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Stormlands and the million-man raid: Obsidian's cancelled Xbox One exclusive
- Thread starter LordOfLore
- Start date
I don't think anyone is going to be thrilled about a highlight reel like that after the first time. Interesting concept but not really practical.
You really have to applaud Obsidian for doing everything in their power to stay independent despite all the hardships they've faced. I believe it's that independent status which have allowed them to maintain the core design priorities that often result in fantastic RPGs, unlike the pivot to mainstream design goals that turned what once were fantastic RPG developers to mediocre ones.
I'm really hoping the end of this Obsidian media blitz results in the announcement of the Cain/Boyarsky project.
I'm really hoping the end of this Obsidian media blitz results in the announcement of the Cain/Boyarsky project.
Vulcano's assistant
Banned
Fuck, some of that stuff makes think of Prince of Persia meets Mask of the Betrayer.
RedSparrows
Member
I think there is a lot of potential in improving 'post game' 'storytelling', from EUIV's generated histories to Overwatch's POTG.
Kenzodielocke
Banned
killatopak
Gold Member
I don't like the art direction but it isn't what obsidian is known for anyway.
Alexander DeLarge
Member
This dedication is great but it also means every project is a calculated risk and one bad project can sink the entire company.
NippleViking
Banned
With how Destiny, Anthem, Divison have taken off, their dearth of exclusives, and move toward 'games as a service', I feel as though MS may regret cancelling this (based on absolutely nothing but the above).
MosquitoSmasher
Member
So the high demands from MS with that Kinect bullshit were the biggest reasons? No time to fully read it now but a summary?
Drillary Clinton
Banned
I'm so thankful that Obsidian is still around. They really have been thru some shit as a developer.
Some Nobody
Junior Member
Looking at what they have in this article, I feel comfortable saying cancelling this was a bad move. This game didn't even have to be great. It just needed to look like something that with a sequel would've been "something really special", as they say. At the beginning of console generations you're rarely ever looking for a great game, just something decent enough to be worth playing on your shiny new system.
In time they could have gotten a sequel together that contained many of the (less stupid) ideas. But more importantly they would have created a new IP, which is something that XB1 desperately needs. Yeah at the time there was no way they could know that so many of their big ideas would either get canceled or be poorly received, but that's why your higher-ups get paid so much.
In time they could have gotten a sequel together that contained many of the (less stupid) ideas. But more importantly they would have created a new IP, which is something that XB1 desperately needs. Yeah at the time there was no way they could know that so many of their big ideas would either get canceled or be poorly received, but that's why your higher-ups get paid so much.
NippleViking
Banned
Impossible deadline. Lots of unfocused features and demands - many of which were experimental, and thus unwieldy. Unreal Engine 4 was still in transition then, and not yet viable for 'next-gen' development.
More staff was thrown at it, which ultimately stymied development. Shut it down in 2012.
Looking at what they have in this article, I feel comfortable saying cancelling this was a bad move. This game didn't even have to be great. It just needed to look like something that with a sequel would've been "something really special", as they say. At the beginning of console generations you're rarely ever looking for a great game, just something decent enough to be worth playing on your shiny new system.
In time they could have gotten a sequel together that contained many of the (less stupid) ideas. But more importantly they would have created a new IP, which is something that XB1 desperately needs. Yeah at the time there was no way they could know that so many of their big ideas would either get canceled or be poorly received, but that's why your higher-ups get paid so much.
I agree, but by all accounts it wouldn't have been anywhere near ready for launch. It would have launched like the Order - a tech demo, 15 months too late.
MosquitoSmasher
Member
Ah man, a damn shame. The screenshots still look great for a rather old game. Wonder if they could maybe bring it back and take all the time they need.
Some Nobody
Junior Member
I think a lot of that would be because of the unrealistic demands. If MS had been okay with a shrunken scope, it could've made it out by early 2014--within the launch window of XB1. With Dragon Age several months off and The Witcher not hitting until the next year, they could have carved out a nice little portion of the RPG crowd for themselves. By now we could've been anticipating Stormlands 2 for next year, and that could've been the more ambitious game they hoped for.
Microsoft was so busy trying to make an "experience" that they seemingly got in the way of Obsidian making a "game".
flaxknuckles
Member
What the heck is with Microsoft and wanting to shove multiplayer in the weirdest places
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
I dunno, this sounds similar to Destiny in a lot of ways.
MosquitoSmasher
Member
I've always been under the impression that Obsidian's RPG was for 360. It was actually Xbox One, wtf man.
That is definitely possible. They would have taken a risk with the first one, but that's what Sony did too with the first Uncharted, The Last of Us and Horizon. There was no certainty this would sell amazingly well, but they did. MS definitely needs to take some more risks. As much as i like the system and services, i really hate some of the choices that have been made by MS through the years, whether they were warranted or not. True Fantasy Online, greenlighting Fable Legends instead of simply Fable 4 and then later on canning it and closing Lionhead, Closing Press Play, Scalebound cancelation and this.
