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[Bernkastel]

At 34:41, they start talking about the Microsoft Aquisition

They basically came to us and said we want you to keep doing what you do really well, but now you have a budget. So, we were like - 'Oh Yeah, thats great. Lets do that'.

We are spending a lot time figuring out to raise the standards of the quality of the game we are building so we can become a real first party studio.

For the first time, in a very long time in my career to be able to create without this cloud of impending doom of financing or studio politics, not having to carry those twin albatrosses around I think are extremely liberating.

If everyone else is just like me, I think they are preparing to do the best work of their careers

Do you feel like it made you a better studio ? Well I guess we will know whether we will be a better studio, once we get out our next game. People would tell us, if we are better or not.

 

[bumleforce]

It sucks when you work and you always have that fear of losing your job in there case because of funding. The talent was there obviously and microsoft saw that. I think the next game is gonna be really good but its gonna be a while and i am looking forward to it. They know how to tell a story and they were going in so many directions gameplay wise. it will be nice to see them focused.

 

[Kagey K]

I didn’t like We Happy Few personally, but I bought it for my g/f last Christmas, and so far she has spent 14 days and 55 mins in game according to the stats on Xbox.

So while it may not be for me, I appreciate that it’s a game some people love. Her 14 days in that game is almost double the time I spent in one game this gen.

 

[Mattyp]

I didn’t like We Happy Few personally, but I bought it for my g/f last Christmas, and so far she has spent 14 days and 55 mins in game according to the stats on Xbox.

So while it may not be for me, I appreciate that it’s a game some people love. Her 14 days in that game is almost double the time I spent in one game this gen.

This is the same for me, I don’t have the time to enjoy the game with the hours required but a few friends do and love it. More than glad Microsoft picked them up with the security they have now and more diversity for those who do love it.

Will no doubt will give some time to whatever they do next with MS funding and the hiring spree all these studios have been on.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Contrast is a beautiful game and I love the presentation and the game, so artistic. I wish it was launch it physical versión. In the other hand we Happy few is overrated game for nothing.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

"We Had to Make the Chicken and the Egg at the Same Time:" A We Happy Few Postmortem

When We Happy Few's E3 2016 trailer opens, there's already a sense of unease setting in. Eerie Orwellian devices dot the frame. The player-character is conte...

www.usgamer.net

Thanks mods for the title change

 

[Oddvintagechap]

I enjoyed Contrast. More than i should have? Felt really PS2 like.

 

[Bernkastel]

Few months old but relavant to this thread

 

[CatLady]

I didn’t like We Happy Few personally, but I bought it for my g/f last Christmas, and so far she has spent 14 days and 55 mins in game according to the stats on Xbox.

So while it may not be for me, I appreciate that it’s a game some people love. Her 14 days in that game is almost double the time I spent in one game this gen.

So glad to hear your gf liked it, I thought I was the only person on the planet that liked it. In fact I loved it, even as unpolished and janky as it was. It was unique & fresh, with a weird cool story & interesting quirky characters. I liked the game play and I thought overall it was really a fun game.

I'd been excited about this game since the 1st time MS showed at E3 and intended to buy it day 1 but then I was scared off by the horrible reviews it received and lost all interest. Once I joined Game Pass, I decided to give it a try even though my expectations were low and just like what happened with Hellblade another game I thought I wouldn't like, it turned out to be a game I really loved.

I hope their next game is as unusual and fun as this one was for me, minus the jank.

 

[Gargus]

I didn’t like We Happy Few personally, but I bought it for my g/f last Christmas, and so far she has spent 14 days and 55 mins in game according to the stats on Xbox.

So while it may not be for me, I appreciate that it’s a game some people love. Her 14 days in that game is almost double the time I spent in one game this gen.

Yeah. I got it off Ebay and I played it about 5 hours and quit. I just didn't like anything about it. It felt like someone came up with a really brief idea and sketched out some interesting mask concepts and that was really all they had, and just sort of threw the game up around those 2 things.

 

[KingdomHeartsFan]

Let's see if they can actually put out a good game this time.

 

[Bernkastel]

0 jobs in United States

Today's top 0 jobs in United States. Leverage your professional network, and get hired. New jobs added daily.

www.linkedin.com

Qualifications
● Experience working on at least one AAA game

Alright folks. They are going all out.

 

[molasar]

Naila Hadjas seems to be nice.

 

[Bernkastel]

3,000+ Game Director jobs in United States (177 new)

Today’s top 3,000+ Game Director jobs in United States. Leverage your professional network, and get hired. New Game Director jobs added daily.

www.linkedin.com

 

[Hendrick's]

I think they will emerge as a top tier studio. I loved Contrast, and thought WHF had great potential, but lacked a budget.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[Bernkastel]

0 Jobs in United States

Today’s 0 jobs in United States. Leverage your professional network, and get hired. New United States jobs added daily.

www.linkedin.com

Qualifications

● 5+ years experience creating and designing narrative for AAA games and/or narrative indie games

They have 12 open postions

Principal systems programmer
Lead level artist
UI programmer
3D Artist
Level designer
Producer
Senior level designer- 8+ years experience in video game level design, with experience in 3rd person action and adventure games
Gameplay programmer
Writer
Senior Writer
Systems programmer
Senior UX designer

 

[CeeJay]

I think they will emerge as a top tier studio. I loved Contrast, and thought WHF had great potential, but lacked a budget.

