Probably best to keep stupid posts like this for the other thread, some of us like to have conversation in here away from whatever shit show that other thread is.
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Microsoft Studios (& Partners) Current and Future Landscape
- Thread starter Banjo-Kazooie
- Start date
Probably best to keep stupid posts like this for the other thread, some of us like to have conversation in here away from whatever shit show that other thread is.
Yup, at least my wallet was happy since i only had these three games to buy for an entire year and nothing else. No backlogs!
That is laughably pathetic, especially considering they're launching a major console revision/upgrade later this year
It makes me seriously wonder if the Xbox division got a major budget cut or they plan on slowly winding down the division. I would expect a successful division to be putting out a lot more games.
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
I meant for 2018 and beyond naturally, the 2017 lineup is already well known. In the style of Quantum Break, Crackdown and such where it's a third party studio working on either a Microsoft IP or an entirely new one. If there aren't, then we can basically guess at the entire Microsoft output through to Holiday 2019, which will be "Another Halo, Two Forzas, Another Gears, and 2-4 small games".
343 and The Coalition seem to be 1.5 game studios - able to do a bit of remastering or helping out another studio on the side while they work on their big game. But unless there's been a hiring spree (which I don't think we've heard about), I can't see them having 2 large games in full development simultaneously. Turn 10 and Playground are always on the Forza train. Rare will by busy with the launch and postgame support for Sea of Thieves, although they probably can start developing something on the side while that's going on. Mojang is Mojang.
The only place I can really see surprises coming from then are third party contracts. Halo Wars 2 was a collaboration with Creative Assembly/Sega and 343 industries. Recore is a collaboration with Armature/Comcept. Crackdown 3 is a collaboration with like 12563463 different studios for various things apparently.
Looking at the current slate of known Microsoft games coming out, there are only two explanations - either they really are winding down first party support to the bare, profitable minimum, or there was a reorganization that led to several cancellations and a gap in their lineup before new projects were ready for announcement and shipping. I hope it's the latter, but have there been any leaks hinting towards this? Do we have any rumblings that there's stuff in the works we'll be excited about?
How dare you call Super Lucky's Tale just "an indie game"?
If you're gonna insult Lucky, at least have enough respect to call him by his name.
thought he was talking about cuphead for a moment
which would be weird since hes using a cuphead avatar
Bits N Pieces
Member
If he cancels this then he would need to walk. This isn't getting cancelled.
If he cancels this then he would need to walk. This isn't getting cancelled.
I would think at this point the backlash would be so big that they have no choice. Might as well delay it and hope for the best.
Guy is just a PR machine. Don't believe what he says.
If he cancels this then he would need to walk. This isn't getting cancelled.
So the game is not delayed then? Cool
I was referring to Cuphead.
Yearsoflurking
Member
We probably can confirm a recore 2 basically Phil's says he loves the ip.
Bits N Pieces
Member
There are rumblings but that's it.
Internal studios we know what they're all doing although Rare, 343 and The Coalition have been hiring steadily for a while now (don't know if its expansion or replacements though). Playground are making a new IP (as well as FH4 no doubt) but we've been told its multiplatform.
Studio Gobo are definitely making an Xbox game but we don't know what it is and that's about it. The thing about their partnerships with external devs is that we don't normally see them coming and they're always a bit out if left field : Platinum, Crytek, Insomniac, Creative Assembly, Comcept etc.
Most people in the know say there's nothing much to be expected other than the usual suspects for the future but who really knows.
anothertech
Member
What the hell? is this real?
Forgot Super Lucky's Tale, sorry man, my bad
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
It would feel logical to grab Crytek again to make an XBX graphical showcase, but it also seems unlikely at the same time after Ryse. The game I'd be thirstiest for would be Quantum Break 2, and although Microsoft owns the IP, again I don't think they're willing to pump more money into the franchise.
I've been saying this for ages, but collaborations are the only things that we can count on for new and unexpected stuff from them. And that's doesn't have to be a bad thing really. The problem is that several of the titles they have published this generation haven't quite made the impact that they wanted. Ori and Forza Horizon did great, but Quantum Break, Sunset Overdrive, Recore? Not so much.
