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[Banjo64]

I looked him up a few years ago for something I can't remember. Found him on his employer website. Said he is a "solicitor". What is that in the UK?

Thought it best to quote the full definition:

What Is a Solicitor? What Does a Solicitor Do? | The Lawyer Portal

Choosing a solicitor career requires careful consideration of the role, including common tasks, potential earnings, work-life balance and qualification routes.

www.thelawyerportal.com

In the UK, the definition of a solicitor is someone who is a member of the legal profession qualified to deal with legal matters such as conveyancing, drawing up wills and more. A solicitor can advise clients, represent them in the lower Court and instruct barristers to represent clients in UK higher Courts.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Even GOAT studios like Arkane have their off-days.

We forgive them kings.

That wasn't off, that was a coma. Probably more than likely queens considering the plot correlations and pronouns.

Most of that Prey team leads have been gone. This was amateurs riding on the coattails.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Cancelling a platform doesn't create that atrocious game. All it does is lessen the burden for the team.

The game was fucked up from the base. And let's not forget that the release date was 2022 before the delay, one year after the deal was closed.

It was before the acquisition. They cancelled dishonored 3 to make deathloop.
https://www.videogameschronicle.com...tainty-over-dishonored-3-says-arkane-founder/

you can blame all you want to, but all this shit happened during zenimax struggle for cash. It's why you see deathloop, fallout76, and redfall. They wanted quick cash games.

redfall literally had mtx elements, before they removed those stuff from the game.
https://wccftech.com/redfall-screen...k1McnJlcDlZZW9Id1c5cldOX3lUeTBIYlhwTTB2aC1qQQ..

OK, I'll concede you might have a point here. I did forget about Zenimax's previous owners and their squeeze for more profits, how that affected Fallout '76 etc. How that might've even affected RedFall.

It's a sound explanation for how RedFall turned out the way it did, but still points out two things IMO. The first, that its development was still impacted by lack of funds & resources. It being a live-service or having the structure it does, doesn't automatically mean it was destined to be a terrible game. There are other games with similar models that are very successful and popular, so we know the structure & design at its core isn't at fault (not completely).

The second, is why didn't Microsoft intervene and just cancel the game? If it truly was in as rough shape as you think it was, could Phil Spencer not have seen that himself, and decided the project was better off being canned in favor of a new game to develop fresh post-acquisition? Did he ever actually get a good deep look at the game's progress before their June 2021 Showcase? Were they really that desperate to use RedFall as their "one more thing" instead of, I dunno, literally anything else?

IMO Phil and management at Microsoft Gaming still take a hefty part of the blame here, no matter what.

 

[Topher]

A lawyer.

Thought it best to quote the full definition:

What Is a Solicitor? What Does a Solicitor Do? | The Lawyer Portal

Choosing a solicitor career requires careful consideration of the role, including common tasks, potential earnings, work-life balance and qualification routes.

www.thelawyerportal.com

In the UK, the definition of a solicitor is someone who is a member of the legal profession qualified to deal with legal matters such as conveyancing, drawing up wills and more. A solicitor can advise clients, represent them in the lower Court and instruct barristers to represent clients in UK higher Courts.

Here he is. He is in real estate, it seems.

Commercial Landlords and Tenants: - Future Proofing Through Flexibility

Commercial Landlords and Tenants: - Future Proofing Through Flexibility

healys.com

 

[GHG]

I disagree with this 100%.

MS maybe shit, but they are 100% better than apple, who only cares about aesthetics.

They are backwards ducks who make the experience miserable as hell. They also charge way too much for outdated products and act like it's new shit. Their fans eat that shit way too much.

MS maybe shit as fuck, but at least they bear the cost, which gives us cheaper option.

Fuck both companies.

Apple have entertainment divisions across both movies/TV and music. If they were to carve out a dedicated in-house gaming division there would be clear synergy, they already know how to run high performing successful entertainment businesses.

Structurally they share far more in common with Sony than they do Microsoft.

