Zenimax Media/Bethesda

[Rollins]

Every ZeniMax IP Microsoft Should Bring Back From The Dead

The Microsoft acquisition of ZeniMax opens up a bunch of possibilities for older, long-defunct franchises. Here's what we'd love to see.

www.kotaku.com.au

Every ZeniMax IP Microsoft Should Bring Back From The Dead
Leah Williams
Published 2 days ago: September 22, 2020 at 2:13 pm

Image: Bethesda/Microsoft
In the wake of Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media, there’s a lot of big questions. The potential for console exclusive games is very real, as is investment in brand new and returning video game franchises. While we don’t have all the answers about the impact of the acquisition and what this means for future next gen releases, it does bode well for the future of all ZeniMax properties. Microsoft is a massive company with a net worth of $1 trillion as of 2019. It also has over 23 game studios in its portfolio and a major stake in the next generation of gaming.
Microsoft’s purchase of ZeniMax for $US7.5 ($10) billion shows just how much value it places in video games and it’s logical to think this investment could blossom into new or returning IPs for Bethesda, Arkane, id Software and their companion studios. If Microsoft were to invest in their new portfolio, these are the franchises we’d love to see make a grand return.
Commander Keen

Commander Keen is a classic platforming franchise starring Billy Blaze, an eight-year-old boy with a big imagination. In his adventures, he takes on aliens, strange worlds and galatic threats all while being the coolest boy in the galaxy. The first game in the series was developed in 1990 by id Software and spawned several fun sequels, all following the adventures of Blaze in his ‘Commander Keen’ persona.
At E3 2019, a shiny new trailer for a Commander Keen reboot debuted, but it’s fair to say people weren’t happy. The title was set to be a mobile release following the children of Billy Blaze and featured strategy elements fans were unhappy with. While it was scheduled for released in winter 2019, nothing else has been heard of the game and it’s assumed to either be cancelled or in the process of a rework.
Commander Keen is a childhood favourite of many and it’d be great to see Microsoft resurrect the IP in a new format. Whether that’s a reworked version of the Commander Keen reboot announced in 2019 or something new, we’d love to see Keen return.
Fallout: New Vegas 2

Fallout: New Vegas is frequently labelled the best of the Fallout series, and for good reason. With intriguing characters, deep mysteries and excellent writing, the Fallout franchise has never been better. Importantly, this 2010 Fallout spin-off was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, a company already owned by Microsoft. Current Fallout IP owners Bethesda are now under the same roof as Obsidian, so there’s potential a sequel could get underway if interest existed.
While the Fallout franchise has branched off in a different directions over the years (with near-universal rejection of their Fallout 76-shaped foray into online gaming) there’s still a lot of potential in the New Vegas setting. The Mojave Wasteland has secrets left to share and it would be fantastic to revisit this locale in the future.
Quake 5
Quake is in a weird place at the moment. Rather than developing a sequel to the critically-acclaimed Quake 4, id Software largely abandoned the franchise in the mid-2000s. A semi-resurrection came about in the form of free online multiplayer game Quake Champions in 2017, but it failed to pick up much of a solid fanbase and was bogged down by the ‘Overwatch clone’ era.
The Quake franchise has always excelled as a weird, grimdark adventure inspired by deep space sci-fi. Quake Champions felt too much like a way to package it in more friendly and accessible way. (A strategy which can totally work for some franchises!) Returning to Quake‘s roots with a fullblown sequel would put the franchise back on the map. Heck, even a remaster of the originals would go down well. It’s time to bring back Quake. Make it happen, Microsoft.
LMNO
LMNO is one of gaming’s worst cases of unrealised potential. This action game was in development at Arkane Studios in partnership with EA and Steven Spielberg. It was set to follow an alien creature named Eve as she broke out of a government facility and entered a wide open world filled with action platforming, parkour and adventure. The combat was described as puzzle-heavy and would’ve focused on emotion and character choice, as well exploring the nature of existence. LMNO was mostly exciting for the involvement of Spielberg and anticipation built for the game until its public cancellation in 2010. LMNO looked like an intriguing adventure, and one with a lot of storytelling potential.
While Microsoft hasn’t acquired EA (yet) they do have a solid working relationship with all EA Play games finding their way to Xbox Game Pass earlier this year. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to imagine Microsoft investing in a game with this much intrigue behind it.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
In 2014, MachineGames rebooted Wolfenstein to rapturous applause. Wolfenstein: The New Order is an incredible game (and was followed by an incredible sequel) but it opted for a realistic approach to the strange world of the franchise. While Wolfenstein is largely about killing Nazis, a larger part of the classic games are all about magic, monsters and mayhem. The original Wolfenstein games were totally wild and often spotlighted magic zombies and wizards over political commentary or realism.
The Wolfenstein: The Old Blood spin-off dipped its toes into the wilds of Wolfensteins past with a tale of ancient zombies and golems, but it would be fantastic to see what a next gen balls-to-the-wall fantasy Wolfenstein would look like. Everybody loves killing Nazis, but it’s even better when they’re Nazi zombies. Bring on the chaos.

