Obsidian and inXile acquired by Microsoft

[Fenix]

The Kickstarter RPG era of the past 6+ years, which started so optimistically

...continued with the emergence of new promising companies and games (though they're indie companies of course, who can't make AAA impression we all sometimes want, but life is life, you can't have everything).

 

[DeepOcean]

It's not like Obsidian were doing great on their own for the last few years. If they get the resources to make something to compete with Bethesda then that's great. We already have couple of indie RPG developers which we would trust to produce quality work. What's really confusing is what's the deal with Tim and Leonard game now

Unless Microsoft bought it from Take 2 as well, they will probably finish it for Take 2, the bad side is if Microsoft didn't buy it, the license rights will belong to Take 2 even if Obsidian now belongs to Microsoft (Unless Feargus made some deal for Obsidian to keep the licence.)

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Anyway, for those curious there is a wikipedia list of all the stuff Microsoft owns: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Studios#Owned_franchises_and_properties

Age of Mythology, Freelancer, Shadowrun?

 

[LESS T_T]

Well, how about one makes Shadowrun CRPG and other makes Earthdawn CRPG.

 

[Delterius]

Well, how about one makes Shadowrun CRPG and other makes Earthdawn CRPG.

well its settled, paging our microsoft contact atm

 

[DeepOcean]

Well, how about one makes Shadowrun CRPG and other makes Earthdawn CRPG.

Probably Obsidian will be in charge of an AAA game and InXile will get some AA low budget project, doubt any of those will be a traditional isometric RPG... but who knows, I didn't believe Obsidian would ever do something to do with Fallout and miracles happened.

 

[RNGsus]

 

[Terra]

Where is the Chris Avellone hot take on this?

 

[Cael]

Anyway, for those curious there is a wikipedia list of all the stuff Microsoft owns: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Studios#Owned_franchises_and_properties

Age of Mythology, Freelancer, Shadowrun?

Yeah. I wish they come up with another AoM game. The first one was pretty good.

"We surrender! Come a little closer!"

 

[Infinitron]

I wonder if Microsoft is allowed to make a BattleTech game, or do they grant their licensees some kind of guarantee that they won't develop the IP in-house. Probably not a good idea from a marketing/PR perspective to compete on Harebrained's turf even if they can.

 

[Fenix]

First, name ANY studio bought by a huge EA-like publisher that ended up making better games. How about Bioware? Went from BG1&2 to full retard. Blizzard? Went from Diablo, Starcraft, and Warcaft to Diablo: Immortan Joe and Warcraft 3: Reforged We're Out Of Ideas. Second, Pillars 1 & 2 were all about creative freedom, no publishers, and 8 mil budget for Pillars 1. Sames goes for Wasteland 2, new Torment, and BT4. These studios were able to make new, 'creative freedom' games, no?

I'll quote myself.

This kickstarter thing - what it actually did?
Before there was Big Capitalist above - that publisher.
Kickstarter allowed to become one a capitalist himself.
So what happened? That small, exploited creative person became capitalist - and started to do exactly the same things that Big Capitalist forcedhim to do.

That's why all this "creative freedom! save us from evil publisher" was bullshit from day 1.

 

[glass blackbird]

It's not like Obsidian were doing great on their own for the last few years. If they get the resources to make something to compete with Bethesda then that's great. We already have couple of indie RPG developers which we would trust to produce quality work. What's really confusing is what's the deal with Tim and Leonard game now

Unless Microsoft bought it from Take 2 as well, they will probably finish it for Take 2, the bad side is if Microsoft didn't buy it, the license rights will belong to Take 2 even if Obsidian now belongs to Microsoft (Unless Feargus made some deal for Obsidian to keep the licence.)

It's worth noting that when Microsoft bought Rare way back when, they still had a few contractual obligations to Nintendo and put out a couple handheld games for them.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Where is the Chris Avellone hot take on this?

I'm sure he is okay with the events that are unfolding currently.

