Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard

[deuxhero]

Release Raven Software from CoD servitude.

Raven is no longer what it was, but it is not what it can be.

Surprisingly, it's not as bad as you'd expect

But people who made these games are still working at Raven?

Surprisingly, yes.
https://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/star-wars-jedi-knight-jedi-academy/credits

Of the nine lead designers+designers+project lead on Jedi Academy, over half were still at Raven as of 2020, with only Steve Raffel (who was there as late as 2015), Robert Bettenberg, Ford Dye (now at Ubisoft), and Scott McNutt not credited on that 2020 project.

 

[Cross]

The fuckers used Sekiro footage in that video

They had to fill the trailer with something. Activision doesn't make any games besides Call of Duty, so they had to resort to games they published. Of course Activision didn't even publish Sekiro in the traditional sense, they just helped with distribution outside of Japan.

Since FromSoftware owns all rights to Sekiro, I assume Microsoft/Activision asked them for permission before they put the game in the trailer.

 

[Late Bloomer]

Late Bloomer two screengrabs from the video, featuring the Sekiro intro cinematic:

tyvm I was unable to watch it and had forgot they published Sekiro.

 

[lukaszek]

Did they actually create a fucking trailer for the acquisition?

not like it would make a dent in acquisition budget

 

[Ismaul]

Do you guys believe Bobby Cockdick will actually leave and retire in 2024? Or does the old whore have a trick up her sleeve?

Given the decline of WoW, I guess we can probably expect free-to-play in the future, or maybe fold it into GamePass?

 

[Don Peste]

 

[Atlantico]

OMG all those Hexen megabux that M$ now controls

Most of those IPs are dead.

 

[deuxhero]

Atlantico
Phil Spencer has actually mentioned Hexen several times during this process, and worn a Hexen shirt to some industry event. It's pretty clear he seems to have some kind of fondess for the game (series?) and would greenlight some kind of revival. At the very least, I expect MS will add Hexen 2's expansion and Heretic 2 to Steam/GoG relatively soon (and maybe the official patch to Steam's version of Deathkings of the Dark Citadel). Those have been in some weird legal limbo between id and Raven, which MS's current ownership of both should solve.

edit: Source

https://archive.ph/wip/yzZ85

Spoiler

Phil Spencer wants to revive dormant Activision Blizzard franchises like Hexen

A few days ago, Microsoft announced that it was acquiring Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. Since then, questions about Call of Duty exclusivity and existing Activision Blizzard sexual harassment issues have dominated the headlines. However, a new interview between the head of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer, and The Washington Post, revealed more information about the company's plans for dormant franchises and why it acquired Activision Blizzard.

The Wall Street Journal said that Spencer will talk to developers about working on a number of old franchises like Guitar Hero and Hexen. Hexen is essentially Doom with magic, and maybe id Software can make a sequel down the line. id Software was also acquired by Microsoft with the Bethesda purchase. Spencer said the following to the outlet.

I was looking at the ... list, I mean, let's go! King’s Quest, Guitar Hero … I should know this but I think they got Hexen ... We're hoping that we'll be able to work with them when the deal closes to make sure we have resources to work on franchises that I love from my childhood, and that the teams really want to get. I'm looking forward to these conversations. I really think it's about adding resources and increasing capability.

Apart from that, Spencer detailed the reasoning behind purchasing Activision Blizzard. The Wall Street Journal said that he's concerned with companies unfamiliar with gaming barging into the industry. Just take a look at Google. The corporation set up its Stadia internal studios and closed them down when it didn't see immediate results. Usually, it doesn't end well.

Microsoft wants to become the corporation out there that's known for gaming because there's a current vacuum in that space, in the West at least. Spencer said the following.

When we look at the other big tech competitors for Microsoft: Google has search and Chrome, Amazon has shopping, Facebook has social, all these large-scale consumer businesses … The discussion we’ve had internally, where those things are important to those other tech companies for how many consumers they reach, gaming can be that for us.

It'll be interesting to see what happens in the future when the Activision Blizzard deal goes through, barring any objections from the government. Hopefully, franchises like Hexen will return and deliver worthwhile new experiences.

 

[Atlantico]

Atlantico
Phil Spencer has actually mentioned Hexen several times during this process, and worn a Hexen shirt to some industry event. It's pretty clear he seems to have some kind of fondess for the game (series?) and would greenlight some kind of revival. At the very least, I expect MS will add Hexen 2's expansion and Heretic 2 to Steam/GoG relatively soon (and maybe the official patch to Steam's version of Deathkings of the Dark Citadel). Those have been in some weird legal limbo between id and Raven, which MS's current ownership of both should solve.

