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[vaibhavpisal]

I would like to preface this thread by saying I absolutely love Halo and some other XBox only games. My most anticipated title currently is Halo Infinite, above Cyberpunk 2077.

With that out of the way, let's begin.

I was disappointed and rather worried by recent Xbox showcase of next gen games. It failed to get me excited. Its almost like nobody at MS is taking care of what is going out under there brand name. I am not writing those games off, but just that it wasn't 'next gen showcase' I hoped it would be.

Now let's see how Sony and Nintendo work or have worked in past. I remember being awestruck at how much 'power' Shu Yoshida commanded in PS3 era. He basically sat with Demon's Souls for 3-4 hours, found he was making no progress. Decided it was 'unbelievably bad game' and couldn't be released overseas. All on personal capacity. And when asked in a later interview, he simply said "we dropped the ball". All this without any implications on his career.

Similar with Nintendo. I haven't read any candid interview with Miyamoto or any Nintendo execs (Shu is a legend), but they do have more of a Mentor like positions. People who actually play games and know what is fun, decide which game moves forward.

Now compare this with MS. I have worked a bit in software industry (not MS or games industry). And it appears from outside they have similar culture. Nobody is willing or capable to take personal responsibility. That's why they seem incapable of filtering out filler stuff. Sure they have made awesome stuff in the past. In hindsight I wonder how much of it was MS and how much was companies that made them.

But not all is doom and gloom. We have lord Phil and shit ton of new studio purchases. I would like to see them make sure a few things.

First, Lord Phil must make sure their games are fun. And polished. Not to repeat Crackdown 3 like mistakes. Make sure everything coming out of Microsoft game studios is top quality. Make it a personal persuit.

Secondly, with game pass, aim for 'HBO quality' rather than 'Netflix quality' or 'Disney Star Wars' quality. Due to rise of streaming services not enough ingestion time is given to any TV show and it clearly shows. They are made in a hurry instead of painstakingly detailed way.

That's about it. Thanks for reading if you reached this far.

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

First, Lord Phil must make sure their games are fun. And polished. Not to repeat Crackdown 3 like mistakes. Make sure everything coming out of Microsoft game studios is top quality. Make it a personal persuit.

Secondly, with game pass,

Sure, a lot of “filler” hits Game Pass, but I only have PC Game Pass and it’s still an excellent value. The games like Ori may be rare but there are plenty of really good games on there (Kingdom Come: Deliverance as an example). Even a game like “Indivisible” could be called filler but it’s a great game. I think it’s hard to argue with GP’s value.

How can Phil himself make sure every game is fun? I’m not sure he can play every game beginning to end and send it back if it’s not “fun enough.”

But I agree with the general idea that striving toward consistent output excellence should be a dedicated personal pursuit for first party devs. Broaden your platform’s horizons, elevate your platform, be it PC, Switch, Xbox, PlayStation.

 

[Humdinger]

These periodic Xbox showcases -- I forget the name, but this was one of them -- have always been pretty lousy, in terms of their ability to connect with gamers. They usually feel very artificial and forced. Sometimes I just cringe, thinking how out of touch they seem. Whoever is in charge of them has been doing a crappy job. It's been this way the whole generation.

I'm not sure you can draw too many inferences just from shitty marketing, though. A lot of times, the marketing team of a large company is divorced from the people who do the actual work. I think that's probably the case here.

 

[Zekra Dezivad]

"filler" is the essential part of the whole gamepass strategy.
It's simply impossible to run a service lika that only with AAA+ productions.

 

[M1chl]

These periodic Xbox showcases -- I forget the name, but this was one of them -- have always been pretty lousy, in terms of their ability to connect with gamers. They usually feel very artificial and forced. Sometimes I just cringe, thinking how out of touch they seem. Whoever is in charge of them has been doing a crappy job. It's been this way the whole generation.

I'm not sure you can draw too many inferences just from shitty marketing, though. A lot of times, the marketing team of a large company is divorced from the people who do the actual work. I think that's probably the case here.

You mean "Inside Xbox"? Yeah that was shit from the beginning.

 

[The Shepard]

"filler" is the essential part of the whole gamepass strategy.
It's simply impossible to run a service lika that only with AAA+ productions.

Exactly, we'll be seeing more a plauges tale, remnant form the ashes, hellblade senuas sacrifice's rather then something like horizon zero dawn, God of war 2018 or spiderman. Played the first 3 via gamepass.

 

[godhandiscen]

Good point OP. All of those studios Microsoft acquired must be going right now through a hard assimilation process.

