Crytek would've sold had MS come with the right price. They were probably just holding out until MS came back with a price they could agree on.

You're right.You guaranteed it. http://www.windowscentral.com/ryse-...ed-due-to-issues-between-microsoft-and-crytek

 

[Formosa]

But Sony has better and far more diverse exclusives.

Hell yes!! It's not even comparable.

 

[SneakersSO]

You're right.You guaranteed it. http://www.windowscentral.com/ryse-...ed-due-to-issues-between-microsoft-and-crytek

Right - so it wasn't Crytek wouldn't budge. It was that They didn't want to give up ownership rights to the Ryse IP. MS had no problem funding the original in their old publishing agreement, nor did they have that problem doing so for a variety of other developers they have worked with in the last few years.

MS could've conceded that point, green lit Ryse 2 with Crytek & allowed Crytek to keep the rights to the franchise, and be done with it.

 

[Alienfan]

*New Multiplayer IPs, MS have basically proved their audience don't give a sh*t about single player games time and time again

 

[theWB27]

Right - so it wasn't Crytek wouldn't budge. It was that They didn't want to give up ownership rights to the Ryse IP. MS had no problem funding the original in their old publishing agreement, nor did they have that problem doing so for a variety of other developers they have worked with in the last few years.

MS could've conceded that point, green lit Ryse 2 with Crytek & allowed Crytek to keep the rights to the franchise, and be done with it.

So they refused money? Microsoft was funding Ryse2 also until they couldn't get a deal done. Thus leading to Crytek not to continue not paying their employees on time while selling all their other assets.

Being able to make some money off an IP while that same buyer company pays your bills sounds like an awesome deal when you're in the situation they were in. You guaranteed that wasn't the case.

 

[LiquidSolid]

Right - so it wasn't Crytek wouldn't budge. It was that They didn't want to give up ownership rights to the Ryse IP. MS had no problem funding the original in their old publishing agreement, nor did they have that problem doing so for a variety of other developers they have worked with in the last few years.

MS could've conceded that point, green lit Ryse 2 with Crytek & allowed Crytek to keep the rights to the franchise, and be done with it.

I actually think we've seen the last of Microsoft funding games they don't own. Sunset Overdrive was the last one they gave up the ownership rights to (which is probably one of the reasons why Sunset Overdrive 2 isn't happening either) and we haven't seen any since, so it seems to me like Phil Spencer has copied Sony's policy of only funding games they own.

Took them long enough if that's the case, you'd think they would've learnt their lesson after Bioware ran off with Mass Effect and Jade Empire. Or just looked back at what happened to Sony when Universal ran off with Crash and Spyro.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

While I don't agree BB is DS4, BB is a fuckton closer to DS than QB is to MP.
Like, not even comparable.

I think he was just highlighting that it was a dumb comparison either way. Might and well say that Bioshock is just System Shock 3 and Lost Odyssey is nothing more than a Final Fantasy instalment. It's idiotic and reductive.

 

[Bioshocker]

I feel a bit... bad... for Microsoft. I was harshly critical of them relying on their very small library of successful IPs going into this generation, and they responded by creating a TON of new IPs... of which almost none of them either were both critical and commercial successes.

The Xbox One has a treasure trove of great new IPs this gen: Ori and the Blind Forest, D4, Sunset Overdrive, Recore, Quantum Break, and upcoming games like Scalebound, Cuphead, and Sea of Thieves. Yet almost universally they've hit the market with no much impact, and that is disappointing.

All it takes is ONE to take off, but that just really hasn't happened. They've had some successes, sure, but nothing trend-setting or system-selling. Not yet.

I kind of agree, and remember that Xbox 360 also had its fair share of unique exclusives that didn't get much attention (Viva Pinata not least). But it has to be good games too. Ori is great, Sunset Overdrive is different and fun but I can understand why it didn't become a huge hit. ReCore seems mediocre, and Quantum Break was good but far from great.

Scalebound feels like it's on the wrong platform to succeed. Maybe Sea of Thieves will take off. I hope for it, although I'm not interested in it myself.

 

[Shin-chan]

I'm kind of shocked that Platinum has been given so much time to make Scalebound really, especially when Recore is such a rush job and would have greatly benefitted from an extra 6-12 months.

How long as that game been in development for? It was originally shown at E3 2014 right?

I remember everyone expecting it to be done for early 2016 because of "how quickly Platinum works" but it's clearly proving difficult for them - not to mention the rough gameplay we've been shown so far.

