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[KXVXII9X]

This may seem like a stretch, but announcing games this soon should be a form of false advertising. You are marketing these games to sell a console, but the consumer may not be able to play them until the very end of the console cycle or on next console.

I don't mind if games are announced way ahead of time if there is regular updates about the development process and footage to show.

People always talk about how publishers need to please shareholders, but the consumers also need to be pleased to. It isn't a charity.

I appreciate most of Nintendo's announced games since they aren't too far away from release. Metroid Prime 4 is concerning but at least they had the decency to say they restarted development.

Anytime to show a CG trailer, I usually.know the game is really far out and probably hasn't started much of development. Then the CEO's.on stage talk about how many games they just showed even though most are just ideas at that point.

 

[KXVXII9X]

Wow! It's like this game's development is in a state of decay.

I wish I had gold to give you so take my fake gold

 

[nemiroff]

Sonygaf is really concerned about this - And so am I

This shouldn't really be possible, SoD2 wasnt exactly the deepest most complex game out there, but it had potential, so it shouldnt take a lot of time and resources to make a polished title out of it.

I'd love to hear the inside story on this..

 

[DeepEnigma]

I think my entire body will be in a state of decay by then.

 

[AtomicStarving]

SoD2 is one of the most tedious and repetitive games I've played in my life. I don't have much expectations for a new one.

 

[dem]

 

[StueyDuck]

Where are you getting that from?


That was my best guess from my memory of early developer interviews from back in the day.


From my quick Google search, almost nothing is known about the game. It could be a safe sequel...it could be the MMO.

Long story short, it's probably foolish to judge the development progress of a game before we even see it.

It's also foolish to claim insomniac are just making formulaic games and they are super easy to make and there's no ambition in them.

There is literally nothing true about that statement. If it was soooo easy all devs would be doing it.

If it'd anything like SoD2 it's not gonna be a whole lot ambitious. It was just a cg trailer. Where you got that they needed 7 years because the game is so super ambitious is baffling to me.

Starfield and cyberpunk both took many years to make and both are the most formulaic games there is.

 

[quest]

That sounds like they've either rebooted the project completely or scratched their tech stack (something that Bethesda should do as well) and either developed/are developing a new engine or went with another.

If this is true its probably the tech stack. Microsoft brought in the coalition last year to assist them with things. Its a good thing they identified an issue and sent some of the best in the business in the UE to help them out. This is 1 post by 1 artist so hardly anything official.

State of Decay 3 Is Being Made in Unreal Engine 5 - and Gears of War Developers Are Assisting - IGN

News on State of Decay 3 has been about as rare as a pleasant day in a zombie apocalypse, but Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty has just revealed that the upcoming game is being made in Unreal Engine 5 with the assistance of Gears of War developer The Coalition.

www.ign.com

 

[nemiroff]

SoD2 is one of the most tedious and repetitive games I've played in my life.

You're right, it was shoddy craftmanship, and if we think about it, that's probably the reason MS want to take their time on the next one and avoid carelessly throwing money on something that would be shredded on metacritic.

 

[CeeJay]

If true I'm guessing they totally restarted from scratch in UE

The previous games were a buggy mess so starting from scratch was probably the right thing to do. I quite enjoyed my time with SOD 2, I thought it had some really good ideas and I enjoyed the general flow of the game but it also had some serious short comings what were probably not easy to fix with the way the game was written. Personally i'm quite excited to see what Undead Labs can do with a decent budget and support from Microsoft's inner circle of software engineers. It's disappointing to hear we are going to have to wait until 2027 to see it though.

 

[azertydu91]

It's also foolish to claim insomniac are just making formulaic games and they are super easy to make and there's no ambition in them.

There is literally nothing true about that statement. If it was soooo easy all devs would be doing it.

If it'd anything like SoD2 it's not gonna be a whole lot ambitious. It was just a cg trailer. Where you got that they needed 7 years because the game is so super ambitious is baffling to me.

Starfield and cyberpunk both took many years to make and both are the most formulaic games there is.

But Spiderman man is iterative, it is the 3rd opus by insomniac ....Totally unrelated to State of Decay 3 that is in no way iterative or the 3rd opus of a franchise ....

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

But Spiderman man is iterative, it is the 3rd opus by insomniac ....Totally unrelated to State of Decay 3 that is in no way iterative or the 3rd opus of a franchise ....

If SoD3 looks like a prettier version of SoD2, with minor changes here and there (like Spiderman 2), I'll join you.

Right now, it's very likely development is taking an extended amount of time because SoD3 is the ambitious MMO type game the developers originally wanted to make.