First, whatever Google/Amazon/Etc tools they used are in the process of being replaced with their Microsoft equivalents. This is mandatory and I have never heard of an acquired team skipping it. LinkedIn went through this transition just recently.

Also, when this happens to small startups that get absorbed, like Mixer, they lose all product control and autonomy. It is foolish to acquire game studios with talented creative individuals to tell them what to do, but I am confident that’s what’s happening; it made Bungie want to escape.

“Your idea is great but how about we lock the fun behind micro transaction and make the game a grind to motivate these purchases? Our data from other teams tells us we have been successful this way in the past.”

The most toxic part of Microsoft is not what they do with acquired teams, but their competition strategy. They see a viable software business that another company has innovated in, and cobble together a sub-par product to compete. Then use their cash to subsidize their shitty competitor failure after failure until It eventually makes it hard for the independent competitors to continue competing; like a Walmart driving out local stores out of business. Microsoft is almost 20 years into the Xbox without turning a profit, but at least in the realm of consoles they have a reason to exist; competition is minimal (only 3 players) and they offer an okay alternative.

 

[hyperbertha]

oof this thread's gonna be a rough ride. Wear your seatbelts.

 

[Bernkastel]

Good point OP. All of those studios Microsoft acquired must be going right now through a hard assimilation process.

First, whatever Google/Amazon/Etc tools they used are in the process of being replaced with their Microsoft equivalents. This is mandatory and I have never heard of an acquired team skipping it. LinkedIn went through this transition just recently.

Also, when this happens to small startups that get absorbed, like Mixer, they lose all product control and autonomy. It is foolish to acquire game studios with talented creative individuals to tell them what to do, but I am confident that’s what’s happening; it made Bungie want to escape.

“Your idea is great but how about we lock the fun behind micro transaction and make the game a grind to motivate these purchases? Our data from other teams tells us we have been successful this way in the past.”

The most toxic part of Microsoft is not what they do with acquired teams, but their competition strategy. They see a viable software business that another company has innovated in, and cobble together a sub-par product to compete. Then use their cash to subsidize their shitty competitor failure after failure until It eventually makes it hard for the independent competitors to continue competing; like a Walmart driving out local stores out of business. Microsoft is almost 20 years into the Xbox without turning a profit, but at least in the realm of consoles they have a reason to exist; competition is minimal (only 3 players) and they offer an okay alternative.

First, whatever Google/Amazon/Etc tools they used are in the process of being replaced with their Microsoft equivalents. This is mandatory and I have never heard of an acquired team skipping it. LinkedIn went through this transition just recently.

Is that why PowerShell Slack Team is an official chat group by Microsoft in Slack ?

Redirecting to PowerShell Slack

Or how Azure lets you use Linux ?
Or how way more Xbox studios use Unreal Engine, while Sony studios use their own custom engine ?
Microsoft never made it mandatory to use their own tools. Spatial Audio on Xbox Series X has Dolby Atmos and DTS:X apart from their own Windows Sonic, while PS5's 3D Audio is locked to their own Tempest Engine.

Also, when this happens to small startups that get absorbed, like Mixer, they lose all product control and autonomy. It is foolish to acquire game studios with talented creative individuals to tell them what to do, but I am confident that’s what’s happening; it made Bungie want to escape.

it made Bungie want to escape.

How the fuck do you escape ? Can YouTube buy unbuy themselves from Google or Twitch from Amazon, no they cant. If Microsoft hadnt bought Mixer, no one would have cared about them.

“Your idea is great but how about we lock the fun behind micro transaction and make the game a grind to motivate these purchases? Our data from other teams tells us we have been successful this way in the past.”

Microsoft has never been deep into MTX controversy. Killer Instinct, State of Decay 2, Sea of Theives and Forza Horizon 4 have little or no MTX at all. Forza Horizon 4 is a AAA 60 USD mostly online game with no MTX at all. And its not like Sony are saints at all, they also have some form of MTX in their online games like MLB The Show(in the form of stubs) or Gran Turismo Sport or the online part of Uncharted 4.

The most toxic part of Microsoft is not what they do with acquired teams, but their competition strategy. They see a viable software business that another company has innovated in, and cobble together a sub-par product to compete. Then use their cash to subsidize their shitty competitor failure after failure until It eventually makes it hard for the independent competitors to continue competing; like a Walmart driving out local stores out of business. Microsoft is almost 20 years into the Xbox without turning a profit, but at least in the realm of consoles they have a reason to exist; competition is minimal (only 3 players) and they offer an okay alternative.

