Support NeoGAF

[kretos]

In this era of constant updates, games leave closed beta on a regular basis. They don’t often re-enter it. However, like a groundhog emerging to un-see its own shadow, Amazon’s team-based shooter Crucible is no longer a fully released video game.

Crucible’s post-release beta comes on the heels of a rocky launch, which consisted of both a ho-hum critical response and a hollow thud of a landing on platforms like Steam and Amazon’s own Twitch. In a developer update posted today, Crucible franchise lead Colin Johanson said that the game is entering closed beta tomorrow, but it will continue to follow the development road map that’d been previously laid out.

The main goal of this unprecedented un-release is to more closely evolve the game in line with community feedback. “We’re setting up a community council, made up of beta participants of all playstyles from casual to highly competitive players, who we’ll be working especially closely with,” said Johanson. “One of the biggest changes you’ll see is that we’re going to schedule dedicated time each week when we as devs will be playing with the community and soliciting feedback.”

Amazon's Crucible Flopped So Hard It's Being Un-Released

In this era of constant updates, games leave closed beta on a regular basis. They don’t often re-enter it. However, like a groundhog emerging to un-see its own shadow, Amazon’s team-based shooter Crucible is no longer a fully released video game.

kotaku.com

 

[Ulysses 31]

 

[martino]

 

[kretos]

 

[MiguelItUp]

Talk about rough. I feel bad for them, lol.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

 

[Pagusas]

Video games are hard to make, who knew?

 

[Rikoi]

When a Free to Play game is released and it goes back to closed beta, you know that it was total shit.
I downloaded it once, I had issues with login and uninstalled after 10 minutes, never went back after I knew there were about 500 people playing.

 

[SpiceRacz]

 

[BDubsLegend]

Wow Amazon has the most funds, but in the moment, you gotta think "This is what Microsoft is Afraid of?"

 

[LordCBH]

It’s almost like it’s a bad idea to release a team based multiplayer title into an over-saturated market. If idiots like me can see that, why can’t billion dollar companies like amazon see it? They’re throwing money away by chasing the team based multiplayer dream. You’re not going to be the next Overwatch.

 

[Mister D]

I thought late-term abortions were illegal.

 

[Rikoi]

It’s almost like it’s a bad idea to release a team based multiplayer title into an over-saturated market. If idiots like me can see that, why can’t billion dollar companies like amazon see it? They’re throwing money away by chasing the team based multiplayer dream. You’re not going to be the next Overwatch.

I can't believe companies keep making the same mistake. It was the same in the old MMORPG era, when World of Warcraft came out they tried to copy it with dozens of new MMORPGs and they all crashed and burned.
Now it's the same thing again with Overwatch, they tried to copy it and they all die once again.
Devs, there is no reason to play a bland and rushed copy of another successful game, players will keep playing the original.

 

[zeorhymer]

If you want to copy something, you'd better polish it so well that it'll dazzle everyone that plays. This game was very undercooked when they released it. Should have made an open beta instead of publishing it. I think PvEvP can work.

 

[Kuranghi]

I genuinely don't know what this is, the name rings a bell but... maybe that has something to do with it, a person who reads about games 10 hours a day hasn't heard of it lmao

 

[Rikkori]

GTFO Amazon !

 

[VertigoOA]

That’s what happens when you try and steal Shaxx’s legacy

 

[Punished Miku]

Google and Amazon both largely failing to get into the industry. Always surprises me how difficult it really is.

It takes a long time to build top tier teams.

 

[Guileless]

Ouch. Still cautiously optimistic about the upcoming MMO though.

 

[Kamina]

Amazon’s what?

 

[Fbh]

LOL.
That poor team now has to go make a twich marathon to see what other stuff they can copy from the most viewed games

"OK guys Crucible a realm reborn....now there's also building blocks you can use to build stuff... and an open world with cars and crime and stuff...and a new mode where a team has to defuse a bomb.... and a new feature we call just chatting (?)"