If apple wanted to take gaming seriously and create a console it would signal the end of Microsoft's efforts, I'm pretty sure of that. If xbox find it tough to compete against just Sony and Nintendo I have no idea how they would cope if Apple, Sony and Nintendo were all pushing one another. For a start, their notion that you can't be successful in Japan as an American console manufacturer would immediately look stupid.

 

[adamsapple]

I refuse to believe the studio that made something as awesome as Prey, also made this. I'm waiting for someone to reveal this is an elaborate hoax.

As good as they are, Arkane's games are pretty much all commercial duds. They tried their hand at a lucrative genre that's far out of their comfort zone and it ended up being a spectacularly poor move.

I think we can safely say that they're at less risk of being in danger of mass layoffs or cuts because of poor performance now, under MS, than they would have been under a third party Zenimax.

 

[feynoob]

But it was supposed to be,

They couldn't even hit 60fps with all that focus.

The core of the game was shit to begin with. From AI to performance to the the way you do quests.
They needed supervision, as they had no experience with this type of game(this is according to deathloop interview).
It's the same fate as fallout76. At least that game can be redeemed. This game on the other hand is just straight up garbage.

Civil war has started

It's to be expected. Some of them are too invested in this deal.
At least this guy knows his shit. These guys however don't.

 

[JayDucker]

I looked him up a few years ago for something I can't remember. Found him on his employer website. Said he is a "solicitor". What is that in the UK?

Not to be confused with soliciting....

"the action or fact of accosting someone and offering one's or someone else's services as a prostitute"

Or then again..... If the shoe fits.....

 

[feynoob]

Apple have entertainment divisions across both movies/TV and music. If they were to carve out a dedicated in-house gaming division there would be clear synergy, they already know how to run high performing successful entertainment businesses.

Structurally they share far more in common with Sony than they do Microsoft.

Their entertainment is good. I can give them that. They know how to invest and what type of investment they need to do.

https://www.reuters.com/business/me...l-streaming-rights-bloomberg-news-2023-03-23/

if they win this, their ratings will sky rocket.

currently they have the MLS rights.
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022...nce-mls-season-pass-launches-february-1-2023/

 

[Topher]

Civil war has started

Good on Gaz for not blindly following Folian's bullshit.

 

[Astray]

I disagree with this 100%.

MS maybe shit, but they are 100% better than apple, who only cares about aesthetics.

They are backwards ducks who make the experience miserable as hell. They also charge way too much for outdated products and act like it's new shit. Their fans eat that shit way too much.

MS maybe shit as fuck, but at least they bear the cost, which gives us cheaper option.

Fuck both companies.

I say this as someone who is an ardent Android user (only Apple device I own is an iPad).

The only reason Xbox is bearing any cost is because their business is tanking and they want to save it by dipping into the parent company's funds.

Apple are draconian when it comes to certain things, but their experiences have defined new markets and taken them to the ascendancy of said markets without sacrificing what made their products desirable in the 1st place, they are always the latest to jump on trends, they have the taste to execute well on creative endeavors like starting a video streaming service (literally got an Oscar a year before Netflix did, and that's with Netflix enjoying a strong headstart). They have the capacity to design great-looking and well-functioning electronic devices almost from the ground up.

Does this remind you of any companies? My answer: Nintendo/Sony.

It's only a matter of time until Apple jumps into the fray imo, and we will see this happen even quicker once Microsoft bows out of the console game.

 

[adamsapple]

Not to be confused with soliciting....

"the action or fact of accosting someone and offering one's or someone else's services as a prostitute"

Or then again..... If the shoe fits.....

I, too, don't want random lawyers showing up at my doorstep, hence I have the "No soliciting" sign

 

[Ar¢tos]

Maintaining the status quo while ignoring that the deal will allow more consoles and a lot more PC/Cloud services to have access to the franchise and other content.

Alright alright alright

It's for the best, let's be realistic, Activision content is not going to make anyone smarter...