You have lost all form of credibility in everything you have written until now. This part is not even worth the effort to reply.

 

[Humdinger]

You mean "Inside Xbox"? Yeah that was shit from the beginning.

Yeah, that's it.

 

[Bernkastel]

I was disappointed and rather worried by recent Xbox showcase of next gen games. It failed to get me excited. Its almost like nobody at MS is taking care of what is going out under there brand name. I am not writing those games off, but just that it wasn't 'next gen showcase' I hoped it would be.

It was an Inside Xbox third party reveal. They have been clear about it from the beginning. Even then they showed Medium, Scorn and Bright Memory Infinite. But you are free to interpret it as you want to fit your agenda. The actual reveal event is on July.

Similar with Nintendo. I haven't read any candid interview with Miyamoto or any Nintendo execs (Shu is a legend), but they do have more of a Mentor like positions. People who actually play games and know what is fun, decide which game moves forward.

You know Nintendo has an indie showcase event too ?
Also,

Shin’en, the Developer of Fast NEO/RMX, Is Working on Xbox Series X

Shin’en, the Developer of Fast NEO/RMX, Is Working on Xbox Series X When Microsoft announced that over 140 third-party game developers are already working on the Xbox Series X console, everyone focused on the big names: CAPCOM, Bungie, CD Projekt RED, Bethesda to name a few. Yet those were...

www.neogaf.com

And polished. Not to repeat Crackdown 3 like mistakes.

Crackdown 3 is not a first party game, no matter how much you use it as a symbol of Xbox Game Studios. The same studio also made Team Sonic Racing.

Your post is just a collection of console war template quotes that is used in almost every next gen threads. If Microsoft's strategy is to satisfy people like thelastword, then they are doomed.

 

[jakinov]

I was disappointed and rather worried by recent Xbox showcase of next gen games. It failed to get me excited. Its almost like nobody at MS is taking care of what is going out under there brand name. I am not writing those games off, but just that it wasn't 'next gen showcase' I hoped it would be.

I mean it's a 3rd party showcase of a regular inside Xbox event. Firstly they don't have control of what third parties can achieve or have already achieved at this point in time. The media and gaf hyped up the event and Microsoft just didn't temper expectations. Same thing happend to the Keighley event. He said he was going to have a surprise and everybody assumed it was going to knock their socks off by being some secret massive sequel and then some people got pissed afterwards.

Now compare this with MS. I have worked a bit in software industry (not MS or games industry). And it appears from outside they have similar culture. Nobody is willing or capable to take personal responsibility. That's why they seem incapable of filtering out filler stuff. Sure they have made awesome stuff in the past. In hindsight I wonder how much of it was MS and how much was companies that made them.

Phil Spencer has been pretty candid about pass mistakes. And the awesome stuff in the past depends on the situation there's praise and blame to go around for everyone. Projects have a lot of moving pieces like a big car crash and there's a bit of the share of the blame for everyone. You can ask the same thing about Sony too, Sony doesn't have a perfect track record with games or studios either. Not all Sony studios produce blockbusters, sony has even shut some down this generation.

Secondly, with game pass, aim for 'HBO quality' rather than 'Netflix quality' or 'Disney Star Wars' quality. Due to rise of streaming services not enough ingestion time is given to any TV show and it clearly shows. They are made in a hurry instead of painstakingly detailed way.

Sorry but that's an awful analogy. You don't want to strive to be HBO because they barely gets viewership for most of their shows, they don't push out a lot of shows and they lack variety in style. They get critics talking about it but not an actual significant amount of people actual watching except for a few shows (which is basically PS3 exclusives). Quality is subjective and people like different kinds of shows like they like different kinds of games. Microsoft should be more like Netflix in the sense that they should try to appeal to more and different kinds of people. And to also to try new things, take risks, fail and learn from it. Netflix deliberately creates a lot of shows and expects that a lot of them will fail, not because they want to grow their library but because years ago they said that they weren't cancelling enough shows and the attributed that to them not willing to take a lot of risk. Netflix makes shows that are like HBO shows too, it's just that they also make shows like all the shows on traditional TV and new styles of shows never done before. Also Disney took a popular IP and then make a super super super popular show out of it, why would you not want to do that.

 

[Steve.1981]

As a big fan of Xbox, who would rank the 360 as at least a top 3 console of all time, I think I see what vaibhavpisal is getting at.

Xbox have struggled to grow as a gaming company & a big reason for that is some of the terrible leaders it's had over the years. They need to promote, & hang on to, more real gaming people.

