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Phil Spencer: Still have flagship games in development; "new IP critical"

There's no studio in Japan.

Studios owned by MS, nope. They're pretty much all accounted for



Nope, Osaka Studio confirmed vaporware ( aka Mattrick Lies ). There's no actual developmental resources at MS Osaka, though they will of course, be funding Japanese exclusives from 3rd-party studios.

Damn, that's disappointing, still looking forward to finding out if that Platinum exclusive is true (and hopefully not Japan only). A game from them might just make me buy the X1 a lot sooner than planned

But Capcom isn't even close to being in the same position. And going by what they have been saying, their direction is quickly shifting away from large budget console games. I don't think they would be willing to take the risk right now. Instead, I could easily see them letting ms fund the franchise for one or two more entries until they regain their footing. At least then they can keep the ip fresh in peoples minds and continue to see how customers value the ip.
But I doubt ms would ever buy the ip outright. They already have state of decay.

I guess there's really no way to know. DR2 sold pretty goo on the PS3 so With the pS4 leading Capcom might go after the multiplatform money. Then again, MS is in a serious need of exclusive IPs so I could see them shelling out enough cash to make Capcom reconsider. Either situation is just as likely in my opinion but I'll just consider it an Xbox only series until we know otherwise
 
I feel like Phantom Dust would be a candidate for an IP they would give Platinum for their exclusive.

That would be interesting just wondering if it's going to be a F2P game ore p2p game, I just can't wait to see phantom dust back it's such a unique fun experience for a game.

:p

gXmQbrM.png

;_; I can't wait for E3 this year.
 
So I take it when people talk about the amazing X1 lineup and how it's better than PS4, they're only talking about the launch titles, correct?

Because going forward, it's the X1 that seems rather barren. Titanfall in March (my PC is ready), then Halo in late 2014 maybe. Sunset Overdrive sometime in 2014. And that's it? Then you have small titles, well really only D4 comes to mind.

I don't see where all the hype about the X1 lineup comes from

What I like about their lineup is that they're actually giving stuff people to play online. What exclusive titles do we have to look forward to on PS4 that will have multiplayer? Uncharted, DriveClub and...? I love me some Sony exclusives but if we're paying to play multiplayer now at least give us more to play.
 
Lionhead. And while rare most likely isn't making a AAA game, something along the lines of viva pinata (or just viva pinata 3) would be really cool. Aren't they working on something besides kinect stuff?

Lionhead is working on Fable Legends. Sure they have a new IP of sorts in the pipeline, but without any clear picture of what stage the game is at, it's like saying TLoU team is working on a new IP just because they've started brainstorming cool new ideas.

Rare is still finishing up Kinect Sports Rivals.

In terms of 'stuff that can be released by 2015', every studio in MS's paycheck is accounted for as far as AAA is concerned.
 

Shrennin

Didn't get the memo regarding the 14th Amendment
The more hear Marc Whitten and Phil Spencer talk (especially Spencer) the happier I am that Don Mattrick isn't in charge of Xbox anymore.

This is a good post to position my question - So, now that Mattrick's gone, did Spencer get his job? Because I actually like Spencer and I think he's good for the Xbox brand.
 

Bsigg12

Member
Does anyone know when Minecraft is due out for the Xbox One? I saw that screenshot that was posted but have we heard anything about it?

Also, when is Below supposed to come out?
 
This is a good post to position my question - So, now that Mattrick's gone, did Spencer get his job? Because I actually like Spencer and I think he's good for the Xbox brand.

Spencer is like god send compared to Mattrick, he actually listens and responds...it's just different as hell for MS suit guy to be so responsive lol.
 

daman824

Member
Lionhead is working on Fable Legends. Sure they have a new IP of sorts in the pipeline, but without any clear picture of what stage the game is at, it's like saying TLoU team is working on a new IP just because they've started brainstorming cool new ideas.

Rare is still finishing up Kinect Sports Rivals.

