Microsoft buys Bethesda

[Clayton]

Either way I would imagine that they will retain a lot of their staff I doubt they would do this move to completely scrap all the people that made the previous titles a success so I doubt the quality of games will diminish.

My guess is that this is going to be pretty hands-off on Microsoft's part. Microsoft is going to make a push to be the Netflix of video games with its game pass. Doom 2022, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Dishonored 3, etc will be free on launch for people with Game Pass. Sony's model will be $70 for a new game. If you're a hardcore gamer or anything resembling a hardcore gamer then you're going to want the Netflix model. This is going to force Sony to add newer games to their PS Collection. Actual PS5 games. Or else they are going to be the 'premium' system and that puts a lot of pressure on their new games to be GOTY quality.

 

[Mebert]

I don't know about that Fallout 3 was pretty great and New Vegas wouldn't came if Fallout 3 wasn't such a great game and success.

I did not care for Fallout 3, but I think Fallout 2 was one of the greatest games of it's time, and 3 is not at all a similar type game. The new fallouts are basically Elder Scrolls with guns.

I know I am a minority on that thought process though.

 

[Shaggy]

I still play Skyrim sometimes.

Do you? I played it year ago. Would like to check it out again sometime.

 

[Battlelyon]

Elder Scrolls 6 may be an Xbox exclusive, according to Phil Spencer

Elder Scrolls 6 may not come to PS5 after all, just PC and Xbox

www.gamesradar.com

 

[Battlelyon]

Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6 feature Bethesda’s “largest engine overhaul since Oblivion”

We'll see "all-new technologies" in Bethesda's next round of RPGs

www.pcgamesn.com

 

[DetroitDevil]

Its official...

Microsoft's $7.5bn acquisition of ZeniMax approved in the US and EU

Microsoft's $7.5bn deal to acquire ZeniMax has been approved in the US and EU. The acquisition required approval from t…

www.eurogamer.net

 

[PatsFan2003]

As a PC gamer nothing will change. Bethesda will still make the pc version a terrible console port, and the modding community will make it playable in a few months.

They have a year and a half before they are fully integrated into Microsaft, and Ghostwire is still a PS exclusive.

The impact from this wont be felt for at least 2 years, and my guess is even then most games will get the outerworlds treatment and still go to PC.

As I dont have a console thats good news for me.

I dont see it as a positive for the games

 

[DetroitDevil]

You can argue that Elder Scrolls is the most anticipated game, big deal for Sony to have to worry about.

 

[Clayton]

My guess is that this is going to be pretty hands-off on Microsoft's part. Microsoft is going to make a push to be the Netflix of video games with its game pass. Doom 2022, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Dishonored 3, etc will be free on launch for people with Game Pass. Sony's model will be $70 for a new game. If you're a hardcore gamer or anything resembling a hardcore gamer then you're going to want the Netflix model. This is going to force Sony to add newer games to their PS Collection. Actual PS5 games. Or else they are going to be the 'premium' system and that puts a lot of pressure on their new games to be GOTY quality.

Man, I thought Bethesda was going to release more games when I posted this three years ago.

 

[DetroitDevil]

Man, I thought Bethesda was going to release more games when I posted this three years ago.

Its pretty crazy that with the advancement of AI, such as AI art and Large language model language interpretation, the tools used for game design seem to not be getting better to speed up the game design time. I was hoping the modeling of 3d assets would be sped up through AI and 3d modeling software interaction with the designer. Perhaps there may be some push back from 3d artists protecting their livelihood?

 

[Clayton]

Its pretty crazy that with the advancement of AI, such as AI art and Large language model language interpretation, the tools used for game design seem to not be getting better to speed up the game design time. I was hoping the modeling of 3d assets would be sped up through AI and 3d modeling software interaction with the designer. Perhaps there may be some push back from 3d artists protecting their livelihood?

I don't know if we're at the stage where AI art really improves productivity but that certainly might be just around the corner. I do think that the actual designers have all of the leverage right now. Im not sure that will always be the case but I know Arkane has had some leadership issues lately. Redfall was basically pushed out the door with no real plan after 70% of the studio left to form an independent studio. Starfield, in theory, should be different because they have pros and not the backups making the game best I can tell. Best I can tell Bethesda has kinda always been a bit behind the curve when it comes to technology, though, so long dev time makes sense.

Covid I think also set the industry back about a year imo.

I'm not saying Sony is doing everything right, either. I think they've done a good enough job at countering Gamepass while still releasing big titles but their VR2 bombed and their big push into multiplayer is missing in action. They bought Bungie and spent a lot of money to keep all of Bungies people and they've been doing quality control on a lot of their multiplayer stuff but its hard to know, for example, how Naughty Dog fares in a modern multiplayer environment. Especially if a lot of their workers left if The Last of Us 2 was too much of a grind.

You're more of a graphics guy than I am. I personally dont think they matter all that much as long as the frame rate, art direction, and load times dont get in that way. I suspect the biggest part of the Bethesda purchase long-term will be remaking all of the older titles and just adding content to Starfield and whatever the last Todd Howard Elder Scrolls ends up being. You see Activision dump all of their resources into Call of Duty. I suspect there will be a need for consolidation to get these bigger projects done.

 

[DetroitDevil]

I don't know if we're at the stage where AI art really improves productivity but that certainly might be just around the corner. I do think that the actual designers have all of the leverage right now. Im not sure that will always be the case but I know Arkane has had some leadership issues lately. Redfall was basically pushed out the door with no real plan after 70% of the studio left to form an independent studio. Starfield, in theory, should be different because they have pros and not the backups making the game best I can tell. Best I can tell Bethesda has kinda always been a bit behind the curve when it comes to technology, though, so long dev time makes sense.

