Of all their announced games, State of Decay 2 has the most potential to be a big hit. A lot of folks have been saying so because it's true. Jank and all, the original was well liked by many people and that type of open-world co-op game has only gotten more popular since.
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Microsoft Studios (& Partners) Current and Future Landscape
- Thread starter Banjo-Kazooie
- Start date
There's some cool info there. I'm glad the guy downplayed his role with WoW when the interviewer talked about his role with World of Warcraft development as "co-creator." Class act.
FonkyByNature
Member
Bloodwake would be great but i'd prefer something more colorful and happy like Kinect Sports Jet Ski game...made with easy controls, simple menus and badass arcade racing action.
CrimsonEclipse
Member
Looks really good, can't wait to find out more.
PanicFreak
Member
Oh fuck yeah! After dipping into State of Decay again (and reading up on it more so that I knew what to do), State of Decay 2 has become my most anticipated title of the year. I can't wait for E3 to learn more!
JayhawkerStL
Banned
A 4K HDR version of Hydro Thunder would not be bad thing at all.
FonkyByNature
Member
That also sounds good. The thing with a jet ski game is the air control, the special tricks that you do outside water and in the water + it can add kicks when an opponent comes too close and cool stuff like that. I just think it has more personality...
But yeah, a water racing game would be fun. I'm still playing Hydro Thunder on my XB1... game's so good !
JayhawkerStL
Banned
Complete specualtion, but as I was reading over the last couple of pages, I have to wonder if there were some games MS have been holding back so that they have a nice suite of games to show off for Scorpio. The best way to show off Scorpio is to show off games that scream eye candy and action.
We know we will get Forza, and probably a Halo tease, at the very least, but I expect there are some big surprises coming. I suspected Crackdown was getting pushed back just to take advantage of Scorpio, so it would n't surprise me if other games that had not been announced also got pushed back.
I'm suspecting that Microsoft is trying to make Scorpio a new generation console without having to say it. While Crackdown, Forza, and everything else will be fully playable on the XB1, i won't be surprised if gamers see Scorpio as the destination system.
It really depends on price, obviously. If Scorpio is looking at $500, or more, then it will have a very minor impact. If they get it to $400 or less, then it is go time.
We know we will get Forza, and probably a Halo tease, at the very least, but I expect there are some big surprises coming. I suspected Crackdown was getting pushed back just to take advantage of Scorpio, so it would n't surprise me if other games that had not been announced also got pushed back.
I'm suspecting that Microsoft is trying to make Scorpio a new generation console without having to say it. While Crackdown, Forza, and everything else will be fully playable on the XB1, i won't be surprised if gamers see Scorpio as the destination system.
It really depends on price, obviously. If Scorpio is looking at $500, or more, then it will have a very minor impact. If they get it to $400 or less, then it is go time.
sugarhigh4242
Banned
Very believable, but MS doesn't have many 1st party teams that could be working on unannounced projects. I tend to agree with you about Scorpio though. Despite MS insisting that it will be forwards-compatible with Xbone, it really feels like they're cutting their loses on XB1, and gearing up for the next generation.
JayhawkerStL
Banned
Can't disagree, in regards to the lack of 1st party studios. But with so much secrecy around Scorpio, I won't be surprised if there are also some 3rd party exclusive work being done that is yet to be released. In this regard, it could even be timed, yet still provide Microsoft an edge as long as Scorpio remains well ahead of the PS4 Pro in terms of power.
Mostly, I don't care a ton about exclusives. I have a hard time seeing anyone with a PS4 or XB1 struggling to find games to play. But obviously they can help drive console marketshare, and MS needs more than raw power to sell Scorpio to the masses. They got away with light line-up because they had Gears and FH3 to show off the XB1 S and its HDR. I just think they may have decided to hold other stuff back for this year when they really need to have a ton of software that can drive consumer demand.
Or they truly mean it that Scorpio is just a niche XB1, while most of their games will still be aimed at the XB1 S. That won't go over well, though.
Mostly, I don't care a ton about exclusives. I have a hard time seeing anyone with a PS4 or XB1 struggling to find games to play. But obviously they can help drive console marketshare, and MS needs more than raw power to sell Scorpio to the masses. They got away with light line-up because they had Gears and FH3 to show off the XB1 S and its HDR. I just think they may have decided to hold other stuff back for this year when they really need to have a ton of software that can drive consumer demand.
Or they truly mean it that Scorpio is just a niche XB1, while most of their games will still be aimed at the XB1 S. That won't go over well, though.