I think you can say that for a lot of the studios that MS acquired. I think their output next gen is going to surprise a lot of people. I am looking forward to seeing what Undead Labs can do with access to the wealth of knowledge and technical expertise within Xbox Studios along with the shackles of extremely limited budgets removed.

 

[Bernkastel]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericallard/

 

[Bernkastel]

 

[Bernkastel]

 

[Bernkastel]

 

[FF:Enhanced_Reality]

It sucks when you work and you always have that fear of losing your job in there case because of funding. The talent was there obviously and microsoft saw that. I think the next game is gonna be really good but its gonna be a while and i am looking forward to it. They know how to tell a story and they were going in so many directions gameplay wise. it will be nice to see them focused.

I wouldn't think being first party will make you safer tbh.

 

[The_Mike]

I wouldn't think being first party will make you safer tbh.

Well depends if its under EA or not. Having living on a previous financial crisis, I can tell you that it really can kill any sort of creativity.

 

[LeftThumbstick]

Let's see if they can actually put out a good game this time.

That’s a bit harsh is it not? It certainly wasn’t the worst game to ever come out and a decent entry for a small studio.

 

[Redlancet]

I think they will emerge as a top tier studio. I loved Contrast, and thought WHF had great potential, but lacked a budget.

top tier? nah

 

[Alan Wake]

We Happy Few was a bit rough, but I saw the potential. Really curious to see what Compulsion can do with more people and better funding. Guess we'll have to wait a while to find out.

 

[FF:Enhanced_Reality]

Well depends if its under EA or not. Having living on a previous financial crisis, I can tell you that it really can kill any sort of creativity.

Actually I was thinking Microsoft have shut down studios before today. Sony too. A budget is great but there's still expectation with that. The console manufacturers aren't charities so they have to make money from that budget. If not well... Ask Lionhead.

 

[Bernkastel]

 

[Bernkastel]

Xbox Game Studios, jeux, harcèlement : notre interview exclusive avec Naila Hadjas de Compulsion Games

Les prises de paroles de Compulsion Games se font rares. Depuis la sortie de We Happy Few, le studio travaille en toute discrétion sur sa prochaine production et préfère rester loin des lumières pour mieux se concentrer sur l’essentiel. Car si les équipes disposent désormais de moyens inédits...

xboxsquad.fr

XS: The studio has grown strongly, what is the objective in terms of growth, headcount?

N.H:: Ideally, at the beginning, we wanted 90, 100 people and I don't think we'll go beyond that. Simply because we want to keep it relatively small and not become a big corporation with hundreds of people. We want the studio to remain intimate, that the games have a "homemade" touch. That was the idea at the beginning and we will continue like this.

XS: When Microsoft acquired it, Guillaume Provost said that Compulsion Games' ambition was to become a leading studio. What does that mean?

N.H: It definitely means scoring players and making better quality games. And Microsoft's support helps us tremendously in that.

Our goal has always been to make games different from others, with human stories, unique worlds. We really want to focus on quality rather than quantity.

XS: Your next project will be a narrative single-player game in third-person view. What is the objective with this game in your evolution?

N.H:: I think we give ourselves some time to learn. This is our first game with Microsoft and we learn a lot. We have doubled the workforce and we are adapting to it. The goal is to expand our crazy universe, to continue to make our mark in video games as a studio that likes to make unique games, in little-used settings. For now, that is our goal. To continue our "legacy",our legacy, while remaining true to ourselves.

XS: How long was it before the new project started.

N.H:: A few months after We Happy Few. There was a lot of brainstorming between a few people, it started in a very light way. It was evolving little by little and more and more people were added to the team and now everyone is on it.

XS: Start of production in early 2019 then?

N.H:: Yes.

XS: Can you be more specific? Where are you in the development of this game? Do you plan to communicate soon?

N.H:: I can't answer too much because you never really know what's going to happen. We are in the middle of development. We are in the middle of "in the juice",hand to paw, on the "hard" stages of the project.

XS: Speaking of We Happy Few, the game was available in Game Preview to refine its proposal and test mechanics. Elements were also removed at that time. Will this also be the case for your next title?

N.H:: No, not at all. The Game Preview with We Happy few was really to test the game with the community because it was a rogue-like, a survival. And since it was our first, we wanted to see if things were well balanced. So we needed feedback from the community.

With our new game, a narrative game, third person, a story, I don't think we need any feedback. It's not like a rogue-like where you replay several times and you need data to make sure the experience is fun.

We Happy Few has evolved a lot, at first it was a rogue-like and then we added a story because people loved the world, the characters, so we said "ok, we're going to make a real game with an end and a story". The next game is a story, we know where we're going.