 

[FelipeMGM]

Xbox One needs some more WRPGs. I know (hope) we will get some in the future but I feel like the lack of a good exclusive RPG is what the Xbox is missing the most. We're good on racing games and 1st/3rd person shooters with Halo and Gears. Lots of indie games too (although they aren't my cup of tea).

I always found it weird that MS didnt pursue more first party WRPGs, it was one of the big things the OG Xbox was known for and it was an amazing lineup IMO. And on 360 third parties WRPG sold amazingly well, so I never undestood why they never really funded and pushed any besides Fable

I'm kind of shocked that Platinum has been given so much time to make Scalebound really, especially when Recore is such a rush job and would have greatly benefitted from an extra 6-12 months.

How long as that game been in development for? It was originally shown at E3 2014 right?

I remember everyone expecting it to be done for early 2016 because of "how quickly Platinum works" but it's clearly proving difficult for them - not to mention the rough gameplay we've been shown so far.

Yep, shown in E32014, along with Crackdown 3

Spoiler

and Phantom Dust

 

[Novocaine]

I'm kind of shocked that Platinum has been given so much time to make Scalebound really, especially when Recore is such a rush job and would have greatly benefitted from an extra 6-12 months.

How long as that game been in development for? It was originally shown at E3 2014 right?

I remember everyone expecting it to be done for early 2016 because of "how quickly Platinum works" but it's clearly proving difficult for them - not to mention the rough gameplay we've been shown so far.

Platinum probably has a lot more sway than Armature.

 

[Shin-chan]

My point is the dev shouldn't need sway or pull - Microsoft should be able to see for themselves that more time and resources can turn a rough little game into a polished little game. Recore did not need to come out last week. It could have waited until March or anything really.

I get that Scalebound is supposed to be a much bigger deal to them, but that's not really an excuse for short changing Armature and being cheap with them. Not to mention the inevitable fact of Scalebound bombing relative to its budget.

Edit: and this isn't the first time this gen we've seen Microsoft wanting everything on the cheap - just look at their totally reasonable expectations for the Phantom Dust reboot. There's definitely a tightening of the belt buckles over there when it comes to first party development.

 

[Kill3r7]

My point is the dev shouldn't need sway or pull - Microsoft should be able to see for themselves that more time and resources can turn a rough little game into a polished little game. Recore did not need to come out last week. It could have waited until March or anything really.

I get that Scalebound is supposed to be a much bigger deal to them, but that's not really an excuse for short changing Armature and being cheap with them. Not to mention the inevitable fact of Scalebound bombing relative to its budget.

Edit: and this isn't the first time this gen we've seen Microsoft wanting everything on the cheap - just look at their totally reasonable expectations for the Phantom Dust reboot. There's definitely a tightening of the belt buckles over there when it comes to first party development.

To be fair, what would have been ReCore's ceiling? Maybe half or a third of the sales of R&C. Would another year of development costs justified the expense? Probably not.

 

[Shin-chan]

To be fair, what would have been ReCore's ceiling? Maybe half or a third of the sales of R&C. Would another year of development costs justified the expense? Probably not.

A year is excessive I agree. The main point was that it should have been given enough time to make a polished product at least. That's how franchises are nurtured etc.

 

[sirronoh]

My point is the dev shouldn't need sway or pull - Microsoft should be able to see for themselves that more time and resources can turn a rough little game into a polished little game. Recore did not need to come out last week. It could have waited until March or anything really.

I get that Scalebound is supposed to be a much bigger deal to them, but that's not really an excuse for short changing Armature and being cheap with them. Not to mention the inevitable fact of Scalebound bombing relative to its budget.

Edit: and this isn't the first time this gen we've seen Microsoft wanting everything on the cheap - just look at their totally reasonable expectations for the Phantom Dust reboot. There's definitely a tightening of the belt buckles over there when it comes to first party development.

To be fair, the assumption that a rough game can be delayed to make it better seems like it should be common sense but I don't think that's always the case. I have no idea what happened to Recore but when it comes to these situations, there are a few reasons why a publisher (in this case Microsoft) may choose not to delay what could be perceived as a game that needs more development time.

So first, time is money. The developers have to be paid during that extra development time. Microsoft could've determined that the extra costs of paying the staff for their work to make the game better would not offset the increase in sales from a more polished game whenever it gets released.

Second, delaying the game may increase its quality but that doesn't necessarily mean it will increase its sales when it does come out. Not only does Microsoft have to front the additional development costs, their forecasting team may determine that they would make even less sales releasing in February 2017 than just releasing in September 2016.