Mass Effect
Member
That reminds me: did we ever get the original on XBLA?
I know there's Hurricane, which I own, but I always wanted to replay the original.
MosquitoSmasher
Member
Goddamn man. Just imagine if MS had as much studios as Sony, they could be announcing lots of brand new titles during E3 and couple that with Scorpio and you have one hell of an E3.
If only they started establishing a few studios a few years ago. I guess there's still plenty of time for that, but the question is will they? Of course they could decide to work with a third party studio and have them make a game for them. Like how Sunset Overdrive was made for example. If they actually end their E3 show this year without announcing at least one big new game for next year, that would be a huge let down. No matter how cool Scorpio probably is and hopefully how awesome Crackdown is as well.
Cool and all of Phil to agree that balancing these games out is better and how important first party is, but I rather have him put the money where his mouth is. We'll find out in the coming months/years.
If only they started establishing a few studios a few years ago. I guess there's still plenty of time for that, but the question is will they? Of course they could decide to work with a third party studio and have them make a game for them. Like how Sunset Overdrive was made for example. If they actually end their E3 show this year without announcing at least one big new game for next year, that would be a huge let down. No matter how cool Scorpio probably is and hopefully how awesome Crackdown is as well.
Cool and all of Phil to agree that balancing these games out is better and how important first party is, but I rather have him put the money where his mouth is. We'll find out in the coming months/years.
They recently closed lionhead studios, press play, twisted pixel and team dakota, so the answer is clearly no.
That's not really Phil's call though
They aren't going to establish a ton of new studios. They are just going to partner with studios ala Undead labs, reagent/sumo/cloudgine, moon etc
LordBaztion
Member
Here is an excelent interview to Seamus Blackley by TiC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTA1cNbs29A
In around 40' it goes in deep about how difficult is to please fans with new big games while dealing with the people in charge of MS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTA1cNbs29A
In around 40' it goes in deep about how difficult is to please fans with new big games while dealing with the people in charge of MS.
DriftingSpirit
Member
The bold will be Halo 6.
As far as everything else, I feel like MS should have bulked up on their studios last gen when they were in a better position.
That1BlackGuy
Member
Thanks for this. I always love listening to Seamus, dude is so chill.
The only kinda Gears spin off that would make sense is an RTS or an Xcom type game. So I wouldn't go to RaD for that.
I'd rather them do a ryse 2( if MS ever got the license that is)
Side note: I still feel that MS needs to salvage the corpse of Fable Legwnds and turn it into something. There was sommuch work done to just flush it down the drain
CrimsonEclipse
Member
Anyone want to count the pixels lol?
SneakersSO
Member
Nope, Not happening. Don't get your hopes up at all for this.
SneakersSO
Member
Actually, yes. Once u work at certain studios, once a project has shipped and after a few years, you wind up knowing a few people all over the place. It's a small industry.Your sources must be wide and varied to be so definitive about everything
So working at multiple studios (So a very large group of developers) is all you need to have a large amount of sources from highly secretive hardware plans to heavily locked down first party plans and internal Ms politics. It must be impossible to keep E3 secret for anyone in this industry, when such a large percentage of developers have these sources which they take for fact. I guess this is what allows for such definitive statements
Cthulhu_Steev
Member
So working at multiple studios (So a very large group of developers) is all you need to have a large amount of sources from highly secretive hardware plans to heavily locked down first party plans and internal Ms politics. It must be impossible to keep E3 secret for anyone in this industry, when such a large percentage of developers have these sources which they take for fact. I guess this is what allows for such definitive statements
And yet you believe every word Jez Corden says, so what's his experience (besides writing MS infomercials)?
Xboners come out swinging for Sneakers, it seems.
Do you know of any surprises that MS may have in store?
Phil has been lying constantly about first party and expanding them. Since he took over it shrank severely even tho I don't think it was his call.
When did I say I believe everything Jez said? Your question can be spinned around to say "And yet you believe every word Sneaker says, so what's his experience (completely unconfirmed info that contradicts and would be completely unavailable to him?) I think I would take more confidence in information from a guy that has got multiple Ms leaks right and has multiple sources he corroborates than sneaker making definitive statements with no proof. Also wouldn't you question if someone on Neogaf said "I have sources" but never had anything to proof it? you could do the same thing on Gaf right now and it wouldn't be any different. "Ms informercials"? maybe your opinion of the guy is clouding your judgement. Oh and get over accusing people of being fanboys, really?
Poodlestrike
Banned
Alright, we're doing the fanboy namecalling now. Cool cool cool.