In terms of 'stuff that can be released by 2015', every studio in MS's paycheck is accounted for as far as AAA is concerned.
If someone told us that one of the two naughty dog teams was starting work on a new ip, no one would think it wouldn't be a AAA game. This isn't some hard thing to understand. Lionhead makes AAA games and is a large studio. Lionhead is working on a new ip alongside legends. That ip is most likely going to be a AAA game.
 

SEGAvangelist

Gold Member
lol. you are aware we're in the year 2014 and not 2004 right?

Are you saying that Fable 2 and 3 weren't large budget games that sold a lot of copies? Maybe you didn't like the games (I liked 2 and hated what I played of 3), but they aren't mid-tier budget games or anything.
 
This is a good post to position my question - So, now that Mattrick's gone, did Spencer get his job? Because I actually like Spencer and I think he's good for the Xbox brand.

Nope and honestly, Spencer should never ever be allowed to come close to Mattrick's role.

Guys in charge of games should focus on games only so that quality of games aren't compromised. All they need are capable business leaders whom understands the value of continuous investment into games.
 

Leflus

Member
This is a good post to position my question - So, now that Mattrick's gone, did Spencer get his job? Because I actually like Spencer and I think he's good for the Xbox brand.
Mattrick's title got merged with a different title iirc. They gave it to someone else.

Spencer is the main gaming exec, though.
 

Omega

Banned
What's the definition of "big AAA game"?

I would define it as a game with a big budget that people actually care about, and is actually good.

big AAA = Halo (pre-Halo 4), Metal Gear Solid, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, etc.

Something like Fable or Crysis wouldn't fall under the big AAA category to me. but i guess this is why the new adopted "AAA=budget" definition is stupid in the first place. It should go back to talking about quality of games. not how much was spent on making it
 
he said a big AAA game

Well judging with from the job posting for a technical director, it seem the new game is a AAA game.

"Reporting to the Studio Engineering Director, you will be responsible for managing the technical team while also partnering with the Game Director as the technical stakeholder in design - working closely with both teams to define the feature set for this AAA First Party production."
 

Chobel

Member
High budget.
Budget pretty much. The word big is kind of redundant, though.

That's what I thought. Lionhead game is definitely AAA game.
--------

I would define it as a game with a big budget that people actually care about, and is actually good.

big AAA = Halo (pre-Halo 4), Metal Gear Solid, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, etc.

Something like Fable or Crysis wouldn't fall under the big AAA category to me. but i guess this is why the new adopted "AAA=budget" definition is stupid in the first place. It should go back to talking about quality games.

hmmm, if that's what you meant then the new IP from Lionhead probably doesn't fit that definition.
 

daman824

Member
I would define it as a game with a big budget that people actually care about, and is actually good.

big AAA = Halo (pre-Halo 4), Metal Gear Solid, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, etc.

Something like Fable or Crysis wouldn't fall under the big AAA category to me. but i guess this is why the new adopted "AAA=budget" definition is stupid in the first place. It should go back to talking about quality games.
Fable 3 sold 5 million copies and was made with a large budget. It's a AAA game.
 

Madness

Member
Pretty ridiculous how all these folks are saying they are disappointed Black Tusk is focusing on Gears. One, hardly anyone even knew about Black Tusk before the E3 concept reveal, and two, no games were announced. They showed like a 5 second clip of something they are working on. Developing a next-gen Gears when you acquire the IP is more important.
 
MS in desperation mode as they know they've lost out in all areas and only have exclusives to fall back on, but none of them will compare to Naughty Gods stuff.
 
I don't think anyone has the knowledge to be able to make that kind of judgement.

You're right, my sentence was arrogance and blind assumptions. Let me rephrase that.

From what I can assume and tell, based off the random interviews where various devs hint and talk about games in various stages of development (Fable sounded like they were still figuring out some gameplay concepts, RARE talking how the entire studio is laser-focused on KS ), and historical precendence of games release cycles by said devs, I don't think any of the core studios would be able to release something outside of what has been announced thus far.

