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Arrowhead Games: "We want to be the next From Software or Blizzard"

Gp1

Member
Blizzard from the late 90's early 2000's right? The Nintendo level Blizzard, not the Red Shirt Guy Blizzard.

It's like someone say "We want to be BioWare!"
 
Took them like 15 years to get where they are with many publishers along the way, it’s a long road and not guaranteed

Which is precisely the point. Arrowhead are a much younger studio and have garnered this level of success and quality in its games. They're already outperforming FromSoft when you take into account how long the studios have been around.

Captain America Lol GIF by mtv


You have just released 1 good game. Which is still extremely buggy. And you already want to compare yourself to Blizzard and From... that's silly.

Helldiver 2 is a massive hit and a very very good game; despite its bugs (what game isn't buggy nowadays?).

Anyway, they're not comparing themselves to Blizzard and FromSoft. They're saying they aspire to be like them in terms of being standout devs known for consistent quality games.

You should work on your reading comprehension.

Their next game is Helldivers 3

If it’s not, Sony will get someone else to make it

And if they do, Helldivers 3 will be shit and Arrowhead's next game with a new publisher will be another mega hit.....

Sounds familiar, no...? Isn't that the exact same situation as with FromSoft going to Namco and making Dark Souls?
 
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And if they do, Helldivers 3 will be shit and Arrowhead's next game with a new publisher will be another mega hit.....

No, not guaranteed

A lot of HD2 success is due to Sony’s stewardship of the project and giving them the length of time and support needed

Sony can find a different studio to make HD3 with a similar formula
 

Mortisfacio

Banned
Cool aspiration, but a lot of work to go. From consistently puts out GOTY type releases. They rehash their same formula, sure, but they keep improving upon it and it's just soooo good.

Blizzard is what it is now, but peak Blizzard was just the best at what they do. Their stories were never great and still aren't, but their core gameplay in their ARPG and RTS were unrivaled.

Arrowhead made an improved, yet still generic extraction shooter. If my friends weren't playing it (they stopped now) I don't think I'd have more than 5 hours in the game. So to me, Arrowhead still has a long ways to go to be a well respected name.
 
No, not guaranteed

A lot of HD2 success is due to Sony’s stewardship of the project and giving them the length of time and support needed

Sony can find a different studio to make HD3 with a similar formula

Not at all.

You're giving Sony way too much credit and Arrowhead way too little.

Sony is known for their very hands-off approach with their devs, both internal and external partners. This implies that HD2's success comes largely as a result of the studio's own creativity, solid gameplay and system ideas and a very satisfying implementation.

There are a shit tonne of shooters on the market that are mechanically similar to HD2. None play like HD2 and have been anywhere near as successful. Arrowhead did that. They deserve praise for their great work and Sony won't be able to replicate it easily with another studio.

If making top-tier games with external studios was so easy, MS would not be in the position they're in today.
 
Not at all.

You're giving Sony way too much credit and Arrowhead way too little.

Sony is known for their very hands-off approach with their devs, both internal and external partners. This implies that HD2's success comes largely as a result of the studio's own creativity, solid gameplay and system ideas and a very satisfying implementation.

There are a shit tonne of shooters on the market that are mechanically similar to HD2. None play like HD2 and have been anywhere near as successful. Arrowhead did that. They deserve praise for their great work and Sony won't be able to replicate it easily with another studio.

If making top-tier games with external studios was so easy, MS would not be in the position they're in today.

Sony actually isn’t hands off at all

Microsoft is hands off.

Sony is extremely involved in their external partner projects

Arrowhead gets plenty of credit but if they want to go elsewhere or own their IP it will be a big gamble to them

For Sony, it’s not a big gamble to get another talented studio to make HD3

Ideally they both continue working with each other
 
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Klayzer

Gold Member
Not at all.

You're giving Sony way too much credit and Arrowhead way too little.

Sony is known for their very hands-off approach with their devs, both internal and external partners. This implies that HD2's success comes largely as a result of the studio's own creativity, solid gameplay and system ideas and a very satisfying implementation.

There are a shit tonne of shooters on the market that are mechanically similar to HD2. None play like HD2 and have been anywhere near as successful. Arrowhead did that. They deserve praise for their great work and Sony won't be able to replicate it easily with another studio.

If making top-tier games with external studios was so easy, MS would not be in the position they're in today.
Sorry bro. I meant the love icon, not the empathy emoji. I agree one hundred percent with your take. Its insanely difficult to come up with a hit live service game. There's a literal graveyard of devs that has tried.
 

Agent_4Seven

Tears of Nintendo
I mean, good luck with that I guess.

