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[SF Kosmo]

It's dead bro but some employees will likely join Mikami new studio's Kamuy

That's literally what I'm saying, these things are not unrelated.

 

[Puscifer]

May we please revisit the discussions of how great it will be for so many developers to be owned by Microsoft. And that this was a win for all consumers?

Fucking clowns

I said the same thing earlier. The idea that Gamepass was going to somehow save these studios and give them ultimate creative freedom was a damn lie from get to. Tameem from Ninja Theory took the money and ran

 

[ShadowkillXNA]

I am genuinely moved by the passionate concern some of you are displaying for Xbox Game Studios. Truly moving. But we an hardly call this a surprise:

Arkane Austin - Mismanaged to hell and back, RedFall took 5+ years to make and ended up the way it did. Hardly a surprise.

Tango Softworks - The writing was on the wall after Shinji Mikami left, years after he actually wanted to leave, but stayed on for another five years. Their IP and probably some devs will remain with Bethesda.

Alpha Dog Studios - Yes, you'd never heard of them before either.

I hope the people who have been let go find new work soon, as I hope all of the concerned posters here find solace in typing "fuck Microsoft"

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

I like MS because they put out a lot of interesting AA stuff and more experimental games. And GP is great. If those start disappearing, there's going to be much less reason to care about them. Sounds like they want to go the Sony route and just stick to AAA.

Sony has released far more high quality experimental AA games this gen than Microsoft has

 

[Punished Miku]

Sony has released far more high quality experimental AA games this gen than Microsoft has

I have a PS5. I haven't been compelled to buy many games. Glad you're happy. Clearly the majority agree with you.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

I have a PS5. I haven't been compelled to buy many games. Glad you're happy. Clearly the majority agree with you.

Yeah they’re not on GamePass….you will need to buy them

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

I think they need to get rid of Phil in a way that is "graceful" because he is so closely related to the xbox brand and the brand still has value. Dumping him unceremoniously as a "failure" may be justified now, but would further tarnish the xbox brand itself which is already a laughing stock these days.

So, I'd guess they'll aim for an announcement from Phil around 12 months post the ABK acquisition closing, and shortly after the release of the 1st MS published COD - both coming the end of this year conveniently.

They can spin all that as Phil saying "Mission Accomplished", ABK successfully integrated, xbox stronger than ever and its time to pass the baton and blah blah blah marketing bullshit.

Then he heads for the hills and new management takes over publicly (I think Phil has already been sidelined internal to MS for any practical purpose).

So yeah, I can see something like that occurring towards the end of this year.

I 100% agree with you. It needs to happen and it needs to be graceful.

 

[Punished Miku]

Yeah they’re not on GamePass….you will need to buy them

Yeah, Gamepass is pretty great. Definitely the main thing that pushed me over the edge to give Xbox a shot this gen.

I buy a ton of games though. Probably twice as many as you do or higher. And there's nothing wrong with renting games that publishers voluntarily put on a rental service.

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

I think he forgot about that tweet

Pretty liberal use of the word "famous" there.

Special Ed or Nick, or whatever the fuck his name is, is simply another liar and grifter like his hero Phil Spencer.

 

[Raven117]

Yeah, Gamepass is pretty great. Definitely the main thing that pushed me over the edge to give Xbox a shot this gen.

I buy a ton of games though. Probably twice as many as you do or higher.

Same. It was great in the early days of the generation when there wasn’t a whole lot to play.

(I had a ps5 day 1)

 

[Gudji]

I am genuinely moved by the passionate concern some of you are displaying for Xbox Game Studios. Truly moving. But we an hardly call this a surprise:

Arkane Austin - Mismanaged to hell and back, RedFall took 5+ years to make and ended up the way it did. Hardly a surprise.

Tango Softworks - The writing was on the wall after Shinji Mikami left, years after he actually wanted to leave, but stayed on for another five years. Their IP and probably some devs will remain with Bethesda.

Alpha Dog Studios - Yes, you'd never heard of them before either.

I hope the people who have been let go find new work soon, as I hope all of the concerned posters here find solace in typing "fuck Microsoft"

 

[Clear]

What's interesting to me is how MS must have burned their last bridge into the Japanese dev-scene with the unceremonious closure of Tango. That they'd allow the bad optics, says to me how little they care. Surely it'll close a lot of doors in the region.

 

[DeVeAn]

Really the only surprise here is Tango. I wonder what the real excuse on that one is?

