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[Bridges]

Related to this topic, I watched the first bit of his interview with Last Stand Media recently:

I found it interesting that he says he basically threatened to leave the company if they didn't make this game. It's been a dream of his throughout his career to make a historical RPG and he felt like the Microsoft acquisition was the perfect chance for him to lay it on the line and try to get it made since 1) He was not currently working on any projects 2) Smaller niche titles like this would be more likely to be greenlit for Game Pass and 3) He felt Microsoft would feel obligated to greenlight a passion project right after the acquisition as a sign of goodwill + optics.

He was much more forthright than I would've expected.

I am not very far into Pentiment but it is very cool so far, glad stuff like this gets to exist

 

[Captain Toad]

It is a bit off-topic but do you believe xbox is going to stop funding big budget SP games from now on?

I think they're less likely to spend whatever it takes that people see them as worthy of dropping $70 on.

Being good enough to not stop subscribing to a monthly service and being a blockbuster worthy of dropping money on day one is a big difference.

Just my thoughts. Time will tell. So far, that seems to be the case.

 

[TheGodfather07]

Microsoft bought Bethesda in 2020 and they were in talks to acquire them since 2018. Why do you think there was anything other a PC version in 2020 when the next gen consoles had not even been released? Also Bethesda usually develops for PC first and then optimizes for consoles.

But I thought sony were trying to make an exclusive deal for starfield? Now starfield never had a ps version to begin with? Make your mind up will you?

So let me get this straight. You think starfield would still be xbox exclusive if zenimax wasn't bought by Microsoft? Really?

 

[Bernkastel]

But I thought sony were trying to make an exclusive deal for starfield? Now starfield never had a ps version to begin with? Make your mind up will you?

So let me get this straight. You think starfield would still be xbox exclusive if zenimax wasn't bought by Microsoft? Really?

Negotiating a deal(which never went past negotiations) does not mean Bethesda was already testing and optimizing the game for the unreleased next gen consoles three years before release.

 

[The Tourmaline Gorilla]

I'm sorry- maybe I'm not reading things correctly but how exactly does a service like Gamepass allow a game like this to exist? Is he trying to say that without a service like Gamepass, this game would never have come to fruition??? Cause that sounds like utter bullshit to me. But I'd LOVE to know the reason why Gamepass and ONLY Gamepass allowed a game like this to be made.

Obsidian makes triple A games; they have a large number of employees - they have a responsibility to their board, directors and their employees. It is unwise to divide and divert resources towards something that might be incredibly niche and that they may never see the ROI from. Money isn't simply a toy, to be played with.

The Game Pass model (it didn't have to be Game Pass - it could have been called something else, with the same model, but it just so happens Game Pass exists and they're privy to it) allows them to take bigger risks like this, as they have a large safety net - they don't need x-amount of guaranteed sales, etc, directly from the game. It allows larger studios to be experimental, without the worry of losses or no ROI.

How is that so difficult to understand? And just because they're working for the company that allows them to use the Game Pass model, with almost zero risk, doesn't mean they can't make businesses decisions objectively, as so many insinuate here.

I really don't see what all the negativity, mockery, doubt and downplay is all about.

 

[GhostOfTsu]

Hellblade / TLOU / Ragnarok / etc: linear story that you cannot influence in any way.

Games Sawyer makes/likes: open narratives where you can influence the story.

If it’s too complicated for you just wait 30 seconds and an NPC will give you a hint.

Text adventures like Zork came out in the 70s and you could influence the story. Text adventures were always the most basic game you could make until the release of Pentiment in 2022. Now VNs are the epitome of game storytelling and above everything else in the medium.

Other games, the kind Sony makes of course, is peasant shit for the masses.

 

[geary]

 

[Three]

It’s likely it would have sold at profit, but that’s not guaranteed. It’s less about the budget and more about the fact that it’s super niche.

