The Outer Worlds Pre-Release Thread [GO TO NEW THREAD]

[passerby]

Chris Avellone calls The Outer Worlds exclusivity deal with Epic “a cash grab”

Former Obsidian writer Chris Avellone has some harsh words to share with his former company over its choice to take an exclusivity deal with Epic, putting The Outer Worlds on their store – and keeping it off of Steam, at least for a year.

MCA is out of touch, the decision was 100% 2K and Obsidian had no say in this. His ( probably justified ) butthurt is strong in him.

 

[AwesomeButton]

the decision was 100% 2K and Obsidian had no say in this

 

[passerby]

2K put Borderlands 3 and all Private Division games as exclusives on Epic, it's obviously their current publishing strategy.

 

[Duraframe300]

the decision was 100% 2K and Obsidian had no say in this

Well, nobody knows how it happened exactly (If you don't trust Obsidians statement at PAX where they said that they had it was PD's decision).

Logically, however he's correct for several reasons:

- PD's business model probably keeps publishing rights pretty liberary in exchange for giving the IP to the developer. Terms were agreed of course (which is how Obsidian knew very early that there won't be microtransactions), but the Epic Store and PC exclusivity wasn't a thing in 2016, so there was no clause related to such a scenario.
- Every other Take2 PC game at the time went Epic exclusive. Including Ancestors.

And finally

- Initially, MS Store avaiability was not mentioned aside from Epic exclusivity. This changed fast though, which make me think Microsoft stepped in on that. Now if Feargus made backroom dealings (And this happened after the MS aquisition), with MS not knowing he wouldn't be in a job right now.

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

So far this game seems to have shitly designed companions. I don't mind so long as i can shoot them in the face.

 

[Dishonoredbr]

the decision was 100% 2K and Obsidian had no say in this

Well, nobody knows how it happened exactly (If you don't trust Obsidians statement at PAX where they said that they had it was PD's decision).

Logically, however he's correct for several reasons:

- PD's business model probably keeps publishing rights pretty liberary in exchange for giving the IP to the developer. Terms were agreed of course (which is how Obsidian knew very early that there won't be microtransactions), but the Epic Store and PC exclusivity wasn't a thing in 2016, so there was no clause related to such a scenario.
- Every other Take2 PC game at the time went Epic exclusive. Including Ancestors.

And finally

- Initially, MS Store avaiability was not mentioned aside from Epic exclusivity. This changed fast though, which make me think Microsoft stepped in on that. Now if Feargus made backroom dealings (And this happened after the MS aquisition), with MS not knowing he wouldn't be in a job right now.

In one of preview interviews Brian Heins said that the last word was of Private Divison.

The Interview and quote:

'' I: The Outer Worlds is an Epic exclusive, which has caused some controversy, most notably from Chris Avellone. How do you respond to that?

Brian Heins: So ultimately the choice of where the game is published is Private Division’s decision. We really didn’t have any say in that matter at all. I didn’t actually see Chris’s comments.''

There's more about the exclusivity in the rest of the intreivew. They didn't seems to care all that much..
https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-outer-worlds/interview

 

[CyberModuled]

For what it's worth (and I'm certain this tweet was posted in here before) Avellone did drop it most likely because he realized from the replies that it wasn't Obsidian's fault for the exclusivity deal.

 

[Diggfinger]

My view, Outer Worlds will be an awesome game and:
- Would have have tremendous success (FNV level sales) due to it's quality and the hype-cannon that propelled it, but
- Will end with 'mediocre-OK' sales due to EPIC-exclusiveness and the negative-opinions that brought
RESULT: quality single-player-RPGs will continue to be niche and only come out with 3-5 year intervals because next-to-no publishers wants to risk the investment

 

[LizardWizard]

Will end with 'mediocre-OK' sales

It's on gamepass and Microsoft is already talking about throwing AAA money at Tim and Leo. So the Epic shit won't really matter at this point

 

[jf8350143]

My view, Outer Worlds will be an awesome game and:
- Would have have tremendous success (FNV level sales) due to it's quality and the hype-cannon that propelled it, but
- Will end with 'mediocre-OK' sales due to EPIC-exclusiveness and the negative-opinions that brought
RESULT: quality single-player-RPGs will continue to be niche and only come out with 3-5 year intervals because next-to-no publishers wants to risk the investment

The thing is single player RPG is a niche for a long time and no amount of success from Outer Worlds gonna change that.

