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Post by drhickman1983 on Feb 6, 2022 18:07:49 GMT
and I'm convinced games are on a general downward slope anyway I just don't understand that view at all, it's been being said for years and there are still loads of brilliant games every year. There are still plenty of games with no monetisation whatsoever as well. More and more big games are heading that way. There's a few holdouts but give it a decade and I honestly think all major AAA games will be monetised. Simply because there's no way they can afford to exist without that revenue stream. Whilst there are a few exceptions, most of the none-monetised games are the indie type games that can run on weaker hardware. But as graphics improve the sheer amount of time needed to create games at that fidelity increases a lot. but hey, like I said I'm very cynical. |
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Post by Aunt Alison on Feb 6, 2022 18:16:45 GMT
I think MS have left Bethesda alone to do their thing pretty much, so an acquisition doesn't necessarily lead to interference. Although Nintendo could do with some interference in their online offering as it's dreadful. Bethesda isn't really a brand in the same way Nintendo is. In your scenario, you'd already be wanting someone to push them to follow the current gen in terms of fidelity. Nintendo usually have their hardware in mind when making games too, which would change if they started releasing on Xbox, PC or PS. I personally really like Nintendo's games and think they benefit from being in their own corner of the industry just doing their own thing
Nintendo is also ripe for monetisation. They've already starting dipping their toes in themselves so if another company bought them, there's a good chance they'd milk them to within an inch of their life
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Post by Aunt Alison on Feb 6, 2022 18:22:02 GMT
More and more big games are heading that way. There's a few holdouts but give it a decade and I honestly think all major AAA games will be monetised. Simply because there's no way they can afford to exist without that revenue stream. I don't think they need to be monetised to exist, rather to make as much profit as possible |
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Post by pierrepressure on Feb 6, 2022 19:05:20 GMT
Unsurprising to read Nintendo said they wouldn't get involved in this M&A battle. Having said that, I can see them buying MercurySteam after the success of Dread. They seem to like them and appear to have that Nintendo DNA they were going on about in a recent shareholders meeting. I liked Dread (didn't play Returns) but nothing about their output prior to that says Nintendo DNA to me. I didn't like any of their Castlevania games, the PS3 ones were just GoW clones and nothing special
I can see them using them again after Dread but not sure why they'd want to buy them
Good points, I was thinking of the relationship between the two on Dread and the other Metroid game they've produced, Nintendo clearly see something in them. Maybe with Nintendo being a bit more hands on could help them develop into a top tier studio. |
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Post by spacein_vader on Feb 6, 2022 19:13:11 GMT
I just don't understand that view at all, it's been being said for years and there are still loads of brilliant games every year. There are still plenty of games with no monetisation whatsoever as well. More and more big games are heading that way. There's a few holdouts but give it a decade and I honestly think all major AAA games will be monetised. Simply because there's no way they can afford to exist without that revenue stream. Whilst there are a few exceptions, most of the none-monetised games are the indie type games that can run on weaker hardware. But as graphics improve the sheer amount of time needed to create games at that fidelity increases a lot. but hey, like I said I'm very cynical. . About 20 years ago PC gaming was somewhere similar. Even MS was touting consoles now, PC's often didn't get AAA releases (NHL, NBA etc,) got them late (GTA series,) or got the last gen versions (FIFA) and PC gaming is dead articles started circulating. But it wasn't, indie devs stepped in using Steam and other online storefronts that meant the barriers to entry got lower, sure we missed out on AAA for a bit but the indies improved, some went to consoles as well, some went bigger than any console game (Minecraft,) and the big publishers remembered that there was a huge untapped market there and the likes of EA Origin and uPlay appeared. As Nintendo have been showing since the Wii, the shiniest graphics aren't everything. These things are cyclical. Even if AAA goes uber monetised for a while someone will make something that makes a buttload of money without and/or legislation will curb it. |
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Lizard
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Post by Lizard on Feb 6, 2022 22:26:12 GMT
They won't be but it's going to be a future of Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Sony and Tencent. It's depressing yes. Can't Font Geek get in on this? Surely we can club together and buy some IPs, make a bit more cash and before we know it we'll be a major player. |
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Post by dfunked on Feb 6, 2022 22:40:46 GMT
I've just bought a few NFTs and I fully own all IP from Acclaim, Bitmap Brothers and Sierra. Let's do it!