 

[yurinka]

2027 sounds realistic, in line with other MS games being announced just before they started the production of the game.

Xbox "Poorly managed" Game Studios.

What a fucking embarrassment.

I think it's a good decision to give them as much time as they need to do a good game, instead of rushing them and releasing a turd.

I think MS's bad decision is to announce the games too fucking early, even if I understand they did announce games too early because they didn't have anything else in a shorter term to hype their fans.

I prefer to see companies announcing games estimated to be released in a year or less. Maximum a year and a half. It's also better for them because they can show the game itself instead of a CG, and in a shape that is pretty similar to the final game.

 

[Moriarty1889]

The reason for the delay isn't the engine.

It's because pretty much the entire team left soon after Microsoft acquired them. The game had to be rebooted, and it is in development hell because of Microsoft's mismanagement of the studio.

"In fact, reports Kotaku, Undead Labs was pressured into announcing State of Decay 3 at the Xbox Games Showcase in July 2020 well before developers felt the game was ready for it. That, said Undead Labs veterans, was followed by a rushed internal demo for Microsoft leadership, that accelerated their feeling of disarray.

State of Decay 3, according to unnamed sources cited by Kotaku, was supposed to have two more internal demonstrations in the fall of 2021, and Philip Holt, the studio executive brought in as Undead Labs’ chief of staff after Microsoft acquired the studio in 2018, wanted both to include actual gameplay. Developers “revolted,” according to the report, considering the work and crunch that would be necessary to get the project o such a state. While Holt relented, the disruption still pushed a lot of Undead Labs veterans out the door, developers said."
https://www.polygon.com/23005362/st...d-canceled-release-date-undead-labs-microsoft

MS internal studios………..THE ULTIMATE SHITSHOW.

 

[azertydu91]

If SoD3 looks like a prettier version of SoD2, with minor changes here and there (like Spiderman 2), I'll join you.

Right now, it's very likely development is taking an extended amount of time because SoD3 is the ambitious MMO type game the developers originally wanted to make.

Or neither you or me knows but you speculate, when we just point out that Sod3 is iterative too.At least judge both studios/games on the same criteria.But even then the main problem I have is not that the game took 7 or even 10 years to make , it is that it was announced when it was barely even the embryo of an idea.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Or neither you or me knows but you speculate, when we just point out that Sod3 is iterative too.

We don't know that SoD3 is iterative.

It likely isn't considering the studios plans to turn the franchise into an MMO survival game + lengthy SoD3 dev time.

 

[tmlDan]

Insomniac has 3 studios under their umbrella. Two of their three studios is making formulaic Spiderman games which allows 5 year dev times. For studios working on something new and/or more ambitious projects...6+ years is the norm.

yea, MS just doesn't have the money to help out their studio. They're just poor ol' MS, no money at all

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

Second one was very good, I bought the early access version, but I think the first was better. Hopefully the third is even better.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

yea, MS just doesn't have the money to help out their studio. They're just poor ol' MS, no money at all

No one said that.

 

[azertydu91]

We don't know that SoD3 is iterative.

It likely isn't considering the studios plans to turn the franchise into an MMO survival game + lengthy SoD3 dev time.

Yeah State of decay 3 is a totally new franchise from Sod 2&1 but you're just speculating that it will be an mmo.

 

[tmlDan]

No one said that.

if they need more manpower to reduce the workload they have a massive company who can support them, also SoD has never been super ambitious and is always seen as a higher budget indie series.

it should not take 9-10 years to come out since SOD 2 came out in 2018

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Yeah State of decay 3 is a totally new franchise from Sod 2&1 but you're just speculating that it will be an mmo.

No, I'm saying it could be based on a variety of factors.

We know Spiderman 2 isn't a huge departure from the last two Spiderman games because we've seen so much of it.

 

[azertydu91]

No, I'm saying it could be based on a variety of factors.

We know Spiderman 2 isn't a huge departure from the last two Spiderman games because we've seen so much of it.

And that is exactly what is speculation....

 

[Heisenberg007]

We don't know that SoD3 is iterative.

It likely isn't considering the studios plans to turn the franchise into an MMO survival game + lengthy SoD3 dev time.

Yeah, so why are you assuming that it is going to be a huge shake-up to the formula and not just an interactive sequel like almost all sequels are?

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

And that is exactly what is speculation....

Exactly.

Piling on a studio for taking a reasonable amount of time on an ambitious new project is silly.

We aren't at the pile on phase yet.