Unless of course, any of the studios have been lying to us, has secretly nurtured a second team that was kept secret from LinkedIn and all the recruitment ads, etc.
 
What I like about their lineup is that they're actually giving stuff people to play online. What exclusive titles do we have to look forward to on PS4 that will have multiplayer? Uncharted, DriveClub and...? I love me some Sony exclusives but if we're paying to play multiplayer now at least give us more to play.

Sony really does need a big exclusive online MP game. Titanfall may not be a true exclusive but it was certainly a huge get for MS. Killzone is a lot of fun for me but it's pretty obvious that KZ MP fans are in the minority. Resistance is dead, SOCOM is dead. I'm a SP kind of guy so their lineup is great but i can see the issue for MP focused gamers.

Lionhead is working on Fable Legends. Sure they have a new IP of sorts in the pipeline, but without any clear picture of what stage the game is at, it's like saying TLoU team is working on a new IP just because they've started brainstorming cool new ideas.

Rare is still finishing up Kinect Sports Rivals.

In terms of 'stuff that can be released by 2015', every studio in MS's paycheck is accounted for as far as AAA is concerned.

Then the better question is what third party devs could MS pursue? I doubt any of the big publishers would agree to exclusivity on any big game now that the Xbox no longer has NA dominance so it'd probably be smaller studios like Insomniac and Remedy
 

SEGAvangelist

Gold Member
This is a good post to position my question - So, now that Mattrick's gone, did Spencer get his job? Because I actually like Spencer and I think he's good for the Xbox brand.

Mattrick's old job doesn't exist anymore with the new structure at MS. Julie Larson-Green is head of MS hardware development (including Surface) now and that's a broader job than Don Mattrick's was, so I imagine Phil Spencer has a lot more power than before considering he's the head of Microsoft Studios.
 

Madness

Member
MS in desperation mode as they know they've lost out in all areas and only have exclusives to fall back on, but none of them will compare to Naughty Gods stuff.

So pretty much like every other Gen, when a console maker falls back on its exclusives to draw in fans? I'm pretty sure in terms of sales, Halo, Gears and TitanFall will sell like hotcakes.
 

chubigans

y'all should be ashamed
Ah thanks y'all for answering my question on the studio thing. Man, I still don't understand how the Osaka studio was vapor ware like that.
 

Omega

Banned
Fable 3 sold 5 million copies and was made with a large budget. It's a AAA game.

yet it sucked. I've never seen one person, even the 10 Fable fanboys that exist, say it was anymore more than mediocre.

I thought we were gamers here. Sales shouldn't mean a damn thing to us. I don't get a piece of that 5 million sales. I get a garbage game
 

Mona

Banned
how can Fable be considered to be a flagship franchise, so icky.

really disgusting, even by microsoft's standards.
 

Shrennin

Didn't get the memo regarding the 14th Amendment
Spencer is like god send compared to Mattrick, he actually listens and responds...it's just different as hell for MS suit guy to be so responsive lol.

Yeah, Spencer's involvement with the community goes a long way. The fact that he even hints toward future stuff (that turns out to be true) is also great - even if it's some elaborate PR move, the fact that Spencer changed his profile to Gears gives a feeling that he's legitimately excited about it.

Nope and honestly, Spencer should never ever be allowed to come close to Mattrick's role.

Guys in charge of games should focus on games only so that quality of games aren't compromised. All they need are capable business leaders whom understands the value of continuous investment into games.

Mattrick's title got merged with a different title iirc. They gave it to someone else.

Spencer is the main gaming exec, though.

I thought Mattrick had more of a business role, but I was just confused when people were acting like it was Mattrick's responsibility to respond to questions. Although Mattrick was the face of Xbox with his title (since he did the E3 presentations and whatnot), so now that whoever does have his role is out of the public eye (it seems), I guess Spencer has officially become the face of Xbox executives.