It’s also extremely hypocritical for you to pontificate like this when this was your thought about the game mere months ago

Going from ‘it looks terrible’, ‘it’s a ripoff’ and ‘it looks like a flash game’ to ‘there’s no risk, it would have sold at a profit’ is really really weird.

What's hypocritical? That was my thought about the games looks and £20 asking price. You can disagree but there is nothing hypocritical about what I said. I'm talking about its budget not being a risk and other indies making games at a profit without issue. I'm not even saying Pentiment itself would sell well. I'm even saying nobody would give it a second look without MS marketing and gamepass and it's a low budget game with MS marketing and FOMO on these titles to sell gamepass instead.

Thank you for agreeing with Sawyer and outlining why he was skeptical it would be greenlit.

You folks easily forget that for every hour Sawyer and team worked on Pentiment, that’s an hour not spent on a bigger, more crowd pleasing AAA title that would drive more GP subs.

Thank you for not understanding what I'm saying.

 

[Ozriel]

Text adventures like Zork came out in the 70s and you could influence the story. Text adventures were always the most basic game you could make until the release of Pentiment in 2022. Now VNs are the epitome of game storytelling and above everything else in the medium.

Other games, the kind Sony makes of course, is peasant shit for the masses.

All this drama because someone in 2020 gave his opinion about the type of games he prefers.

Man doesn’t even name-call Sony or claim anything about ‘peasant shit for the masses’.

The nerve of Mr Sawyer to not like something you like.

 

[SLB1904]

if we ignore the 1000s indie games out there... sure it wouldnt be able to make without the gamepass. what a load of bollocks

 

[GhostOfTsu]

All this drama because someone in 2020 gave his opinion about the type of games he prefers.

Man doesn’t even name-call Sony or claim anything about ‘peasant shit for the masses’.

The nerve of Mr Sawyer to not like something you like.

I was talking to those specific posters here on GAF and quoting them.

We'll see how fast y’all switch when MS releases a blockbuster. Meanwhile keep stanning for Josh Sawyer and his high brow storytelling.

 

[adamsapple]

I was talking to those specific posters here on GAF and quoting them.

We'll see how fast y’all switch when MS releases a blockbuster. Meanwhile keep stanning for Josh Sawyer and his high brow storytelling.

Will MS releasing an AAA blockbuster somehow take away Pentiment's positive meta scores and reception ?



Christ almighty Tsu, you're always so cringe whenever you post in an xbox/game pass thread with all this salt ..

why even bother

 

[AutumnLeaves]

if we ignore the 1000s indie games out there... sure it wouldnt be able to make without the gamepass. what a load of bollocks

That is what I don't understand. There are so many amazing indie/small company games released in the last few years.

Games like Roadwarden, 1428: Shadows over Silesia, Conscript, Age of Decadence, Aeon of Sands, Alaloth, Alder's Blood, Banners of Ruin, BaroTrauma, BlackRook, Blasphemous, Book of Demons, Book of Travels, Distance, Dread Templar, Dreadout, Fell Seal, Intravenous, Invisible, Into the Breach, The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante, etc. And this is just from my steam library and I didn't even go all the way down my list; I'm sure there are plethora more that I don't know about.

I understand that Gamepass brought the game to a large audience but saying it wouldn't exist?

I know Pentiment is unique and I'm really enjoying and am glad it exists but this is this straight up marketing talk.

 

[adamsapple]

if we ignore the 1000s indie games out there... sure it wouldnt be able to make without the gamepass. what a load of bollocks

I understand that Gamepass brought the game to a large audience but saying it wouldn't exist?

I know Pentiment is unique and I'm really enjoying and am glad it exists but this is this straight up marketing talk.

You guys are reading the blurb in OP without context.

I'll quote myself from earlier:

Sawyer elaborates, mentioning the “old mentality” of focusing on larger teams and larger investment for a higher ROI (return on investment). He says that’s not really the point, in this environment or ecosystem.