Steelyuhas
Member
Yeah, the CVP's that head the first party studios report directly to Phil. I believe those are Bonnie at 343, Rod at Coalition, Matt Booty for Minecraft, Craig Duncan at Rare, and Dan Greenawalt at Turn 10.
Shannon runs publishing for games developed outside those studios, which includes the internal Studios creative such as Joe Staten, Ken Lobb, Adam Isgreen, etc.
Yes, we know about at some of them including Studio Gobo announcing they are partnering with MSFT.
Probably because "just start firing people" isn't a great long term strategy just because they have a lean lineup this year. As long as leadership has the people they feel confident in executing the vision long term in place right now, they are going to give them some leash (at least in part because a company with a diverse revenue portfolio and as deep as pockets as anyone can afford to not make short term reactionary moves).
anothertech
Member
Honestly, I thought that was the indie game. What is the indie game in fact?
This is looking like a rubbish year for xbox games. dam.
DriftingSpirit
Member
Naudyboy16
Member
I enjoyed the first crackdown, only played about 5 hours of 2, whoever thought 3 was going to be a system seller is insane. From what they've shown of 3, it looks very "bland." Nothing about it stood out. For a game that was sort of placed to be the Xbox X'so premiere title, it didn't look amazing and they never even showed us multi-player.
This getting delayed I think is a good thing. Hopefully it allows them to set it apart. With agents of mayhem out this week, i hope they Polish the heck out of crackdown 3 and double down on making the multiplayer something unique and special. I'm rooting for the game to be good, take all the time you need on this one guys. Better to release a solid game then one filled with bugs and glitches.
This getting delayed I think is a good thing. Hopefully it allows them to set it apart. With agents of mayhem out this week, i hope they Polish the heck out of crackdown 3 and double down on making the multiplayer something unique and special. I'm rooting for the game to be good, take all the time you need on this one guys. Better to release a solid game then one filled with bugs and glitches.
We only know 2018 with SOT, SOD, CD3 and tentative ORI 2, FH4 and H6. Anything beyond that we have no clue.
While recently there has actually been a hiring spree for all first party studios with Rare for almost the whole year and last, I don't think in the case of Coalition or 343 they will being doing 2 games at once unless it's a HW2 (spinoff) or remaster type game with a outside studio. In terms of Rare we know they have been working on something else for a while, It will probably go into full production after SOT releases as that already has a Live team being formed to handle the content required of a GAAS.
This has been the reality of how MS has been handling first party investment for awhile, which has been a big point of contention in this thread. In terms of how first party is set up all MS owned studios report to Phil, while another division headed by Shannon Loftis which is were all new first party investment appears to be coming from rather than an expansion in MS studios. Shannon Loftis's division MS global publishing handles working with all outside studios from Iron Galaxy (KI) to Undead Labs (SOD), basically we can't tell anything about what her division is doing and haven't known about any of those projects before they announce them due to their external nature. We know Shannon Loftis's division announced they are working with Studio Gobo which we couldn't of guessed, apparently it's a triple AAA UE4 project with some thinking it might be Fable reusing Fable Legends based on some info. But we do know that since that was announced Gobo has been hiring a lot very quickly.
In terms of Playground games a leak of a hiring for a MS first party UK based AAA Open world game that is similar in nature to HZD in terms of environment art, has been linked to PG in someways. With this lining up to PG's second new studio and open world none racing game project that we now know ruffly after the time of that hiring leak according to their website is a shooter. This project would go through Shannon's division, but Forza Horizon doesn't. So this is were how first party is arranged gets a bit harder to tell whats going on, projects like Halo wars 2, Forza Horizon or Rare Replay go through the First party studios themselves and not Shannon. So it would be hard to find out if Rare contracts out one of its IP with a outside developers for example, because the ways we usually find out are through job postings etc which makes it a lot harder when it seems most of the time it's an obscure studio were it's like picking a needle out of a haystack.