 

[azertydu91]

Exactly.

Piling on a studio for taking a reasonable amount of time on an ambitious new project is silly.

We aren't at the pile on phase yet.

And if you read my post I explicitely said that 7 or even 10 years is not the problem but announcing a game when it is in pre production or earlier is the problem (post #115) and that problem is solely on MS side (note that I am not saying only MS does that but that problem is not the studio's fault but MS's).

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Yeah, so why are you assuming that it is going to be a huge shake-up to the formula and not just an interactive sequel like almost all sequels are?

Because of the variety of factors I've referenced already.

1. The studio has repeatedly stated they want the franchise to become a big ambitious MMO.

2. We haven't seen anything of the game yet.

3. 8 year development cycles for brand new concepts is the norm now.

Those 3 factors play a role in why piling on the developer isn't warranted yet. If the game is revealed and looks like SoD2, THEN I will join you in the dogpile.

Right now, too soon.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

And if you read my post I explicitely said that 7 or even 10 years is not the problem but announcing a game when it is in pre production or earlier is the problem (post #115) and that problem is solely on MS side (note that I am not saying only MS does that but that problem is not the studio's fault but MS's).

Early CGI game announcements are used to recruit talent to the studio...which is far more important than making a few people on message boards upset over a lengthy announcement to release schedule.

 

[azertydu91]

Early CGI game announcements are used to recruit talent to the studio...which is far more important than making a few people on message boards upset over a lengthy announcement to release schedule.

Tell me what are you trying to defend here ?Because according to you a 3rd entryin a franchise is not iterative, then the studio get piled on, then CGI trailer for a game coming out in 7 years is great.Then how come so many studio manages to recruit even when they haven't announced anything, then why sell to MS if they can't even manage to help you recruit.
Are you seriously now defending CGI reveals of games that are barely coming to this gen ?
Because at this ratio Sony should announce games coming to the ps7 and I guess you'll be okay with it too ?

 

[Heisenberg007]

Because of the variety of factors I've referenced already.

1. The studio has repeatedly stated they want the franchise to become a big ambitious MMO.

2. We haven't seen anything of the game yet.

3. 8 year development cycles for brand new concepts is the norm now.

Those 3 factors play a role in why piling on the developer isn't warranted yet. If the game is revealed and looks like SoD2, THEN I will join you in the dogpile.

Right now, too soon.

But it is not a brand-new concept. It is a sequel; it says so in the title itself. State of Decay 3.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, the reason for delays is not because of ambition. It's because of mismanagement and because most of the team members actually left the studio. The game was rebooted and is stuck in pre-production development hell.

It's not because of any ambition -- no matter what the studio itself says to market and hype their game.

In fact, reports Kotaku, Undead Labs was pressured into announcing State of Decay 3 at the Xbox Games Showcase in July 2020 well before developers felt the game was ready for it. That, said Undead Labs veterans, was followed by a rushed internal demo for Microsoft leadership, that accelerated their feeling of disarray.

State of Decay 3, according to unnamed sources cited by Kotaku, was supposed to have two more internal demonstrations in the fall of 2021, and Philip Holt, the studio executive brought in as Undead Labs’ chief of staff after Microsoft acquired the studio in 2018, wanted both to include actual gameplay. Developers “revolted,” according to the report, considering the work and crunch that would be necessary to get the project o such a state. While Holt relented, the disruption still pushed a lot of Undead Labs veterans out the door, developers said.

“If this was what pre-production was like there was no way I was sticking around for full production,” an unidentified developer told Kotaku.

“They’re still at square one with a lot of stuff,” another developer said.

 

[StueyDuck]

But Spiderman man is iterative, it is the 3rd opus by insomniac ....Totally unrelated to State of Decay 3 that is in no way iterative or the 3rd opus of a franchise ....

Lol so.. state of decay.... 3...Changing gaming forever apparently but spiderman 2 is iterative.

This site is hilarious sometimes

I guess insomniac are proven lazy devs, they just change the name and add a couple extra numbers to the game.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

But it is not a brand-new concept. It is a sequel; it says so in the title itself. State of Decay 3.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, the reason for delays is not because of ambition. It's because of mismanagement and because most of the team members actually left the studio. The game was rebooted and is stuck in pre-production development hell.

It's not because of any ambition -- no matter what the studio itself says to market and hype their game.

There's too many ambitious sequels for you to write off SoD3 as being just a safe, iterative game.

You may be right. You may be wrong.

We just don't know enough about the project to pile on the studio.

I'm just seeing a trend on NeoGAF where people still think games take 4.5 years to make and anything more than that is mismanagement.

