Chris Avellone: Obsidian made multiple proposals to develop spin-offs for Fallout and The Elder Scrolls which were turned down by Bethesda

[Kev Inkline]

Made the mistake of going to reddit to see if the general audience is dissapointed they didn't get Elder Scrolls made by Avellone. Big mistake. I want to whack these motherfucking morons!

https://www.reddit.com/r/ElderScrol...thesda_denied_obsidian_to_make_tes_spin_offs/

Bunch of absolute dumb fucks circlejerking.. fucking wow!
Probably the type of wankers who thinks Skyrim and Fallout 3/4 has good writing.

You couldn't refute them on their site so you run away to your safe space in codex?
How are they wrong? Sawyer had more to do with FNV being great than MCA.
Kreia and Ulysses are not even characters, they're merely mouthpieces of him to rant about why he doesn't like the setting.
What are his contributions to FNV? He didn't want Legion to be a playable faction (probably due to his guilty conscience about being a rapist)
And he made the worst DLCs like Old World Reddit(haha small penises) and Lonesome Road. Dead Money was decent but it was a chore to play.
Meanwhile the most memorable character in Fallout New Vegas is Joshua Graham, which is written by Sawyer.

iranianronin there's limit to trolling, you know.

 

[9ted6]

Some website rediscovered an old tweet by Chris Avellone:



I was told about this at the time. Obsidian really wanted to become Bethesda's designated "B-team" studio but they were rejected. We lost out on good games because of Bethesda's idiotic inferiority complex towards FO:NV.

Avowed's troubled development proved that Bethesda was right, Obsidian can't be trusted even to make a B grade Oblivion. They had to work with Obsidian and probably had first hand experience on what a shitshow that studio is behind the scenes.

Firstly let's turn: ON our brainz. Ok, feels much better. Secondly and lastly: Bethesda and Obsidian in 2020s have nothing, let me repeat: NOTHING, one more time for all the midwits in back seats: N O T H I N G to do with Bethesda and Obsidian from early 2010s. Only one thing survived: Todd Howard's colossal butthurt

Sawyer was in the Sarkeesian squad of wokeness back in the 2010s. Don't know about Avellone though.

Then again Fallout's not nearly as woke as its reddit fandom thinks it is. FNV is not in fact the most hardcore prog leftist game ever made despite what they say.

 

[REhorror]

Wasn't PF: Kingmaker one rise to fame that it was co-written by Avellone, until they decide to me too cancel him or something?

 

[Roguey]

Wasn't PF: Kingmaker one rise to fame that it was co-written by Avellone, until they decide to me too cancel him or something?

He wrote a companion and gave them advice on how to tie all the books together, but didn't really co-write it.

 

[Ryzer]

And nothing of value was lost.

 

[Bulo]

Is Kingmaker any good?

 

[REhorror]

Wasn't PF: Kingmaker one rise to fame that it was co-written by Avellone, until they decide to me too cancel him or something?

He wrote a companion and gave them advice on how to tie all the books together, but didn't really co-write it.

Who was it?
Don't tell me it's Valerie?

 

[Roguey]

Who was it?
Don't tell me it's Valerie?

Nope, Nok Nok.

 

[REhorror]

Who was it?
Don't tell me it's Valerie?

Nope, Nok Nok.

That's weird, I almost expect it to be Valerie because of her situation of being a sexy bitch but no secks thing like Fall-From-Grace from Torment.
But oh well, that's kinda random.

 

[Roguey]

That's weird, I almost expect it to be Valerie because of her situation of being a sexy bitch but no secks thing like Fall-From-Grace from Torment.
But oh well, that's kinda random.

I don't believe the Valerie romance is chaste...?

 

[REhorror]

That's weird, I almost expect it to be Valerie because of her situation of being a sexy bitch but no secks thing like Fall-From-Grace from Torment.
But oh well, that's kinda random.

I don't believe the Valerie romance is chaste...?

It's kind of a bait and switch thing since they insert the random Oh she fucked a peasant before she decides to fuck you kinda thing.
Valerie's whole deal is that she's really pretty but she doesn't like people admiring her beauty.

 

[santino27]

Nok-nok felt pretty classic Avellone to me in the way he was slyly clever and written to play with/subvert goblin tropes without abandoning them entirely. Fun character.

 

[Yosharian]

Valerie actually works a hell of a lot better if you change her portrait to someone actually attractive

Suddenly her writing makes sense, amazing

 

[NecroLord]

Some website rediscovered an old tweet by Chris Avellone:



I was told about this at the time. Obsidian really wanted to become Bethesda's designated "B-team" studio but they were rejected. We lost out on good games because of Bethesda's idiotic inferiority complex towards FO:NV.