We know there was a restructuring in terms of first party studios from Phil himself but wether that means we will see more investment due to that is an unknown until we see it. But in terms of other projects we know from Phil himself that before E3 this year he signed 3 different first party projects, we don't know if these are first party studio based or more than likely Shannon's division. We also don't know if there was more before this or not as he was just giving an example to show that they are investing in first party, while also saying they don't want to show things of early even tho they could with those games being examples. Some people think we may see AOE4 announced at Gamescom based on wording, but thats an unknown we will find out on 21st. AOE remastered is Shannon's division as likely would be an AOE4 unless Decisive games a first party studio they open in 2015 is still around, as they were created to fill the gap ensemble left and take up AOE and RON which had been purchased for a strategy focus Phil talked about. That's about all I can think of off the top of my head.
Stiler
Member
With the super drought of 1st party games I seriously question why they shuttered Lionhead. I mean seriously, with the lack of first party games this year a new Fable or something would have really helped, especially with the launch of the new one later this year.
They didn't have many big first party games in the first place, Halo, Gears, Fable were (IIRC) the top 3.
This year I literally have not touched my xbox because I play most third party games on pc, there's just been nothing at all to play on it.
Meanwhile ps4 has had Yakuza 0, Gravity Rush 2, Horizons, etc.
Really hope they can do something about the drastic lack of games for the system next year or so.
They didn't have many big first party games in the first place, Halo, Gears, Fable were (IIRC) the top 3.
This year I literally have not touched my xbox because I play most third party games on pc, there's just been nothing at all to play on it.
Meanwhile ps4 has had Yakuza 0, Gravity Rush 2, Horizons, etc.
Really hope they can do something about the drastic lack of games for the system next year or so.
TheUnsunghero26
Member
Did anything else ever come out of that MS job posting (or whatever it was) that mentioned an open world game in the vein of Horizon? I wonder if that's Studio Gobo's game.
Deputy Moonman
Member
I don't know why but the drought of first party output this yeae just hasn't bothered me. I've been playing a lot of multiplatform games. I think in the last year I've played unravel, inside, limbo, little nightmares, and just recently rime. I get that they're available on other systems, but right now I have an xbox one so that's what I'm playing them on. But I also played ori and the blind forest as well as rare replays banko kazooie 1 and 2.I downloades D4 recently too but still need to play through it. Looking forward to 2018. If I can wait a whole generation for breath of the wild, when it was the main reason I got a wii u, I think I can handle the lack of 1st party output from MS for a little bit too.
Not exclusives no. Just an Xbox release even after a year after PS4/PC/Switch.
Some titles like Kingdom Hearts Collection should have been on Xbox to help with KH3 but nope. Even Spencer is begging Square on twitter hahahaha.
Nightengale
Member
My first response to that line of thought would be "why?"
First off, Bluehole is not just a studio. It's a publisher. They're not just Battlegrounds, they also make Tera, etc. MMOs.
Secondly, if we trace the lineage of PUBG's success, it's easily creditable to one individual, who is the director/designer, who had his hands all over practically every other Battle Royale successes in H1Z1 or the original ARMA mods.
The smarter move would be for any of the big publishers to counter-offer Brendan Greene a creative/game director offer at any AAA studio and ask him to basically make the "DOTA2" of Battle Royale games.
Chobel
Member
Zero?
So that job posting was a first party based ad going through a contracted external hiring team that MS and PG use and has been tentatively linked to Playground (FH3.) In terms of Gobo it wouldn't be them as a third party studio that also hires through a different third party hiring team with the studio as a whole not being completely dedicated to the Xbox project. We know that Gobo would be working on an action adventure game and wouldn't be big enough to create a open world scale game similar to PG or have the experience.