 

[feynoob]

The second, is why didn't Microsoft intervene and just cancel the game? If it truly was in as rough shape as you think it was, could Phil Spencer not have seen that himself, and decided the project was better off being canned in favor of a new game to develop fresh post-acquisition? Did he ever actually get a good deep look at the game's progress before their June 2021 Showcase? Were they really that desperate to use RedFall as their "one more thing" instead of, I dunno, literally anything else?

They had stellar track record. And considering Xbox is off the table, that contributed to this mess massively.

IMO Phil and management at Microsoft Gaming still take a hefty part of the blame here, no matter what.

His hands off approach sucks so bad. He needs someone that has the balls to make his studios deliver stellar record games.

Also their inhouse ratings sucks so bad. I can't believe those bozos gave the game a good ratings. They are stealing a living there.

 

[JayDucker]

I, too, don't want random lawyers showing up at my doorstep, hence I have the "No soliciting" sign

I thought the sign was to show that was the patch you worked.

 

[Astray]

Apple have entertainment divisions across both movies/TV and music. If they were to carve out a dedicated in-house gaming division there would be clear synergy, they already know how to run high performing successful entertainment businesses.

Structurally they share far more in common with Sony than they do Microsoft.

If apple wanted to take gaming seriously and create a console it would signal the end of Microsoft's efforts, I'm pretty sure of that. If xbox find it tough to compete against just Sony and Nintendo I have no idea how they would cope if Apple, Sony and Nintendo were all pushing one another. For a start, their notion that you can't be successful in Japan as an American console manufacturer would immediately look stupid.

It's only a matter of time imo, they are already dipping their toes in the water with Apple Arcade, plus they own one of the biggest entertainment ecosystems in history.

 

[GHG]

Their entertainment is good. I can give them that. They know how to invest and what type of investment they need to do.

https://www.reuters.com/business/me...l-streaming-rights-bloomberg-news-2023-03-23/

if they win this, their ratings will sky rocket.

currently they have the MLS rights.
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022...nce-mls-season-pass-launches-february-1-2023/

If apple actually wanted to take gaming seriously in ways that are relevant to the types of games I play (not mobile games) then I'd welcome them with open arms. For a start, Apple have standards and they are ruthless when those standards are not met. Everything they are currently doing across TV/Movies and music is about quality over quantity, carry that over to gaming and they would be on to a winner.

 

[b6a6es]

12 pages left!, let’s keep going

 

[feynoob]

I say this as someone who is an ardent Android user (only Apple device I own is an iPad).

The only reason Xbox is bearing any cost is because their business is tanking and they want to save it by dipping into the parent company's funds.

Apple are draconian when it comes to certain things, but their experiences have defined new markets and taken them to the ascendancy of said markets without sacrificing what made their products desirable in the 1st place, they are always the latest to jump on trends, they have the taste to execute well on creative endeavors like starting a video streaming service (literally got an Oscar a year before Netflix did, and that's with Netflix enjoying a strong headstart). They have the capacity to design great-looking and well-functioning electronic devices almost from the ground up.

Does this remind you of any companies? My answer: Nintendo/Sony.

It's only a matter of time until Apple jumps into the fray imo, and we will see this happen even quicker once Microsoft bows out of the console game.

Apple is great at delivering high quality products.
They are more Nintendo than Sony, as they protect their products like Nintendo and charge for premium cost.

It's their practice that sucks badly. If it weren't for that, I would have bought an apple phone.

Great security, but too much protective.

 

[splattered]

12 pages left!, let’s keep going

NO. Ok fine.

 

[Astray]

Apple is great at delivering high quality products.
They are more Nintendo than Sony, as they protect their products like Nintendo and charge for premium cost.

It's their practice that sucks badly. If it weren't for that, I would have bought an apple phone.

Great security, but too much protective.

Their practices wouldn't matter if they deliver great content.

This is the #1 law in the gaming industry, and the only company that never grasped that in a meaningful way is Microsoft.

