Doom_Bringer
Banned
http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200503/N05.0301.1747.54186.htm
mostly about current gen stuff.
mostly about current gen stuff.
Microsoft Game Studios: The Shane Kim And Ken Lobb Interview
- Thread starter Doom_Bringer
- Start date
some strong words about Rare 
GI: OK, lets talk about Rare. Whats Microsofts take on the relationship with Rare so far? After you signed the exclusive deal with them, there was a lot of talk about a bunch of games coming down the pipe for the Xbox. But, theres hasnt been too much to show for it lately. Why is that?
KL: Ive been working with Rare since 1993 and when I worked with Nintendo, I managed the working relationship between the two companies. I feel that the relationship between the two is better than ever. We have a huge group of talented people and we have them working on what we feel is the right thing. If you look at a game like Conker, it would have been pretty easy to put it out in a year and it would have been a nice conversion. Instead the team wanted, and I wanted, to create the best multiplayer game on Xbox Live. So, they took the Bad Fur Day game and wanted to expose more people to it, since it came out at the end of the N64 lifecycle and maybe didnt hit the right target that it was aiming for. So instead of just taking that and putting it out, theyve gone and redone the entire game, rebalanced it, added in new elements, and helped make it more applicable to todays control styles. As such, I think that the relationship is strong or stronger than it has even been when I worked with them. As we move forward, I think people will see that Rare is still Rare. As far as technology is considered, I think theyre at the head of the industry and more of that will be revealed.
GI: So you think its been a profitable relationship, even though they havent released many games since you inked the deal with them?
KL: Absolutely. Obviously they have a huge stable of IPs that we can draw on. And again, the talent base is there and they love what theyre doing.
SK: Just to build in what Ken is saying, we love Rare. Ive said this many times, since I get the Rare question a lot, but Rare fans have a lot to look forward to. I know a lot about whats in the pipeline, some of which we can discuss and some of which we cant. I really believe that at the end of the day, people are going to look back and say that it was one of the smartest moves that Microsoft ever made.
GI: Weve heard rumors that there may be a Rare launch title for the next Xbox.
SK: Whats the next Xbox?
GI: Oh, we dont know, maybe this Xenon thing everyone has been talking about.
SK: I have no idea what youre talking about. Sorry, but you know we cant comment on next generation things.
GI: OK, lets talk about Rare. Whats Microsofts take on the relationship with Rare so far? After you signed the exclusive deal with them, there was a lot of talk about a bunch of games coming down the pipe for the Xbox. But, theres hasnt been too much to show for it lately. Why is that?
KL: Ive been working with Rare since 1993 and when I worked with Nintendo, I managed the working relationship between the two companies. I feel that the relationship between the two is better than ever. We have a huge group of talented people and we have them working on what we feel is the right thing. If you look at a game like Conker, it would have been pretty easy to put it out in a year and it would have been a nice conversion. Instead the team wanted, and I wanted, to create the best multiplayer game on Xbox Live. So, they took the Bad Fur Day game and wanted to expose more people to it, since it came out at the end of the N64 lifecycle and maybe didnt hit the right target that it was aiming for. So instead of just taking that and putting it out, theyve gone and redone the entire game, rebalanced it, added in new elements, and helped make it more applicable to todays control styles. As such, I think that the relationship is strong or stronger than it has even been when I worked with them. As we move forward, I think people will see that Rare is still Rare. As far as technology is considered, I think theyre at the head of the industry and more of that will be revealed.
GI: So you think its been a profitable relationship, even though they havent released many games since you inked the deal with them?
KL: Absolutely. Obviously they have a huge stable of IPs that we can draw on. And again, the talent base is there and they love what theyre doing.
SK: Just to build in what Ken is saying, we love Rare. Ive said this many times, since I get the Rare question a lot, but Rare fans have a lot to look forward to. I know a lot about whats in the pipeline, some of which we can discuss and some of which we cant. I really believe that at the end of the day, people are going to look back and say that it was one of the smartest moves that Microsoft ever made.
GI: Weve heard rumors that there may be a Rare launch title for the next Xbox.
SK: Whats the next Xbox?
GI: Oh, we dont know, maybe this Xenon thing everyone has been talking about.