Mattrick's old job doesn't exist anymore with the new structure at MS. Julie Larson-Green is head of MS hardware development (including Surface) now and that's a broader job that Don Mattrick's was, so I imagine Phil Spencer has a lot more power than before considering he's the head of Microsoft Studios.

That makes even more sense now. It explains why Mattrick was a public figure for Xbox and why Spencer wasn't involved as much as he is now. I'm really glad they went through with that decision and Spencer seemingly has more power with the Xbox brand now.
 
Ah thanks y'all for answering my question on the studio thing. Man, I still don't understand how the Osaka studio was vapor ware like that.

My suspicion was that Mattrick wanted to make an impressive count of the 'new studios' that they've set up, so they :

- included MS Victoria ( Mattrick's pet project ) even though it was probably only in the very, very early stages of being set-up.
- included MS Osaka , probably as a publishing front. ( even though it's just the local offices for MS there )
 

SEGAvangelist

Gold Member
I thought Mattrick had more of a business role, but I was just confused when people were acting like it was Mattrick's responsibility to respond to questions. Although Mattrick was the face of Xbox with his title (since he did the E3 presentations and whatnot), so now that whoever does have his role is out of the public eye (it seems), I guess Spencer has officially become the face of Xbox executives.

Yeah. Spencer is the face right now and he seems to be ok with it.

That makes even more sense now. It explains why Mattrick was a public figure for Xbox and why Spencer wasn't involved as much as he is now. I'm really glad they went through with that decision and Spencer seemingly has more power with the Xbox brand now.

Spencer is a games guy, and I imagine not having Mattrick in the way to push Kinect makes things easier for him.
 
Then the better question is what third party devs could MS pursue? I doubt any of the big publishers would agree to exclusivity on any big game now that the Xbox no longer has NA dominance so it'd probably be smaller studios like Insomniac and Remedy

A lot, actually.

If we look at the pool of independent 3rd-party devs that have been contracted by Sony, Nintendo & MS throughout their years of partnership, we cannot discount the possibility that any of them could start working on exclusives for *insert platform*, bar devs that have tied into multi-year/game agreements. ( Quantic Dream, Housemarque, Undead Labs, etc )

There's nothing stopping MS from trying to court Ready at Dawn to make exclusives for Xbox, just as there's nothing preventing Sony from trying to get in bed with Remedy. Just because devs have historically worked and favoured certain first-party publishers doesn't exclude them from working with other publishers.
 

Shrennin

Didn't get the memo regarding the 14th Amendment
Yeah. Spencer is the face right now and he seems to be ok with it.

I'm okay with it too. I think he's doing a pretty fantastic job so far (even with Black Tusk included - his explanations via twitter do make sense, really).

Spencer is a games guy, and I imagine not having Mattrick in the way to push Kinect makes things easier for him.

Lol you can definitely tell that Mattrick really wanted to push Kinect. Since Mattrick's departure, Kinect doesn't seem to be the focal point of Xbox anymore. It's just being used as a supplement to a gaming experience perfectly fine without motion control - which is how it should be.

He's certainly doing a much better job with the exception of the whole Black Tusk fiasco. He's got a very tough road ahead though.

I do think he made a mistake with Black Tusk when he denied an IP existing after his previous statements seemed to indicate an already existing IP (even if an IP actually didn't exist). He should have just said that Black Tusk's new focus is the Gears franchise for right now and that the IP that Black Tusk was working on was intended to be the next big Halo/Gears but that they were still in the brainstorming/very early stages of it.
 

SEGAvangelist

Gold Member
He's certainly doing a much better job with the exception of the whole Black Tusk fiasco. He's got a very tough road ahead though.

I feel that the call on Black Tusk was the right one. I just think minimalizing their new IP efforts as "assets" was kinda shady. He's got a tough road ahead for sure, but MS seems to have recovered quite a bit since Mattrick resigned. Sales over the next few months should give us more info on how hard it'll be for MS this generation. I can't wait for March NPD.
 
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