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Post by Zuluhero on Feb 6, 2022 22:56:01 GMT
Fontgeekgames or FGG if you prefer 😅
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aubergine
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I must get over myself
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Post by aubergine on Feb 9, 2022 12:49:50 GMT
Phil Spencer was just wondering how Starfield might reach even more people than Skyrim. Here’s a thought; release it on PlayStation you cunt.
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Cappy
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Post by Cappy on Feb 9, 2022 13:45:00 GMT
Considering that staff commonly up and leave, even mid-project in the games industry, the only real value in buying out publishers and developers is to control where games get released.
Microsoft paid out for Rare but within five years it was little more than a husk, I'd say Microsoft got taken to the cleaners really, Banjo Kazooie was probably the most valuable IP they got out of the deal and the value of everything else diminishes steeply, Kameo is probably in negative territory, if I had a platform I'd pay to keep Kameo games off there. If you can't keep the right people around to make the games it's all just diminishing returns in the end.
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Post by Phattso on Feb 9, 2022 14:08:46 GMT
A lot is made of "the right people" but how do you even quantify that when it's literally thousands upon thousands of people split over dozens of satellite and support studios. Especially in AAA game making, it's entirely about scale and how long you can leave it in the oven.
Of course it's about platform control, but also a substantial IP grab and with massive development scale. Like it or not, most people working in those studios have homes and families and lives. They're not just going to all be able to up sticks and fuck off for supposedly greener pastures.
And on the subject of Rare - I think they did some absolutely stunning work under MS. Arguably a lesser trajectory than they had enjoyed to that point, but Viva Pinata and Nuts 'n' Bolts were both classics in my mind. Wasted on the fucking avatars, no doubt. But they didn't just mely away to fuck all.
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Cappy
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Post by Cappy on Feb 9, 2022 14:45:43 GMT
Your threshold for finding games 'stunning' obviously differs from most people. Nobody gives a toss about Viva Pinata or Nuts 'n' Bolts since the 360 fanboys finally shut their yaps and moved on. No mention of the utter dross that was the rest of their output. I'd argue Rare were massively overrated to start with, it's easy to rise to prominence when you're one of the few developers besides Nintendo putting any effort into releasing on the N64. Meanwhile a bunch of poor kids are stuck in Nintendo jail on a platform plagued by repeated software droughts, of course a game like Banjo Kazooie which is quite mediocre in many aspects gets more attention that it would have elsewhere.
The 'right' people are simply the right people, people in key positions keeping things on a particular course to guide things towards an outcome. Silent Hill: Downpour is a good example, there were some sound ideas there but a lack of people with a clear idea on what sort of art direction a Silent Hill game has, makes it the most un-Silent Hill game of the series.
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Frog
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Post by Frog on Feb 9, 2022 14:48:10 GMT
Sea of thieves is also a massive success for them.
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Post by Jambowayoh on Feb 9, 2022 16:29:17 GMT
Your threshold for finding games 'stunning' obviously differs from most people. Nobody gives a toss about Viva Pinata or Nuts 'n' Bolts since the 360 fanboys finally shut their yaps and moved on. No mention of the utter dross that was the rest of their output. I'd argue Rare were massively overrated to start with, it's easy to rise to prominence when you're one of the few developers besides Nintendo putting any effort into releasing on the N64. Meanwhile a bunch of poor kids are stuck in Nintendo jail on a platform plagued by repeated software droughts, of course a game like Banjo Kazooie which is quite mediocre in many aspects gets more attention that it would have elsewhere. Don't you just love how edgy Cappy is? It's like reading the thoughts of someone's MySpace page. |
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スコットランド
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Post by スコットランド on Feb 9, 2022 16:36:37 GMT
Your threshold for finding games 'stunning' obviously differs from most people. Nobody gives a toss about Viva Pinata or Nuts 'n' Bolts since the 360 fanboys finally shut their yaps and moved on. No mention of the utter dross that was the rest of their output. I'd argue Rare were massively overrated to start with, it's easy to rise to prominence when you're one of the few developers besides Nintendo putting any effort into releasing on the N64. Meanwhile a bunch of poor kids are stuck in Nintendo jail on a platform plagued by repeated software droughts, of course a game like Banjo Kazooie which is quite mediocre in many aspects gets more attention that it would have elsewhere. Don't you just love how edgy Cappy is? It's like reading the thoughts of someone's MySpace page. Don't you just love Jambo trying to start pile-ons? |
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Post by Aunt Alison on Feb 9, 2022 16:39:20 GMT
Don't you just love how edgy Cappy is? It's like reading the thoughts of someone's MySpace page. Don't you just love Jambo trying to start pile-ons? You're going to be accused of making it about you now. I've seen this one |
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Post by rhaegyr on Feb 9, 2022 16:43:38 GMT
Banjo-Kazooie is mediocre in many aspects? Fuck off.