I don't think he meant exclusive as those games didn't have deals with Sony as exclusives aside from Nioh, and with Nioh I don't think there is a exclusivity deal but a publishing deal. I think It's more about the fact these games are third party games skipping Xbox giving Sony's platform free exclusives, majority of which has made up the great first half of the year they have had. If these games had of came out on Xbox then the difference between Xbox and Playstation first party output this year would be very similar, with it also avoiding Xbox gathering that negativity in comparison. I think it's smart for the Xbox team to go after these teams and ensure these games release on the platform even at a cost to them.
DriftingSpirit
Member
Sony has/will have 6 first party titles releasing this year. The Japanese titles added fuel to the fire.
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
If they did attempt it, it would be in the Minecraft sense of taking over this already huge thing and trying to make it huger. I don't think Microsoft is wanting to hire the same guy and hope that there will be another breakout commercial hit - they'd prefer the certainty of acquiring an already successfful thing and raking in revenue over a period of years. But I don't think PUBG has the makings of a new Minecraft, despite it's current enormous success, and I don't think the studio/publisher would be for sale in the same way Mojang was, as you say.
LiquidSolid
Member
That's only because they restructured things once Phil Spencer took over as head of Xbox in early 2014 though. They merged the head of Xbox and head of Microsoft Studios jobs into one job, brought the European studios into the main fold (whereas they used to be managed separately) and offloaded a lot of responsibilities to Shannon Loftis.
So trying to put all the blame on Don Mattrick, like Yearsoflurking appears to be trying to do, is silly. Mattrick obviously shares some of the blame but when he was head of Xbox, almost all of those studios (except for Rare, who reported to Phil Harrison) were reporting to Phil Spencer.
Only 6? I count a lot more than that. They have 8 scheduled for the remainder of this year alone.
But yes, the narrative that Microsoft releases just as many games as Sony is absolute rubbish. Sony has/will release more first party games in August/September (5) than Microsoft's got this entire year (4).
Steelyuhas
Member
Yeah, you're right it didn't used to be organized that way.
In general, blaming one person for failure at a large company like MSFT (or crediting a single person for success) is just a silly notion. Ultimately leadership is responsible, and they face the music if things don't go well, but there's so many moving parts to all decisions made at a place like Xbox and Microsoft as a whole. (Not defending Mattrick here, just a general observation)
MS would mostly just be interested in the brand of Battlegrounds than anything else given it's success. If it takes off on Xbox they could see a lot of value it in. Maybe I'm just looking too much into Xbox execs fawning over the game. Also I've completely run out of ideas for how MS would realistically want to bolster their first party offerings.
It would be really smart for Ubisoft to offer Brendan Greene a boat load of money to basically make a DOTA 2 Battle Royal under the Tom Clancy brand. Idk it just seems like a really good fit.
PanicFreak
Member
It might turn out to be a good game but there is no chance that this game will sell well. None. Don't be surprised if this barely squeaks into the top 10 the month it launches.
LiquidSolid
Member
Agreed.
Phil said they recently signed some stuff. But was to early to show.
Triggerhappytel
Member
Even if they wanted to, I doubt they could outbid Tencent who have also made investments in the studio recently.
Gravity Rush 2
Horizon Zero Dawn
Wipeout Omega Collection
Parappa HD
Matterfall
Everybody's Golf
GT Sport
Uncharted: TLL
Knack 2
Starblood Arena
Locoroco and Patapon I think? (not really paid attention to these two)
Nioh sort of counts (published by Sony outside of Japan, but not first-party)
Probably some other games I've forgotten. This is not an exhaustive list.
On Microsoft Gamescon presence, GIndusty.biz editor Christopher Dring wrote a piece about how important this show can and should be for them, and in the middle there he mentions this:
Phil did say they were doing different things this year too, so this could be something cool after all
Phil did say they were doing different things this year too, so this could be something cool after all
wapplew
Member
They are confidant enough to put the bad news few days before the event, I expect something big that make people forget about Crackdown 3 delay.
MosquitoSmasher
Member
I'm glad it specifically mentions Xbox and not PC. Should mean the promising announcements are all for Xbox. Question remains if it's game related or more like service related or hardware.
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
I'm not saying you're wrong, but you need to teach the parrot some new phrases.
If it serves the purpose why bother.