He clarified that later on and said he was wrong. Something about there being some issues but nothing out the ordinary for game development.
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Microsoft Studios (& Partners) Current and Future Landscape
- Thread starter Banjo-Kazooie
- Start date
MosquitoSmasher
Member
Yeah I'm glad he clarified on that afterwards because man, do I want this game to be awesome. So much potential here. I think it's pretty clear that the dev is ready to show it to the people judging by their tweets. I just wish they wouldn't have kept us in the dark for all these months.
Wasn't there at one point a report that said the MP part of the game was done? And that instead of releasing the MP already they decided to work on the SP and release it as a complete package?
dragonelite
Member
They could add a early access to the beta with crackdown.
Well tbh I have always been of the belief that multiplayer was supposed to be standalone f2p and something changed over the past 2 years that caused them to include it with crackdown. Maybe fable legends cancellation and this means that they are done with the f2p model?
When it comes to Ms they are always careful with their wording and they said multiplayer summer 2016. A lot of places took this as a beta but they never said that. Also in their "the year ahead 2016" review news post they listed like 10 betas and labled them as much but next to crackdown it still said "multiplayer"
Then around the time fable legends was cancelled Aaron greenberg did an interview and was asked about it and he was all coy like "yeah I don't remember what we said about crackdown. But it's coming 2017".
But that's all speculation.. onto the point of my post, if the above is true I wouldn't be surprised if multiplayer has actually been finished for quite some time. I'm sure they're adding small content and polishing it up but I reckon it's been in a releasable state for a while
MosquitoSmasher
Member
All of that is fine with me man and MP could be tons of fun with many players in that city but I still am looking forward to the SP mode the most. I have fond memories of the first one, upgrading my character and the vehicles and of course the orb collecting. Bring me a worthy story mode and we good!!! 
All of that is fine with me man and MP could be tons of fun with many players in that city but I still am looking forward to the SP mode the most. I have fond memories of the first one, upgrading my character and the vehicles and of course the orb collecting. Bring me a worthy story mode and we good!!!
Exactly. Expand on the gang stuff from the first game, especially the gang heriachy stuff. Maybe use what the Nemesis system of sorts. Chasing those orbs was damn satisfying and something no other game has played around with.
The MP will just be a great addition with all the destruction etc. It could also have some great MP mini games using the game mechanics. Crackdown jenga!
Banjo-Kazooie
Member
Go find what he said after that too
Yeah at this point, i believe that games pass will launch during E3 and PD will be available in it. You don't hold onto both of those announcements for this long only to have them launch in a random day in May. Just wait the extra 2 weeks
gaming_noob
Member
Go find what he said after that too
Huh? Can you quote him please? I must have missed it.
Now that we know the extent of the work Code Mystics did on the Phantom Dust project, I wonder what are the chances we will see more work from them in the near future...
On a separate note, now that I have some time I wanted to expand on my previous comment and say in particular I think there's a few hints as to what to expect from Crackdown 3's multiplayer mode, which is what I'm most excited for.
We know CD3's multiplayer will be in a completely destructible city, and is completely separate from the main story, which is also fully cooperative. So if we ignore the campaign and co-op for the time being, the question is how do you monetize players playing in a world like that? Mainly since in addition to the above, we also know MS has had a focus on the GaaS model for a while now...
Now the obvious thing to do would be to follow in GTAV's massive success with Shark Cards, but Crackdown has never had a currency system before, so how would you go about that?
Originally I figured maybe they could take a page from Crackdown 2's DLC and make vehicle and weapons as their main source of monetization, but I don't really think that alone would sustain things, and I feel it would be smarter to make this sort of thing free similar to how GTAV does it. Not to mention there's bound to be some sort of PvP element in the multiplayer that would cause all sorts of issues.
And then through the power of word association, that got me thinking. We know that David Jones, the director of this project as well as the original, has a large history outside of these games that he has worked on. Most recently outside of Crackdown 3, he led the design of a game called APB: All Points Bulletin. I'm not really interested in getting into the quality of the game itself, but I want to note in particular this passage from the games Wikipedia page:
See where I'm going with this?
I think Crackdown 3's online is gonna take some elements from GTA Online and Crackdown, and fuse them together into something not dissimilar to what we have above.
What's also important to note is that for those unfamiliar, Crackdown 1 heavily implied (and Crackdown 2 outright said it, but I believe that's no longer canon) that the Agency (the people who made the agents) were not so much the good guys they were telling you they were, and that would make perfect sense to carry over to "Crackdown Online's" central conflict.
Players would be able to create-a-character, pick a side (agents or gangsters), and then engage each other in this giant destructible sandbox in a constant war of attrition. You would be able to make multiple characters to avoid being locked in hopefully, and there you have it. And I bet you those designs they showed off not too long ago in those emails were for this hypothetical CD3 gangster customization as well.
Again, all speculation, but I cant wait to see what they have cooking regardless.
On a separate note, now that I have some time I wanted to expand on my previous comment and say in particular I think there's a few hints as to what to expect from Crackdown 3's multiplayer mode, which is what I'm most excited for.