Just look at Fallout 4, the game sells more than 30 million copies, and Bethesda spend the next three years making a online survival game. Witcher 3 make more money in 2017 than it did in 2016, it make CDPR being able to make 2 AAA titles at the same time, still they are adding multi-player in 2077.

These games comes out in 2015, in the next four years we barely see any mainstream RPGs, the only one come out is ME:A and its budget is only 40 million dollars, half of Witcher 3.

The market has proven that a single player RPG can be huge success, way bigger than any mediocre online game can ever be, but the companies simply don't want to make them anymore, they rather waste money on making shitty multi-player game.

Good news is that there seem to have more middle size single player RPG on the way.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

My view, Outer Worlds will be an awesome game and:
- Would have have tremendous success (FNV level sales) due to it's quality and the hype-cannon that propelled it, but
- Will end with 'mediocre-OK' sales due to EPIC-exclusiveness and the negative-opinions that brought
RESULT: quality single-player-RPGs will continue to be niche and only come out with 3-5 year intervals because next-to-no publishers wants to risk the investment

The thing is single player RPG is a niche for a long time and no amount of success from Outer Worlds gonna change that.

Just look at Fallout 4, the game sells more than 30 million copies, and Bethesda spend the next three years making a online survival game. Witcher 3 make more money in 2017 than it did in 2016, it make CDPR being able to make 2 AAA titles at the same time, still they are adding multi-player in 2077.

These games comes out in 2015, in the next four years we barely see any mainstream RPGs, the only one come out is ME:A and its budget is only 40 million dollars, half of Witcher 3.

The market has proven that a single player RPG can be huge success, way bigger than any mediocre online game can ever be, but the companies simply don't want to make them anymore, they rather waste money on making shitty multi-player game.

Good news is that there seem to have more middle size single player RPG on the way.

AC: Odyssey is basically Witcher 3 set in ancient greece. Don't really think anyone was expecting that, though.

 

[Jezal_k23]

the decision was 100% 2K and Obsidian had no say in this

Well, nobody knows how it happened exactly (If you don't trust Obsidians statement at PAX where they said that they had it was PD's decision).

Logically, however he's correct for several reasons:

- PD's business model probably keeps publishing rights pretty liberary in exchange for giving the IP to the developer. Terms were agreed of course (which is how Obsidian knew very early that there won't be microtransactions), but the Epic Store and PC exclusivity wasn't a thing in 2016, so there was no clause related to such a scenario.
- Every other Take2 PC game at the time went Epic exclusive. Including Ancestors.

And finally

- Initially, MS Store avaiability was not mentioned aside from Epic exclusivity. This changed fast though, which make me think Microsoft stepped in on that. Now if Feargus made backroom dealings (And this happened after the MS aquisition), with MS not knowing he wouldn't be in a job right now.

In one of preview interviews Brian Heins said that the last word was of Private Divison.

The Interview and quote:

'' I: The Outer Worlds is an Epic exclusive, which has caused some controversy, most notably from Chris Avellone. How do you respond to that?

Brian Heins: So ultimately the choice of where the game is published is Private Division’s decision. We really didn’t have any say in that matter at all. I didn’t actually see Chris’s comments.''

There's more about the exclusivity in the rest of the intreivew. They didn't seems to care all that much..
https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-outer-worlds/interview

They can't talk shit about publisher decisions, I don't think so. I doubt they'd have supported the game being Epic exclusive, but either way they have no choice. They just have to keep on working on the game as if nothing had happened.