 

[Grinchy]

This is why you should be starting with a good idea and not just a blank check.

It's like when a movie starts out with, "Nostalgia will sell tickets. Let's start the production process." And then the script is the last thing they do.

 

[Spukc]

Good GOOOD Hahahah FUCK ESPORT HERO BASED ARENA PEW PEW SHEIT

 

[RasAlGhoul]

That’s wild.

 

[Agent X]

From what I've read about the game so far, this decision is probably for the best. This has happened with other games in the past, in which physical media was recalled from stores, and digital download sales were suspended (either temporarily or permanently) from online marketplaces. Usually, this happens with games that have critical or destructive bugs, or when offensive content is found and identified.

Hopefully Amazon can learn from this experience, so that it enables them to bring a better and more fully developed product to market.

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

Making games is apparently hard, it seems.

 

[ShadowLag]

Well, this is why you want people who play games to be the ones making them.

 

[Barakov]

 

[dottme]

Will Google unreleased stadia now?

 

[diffusionx]

I can't believe companies keep making the same mistake. It was the same in the old MMORPG era, when World of Warcraft came out they tried to copy it with dozens of new MMORPGs and they all crashed and burned.
Now it's the same thing again with Overwatch, they tried to copy it and they all die once again.
Devs, there is no reason to play a bland and rushed copy of another successful game, players will keep playing the original.

Nowadays it's even worse than that. At least with MMOs, it was a genre, you could take it or leave it. These days, every studio is turning every game into a live service, with seasons and loot grinds and shit like that. At some point these companies are going to realize that people are not going to sink time and money into every fucking game into perpetuity.

These live service games work like 1-3 titles per genre.

 

[ShirAhava]

Now you're failing with power

 

[Shakka43]

I thought late-term abortions were illegal.

It was conceived in California.

 

[Portugeezer]

Real gamers play original games like Valorant.

 

[SoggyBiscuit]

That has to be incredibly demoralising for the team. I read the EDGE review and it sounded as if there's some potentially good ideas in there, but chasing that Fortnite cash cow just isn't going to work. Why don't Amazon look to fund smaller titles and dream projects and then try scaling up? I know it isn't where the money is, but build a reputation and then get the best talent working for you.

I think they've underestimated the market place tbh.

 

[Texas Pride]

Lol eat shit Amazon.

 

[01011001]

Beta, Alpha, Preview Version

these words have lost all their meaning when it comes to multiplayer games.

Fortnite is still in Beta...
FORTNITE CHAPTER 2 SEASON 2 (basically season 12) IS STILL A BETA!
the way less polished PUBG is long out of beta, Apex Legends, also less polished and with less seasons never ever was in beta.

how does any if this make any sense? it doesn't.
so honestly, just stop using them ffs!

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Things like happen when companies have too much money and time on their hands. It's like Walmart's online department saying they are going to make video games.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

Amazon gonna pull a FFXIV? Doubt it.

Move on to the next game amazon studios

 

[Goro Majima]

Google and Amazon both largely failing to get into the industry. Always surprises me how difficult it really is.

It takes a long time to build top tier teams.

Especially in this day and age of game development.

Sony got in when game development was substantially easier or at least didn’t require hundreds of people working on one game. When Microsoft came in game development was harder but still not what it would become in the HD era. Plus both companies (Microsoft especially) had dipped into game development as a third party or on PC prior to jumping in.

Copying the new hotness and expecting success is always a weird practice too. For instance, lots of MMOs tried to copy WoW but it was like - why not just play WoW?

 

[Punished Miku]

Especially in this day and age of game development.

Sony got in when game development was substantially easier or at least didn’t require hundreds of people working on one game. When Microsoft came in game development was harder but still not what it would become in the HD era. Plus both companies (Microsoft especially) had dipped into game development as a third party or on PC prior to jumping in.

Copying the new hotness and expecting success is always a weird practice too. For instance, lots of MMOs tried to copy WoW but it was like - why not just play WoW?