SK: I have no idea what youre talking about. Sorry, but you know we cant comment on next generation things.
Doom_Bringer
Banned
Looks like the new Perfect Dark game will be huge! What was so good about the original? I never played it 
So he acknowledges that releasing Conker at the end of the N64 life cycle was probably a mistake yet they are set to repeat this mistake with Xbox?
Words escape me from that contradiction but the rest of the interview was encouraging. But so were MS Rare related interviews a couple years back too. I'm tired of talking. I want substance.
Words escape me from that contradiction but the rest of the interview was encouraging. But so were MS Rare related interviews a couple years back too. I'm tired of talking. I want substance.
Doom_Bringer said:Looks like the new Perfect Dark game will be huge! What was so good about the original? I never played it
To this date it STILL has best multiplayer options ever in an console FPS. Near PC level from how customizable it was. If they add a level editor and a solid 16-32 player support to the what it already was it will tear Halo a new one in FPS multiplayer.
Single player game wasn't as good as Goldeneye though.
Does anyone remember that Perfect Dark Zero survey a while back? It mentioned that Perfect Dark Zero would support a huge amount of players online, maybe this is what Ken Lobb was referring to by saying that as far as technology goes Rare is at the head of the industry?
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
"GI: What do you think of the GameCube so far?
SK: I think that Nintendo is a great company with a proud history. They create great titles for a focused segment of the market. Theyre a very worthy competitor for us. "
thats a surprising answer.. not the usual, 'our only competition is sony' crap. i hate when they get pompous like that.
SK: I think that Nintendo is a great company with a proud history. They create great titles for a focused segment of the market. Theyre a very worthy competitor for us. "
thats a surprising answer.. not the usual, 'our only competition is sony' crap. i hate when they get pompous like that.
teruterubozu
Member
This guy will probably be working for Sony by the time Xbox 2 & PS3 hits.
Why stop at Nintendo and Microsoft?
Why stop at Nintendo and Microsoft?
sonycowboy
Member
One interesting thought is what's happened with the different manufacturers executive teams internally. IMO, Stability can be just as bad as frequen turnovers, if it shows that you're complacent and aren't keeping the team fresh. Feel free to add any omissions or color commentary.
Microsoft has had a ton of turnover with it's top execs. Seamus Blackley, Kevin Bachus(sp?), & Ed Fries were all at the absolute top of the Xbox management chain and have left. The only one who's still there is J Allard from the original Xbox team. And I think they axed their original head of the Japanese division
Nintendo had their president retire and, of course Ken Lobb left.
Sony has been remarkably stable. Kutagari, Kaz, Jack Tretton, Chris Deering, & Andrew House are all still there. Bernie left, but that was a long time ago, Kelly Flock was a freak and I'm not sure what he's doing, and then there's Jason Rubin (who we'll probably be hearing about shortly), but he wasn't part of the executive management team.
Has there ever been any real inside dirt on any of this stuff?
Microsoft has had a ton of turnover with it's top execs. Seamus Blackley, Kevin Bachus(sp?), & Ed Fries were all at the absolute top of the Xbox management chain and have left. The only one who's still there is J Allard from the original Xbox team. And I think they axed their original head of the Japanese division
Nintendo had their president retire and, of course Ken Lobb left.
Sony has been remarkably stable. Kutagari, Kaz, Jack Tretton, Chris Deering, & Andrew House are all still there. Bernie left, but that was a long time ago, Kelly Flock was a freak and I'm not sure what he's doing, and then there's Jason Rubin (who we'll probably be hearing about shortly), but he wasn't part of the executive management team.
Has there ever been any real inside dirt on any of this stuff?
Nightbreeze
Member
CANT CANT CANT WAIT FOR A NEW PERFECT DARK! AHHHH
I can't believe they're releasing Conker on the Xbox, it's the exact same thing that happened on the N64!
I also don't see the appeal of Kameo to the core Xbox fans. Unless they've drastically changed things and/or theres nothing else good for the launch, the game is not going to burn the charts up.
I also don't see the appeal of Kameo to the core Xbox fans. Unless they've drastically changed things and/or theres nothing else good for the launch, the game is not going to burn the charts up.