Eternity PoE II: Deadfire Sales Analysis Thread

[Lacrymas]

It's obvious that something other than shoe string budgets don't produce good RPGs and not only because other agendas get in the way. They will survive, but they will survive just like they've been surviving up until now, licensed and popamole games. They didn't seem to like working on PoE1, it feels like a product of necessity rather than a genuine interest in the genre, don't know about 2 yet, so maybe their torture is over and they'll go back to what they love (or have to do again).

 

[Roguey]

Bethesda makes walking simulators

*hiking. While there's some overlap, there's definitely a difference.

 

[Blakemoreland Hybrid Boss]

I think they deserve the attention. Outside of BioWare, Bethesda, Larian, Obsidian and them Polish. Who else has the capability to produce a crpg that isn't made with a shoe string budget?

Iron Tower Studio, Stygian Software, Overhype Studios, Golden Era Games, Almost Human, ZA/UM, Whalenought Studios and these are just form the top of my head. You can find a compilation of upcoming cRPGs in this list and recently released in this list. There are so many new studios making cRPGs that it boggles the mind that players talk about cRPG’s renascence and the survival of the whole genre as if it was dependent on two or three studios. I don’t know if players give too much importance to graphics or pedigree, maybe both.

 

[AwesomeButton]

While I agree we should stand as one behind the first two companies (the ones I know for something good), they are one-game studios so far. Maintaining one's interest in the same game for 5 years until the next oneis released is only possible for a minority of players, even of those frequenting the Codex.

 

[Blakemoreland Hybrid Boss]

While I agree we should stand as one behind the first two companies (the ones I know for something good), they are one-game studios so far. Maintaining one's interest in the same game for 5 years until the next oneis released is only possible for a minority of players, even of those frequenting the Codex.

You don’t have to stand behind anything. He asked me if there are other studios making good cRPGs and I mentioned some names. Some of these games, like Underrail, Age of Decadence and Grimoire are engrossing games that you can only exhaust after months playing, if not years. But you don’t have to agree with my particular tastes to accept that there are enough cRPGs out there to play. This is just common sense.

 

[MajorMace]

He asked if there were companies who make rpgs that aren't produced on a small budget though.

 

[Bocha]

Is it possible to do a rpg as most codex like and sell? That's the real question.
It would be interesting to be able to estimate the maximum amount to be invested to obtain profits, and the amount of clients that would buy a game like this.

 

[AwesomeButton]

But you don’t have to agree with my particular tastes to accept that there are enough cRPGs out there to play.

I'm not disputing that. I'm trying to explain, including to myself, why people rotate between mediocre games instead of sticking for a long time with fewer games which offer more to discover, without the need to grind, but because they are full of good content.

 

[Blakemoreland Hybrid Boss]

He asked if there were companies who make rpgs that aren't produced on a small budget though.

Small budget compared to what? Project Zomboid is being in development for 7 years now. It has multiplayer and bunch of stuff. Disco Elysium is gorgeous looking game. How about Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones? Players need to try different things and see for themselves. There are somany games out there. Let's not forget about the classics either. Players seem to be biased to focus all their attention in a few studios and their recent games.

 

[MajorMace]

Small budget compared to what? Project Zomboid is being in development for 7 years now. It has multiplayer and bunch of stuff. Disco Elysium is gorgeous looking game. How about Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones? Players need to try different things and see for themselves. There are somany games out there. Let's not forget about the classics either. Players seem to be biased to focus all their attention in a few studios and their recent games.

Hey, i'm just the messenger. Ask him why big budget makes rpgs relevant, I dunno.

Mountain Blade was a made by a Turkish guy and his wife. I repeat, one of the best, if not the best, melee combat with horses, game was made by two people, one of them a woman. In Turkey.

You say that like Turkey is some eastern european mess of a country.

 

[Flou]

Iron Tower Studio, Stygian Software, Overhype Studios, Golden Era Games, Almost Human, ZA/UM, Whalenought Studios and these are just form the top of my head. You can find a compilation of upcoming cRPGs in this list and recently released in this list. There are so many new studios making cRPGs that it boggles the mind that players talk about cRPG’s renascence and the survival of the whole genre as if it was dependent on two or three studios. I don’t know if players give too much importance to graphics or pedigree, maybe both.

While I agree that those studios make good/great games (except maybe Grimoire; ), their budgets are small compared to the big boys league. Though Bethesda and BioWare wipe the floor with everyone else in that "league" as well.

I believe we need both kind of studios. Those who make games with smaller teams and smaller budgets and those with 60-150 people working on it that have quality voiceover and graphics that actually sell the game to the masses.
Feargus/Obsidian should realize that as well. Not every game has to sell millions if they are banking the game themselves. This is something Feargus has mentioned before that publishers aren't interested in making smaller games. Well fuck, make one yourself for a change then that isn't a card game instead of renovating your houses.