Has the dude even been verified? Who even handles that now that Bish is gone?
He hasn't been verified, he has just loosely danced around it in the past.
Why do this? Come on...
Maybe if you know, he'd actually get verified this wouldn't be an issue. As of yet he's just a random person popping into threads and not really saying much of anything. We already have Matt for that
jk1.21Gigawatts
Banned
When was the last time the opened or bought a new 1st party studio?
We regularly hear the statements about how important 1st party is and how committed MS are, but I don't think MS ever really meant it.
My theory is that they were satisfied with how things went last gen and thought could carry this gen with minor 1st party efforts and buying 3rd party exclusives regularly. Since Ps4 took off 3rd parties got reluctant to sell exclusivity and so that plan fell apart.
But you'd still think that MS would recognize the issue and start investing in a few new studios already...
Poodlestrike
Banned
So... why the fuck should any of us take anything he says seriously? lol
That's like the baseline standard for insiders on GAF, c'mon y'all. Remember the rule, troll until proven otherwise.
They opened 4 brand new studios just a couple years ago
for HoloLens
lol
But seriously I gotta imagine they're working on something on that front, if only because it's looking increasingly likely that 4 studios for HoloLens games is gonna be wildly excessive.
1.21Gigawatts
Banned
When do we usually notice that MS opened a new studio?
Does it appear in some quarterly reports or anything? Or do we only learn about it when they publicly announce the game?
Could there potentially be new studios working on titles for 2 or 3 years by now and we no nothing about the studios or titles?
Usually when they announce a game. So hopefully if we get a new age of empires announced this year it will also unveil decisive games if it still exists.
Poodlestrike
Banned
Usually we find out about it on LinkedIn or something similar. Job postings, general rumors. It's possible that they've basically put together some very small incubation teams to get around that, so they can announce some new studios and games at E3, but I kind of doubt it. More likely they reallocate one of the HoloLens or mobile studios to start working on bigger projects if they're doing anything at all.
I've seen actual, confirmed insiders saying Decisive is sadly dead. If you can even say it was alive in the first place.
Yep seen that as well, just hopeful wishing on my part. If I remember Decisive was a internal Ms team similar to the project spark team and others, and thats when those teams where pushed back into the Microsoft studios team. With decisive games being formed from those teams.
I've been thinking which studios could MS sign on a ''second party'' deal, and I think one of the Avalanche Studios teams would be a great option. The Swedish main team might be still doing stuff with Square Enix (not sure if Just Cause 4 tho, maybe a Marvel game?) but we have no clue what the NY team is doing after shipping Mad Max in 2015 and they are one of the highest quality AAA independent studio out there
they are an option too, but IDK if they will be working solo on a game now or if they will work with other publishers for support on big titles like they did with DOOM and CoD MW Remastered last year
Maybe they are even helping 343 with the next Halo
SneakersSO
Member
Honestly, I haven't heard anything that has made me excited or hopeful for the future. Hardcore Xbox users will love it, as they already do, but in terms of addressing their more outstanding issues - nothing really to report.
CA could be helping any number of studios in a secondary capacity, but they aren't shipping their next primary project exclusively for anyone.
Doug Heffernan
Member
My wish list:
Machine Games - Perfect Dark
Yahct Club - Battletoads
Maybe a surprise deal with Ready at Dawn for a new IP? There's not many studios that they haven't already worked with. Maybe From Software?
SneakersSO
Member
They should've worked with From a long time ago; arguably they should've worked with From before they worked with Platinum. Sadly, that won't be happening anytime soon - Xbox would actually need to, ya know, try in the region in order for their non-AAA devs to work with them, especially after the Scalebound debacle.
Doug Heffernan
Member
Microsoft got the marketing deal for Souls 3 so they have worked together a bit. I just don't know if Microsoft would ever commit to funding one of their games.
SneakersSO
Member
You mean, they worked with Bandai Namco, the game's publisher - not From Software. Bandai Namco & MS do have a good relationship, but MS/From Software? Whole other story. And MS has been doing co-marketing deals with Bandai Namco for Dark Souls since its inception. Microsoft had the perfect opportunity to work with From Software a long time ago. Sony had dropped the ball when it came to the Souls series - choosing not to publish Demon's Souls in the US, thinking it wasn't that good, letting Bamco strike deals for the series' future - and instead of MS coming in & seizing the opportunity, they let Sony repair the relationship and ultimately are going to be getting 2 exclusives from them this gen. MS could've been in there day 1.