He's not saying a games like this won't be possible without game pass, more that he wouldn't propose a project like that without the service as a backup, because of the modern AAA studio mentality of larger investments into bigger projects from studios like this. For example, I think it will be a lot less likely for Niel Druckmann to break off for a couple of years from AAA development at Naughty Dogs and propose a Fallout Shelter style game set in a Last of Us adjacent world, as an example, if it wasn't for a service where ROI is not the biggest concern.

 

[Max_Po]

If he gives me 1 month Game Pass subscription..I still won't play this game...

 

[Griffon]

What a load of bullshit.

Steam shits all over gamepass when it comes to originality and quality of indies.

(and hell, the Nintendo Switch too...)

 

[tmlDan]

Yeah your right, what a waste of time, should of made a remake of a remaster that's time better spent.

whataboutisms are a twitter thing, go there if you want bs comparisons.

I never mentioned remakes or remasters.

 

[Ozriel]

Obsidian makes triple A games; they have a large number of employees - they have a responsibility to their board, directors and their employees. It is unwise to divide and divert resources towards something that might be incredibly niche and that they may never see the ROI from. Money isn't simply a toy, to be played with.

The Game Pass model (it didn't have to be Game Pass - it could have been called something else, with the same model, but it just so happens Game Pass exists and they're privy to it) allows them to take bigger risks like this, as they have a large safety net - they don't need x-amount of guaranteed sales, etc, directly from the game. It allows larger studios to be experimental, without the worry of losses or no ROI.

How is that so difficult to understand? And just because they're working for the company that allows them to use the Game Pass model, with almost zero risk, doesn't mean they can't make businesses decisions objectively, as so many insinuate here.

I really don't see what all the negativity, mockery, doubt and downplay is all about.

Excellent post.

What a load of bullshit
Steam shits all over gamepass when it comes to originality and quality of indies.

(and hell, the Nintendo Switch too...)

and you’ve just told the world you have absolutely no clue what this thread is about.

 

[GhostOfTsu]

Will MS releasing an AAA blockbuster somehow take away Pentiment's positive meta scores and reception ?



Christ almighty Tsu, you're always so cringe whenever you post in an xbox/game pass thread with all this salt ..

why even bother

There is no salt or concern in any of my posts. You keep throwing those words out there for no reason.

Why don't you quote your friends that said games like GOW or GOT are for ding-dongs, stale, flat and the easiest to do in the medium? That's the real salt to me.

You can block me if you want an echo chamber.

 

[SLB1904]

You guys are reading the blurb in OP without context.

I'll quote myself from earlier:





He's not saying a games like this won't be possible without game pass, more that he wouldn't propose a project like that without the service as a backup, because of the modern AAA studio mentality of larger investments into bigger projects from studios like this. For example, I think it will be a lot less likely for Niel Druckmann to break off for a couple of years from AAA development at Naughty Dogs and propose a Fallout Shelter style game set in a Last of Us adjacent world, as an example, if it wasn't for a service where ROI is not the biggest concern.

that doesn't refute what i said at all. naughty dog insomniac are all created to make AAA games. thats what they do. aint nobody is trying to make small games. they work for sony that's what sony ask of them. sony also has a subscription service. there is nothing special about gamepass.

 

[Griffon]

and you’ve just told the world you have absolutely no clue what this thread is about.

The fact that studios are making smaller and smaller games for MS, with reduced budgets and scope, and are acting "happy" about it?

I quite understood that, and it's still nowhere near the breadth and quality of steam indies (most of which make more money for themselves than overworked studio employees).

 

[adamsapple]

that doesn't refute what i said at all. naughty dog insomniac are all created to make AAA games. thats what they do. aint nobody is trying to make small games. they work for sony that's what sony ask of them. sony also has a subscription service. there is nothing special about gamepass.

Ok, see, you've deliberately misconstrued his point and injected a dose of Sony in there that was not his point at all.

The whole point of Pentiment is that it's Sawyer's passion project, a small scale game *HE* wanted to make, and the backing of a service like game pass allowed MS to sign off on it with little to no hesitation. That's the whole point he's made in his quotes that some folks have WILDLY taken out of context.