 

[feynoob]

If apple actually wanted to take gaming seriously in ways that are relevant to the types of games I play (not mobile games) then I'd welcome them with open arms. For a start, Apple have standards and they are ruthless when those standards are not met. Everything they are currently doing across TV/Movies and music is about quality over quantity, carry that over to gaming and they would be on to a winner.

Their enemy is pricing.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.es...-and-became-extinct-playstation-nintendo/amp/

 

[GHG]

Their enemy is pricing.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.es...-and-became-extinct-playstation-nintendo/amp/

Apple of 1995 shares very little similarity to Apple or today.

But yes, they would need to get pricing right if they wanted to get involved.

 

[JayDucker]

Civil war has started

Shit...... Now we have to pick a side.

 

[GHG]

Shit...... Now we have to pick a side.

 

[GHG]

Do you have a conspiratorial persecution complex? Why can't I discuss the deal. Are you mad my views goes against yours.

The mods right now:

 

[PaintTinJr]

Cancelling a platform doesn't create that atrocious game. All it does is lessen the burden for the team.

The game was fucked up from the base. And let's not forget that the release date was 2022 before the delay, one year after the deal was closed.

It most certainly can.

I bet the week after they informed everyone internally the PS5 version was cancelled, the most talented engine programmer/s handed in their resignation letters and got work elsewhere where their knowledge and skillset of console programming would be used fully, leaving massive technical gaping holes in the team, because that talent would have been integral to all versions going out the door in great shape and with better gameplay systems implemented.

No matter how much Microsoft want to push their proprietary APIs, console gaming is technically lead on PlayStation by quantity and quality of software engineers, and has been since PS1 entered the market and removing opportunity for top tier devs to keep pace with their peers on skills is just a guarantee to hemorrhage staff IMO.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Apple have entertainment divisions across both movies/TV and music. If they were to carve out a dedicated in-house gaming division there would be clear synergy, they already know how to run high performing successful entertainment businesses.

Structurally they share far more in common with Sony than they do Microsoft.

If apple wanted to take gaming seriously and create a console it would signal the end of Microsoft's efforts, I'm pretty sure of that. If xbox find it tough to compete against just Sony and Nintendo I have no idea how they would cope if Apple, Sony and Nintendo were all pushing one another. For a start, their notion that you can't be successful in Japan as an American console manufacturer would immediately look stupid.

That's why, and goodness forbid it ever came to this but, if Sony were for whatever reason forced to either partner PlayStation with another company or even sell the subsidiary off altogether, the most likely company for such an asset would probably be Apple. Those would be the best hands to ensure partial or full trust of the brand into, all things considered.

Although for purposes of cloud expansion I've said that Sony could probably get a sweetheart deal with Google, it's also possible they could just tap Apple for funding and meanwhile provide the tech side themselves as they currently already are. A partnership between PlayStation and Apple would be insane; Sony selling PlayStation to Apple would be a lot less ideal for some obvious reasons, but still the best option among the bigger tech companies to manage the brand long-term.

That said there's nothing in the foreseeable future that would really push Sony into needing to take that option. Not even sure if (slightly) more mass 3P consolidation would be a reason. Though if that did blow up into a big trend, considering these various big tech companies with pockets much deeper than Sony's, then I could see more of a "need" for a partnership with one like Apple or best worst-case, selling the PS unit to them (but maybe getting some PS leadership employed at Apple to guide the ship on the gaming side).

They had stellar track record. And considering Xbox is off the table, that contributed to this mess massively.

But the thing is they had a stellar track record when Xbox management wasn't even in the picture. Unless maybe the previous owners were very hands-on, and it seemed like they were near the end before selling Zenimax off.

His hands off approach sucks so bad. He needs someone that has the balls to make his studios deliver stellar record games.

Also their inhouse ratings sucks so bad. I can't believe those bozos gave the game a good ratings. They are stealing a living there.