I like Phil. He's a bit earnest, but I do feel he's actually a gamer. He's definitely what they need more of & I'm looking forward to seeing the first brand new Xbox console generation under his direct control. Somebody like Rod Fergusson could be an interesting choice for promotion to a more overall leadership position within Xbox as well, if it was something he wanted. There are other names worth keeping an eye on as well. Like Matt Booty, obviously. I'm not sure about him yet, but will give him a chance.

This generation could be very big for Xbox, in a few different ways. It's going to be worth watching anyway.

 

[12Dannu123]

The moment you said that Game Pass is about filler content is the moment you lost any credibility. HBO has a low user base, despite its niche its user base is small because it lacks variety and the output is too little, hence why they have low subscriber numbers.

 

[Vawn]

Sure, a lot of “filler” hits Game Pass, but I only have PC Game Pass and it’s still an excellent value.

Right now, sure. But will MS or other publishers be willing to spend the huge amount of money (50+ million dollars) to make cutting-edge AAA games, only to be another game on GamePass? I don't see it. If they don't need to be able to sell their games for $60+, budgets will go way down.

Also, it is no secret MS is following the typical subscription model practice of getting as many people as possible for low rates, then continuously raise the prices and reevaluate how many are not bothering to unsubscribe. Cable companies have been doing this.

I hope PS Now and GP don't become too mainstream, as I can see it only hindering the game industry.

 

[Bryank75]

I would like to preface this thread by saying I absolutely love Halo and some other XBox only games. My most anticipated title currently is Halo Infinite, above Cyberpunk 2077.

With that out of the way, let's begin.

I was disappointed and rather worried by recent Xbox showcase of next gen games. It failed to get me excited. Its almost like nobody at MS is taking care of what is going out under there brand name. I am not writing those games off, but just that it wasn't 'next gen showcase' I hoped it would be.

Now let's see how Sony and Nintendo work or have worked in past. I remember being awestruck at how much 'power' Shu Yoshida commanded in PS3 era. He basically sat with Demon's Souls for 3-4 hours, found he was making no progress. Decided it was 'unbelievably bad game' and couldn't be released overseas. All on personal capacity. And when asked in a later interview, he simply said "we dropped the ball". All this without any implications on his career.

Similar with Nintendo. I haven't read any candid interview with Miyamoto or any Nintendo execs (Shu is a legend), but they do have more of a Mentor like positions. People who actually play games and know what is fun, decide which game moves forward.

Now compare this with MS. I have worked a bit in software industry (not MS or games industry). And it appears from outside they have similar culture. Nobody is willing or capable to take personal responsibility. That's why they seem incapable of filtering out filler stuff. Sure they have made awesome stuff in the past. In hindsight I wonder how much of it was MS and how much was companies that made them.

But not all is doom and gloom. We have lord Phil and shit ton of new studio purchases. I would like to see them make sure a few things.

First, Lord Phil must make sure their games are fun. And polished. Not to repeat Crackdown 3 like mistakes. Make sure everything coming out of Microsoft game studios is top quality. Make it a personal persuit.

Secondly, with game pass, aim for 'HBO quality' rather than 'Netflix quality' or 'Disney Star Wars' quality. Due to rise of streaming services not enough ingestion time is given to any TV show and it clearly shows. They are made in a hurry instead of painstakingly detailed way.

That's about it. Thanks for reading if you reached this far.

What Shu played was nothing like the game turned out to be..... because in Japan they develop in parallel as opposed to the western way of providing a vertical slice.

So although what you say is technically correct, it misses the bigger picture. He loves that genre and has platinumed pretty much all of them....

 

[Bernkastel]

Right now, sure. But will MS or other publishers be willing to spend the huge amount of money (50+ million dollars) to make cutting-edge AAA games, only to be another game on GamePass? I don't see it. If they don't need to be able to sell their games for $60+, budgets will go way down.

Also, it is no secret MS is following the typical subscription model practice of getting as many people as possible for low rates, then continuously raise the prices and reevaluate how many are not bothering to unsubscribe. Cable companies have been doing this.

I hope PS Now and GP don't become too mainstream, as I can see it only hindering the game industry.

Halo Infinite will be on Game Pass and so will other first party projects like Hellblade II and Playground Games RPG project.

 

[Bryank75]

Halo Infinite will be on Game Pass and so will other first party projects like Hellblade II and Playground Games RPG project.

And what about the optics when the low sales numbers come out? What will be the approach there?

 

[Bernkastel]

And what about the optics when the low sales numbers come out? What will be the approach there?