The greater Obsidian as a whole is still making the prototypical AAA games like Avowed and Outer Worlds 2, this game does not impact those games.

There is no salt or concern in any of my posts. You keep throwing those words out there for no reason.
Why don't you quote your friends that said games like GOW or GOT are for ding-dongs, stale, flat and the easiest to do in the medium? That's the real salt to me.
You can block me if you want an echo chamber.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, the only difference is that 'my friends' aren't usually shitting up every game pass or xbox thread with the kind of rhetoric you usually are.

That's the key difference.

Also why would I want to block you, that's no fun.

 

[SLB1904]

Ok, see, you've deliberately misconstrued his point and injected a dose of Sony in there that was not his point at all.

The whole point of Pentiment is that it's Sawyer's passion project, a small scale game *HE* wanted to make.

My point is. He could've made with or without gamepass. Hell I've seen one dev projects more impressive than this.
There was absolutely nothing stoping him from making it at all. It's not like is a game that took a lot of resources of the team to make. 10 people could make that easy.
What I'm saying gamepass isn't related to it as much this PR trying to sound

 

[adamsapple]

My point is. He could've made with or without gamepass. He'll I've seen one dev projects more impressive than this.
There was absolutely nothing from making it at all. It's not like is a game that took a lot of resources of the team to make. 10 people could make that easy.
What I'm saying gamepass isn't related to it as much this PR truing to sound

But you said so earlier yourself, big studios are in the market for AAA games, you don't see big AAA studios usually make smaller games like this. That's not the norm.

That's what having this service has allowed Sawyer to do.

He's right in that a big publisher probably wouldn't sign off on a small project like this, instead they would have said devote every resource to your other bigger projects in development right now.

I'm sure you would agree to that.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

But you said so earlier yourself, big studios are in the market for AAA games, you don't see big AAA studios usually make smaller games like this. That's not the norm.

That's what having this service has allowed Sawyer to do.

He's right in that a big publisher probably wouldn't sign off on a small project like this, instead they would have said devote every resource to your other bigger projects in development right now.

I'm sure you would agree to that

PR talk.

 

[adamsapple]

PR talk.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Yes. Get out.

 

[SLB1904]

But you said so earlier yourself, big studios are in the market for AAA games, you don't see big AAA studios usually make smaller games like this. That's not the norm.

That's what having this service has allowed Sawyer to do.

He's right in that a big publisher probably wouldn't sign off on a small project like this, instead they would have said devote every resource to your other bigger projects in development right now.

I'm sure you would agree to that.

I get what are you trying to say. But your reasoning is flawed. Microsoft is also trying to make money from gamepass. They need people to subscribe. If Microsoft allowed him to make this or even finish this project is because it doesn't go against their plans. Don't think for a sec just because the gamepass exists developers will have easy life. That's not how this things works. The goal is to increase subscription for Microsoft nothing else. And they will do whatever it takes to achieve that. Don't think for a second they have any other plans.

 

[adamsapple]

I get what are you trying to say. But your reasoning is flawed. Microsoft is also trying to make money from gamepass. They need people to subscribe. If Microsoft allowed him to make this or even finish this project is because it doesn't go against their plans. Don't think for a sec just because the gamepass exists developers will have easy life. That's not how this things works. The goal is to increase subscription for Microsoft nothing else. And they will do whatever it takes to achieve that. Don't think for a second they have any other plans.

I have no doubt MS wouldn't sign off on this if they 1/ weren't in a place where they think they can afford Sawyer to spend time on this (like I said earlier, the greater Obsidian is already developing 2 AAA RPGs at the moment, and they just shipped 1.0 of the highly successful grounded) or 2/ they allowed Sawyer to make this game with the intention of him spearheading a bigger project after this.

But a lot of folks are very deliberately using the talking point of *HE SAID A GAME LIKE THIS* is not possible without game pass. That's not what Sawyer said at all.

