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[ricardo_sousa11]

After Redfall they will be lucky if they arent closed down

 

[DenchDeckard]

Arkane reduced to making GaaS games. Yep that sounds like Microsoft.

Arkane made this game of their own free will lol

 

[simpatico]

They had an internal conflict (around 2016 to 2018) and one side lost and got either purged from the company/left the company or forced into silence and treating game making just as a job that got paid, without having any passion for their jobs anymore. Do not think newArkane is the oldArkane. Similar thing has happened to many other dev studios, more recent example being Rocksteady.

RIP

The fact they've turned to looter shooters just makes it worse. Good grief.

 

[ckaneo]

You were saying?

 

[kyussman]

At this point it's obvious there is Arkane up to Prey and post-Prey Arkane and we also know certain people left between those two timelines.I think they have to return to their immersive sim games,that's what they are great at(or were during the first timeline).Can they recreate the quality of those earlier games now,I've no idea.....will Microsoft allow them to try,I would hope so.

 

[Freeman76]

Such a shame that Redfall wasnt given more time to cook. Shows how you can build a strong reputation and fuck it all up with one bad release. Before Redfall I would try anything with Arkane stamped on it, from now I doubt that will remain the case. Even if Redfall was made by the B-Team, still not a good look for them. Also where's MS quality control here? They need a homerun

 

[Griffon]

Beyond the games being mid, their artstyle is just fugly.

 

[Stare-Bear]

Arkan will be turned into the next Halo-factory...

 

[Radical Dreamer]

Arcane has to be one of the most overrated devs out there lmao. Deathloop was trash and so is redfall. Mid tier studio at best

 

[Bojanglez]

First of all they could start by giving them enough time to finish their games before launching them.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Those guys have a stellar record over the past 10 years with consistently creative and very good games. Microsoft acquired Zenimax Media in 2021 so I imagine Redfall was around 60% done by that time and it was too late to change its direction.

This studio has been on the verge of greatness for a while but doesn't seem to have the budget to really catch the public eye. Why Zenimax hasn't given them a proper budget for their games is beyond me but this could simply be that they don't have the funding due to their most important titles being Fallout and TES.

After Redfall, I hope Microsoft just gives Arkane Studios a blank cheque to go balls to the walls with a proper AAA game. It's sad to see them stuck at being a AA developer when they have the talent to break into the AAA scene and produce even better games.

Seeing the cartoony styles of Deathloop and Redfall just makes me think: Yep, these are guys who don't have the money for better visuals, production values, and more ambitious projects.

At what point are people going to start figuring out that money isn't the issue? Halo Infinite has what $500M thrown into it?

MS has proven that money and time alone aren't what are going to fix their games. They have thrown so much money at these studios and don't have jack to show for it.

They need proper people managing their studios and I am honestly thinking these studios might be better served with smaller budgets and less resources. Hire people away from Sony who specialize in this.

Having resources and I'd rather have too much, but not enough. But having too much money creates the problem of taking too many chances and being unable to put it all together.

 

[yazenov]

Thread aged like spoiled milk.

 

[ANDS]

Seeing the cartoony styles of Deathloop and Redfall just makes me think: Yep, these are guys who don't have the money for better visuals, production values, and more ambitious projects.

It is literally the visual style of the studio insofar as putting them on the map. REDFALL hasn't lived up to expectations not because of their signature stylized look but because they by and large left everything else that makes them ARKANE.

. . . this game has really done a number on industry "takes."

 

[Moriarty1889]

They need to go back to their roots. SP Offline story driven games like Dishonored. Focus on story and the characters and stop chasing this endless hollow online only coop MP every dev is so obsessed with lately.
One can hope but what happens remains to be seen.

 

[hangdang69]

I haven't liked one of their games since 2006, so I'm going to have to disagree

 

[Slicker than your average]

Judging by redfall money isn't the issue, it's time. And maybe someone who knows how to programme AI.

 

[CGNoire]

Give me that Dark Messiah sequel or atleast a spiritual sequel.

 

[Rebootizing]

Let's see how Redfall is first.

let's wait for the real game

 

[hyperbertha]

Give me that Dark Messiah sequel or atleast a spiritual sequel.

Even a remake would do. It looks like a proper immersive sim. I'd even take an rtx remix edition.

 

[shaddam]

They had an internal conflict (around 2016 to 2018) and one side lost and got either purged from the company/left the company or forced into silence and treating game making just as a job that got paid, without having any passion for their jobs anymore. Do not think newArkane is the oldArkane. Similar thing has happened to many other dev studios, more recent example being Rocksteady.

This explains a lot. I cant wait the upcoming video documentary about it

 

[Ic3man]

After Deadfail? I don't think so

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

Lol no. What Arcane need is to stop sniffing their own farts and make an easy concept overcomplicated. They should be left to dry for a few years and actually come up with a tangible concept.

Imagine getting a blank check after delivering a shit game lol. In what world? Most probably MS will forget about them for the foreseeable future.

 

[cireza]

treating game making just as a job that got paid, without having any passion for their jobs

Isn't this the description of every single job ?

 

[BabyfaceRe]

Releasing an absolute stinker does not net you a blank cheque.....

 

[Caio]

We do not even know if was Microsoft themselves to "force" Arkane to do this kind of Game...my two cents.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Arkan will be turned into the next Halo-factory...