 

[karmakid]

 

[eVo7]

Every ZeniMax IP Microsoft Should Bring Back From The Dead

The Microsoft acquisition of ZeniMax opens up a bunch of possibilities for older, long-defunct franchises. Here's what we'd love to see.

www.kotaku.com.au

Every ZeniMax IP Microsoft Should Bring Back From The Dead
Leah Williams
Published 2 days ago: September 22, 2020 at 2:13 pm

Image: Bethesda/Microsoft
In the wake of Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media, there’s a lot of big questions. The potential for console exclusive games is very real, as is investment in brand new and returning video game franchises. While we don’t have all the answers about the impact of the acquisition and what this means for future next gen releases, it does bode well for the future of all ZeniMax properties. Microsoft is a massive company with a net worth of $1 trillion as of 2019. It also has over 23 game studios in its portfolio and a major stake in the next generation of gaming.
Microsoft’s purchase of ZeniMax for $US7.5 ($10) billion shows just how much value it places in video games and it’s logical to think this investment could blossom into new or returning IPs for Bethesda, Arkane, id Software and their companion studios. If Microsoft were to invest in their new portfolio, these are the franchises we’d love to see make a grand return.
Commander Keen

Commander Keen is a classic platforming franchise starring Billy Blaze, an eight-year-old boy with a big imagination. In his adventures, he takes on aliens, strange worlds and galatic threats all while being the coolest boy in the galaxy. The first game in the series was developed in 1990 by id Software and spawned several fun sequels, all following the adventures of Blaze in his ‘Commander Keen’ persona.
At E3 2019, a shiny new trailer for a Commander Keen reboot debuted, but it’s fair to say people weren’t happy. The title was set to be a mobile release following the children of Billy Blaze and featured strategy elements fans were unhappy with. While it was scheduled for released in winter 2019, nothing else has been heard of the game and it’s assumed to either be cancelled or in the process of a rework.
Commander Keen is a childhood favourite of many and it’d be great to see Microsoft resurrect the IP in a new format. Whether that’s a reworked version of the Commander Keen reboot announced in 2019 or something new, we’d love to see Keen return.
Fallout: New Vegas 2