He is saying that *HE* wouldn't have proposed this game to MS without it.

"I never would have proposed making Pentiment without Game Pass. Like, I literally just wouldn't have done it.

Based on his historical tweets/interviews, Sawyer likes to make projects like this, this is his MO.

But the usual suspects came in with the pre-cooked "hur dur game pass lol" commentary like almost every thread.

 

[thelurkinghorror]

I get what are you trying to say. But your reasoning is flawed. Microsoft is also trying to make money from gamepass. They need people to subscribe. If Microsoft allowed him to make this or even finish this project is because it doesn't go against their plans. Don't think for a sec just because the gamepass exists developers will have easy life. That's not how this things works. The goal is to increase subscription for Microsoft nothing else. And they will do whatever it takes to achieve that. Don't think for a second they have any other plans.

You talk as if game like Pentiment don’t have an audience.

For better reading the market we must start to think that the audience of this big triple a rappresent only a fraction of players out there.

Cities Skylines sold over 12 million units
Valheim almost 10 million
Stardew Valley reach 20 million
Factorio and Satisfactory 5 million each
State of Decay another 5 million
One of the most played game ever is Minecraft!

The market is much more widespread and interesting in reality

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

You talk as if game like Pentiment don’t have an audience.

For better reading the market we must start to think that the audience of this big triple a rappresent only a fraction of players out there.

Cities Skylines sold over 12 million units
Valheim almost 10 million
Stardew Valley reach 20 million
Factorio and Satisfactory 5 million each
State of Decay another 5 million
One of the most played game ever is Minecraft!

The market is much more widespread and interesting in reality

What is the point of this?

 

[adamsapple]

You talk as if game like Pentiment don’t have an audience.

For better reading the market we must start to think that the audience of this big triple a rappresent only a fraction of players out there.

Cities Skylines sold over 12 million units
Valheim almost 10 million
Stardew Valley reach 20 million
Factorio and Satisfactory 5 million each
State of Decay another 5 million
One of the most played game ever is Minecraft!

The market is much more widespread and interesting in reality

Good point. I can't say if Pentiment is the kind of game that would sell 5~10m but I don't think that's relevant. From the OP, Sawyer acknowledges that he made this game for a small niche audience

"It is so unusual, so niche, it's for a small audience, and as long as that audience is into it, that's fine."

 

[CatLady]

I don't get why this is so controversial. Why are Sony fans so upset and tiresome over an innocuous tweet by Josh Sawyer? The guy is happy he got to make his passion product and is of the opinion it wouldn't have happened without Game Pass.

It's his opinion, if you disagree with it fine but, why do you need to make a big deal about it. It's so cringe all the people in this thread having a fit about a something so trivial.

 

[SLB1904]

You talk as if game like Pentiment don’t have an audience.

For better reading the market we must start to think that the audience of this big triple a rappresent only a fraction of players out there.

Cities Skylines sold over 12 million units
Valheim almost 10 million
Stardew Valley reach 20 million
Factorio and Satisfactory 5 million each
State of Decay another 5 million
One of the most played game ever is Minecraft!

The market is much more widespread and interesting in reality

way to go off topic congrats

 

[AutumnLeaves]

Based on his historical tweets/interviews, Sawyer likes to make projects like this, this is his MO.

He was the designer for the Icewind Dale games, Alpha Protocol, FO: NV and Pillars of Eternity. How exactly is Pentiment his MO? It is a massive departure from his previous games.

 

[adamsapple]

He was the designer for the Icewind Dale games, Alpha Protocol, FO: NV and Pillars of Eternity. How exactly is Pentiment his MO? It is a massive departure from his previous games.

I meant what he said earlier about games that don't try to do big cinematic set pieces and such, like he's said.

I think games that devote most of their resources toward emulating the storytelling and mechanics of cinema are not interesting, even if very well executed.

Pentiment is a very strictly narrative driven RPG, a smaller scale one at that.