 

[BEvers]

Where is the Chris Avellone hot take on this?

He's asking the question that's on everybody's mind:

 

[Delterius]

 

[LESS T_T]

Well, how about one makes Shadowrun CRPG and other makes Earthdawn CRPG.

Probably Obsidian will be in charge of an AAA game and InXile will get some AA low budget project, doubt any of those will be a traditional isometric RPG... but who knows, I didn't believe Obsidian would ever do something to do with Fallout and miracles happened.

Well, Microsoft wanting mid-range and niche games for Game Pass is real. Even EA is doing small to mid-range games (A Way Out, Unravel, etc.) with (claimed to be) generous terms, since it is pushing its own subscription service, Origin Access. They know it needs niche to be filled.

I think, at least for the foreseeable future, MS will let them do what they've been doing and wanting.

 

[RRRrrr]

Chances are that Microsoft will make them develop something that might seem like a good idea right now (probably an open-world RPG) and it will end up like Alpha Protocol-grossly mismanaged, buggy and a commercial failure. Then they will close them.

I think Microsoft are setting themselves for failure here-as much as I like Obsidian, it is not like they will get better at project management. For Obsidian, no budget is too high and no development time too long for them to squander.

 

[Quillon]

Unless you think that the games inXile and Obsidian have made are exactly the games the owners wanted to make, you have to recognize that something was constraining their freedom of action. It may simply have been their own fears and doubts. But I would say other things were at play, too. I'm not sure they'll make exactly the games they want now, either -- but maybe it'll be closer. (Or maybe not. Who knows?)

So let's roll back to Pillars. Obsidian raises 4 mil to make an RPG of their choice, plus another 4 mil they poured into it. If 8 mil and all the creative freedom in the world isn't enough to make a game they really wanted to make, I don't see what possible difference Microsoft acquisition can make other than lining up the owners' pockets.

Thing is they didn't set out to make the RPG they wanted to make, they set out to make an RPG people would like them/pay for them to make. Maybe they also believed they'd be the perfect fit to make these type of games of ur but we saw that their "serious" approach to making RPGs doesn't go well with high fantasy(and FUCK FANTASY, especially FUCK HIGH FANTASY).

Plus its no secret that [former]owners always wanted to make big AAA RPGs.

 

[CrimsonAngel]

I will give them a chance to disappoint me, but i can no longer buy there games in good faith. I fucking hate the Windows 10 store and there is no way in hell they are not forced into that ghetto.

 

[Don Peste]

Sudeki belongs to Climax Studios.

Oh actually it might belong to Microsoft? https://trademarks.justia.com/search?q=sudeki
Even if Phil didn't even remember https://twitter.com/XboxP3/status/577284808885194753
No one seemed very interested https://twitter.com/XboxP3/status/550062504676573185

Probably no Nightcaster either. Shame! https://trademarks.justia.com/search?q=nightcaster

 

[Fenix]

Just pirate that stuff.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

In all this madness, let's not forget about the most important announcement Microsoft had at today's conference.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

Incoming Shadowrun turnbased RPG by inExile and Obsidian
.
.
.
.

 

[Delterius]

Incoming Shadowrun turnbased RPG by inExile and Obsidian

first person bloodlines esque shadowrun, full PnP implementation, Microsoft funding, cainarsky direction and the full power of the

xbox

oh

 

[Cael]

Chances are that Microsoft will make them develop something that might seem like a good idea right now (probably an open-world RPG) and it will end up like Alpha Protocol-grossly mismanaged, buggy and a commercial failure. Then they will close them.

I think Microsoft are setting themselves for failure here-as much as I like Obsidian, it is not like they will get better at project management. For Obsidian, no budget is too high and no development time too long for them to squander.

They need to get a real project manager in there, for one thing. Not writers or programmers promoted because they have been writing or programming for a while.

We have the same problem in the power industry over here, where they have electricians being promoted to project or operations management, and then they wonder why the customers are pissed off at them...