That is definitely possible. They would have taken a risk with the first one, but that's what Sony did too with the first Uncharted, The Last of Us and Horizon. There was no certainty this would sell amazingly well, but they did. MS definitely needs to take some more risks. As much as i like the system and services, i really hate some of the choices that have been made by MS through the years, whether they were warranted or not. True Fantasy Online, greenlighting Fable Legends instead of simply Fable 4 and then later on canning it and closing Lionhead, Closing Press Play, Scalebound cancelation and this.
Fantastapotamus
Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
Man, there are a lot of Obsidian news lately.
This sounds both interesting and not what I want from an Obsidian game but who knows
This sounds both interesting and not what I want from an Obsidian game but who knows
Yui's Empire
Member
Looking at what they have in this article, I feel comfortable saying cancelling this was a bad move. This game didn't even have to be great. It just needed to look like something that with a sequel would've been "something really special", as they say. At the beginning of console generations you're rarely ever looking for a great game, just something decent enough to be worth playing on your shiny new system.
In time they could have gotten a sequel together that contained many of the (less stupid) ideas. But more importantly they would have created a new IP, which is something that XB1 desperately needs. Yeah at the time there was no way they could know that so many of their big ideas would either get canceled or be poorly received, but that's why your higher-ups get paid so much.
Basically it could have been like Destiny in a variety of ways. The first game wouldn't have delivered most of the promises, but they'd have years again to get closer to the original pitch if the game sells well anyway, and as a close to launch exclusive online-focused action RPG by a known developer it probably would have done well. Shame some promising games got cancelled but it takes balls to cut the losses and not cash in on sub-par products just to have a couple exclusives more.
Some Nobody
Junior Member
Worth mentioning, for all the people wondering if this is leading towards new information.
It's in the article, but I know a lot of people don't click through.
It's in the article, but I know a lot of people don't click through.
Yui's Empire
Member
To be fair, Scalebound was in development for long and was not looking hot or running decently after tons of money and time thrown at it. A disappointing game would have helped no one really.
Some Nobody
Junior Member
Does it? Sometimes you don't know how well a given thing is going to work until you try it. I don't mind a developer trying their best but the first game is a "test run" while the second game is a polished, focused title incorporating fan feedback.
We're not just talking about exclusives, we're talking about IPs. Microsoft right now is a Forza/Halo/Gears house, and that's not a good idea. Too much has been canceled, not enough risks have been taken. There are always people who just "assume" businesses know when the right time to cancel a game is, but if that's the case they'd know whether or not a game was going to be mediocre in general. Which means someone should probably explain what happened with Quantum Break.
Most of their canceled titles have come from trying to create experiences, not games. They ask for too many features in a given game then cancel it when it can't hit milestones. Of course they can't, you want to play movies after randomly-generated raids that focus on each individual player. How much time would you have to burn for that instead of just making sure you've got an open-world RPG people really want to play?
MosquitoSmasher
Member
MS is looking....what is meant here?
If i was Phil Spencer i'd try to make a deal with them again. Kinect is gone, so that's of no concern. Let them make a game like Witcher 3, RPG solely for singleplayer or perhaps bring Stormlands back and if they lack a big enough team let a few of MS' own developers help out. They are doing that for PUBG arent they?
Very true man. That's the thing, we have no idea if it was looking good or bad before cancelation. It looked great to me in the first gameplay video but that was then and just only a small clip of a huge game. It's still disappointing what happened though, no matter who's at fault here.
Some Nobody
Junior Member
Likely that MS is still open to developers outside of their own company to publish games for. It makes sense. Nintendo and Sony are loaded down with studios but Microsoft only has a handful.
Yui's Empire
Member
I wanted Scalebound to be amazing, but nothing they showed looked as good as I hoped. Seems to me it was an overly ambitious project for a developer used to fairly straightforward if very unique action games.
Yeah, it sounds a lot like Microsoft was trying to force Kinect, power of the cloud and TV into an Obsidian game. They need to get back to approving games instead of trends. It would have been very cool to have an exclusive Obsidian single player RPG on Xbox One, just like Bioware's games did a lot for Xbox/360 earlier, but that obviously wasn't enough any longer.
Dee Dah Dave
Member
Shame none of teh cloud stuff never really materialised, it was the chance to give us genuinely new experiences. These last few years have just been last gen games with better graphics, barely anyone has pushed any boundaries.
Probably because they didn't sell 100 million consoles in the first week like Mattrick dreamt was going to happen.
Probably because they didn't sell 100 million consoles in the first week like Mattrick dreamt was going to happen.
TheUnsunghero26
Member
Such a damn shame this was canceled. Microsoft needs someone to fill the BioWare-Shaped hole that was left in their portfolio, and Obsidian would have been perfect. New Vegas is one of my favourite RPGs of all time, I would love to see Obsidian do another AAA game. Sounds like Microsoft wanted Obsidian to deliver too much with too little time.
Reading this definitely left me feeling more optimistic about both Microsoft and Obsidian's future. I would have thought a future partnership would have been off the table after Stormland's cancellation. Good to hear that may not be the case.
Reading this definitely left me feeling more optimistic about both Microsoft and Obsidian's future. I would have thought a future partnership would have been off the table after Stormland's cancellation. Good to hear that may not be the case.