XS: What does it change for you to be an Xbox studio?

N.H: It changes that we have the means to hire people, we can afford to move into more comfortable studios. It also gives us a lot of resources, for example research.

We will write, do research and there are (at Microsoft) many departments that will help us deepen our studies, our research on people, various elements.

XS: You have a particular accompaniment of Xbox, then?

N.H:: Yes, they have departments that will tell us if the direction we are taking is right or put us in touch with interlocutors who could refine the project and make sure that what we are doing is consistent.

It's also because there are other Microsoft studios we often talk to. We can exchange ideas, ask for advice. There is a whole support system at Microsoft that helps us improve our game. This is something we would not have had as an independent.

XS: How exactly is it with other Xbox Game Studios? What are your interactions?

N.H:: We lend ourselves things, we ask for advice. The teams in each department are quite close. The audio people here talk a lot with the audio people at Coalition, at Rare. And the same for all the other departments in fact.

I would say that we have all our friends in the other studios with whom we can exchange ideas, ask, help. We help ourselves a lot.

XS: With the acquisition of Microsoft, your next game will be integrated into Xbox Game Pass. Does this have an impact on your development?

N.H: No, no negative impact. Positive, yes. We want as many people as ever to be able to access our games.

On We Happy Few for example, at first we were going to release it only on Steam. And little by little, we added it on ID@Xbox and then Playstation at the time. What we really want is for people to be able to play our game. And the fact that it's on Game Pass means that more people will be able to play it.

There is not really a negative side.

The only thing that can negatively impact is when studios make versions on several consoles. For example Xbox One and Series. There are a lot of technical constraints. It is a version of the game that must roll on both even if they do not have the same power.

 

[Punished Miku]

Xbox Game Studios, jeux, harcèlement : notre interview exclusive avec Naila Hadjas de Compulsion Games

Les prises de paroles de Compulsion Games se font rares. Depuis la sortie de We Happy Few, le studio travaille en toute discrétion sur sa prochaine production et préfère rester loin des lumières pour mieux se concentrer sur l’essentiel. Car si les équipes disposent désormais de moyens inédits...

xboxsquad.fr

I guess it's a cross-gen game?

 

[Bernkastel]

I guess it's a cross-gen game?

Its too far off them to even consider a Xbox One version. Many Xbox first party titles have already been announced as next gen only, most of which will probably release before Compulsion's game.

 

[Punished Miku]

Its too far off them to even consider a Xbox One version. Many Xbox first party titles have already been announced as next gen only, most of which will probably release before Compulsion's game.

That's what I would assume. Just odd way he worded the last line in your quote.

 

[reksveks]

That's what I would assume. Just odd way he worded the last line in your quote.

I wonder if its a translation issue.

 

[Bernkastel]

That's what I would assume. Just odd way he worded the last line in your quote.

Its machine translation, but I would assume she meant that making their game cross platform development would negatively impact them.

La seule chose qui puisse impacter négativement c’est quand les studios font des versions sur plusieurs consoles. Par exemple Xbox One et Series. Il y a beaucoup de contraintes techniques. C’est une version du jeu qui doit rouler sur les deux même si elles n’ont pas la même puissance.

 

[Punished Miku]

Its machine translation, but I would assume she meant that making their game cross platform development would negatively impact them.

Seems fine to me.

"Par exemple Xbox One et Series"

It would be odd to make a game for Xbox One. But it's also odd to even bring it up in a current interview. Oh well, guess we just wait and see.

 

[Bernd Lauert]

Really hope they ditch the last gen consoles. Sounds like a 2023 game, so they probably will.

Also thanks for leaving out the stupid part of the interview. Who the hell cares lmao.

 

[Bernkastel]

New upcoming Xbox exclusives revealed: Project 'Midnight' from Compulsion and 'Pentiment' from Obsidian

We've got details on two more upcoming Xbox exclusives.

www.windowscentral.com

Compulsion joined Microsoft near the start of their content acquisition spree. The firm is known primarily for We Happy Few, which despite some gameplay problems, delivered big in the art direction department. We Happy Few's twisted vision of a fallen Britain proved a truly intriguing concept, and solidified Compulsion as a studio with a lot of potential.

Recently, we received some details on Compulsion's first outing as part of Xbox Game Studios. Currently codenamed "Midnight," this upcoming title is supposedly a third-person action game set in a dark and fantastical world. Some of the game's early concept artwork can be seen above. They represent the game's protagonist, alongside warped harpy-like humanoids that appear to descend through various iterations of mutation. On the left, we can see what appears to be harpy nest-style dwellings built atop a tree.

Midnight is described as a "coming of age" tale drawing upon inspirations from America's Deep South. The game features magic and large fantastical beasts with a strong "southern gothic" vibe. The game is a wholly single-player experience, with what has been described to me as a "strong" story.

Right now I have no info on the launch timings of Midnight, but you're likely looking at the next couple of years for an official reveal and perhaps even a full launch, although it could come later depending on Compulsion's growth and ambitions for the title.