Avowed's troubled development proved that Bethesda was right, Obsidian can't be trusted even to make a B grade Oblivion. They had to work with Obsidian and probably had first hand experience on what a shitshow that studio is behind the scenes.

Firstly let's turn: ON our brainz. Ok, feels much better. Secondly and lastly: Bethesda and Obsidian in 2020s have nothing, let me repeat: NOTHING, one more time for all the midwits in back seats: N O T H I N G to do with Bethesda and Obsidian from early 2010s. Only one thing survived: Todd Howard's colossal butthurt

Sawyer was in the Sarkeesian squad of wokeness back in the 2010s. Don't know about Avellone though.

Then again Fallout's not nearly as woke as its reddit fandom thinks it is. FNV is not in fact the most hardcore prog leftist game ever made despite what they say.

Chris doesn't really strike me as being a member of the cult...
If anything, he is probably not very open about it, and/or has his own views on the matter.

 

[luj1]

Who was it?
Don't tell me it's Valerie?

Nope, Nok Nok.

This is one of the examples of why writing is shitty in CRPGs

You can't write dialogue for games in the same way you would write dialogue for a novel

 

[taxalot]

So let me get this straight.

First, Bethesda makes Fallout 3. Then Obsidian manages to create Fallout New Vegas, which is better, and Bethesda is terribly butthurt.
Next, Bethesda works on Starfield. Before they release it, Obsidian releases Outer Worlds which was considered "meh", but now is considered "At least, it's not Starfield.". Probably betting on the reaction of the public to Starfield, Obsidian is now working on Outer Worlds 2 to remind everyone they're still better than Bethesda.

Bethesda also in the past tried to make Elder Scrolls games. They were denied to make the spinoffs. So now they're working on an Elder Scrolls clone, Avowed, to go against the Elder Scrolls VI.

It's like two children bickering or neighbours infighting at this point.

 

[9ted6]

So let me get this straight.

First, Bethesda makes Fallout 3. Then Obsidian manages to create Fallout New Vegas, which is better, and Bethesda is terribly butthurt.
Next, Bethesda works on Starfield. Before they release it, Obsidian releases Outer Worlds which was considered "meh", but now is considered "At least, it's not Starfield.". Probably betting on the reaction of the public to Starfield, Obsidian is now working on Outer Worlds 2 to remind everyone they're still better than Bethesda.

Bethesda also in the past tried to make Elder Scrolls games. They were denied to make the spinoffs. So now they're working on an Elder Scrolls clone, Avowed, to go against the Elder Scrolls VI.

It's like two children bickering or neighbours infighting at this point.

It's more like two dudes shitting on the sidewalk and competing to see who can shit more. They keep making progressively worse games.

 

[agris]

It still blows my mind that Microsoft apparently bought Bethesda for Bethesda the studio and not just their properties.

Like, the fact that a Fallout TV show is going to launch and there isn't going to be a game to sync up with it because Bethesda won't have another Fallout for 10 years is insane. Or that Elder Scrolls won't have another game for years to come.

Microsoft bought Bethesda and got what, Starfield? They should be doing exactly what Avellone suggested be done, putting other studios on interquels for Fallout and Elder Scrolls ASAP.

The problem is that Microsoft, or at least their Xbox division, is horribly mismanaged too. They dont even need to create a new game, a simple remaster of Fallout 3 or NV would be enough to capitalize on the show's hype.

They must be - this shit isn't rocket science.

You've got two golden IP's in Fallout and Elder Scrolls. Why would you not cash in on them? You also purchased RPG studios that could handle the load - so it's especially boggling.

There's a case to be made you don't want to dilute the brand with shit product - but Bethesda, who they have given the keys to the kingdom ARE releasing shit product.

The TV show is going to be a hit - it's got Walton Goggins attached to it, and he doesn't do shit work - and they will have nothing but a Fallout 4 Next Gen update to show for it? It's dereliction of duty. If I was a shareholder I'd be pissed.

I swear to god, for as much money as video games make, the industry is retarded when it comes to capatilizing on profit.

I think a key flaw in your thinking is to think of these studios as analogous to other entertainment firms of similar value

these are not competently led companies (Bethsidian, not MS).

the mental model i use is: the people behind these games share many traits with the intended audience. bam, de-mystification!

 

[scytheavatar]

It still blows my mind that Microsoft apparently bought Bethesda for Bethesda the studio and not just their properties.