They don't.

Cyberpunk2077 2.0 just released and it's still a buggy unfinished mess.

 

[Zuzu]

It might turn out to be an Xbox Next Gen launch title

 

[DanielG165]

I think this says more about the gaming industry in general than MS as a publisher. Despite us receiving some truly spectacular games recently and over the last several years, the gaming industry as a whole… Isn’t great right now? Absurdly long dev cycles (as seen here), overwhelmingly massive budgets, and giant dev teams. It’s honestly wild how much of a monster the video game industry is nowadays. And it’s not just gaming, I know, but it’s what I and many others on here love, so there you are.

 

[sendit]

LOL...

To get everyone hyped for the 2027 release, here is the awesome gameplay trailer from 3 years ago:

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Didn't this game have a big shakeup after the studio head kinda got cancelled? I imagine it's related. Also, the team is just now not working on support for the last game.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

 

[shamoomoo]

Let's hope so, because SOD3 might as well come out on the next Xbox.

 

[JayK47]

Why is it taking that long? Is it a one man operation? Switching to GAAS? The first game was a pretty nice little gem, the second one had better production, but was not as fun. I have little hope for the 3rd one.

 

[Jormatar]

Why was thing announced in 2020 and comes out in 2027 like it's some hot fucking shit like ESO6. GTFO

 

[adamsapple]

Yeah, it seemed like a placeholder date.

Can a mod kindly edit this into the topic title ?

 

[simpatico]

3 years before Elder Scrolls 6. Noice.

A full decade before the next Fallout game.

 

[Victor Omega]

I read "State of Play"

 

[Heisenberg007]

The real question is, what is the "correct" date then? And is it before 2027?

 

[hyperbertha]

It's also foolish to claim insomniac are just making formulaic games and they are super easy to make and there's no ambition in them.

There is literally nothing true about that statement. If it was soooo easy all devs would be doing it.

If it'd anything like SoD2 it's not gonna be a whole lot ambitious. It was just a cg trailer. Where you got that they needed 7 years because the game is so super ambitious is baffling to me.

Starfield and cyberpunk both took many years to make and both are the most formulaic games there is.

Starfield and cyberpunk both have more innovation in them than all cheap Arkham rip off Spiderman games combined. Let's be honest, the only reason insomniac is able to crank out so many games is they pump out glorified dlcs for sm1. Sm2 looks embarrassingly last gen.

 

[StueyDuck]

Starfield and cyberpunk both have more innovation in them than all cheap Arkham rip off Spiderman games combined. Let's be honest, the only reason insomniac is able to crank out so many games is they pump out glorified dlcs for sm1. Sm2 looks embarrassingly last gen.

Starfield is literally the same Bethesda game they've been making since oblivion.

Cyberpunk is just a far cry game that ubisoft has been making since far cry 2 which came out what? 2007 or 2008 around there

Both of those games look embarrassingly dated at least the Arkham games are fun to play.

But wait CP added ray tracing. Wowwee so next gen

Edit: in fact I take that back... far cry 2 had some pretty damn innovative world interactions like fire propagation and destructible environments.

So cybercrud is more like a lesser far cry 2 it's just a picture that you can navigate on and do nothing with. So it's game design is prior 2008

But oooo spiderman is a sequel grrr how dare studios make a sequel. Lazy devs confirmed this clown place sometimes

 

[TransTrender]

The reason for the delay isn't the engine.

It's because pretty much the entire team left soon after Microsoft acquired them. The game had to be rebooted, and it is in development hell because of Microsoft's mismanagement of the studio.


https://www.polygon.com/23005362/st...d-canceled-release-date-undead-labs-microsoft

Now this makes sense

 

[Team Andromeda]

This may seem like a stretch, but announcing games this soon should be a form of false advertising. You are marketing these games to sell a console, but the consumer may not be able to play them until the very end of the console cycle or on next console.

Funny how people like you never say that in a Prime 4 thread....

 

[GetInTheRobot]

In other words, when that trailer was shown they didn't even have napkin notes what to make.

The only industry where a company shows a trailer or concept for a product for the masses (ie. not a crazy concept car meant for buzz) and it can come out up to 10 years later.

Automotive industry says hi.

 

[KXVXII9X]

Funny how people like you never say that in a Prime 4 thread....

Are you assuming I'm not including Metroid Prime 4 in this discussion? I said the reason I'm kind of letting that one slide is due to Nintendo announcing they had to restart development. I would still like to know if it will release on the Switch or Switch 2.