 

[jf8350143]

My view, Outer Worlds will be an awesome game and:
- Would have have tremendous success (FNV level sales) due to it's quality and the hype-cannon that propelled it, but
- Will end with 'mediocre-OK' sales due to EPIC-exclusiveness and the negative-opinions that brought
RESULT: quality single-player-RPGs will continue to be niche and only come out with 3-5 year intervals because next-to-no publishers wants to risk the investment

The thing is single player RPG is a niche for a long time and no amount of success from Outer Worlds gonna change that.

Just look at Fallout 4, the game sells more than 30 million copies, and Bethesda spend the next three years making a online survival game. Witcher 3 make more money in 2017 than it did in 2016, it make CDPR being able to make 2 AAA titles at the same time, still they are adding multi-player in 2077.

These games comes out in 2015, in the next four years we barely see any mainstream RPGs, the only one come out is ME:A and its budget is only 40 million dollars, half of Witcher 3.

The market has proven that a single player RPG can be huge success, way bigger than any mediocre online game can ever be, but the companies simply don't want to make them anymore, they rather waste money on making shitty multi-player game.

Good news is that there seem to have more middle size single player RPG on the way.

AC: Odyssey is basically Witcher 3 set in ancient greece. Don't really think anyone was expecting that, though.

If Odyssey didn't have a DLC that has a absolute linear story and ignore every choices you made in the base game I would include it as a RPG.

But now it's completely shit.

 

[Sailor Woedica]

Will end with 'mediocre-OK' sales

It's on gamepass and Microsoft is already talking about throwing AAA money at Tim and Leo. So the Epic shit won't really matter at this point

So totally completely fierce. There's just something so amazing being part of a fandom right before it glows up and everyone finds out and joins in and makes memes and fanart and ships. It's a bit sad too since it starts to get soo crowded, but it's so fun talking and infighting about Outer Worlds with everyone here right before Obsidian goes so mainstream! I'm totally going to buy any Outer Worlds manga they release

 

[just]

no companions is the best choice

 

[passerby]

My view, Outer Worlds will be an awesome game and:
- Would have have tremendous success (FNV level sales) due to it's quality and the hype-cannon that propelled it, but
- Will end with 'mediocre-OK' sales due to EPIC-exclusiveness and the negative-opinions that brought
RESULT: quality single-player-RPGs will continue to be niche and only come out with 3-5 year intervals because next-to-no publishers wants to risk the investment

PC is 30% of the market, there is enough hype and awareness that it will loose day one sales mostly from die hard steamtards, not from average joe who didn't discover the game on Steam, but there will be smaller cut to partially offset lost sales.

The game won't loose more then 10-15% of the total profits in the worst case scenario ( lets say PC sales cut in half ) if at all, so it won't have any significant impact on its success.
If it underperforms on PC there will be several other Epic exclusives from 2k and console sales to compare and properly blame exclusivity not the game.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

My view, Outer Worlds will be an awesome game and:
- Would have have tremendous success (FNV level sales) due to it's quality and the hype-cannon that propelled it, but
- Will end with 'mediocre-OK' sales due to EPIC-exclusiveness and the negative-opinions that brought
RESULT: quality single-player-RPGs will continue to be niche and only come out with 3-5 year intervals because next-to-no publishers wants to risk the investment

PC is 30% of the market, there is enough hype and awareness that it will loose day one sales mostly from die hard steamtards, not from average joe who didn't discover the game on Steam, but there will be smaller cut to partially offset lost sales.

The game won't loose more then 10-15% of the total profits in the worst case scenario ( lets say PC sales cut in half ) if at all, so it won't have any significant impact on its success.
If it underperforms on PC there will be several other Epic exclusives from 2k and console sales to compare and properly blame exclusivity not the game.