Fallout: New Vegas is frequently labelled the best of the Fallout series, and for good reason. With intriguing characters, deep mysteries and excellent writing, the Fallout franchise has never been better. Importantly, this 2010 Fallout spin-off was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, a company already owned by Microsoft. Current Fallout IP owners Bethesda are now under the same roof as Obsidian, so there’s potential a sequel could get underway if interest existed.
While the Fallout franchise has branched off in a different directions over the years (with near-universal rejection of their Fallout 76-shaped foray into online gaming) there’s still a lot of potential in the New Vegas setting. The Mojave Wasteland has secrets left to share and it would be fantastic to revisit this locale in the future.
Quake 5
Quake is in a weird place at the moment. Rather than developing a sequel to the critically-acclaimed Quake 4, id Software largely abandoned the franchise in the mid-2000s. A semi-resurrection came about in the form of free online multiplayer game Quake Champions in 2017, but it failed to pick up much of a solid fanbase and was bogged down by the ‘Overwatch clone’ era.
The Quake franchise has always excelled as a weird, grimdark adventure inspired by deep space sci-fi. Quake Champions felt too much like a way to package it in more friendly and accessible way. (A strategy which can totally work for some franchises!) Returning to Quake‘s roots with a fullblown sequel would put the franchise back on the map. Heck, even a remaster of the originals would go down well. It’s time to bring back Quake. Make it happen, Microsoft.
LMNO
LMNO is one of gaming’s worst cases of unrealised potential. This action game was in development at Arkane Studios in partnership with EA and Steven Spielberg. It was set to follow an alien creature named Eve as she broke out of a government facility and entered a wide open world filled with action platforming, parkour and adventure. The combat was described as puzzle-heavy and would’ve focused on emotion and character choice, as well exploring the nature of existence. LMNO was mostly exciting for the involvement of Spielberg and anticipation built for the game until its public cancellation in 2010. LMNO looked like an intriguing adventure, and one with a lot of storytelling potential.
While Microsoft hasn’t acquired EA (yet) they do have a solid working relationship with all EA Play games finding their way to Xbox Game Pass earlier this year. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to imagine Microsoft investing in a game with this much intrigue behind it.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
In 2014, MachineGames rebooted Wolfenstein to rapturous applause. Wolfenstein: The New Order is an incredible game (and was followed by an incredible sequel) but it opted for a realistic approach to the strange world of the franchise. While Wolfenstein is largely about killing Nazis, a larger part of the classic games are all about magic, monsters and mayhem. The original Wolfenstein games were totally wild and often spotlighted magic zombies and wizards over political commentary or realism.
The Wolfenstein: The Old Blood spin-off dipped its toes into the wilds of Wolfensteins past with a tale of ancient zombies and golems, but it would be fantastic to see what a next gen balls-to-the-wall fantasy Wolfenstein would look like. Everybody loves killing Nazis, but it’s even better when they’re Nazi zombies. Bring on the chaos.

Quake 5 and RTCW please! RTCW one of the best MP games of all time.

 

[MosquitoSmasher]

I'm just gonna admit it and say I love this news, because I highly prefer Xbox. Have done so ever since the first Xbox. And with rumblings that Google or Amazon were eyeing Zenimax.....nah!

Then we have Sony who has done their very best to annoy the hell out of Xbox players with their timed exclusivity deals like SE's Project Aia and FF16 with very deceptive words like console exclusive, except that it's not. Let's not forget FF7R, it still isn't officially confirmed for Xbox.

Then we have Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo (likely a year) exclusive. And they were trying to get a deal done for Starfield and I bet for one year too, I'm glad that didn't happen. And according to insiders, reputable ones Sony approached the biggest pubs and made deals with them and that the scope is huge. We haven't seen the last of those, bet on it.

Google, Amazon, Sony, Microsoft. I know which of these is the lesser "evil". With MS you still 100% get these games for PC and Phil even said "other platforms on case by case basis" which could mean just only Switch or also PS5. I have very little doubts that if the roles had been reversed Sony would have said these are all Sony exclusives now and I also bet the majority of people would be OK with it, but MS does it and all of a sudden it doesn't make sense to keep the games exclusive and it's bad bla bla.

Also if it had been Sony, I could have seen them trying hard to get out of those deals MS would have had for Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo. But that's just me, I don't think that highly of Sony, sorry.

The fact that Phil didn't outright say "these are all Xbox and PC games now" is telling, they want to keep their options open. But I really don't think that if Starfield IS coming to PS5 that it will be day one, it'll be later for sure. Personally I think MS should hold firm onto the Bethesda games. They want to keep building Game Pass, already at 15m, offering huge games like these on a already incredible value service will absolutely get the subs increasing.

It also would just be odd man. Let's say 2022, Sony has several of their own exclusives and several timed exclusives for sure. Then MS would release their biggest IP that year (Starfield) on PS5 as well? Nah fam!

It started to annoy me a little that MS seemingly didn't do anything to counter these Sony timed deals and then bam....a huge power move was made. It's a business.

 

[TeKPhaN]

If Xbox sold like PS there would be no chance of any of these games going to PS5.

 

[OneBadMutha]

They are, but does that really matter right now? Not making money from hardware. Xcloud is a bit outdated in terms of res, and no gurantees of long term sub commitment. Or keep them multiplatform, sell millions of copies, and start recouping that cost. They can always revise exclusivity or not at anytime.

Just seems like an unneccesay risk at this point.