Finally, the games industry is a project based industry. For all we know, the developers may have already had other projects baked into their development schedule after Recore's September launch and delaying that game would also mean delaying other projects.

So there's always a lot to think about it when it comes to delaying a game. Some publishers decide that it's worth it -- some don't. In Recore's case, for whatever reason, the game wasn't delayed and we got what we got so we'll have to live with that unfortunately.

 

[Shin-chan]

snip

Some very good points there. I still think that portraying Recore as a much bigger project than it was was a little deceptive given the limited scope we now know it was afforded.

We're discussing the development of new IP and I just don't think that's the way to go about it - if you want to make a splash you need to put the effort in and I really don't think they did with Recore from the get go.

 

[Primethius]

I'm not really sure as to what the point of the article exactly is and I've read it a couple of times now.

Investing in new IPs is good because they break away from the established tent poles? Well yea. Don't think anyone's going to argue to the contrary.

Success of the XB1 is going to ride on new IPs? Nah. Most of the new IPs have pretty much flopped, even Recore that just came out. Looking towards the future, Sea of Thieves has a chance at success but Scalebound is going to bomb so hard.

I sure wouldn't want MS's console success to ride on titles like Scalebound, Recore and Sea of Thieves.

 

[LiquidSolid]

I'm kind of shocked that Platinum has been given so much time to make Scalebound really, especially when Recore is such a rush job and would have greatly benefitted from an extra 6-12 months.

How long as that game been in development for? It was originally shown at E3 2014 right?

I remember everyone expecting it to be done for early 2016 because of "how quickly Platinum works" but it's clearly proving difficult for them - not to mention the rough gameplay we've been shown so far.

Wonderful 101 came out in August 2013, so development presumably started sometime around then. All three of those E3 2014 announcements were announced absurdly early, which is why CG trailers was all they had.

 

[Coxy100]

Xbox One needs some more WRPGs. I know (hope) we will get some in the future but I feel like the lack of a good exclusive RPG is what the Xbox is missing the most. We're good on racing games and 1st/3rd person shooters with Halo and Gears. Lots of indie games too (although they aren't my cup of tea).

Aye

Fable...

 

[Shin-chan]

Wonderful 101 came out in August 2013, so development presumably started sometime around then. All three of those E3 2014 announcements were announced absurdly early, which is why CG trailers was all they had.

I mean, yeah, that E3 was like "shit, just throw everything we've got out there - yes, even Phantom Dust even though it's already cancelled internally". And since then they've had very little to announce.

 

[Zedox]

Looking towards the future, Sea of Thieves has a chance at success but Scalebound is going to bomb so hard.

Oh? What makes you think that?

 

[Primethius]

Oh? What makes you think that?

Kamiya game.
Japanese game.
Xbox audience.

 

[Ushay]

I think Halo continues to be an amazing franchise, so it will definitely continue to be a crucial part of any kind of success that Xbox hopes to achieve. Halo 5 was probably easily my favorite Halo title by far The only thing I could possibly hope to have more of is more Master Chief and Blue Team. And so, if only for that reason, Halo 4 might hold a special place for me as far as favorite Halo games is concerned. Make no mistake, though, Halo 5 is the superior overall game.

I have to disagree here Senju, I feel like Halo 5 was a mixed product. The multiplayer was the best it's ever been whereas the single player campaign was a misfire for what the series should have delivered. It was a good game, could have been great. Something I'm hoping 343 are taking to heart with the next game in the series.

Microsoft is going to have to come out with a more diverse lineup, in order to win me back as a gamer. The Halo, Forza, Gears routine is what drove me away 2/3 through the 360's lifecycle. It was stale. They've done better this gen -- they've tried at least, although most of their efforts have flopped.

I need them to open up beyond the US/UK crowd they cater to. I need them to include more of the weird, creative, unique, and often Japanese games that you see on the Playstation. Games like Persona, Nier, Gravity Rush, TLG, Yakuza. They need to match Sony on the indie front, too.

I totally agree, but they don't need to match Sony, rather differentiate in a good way. They should take some calculated risks such as..
- MMO Shooter (RPG), Division royally screwed up so there is a proven market here MS can capitalise on, plus it's their forte
- Banjo AAA platformer, again it's a calculated and there is known demand for this
- New WRPG IP, Fable is damaged goods so a new RPG to fill the void would make sense, we know the demand is there
- Niche reboots of games that were known classics like Jade Empire, Phantom Dust, KOTOR and Condemned.

These are just a couple examples of what they could do with IP.