Did Game Pass hurt Forza Horizon 4 or Sea of Theives ? No they didnt. They are still in the top in store purchases(not game pass).

 

[Slings and Arrows]

You need passion when creating anything, from art to music to buildings. What you can't have, is black and white, polarised corporate bureaucracy.

This is why Microsoft shined in the Allard era; he was passionate and why they failed in the Mattrick era, because he was a corporate rat-weasel.

I've worked for companies from different nationalities; British, French, German, Finnish, American and privately owned.

American business is so inefficient because of the corporate rules that it makes no wonder that the Land of Lean (Japan) does so wellin the video game industry.

 

[Bryank75]

Did Game Pass hurt Forza Horizon 4 or Sea of Theives ? No they didnt. They are still in the top in store purchases(not game pass).

I didn't see their sales but Gears 5 seemed a bit low for that franchise.... which is why I got that impression.

 

[Bernkastel]

I didn't see their sales but Gears 5 seemed a bit low for that franchise.... which is why I got that impression.

Gears has been low for a while. Hopefully, Gears 6 is the last.

 

[Vawn]

Halo Infinite will be on Game Pass and so will other first party projects like Hellblade II and Playground Games RPG project.

Halo has probably been in development before GamePass. Although, I'd say those 3 franchises of Xbox are safe.

Do we consider Hellblade 2 as AAA? The first definitely wasnt. It was a decent game, but it was very much an indie game with pretty good graphics. The term "walking simulator" gets put on games that aren't of that genre, but 80% of Hellblade IS a walking simulator. It just breaks up that with rudimentary combat segments.

I honestly have no idea if Hellblade 2 is moving away from that formula to be a full-blown AAA action/adventure game. I guess I assumed it would be similar to the first.

 

[12Dannu123]

And what about the optics when the low sales numbers come out? What will be the approach there?

If low sales results in more Game Pass subscriber's that's a big win for MS and their developer community. If more people are on Game Pass it brings exposure to their other 1st party games and brings exposure to other games on Game Pass.

Right now, sure. But will MS or other publishers be willing to spend the huge amount of money (50+ million dollars) to make cutting-edge AAA games, only to be another game on GamePass? I don't see it. If they don't need to be able to sell their games for $60+, budgets will go way down.

Also, it is no secret MS is following the typical subscription model practice of getting as many people as possible for low rates, then continuously raise the prices and reevaluate how many are not bothering to unsubscribe. Cable companies have been doing this.

I hope PS Now and GP don't become too mainstream, as I can see it only hindering the game industry.

Historically in other industries we see the one-off purchase of content face significant declines. Its not unreasonable to assume that it would apply here.

 

[Bernkastel]

Halo has probably been in development before GamePass. Although, I'd say those 3 franchises of Xbox are safe.

Do we consider Hellblade 2 as AAA? The first definitely wasnt. It was a decent game, but it was very much an indie game with pretty good graphics. The term "walking simulator" gets put on games that aren't of that genre, but 80% of Hellblade IS a walking simulator. It just breaks up that with rudimentary combat segments.

I honestly have no idea if Hellblade 2 is moving away from that formula to be a full-blown AAA action/adventure game. I guess I assumed it would be similar to the first.

Hellblade II has a full 100 person team. The first was only made by 20 people. Playground Games RPG team is also at around 150. Similarly, most of Obsidian is working on Chris Parkers project right now. You cant compare pre-aquisition budget to now just to fit your narrative.

 

[Bryank75]

Gears has been low for a while. Hopefully, Gears 6 is the last.

Didn't realize...I thought Xbox players loved the series....

 

[CaptainClaw]

Exactly, we'll be seeing more a plauges tale, remnant form the ashes, hellblade senuas sacrifice's rather then something like horizon zero dawn, God of war 2018 or spiderman. Played the first 3 via gamepass.

I wouldn't call those fillers though, are they big budgeted like GoW/Halo no but I don't think Budget constitutes what is filler or what isn't. I don't like this thought process.

 

[CaptainClaw]

Didn't realize...I thought Xbox players loved the series....

They do, I don't think 1 or a few people not wanting gears = Xbox players not liking Gears but go off

 

[Steve.1981]

I see people continue to struggle with the idea of Game Pass. Honestly, I was right there with you guys. Just couldn't see how it could be sustainable. Then I just said fuck it & converted my last year of Gold into Game Pass Ultimate for a whole £1. Next, I seen a deal on Amazon, 6 months Ultimate for the price of 3, grabbed it, now I have 18 months time to find another deal.