Xcloud exists with an eye on the future. Mega corporations with the infrastructure to take advantage of the new paradigm like Google and Amazon didn't jump in for fun. It's coming. It's not here. Bandwidth is going way up. The streaming tech is improving (and Microsoft just acquired some upgraded streaming tech from Bethesda). Series X APUs start going into the cloud (Azure) in 2021. 5G infrastructure and low latency already exists in some parts of the world where Microsoft has servers but no console presence. Internet latency will continue to improve considerably.

Consider this....the latency that the average gamer had on their TV 5 years ago with a local console will on average be higher than the combined TV and internet latency 5 years from now. Cloud will be viable for mainstream.

 

[OneBadMutha]

As an aside, after having a few days to hear analyst, see Amazon's moves, listen to people on the Microsoft side...I'm being swayed to change my opinion. I don't think there's anything in stone but Microsoft likely will keep these IPs only temp exclusive to Xbox consoles long term. That's meshing with everything being said on their end. I think they may hold off for the next 3 years though in order to drive back some marketshare in consoles. Once they're trending towards a marketshare split with Sony and it's been established that Bethesda fans who will buy a Xbox already made that move, they'll start porting to the Playstation. Microsoft is worried about Amazon, Google and Tencent long term. Getting 200 million subscriptions is possible while splitting a console market with Sony. Console sales do matter but only to a point. They have to make sure they don't get crushed because that leads to 3rd parties giving Sony free or cheap exclusives.

I also see a future in which Amazon tries to buy Sony so Microsoft is likely going to hold off moving their games for now. Once Sony isn't a thread to the big picture ecosystem, they'll start porting like they do currently with Steam.

 

[karmakid]

As an aside, after having a few days to hear analyst, see Amazon's moves, listen to people on the Microsoft side...I'm being swayed to change my opinion. I don't think there's anything in stone but Microsoft likely will keep these IPs only temp exclusive to Xbox consoles long term. That's meshing with everything being said on their end. I think they may hold off for the next 3 years though in order to drive back some marketshare in consoles. Once they're trending towards a marketshare split with Sony and it's been established that Bethesda fans who will buy a Xbox already made that move, they'll start porting to the Playstation. Microsoft is worried about Amazon, Google and Tencent long term. Getting 200 million subscriptions is possible while splitting a console market with Sony. Console sales do matter but only to a point. They have to make sure they don't get crushed because that leads to 3rd parties giving Sony free or cheap exclusives.

I also see a future in which Amazon tries to buy Sony so Microsoft is likely going to hold off moving their games for now. Once Sony isn't a thread to the big picture ecosystem, they'll start porting like they do currently with Steam.

so, buy more stock in Sony then

 

[menace-uk-]

Xcloud exists with an eye on the future. Mega corporations with the infrastructure to take advantage of the new paradigm like Google and Amazon didn't jump in for fun. It's coming. It's not here. Bandwidth is going way up. The streaming tech is improving (and Microsoft just acquired some upgraded streaming tech from Bethesda). Series X APUs start going into the cloud (Azure) in 2021. 5G infrastructure and low latency already exists in some parts of the world where Microsoft has servers but no console presence. Internet latency will continue to improve considerably.

Consider this....the latency that the average gamer had on their TV 5 years ago with a local console will on average be higher than the combined TV and internet latency 5 years from now. Cloud will be viable for mainstream.

With an eye on the future. Just adding these games day 1 to GP increases value and reasons to sub. Let me put it this way, Skyrim sold like 20 million copies. GP only has 15 million subs. then add in that that only small percentage upto about 50% of people even finish games. So, the fact it is a big game 100+ hour games doesn't mean too much.

Making these exclusive with the info at hand just seems stupid. All you are trying to accomplish there is swaying a few million gamers from PS to GP. Which is small fry to the potential of the mobile market. A market where it maked no difference if it is xbox exclusive and not on PS.

 

[OneBadMutha]

so, buy more stock in Sony then

Maybe. LOL Sony isn't going anywhere in the industry. They are like the Disney in terms of mindshare worldwide. They own too many IPs. The question is their role in the future. I'm willing to bet someone is going to make them a mega offer. If Sony starts to lose mindshare due to a lack of a cloud infrastructure, their investors might want to sell high. I could see a Tencent/Amazon fight over them. Their partnership with Microsoft ironically was to protect themselves from that future. I think it benefits Microsoft that Sony remains independent as well. Amazon plus Sony would dominate on every front.