Hopefully not, just let them do what their best at -- immersive sim games.

 

[Mattyp]

We do not even know if was Microsoft themselves to "force" Arkane to do this kind of Game...my two cents.

Considering deathloop was Sony bought exclusive and Redfall was under production before the buy out I would say no they weren’t answering to Microsoft they did what they wanted to do.

Before the buyout they where probably worried financially and where looking to land a casual hit.

Their roots is their success, people saying Prey is shit and the controls are hard? Fuck there’s some scrubbers here.

 

[adamsapple]

Considering deathloop was Sony bought exclusive and Redfall was under production before the buy out I would say no they weren’t answering to Microsoft they did what they wanted to do.

Before the buyout they where probably worried financially and where looking to land a casual hit.

Their roots is their success, people saying Prey is shit and the controls are hard? Fuck there’s some scrubbers here.

It really is amazing how many folks are overlooking the bolded. Arkane's games are great but commercially they all flopped. They were probably under pressure from Zenimax about making a more commercially viable game.

 

[dano1]

They’re definitely getting a blank check. $0.00

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

They were probably under pressure from Zenimax about making a more commercially viable game.

Does Microsoft not care about making commercially viable games?

 

[Gaiff]

Thread aged like spoiled milk.

Nah, I still believe in them. I don't even know why they attempted trash like Redfall. Their track record is still excellent and they grazed greatness numerous times without really touching it. I still have faith in them.

 

[Arsic]

If MS plans to stay consistent to what they did with 343(although too late) then Arkane is about to be down sized.

Their next game will be a small indie title . Maybe they can do a Metroidvania in the Dishonored universe.

 

[Mephisto40]

A cheque so blank it is literally just a piece of paper

 

[XXL]

They’re definitely getting a blank check. $0.00

 

[EverydayBeast]

Nobody makes games like Arkane, they figured out FPS I liked prey, deathloop I don’t know the Redfall hate it’s kinda like cyberpunk all over again and I’m predicting it comes to ps5.

 

[Ev1L AuRoN]

Sure, let's reward the studio for their incredible work with RedFall...

How about a postmortem, a time for the studio to organize, maybe bring outside talent to help the studio with some of its difficulties and then, and only then, talk about budget and scope.

I love Arcane but brush it off failures like that is not a good way to improve their output.

 

[Calverz]

Does Microsoft not care about making commercially viable games?

I think he just meant like with zenimax it was all about profitability, whereas with MS, profitability is obviously still important, there are other metrics with the whole gamepass subscription model to take into account.

 

[adamsapple]

Does Microsoft not care about making commercially viable games?

I'm sure they do. But pre acquisition Zenimax and Microsoft were not in the same boat financially.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Nah, I still believe in them. I don't even know why they attempted trash like Redfall. Their track record is still excellent and they grazed greatness numerous times without really touching it. I still have faith in them.

Teams change as talent leaves. Look at Bioware of old vs. now.

Redfall didn't fail because of a rehashed concept. It failed because the game is fundamentally bad: poor AI, low-quality graphics, bad quest design, uninspiring world, etc. That's not the work of a talented team.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

I think he just meant like with zenimax it was all about profitability, whereas with MS, profitability is obviously still important, there are other metrics with the whole gamepass subscription model to take into account.

I worry that this hands off approach by MS leads to these disasters.

Arkane may not be the same studio they once were, Redfall is a pretty massive disaster that raises red flags

 

[Calverz]

I worry that this hands off approach by MS leads to these disasters.

Arkane may not be the same studio they once were, Redfall is a pretty massive disaster that raises red flags

Absolutely. I think when there is less sales pressure on people, the foot comes off the gas.....

 

[PnCIa]

Creativity blooms under restrictions...so no.

 

[OceanGaming]

Isn't this the description of every single job ?

No LMAO. I have enough passion for my projects. Both in my job and in my hobbies of creating.

 

[VAVA Mk2]

Let's see how Redfall is first.

 

[The Stig]

I hope they revisit Prey.

this.

 

[MR ARCADE FOREVER]

Overrated developer that has delivered overrated games with clanky gameplay and dated graphics

 

[Gaiff]

I'll keep this thread bookmarked and bump it whenever Arkane's next game proves to be a smash hit. Those who reacted with a laughing emoji, your days are numbered. You know who you are.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Isn't that the "Virtuous Cycle" Jim Ryan coined?

Studio makes a 62 metascore game - reward them with a blank check. Infinite growth using this strategy.

 

[Killer8]

The blame for Redfall flopping seems to be getting foisted on Microsoft an awful lot.

Throwing money at a failing project does not make good business sense, nor does it magically make a game good. And I would argue that MS did give Arkane plenty of money - because they gave Arkane a ton of time, and that costs a lot when you're staffing a studio of hundreds of people. They got a whole year extra in fact, delaying the game on May 2022 to May 2023.

At what point does the pity party and the excuses end and we just admit that Arkane made a shitty game?

 

[cireza]

No LMAO. I have enough passion for my projects. Both in my job and in my hobbies of creating.

I'd actually not mix things up and keep my passion for my free time, without any constraint. I'd certainly not try to turn it into my job, otherwise it would lose a lot of what makes it attractive. But great for you !