My thing here is, if Phil Spener needs more people assisting him in his capacity, then two things are probably an issue: Microsoft is rapidly expanding their gaming portfolio of studios too much too soon, and Phil Spencer may not be up to the task of leading all these teams if he was already struggling with far less teams under his watch.

You don't simply hire more hands to help; you replace the person running that operation with someone who can deliver better results.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Apple of 1995 shares very little similarity to Apple or today.

But yes, they would need to get pricing right if they wanted to get involved.

Apple of today would charge you $1099 for the base console and $1399 for the Pro model on launch day. Extra controllers would be $279 and the vertical stand would be $899.

 

[DJ12]

Is Gaz not that fanatic that screamed Phil Spencer's name in song?

They are infighting it seems. Endgame stuff.

I guess everyone has their own limit for bullshit.... no matter what renumeration they get.

 

[wolffy66]

On a fundamental level, MS isn't a media company. They have never created anything unique nor do they know how. They are fundamentally not a creative company, from day 1 of the company's founding, they were either copying or licensing someone else's creation. This is true of the original MS-DOS all the way to today's MS products.

Sony started out as a consumer electronics company but were famous for creating many innovative and iconic products. The first portable music player can be attributed to Sony, as the original Walkman. This invention revolutionized how people consume music, and the today commonplace idea of listening to your headphones instead of blasting music for everyone to hear can be directly traced back to the Walkman. They were instrumental in developing the original CD as well as all the other important physical media format. They also acquired movie and TV studios, and managed them reasonably well over the decades while gaining competence in mass media creation, and of course eventually launched the first Playstation and then spent decades learning how to create the mass media known as video games.

On a fundamental level, Sony has gained competence at creative disciplines and media production, something that MS has never done because quite frankly MS never needed to. MS is primarily a company which maintains several critical monopoly products which are essential for the world's computers functioning. There's no need to invent, create, or innovate when it comes to things like Windows, Office, and Azure. Just keep doing the same thing they have been doing for decades and keep the money spigots well maintained. This is anathema to something like video games where you must constantly be inventing, creating, and innovating to bring new experiences to gamers who are media consumers.

Completely silly. A company this size has probably created countless amounts of things you've never even heard of.

Just because they aren't consumer media doesn't mean they didn't require imagination or innovation.

 

[GHG]

Apple of today would charge you $1099 for the base console and $1399 for the Pro model on launch day. Extra controllers would be $279 and the vertical stand would be $899.

I know you joke but if they launched it with a bunch of games of the standard of TOTK/GOW/TLOU/Mario/etc and it ran 3rd party games better than the PS5/Series X then people would buy it. Maybe not those prices for the controllers etc but I could see them charging a premium over the current 2 4k consoles and finding a way to justify it.

 

[Ogbert]

Apple of today would charge you $1099 for the base console and $1399 for the Pro model on launch day. Extra controllers would be $279 and the vertical stand would be $899.

And you’d have to buy a special plug.

Cunts.

 

[Warablo]

People really think 80% of Game Pass users have used the cloud? Just cause you have access to something doesn't mean people use it.

and do they mean cloud saves or cloud streaming or is there even a difference in data?

 

[GHG]

And you’d have to buy a special plug.

Cunts.

It would look like this:

 

[SoloKingRobert]

A lawyer.

No it's not. If I want someone to represent me in Court or at the Police Station I'd hire a Solicitor. (UK)

 

[MasterCornholio]

This is not his product mate.

He adopted the child though. He's definitely responsible for something.

 

[Topher]

No it's not. If I want someone to represent me in Court or at the Police Station I'd hire a Solicitor. (UK)

Or real estate, apparently.

Commercial Landlords and Tenants: - Future Proofing Through Flexibility

Commercial Landlords and Tenants: - Future Proofing Through Flexibility

healys.com

 

[Nothing1234]

 

[Thirty7ven]

No.

They’re consumers, of which I am one. Haven’t owned an MS console since the 360.

But just to be clear, everyone clutching their pearls in this thread is not arguing for more competition. They want less competition, for the benefit of their favourite box.