AI is definitely there, what im seeing is just a seemingly tepid implementation. As if they are missing the paradigm shift at the doorstep.

Covid I think also set the industry back about a year imo.

Its not just a year, it takes to time get back on the same page, and overcome the change in people over that time.

I'm not saying Sony is doing everything right, either. I think they've done a good enough job at countering Gamepass while still releasing big titles but their VR2 bombed and their big push into multiplayer is missing in action. They bought Bungie and spent a lot of money to keep all of Bungies people and they've been doing quality control on a lot of their multiplayer stuff but its hard to know, for example, how Naughty Dog fares in a modern multiplayer environment. Especially if a lot of their workers left if The Last of Us 2 was too much of a grind.

Im not big on consoles to begin with, as they are just proprietary weak PC's imprisoned by operating systems that lack capability. Gamepass is available to PC's, I havent rented it. I think Steam is a great ecosystem for gaming, and they have been fantastic in maintaining a variety of games from 2d sprite games to AAA titles, and every crazy game developer in between. I dont support the buy 4 consoles to play 4 different games model. The PC model of one machine for all games and the ability to make your machine better after purchase with upgradability... just seems better, and cheaper by TCO.

The games dont go away because Sony or Microsoft doesnt wanna support them anymore, sure some do stop supporting them, but the community of people who want to keep playing, find and share the way.

You're more of a graphics guy than I am. I personally dont think they matter all that much as long as the frame rate, art direction, and load times dont get in that way. I suspect the biggest part of the Bethesda purchase long-term will be remaking all of the older titles and just adding content to Starfield and whatever the last Todd Howard Elder Scrolls ends up being. You see Activision dump all of their resources into Call of Duty. I suspect there will be a need for consolidation to get these bigger projects done.

Graphics play an enormous role in FPS, the more primitive the polygonal models, the weaker the graphics and that directly translates to FPS. Games with weak polygonal models and low resolution textures, like CS:GO i can get reported frame rates of 400-700 per second, theres debate about whats perceptible when the image changes that fast. Personally im completely satisfied with 90-100 FPS at maximum quality graphics.

Starfield designers are expected to move into ES6 as soon as Starfield launches, very soon. Huge 'Epic' projects are seem to be too drawn out, and taking way to much time, it will have been 17 years between Elderscrolls 5 and Elderscrolls 6. To me, thats doing it Wrong.

 

[Battlelyon]

Man, I thought Bethesda was going to release more games when I posted this three years ago.

Lol, you did? No Howard and team they always take about 8 years.

 

[Battlelyon]

I don't know if we're at the stage where AI art really improves productivity but that certainly might be just around the corner. I do think that the actual designers have all of the leverage right now. Im not sure that will always be the case but I know Arkane has had some leadership issues lately. Redfall was basically pushed out the door with no real plan after 70% of the studio left to form an independent studio. Starfield, in theory, should be different because they have pros and not the backups making the game best I can tell. Best I can tell Bethesda has kinda always been a bit behind the curve when it comes to technology, though, so long dev time makes sense.

Covid I think also set the industry back about a year imo.

I'm not saying Sony is doing everything right, either. I think they've done a good enough job at countering Gamepass while still releasing big titles but their VR2 bombed and their big push into multiplayer is missing in action. They bought Bungie and spent a lot of money to keep all of Bungies people and they've been doing quality control on a lot of their multiplayer stuff but its hard to know, for example, how Naughty Dog fares in a modern multiplayer environment. Especially if a lot of their workers left if The Last of Us 2 was too much of a grind.

You're more of a graphics guy than I am. I personally dont think they matter all that much as long as the frame rate, art direction, and load times dont get in that way. I suspect the biggest part of the Bethesda purchase long-term will be remaking all of the older titles and just adding content to Starfield and whatever the last Todd Howard Elder Scrolls ends up being. You see Activision dump all of their resources into Call of Duty. I suspect there will be a need for consolidation to get these bigger projects done.

I doubt Todd Howard and staff are doing anything with AI, he is old school guy that has been doing games the same way. They created their own creation engine back in 2011 to develop games. And will use that same engine for Starfield and Elder Scrolls VI.

 

[Battlelyon]

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He will be around 60 when the next scrolls comes out. I'm sure he will be assisting but in a lesser role.

 

[Clayton]

Lol, you did? No Howard and team they always take about 8 years.8

I meant more of a broader release of games as i mentioned ID and Arkane. Although Arkane has released Deathloop as a non exclusive and Redfall as a dud.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Starfield is probably the most important game since Red Dead 2.

 

[Mebert]

I meant more of a broader release of games as i mentioned ID and Arkane. Although Arkane has released Deathloop as a non exclusive and Redfall as a dud.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Starfield is probably the most important game since Red Dead 2.

The hype for Starfield is reaching the same levels as Cyberpunk, it could be a very good game from day 1 and still disapoint at this time.

 

[Clayton]

The hype for Starfield is reaching the same levels as Cyberpunk, it could be a very good game from day 1 and still disapoint at this time.

I'd say about half of the disappointment from Cyberpunk was that so many people pre-ordered it on 8th generation consoles (ps4) and it should have been a 9th generation game.

 

[Mebert]

I'd say about half of the disappointment from Cyberpunk was that so many people pre-ordered it on 8th generation consoles (ps4) and it should have been a 9th generation game.

I agree, I had built my gaming computer specifically for the game and it worked great for me from day 1. No question that what the game is now is significantly better than what it started as. Looking at Phantom Liberty it looks like the game is finally what was promised, just a few years too late.