We know CD3's multiplayer will be in a completely destructible city, and is completely separate from the main story, which is also fully cooperative. So if we ignore the campaign and co-op for the time being, the question is how do you monetize players playing in a world like that? Mainly since in addition to the above, we also know MS has had a focus on the GaaS model for a while now...
Now the obvious thing to do would be to follow in GTAV's massive success with Shark Cards, but Crackdown has never had a currency system before, so how would you go about that?
Originally I figured maybe they could take a page from Crackdown 2's DLC and make vehicle and weapons as their main source of monetization, but I don't really think that alone would sustain things, and I feel it would be smarter to make this sort of thing free similar to how GTAV does it. Not to mention there's bound to be some sort of PvP element in the multiplayer that would cause all sorts of issues.
And then through the power of word association, that got me thinking. We know that David Jones, the director of this project as well as the original, has a large history outside of these games that he has worked on. Most recently outside of Crackdown 3, he led the design of a game called APB: All Points Bulletin. I'm not really interested in getting into the quality of the game itself, but I want to note in particular this passage from the games Wikipedia page:
See where I'm going with this?
I think Crackdown 3's online is gonna take some elements from GTA Online and Crackdown, and fuse them together into something not dissimilar to what we have above.
What's also important to note is that for those unfamiliar, Crackdown 1 heavily implied (and Crackdown 2 outright said it, but I believe that's no longer canon) that the Agency (the people who made the agents) were not so much the good guys they were telling you they were, and that would make perfect sense to carry over to "Crackdown Online's" central conflict.
Players would be able to create-a-character, pick a side (agents or gangsters), and then engage each other in this giant destructible sandbox in a constant war of attrition. You would be able to make multiple characters to avoid being locked in hopefully, and there you have it. And I bet you those designs they showed off not too long ago in those emails were for this hypothetical CD3 gangster customization as well.
Again, all speculation, but I cant wait to see what they have cooking regardless.
^Wasn't their a Xbox survey a little while back that had a bunch of different hipstery looking character models and it said something along the lines of "would you rather play as then or against them". Or something like that. I'm guessing it had something to do with Crackdown
I'm thinking that Crackdown online is gonna be like that. You can customize your own avatar and just do random stuff in the destructible city. Whether it be racing or death match etc and have a push pull faction war for the city
You can monetize it by as you said, shark cards and loot boxes with customizable unlocks for cars and clothes etc
Edit: think this was it
I'm thinking that Crackdown online is gonna be like that. You can customize your own avatar and just do random stuff in the destructible city. Whether it be racing or death match etc and have a push pull faction war for the city
You can monetize it by as you said, shark cards and loot boxes with customizable unlocks for cars and clothes etc
Edit: think this was it
Dee Dah Dave
Member
Crackdown multi has loads of potential for different modes. Can't wait!
Fess
Member
I've been playing a bit of Kynseed, the indie Stardew Valley x Fable 2D game that is up on Kickstarter by two ex-Fable guys. Got me thinking, what ever happened to Lionhead Studio? Why was it closed down? Wasn't Fable Legend almost ready to be shipped? It's really bugging me that they closed that studio. Fable had a unique touch and art that I don't think any other RPG dev is pulling off right now.
^Wasn't their a Xbox survey a little while back that had a bunch of different hipstery looking character models and it said something along the lines of "would you rather play as then or against them". Or something like that. I'm guessing it had something to do with Crackdown
I'm thinking that Crackdown online is gonna be like that. You can customize your own avatar and just do random stuff in the destructible city. Whether it be racing or death match etc and have a push pull faction war for the city
You can monetize it by as you said, shark cards and loot boxes with customizable unlocks for cars and clothes etc
Edit: think this was it
Yeah that's it, forgot it was a survey.
Well they had put a ton of money into the game and presumably this type of game would require ongoing support and staff to update it etc. there was a lot that would be needed to recoup and justify having staff to update it. if you think the game isn't going to do well at all, your just throwing more and more money into a hole. And MS probably has no intention on making a full fledged Fable game anytime soon and even if they did, would you feel comfortable sinking another massive amount of money into the studio and hope it turns out well. So they scrapped everything.
Steelyuhas
Member
Sure, they could, but I don't see much value add in that these days. In 2006, Halo multiplayer was arguably the biggest thing in gaming, and public betas for games were way less common. It was a big value incentive at the time to include H3 beta access with Crackdown.
I don't think that's the case in 2017, which is a comment on both Halo's place in the market now and how betas in the market today.
I definitely think the marquee mode will be some form of faction war mode battling for control of the city.^Wasn't their a Xbox survey a little while back that had a bunch of different hipstery looking character models and it said something along the lines of "would you rather play as then or against them". Or something like that. I'm guessing it had something to do with Crackdown
I'm thinking that Crackdown online is gonna be like that. You can customize your own avatar and just do random stuff in the destructible city. Whether it be racing or death match etc and have a push pull faction war for the city
You can monetize it by as you said, shark cards and loot boxes with customizable unlocks for cars and clothes etc
Edit: think this was it
Fess
Member
What about Sea of Thieves then? Same type of game regarding on-going support and dev resources. Looks more unique I guess but no single player mode will still make it a risky project.