Really? I dont know one person with an xbox in AU

I know 1 PS player and 10+ Xbox players (UK), social circles and all..

 

[Mikey Jr.]

Imagine destiny being an XB1 exclusive?

I wonder if Ms made the right move with bungie. No halo, but you get destiny exclusive instead.

Destiny 2 has the potential to be a massive hit. Maybe even bigger than halo 5?

 

[N.Domixis]

Imagine destiny being an XB1 exclusive?

I wonder if Ms made the right move with bungie. No halo, but you get destiny exclusive instead.

Destiny 2 has the potential to be a massive hit. Maybe even bigger than halo 5?

Whatever happens Sony getting Destiny marketing for who knows how long is one of the biggest shocks this gen. All the hype of it being timed exclusive to Xbox 1 to them be a Sony partner. WoW.

 

[Mikey Jr.]

Whatever happens Sony getting Destiny marketing for who knows how long is one of the biggest shocks this gen. All the hype of it being timed exclusive to Xbox 1 to them be a Sony partner. WoW.

I think Activision had a big part with that.

If bungie went with ea or Ubisoft, that marketing would be more up in the air.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

Bullet point strategy for most of the studios they actually own, sequels sequels and more sequels. I got bored of that during the latter years of 360 so to see it continue on Xbox One is disappointing for me but at the end of the day it's business. Rare is a welcome exception, Sea of Thieves looks promising imo.

A lot of their stuff with regards to new IP is branched out to studios/devs they don't own and they have had mixed results.

I would like to see them expand 343 and Coalition a little, give em a shot at a new IP like Naughty Dog does, more than one franchise.

.

 

[ironcreed]

Bring them is all I can say. We shall see.

 

[N.Domixis]

I think Activision had a big part with that.

If bungie went with ea or Ubisoft, that marketing would be more up in the air.

I don't know at that point in time MS still had Cod marketing. Now Sony has that too. Sony partnering with Activision made my dreams come true. Crash is Back.

 

[PanicFreak]

Right - so it wasn't Crytek wouldn't budge. It was that They didn't want to give up ownership rights to the Ryse IP. MS had no problem funding the original in their old publishing agreement, nor did they have that problem doing so for a variety of other developers they have worked with in the last few years.

MS could've conceded that point, green lit Ryse 2 with Crytek & allowed Crytek to keep the rights to the franchise, and be done with it.

They could have. Crytek could have given up the rights too. Either way, neither party got exactly what they wanted and Ryse 2 hasn't happened.

 

[labaronx]

Microsoft e3 annoncements have been weak compared to sony for most of the gen so far in my opinion and its hurting the buildup for their games...

Could recore have been revealed a little bit better? I mean we got a cgi trailer in 2015 and then almost nothing but shinobi hints for almost a full year, then hey here's recore again oh yeah its coming out in 3 months

Conversely....

Sony showed horizon zero dawn at e3 2015 with gameplay footage and are about 6 months out from launch and i feel ive seen more of this game than recore and scalebound combined in the last year.

 

[rokkerkory]

Microsoft e3 annoncements have been weak compared to sony for most of the gen so far in my opinion and its hurting the buildup for their games...

Could recore have been revealed a little bit better? I mean we got a cgi trailer in 2015 and then almost nothing but shinobi hints for almost a full year, then hey here's recore again oh yeah its coming out in 3 months

Conversely....

Sony showed horizon zero dawn at e3 2015 with gameplay footage and are about 6 months out from launch and i feel ive seen more of this game than recore and scalebound combined in the last year.

Your idea is true but comparing a B game to a AAA game is not quite apples to apples.

Horizon was also delayed and from E3 to time it launches is like 10 months in duration.

 

[labaronx]

Your idea is true but comparing a B game to a AAA game is not quite apples to apples.

Horizon was also delayed and from E3 to time it launches is like 10 months in duration.

Technically yes horizon was delayed but also nobody knew what recore was up until late march with the shinobi leaks, when people were questioning if it was an xbox live title several people said it was a full priced $60 game, and thats essentially the problem, we didnt get any previews, no hands on footage from journalist, nothing for almost a year. Thats a problem and a problem Microsoft continues to have in my opinion. Where is my crackdown, when do we get a preview of the phantom dust remaster. They cant keep going radio silent on their non gears/halo/forza exclusives and complain when they dont sell. Even the lead up to quantum break was kinda lackluster from them... in my opinion of course

 

[LordBaztion]

Microsoft e3 annoncements have been weak compared to sony for most of the gen so far in my opinion and its hurting the buildup for their games...