 

[geary]

Listen to the interview with SkillUp. Sawyer said that before staring his career in game development, he got a master in medieval history and from young age wanted to make a medieval history game and this was the moment he got to made it. You can see his passion about the narrative and history period in the interview....but everyone here is hur dur...gamepass...PR....MS bad....

Some of you become physically ill when there's (good) news about MS or theirs studios.

 

[Ozriel]

The fact that studios are making smaller and smaller games for MS, with reduced budgets and scope, and are acting "happy" about it?

Obsidian is making Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2. Both AAA games.
Josh Sawyer was the one who proposed Pentiment to Microsoft, so he doesn't have to 'act happy' over it. It's his baby. It's written there in the OP.

Such embarrassing contributions...limited knowledge of the industry + a failure to read the OP before jumping in.

I quite understood that, and it's still nowhere near the breadth and quality of steam indies (most of which make more money for themselves than overworked studio employees).

The thread (and Josh Sawyer's speech) has nothing to do with comparing indies on GP vs Steam.
Either you haven't read the OP/the rest of the thread or you're struggling with comprehension. Not a good look for you.

 

[Ozriel]

My point is. He could've made with or without gamepass. Hell I've seen one dev projects more impressive than this.
There was absolutely nothing stoping him from making it at all. It's not like is a game that took a lot of resources of the team to make. 10 people could make that easy.
What I'm saying gamepass isn't related to it as much this PR trying to sound

For a whole lot of studios, 10 highly experienced folks taking time off AAA development to make a niche, passion project like this would not fly.

It probably wouldn't have flown when Obsidian were still independent and struggling to keep the books balanced.

 

[GhostOfTsu]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, the only difference is that 'my friends' aren't usually shitting up every game pass or xbox thread with the kind of rhetoric you usually are.

Of course they don't with you on guard duty 24/7. Not that they would ever go against the mothership anyway.

 

[alabtrosMyster]

The controversy is from people who don't know the current industry situation.

Unfinished games, buggy games, mtx filled games. You name it.
It's a symptoms that has been growing too much these days.

Look at madden games for example. You pay 60$ and you get quality like that.

I don't get games from publishers who release them like that anymore.

 

[Secret of Evolution]

I don't understand why people are throwing fits over his statement. It can be explained as easily as 1) such a game is a risk relative to typical stuff they output 2) MS's Gamepass money mitigated said risk. Ta-da.

 

[gothmog]

I don't understand why people are throwing fits over his statement. It can be explained as easily as 1) such a game is a risk relative to typical stuff they output 2) MS's Gamepass money mitigated said risk. Ta-da.

Because the topic wording is click bait at best and the narrative that somehow Microsoft and gamepass is going to "save" gaming is tiring.

The funny thing is none of this really has to do with what Sawyer said.

 

[Punished Miku]

I don't get why this is so controversial. Why are Sony fans so upset and tiresome over an innocuous tweet by Josh Sawyer? The guy is happy he got to make his passion product and is of the opinion it wouldn't have happened without Game Pass.

It's his opinion, if you disagree with it fine but, why do you need to make a big deal about it. It's so cringe all the people in this thread having a fit about a something so trivial.

Theyre fine saying that subs will result in shit games, GAAS, AA only. But someone who works at XGS is pointing out that he felt less pressure to factor in sales potential and just made whatever weird thing he wanted and people are going nuts because someone is making this point publicly which posters on here pointed out for a few years now. Basically they are wrong about subs so they'll just say anything and twist anything to shit on it.

 

[Punished Miku]

I don't understand why people are throwing fits over his statement.

Because they're console warriors interested in shitting on anything positive about Xbox. Just look at a Phil Spencer thread sometime. Same shit. These people are retards that are ruining the site and making discussion impossible.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

I don't get why this is so controversial. Why are Sony fans so upset and tiresome over an innocuous tweet by Josh Sawyer? The guy is happy he got to make his passion product and is of the opinion it wouldn't have happened without Game Pass.