I say let's just leave it to the higher ups to worry if it's cost effective or whatever. I'm just happy I get to try out loads of cool looking games without bursting my wallet. If it doesn't work out, if the deals dry up & the subscription cost skyrockets... Cool. I'll just unsubscribe. But until then, it's excellent value for money with no downside whatsoever.

Edit: & just to throw this out there, Gears is in great shape & I hope part 6 keeps the franchise going where it's headed... In the right direction. 5 was brilliant.

 

[Bernkastel]

Didn't realize...I thought Xbox players loved the series....

Halo and Forza have a dedicated fanbase that would love to see more titles in the series. See the number of YouTube channels centred around those series alone. Look at the response Forza Horizon 4 or Halo Infinite got. Gears does not have that.

 

[Kacho]

You can pick apart the OP but I get what he’s saying and agree. The Xbox team at Microsoft seems very out of touch with gamers. It’s like they have a very surface level understanding but don’t really get it on a primal level.

Like, we have the most powerful game console and lots of studios! Then miss the mark completely when it comes to all the other pieces. And it’s all because of the people in charge.

Earlier this generation they had a lady named Shannon Loftis managing some of their game acquisitions and it was a disaster. Pretty sure she was reasonable for bringing us classics like Super Lucky’s Tales and she got into a public argument with a games journalist on Twitter after the game received a terrible score. She’s now the head of the studio that oversees AOE iirc.

Last week we had that brilliant Xbox show and black Karen, who’s totally a gamer and not phony is sitting there giving a robotic speech about how gameplay is so important and how excited she is with a little scroll at the bottom pimping AssCreed gameplay. We all know how that went. Just look at that controller sitting there

Here’s a tweet from Aaron yesterday.




tldr:This shit is starting to pile up and comes across as “how do you do fellow gamerz?” Not a good look to be sure.

 

[alabtrosMyster]

They are working on releasing games on a tight schedule, in the sense that they plan on releasing 3 big games a year, probably on a set budget too (not necessarily tight).

If your aim is not flexible enough there won't be place for stuff like Dreams, or other marginal ideas to florish, there won't be place for the Halo studio to go and work on uncharted then invent the last of us... Say what you want about the games, they were big risks (nd already had big IPs under their belt on both occasion)... And they paid off quite a lot.

They also need to let their studios deliver their games later than expected if necessary, Sony and Nintendo are flexible.. their platforms are only better for it.

 

[Vawn]

 

[Bryank75]

Halo and Forza have a dedicated fanbase that would love to see more titles in the series. See the number of YouTube channels centred around those series alone. Look at the response Forza Horizon 4 or Halo Infinite got. Gears does not have that.

Well Forza is definitely my favorite thing on Xbox and is a fantastic series, hopefully Infinite returns to the heights of the Halo series....

 

[M1chl]

I didn't see their sales but Gears 5 seemed a bit low for that franchise.... which is why I got that impression.

Yes, because game has to be good in first place, which Gears 5 was not.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Never trust a suit. They ruin everything creative.

 

[Craig of War]

Gamepass is the best thing in gaming don't diss gamepass especially when you combine it with Microsoft Rewards it essentially free as long as you earn enough points every month. I do not see any other gaming company offering anything close to Microsoft Rewards and Gamepass as a combo.

 

[godhandiscen]

Is that why PowerShell Slack Team is an official chat group by Microsoft in Slack ?

Redirecting to PowerShell Slack

Microsoft has 150k+ employees, a group of 100+ using Slack to promote PowerShell doesn't mean anything. We are talking about corporate culture. Look at LinkedIn, all of their infrastructure went from on-premise to Azure, and their internal tools were replaced. The LinkedIn acquisition is a very public one and the most reflective of the Microsoft MO. If you are going to use an example, at least name another acquisition.

LinkedIn is migrating to Microsoft Azure

Microsoft-owned LinkedIn is moving its infrastructure to Azure as part of a multi-year migration, explains Mohak Shroff, LinkedIn's SVP of engineering.

venturebeat.com

Nobody knows how much they spend on Azure now, but their on-premise setup was one of their competitive advantages originally.

Or how Azure lets you use Linux ?

Azure added Linux because 80% of the world develops server applications on top of Linux. Look at any famous open source project such as Kafka, Spark, Cassandra, etc. These are Linux only or Linux first. For us system architects, it was important to continue using Linux as the "everything is a file" approach of the Unix standard coupled with the Linux kernel enhancements make it still the best platform to develop on. If Microsoft had not introduced Linux, they would not be able to expand beyond the world that develops on .NET.