Could recore have been revealed a little bit better? I mean we got a cgi trailer in 2015 and then almost nothing but shinobi hints for almost a full year, then hey here's recore again oh yeah its coming out in 3 months

Conversely....

Sony showed horizon zero dawn at e3 2015 with gameplay footage and are about 6 months out from launch and i feel ive seen more of this game than recore and scalebound combined in the last year.

Announcing Recore with gameplay would have just killed the expectation for the game. The game looks very low budget and would have been treated as an indie by the public. They sold the game on the developers' name which I think is the best they could do.

Scalebound its a case, they seem to not figure out how to sell the game. It doesn't have an interesting world or story to hook. Gameplay doesn't seem to be appealing enough to back the game on it. For instance in The Witcher and Dragon Age you have the world and the story to base your marketing. With Automata you have a flashy combat. I don't doubt Scalebound will be a good game but MS seems to be having a difficult time marketing the game. Or they are prioritizing their reuced budget on the development (which would be awesome).

Horizon was an excelent reveal, as good as Titanfall's. Its always better to show something with gameplay but, unless there is a hook to that gameplay formula, it won't do nothing. Sony 2016 has been probably as good as MS 2013, both reveals with concrete gameplay and many trailers.

 

[labaronx]

Announcing Recore with gameplay would have just killed the expectation for the game. The game looks very low budget and would have been treated as an indie by the public. They sold the game on the developers' name which I think is the best they could do.

Scalebound its a case, they seem to not figure out how to sell the game. It doesn't have an interesting world or story to hook. Gameplay doesn't seem to be appealing enough to back the game on it. For instance in The Witcher and Dragon Age you have the world and the story to base your marketing. With Automata you have a flashy combat. I don't doubt Scalebound will be a good game but MS seems to be having a difficult time marketing the game. Or they are prioritizing their reuced budget on the development (which would be awesome).

Horizon was an excelent reveal, as good as Titanfall's. Its always better to show something with gameplay but, unless there is a hook to that gameplay formula, it won't do nothing. Sony 2016 has been probably as good as MS 2013, both reveals with concrete gameplay and many trailers.

I can understand not being able to properly market a game, i do. But doesn't revealing a game and letting people speculate what the game is for a full year, do more harm than good. Some people were expecting a metroid game, some were expecting something similar to borderlands honestly. Having people speculate for a long time and then finally revealing what it is could certainly be a hype killer.

Take sonys e3 god of war reveal, sony couldve just gone cgi but they didn't and revealed upfront some gameplay changes, mainly the combat and camera, some fans of the previous games may have been turned of by the new combat, but it also grabbed the attention of new people to the series, now sony has subsequently now until release (?) To court pack the old fans theyve lost while appealing to newer potential fans of the series...

 

[Strootman]

Come on phil, give us dat Game of Thrones AAA RPG and you will be forever in our heart.

 

[LordBaztion]

I can understand not being able to properly market a game, i do. But doesn't revealing a game and letting people speculate what the game is for a full year, do more harm than good. Some people were expecting a metroid game, some were expecting something similar to borderlands honestly. Having people speculate for a long time and then finally revealing what it is could certainly be a hype killer.

Take sonys e3 god of war reveal, sony couldve just gone cgi but they didn't and revealed upfront some gameplay changes, mainly the combat and camera, some fans of the previous games may have been turned of by the new combat, but it also grabbed the attention of new people to the series, now sony has subsequently now until release (?) To court pack the old fans theyve lost while appealing to newer potential fans of the series...

First of all, yes MS announces things way too early but I think its because they are in pressure to show something. Scalebound, Crackdown, Recore, Quantum Break and Phantom Dust, all probably were announced soon after the publishing deal was closed (PD even before that, lol).

I think it would have actually hurt the game if they would have reinforce those expectations. I don't think letting people speculate was something wrong for the game, on the contrary, I think MS won exposure with the idea of recore wandering around people that isn't their core audience. If they would have told what the game was about from the begining it wouldn't have even got the interest of that segment. What I do think killed the expectation for the game was the gameplay footage.

I don't think God of War's reveal could actually be comparable. For being a GoW game it inmediatly gathers the interest of the fans but with its mechanics gathers the interest of more people. Now take out the game being a GoW, it would only gather the interest of light RPG fans. Ultimatelly, I think what gathers more expectations is the presentation and production values, in other words, if the game is AAA or not (note that I'm talking about the general public not the smaller segment of enthusiasts in this forum).