 

[OneBadMutha]

With an eye on the future. Just adding these games day 1 to GP increases value and reasons to sub. Let me put it this way, Skyrim sold like 20 million copies. GP only has 15 million subs. then add in that that only small percentage upto about 50% of people even finish games. So, the fact it is a big game 100+ hour games doesn't mean too much.

Making these exclusive with the info at hand just seems stupid. All you are trying to accomplish there is swaying a few million gamers from PS to GP. Which is small fry to the potential of the mobile market. A market where it maked no difference if it is xbox exclusive and not on PS.

I'm not going to disagree with everything you said. Just consider that the landscape will change. Microsoft wants there to be 150 to 200 million Game Pass subs 10 years from now. Every market is going to have overlap. PC, console and mobile. The tech and financial models are overlapping. The subscription service is a model that fits within the mobile market's buying habits. It's a financial model that threads that needle between the core gamers and casual mobile gamer. Many gamers are mobile gamers because that's what's convenient or what fits their budget or lifestyle. If a better quality experience can fit that lifestyle and budget, it will attract a much larger market. The reason console gaming is limited to 200 million gamers opposed to 2 billion gamers is barrier to entry due to cost. 5 million Game Pass subscriber today is worth a lot more than 5 million Game Pass subscribers in 3 years. Every million matters when it comes to establishing mindshare before the other tech giants. There's a snowball and residual effect attracting the enthusiasts early.

 

[karmakid]

Maybe. LOL Sony isn't going anywhere in the industry. They are like the Disney in terms of mindshare worldwide. They own too many IPs. The question is their role in the future. I'm willing to bet someone is going to make them a mega offer. If Sony starts to lose mindshare due to a lack of a cloud infrastructure, their investors might want to sell high. I could see a Tencent/Amazon fight over them. Their partnership with Microsoft ironically was to protect themselves from that future. I think it benefits Microsoft that Sony remains independent as well. Amazon plus Sony would dominate on every front.

i have a feeling that amazon or Netflix would buy out their film division in the future, or Disney, cos they’re hurting atm with their own, not licensed from others, movie IPs

 

[Mcmasters]

As an aside, after having a few days to hear analyst, see Amazon's moves, listen to people on the Microsoft side...I'm being swayed to change my opinion. I don't think there's anything in stone but Microsoft likely will keep these IPs only temp exclusive to Xbox consoles long term. That's meshing with everything being said on their end. I think they may hold off for the next 3 years though in order to drive back some marketshare in consoles. Once they're trending towards a marketshare split with Sony and it's been established that Bethesda fans who will buy a Xbox already made that move, they'll start porting to the Playstation. Microsoft is worried about Amazon, Google and Tencent long term. Getting 200 million subscriptions is possible while splitting a console market with Sony. Console sales do matter but only to a point. They have to make sure they don't get crushed because that leads to 3rd parties giving Sony free or cheap exclusives.

I also see a future in which Amazon tries to buy Sony so Microsoft is likely going to hold off moving their games for now. Once Sony isn't a thread to the big picture ecosystem, they'll start porting like they do currently with Steam.

You know, I can see how you'd think they may go multi with Bethesda but, still, I cant see it. Why would they allow Bethesda to go multi and not the other teams? Again, just doesnt make sense. Id imagine a lot of disgruntled employees within the XGS organization. Im sticking with what I said; NO WAY. Those monster hitters are staying exclusive.

 

[karmakid]

You know, I can see how you'd think they may go multi with Bethesda but, still, I cant see it. Why would they allow Bethesda to go multi and not the other teams? Again, just doesnt make sense. Id imagine a lot of disgruntled employees within the XGS organization. Im sticking with what I said; NO WAY. Those monster hitters are staying exclusive.

i can see elder scrolls online continuing to stay multiplatform, ES 6 is a tiny maybe, but star field and everything else new or afterwards is exclusive....unless they make a fallout shelter 2, they’ll add that to mobile and switch.

 

[Zer0beaT]

when Hines said sh*t and the xbox sound popped, that was just funny!

8:30 into the video.

Are you f***ing with me Todd?

Favourite game of all time, but damn the crashes.

