Brad got really upset over that lmao, he said he was even losing sleep because of how they came down on him. I figure he has a responsibility of sharing information knowing the kind of media wildfire that breeds simply from rumors. That dumbass show distracting game thing became an IGN headline, what would you expect? So yeah, it’s kinda on both 343 for messing up the game’s launch schedule and on the other side, Brad not being responsible enough in reporting information. People shouldn’t go down on Brad for the info if that’s what his insider said, but Brad himself has agency and needs to do better I feel. Even today, many xbox people were deeply upset about the Series S leak
The new video by Alanah is interesting. She’s conflicted about Xbox becoming more like how phone subs work and speculates we might be seeing a follow up to Xbox Series much sooner than maybe Sony might. She’s not sure how to feel about that All Access thing. Personally I probably won’t bother with All Access anyway, I’ll just buy it straight up. Not sure The Netherlands will even get that program to begin with.
She later says Sony will continue to make single-player games and be great at that and no mention of Xbox, which I don’t get. Xbox has Avowed, Fable and Hellblade 2 in development. I fully expect these three to be very much single-player games with a option for co-op maybe in Fable…maybe Avowed? Hellblade 2 is fully SP though and whatever TI is working on hopefully has a strong SP too.
I do get what she says though, Sony makes full on high budget SP only games (although Ghost is getting MP now) but so is MS. I doubt Avowed, Fable and Hellblade 2 won’t have a very high budget. Anyway, the video…
did she not know that All-Access has existed for years already? some of these industry people man, the lack of basic knowledge drives me up a frickin wall.
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It seems like it. She’s usually well informed and I appreciate that. While I watched the video it almost seemed as if All Access was the only way to get a Xbox Series console, when it is very optional. She probably didn’t mean it like that though.
That was not a good video, at all. Disappointed.
Alanah just expresses how she feels and there’s nothing wrong with that. She’s also received flack from a lot of the gaming community due to how pro Game Pass she is. This is a new paradigm that Microsoft is trying to lead and change scares people. It’s OK to ask questions about it including people here as long as it’s good faith discussions.
That said, currently Sony leads mindshare due to their big budget single player hits. In 2022 once Microsoft starts dropping their own, narratives will likely change. Personally I’m excited about the change within the gaming industry. The less there’s emphasis on plastic boxes, the more the emphasis goes towards super talented creatives and the tools they work with. I still believe the tools are a bigger technical story for next gen than teraflops or SSDs.
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There’s nothing wrong with expressing how you feel, but I don’t know, I didn’t find the video really all that great. She usually has really good videos. Like you said, Game Pass. Right after the July show she had a video up saying it’s crazy how so many people don’t seem to realize the value of it, it was good stuff.
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I’ve had some takes that will likely hold up worse so I’ll never be one to judge. lol
As long as people can have takes in good faith and be respectful of one another, that’s more important in times like these.
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Agreed.
I did find it interesting that she basically said you don’t need a XSX. Hell, I have two friends whom both have very powerful PCs but guess what they’ll be having on day one of the launch? XSX. At the same time I do get her point. I understand both sides really. Those saying “I have a great PC, I can even communicate with friends that have Xbox, but I don’t need one.” and those that just love having the console in their home, even if they do have a great PC too. Like two of my friends. 
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Are people so dumb on purpose? The worst is that they are well known people. False concern for nothing.
Well, about Hellblade 2…
Having multiplayer components is maybe (just maybe) in the realm of possibilities
Wtf, why? OK that’s just odd. NT has spoken about the possibility?
The first game is such a real SP experience, I can’t imagine MP. If it’s completely optional…fine I guess.
MS didn’t buy studios known for SP games only for them to make MP games.
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Agreed. But remember, these studios DO have creative freedom. But these studios clearly were acquired to greatly improve SP offerings from their own.
Obsidian is fully known for their SP games, and I expect Avowed to be fully SP focused. Playground Games is a different story, FH games are perfectly fine and fun in solo and online play. I can see Fable having optional co op.
I guess it’s possible that Ninja Theory themself might want to experiment some with MP for Hellblade 2. It’s just one game I really didn’t expect to even hear it being in the realm of possibilities.
I have said it before and I will say it again. Sony has 7 studios for single player narrative based AAA games(SSM, ND, GG, Insomniac, Sucker Punch, Bend and the upcoming San Diego studio), but so has Xbox(Ninja Theory, Coalition, Initiative, Compulsion, Obsidian, InXile and Playground Games). Xbox should now focus on getting studios for other genres they are lacking in like MMORPGs.
Hellblade II is made by only 40 people. Both that and Project Mara are full single player games. It does not make any sense for every studio to add multiplayer like ticking a check box.
exactly creative freedom for the devs, hence why Bleeding Edge is even a thing, NT wanted to do it and MS gave them the financial security to do it. HB2 will be fine even if NT want to add on an MP part to it.
The Initiative is one that we know a little about, but have they ever said this will be a studio focused on SP games, or that their first game will be SP? I mean their hires so far give an indication that it will be a SP game but officially…well, I think I speak for all when I say I really want TI to reveal their project now.
It has been said numerous times that it will be revealed this year. I guess they are keeping this one for last.
Overall I wish we had gotten some actual info on some games like Avowed and Fable. It was basically the trailers and that was it. Maybe they just didn’t want to talk since it’s still early and maybe risk the chances of promising stuff that might not end up in the game.
Lol. Do you really think the trailer implies a mp? 
should we all be Senua and go on the hunt? Naaah Hellblade II is surely SP.
Remember gamepass/= gaas. Gamepass = diversity.
lol this is just reaching, fam. Honestly, it just feels like there are other AI NPCs that are part of your clan or something like that. The game and the trailer itself focused very hard on Senua as a character. Even if multiplayer exists, it might be a lot more benign and optional than a full on Live service Hellblade, which makes zero sense to me. It’d be a disaster to make Hellblade significantly MP focused.
some of their recent hires explicitly mention experience in Live Services, so I am not so sure that their game shall be solely singleplayer.