I guess what I'm saying is that they are/were dead IPs, the companies that owned them certainly didn't do anything with them outside selling them on gog.com

It doesn't offend me if Microsoft wants to attempt to revive them, I wish them the best of luck. But just owning a bunch of IPs isn't going to make anyone a juggernaut in gaming.

In fact as you say, if anything the limbo of certain IPs should be solved now that Microsoft owns all parties involved.

 

[Elttharion]

FromSoftware owns the rights to the Tenchu IP, not Activision. I really doubt they will do anything with most of these.

 

[Hammer Of The Heretics]

I miss Shamus Young. I'm sure he would have had some choice words on this 'momentous' occasion.

 

[deuxhero]

Of the franchises Keighley mentioned, I think the most likely to get a revival are Hexen as first person Metroidvania (or plain old retro shooter), and one of the Sierra adventure games as a Telltale clone (since those were profitable, just not once Taletale had hyperinflated its staff count) or point and click that functions on mobile. Crash, Spyro, Pitfall, and True Crime could happen, but I doubt it would be right away. I expect MS would be open to giving external studios with a track record (released a game people actually liked) use if they asked (how funding would work would be in question though).

Really though, I just want the Arcanum/ToEE source code.

 

[Morgoth]

Has Bobby ever not been a scumbag?

 

[Baron Dupek]

If ya'll thinking something is going to change because Bobby is leaving I've got a bridge to sell you.

Ultimate Edition - $99.99
Digital Deluxe Edition - $89.99
Standard Edition - $69.99

Ultimate edition has no bridge included and digital deluxe lets you stand on it 3 days early.

 

[ferratilis]

So, all these IPs are now part of the Minecraft Cinematic Universe. Are you guys looking forward to seeing Halo and Diablo references in Fallout, or Minecraft sword in TES6, or how about this: instead of a new Gabriel Knight game, you get him as one of the characters in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. The future is bright, bros.

Spoiler

 

[Caim]

Now make a Smash Bros ripoff. I want to see Marcus Phoenix chainsaw Crash Bandicoot in half while Tony Hawk beats Alex Mercer over the head with a skateboard.

 

[Ismaul]

Are you guys looking forward to seeing Halo and Diablo references in Fallout

Fallout 3+ are nothing but shitty fanfiction references to Fallout themselves, so there's nothing good left to corrupt. Time to Tony Hawk through the Fallout rubble.

 

[Tweed]

Same shit, different pile. Even if they did try to bring back any of these franchises they'd just fuck them up in all the usual ways.

 

[DemonKing]

Do you guys believe Bobby Cockdick will actually leave and retire in 2024?

He’ll have a hell of a golden parachute thanks to this deal. Why stick around when he can swim in a pool of megabucks instead?

 

[ferratilis]

First, a golden parachute, then a golden shower to celebrate. On Epstein island. Oh wait.

Also, Microsoft should hire John Riccitiello to take over Activision, I heard the guy's pretty good.

 

[Caim]

While from the gamer perspective Kotick is ultra-satan from the business perspective he increased the profit on the business he was in charge of by thousands, if not tens of thousands of percents. He'll find another place to work, no worries.

 

[Baron Dupek]

not inot AAA segment that much
is this good or deperesing?

 

[toughasnails]

Phil Spencer was wearing a Hexen t-shirt on the 2023 Xbox showcase, which I found rather curious. Such things aren't done at random, and Hexen is a weird one to foreground given how long it has been dormant and how it is nowadays only familiar to dedicated retro FPS fans.

My guess: MS doesn't have its big exclusive souls-like whereas Sony has a couple. Hexen has grim dark fantasy setting, exploration of interconnected locales, boss fights, multiple classes to chose from, basic leveling in the case of second game. So one can look at Hexen and see a vintage IP whose name can be used for a major exclusive souls-like.

 

[pOcHa]

Phil Spencer was wearing a Hexen t-shirt on the 2023 Xbox showcase, which I found rather curious. Such things aren't done at random, and Hexen is a weird one to foreground given how long it has been dormant and how it is nowadays only familiar to dedicated retro FPS fans.

My guess: MS doesn't have its big exclusive souls-like whereas Sony has a couple. Hexen has grim dark fantasy setting, exploration of interconnected locales, boss fights, multiple classes to chose from, basic leveling in the case of second game. So one can look at Hexen and see a vintage IP whose name can be used for a major exclusive souls-like.

besides metroid prime and powerslave, any other fps metroidvanias out there?

 

[Caim]

not inot AAA segment that much
is this good or deperesing?

On one hand, monopoly is never good.

On the other, good chance that these games now will appear on game pass, so you can play them without paying $70 for a game you play once.