Microsoft-Activision-Blizzard Discussion Thread (Part 1)

[Biggzy (Hassan)]

@floop

Jess Ross said in Jaffee’s podcast that Sony is pretty hands off with their games and had nothing to do with days gone 2 not being greenlit. That was bends management

I mentioned this previously but the top brass do not necessarily need to put out a specific remit for what type of games should be made. It is usually more subtle than that and more an awareness that only certain games will get greenlit so no point pitching anything else.

[dehnus]

@floop

Jess Ross said in Jaffee’s podcast that Sony is pretty hands off with their games and had nothing to do with days gone 2 not being greenlit. That was bends management

I gave several examples, and one that said that Laden was the supporter but is gone now.

But hey, Sony is outputting a lot of small high risk low cost games, you’re right. I’m wrong. Let’s end this as it’s off topic and I don’t want to be banned (As I’m responding to your hostility with hostility and that can be a bannable offense).

(since also it had nothing to with my point of publishers going to be bought up by big tech to compete with each other).

[floop]

@dehnus

I gave several examples, and one that said that Laden was the supporter but is gone now.

But hey, Sony is outputting a lot of small low risk games, you’re right. I"m wrong. Let’s end this as it’s off topic and I don’t want to be banned (As I’m responding to your hostility with hostility and that can be a bannable offense).

(since also it had nothing to with my point of publishers going to be bought up by big tech to compete with each other).

No one is being hostile dude. I just didn’t agree so we will just leave it at that

[Searsy82]

The idea that Sony is just going to go out and score a retaliation acquisition is kind of comical. Particularly when people are offering up publicly traded companies as possible fodder. Any publicly traded company looking to sell is going to field offers from any and all suitors, and much like the Disney/Fox deal where Disney had to adjust their offer after Comcast challenged it, they can’t just accept a lower offer out of hand either.

[Rondras]

@dehnus

Though I doubt they’ll release a Leisure Suit Larry game or a Kings Quest game

Yeah I doubt Leisure Suit Larry would be a good thing to bring back considering all the allegations of sexual misconduct. Obviously the game, the creator,Sierra, etc have nothing to do with that(that we know of) but its kind of disrespectful to release a game that its basically about a sexual predator. But maybe in the future where the situation is more calm they just release them in gamepass without much notice.

[dehnus]

@floop

No one is being hostile dude. I just didn’t agree so we will just leave it at that

ERM :“I 100% doubt that would happen lol” and “Where is the evidence for this? Maybe Sony’s devs want to make cinematic games. Sony is pretty hands off with their devs these days” and even after I gave several links (While you didn’t provide any), you still seem very argumentative. Which is fine, but you have a way of writing prose which comes off as very antagonistic.

[DARK-PARADISE]

@floop

Where is the evidence for this? Maybe Sony’s devs want to make cinematic games. Sony is pretty hands off with their devs these days

There was a noticeable shift in Sony’s 1st party output ever since Uncharted and TLoU’s success on the PS3. I won’t say there was “forcing” or strongarm tactics on their devs as I don’t think the games would have been good that way, but they definitely want focus more on blockbuster cinematic 3rd person action games. And hey, there’s hardly a company that doesn’t want more of what they’re good at and makes them so much money.

But what I dislike about what they shifted to is, other than that we got less variety and some IP just died, and their game design has focused on things that are less about “game” and more about the presentation and polish, etc, is that they have made it seem like the only worthy of praise, “prestige” content out there, and the media and fanboys ate it up.

[floop]

@DARK-PARADISE

forcing” or strongarm tactics on their devs

That was the thing I didn’t agree with. No one is forced to make a specific genre at SIE. Ya they should diversify for sure

[DARK-PARADISE]

@floop

That was the thing I didn’t agree with. No one is forced to make a specific genre at SIE. Ya they should diversify for sure

I think “influencing” is a better word than “forcing”.

[Rondras]

@floop

That was the thing I didn’t agree with. No one is forced to make a specific genre at SIE. Ya they should diversify for sure

They arent, exactly.

Naughty Dog tried to do a Jak and Daxter remake/new game(cant remember) and they just ended up cancelling(themselves, NOT SONY) because they just werent inspired about Jak anymore and wanted to do Uncharted and Last of US.

Sure, Sony cancelled Days Gone 2 for now, but they arent grabbing a pistol and suddenly telling the studio to make a Last of Us clone.

[dehnus]

@Rondras

Yeah I doubt Leisure Suit Larry would be a good thing to bring back considering all the allegations of sexual misconduct. Obviously the game, the creator,Sierra, etc have nothing to do with that(that we know of) but its kind of disrespectful to release a game that its basically about a sexual predator. But maybe in the future where the situation is more calm they just release them in gamepass without much notice.

Yeah, it’s a big no no now lol. The game did have a woman staring in them later as well though. And Al Low just is a bit of a raunchy fellow comic wise. Nice guy though and a great musician. Larry isn’t a sexual predator though, it’s more about the male gaze and very male centric humor.

I suppose that could still work, but not for Activision Blizzard LOL. For instance my mom loved those games, which is very far from the target audience as you can get . But then again we only had 6 7 and then 5. We got them with our first PC (a second hand Pentium Machine that had them installed). So I have no idea of 1 2 and 3.

Sorry rambling, but yeah, I would love for some of Sierra’s adventures to come back, including their traditions of having great music. Gabriel Knight as a series could be a great reboot, loved that game myself (played it later on the same computer when I found the first one in a bargain bin). I doubt Microsoft would even care about those old franchises though :(.

BTW, sorry about my prose writing. I’m writing now as the thoughts come, so they aren’t very structured.