It's really sad that Lionhead didn't get another try though. MS have money, they could've let them cancel the game and let them start a new project instead. It's like Evolution after Driveclub, I understand it but I still don't agree that closing a studio is the best way.
FAble legends began development in 2012 and in 2016 it wasn't out yet. And honestly, after playing the game in 2016 after it was cancelled; while it was close I'd say it would've likely been a spring 2017 game going by it's progress.
Sea of thieves started in late 2014. If sea of thieves starts showing those kinda problems it may be in danger
Also sot has positive impressions. That's something fable legends didn't have
MS spent 4 years and 75 million dollars on FAble legends. Your asking for another 3-4 years and however many more 10s of millions of dollars. That's not wise
Steelyuhas
Member
On top of that, Fable Legends was also free to play, which means even once it would be out, they'd have to continue to invest in building content for the game and maintain/grow a playbase just to have a shot at getting a return on that investment at some point.
Fess
Member
Sounds like a normal dev time for a Gran Turismo and The Last Guardian was even worse and Polyphony and Japan Studio is still around. I still don't think they should've closed the studio. It's a big loss to know there will never be another Fable, I think MS is in serious need of an exclusive RPG or action RPG to add some diversity to their 1st party lineup.
Black Mantis
Member
Sure, they'll release Fable cosmetics for Halo 6 and Minecraft.
FUNKNOWN iXi
Member
I can't imagine Crackdown 3 multiplayer on the level of GTA Online, but that's my dream to have a similar level of interactivity and sheer options with online play.
I highly doubt Thelast guardian cost 75+ million. If it did, then Sony are idiots for continuing to funnel money into it. Also Japan studio is structured different than lionhead. Those people inn TLG weren't working on it for 10 years or whatever. They were put on other things and shifted around etc
Also GT games of past were big sellers, like 10+ million for a mainline game(aside from 6) and they pushed console sales. If sport underperforms, the leash would get much tighter
And when you compare lionhead to other MS studios it's worse. 343 can put out a new halo in 3 years, the coalition made gears 4 in 2.5 years, turn 10 puts out a Motorsport every other year, and Fable legends is 4 years without a release
Banjo-Kazooie
Member
It already has that TGC Fable Fortune coming out this year
Black Mantis
Member
Heh. New items for the redesigned Avatars when Scorpio drops.
Triggerhappytel
Member
If Fable games sold 10+ million like typical Gran Turismo instalments, I'm sure Lionhead wouldn't have been closed down. And The Last Guardian is not typical of Japan Studio developments, plus I doubt its budget was anywhere close to a typical western AAA.
Yeah, that's sort of what I meant. Just because they'll might use the IP doesn't mean they'll use it for a new true Fable game.
I doubt Spencer wanted to, just like I'm sure Shu didn't want to see a whole team at Sony Santa Monica let go when their big budget game failed to get off the ground. Sony was making plenty of money, too.
Sometimes you do what you have to in order to appease the finance department and negotiate for the least amount of fallout to your budget.
Doug Heffernan
Member
Yup, Rare is gonna need something to do when SOT gets cancelled! jk
Bits N Pieces
Member
And yeah she's a Junior Level Designer at Sumo but still, but still... Just a few more weeks to go!
Banjo-Kazooie
Member
The difference was those games sold well
MosquitoSmasher
Member
I've been thinking about how nice it would be if some MS studios would take a break. So that Turn10 after FM7 takes a break for a new IP, but I doubt that will happen. Playground Games is taking a break from the Horizon games though, right? To work on a new IP. That to me sounds a bit similar to how Sony let ND work on The last of Us before making U4. Except for that it's uncertain yet if this new IP is Xbox exclusive. Correct? Hopefully MS wises up and partners with them again for it. Because they sure need it.
The difference was those games sold well
Thought Crackdown was both critically and commercially successful, especially for a new IP.
No they are just opening a second office. They still gonna make Horizon. Because thats the cash cow to support a second office wich isnt releasing anytime soon.
MosquitoSmasher
Member
Ah yes. But it's a good thing they are expanding. Means they are doing things right. I guess there are still plenty of great places Horizon can go. Go Japan for 4 PG!
Likely, unless we are getting titanfall 3 this year my money is on ac..
Or far cry... although sony has seemed to pushed far crys in the past.
Probably. I keep saying it.
But for some reason "AC and sony always had deals" and "after Unity this will not happen anymore" always gets thrown back for some reason.
either
-AC Origins
- Far Cry 5
- Cyberpunk
- unannounced motive Star Wars game
Probably one of the first 2
Anyway who cares. Why are marketing deals all of a sudden a thing that people care about.
Also where did the narrative come from that MS never has any marketing deals.
MosquitoSmasher
Member
Jez Corden from Windows Central said ACO.
Pretty easy from that list. Far Cry isnt major really. Cyberpunk is announced already and Star Wars cant because of Sony/Disney deal.
MS will probably announce that it will be Scorpio ready.
Yeah its one of there few big 3rd Party games for the Scorpio. Also don't expect major new First Party game announcement because this year focus is 3rd Party.