Sony are in a complete position of dominance in the UK. Your position appears to be that it is unfair to Sony consumers to have their favourite game taken away from them and offered (for significantly less) on a competitor box. So you actually want Sony’s dominance entrenched.

‘Aha!’ you say ‘I don’t mean that sort of competition! It’s not right. MS should develop their own games instead.’

Yes, I’m minded to agree. But if that applies to MS, why doesn’t it apply to the 10 year licensing deal for CoD. Why doesn’t that give Sony enough time to develop their own FPS?

Wouldn’t that sort of struggle actually develop the market and offer us all more choice?

So more choice and competition is denying the consumer’s decision and give a free pass for the trillion dollar company that sucks at this even after twenty years, and allow them to buy the biggest third party publishers and IPs?

What are you talking about? Doesn’t MS have enough time and money to develop their own COD? Your position falls apart instantly. And when does it stop? Because the market wouldn’t shift in a year or two, it would take awhile so using you argument MS could keep going and add T2, Ubisoft, Sega, etc and give Sony ten years on them all.

It just doesn’t make any sense really. Xbox’s position in the US and UK have nothing to do with what Sony did or didn’t do, it’s completely self inflicted.

 

[GHG]

No it's not. If I want someone to represent me in Court or at the Police Station I'd hire a Solicitor. (UK)

I'd 100% trust this man to get me out of the overnight jail:

 

[Topher]

Pretty sad that these deluded folks are bending over backwards to defend this Folian guy and trashing one of their own in the process. Gaz is about as hardcore Xbox as they come.

 

[Topher]

I'd 100% trust this man to get me out of the overnight jail:

 

[adamsapple]

People really think 80% of Game Pass users have used the cloud? Just cause you have access to something doesn't mean people use it.

and do they mean cloud saves or cloud streaming or is there even a difference in data?

If you have GPU, your saves get uploaded to the cloud automatically.

100% of GPU users are active cloud users.

CMA are crafty bastards.

 

[Nothing1234]

Pretty sad that these deluded folks are bending over backwards to defend this Folian guy and trashing one of their own in the process. Gaz is about as hardcore Xbox as they come.

Gaz being a solicitor is a shock I did not expect but hey.

 

[GHG]

Wait until you hear this:

 

[Nydius]

What are you talking about? Doesn’t MS have enough time and money to develop their own COD? Your position falls apart instantly.

Especially when one of Microsoft's own arguments was "it wouldn't be difficult for Sony to make their own COD competitor".

Okay then, the same can be said to you too, Microsoft. If it's not difficult for Sony, with far fewer resources, to make a COD competitor, why do you, trillion dollar Microsoft, need to buy ownership of COD? Especially when it would come to your platform regardless?

 

[Topher]

Wait until you hear this:

 

[DeepEnigma]

Pretty sad that these deluded folks are bending over backwards to defend this Folian guy and trashing one of their own in the process. Gaz is about as hardcore Xbox as they come.

Happens in any fanaticism or cult. Outstupiderder each other.

 

[feynoob]

But the thing is they had a stellar track record when Xbox management wasn't even in the picture. Unless maybe the previous owners were very hands-on, and it seemed like they were near the end before selling Zenimax off.

The money dried up and steller games werent selling that much. Not to mention bethesda were too slow with their big games.
Its why they put themselves for sale, while releasing games that contained mtx.
https://venturebeat.com/games/fallout-76s-new-100-subscription-is-reasonable-and-outrageous/

My thing here is, if Phil Spener needs more people assisting him in his capacity, then two things are probably an issue: Microsoft is rapidly expanding their gaming portfolio of studios too much too soon, and Phil Spencer may not be up to the task of leading all these teams if he was already struggling with far less teams under his watch.

You don't simply hire more hands to help; you replace the person running that operation with someone who can deliver better results.

He is surrounded by incompetent people.
The man has good ideas, but the people that works for him are useless as hell. He should have fired them long time ago.
We still dont know what the fk is matt booty doing with xbox right now.