The whole situation is fucked. I don't belive Bethesda is capable of embracing the cultural shift necessary to create something new. They've had their formula for over 20 years, with unprecedented financial gains.
Microsoft shuts down several Bethesda studios, merges others
Mr Fish
Slippy sloppy, The
From what I remember Microsoft has been releaseing dud after dud since XBOX One's release. Everytime they hype something up as the next big thing it falls flat on its face. Nothing has worked out in their favor apart from maybe the Game Pass thing (which I don't understand how it is possibly going to work out in the long term). I remember that there used to be a problem with publishers messing too much with studios and their ability to make games so Microsoft went the opposite direction of letting studios do their own thing as much as possible. I guess that's finally coming to an end.
I suppose they wanted to break out of the box they've been in and finally try to create their own thing. The problem is that they weren't even good at designing games in their own box. So what made them think they could possibly design a wholly new game that doesn't use the old formula as a crutch? The only thing I can think of is ego and hubris. They've been making "hit games" blowing so much smoke up their own ass that they gaslit themselves into thinking that they are hot shit. But like I said, their games are trash.
It's disappointing that so many of the unwashed masses have such low standards that they can't see it but the only explanation I can think of is that because Bethesda has a very specific kind of "formula" to their games that is found nowhere else that means that they remain uncontested in their corner of the gaming space. The one and only time anyone gave them competition was New Vegas and we all saw how that worked out, especially with the TV-Show spitting on the west coast.
But this time around they broke that tradition. They didn't rely on that formula. And all of the sudden people that would otherwise be in their comfort zone of braindead zombie mode aren't in it and start to 'think'. That's dangerous for a braindead zombie mode kinda game, you don't want your audience thinking.
I doubt this will carry on over to the next game they make though. So long as it relies on the same formula it can have the same dogshit quality that Skyrim has and people will lap it up, cause it's the comfort food they want to turn their brain off to after a stressful day at work.
Preach.
Evil Within is a great series.
Eh... Nah. The combinations of all the little things in a Bethesda game that makes it what it is isn't quite there in Outer Worlds. On a surface level it is but when we get down to the actual way the game is structured and plays, not really. For example, you can't reverse pickpocket armor onto people and have them wear it.
Oh absolutely not. The way they make games is taking for-fucking-ever to develop a game and it HAS to be THE smash hit. They aren't in the kind of position to afford being able to experiment or develop things on a smaller scale. It's all or nothing.
Traeger91
Still Mildly Glowing
God her eyes, why and how are they so big? It's like those big eyes paintings I used to see in the 90's. Shit used to give me nightmares as a kid.
Edit: Never mind most of Margaret Keane's art kind of has that uncanny valley thing going on.
Edit: Never mind most of Margaret Keane's art kind of has that uncanny valley thing going on.
Good point. Microsoft has issues adopting its legacy franchises to the modern way of gaming, ie. live services and constant, often free, updates. Halo infinite, which was supposed to be the game for xbox-SX, flopped hard. A mid campaign and boring multiplayer that locked everything behind mtx and season passses. No reason to play if you weren't swiping with your credit card.
My theory is that they used the TV-show to Bethesda-fy the West Coast. Birthing the new flanderized Todd-approved slop.
Mr Fish
Slippy sloppy, The
CT Phipps
Carbon Dated and Proud
I honestly hope that since Pillars of Eternity 2 failed, they make an offer to Chris Avellone and Sawyer to work on Fallout: Whatever the Fuck You Want To Do.
Was PoE2 a financial failure?
CT Phipps
Carbon Dated and Proud
According to Josh, yeah.
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pillars-of-eternity-dev-says-deadfire-sales-were-l/1100-6471333/
He outright called them low.
AgentBJ09
Vault Dweller
It was, and not helping was when it came out, people were noticing the SJW/woke tendencies with weak/incompetent men contrasted with lots of domineering women in high or leading positions. Among other things.
https://web.archive.org/web/2020091...puts-pillars-of-eternity-3-in-jeopardy/97060/
This was back in 2019, when gamers were hyper aware of anything that was peddling agendas, and sales of said games suffered. (This is also why many don't want current year Obsidian to make new Fallout stuff; they're not the same studio as the New Vegas days.)
Mr Fish
Slippy sloppy, The
At least they can pat themselves on the back for being on the right side of history.
YeeCop
Just a Sweet Irradiated Transvestite
Son of a bitch, they killed off Prey!! Total Death to Bethesda
TTD: Total Todd Death
Slight Edit. Arknane Lyon is still alive, the studio responsible for Dishonored.
Man that stinks! I'm dissapointed. I enjoyed the first game, glad I didn't pick PoE2 up. At least Obsidian reaped what they sowed; hopefully learning something.
TBD
CT Phipps
Carbon Dated and Proud
I mean, being the leftist nutjob that I am, my issue was:
1. The game wasn't nearly as interesting as the first one, plot wise.
2. All of the changes seemed designed to make it more generic as a setting.
basically, the whole "real men don't like strong women' bullshit is hardly what's going to affect sales.
I mean, you'd think the fact the first game was vigorously atheist and Nietzsche influenced would be SLIGHTLY more relevant to gamers picking up the sequel (which is vigorously theist) than the fact someone thinks a woman in the game acts like Rey.
Traeger91
Still Mildly Glowing
Technically they already killed Prey
Yossarrion
It Wandered In From the Wastes
normies are now flocking to 76 and defending it. Apparently fixing it in post is a good enough reason to excuse awful game releases.
chris avellone got me too'd and blacklisted out of the industry. even though the allegations ended up being turned around and he sued his accusers lol. even if sawyer wrote a new fallout it wouldnt be great, most of sawyers recent games have been shit. if avowed is shit obsidian will be gone as well.
CT Phipps
Carbon Dated and Proud
I mean, it's better than NOT fixing it.
Fallout 76 is good...ish now.
(Worse than Fallout 4 still)
but turned me off the franchise for six years.
I fully believe he was kicked off the Vampire: The masquerade: Bloodlines 2 project because of the accusation, which ruined it.
But he bounced into Pathfinder and a Star Wars game so let's not overstate his situation.
Yossarrion
It Wandered In From the Wastes
i would take great pleasure if microsoft shut down 76 soon if it was bleeding money. the modern day politics being injected into it and the garbage nature of a live service fallout game annoy me greatly.
i see him being a dick on twitter to other people in the industry. hes definitely a blacksheep with how hand holdy game devs are.
TheGM
The voice of reason
What's wrong with a corporation telling you how much they care by giving you a free Groomer flag icon to display proudly?
Yossarrion
It Wandered In From the Wastes
one day theyll run out of chevrons and start erasing the old colors. should be fun when that happens