SomedayTheFire
Member
...Anthem?
MosquitoSmasher
Member
That's good yeah. Right now it seems that even though Xbox players really are wishing for new IP, MS seems to be fine with having the Halo/Gears/Forza and best for multiplatform games system. And with what MS recently said about smaller games....i'm not expecting a whole lot of change. However i think that was about their own developers. Not about a studio such as Obsidian for example.
Yeah definitely. It was going to be a open world action RPG but we barely got to see any of that, plus the several delays.
That's definitely positive. But if a future partnership happens i just hope MS let's them do their thing and no crazy demands or whatsoever. If Obsidian wants to make it SP only, let them MS. Witcher 3 showed how succesful a SP only RPG can be. But something that is focused on both SP and MP i can see happening too, i mean Cyberpunk will have MP things too after all.
Either way, i wonder if these two already have some things in mind or maybe Obsidian is just saying future deals/partnerships can definitely happen. It's a much better situatuion than what happened between MS and Level 5 though, that's for sure.
Jaguar Victory
Member
I'm convinced that a big reason why MS doesn't have more internal studios is because MS is a big tech company with global internal wage/hours policies that would make it too expensive.
Besides the edited video which honestly, who cares about, this doesnt sound all that different to that shitty MMO that ran alongside that crummy sci fi show. I'd remember there were events (bosses) in that game you raced towards, and then fought together in large groups.
This just sounds incredibly lacklustre for what you would exoect from the then much touted "power of the cloud"...i mean, 40 man boss fights? Really? Lol
This just sounds incredibly lacklustre for what you would exoect from the then much touted "power of the cloud"...i mean, 40 man boss fights? Really? Lol
Yui's Empire
Member
Microsoft apparently tried to make the next big RPG, not unlike what they had as an exclusive-ish Mass Effect last generation. Scalebound was just not becoming anything worthwhile (apparently) despite tons of resources, and this Obsidian game could have been good, but probably far from the initial pitches - as I said, Destiny got away with it so who knows how this one would have fared.
I don't think MS has been doing a shabby job with exclusives and game experiences, but nowadays selling different stuff doesn't really work in many ways. Sunset Overdrive was fantastic but it wasn't the usual gritty Xbox action title and nobody bought it. Quantum Break was great but the 60$ 8 hours single player game is no more - either you shoehorn multiplayer (almost shocked MS didn't do that) or make it open world. We also had the amazing Ori, the fun Ryse (linear but can be rather exciting), upcoming indie greatness in Cuphead and Below. And while the console's relatively small install base resizes the franchises' potential, Forza, Gears and Halo are better now than they were for quite a few chapters. All 3 games' latest installment is arguably quite a lot better than the prior 2.
What do they miss is Japanese games like Blue Dragon or Eternal Sonata on X360 and RPGs in general. As an X1 owner I'd gladly jump into something like Kingdoms of Amalur if it existed here, but it doesn't really. Other than this I think they're doing a fine job, I own hundreds of games on X1 and I honestly don't care which ones are also available on PS4, it changes nothing in my enjoyment with it. It's too bad however that the whole "no games" belief is real: there ARE many great games, just their size are perceived differently compared to Sony's. The Order is probably more known here in Europe compared to Forza Horizon 3, which says a lot about perception.
Team Andromeda
Member
So sad MS never had the balls to stick with the XBox One being always online. Cloud could have been something different and special
Not that bothered about this game being canceled more so after Obsidian screwed SEGA despite SEGA putting a ton of cash and effort in alpha protocol
Not that bothered about this game being canceled more so after Obsidian screwed SEGA despite SEGA putting a ton of cash and effort in alpha protocol
The problem with MS and their exclusive output is that they're at the stage where they need to bring in new blood, and making sequels to the exact same games isn't going to convince anyone. Do you honestly think gears of war 5 is going to make someone who doesn't like gears of war care about xbox? Now, sony do this too with The likes of GT and god of war, but they also introduce a lot of new IP's every gen to do exactly what i'm talking about, and they keep doing it regardless of success. MS seem to try it once or twice and then fall back on their pillar franchises. Pillar frinchises only xbox fans really care about...and guess what? They already own the machine that plays them. MS need a good exclusive output that goes beyond the usual. But i just don't see that ever happening. They've become like nintendo in a way. They're so laser focused on appeasing their current fanbase they're blind to the potential buyers who want something other than halo, gears or forza.
Eh that initial premise doesn't sound great when you really think about it. Sure the first time would be amazing but I've played plenty of MMO's that have public events. They get boring. It's not something to hang the game around. The game would need to be a very good multiplayer RPG in itself
Team Andromeda
Member
Its works for Nintendo, but I forget it's ok for Nintendo to make endless sequels cancel games, leave developers in terrible place, just not MS. The XBox has had quite a number of new games but they haven't worked out ...
My issue with MS is they don't show any faith in an IP or stick with it. RECORE is a fab game and where a sequel to fix many of its issues and it could be a classic, but MS don't stick with any IP that doesn't sell (even if there's load of potential)