It's his opinion, if you disagree with it fine but, why do you need to make a big deal about it. It's so cringe all the people in this thread having a fit about a something so trivial.

Theyre fine saying that subs will result in shit games, GAAS, AA only. But someone who works at XGS is pointing out that he felt less pressure to factor in sales potential and just made whatever weird thing he wanted and people are going nuts because someone is making this point publicly which posters on here pointed out for a few years now. Basically they are wrong about subs so they'll just say anything and twist anything to shit on it.

In an industry plagued by stagnation and monotony, "I never would have proposed making Pentiment without Game Pass" - Josh Sawyer​

Is the quote above real?

 

[MacReady13]

Obsidian makes triple A games; they have a large number of employees - they have a responsibility to their board, directors and their employees. It is unwise to divide and divert resources towards something that might be incredibly niche and that they may never see the ROI from. Money isn't simply a toy, to be played with.

The Game Pass model (it didn't have to be Game Pass - it could have been called something else, with the same model, but it just so happens Game Pass exists and they're privy to it) allows them to take bigger risks like this, as they have a large safety net - they don't need x-amount of guaranteed sales, etc, directly from the game. It allows larger studios to be experimental, without the worry of losses or no ROI.

How is that so difficult to understand? And just because they're working for the company that allows them to use the Game Pass model, with almost zero risk, doesn't mean they can't make businesses decisions objectively, as so many insinuate here.

I really don't see what all the negativity, mockery, doubt and downplay is all about.

Give me a spell! Game pass doesn’t make a game like this achievable. Any company could gather a small group together, spend less and make a game like this. Less risk and possibly less reward. Don’t need game pass. Just need a company willing to take a small risk and make something that isn’t always triple A.

As budgets go up, games like this are refreshing to see (and play). I’m not always after God of War every year. Game pass doesn’t allow that, so don’t deluding yourself and others from thinking that. Every company is out to make money. If they think they can’t make money they won’t make it. I’ll certainly be buying this game and rewarding the devs with a purchase.

 

[alabtrosMyster]

The Game Pass model (it didn't have to be Game Pass - it could have been called something else, with the same model, but it just so happens Game Pass exists and they're privy to it) allows them to take bigger risks like this, as they have a large safety net - they don't need x-amount of guaranteed sales, etc, directly from the game. It allows larger studios to be experimental, without the worry of losses or no ROI.

They made a relatively small game, AA, or indie studios make games of that scope all the time.

Now for people to be willing to take big risks there has to be a potential for a big payoff. One example of such a risk was the original The Last of Us, no big game had approached the subject it did in so much depth, etc. Sony could have forced ND to make a million more Uncharted games (like Ms with 343, the gears studio, etc )... But they let them bet the farm on a serious new direction instead of forcing their team to keep doing whatever they had proved to work.

Now good on them, butt the game is on steam as well...

 

[adamsapple]

In an industry plagued by stagnation and monotony, "I never would have proposed making Pentiment without Game Pass" - Josh Sawyer​

Is the quote above real?

The quote is real, your interpretation is fake.

 

[light2x]

Obsidian makes triple A games; they have a large number of employees - they have a responsibility to their board, directors and their employees. It is unwise to divide and divert resources towards something that might be incredibly niche and that they may never see the ROI from. Money isn't simply a toy, to be played with.

The Game Pass model (it didn't have to be Game Pass - it could have been called something else, with the same model, but it just so happens Game Pass exists and they're privy to it) allows them to take bigger risks like this, as they have a large safety net - they don't need x-amount of guaranteed sales, etc, directly from the game. It allows larger studios to be experimental, without the worry of losses or no ROI.

How is that so difficult to understand? And just because they're working for the company that allows them to use the Game Pass model, with almost zero risk, doesn't mean they can't make businesses decisions objectively, as so many insinuate here.

I really don't see what all the negativity, mockery, doubt and downplay is all about.

Tbh if my platform didn't have a game this beautiful I'd be mad and salty too.