Or how way more Xbox studios use Unreal Engine, while Sony studios use their own custom engine ?

They had a partnership with Epic at some point, remember the GoW 1-3 days? Also, it is key for them to promote the use of Unreal Engine on their platform as most professionals game engineers learn UE on their own. Lastly, Microsoft doesn't have a competing first party engine that adapts to all scenarios, or the means to educate millions of game developers on new technology.

Microsoft never made it mandatory to use their own tools. Spatial Audio on Xbox Series X has Dolby Atmos and DTS:X apart from their own Windows Sonic, while PS5's 3D Audio is locked to their own Tempest Engine.

Again, what would Microsoft have here as a first party alternative? Of course they won't invent something new in the space of the same generation to catch up when their competition is Sony; with decades of audio engineering experience.

How the fuck do you escape ? Can YouTube buy unbuy themselves from Google or Twitch from Amazon, no they cant. If Microsoft hadnt bought Mixer, no one would have cared about them.

Youtube remained independent in terms of leadership for many years after the acquisition. In fact, it was the Youtube leadership that killed Internet Explorer 6. Check some stories of how they operated under Google.

A Conspiracy To Kill IE6

The bittersweet consequence of YouTube’s incredible growth is that so many stories will be lost underneath all of the layers of new paint. This is why I wanted to tell the story of how, ten years ago, a small team of web developers conspired to...

blog.chriszacharias.com

Nowadays Youtube is the revenue leader at Google, and their leadership team is the leadership team of Google.
Mixer had made waves. I don't think they were going anywhere, but when Microsoft acquired them they stopped all relevant feature development so that they could work on integrating the platform more closely with the Xbox. Now we have what we have.

Microsoft has never been deep into MTX controversy. Killer Instinct, State of Decay 2, Sea of Theives and Forza Horizon 4 have little or no MTX at all. Forza Horizon 4 is a AAA 60 USD mostly online game with no MTX at all. And its not like Sony are saints at all, they also have some form of MTX in their online games like MLB The Show(in the form of stubs) or Gran Turismo Sport or the online part of Uncharted 4.

Dawg, they brought us the platform that lead to the first Horse Armor. They are the fathers of MTX in consoles.

You have lost all form of credibility in everything you have written until now. This part is not even worth the effort to reply.

I feel bad for the poor intern that has to play that Kart Racer so that it shows up in Greenberg's account.

 

[The Hamburglar]

Phil ‘I believe in Phil spender’ Spencer is one of us. No corporate bullshit is holding this ceo back.

 

[BlvckFox]

I see your viewpoint OP but as an owner of Gamepass on PC, it represents an enormous amount of value to me.

In relation to Microsoft’s current path, While I will admit the prior showing was a little disappointing, I don’t believe we can make any serious reservations based on it. I believe in Phil. As a Sony head, I’m looking forward to rejoining Microsoft this generation.
The plan is there, monster hardware and numerous studio acquisitions.
I think your faith will be renewed at a first party showing, OP.

 

[pr0cs]

Yes, because game has to be good in first place, which Gears 5 was not.

Huh?

 

[M1chl]

Huh?

Campaign was short and forgettable and MP, last time I tried, I have problems to get into game. The issue is that Gears 1-3 was so much better than 4-5, that I want Cliff B. back.

 

[Hobbygaming]

Gamepass is the best thing in gaming don't diss gamepass especially when you combine it with Microsoft Rewards it essentially free as long as you earn enough points every month. I do not see any other gaming company offering anything close to Microsoft Rewards and Gamepass as a combo.

I wouldn't say Gamepass doesn't have value but it isn't for everyone

I canceled my Gamepass after 2 weeks of only using it once every few days. Gears 5 was good but I wanted to fully support them by buying the physical copy

 

[pr0cs]

Campaign was short and forgettable and MP, last time I tried, I have problems to get into game. The issue is that Gears 1-3 was so much better than 4-5, that I want Cliff B. back.

5 was great, some missteps in trying to shoehorn in open world but making optional "scenario" type mini missions was a great idea.
Personally I think they should finish the story and persue the tactics notion. Gears tactics to me has a lot more potential, that whole genre is underserved and the world /mechanics works well in the gears universe

 

[Ten_Fold]

Xbox will be fine, Sony’s current first party games are kinda similar in that walking movie type of deal, Nintendo is all about fun, cool visuals, and great gameplay. To me the only thing Microsoft needs to do is show off the games in July and show the launch titles and launch window titles. Halo, some rpg game, some action game, couple of indies and they will be good to go at launch.