 

[Sneakysnake]

I told you bro

 

[user friendly]

 

[Fess]

I could have sworn you've been quite the advocate for Game Pass and how it affecting the quality of gaming overall doesn't bother you because at the end of the day you save money. Was that not you?

Yeah but it wasn’t a marriage lol, I definitely used to love all subscription libraries when I played lots of different games and when I could stack up cheap subs. Stacked up several years for both Gamepass Ultimate and PS+ Premium, payed the equivalent of $5/month, it was great, I played a ton of games.

But no more stacking now and the prices have increased. And the last couple years I’ve mostly been stuck playing Elden Ring, Starfield, Cyberpunk, No Man’s Sky, on PC for a couple thousand hours total, Steam versions. So the gaming subs were barely used and has since been ended.
I’ve dropped consoles too. They’ve all lost me. Except Nintendo, and Gabe.

Might still get a cheap 14 day GP trial for Hellblade 2. Game seems too short for a purchase.

 

[Three]

Probably should have seen it coming when Starfield got a 60fps update before Redfall

Redfall got its 60fps update already if I remember correctly

 

[Js562]

They'll get new jobs with their talents. It sucks but life goes on. Put that resume out there and other developers will pick them up

 

[havoc00]

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Microsoft has been a net negative on the industry for the last 15 years, and we're finally feeling the impact of all those failed bets. It's only going to get uglier from here.

However I might feel about the direction Arkane's gone with their last few games, it's sad to see the studio shuttered. Ditto on Tango Gameworks - I always liked their stuff.

Knowing Mike, he's an asshole who's failed up time and again and seemingly everyone who's worked with in-person hates him. His thoughts on the matter are worth less than shit.

 

[fart town usa]

Shinji?

Shinji did leave but he wasn't the brains behind all things Tango. He was the elder statesman that was able to speak up for the junior staff and allow that same staff to have the chance to direct games and hone their technique. Good example is him driving back to Sony HQ after the Ghostwire team tested a prototype of the dual sense. Shinji told Sony to make the haptics and triggers more substantial, and Sony did.

Shinji has been saying it for years, he doesn't want to direct games, he wants to help mold the next generation of Japanese developers. He doesn't even want to make survival horror anymore, he hasn't for years but that's what people clamor for whenever his name is involved.

He is basically trying to be what Tokuro Fujiwara was to him during Shinji's early days at Capcom. Tokuro is the true grand father of RE and his mentorship to Shinji is what lead to Shinji being Shinji. Shinji is just trying to pay it forward in a similar way. Hopefully his current studio remains independent.

Tango would have been fine without Shinji, not that he wasn't a huge asset but with him gone, there's no one to go to bat for the team as a whole and I'm sure that's why he left last year. Hands were too tied and he's becoming an old man, doesn't want to deal with that shit when he could probably just as easily retire and be done with it all.

Everything I've described is in his recent interviews over the past few years. Fascinating stuff.

It was even worse than we/I knew, based on past interviews. Here's a story from just last week.

"I was very close to a rank and file employee": Shinji Mikami Reveals the Real Reason Why He Quit Tango Gameworks Even After Resident Evil's Success

Resident Evil and The Evil Within game creator Shinji Mikami reveals the reason for him leaving Tango Gameworks in 2023.

fandomwire.com

Dude had to fight to even keep the Tango Gameworks name and was treated like a rank and file employee, effectively gate-keeping him from truly achieving what he set out to do with Tango.

Fuck Bethesda, ZeniMax, Xbox. How stupid do you have to be to have Shinji on your payroll and then effectively hand cuff him? What a joke. No wonder that girl, the audience darling, left Tango before Ghostwire even released. What a joke.

 

[Lions Gate]

Official response from Microsoft

matt booty is a nobody decision wise, he just there to take all the hits, that's he's real job

 

[adamsapple]

Probably should have seen it coming when Starfield got a 60fps update before Redfall

Redfall has been 60 FPS since like September last year you ignorant slut

 

[feynoob]

Thick Thighs Save Lives

 

[Oppoi]

Yeah but it wasn’t a marriage lol, I definitely used to love all subscription libraries when I played lots of different games and when I could stack up cheap subs. Stacked up several years for both Gamepass Ultimate and PS+ Premium, payed the equivalent of $5/month, it was great, I played a ton of games.