Though not my cup of tea Viva Pinata and Nuts & Bolts have a fair few fans. I remember people saying that the latter in particular was a great game, it just didn't need the Banjo-Kazooie licence.
Also, for what it's worth, RARE were a great developer even before they started partnering with Nintendo back in their Ultimate Play the Game days.
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Post by Aunt Alison on Feb 9, 2022 16:44:40 GMT
They made DKC too!
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Zyrr
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Post by Zyrr on Feb 9, 2022 17:05:48 GMT
Ultimate were easily one of the greatest developers back in the Speccy era. Atic Atac, Jetpac, etc. were a huge deal back in those days. Rare's Nintendo catalogue was generally excellent, too. I mean, Donkey Kong Country for just a start! I can't speak for the gaming community as a whole, but Viva Piñata was extremely popular in our house as my two kids were the perfect ages for it back then. We all played it at least weekly for what must have been 2 years or so. If I had to make a controversial statement I'd argue Lionhead were more of a disappointment. I adored most of Bullfrog's output from the Amiga days right up to Dungeon Keeper 2 and Promised Lands on PC, but Black & White was horribly unfinished and (I'm going to get shit for this, I know!) I thought Fable massively under-delivered and remains one of the most overrated series in gaming history. There, I've said it. Let the beatings commence!  |
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Psiloc
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Post by Psiloc on Feb 9, 2022 17:47:04 GMT
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2022 17:48:27 GMT
Hmm |
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Psiloc
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Post by Psiloc on Feb 9, 2022 17:48:30 GMT
I called it wrong. Good for MS doing the right thing.
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Post by Jambowayoh on Feb 9, 2022 20:08:39 GMT
Don't you just love Jambo trying to start pile-ons? You're going to be accused of making it about you now. I've seen this one Ahh not really, I don't give a toss what the stupid prick says. |
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Post by Aunt Alison on Feb 9, 2022 20:15:28 GMT
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aubergine
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I must get over myself
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Post by aubergine on Feb 9, 2022 21:04:58 GMT
I'd say Microsoft got taken to the cleaners really, Banjo Kazooie was probably the most valuable IP they got out of the deal and the value of everything else diminishes steeply, Kameo is probably in negative territory, if I had a platform I'd pay to keep Kameo games off there. If you can't keep the right people around to make the games it's all just diminishing returns in the end. They could have made more of Perfect Dark, surely. I never played either game but my recollection is the 360 sequel was bad. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2022 21:46:20 GMT
A lot of people were disappointed by Perfect Dark Zero, yeah. It's not the game I wanted, but I still liked it. Gameplay was good, music was fanfuckintastic too. But it dropped the sci-fi elements of the original for a more generic spy theme, and I didn't like that Joanna went from a classy English special agent to a spunky American teen.
Kameo was well regarded at the time too. Viva Piñata was extremely well received, even if it wasn't the biggest seller.
Really, the only times it felt like Rare was misused under Microsoft was during the Kinect stuff, but that's because as Cappy mentioned, a lot of the old Nintendo era developers had long left by then.
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Blue_Mike
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Post by Blue_Mike on May 23, 2022 21:42:50 GMT
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Frog
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Post by Frog on May 24, 2022 7:43:47 GMT
Soon to be followed by the news that Activision have decided to shutter raven studios.
Arent American unions a bit shit compared to other ones? I remember hearing something about it a while back on a podcast and whilst better than nothing I'm not sure it's going to be a game changer.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Sept 7, 2022 20:10:05 GMT
The latest developments on this front: www.pushsquare.com/news/2022/09/playstation-bites-back-at-inadequate-call-of-duty-offer-from-microsoftPersonally, I don't have a great deal of sympathy for either Phil Spencer *or* Jim Ryan. Spencer's full of PR bullshit about not keeping games away from the people who want to play them - knowing full well that he'll make stuff like Starfield and Hellblade 2 exclusive to Xbox as soon as the ink's dry on the acquisition paperwork - while Ryan has been all too happy to buy PS4 exclusivity for third-party products for years, and now sees fit to complain when the shoe is on the other foot. |
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Post by Jambowayoh on Sept 7, 2022 20:19:59 GMT
But Starfield was made exclusive a while ago because MS own Bethesda and Hellblade is from Ninja Theory a MS studio.
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