I think even Microsoft's struggles this last gen really point to how difficult it really is. They kind of abandoned most first party development during the Kinect age, and have had to reboot on that front.

My hypothesis is that it basically takes a minimum of 10 years of continuous investment to get a studio to a top level. Naughty Dog used to make goofy mascot platformers. Then they made a mediocre TPS game, and then iterated on that in a sequel to finally win GOTY. Nintendo has had continuous continuity of teams for decades. Even Sucker Punch made a whole PS2 trilogy, a PS3 trilogy, a PS4 game, and now are on to Ghost of Tsushima.

You almost have to pay a developer to make 3-4 average games, and still fund them the entire time before you start getting absolute top tier games. The good news for Microsoft is they seem to be realizing this and have paid studios this whole gen without a ton of success. Maybe they'll start stepping up next gen like Sony did this gen.

 

[Goro Majima]

I think even Microsoft's struggles this last gen really point to how difficult it really is. They kind of abandoned most first party development during the Kinect age, and have had to reboot on that front.

My hypothesis is that it basically takes a minimum of 10 years of continuous investment to get a studio to a top level. Naughty Dog used to make goofy mascot platformers. Then they made a mediocre TPS game, and then iterated on that in a sequel to finally win GOTY. Nintendo has had continuous continuity of teams for decades. Even Sucker Punch made a whole PS2 trilogy, a PS3 trilogy, a PS4 game, and now are on to Ghost of Tsushima.

You almost have to pay a developer to make 3-4 average games, and still fund them the entire time before you start getting absolute top tier games. The good news for Microsoft is they seem to be realizing this and have paid studios this whole gen without a ton of success. Maybe they'll start stepping up next gen like Sony did this gen.

I think you’re 100% correct.

Just about any major developer has a history where they first started out making something like Hello Kitty Island Adventure or Imagine Babyz.

Either that or they were a legacy team that left from a previous successful developer, worked on a successful mod for Half Life or something, or they have such a long lineage that it stretches back to the 90s when you could make a AAA game with six people in a garage.

I feel like all of those latter instances are becoming less and less common considering the size and scope of the modern AAA space. So yeah guys like Amazon or Google or whoever are going to really have to suck it up and release a bunch of mediocre junk before they figure it out.

 

[chozen]

Damn Colin Johanson was the Director of Guild Wars 2, I really enjoyed to launch of the game and it was really ambitious but he never really knew how to carry it past launch.

Sad that he left for this, would rather he made like a Guild Wars 3 or something

 

[zoltek]

Has anybody here actually played the game? I have not, but am curious if the game was really that bad or more of poorly marketed flop in a competitive genre with some actually decent gameplay (i.e. LawBreakers).

 

[pqueue]

amazon prime subscriptions going to rise $10 per account to pay for this clusterfuck.

/s

 

[Mr. PlayStation]

wait there's a game called crucible? thought crucible was a multiplayer component in destiny, haah jk. What sort of game is this crucibles?

 

[Lady Bird]

Damn Colin Johanson was the Director of Guild Wars 2, I really enjoyed to launch of the game and it was really ambitious but he never really knew how to carry it past launch.

Sad that he left for this, would rather he made like a Guild Wars 3 or something

And Crucible's lead combat designer is Jon Peters, also one of the former GW2's leads. Plenty of developers from Anet were poached to work on Crucible back then.

 

[Virex]

On a different note. Can we also not post shit from Shitaku. Given that they were one of the shit sites talking shit trying to destroy EviLore . Fuck Kotaku

 

[Breakfast at Noon]

wait there's a game called crucible? thought crucible was a multiplayer component in destiny, haah jk. What sort of game is this crucibles?

Overwatch.

 

[Vaelka]

The what now?
How can Amazon put out a game and I didn't see anything about it anywhere until now rofl?
How do they fail so hard with the marketing when they have almost infinite resources to spend on it?

 

[Psychostar]

The company probably felt the need to release something to the public to please shareholders for this division. I'm sure they were well aware the game was never in the right state to please any audiences.