But no more stacking now and the prices have increased. And the last couple years I’ve mostly been stuck playing Elden Ring, Starfield, Cyberpunk, No Man’s Sky, on PC for a couple thousand hours total, Steam versions. So the gaming subs were barely used and has since been ended.
I’ve dropped consoles too. They’ve all lost me. Except Nintendo, and Gabe.

Might still get a cheap 14 day GP trial for Hellblade 2. Game seems too short for a purchase.

That's a great reply. Thank you.

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

Redfall has been 60 FPS since like September last year you ignorant slut

Sorry my trash notifier clearly wasn't working

 

[nani17]

 

[OmegaSupreme]

They trying to get up to 4 trillion guys. Please understand.

 

[Banjo64]

Thought this gimp was taking a step back?

Something to consider - Arkane didn’t want to make Redfall but Zeni told them they had to. Imagine that, being forced to make slip against your will, slop does crap, everyone loses their jobs.

 

[Hayabusabruh]

You'll all feel better if you stop having faith in Xbox. Just let them go. They will never stop fucking shit up.

 

[XXL]

Well I get three more days of gamepass before last month expires, can I finish Persona 3 in that time? I’m only a few hours in

Without sleep, yes. Lol

 

[Banjo64]

May we please revisit the discussions of how great it will be for so many developers to be owned by Microsoft. And that this was a win for all consumers?

Fucking clowns

You’d have a tome thicker than the lusty aragonian maid if you compiled them

 

[TrippleA345]

Thick Thighs Save Lives

One X is missing, blizzard cancelled game in the image on the right

 

[Varteras]

You’d have a tome thicker than the lusty aragonian maid if you compiled them

A banger piece of literature, if I do say so myself

 

[Fess]

Because like I tried to explain to you many times over during the discussions/debates we had during the Activision acquisition process

Me? Was it the early ABK days or did I not respond? I had the ABK thread and like 50 other acquisition threads on ignore until that circus was over Were just tiresome platform warring and people talking in circles.

the more money they spend, the more pressure there will be on the division to produce productive and sustainable financial results.

I kinda think MS have enough money to deal with the costs. Just chop off some Excel team or something. HiFi is one of their highest rated and well-received games among both critics and gamers, seems absurd to close that studio. Give them more money to hire more people and let them do something bigger instead.

 

[phant0m]

Name a fucking shittier company. Acquire a ton of studios, only to mismanage them and close them. At this point, those imbeciles are doing far more harm than good to the industry. Just keep your grubby paws off developers Microsoft. You only know how to destroy them. They always brag about having a million studios that somehow produce fucking nothing.

Tango closing is some Grade-A bullshit considering that Hi-Fi Rush is their best new IP since Ori.

MS: “Why don’t we have any good exclusives?”

 

[Thavash]

I'm still angry about what they did to Rare !
Honestly they need to exit the industry to stop destroying it and Sega needs to come back !
Can one of you journalists write a piece on how much damage to the industry has been done since the purchase of Rare , how many lost games ?

 

[justiceiro]

Microsoft didn't bought talent, they bought IP's. And that's why they will never be the best game developers.

 

[Little Chicken]

Sony has released far more high quality experimental AA games this gen than Microsoft has

No they haven't, they've barely released anything this gen

 

[Banjo64]

 

[Varteras]

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Surprised to see Mike respond with this. Maybe he wants his old job back?

 

[Banjo64]

No they haven't, they've barely released anything this gen

Even Sony’s modern day slop decimates Xbox’s abysmal showing.

 

[Varteras]

#Whoisnext?

If you know, you know.

 

[reinking]

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

Surprised to see Mike respond with this. Maybe he wants his old job back?

Staying on the good books for when the next company he's President off gets aquired by M$

 

[Panajev2001a]

Mikami left. And it's all about their future roadmap and pipeline. Obviously they know 100% more about that than we do.

I wonder why he “left”.

 

[Topher]

Surprised to see Mike respond with this. Maybe he wants his old job back?

Ybarra ain't no fool. It is never a good idea to talk shit about your former employer publicly especially not when in a executive capacity.

 

[Varteras]

The problem I have with this sentiment is that Spencer has been getting paid big money to fuck everything up and it is ultimately costing people other than him their jobs. He doesn't deserve sympathy or understanding. He cashed checks with a smile while failing upwards. Oh? It hurts his feelings? Too fucking bad. He can wipe his tears with the money he made fucking over his employees, and millions of fans, while I wipe my ass with anyone's sympathy for him.

 

[bender]

The longest given to those with greatest upside.

Not the case when fools are handing out the ropes.