You'd think with Harrison gone and with the success of the The Witcher 3 around the same time somebody at MS would have green-lit Fable 4.
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Studios we lost in 2016
- Thread starter Saucycarpdog
- Start date
You'd think with Harrison gone and with the success of the The Witcher 3 around the same time somebody at MS would have green-lit Fable 4.
United Front Games
Fuck, they deserved another shot at Sleeping Dogs 2.
Kabuki Waq
Member
Man I wish we got another motorstorm before evolution died.
Revolutionary
Member
Lionhead
Fuckin Microsoft.
Fuckin Microsoft.
There were a lot more than that. Not that anyone here would care because we were a mobile developer, but our studio shut down early in the year, putting over 150 devs out of work. Also you're missing all those crytek studios that shut down the other day.
What would be really interesting tho is a thread talking about how many new studios came as a result of these closures. Unfortunately its a bit too hard to figure out I think, as most new studios stay in the shadows until they have something to show.
What would be really interesting tho is a thread talking about how many new studios came as a result of these closures. Unfortunately its a bit too hard to figure out I think, as most new studios stay in the shadows until they have something to show.
Spiral Insanity
Banned
No.
whalleywhat
Member
Some examples of notable games would be appreciated in OP. Sorry, I don't follow the industry that closely.
GabeTheGrouch76
Member
United Front Games hit me the hardest. I didn't play Sleeping Dogs but I really loved their racing take with MM's LittleBigPlanet with ModNation Racers. Underrated new IP, IMO.
Evolution Studios getting shuttered sucks too. They provided great Sony unique racing game alternatives to PD's Gran Turismo series, but they just fell into a string of misfortune. Nobody bought the Motorstorm sequels (only the first one hit one million in sales, IIRC), the third Motorstorm game Apocalypse suffered bad timing (original release was a few days after the 2011 Japan tsunami/earthquake--and given the game was about racing in natural disasters, it ended up being delayed for months in the wake of that event), and Driveclub suffered that awful launch period that doomed it from the start. At least the studio's development team got picked up by Codemasters, so I guess that's something.
At least in Fable: The Journey's case, the 360 already had the first two Fable sequels behind it (even given that Fable III had a rushed development cycle behind it). After two main series games, trying a spinoff wasn't inherently a bad thing, so I can at least understand Molyneux's attempt to make a Kinect game, even if it wasn't the best.
Not having a proper Fable IV for the Xbox One was just absolute incompetence on the Harrison's part however. They should had let Lionhead put out a traditional fourth Fable installment before trying the F2P service angle they attempted with Legends. It's like they learned nothing from the fan backlash created by Rare's Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts...though at least that game saw release (and was good enough to get solid reviews and its own cult of fans). Legends just ended out to be a complete waste of resources on the behalf of everyone involved in its production.
He may be no longer with MS, but the damage Harrison's caused is already done. Had they made Fable IV, Lionhead would probably still be around today and MS's only notable WRPG series wouldn't have its fate up in the air.
Evolution Studios getting shuttered sucks too. They provided great Sony unique racing game alternatives to PD's Gran Turismo series, but they just fell into a string of misfortune. Nobody bought the Motorstorm sequels (only the first one hit one million in sales, IIRC), the third Motorstorm game Apocalypse suffered bad timing (original release was a few days after the 2011 Japan tsunami/earthquake--and given the game was about racing in natural disasters, it ended up being delayed for months in the wake of that event), and Driveclub suffered that awful launch period that doomed it from the start. At least the studio's development team got picked up by Codemasters, so I guess that's something.
At least in Fable: The Journey's case, the 360 already had the first two Fable sequels behind it (even given that Fable III had a rushed development cycle behind it). After two main series games, trying a spinoff wasn't inherently a bad thing, so I can at least understand Molyneux's attempt to make a Kinect game, even if it wasn't the best.
Not having a proper Fable IV for the Xbox One was just absolute incompetence on the Harrison's part however. They should had let Lionhead put out a traditional fourth Fable installment before trying the F2P service angle they attempted with Legends. It's like they learned nothing from the fan backlash created by Rare's Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts...though at least that game saw release (and was good enough to get solid reviews and its own cult of fans). Legends just ended out to be a complete waste of resources on the behalf of everyone involved in its production.
He may be no longer with MS, but the damage Harrison's caused is already done. Had they made Fable IV, Lionhead would probably still be around today and MS's only notable WRPG series wouldn't have its fate up in the air.
Tommi84
Member
Not sure what you mean by that. It has EVERYTHING a great racer ahould have - awesome cars, beautiful tracks, one of the nicest sim-cade physics, god-tier weather system and levels of graphics. Responsive menus, without being cumbersome or overwhelming.
Don't forget the season pass. It's still considered one, if not THE, best ones by the amount of content.
Majesco has one of the oddest histories for a gaming company... from its start of picking up old genesis games to republish, selling the genesis 3 and other retro boxes... financial drama, getting funding for development, scrapping by with cooking mama and having it carry the company for some odd years, to its aburt end and and the midnight city drama, trying to focus on a boy and his blob revision as it's savior to only vanish months later and merge with a biotech company... the fact they even survived being listed on the Nasdaq all these years. Majesco deserves a salute.
Iriscomeback
Member
Lionhead :-(
Maybe one day we will get a new Fable. I loved those games.
Maybe one day we will get a new Fable. I loved those games.
grosvenor_92
Member
United Front Games deserved so much better and Sleeping Dogs not getting a sequel is something I'll never understand