[Rondras]

@dehnus

…I suppose that could still work, but not for Activision Blizzard LOL. For instance my mom loved those games, which is very far from the target audience as you can get . But then again we only had 6 7 and then 5. We got them with our first PC (a second hand Pentium Machine that had them installed). So I have no idea of 1 2 and 3. Sorry rambling, but yeah, I would love for some of Sierra’s adventures to come back, including their traditions of having great music. Gabriel Knight as a series could be a great reboot, loved that game myself (played it later on the same computer when I found the first one in a bargain bin). I doubt Microsoft would even care about those old franchises though :(. BTW, sorry about my prose writing. I’m writing now as the thoughts come, so they aren’t very structured.

The problem is the first look and on first look, Larry does look like a sexual predator.

You know how the internet is, people wont care about you explaining the lore and humor of the saga, they will just say Microsoft sucks. I would love Larry to come back in a collection for example and be on gamepass for everyone to experience but it wont happen.

Now… the rest of Sierra… damn Xbox open all the doors please. Police Quest, Space Quest,Swat,etc just give it to me

[Proven]

@Searsy82

The idea that Sony is just going to go out and score a retaliation acquisition is kind of comical. Particularly when people are offering up publicly traded companies as possible fodder. Any publicly traded company looking to sell is going to field offers from any and all suitors, and much like the Disney/Fox deal where Disney had to adjust their offer after Comcast challenged it, they can’t just accept a lower offer out of hand either.

Yes. I keep seeing people say “well maybe Sony can acquire this publisher or this one”, and that’s not how this works. Kotick was actively looking for bidders outside of Microsoft and came to the realization that they were the only ones able to fork up that amount of money.

The only way Sony can buy a publisher at this point is if no one else bids and/or they for some reason agree to a steep discount, which likely never happens because investors would be furious.

[dehnus]

@Rondras

The problem is the first look and on first look, Larry does look like a sexual predator.

You know how the internet is, people wont care about you explaining the lore and humor of the saga, they will just say Microsoft sucks. I would love Larry to come back in a collection for example and be on gamepass for everyone to experience but it wont happen.

Now… the rest of Sierra… damn Xbox open all the doors please. Police Quest, Space Quest,Swat,etc just give it to me

I don’t think it would have been a problem, even with the “first look” if it was ANYBODY but Activision Blizzard. This is also due to Blizzard’s frat boy culture, and all the Activision sexual harassment. BUT MS might be able to license it out to the community. As they already released a new game (mostly a passion project from some German Guys), and MS isn’t the lamest guys in the room with this. I mean look MechWarrior as a franchise being licensed out to an external party.

I don’t fear the Internet’s wrath that much, as people writing “angry letters” have always been a thing. It also depends on your writing staff and if you are inclusive. For instance if you have to make a joke about Transgender people? Then ask a Transgender person to be included in the writing staff. Otherwise don’t bother. Of course you won’t please everyone, and yeah, some people will keep writing angry letters. But I don’t think most would care.

Heck in the current climate of politics you can make A LOT of Larry Jokes. Like the “enforcement of bathroom laws” :P. Something that NEVER was an issue (as a father often had to wander into a woman’s bathroom to change their child’s diaper, and the station not being in the male bathroom, so these laws are pretty pointless). It could be one of Larry’s death-scenes LOL.

BUt I digress.

I do however fully agree that it can’t be Activision Blizzard or even MS themselves making the game, as really too much shit happened. That said, they could license it out to a community project and I assure you many of minorities (Queer as a goose here ) would love to get involved with the writing. Our problem is usually that the jokes just… aren’t that good. Or they are hateful or just … old and not funny.

But again, you are right, it can’t be MS due to the perception and first look.

PS: I think MS owns most of the old Adventure Games now. Including Adventure game icon Tim Schafer’s company :P.

[Resist]

@dehnus

… https://gamerant.com/sony-shifting-away-smaller-games-blockbuster-hits-says-report/ I can go on for a while. Basically Sony doesn’t want to make smaller games anymore. MS also has this issue a bit, just by far not as much. I’d love for MS and Rare (for instance) to make more smaller games that have a high turn around (time wise) and budget wise are less of a risk so more risks are taken. This also means more couch multiplayer and family gaming. A game as big as COD (which runs in the hundreds of millions budget wise), have to be very formulaic as taking a risk can proof fatal!

rare does not want to make smaller games, MS has no issue with devs focusing on smaller projects see: obsidian, the coalition’s smaller project, double fine etc.

[dehnus]

@Resist

rare does not want to make smaller games, MS has no issue with devs focusing on smaller projects see: obsidian, the coalition’s smaller project, double fine etc.

I’m claiming a wish I have, or a want. Not what Rare wants. I know Rare doesn’t want to make smaller games anymore, but I’d love it if they had 1 big team (for the AAA games) and several smaller teams/projects going on the side.

[Xplainin]

Is anyone thinking the 70 billion could have been better spent? Your 70 billion you could buy ABK, or 200 Insomniacs or Playground Games.

[Staffy]

According to Bloomberg with this deal MS snatches away 20b from Sony.

Lord almighty. That is a huge slap in the noggin.

[Staffy]

@Xplainin

Is anyone thinking the 70 billion could have been better spent? Your 70 billion you could buy ABK, or 200 Insomniacs or Playground Games.

Oh I won’t deny AB wasn’t my first choice that I hoped see them do, but it makes all the sense in the world for them. Some huge money making IP there.

But I would have liked to see IOI, Remedy, WB, etc.

[Roronoa_Zoro90]

@Staffy

According to Bloomberg with this deal MS snatches away 20b from Sony.

Lord almighty. That is a huge slap in the noggin.

Not surprising, because of two basic facts: the notion that Sony can’t compete on that level is apparent and also COD was a huge part of PS dominance.