 

[Trashos]

I believe we need both kind of studios.

True. The smaller studios go for a subset of the buyers of bigger studios' games. Also, hardcore players often start as filthy casuls.

On the other hand, there is only so much decline I can take from mid-budget studios, so there is that.

 

[Blakemoreland Hybrid Boss]

I believe we need both kind of studios.

It makes no sense to talk about what is needed in the abstract, as if we had some platonic quota to fill all sizes of game studios. Big studios, smaller studios, it doesn't matter. What matters is whether we can have good cRPGs. I can't expect all bigger studios to be like Piranha Bytes, so for all pratical purposes I have to rely on smaller studios because they are the only ones willing to take the risks necessary to deliver an engrossing cRPG. You see players talking about moding Obsidian cRPGs to make them playable and this is absurd. Players shoudn't be forced to design their own games because developers are incompetent or sellouts.

True. The smaller studios go for a subset of the buyers of bigger studios' games.

And ask for a refund and leave a negative review on steam to hurt the game.

Also, hardcore players often start as filthy casuls.

Hardcore players will eventually find decent cRPGs. They don't need any help from triple-A games.

On the other hand, there is only so much decline I can take from mid-budget studios, so there is that.

What is most insidious about these studios is that under the pretence of revitalizing oldschool games they are making the whole genre worse, more streamlined. They are also forcing the hand of other smaller studios with their absurd investement on graphics and art. They are spoiling and ruining a whole generation of cRPG players and making the lives of decent studios worse.

 

[Trashos]

What is most insidious about these studios is that under the pretence of revitalizing oldschool games they are making the whole genre worse, more streamlined. They are also forcing the hand of other smaller studios with their absurd investement on graphics and art. They are spoiling and ruining a whole generation of cRPG players and making the lives of decent studios worse.

I agree that the mid-budget studios are not doing their job properly, and I am not optimistic for their future either. It does not look like they have the culture and the people to improve. Mid-budget RPG studios need to exist, however. They are what keeps the market for smaller studios going. I don't know what the solution to this problem is.

 

[Blakemoreland Hybrid Boss]

I agree that the mid-budget studios are not doing their job properly, and I am not optimistic for their future either. It does not look like they have the culture and the people to improve.

The mid-budget studios are either wanna be triple-A studios or are conformed to make shallow cRPGs to iPhone games.

Mid-budget RPG studios need to exist, however. They are what keeps the market for smaller studios going. I don't know what the solution to this problem is.

Maybe, maybe not. You could make the case that they promote indirect sales via steam, but they also attract the wrong crowd. The medium studios also also get all the attention from the smaller studios. For example, AoD received more attention before the kickstarter wave than afterwards. The market was more transparent. Now you have an ungodly amount of pseudo-isometric games that are shallow and formulaic. It is a disgrace.

 

[JarlFrank]

Iron Tower Studio, Stygian Software, Overhype Studios, Golden Era Games, Almost Human, ZA/UM, Whalenought Studios and these are just form the top of my head. You can find a compilation of upcoming cRPGs in this list and recently released in this list. There are so many new studios making cRPGs that it boggles the mind that players talk about cRPG’s renascence and the survival of the whole genre as if it was dependent on two or three studios. I don’t know if players give too much importance to graphics or pedigree, maybe both.

And the best thing about these studios: smaller size, lower financial pressure, and no money-grubbing managers.

It's almost like game dev studios from the 80s and 90s, while even mid-size devs like Obsidian are closer to modern game dev culture than to the classic "a bunch of people skilled with computers making a game because they like games".

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Iron Tower Studio, Stygian Software, Overhype Studios, Golden Era Games, Almost Human, ZA/UM, Whalenought Studios and these are just form the top of my head. You can find a compilation of upcoming cRPGs in this list and recently released in this list. There are so many new studios making cRPGs that it boggles the mind that players talk about cRPG’s renascence and the survival of the whole genre as if it was dependent on two or three studios. I don’t know if players give too much importance to graphics or pedigree, maybe both.

not really cRPG but I like the eurojank that Spiders puts out.

 

[AwesomeButton]

In Turkey.

Mind ==== blown

 

[FreeKaner]

Mind ==== blown

Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones is Turkish too.

Conclusion, move Obsidian headquarters to Turkey.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones is Turkish too.

Conclusion, move Obsidian headquarters to Turkey.

That was ironic. I thought the 4 equals would give it away.

I've known for some time that M&B is Turkish-made.

 

[FreeKaner]

Still, move Obsidian headquarters to Turkey. That will get Californian hipsters trying harder and teach them value of subtlety.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

So getting back on topic, what are sales like currently?

 

[Riddler]

So getting back on topic, what are sales like currently?

They aren't.

 

[fantadomat]

So getting back on topic, what are sales like currently?

The same as last week. A tad bit over 100,000.

 

[TT1]

Metacritc now is 88