crispy4000 Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 Not going to link the article to not encourage hits, but wow. Xbox Just Had its Best Showcase Ever – and at the Perfect Time Quote A home run like this would be welcome at any time, but it's an especially fortuitous one now for both Xbox fans and, no doubt, Xbox employees alike. While Xbox's best showcase ever can't erase the human impact on the laid-off developers nor reignite the creative embers that have been snuffed out at the shut-down studios, it is the best way for fans who remain invested in the Xbox ecosystem to move forward with confidence and excitement for the future of the platform. And my goodness did that top-to-bottom brilliant showcase give me confidence and excitement for Xbox. I’m sure Compulsion Games in particular is just thrilled about Tango shutting down after a warm reception. A bit of extra shill: Quote Head of Xbox Phil Spencer could barely contain his excitement on stage in announcing Doom: The Dark Ages… Pre-recorded giddiness I’m sure people were eating up, in light of current events. The perfect timing for their best showcase would have been at the XSX’s launch, before they shut down more studios, while Games Pass was on a clearer growth trajectory, and we weren’t questioning if their games would generally end up on rival platforms in due time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firewithin Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 not a shock it's from Ryan mccaffery 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Vic20 Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 For much of the history of gaming journalism, most of the ink (pigment or digital) used was to disseminate and hype games. It wasn't particularly critical of publishers/developers and it often failed to integrate the business side of decision making into its narratives. As the world of mass communications continues to mature, many of these well known outlets have failed to keep up with the realities of gaming going from a cottage industry to truly big business. People like Jason Schreier seem to have gotten the memo, but many others are content to simply remain marketing amplifications devices for these large corporations. Edit: TL;DR - Yeah, that seems about right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 7 minutes ago, Mr.Vic20 said: For much of the history of gaming journalism, most of the ink (pigment or digital) used was to disseminate and hype games. It wasn't particularly critical of publishers/developers and it often failed to integrate the business side of decision making into its narratives. As the world of mass communications continues to mature, many of these well known outlets have failed to keep up with the realities of gaming going from a cottage industry to truly big business. People like Jason Schreier seem to have gotten the memo, but many others are content to simply remain marketing amplifications devices for these large corporations. Edit: TL;DR - Yeah, that seems about right. Yep. You just knew someone was going to go here eventually and completely miss the plot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperclyp Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 It reads to me like he's trying to acknowledge that times have been tough and just fails to give it the proper weight it deserves due to his excitement from the show. He should have just left it out and talked about how good the show was in his eyes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 I haven't listened to his stuff in years, but Ryan was always an Xbox fan boy. He's probably right that the current employees at Xbox are happy about having a good show, I don't get the hate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 1 hour ago, AbsolutSurgen said: He's probably right that the current employees at Xbox are happy about having a good show, I don't get the hate. Happy, okay sure. Their games were well received. Fortuitous? Remember, Booty said we need more creative games right after shutting down a studio that made one of their best and pitching a sequel to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 4 minutes ago, crispy4000 said: Happy, sure. Their games were well received. Fortuitous? Remember, Booty said we need more creative games right after shutting down a studio that made one of their best. What makes you think Hi-Fi Rush sold well or had high player engagement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 3 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said: What makes you think Hi-Fi Rush sold well or had high player engagement? Nothing. It was a failed experiment from a marketing perspective too, the shadow drop didn’t do it any favors. It also wasn’t designed to be a time sink. But it presented well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 9 minutes ago, crispy4000 said: Nothing. It was a failed experiment from a marketing perspective too, the shadow drop didn’t do it any favors. It also wasn’t designed to be a time sink But it presented well. If you say so. I was surprised that a publisher like Xbox Studios decided to publish it, let alone own the developer that made it. To me, it looked like a game the enthusiast press would gush over, but could only succeed financially if it was made on an very small Budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 Maybe if they charged more than $40 it would have been a financial success 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperclyp Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 49 minutes ago, crispy4000 said: Happy, okay sure. Their games were well received. Fortuitous? Remember, Booty said we need more creative games right after shutting down a studio that made one of their best and pitching a sequel to it. I'll be honest I had to look up the definition of fortuitous. And really I don't think it's too terribly tone deaf but I stand by what I said before, he just shouldn't have taken than angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stepee Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 lmao I called Ryan from the thread title - he did that amazing slurp job on Phil a couple days before the closure and then I think even edited some of it to tone it down a bit after but we back in full Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 2 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said: If you say so. I was surprised that a publisher like Xbox Studios decided to publish it, let alone own the developer that made it. To me, it looked like a game the enthusiast press would gush over, but could only succeed financially if it was made on an very small Budget. I wasn't, given that they had bought Double Fine and Compulsion not so long ago. The latter's game even uses some of the same stop motion techniques in cutscenes. This was part of the original pitch for Games Pass, that these mid-sized studios could make the games they truly wanted, to offer something different and unique to the line-up. Cartoon-y AA-action game shouldn't be a poison pill in this industry regardless. How long has Platinum Games been at it now? Maybe Xbox hasn't cultivated enough interest in this sort of game, but that didn't stop their PR from continually propping it up as an example of the creativity and freedom they give their studios. Would be terrible if this pattern continues, and we start seeing shorter single player experiences curtailed because they don't move the Games Pass needle. It puts undue pressure on their mid-sized studios. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 Just now, crispy4000 said: I wasn't, given that they had bought Double Fine and Compulsion not so long ago. The latter's game even uses some of the same stop motion techniques. This was part of the original pitch for Games Pass, that these mid-sized studios could make the games they truly wanted, to offer something different and unique to the line-up. Cartoon-y AA-action game shouldn't be a poison pill in this industry regardless. How long has Platinum Games been here now? Maybe Xbox hasn't cultivated enough interest in this genre, but that didn't stop their PR people from continually using it as an example of the creativity and freedom they give their studios. Would be terrible if this pattern continues, and we start seeing shorter single player experiences cut because they don't move the Games Pass needle. It puts undue pressure on their mid-sized studios. If a game sells and/or creates the engagement they want, they will make more of them. If it doesn't, they won't. Whether it is cartoony or not cartoony. Fortnite has demonstrated a cartoony game can do VERY well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 Keep in mind this happened AFTER they brought it to PS5 and were supposedly bringing it to switch 2. Did no one get it on PS5? I know @Remarkableriots said he would only get it for $5 or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 11 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said: If a game sells and/or creates the engagement they want, they will make more of them. If it doesn't, they won't. Whether it is cartoony or not cartoony. Fortnite has demonstrated a cartoony game can do VERY well. It's not that simple in terms of the decision of whether to shut down a studio or not. Especially one that versatile. Maybe more in terms of green-lighting a sequel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 7 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said: Keep in mind this happened AFTER they brought it to PS5 and were supposedly bringing it to switch 2. Did no one get it on PS5? I know @Remarkableriots said he would only get it for $5 or something. Well they definitely couldn't hold out until Switch 2 then. I don't think shifting the blame to PS5 owners is the right call either. It's great that it came, but Microsoft would have a pretty good indication from Steam how it could sell with minimal marketing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbob42 Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 5 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said: What makes you think Hi-Fi Rush sold well or had high player engagement? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 "As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do," -- Andrew Carnegie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbob42 Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 6 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said: "As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do," -- Andrew Carnegie Right, so Microsoft is full of liars who will directly contradict themselves yet employees are expected to give a shit about a "good show" when a "break out hit" in "all key measurements" means they "couldn't be happier," followed by the studio being obliterated. Kinda sounds like your job is under the Sword of Damocles at all times to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazyPiranha Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 Xbox needs games like Hi-Fi Rush in the same sense that Netflix needs The Floor is Lava. They’re in the business of selling you a service subscription, hopefully for as long as humanly possible. If all they do is put out 2-4 AAA games a year, no matter how spectacular they are, that’s not enough to convince most people to pay for an ongoing monthly subscription. They need constant new meat for the grinder to convince people not to cancel between when they finish Halo and when Gears or whatever comes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stepee Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 What surprises me is Xbox still hasn’t closed the insanely cheap Gamepass by exploiting ratio conversation loophole as far as I know. It’s so easy I’d think a lot of people do it but with these cuts but NOT doing that I guess not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 9 minutes ago, Xbob42 said: Kinda sounds like your job is under the Sword of Damocles at all times to me. Corporate America is this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbob42 Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 1 hour ago, AbsolutSurgen said: Corporate America is this. Oh, absolutely. We've created a nightmare hellscape to the benefit of a handful of dipshits and the severe detriment of everyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 2 hours ago, LazyPiranha said: Xbox needs games like Hi-Fi Rush in the same sense that Netflix needs The Floor is Lava. They’re in the business of selling you a service subscription, hopefully for as long as humanly possible. If all they do is put out 2-4 AAA games a year, no matter how spectacular they are, that’s not enough to convince most people to pay for an ongoing monthly subscription. They need constant new meat for the grinder to convince people not to cancel between when they finish Halo and when Gears or whatever comes out. It’s likely cheaper to commission indies for that purpose. These midrange projects may not push the needle enough. Maybe the answer is established IP and GaaS. Just imagine what a good Tony Hawk could do for them vs a Hellbalde 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stepee Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 REMASTER THPS3 YOU COWARDS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazyPiranha Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 1 hour ago, crispy4000 said: It’s likely cheaper to commission indies for that purpose. These midrange projects may not push the needle enough. Maybe the answer is established IP and GaaS. Just imagine what a good Tony Hawk could do for them vs a Hellbalde 2. I don’t think they’ve figured out what works for gamepass or if it even does work long term. How much cheaper is it to commission a mid range product like Hi Fi Rush versus doing it in house? Hell if I know, I imagine there are pros and cons of either arrangement. I think the larger problem is that games don’t seem to follow the same model as Netflix or other streaming options because games are much more of an attention investment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoberChef Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 Wait, people aren't fans of Ryan? He's like the Xbox version of Greg Miller more or less, without the inane shitty behaviors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSpreader Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 You shouldn't be a fan of any of these people. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spork3245 Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 2 hours ago, SuperSpreader said: You shouldn't be a fan of any of these people. Can I be a fan of Bill Gates because of his jump height? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 4 hours ago, Spork3245 said: Can I be a fan of Bill Gates because of his jump height? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperclyp Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 5 hours ago, Spork3245 said: Can I be a fan of Bill Gates because of his jump height? Honestly not bad for your average Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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