You're telling me you were re-booting my Xbox in the background? (This has to be a very tongue in cheek joke right?)

Like everytime I fought a Golden Saint and my Xbox crashed he's admitting that was a trick MS tought him?

hahaha. I like all these guys and think Bethesda with Xbox/PC is a good match.

 

[OneBadMutha]

You know, I can see how you'd think they may go multi with Bethesda but, still, I cant see it. Why would they allow Bethesda to go multi and not the other teams? Again, just doesnt make sense. Id imagine a lot of disgruntled employees within the XGS organization. Im sticking with what I said; NO WAY. Those monster hitters are staying exclusive.

You could be right. There's so many moving parts. I guess I'm just theorizing the situation where moving them to the Playstation platform would make business sense. At some point, Playstation will be like Steam in many ways. A place where enthusiasts of that platform only play and it doesn't matter how cheap or accessible anything else is. Steam gamers were able to access Microsoft games for $5 through Game Pass on the same device they were already playing on. Only a click away. Yet they still buy Microsoft published games full price on Steam over downloading them close to free on Game Pass because that's the only place they'll play. I have a friend who buys Microsoft games on Steam and refuses to play anything on Game Pass. Eventually Xcloud will be viable for the mainstream and be one click away on the same TVs that PS gamers are already playing on using the same controller they're already using. At that point, if they're not willing to play these games for a $1 trial over Game Pass, Microsoft might as well give them the option to purchase the game for $70 because they're never coming to the platform regardless. I believe Microsoft will give those gamers time to see which ones they can reach but there will be some point in time they say "f*** it" like they did with Steam gamers...I think.

 

[menace-uk-]

I'm not going to disagree with everything you said. Just consider that the landscape will change. Microsoft wants there to be 150 to 200 million Game Pass subs 10 years from now. Every market is going to have overlap. PC, console and mobile. The tech and financial models are overlapping. The subscription service is a model that fits within the mobile market's buying habits. It's a financial model that threads that needle between the core gamers and casual mobile gamer. Many gamers are mobile gamers because that's what's convenient or what fits their budget or lifestyle. If a better quality experience can fit that lifestyle and budget, it will attract a much larger market. The reason console gaming is limited to 200 million gamers opposed to 2 billion gamers is barrier to entry due to cost. 5 million Game Pass subscriber today is worth a lot more than 5 million Game Pass subscribers in 3 years. Every million matters when it comes to establishing mindshare before the other tech giants. There's a snowball and residual effect attracting the enthusiasts early.

Problem is they want 100 million long term subscribers. Something this move wouldn't bring from the enthusiast side. Enthusiasts don't want streaming. Not in its current state.

 

[menace-uk-]

You know, I can see how you'd think they may go multi with Bethesda but, still, I cant see it. Why would they allow Bethesda to go multi and not the other teams? Again, just doesnt make sense. Id imagine a lot of disgruntled employees within the XGS organization. Im sticking with what I said; NO WAY. Those monster hitters are staying exclusive.

Why did Minecraft stay multi? Not all studios and properties are equal.

 

[Mcmasters]

Why did Minecraft stay multi? Not all studios and properties are equal.

Minecraft stayed multi because it was already a huge multiplatform hit on everything but a toaster. And, it was hugely popular among kids and teens. No way were Microsoft going to pull it from devices that carried it. Including Sony. Thats an exception. Not the rule.

 

[GordoSan]

Minecraft stayed multi because it was already a huge multiplatform hit on everything but a toaster. And, it was hugely popular among kids and teens. No way were Microsoft going to pull it from devices that carried it. Including Sony. Thats an exception. Not the rule.

Again, I'm taking no sides on this, but you just described exactly one side of the discussion that also pertains to Skyrim, as with Minecraft.

Skyrim, via Wikipedia-

Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 PlayStation 4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch

...and that doesn't cover the VR ports!

 

[menace-uk-]

Minecraft stayed multi because it was already a huge multiplatform hit on everything but a toaster. And, it was hugely popular among kids and teens. No way were Microsoft going to pull it from devices that carried it. Including Sony. Thats an exception. Not the rule.

but it is an excepption that fits certain Bethesda games aswell. They kept it multi because it makes more business sense, in Laymens terms, it made them the most money.

Bethesda is not a small company like Ninja Theory or Obsidian.

