The Initiative Youtube Channel

The only thing I learned is that they want to stay small and agile.
 
It’s interesting because Microsoft has pegged this studio as something ambitious and innovative. Unless they changed their mind (unlikely), there’s more than meets the eye here.

I’m only speculating here based on....

Watch the recent Hololens presentation.
Research how Moon studios is set up.
Listen to what Spencer has said about remote workers recently.

I’m speculating that Microsoft is experimenting with a new structure and development pipeline.
Creative team and leads are located locally from each other. Due to evolutions in technology that Microsoft is leading, I’m speculating they will hire production positions remotely. Will save them considerable cost because it’s much more expensive to rent a building for 300 people opposed to 50. Not to mention, they can hire production workers (guys who do the coding) remotely in areas where cost of living isn’t so high.

Moon studios, who Microsoft has worked closely with as a 2nd party this gen, has experienced people working in different regions. They don’t report to one building.

Hololens combined with Xcloud allows people to present and share info remotely in more advanced methods than they can currently do locally.

Hence...small team doesnt equate to a small project.
 
It’s interesting because Microsoft has pegged this studio as something ambitious and innovative. Unless they changed their mind (unlikely), there’s more than meets the eye here.

I’m only speculating here based on....

Watch the recent Hololens presentation.
Research how Moon studios is set up.
Listen to what Spencer has said about remote workers recently.

I’m speculating that Microsoft is experimenting with a new structure and development pipeline.
Creative team and leads are located locally from each other. Due to evolutions in technology that Microsoft is leading, I’m speculating they will hire production positions remotely. Will save them considerable cost because it’s much more expensive to rent a building for 300 people opposed to 50. Not to mention, they can hire production workers (guys who do the coding) remotely in areas where cost of living isn’t so high.

Moon studios, who Microsoft has worked closely with as a 2nd party this gen, has experienced people working in different regions. They don’t report to one building.

Hololens combined with Xcloud allows people to present and share info remotely in more advanced methods than they can currently do locally.

Hence...small team doesnt equate to a small project.
Well, they don't have to be big to be innovative. Ambitious trends to take size, but that can change depending on scope and tools. Still, they can keep a small core and temporarily expand when necessary.
 
It’s interesting because Microsoft has pegged this studio as something ambitious and innovative. Unless they changed their mind (unlikely), there’s more than meets the eye here.

I’m only speculating here based on....

Watch the recent Hololens presentation.
Research how Moon studios is set up.
Listen to what Spencer has said about remote workers recently.

I’m speculating that Microsoft is experimenting with a new structure and development pipeline.
Creative team and leads are located locally from each other. Due to evolutions in technology that Microsoft is leading, I’m speculating they will hire production positions remotely. Will save them considerable cost because it’s much more expensive to rent a building for 300 people opposed to 50. Not to mention, they can hire production workers (guys who do the coding) remotely in areas where cost of living isn’t so high.

Moon studios, who Microsoft has worked closely with as a 2nd party this gen, has experienced people working in different regions. They don’t report to one building.

Hololens combined with Xcloud allows people to present and share info remotely in more advanced methods than they can currently do locally.

Hence...small team doesnt equate to a small project.

 
Certainly strange, because I recall that this one was said to be the AAAA studio, the big one from MS next to 343 and TC. Plus they've been hiring talent from games like GTA and Witcher 3 if I'm not mistaken. I hope this won't mean they will only bring "small" games. I definitely expected that from Compulsive. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
 
Certainly strange, because I recall that this one was said to be the AAAA studio, the big one from MS next to 343 and TC. Plus they've been hiring talent from games like GTA and Witcher 3 if I'm not mistaken. I hope this won't mean they will only bring "small" games. I definitely expected that from Compulsive. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
Someone said that after their video and the team squashed the “small game” rumor immediately and said it’s AAA.
 
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I don't know why anyone would hype a studio that's never shown anything. Despite who's in it.
 
I don't know why anyone would hype a studio that's never shown anything. Despite who's in it.
Responses like there baffle me. Because the studio as a whole hasn't released a game yet, that has no bearing on the kind of excitement or potential that can come from a venture like this.

The Initiative is chock FULL of talent from the top down. Its pretty much an all star team of veterans from the gaming industry. They've been doing this for a while now. Simply because they enter into a new studio doesnt mean they start from the bottom. The creativity lives inside the devs and artists themselves, not the studio. The equipment and tools are all for not if the talent isn't there. But in this case, there's more talent than you can shake a stick at!

I say that to state its perfectly fine to be excited with a new studio that hasn't released a game yet. The talent within is undeniable and quite experienced.
 
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