I don't think there's precedent for this statement. If we take a similar ARPG e.g., Witcher 3,
About half of Witcher 3's total sales have been on PC. PS4 did well the first year, then PC made up the bulk of sales since. Xbox one had very little sales.

https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-witcher-3/sales

We can’t say for sure how big a part PC plays in that total, but we do know that the game has its most active following there. In CD Projekt Red’s financial report for 2018, the developer reports that 44.5% of The Witcher 3 sales for that year came through PC. This was trailed by PlayStation 4 at 39.5% and Xbox One at 15.5%. For context, back in 2015 sales were predominantly on PlayStation 4 at 48% – PC, on the other hand, was 31%.

I'd assume this trend will continue into 2019, it still sells a lot of copies.

 

[S.torch]

Just look at Fallout 4, the game sells more than 30 million copies, and Bethesda spend the next three years making a online survival game. Witcher 3 make more money in 2017 than it did in 2016, it make CDPR being able to make 2 AAA titles at the same time, still they are adding multi-player in 2077.

Before Fallout 4 Bethesda has already jumped in the multiplayer money train with TES Online. So they are not a good example. The rare thing is CD project saying that they would put multiplayer in their game. However, they already said that they're not developing it and they're focusing in their single-player game for now.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Just look at Fallout 4, the game sells more than 30 million copies, and Bethesda spend the next three years making a online survival game. Witcher 3 make more money in 2017 than it did in 2016, it make CDPR being able to make 2 AAA titles at the same time, still they are adding multi-player in 2077.

Before Fallout 4 Bethesda has already jumped in the multiplayer money train with TES Online. So they are not a good example. The rare thing is CD project saying that they would put multiplayer in their game. However, they already said that they're not developing it and they're focusing in their single-player game for now.

Bethesda didn't develop ESO.

 

[Yosharian]

My view, Outer Worlds will be an awesome game and:
- Would have have tremendous success (FNV level sales) due to it's quality and the hype-cannon that propelled it, but
- Will end with 'mediocre-OK' sales due to EPIC-exclusiveness and the negative-opinions that brought
RESULT: quality single-player-RPGs will continue to be niche and only come out with 3-5 year intervals because next-to-no publishers wants to risk the investment

The thing is single player RPG is a niche for a long time and no amount of success from Outer Worlds gonna change that.

Just look at Fallout 4, the game sells more than 30 million copies, and Bethesda spend the next three years making a online survival game. Witcher 3 make more money in 2017 than it did in 2016, it make CDPR being able to make 2 AAA titles at the same time, still they are adding multi-player in 2077.

These games comes out in 2015, in the next four years we barely see any mainstream RPGs, the only one come out is ME:A and its budget is only 40 million dollars, half of Witcher 3.

The market has proven that a single player RPG can be huge success, way bigger than any mediocre online game can ever be, but the companies simply don't want to make them anymore, they rather waste money on making shitty multi-player game.

Good news is that there seem to have more middle size single player RPG on the way.

AC: Odyssey is basically Witcher 3 set in ancient greece. Don't really think anyone was expecting that, though.

Riddled with MTX...

 

[FreeKaner]

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2019...d_end_up_becoming_an_xbox_exclusive_franchise

Speaking to Game Informer, Xbox Game Studios boss Mike Booty said: "From what we’ve seen of The Outer Worlds, my hope is that that’s something we can build and that it really becomes an enduring franchise and it really starts to grow and we can help expand that."

If this is true then next outerlands will definitely be an AAA.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2019...d_end_up_becoming_an_xbox_exclusive_franchise

Speaking to Game Informer, Xbox Game Studios boss Mike Booty said: "From what we’ve seen of The Outer Worlds, my hope is that that’s something we can build and that it really becomes an enduring franchise and it really starts to grow and we can help expand that."

If this is true then next outerlands will definitely be an AAA.

Where did the author even get the implication that it would become an xbox exclusive?

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

How about no? This better flops so that Obsidian can move on with something else. Anything.

 

[Elephantman]

how do i stop notification from niggerlover infested threads?

 

[BlackAdderBG]

how do i stop notification from niggerlover infested threads?