Like, the fact that a Fallout TV show is going to launch and there isn't going to be a game to sync up with it because Bethesda won't have another Fallout for 10 years is insane. Or that Elder Scrolls won't have another game for years to come.

Microsoft bought Bethesda and got what, Starfield? They should be doing exactly what Avellone suggested be done, putting other studios on interquels for Fallout and Elder Scrolls ASAP.

The problem is that Microsoft, or at least their Xbox division, is horribly mismanaged too. They dont even need to create a new game, a simple remaster of Fallout 3 or NV would be enough to capitalize on the show's hype.

They must be - this shit isn't rocket science.

You've got two golden IP's in Fallout and Elder Scrolls. Why would you not cash in on them? You also purchased RPG studios that could handle the load - so it's especially boggling.

There's a case to be made you don't want to dilute the brand with shit product - but Bethesda, who they have given the keys to the kingdom ARE releasing shit product.

The TV show is going to be a hit - it's got Walton Goggins attached to it, and he doesn't do shit work - and they will have nothing but a Fallout 4 Next Gen update to show for it? It's dereliction of duty. If I was a shareholder I'd be pissed.

I swear to god, for as much money as video games make, the industry is retarded when it comes to capatilizing on profit.

I think a key flaw in your thinking is to think of these studios as analogous to other entertainment firms of similar value

these are not competently led companies (Bethsidian, not MS).

the mental model i use is: the people behind these games share many traits with the intended audience. bam, de-mystification!

The job of these studios is to make the best games they think they can made. Stuff like how to maximize their IP value is the job of the publisher to think of, in this case Microsoft. We already know that they are making a Fallout 3 remaster, they may or may not announce its release this year.

Either way there is no reason to rush to capitalize on the popularity of the TV show, since they will be making more seasons if the show is a success anyway. And it is more likely for the show to be a train wreck than a success.

 

[agris]

It still blows my mind that Microsoft apparently bought Bethesda for Bethesda the studio and not just their properties.

Like, the fact that a Fallout TV show is going to launch and there isn't going to be a game to sync up with it because Bethesda won't have another Fallout for 10 years is insane. Or that Elder Scrolls won't have another game for years to come.

Microsoft bought Bethesda and got what, Starfield? They should be doing exactly what Avellone suggested be done, putting other studios on interquels for Fallout and Elder Scrolls ASAP.

The problem is that Microsoft, or at least their Xbox division, is horribly mismanaged too. They dont even need to create a new game, a simple remaster of Fallout 3 or NV would be enough to capitalize on the show's hype.

They must be - this shit isn't rocket science.

You've got two golden IP's in Fallout and Elder Scrolls. Why would you not cash in on them? You also purchased RPG studios that could handle the load - so it's especially boggling.

There's a case to be made you don't want to dilute the brand with shit product - but Bethesda, who they have given the keys to the kingdom ARE releasing shit product.

The TV show is going to be a hit - it's got Walton Goggins attached to it, and he doesn't do shit work - and they will have nothing but a Fallout 4 Next Gen update to show for it? It's dereliction of duty. If I was a shareholder I'd be pissed.

I swear to god, for as much money as video games make, the industry is retarded when it comes to capatilizing on profit.

I think a key flaw in your thinking is to think of these studios as analogous to other entertainment firms of similar value

these are not competently led companies (Bethsidian, not MS).

the mental model i use is: the people behind these games share many traits with the intended audience. bam, de-mystification!

The job of these studios is to make the best games they think they can made. Stuff like how to maximize their IP value is the job of the publisher to think of, in this case Microsoft. We already know that they are making a Fallout 3 remaster, they may or may not announce its release this year.

Either way there is no reason to rush to capitalize on the popularity of the TV show, since they will be making more seasons if the show is a success anyway. And it is more likely for the show to be a train wreck than a success.

that doesn't make sense, they shouldn't capitalize on the hype for the show by selling a Fallout-brand game using the wind in the sails from said hype? or fuel the hype-train for the show by simultaneously releasing a Fallout-brand game for mass consumption? as EtcEtcEtc said, this is classic entertainment industry one-hand-washes-the-other biz school 101 shit.

rather, the reason they wouldn't do this is that the studio simply can't support it. i'm guessing that the MS acquisition was ZIRP-fueled capital burning a metaphorical hole in MS's pocket, and the M&A due diligence was slop. Beth was acquired, and only then did MS leadership fully comprehend how the studio was held together with bubble gum and duct tape.

capital in a 0% interest rate environment is one hell of a drug