 

[sainraja]

I really dislike the statement of 'walking simulators' and it's only used to downplay certain titles. Back in the day, these kind of games were referred to as linear and that is a completely fine way to design your game. Not every game needs to be open world. I mean, if that's how you are going to downplay some games, I might as well call every game there is "button press" simulators, since that is what we do in every game that has been made to this date.

 

[teezzy]

I'd put a ton more man power into Rare. Let them work on all the new IPs they want, but also set specific teams to bring back gems like Banjo, Conker, Perfect Dark, Killer Instinct, Viva Pinata, Jet Force Gemini, Battletoads, etc

Then you have all the Microsoft IPs from original Xbox and 360 era they could allocate to different teams as well.

Microsoft has so much potential this generation. They don't have to let Halo, Forza, and Gears define them.

Give me Fusion Frenzy 2 damn you!

 

[teezzy]

You can pick apart the OP but I get what he’s saying and agree. The Xbox team at Microsoft seems very out of touch with gamers. It’s like they have a very surface level understanding but don’t really get it on a primal level.

Like, we have the most powerful game console and lots of studios! Then miss the mark completely when it comes to all the other pieces. And it’s all because of the people in charge.

Earlier this generation they had a lady named Shannon Loftis managing some of their game acquisitions and it was a disaster. Pretty sure she was reasonable for bringing us classics like Super Lucky’s Tales and she got into a public argument with a games journalist on Twitter after the game received a terrible score. She’s now the head of the studio that oversees AOE iirc.

Last week we had that brilliant Xbox show and black Karen, who’s totally a gamer and not phony is sitting there giving a robotic speech about how gameplay is so important and how excited she is with a little scroll at the bottom pimping AssCreed gameplay. We all know how that went. Just look at that controller sitting there

Here’s a tweet from Aaron yesterday.




tldr:This shit is starting to pile up and comes across as “how do you do fellow gamerz?” Not a good look to be sure.

Ooo look another Mario kart clone with 2% of the personality!!

I #cantwait

 

[Bradamante3D]

Last week we had that brilliant Xbox show and black Karen, who’s totally a gamer and not phony is sitting there giving a robotic speech about how gameplay is so important and how excited she is with a little scroll at the bottom pimping AssCreed gameplay. We all know how that went. Just look at that controller sitting there

Let's also not forget Bonnie Ross giving her robotic "epic gameplay" speech on stage as the head of 343 industries. It might be Microsofts corporate culture, it might not be. But something is going on. Sea of Thieves, Scalebound, Quantum Break, Crackdown 3 were all terribly managed releases. The recent Halo games lack the original feel and Halo Infinite is not looking better. Gears of War has been softened to death (see Crowbcat's video on that one).
The recent offender is the video stream that this thread is about where MS failed to establish a sense of how their next gen would feel like, whereas Sony and Unreal Engine 5 would at least accomplish this on a technical level.

Due to Sonys success last generation, the forces of group think and trends reinforcing each other in the social media age I am pretty sure that the next generation XBox will have a smaller user base than the current XBox and the PlayStation will either continue or gain market share. If anything MS will continue their current strategy: Carve a niche with less sales in terms of absolute numbers, but higher profit per head. Due to the smaller user base MS has to buy exclusives to make the platform more attractive, but I don't see how that would translate into a revenue stream. To make that work, MS basically has to buy the next Minecraft before it exists, milk it to death and use it as an incentive to switch platforms. I doubt this strat will work and my thinking still is that in the long term the XBox brand will be merged into the Surface line, thus giving us a "Surface Box" for gaming and game streaming.

 

[Arachnid]

Sure, a lot of “filler” hits Game Pass, but I only have PC Game Pass and it’s still an excellent value. The games like Ori may be rare but there are plenty of really good games on there (Kingdom Come: Deliverance as an example). Even a game like “Indivisible” could be called filler but it’s a great game. I think it’s hard to argue with GP’s value.

How can Phil himself make sure every game is fun? I’m not sure he can play every game beginning to end and send it back if it’s not “fun enough.”

But I agree with the general idea that striving toward consistent output excellence should be a dedicated personal pursuit for first party devs. Broaden your platform’s horizons, elevate your platform, be it PC, Switch, Xbox, PlayStation.

Phil is vice-prez of gaming at Microsoft right now. I'm sure he could implement some kind of quality control measures to avoid games like Crackdown or Sea of Thieves. Games from first party devs that aren't up to snuff shouldn't be funded.

I'm sure next gen will be great though. The Medium and Hellblade both look promising.