 

[PGT]

Good times ahead for Xbox owners

 

[PGT]

Good times ahead for Xbox owners

Oh s***, lol
I seem to have going an old, never used account when moving to a new phone... sorry, I'll go back to my old self now, bye.

 

[Swede]

Oh s***, lol
I seem to have going an old, never used account when moving to a new phone... sorry, I'll go back to my old self now, bye.

Yes, you're out!

 

[Two Pennys Worth]

Again, I'm taking no sides on this, but you just described exactly one side of the discussion that also pertains to Skyrim, as with Minecraft.

Skyrim, via Wikipedia-

Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 PlayStation 4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch

...and that doesn't cover the VR ports!

We also know that games like Uncharted, Horizon and The Last of Us would sell like gang busters on Xbox, doesn’t Sony like money? Yeah they’ve always been exclusive but just like Skyrim and Fallout, it cannot be disputed that they would sell like hot cakes on other systems. Exclusives sell systems has always been the mantra. MS are looking to regain market share and want to position themselves as the home for these great franchises. With the news yesterday of Amazon launching Luna, we can see why MS feel the need to secure big exclusives for its platform. We might not like it but I expect developers will be getting snapped up left right and centre by MS, Amazon, Google and Sony. The race is on to become the Netflix of gaming and like you said previously, MS are looking to get a few years head start on the competition as far as mindshare is concerned.
My personal opinion is these franchises will stay exclusive to the MS ecosystem. I can just see Phil at E3 2021/22 announcing Starfield and ElderScrolls coming Exclusively to the Xbox ecosystem to massive applause from the fan base.
These franchises are no longer third party, they’re first party and I wouldn’t expect these devs to be making games for PS as much as I wouldn’t expect Insomniac to be developing for Xbox when they got snapped up.

edit: meant to reply to OneBadMutha

 

[OneBadMutha]

Problem is they want 100 million long term subscribers. Something this move wouldn't bring from the enthusiast side. Enthusiasts don't want streaming. Not in its current state.

Of course enthusiasts don't want it in it's current state. I've been trying Xcloud and it's not for me in it's current state. 5 years will come and go quickly. Many games take that long (or longer) to make. The big potential comes in 5 years when the combined latency between people's displays and the internet is less than the local latency they had playing on 1080P TVs at the start of this generation. When the app is on TVs. Tech and the world is moving fast.

 

[karmakid]

Oh s***, lol
I seem to have going an old, never used account when moving to a new phone... sorry, I'll go back to my old self now, bye.

 

[Kvally]

I'll show her my wiener, and she will remember!

 

[yankeessuck]

Maybe. LOL Sony isn't going anywhere in the industry. They are like the Disney in terms of mindshare worldwide. They own too many IPs. The question is their role in the future. I'm willing to bet someone is going to make them a mega offer. If Sony starts to lose mindshare due to a lack of a cloud infrastructure, their investors might want to sell high. I could see a Tencent/Amazon fight over them. Their partnership with Microsoft ironically was to protect themselves from that future. I think it benefits Microsoft that Sony remains independent as well. Amazon plus Sony would dominate on every front.

Well a future where they are bought is a future where they are gone and that is future we should all dread.

 

[eVo7]

Xcloud exists with an eye on the future. Mega corporations with the infrastructure to take advantage of the new paradigm like Google and Amazon didn't jump in for fun. It's coming. It's not here. Bandwidth is going way up. The streaming tech is improving (and Microsoft just acquired some upgraded streaming tech from Bethesda). Series X APUs start going into the cloud (Azure) in 2021. 5G infrastructure and low latency already exists in some parts of the world where Microsoft has servers but no console presence. Internet latency will continue to improve considerably.

Consider this....the latency that the average gamer had on their TV 5 years ago with a local console will on average be higher than the combined TV and internet latency 5 years from now. Cloud will be viable for mainstream.

The problem with all of this is that ISP's still have data caps. All of the major cell providers have data caps (even if they offer unlimited, you get throttled at some point, for instance T-Mobile is 22GB) and the biggest home ISP in the US, Xfinity also has data caps of 1TB in most areas. Until they get rid of that BS money grabbing cap s***, things like this will never take off big. For MS though that's OK because Xcloud isn't their main brand of service, it's meant to complement your console or PC at this point.