So far they sure showed how you need to support your game and make it better, while at the same time dealing with stupid idiots at Sony which almost ruined their games for no fucking reason but cock suckin' and greedy af shareholders. Keep it up Arrowhead, also try to make SP only games and maybe...
 
This thread automatically turned to shit. Some users here are just hot take shit posters who probably won’t be banned due to ad revenue.

Anyway Arrowhead is a great studio with great games that I’ve never really had any complaints about. All have a great sense of humor and are fantastic to play. I really hope they become the studio they want to be and don’t lose their way as they approach their ambitions.
 
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Tg89

Member
so they want to be either one of the best studios of the last decade or one of the biggest declines in quality the industry has ever seen?
 

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
Clearly they want to Aspire to be like these companies at their peak. They want to build games and put a lot of pride and effort into them. I know some of you are old enough to realize they're not talking about the state they are in now. I commend them for their efforts as going by some of their games, they have a really good track record. Going from Magicka to Helldiver's has been very solid for me.
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
Those are two wildly different companies to aspire to
There are a lot of people who are instantly on board with anything From does, and that used to be Blizzard. So I think that's what he was talking about. It ultimately comes from earning a lot of trust from gamers that you are trying to make a game for their benefit instead of treating them like paypigs to be fattened and slaughtered. Because that is exactly how Blizzard treats its customers today and why their games are fading into irrelevance.
 

JCreasy

Member
They’re going to need a better art team.

Helldivers character designs are very mediocre to me. That hasn’t slowed its success, but I truly believe great, enduring IP needs a compelling visual identity. And if they’re thinking about what’s next, that has to be a consideration.

If there’s one category they can improve on to become a championship contender, it’s art.
 

BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
Then they need to deliver good, memorable singleplayer content. Otherwise they are nothing more than some live-service dev.

They have always made co-op games even before the term live service game existed. Magicka was good.


Nothing inherently wrong with focusing on a genre. They’re good at it.
 

Miyazaki’s Slave

Gold Member
They probably don't care that much about offending Sony tbh. Their social media posts when the whole "link your playstation account" went down threw Sony immediately under the bus.

Put the pitch forks down...

I am not saying they were wrong to place responsibility at the feet of those responsible but if you are trying cozy up to someone you don't start the dog pile for a very public and very rough week of player animosity.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
They want to be Blizzard? So they want to be acquired? Well, that's some indie studios dream. Cash out being swalloeed up. CEO and VPs get big pay as they get golden parachuted a year later while the regular employees get assimilated into a new parent company.
 

Hudo

Member
They have always made co-op games even before the term live service game existed. Magicka was good.


Nothing inherently wrong with focusing on a genre. They’re good at it.
That's fair but then they can't be the next From or Blizzard. Then maybe they should try to be their own thing.
 

Lord Panda

The Sea is Always Right
Yeah, I hope he's referring to classic Blizzard and Blizzard North, and not the current mangy shithead Blizzard.
 

Rocinante618

Neo Member
I'm NOT from the West and I find it kinda funny that:

Japanese devs (leave Square Enix out): work hard quietly, release bangers, super polite to fans, apologize profusely, thank for selling millions, thank fans. Record profits, bonuses, pay hikes, CEO's cutting pay to not fire devs, etc. No drama, no million tweets per day, no patting themselves on the back. No "messaging", no blaming fans/gamers if the game is bad, no overconfidence, no "we will be the next {insert major popular dev here}.

Arrowhead (and other Western devs): wE wAnT tO bE thE nExT fRoMSoft/bliZZard! Repeated poor realeases, "the message", gamers bad not our game, extremist!, season pass + cosmetics + powerup MTX, poor optimizations, shutting down studious, laying off many gamedevs, banning mods, circlejerking, etc
 

Hudo

Member
I'm NOT from the West and I find it kinda funny that:

Japanese devs (leave Square Enix out): work hard quietly, release bangers, super polite to fans, apologize profusely, thank for selling millions, thank fans. Record profits, bonuses, pay hikes, CEO's cutting pay to not fire devs, etc. No drama, no million tweets per day, no patting themselves on the back. No "messaging", no blaming fans/gamers if the game is bad, no overconfidence, no "we will be the next {insert major popular dev here}.

Arrowhead (and other Western devs): wE wAnT tO bE thE nExT fRoMSoft/bliZZard! Repeated poor realeases, "the message", gamers bad not our game, extremist!, season pass + cosmetics + powerup MTX, poor optimizations, shutting down studious, laying off many gamedevs, banning mods, circlejerking, etc
What is "The West"?
 
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