Xbox Game Studios |OT3| Once more....with feeling (Part 1)

[Voodoopeople]

Tried Destiny 2 on my XSX and it looks really good actually. The lighting really pops.

[Biggzy (Hassan)]

The thing that needs to be considered is that 343i can cut off future support very quickly for the Xbox One, because of the fact it supports smart delivery. For the end user he/she can still use the same purchase when they are ready to upgrade.

I personally think they will do so within two years.

[Ruthwik_Rao]

@peter42O

My personal thinking is that with X-Cloud, why not just stream the Series X version to the Xbox One and eliminate the actual base version completely? This way, Xbox One users get the best console version, never get left behind in regards to monthly/yearly content and don’t have to upgrade to Series X/S if they don’t want to.

Yeah they’ll say that to xbox one users in 2022 or 2023, not at launch. Also xcloud is nowhere near robust, they haven’t even moved it series console blades yet and they’re severely limited regions wise, even in 2021 seeing their roadmap.

@peter42O

I will never understand why people want to always cling to the past. I don’t get it. I don’t want game design to be restricted and limited because of decade old tech. I simply don’t believe in this. When you get new consoles, you want to fully utilize the tech as quickly as possible.

there’s a reason why spiderman is crossgen and demons souls isn’t, the latter doesn’t sell anything close to the former. In the same way, Horizon is crossgen cuz the first one sold really well. That’s why Jim said PS4 will be supported for a few more years, and hesitated to give a definite answer when asked if GOW Ragnarok will be crossgen. They can’t ignore the 120+ million consoles base until PS5 grows some legs, and that shall only start happening by late 2021 (when they’ll release GT7 on PS5 alone, which is actually a bold move given GT is one of their higher selling IP).

Same with Halo and potential 50 million userbase. Xbox has one thing going for it and that is PC userbase as well, it has chance to eclipse some of the bigger games on the platform rn. All in all, it’s fine that Halo shall be on Xbox One at launch, but don’t expect it to stay on it beyond two years, especially when Xbox has an answer ready for the question “what to do now?” and that’ll be “just stream it on to your xbox one”. Just that that answer won’t be in 2021 at game’s launch.

[pg2g]

@peter42O

Being made and being released are two different things. The Xbox One version will get cutoff at some point so I just don’t see the purpose in releasing a game for a console that eventually will no longer be supported. But whatever. As long as the Series X version is amazing in a year from now, I will be a happy gamer.

How about ~20 million Game Pass subscribers? A good chunk of them will take some time to transition to the new consoles. They can play the game for a couple years.

[peter42O]

@Ruthwik_Rao

All in all, it’s fine that Halo shall be on Xbox One at launch, but don’t expect it to stay on it beyond two years, especially when Xbox has an answer ready for the question “what to do now?” and that’ll be “just stream it on to your xbox one”.

Just quoting this because I agree with it and it makes sense. Have the game itself for two years or whatever and then use X-Cloud to stream which by then would be 2023 and should be ready and stable.

@pg2g

How about ~20 million Game Pass subscribers? A good chunk of them will take some time to transition to the new consoles. They can play the game for a couple years.

My above response to Rao also applies here.

[Capybara]

To everyone that thinks halo and starfield can’t release in Q4 2021. You are thinking of game sales the old school way. Microsoft is thinking of this as how do we get alot of people into our ecosystem and subscriptions. What better way to do it then selling people a console and including 3 months of gamepass and saying don’t worry about buying the 2 biggest games this Christmas because we got you covered plus the 200+ other games on the service

[Ruthwik_Rao]

@Capybara

To everyone that thinks halo and starfield can’t release in Q4 2021. You are thinking of game sales the old school way. Microsoft is thinking of this as how do we get alot of people into our ecosystem and subscriptions. What better way to do it then selling people a console and including 3 months of gamepass and saying don’t worry about buying the 2 biggest games this Christmas because we got you covered plus the 200+ other games on the service

I just simply think Starfield is not coming in 2021 because I genuinely believe it is not close to being ready enough for 2021.

[CallMeCraig]

@Ruthwik_Rao

I’m just fucking tired of this coming up again and again. 343 is NOT getting rid of Xbox one release, at least at launch, this late into development. I can see them dropping support after a year or so, but not at launch. People just gotta stop basing this on how dogshit cyberpunk runs on it. They’re completely different games with completely different goals, completely different engines, completely different developers.

Agreed. Why are some gamers so hellbent on removing acces to Halo for millions of players?

[Burnaldo]

Besides graphics and loading times, can someone have a go at explaining how the new machines could be used to make a better game than the old machines?

Is in terms of scope, for instance could the Series X power a legitimate city sized sandbox with a million NPCs all going about their daily life? Or Battlefield with 200 per side instead of 40?

Is it in terms of AI, where enemies will be able to learn your tactics and ways to defeat you, like a chess supercomputer?

If the answer is just graphics and load times, then besides the time to implement two versions (one with better assets/more particles) then making a version of the game for Xbox One doesn’t seem that much of a burden or holding anything back. If, however, making a One version is limiting the size of games or the intelligence of the AI, then we should scrap the Xbox One versions today.

[javycane (Javier Ruiz)]

Why is Starfield and Halo mutually exclusive all of a sudden? If Xbox drops them this year in the space of a month it would be insane.

[LiamS]

@javycane

Why is Starfield and Halo mutually exclusive all of a sudden? If Xbox drops them this year in the space of a month it would be insane.

Just from a marketing perspective its not the best idea to have two passingly similar games coming out at the same time. I know they arent the same thing obviously, but if you had two billboards showing space stuff and you glanced at it for half a second you would be forgiven for mixing them up. Plus if they released them both at the sameish time it would likely make it harder to determine how much each title affected gamepass subs individually, which I’m sure is something they want to figure out. Maybe big titles don’t add that many more subs than two smaller ones for instance, having them release within a month of each other would make it messy to determine whats happening IMO

[Doncabesa (Jesse Norris)]

@Burnaldo

… go at explaining how the new machines could be used to make a better game than the old machines? Is in terms of scope, for instance could the Series X power a legitimate city sized sandbox with a million NPCs all going about their daily life? Or Battlefield with 200 per side instead of 40? Is it in terms of AI, where enemies will be able to learn your tactics and ways to defeat you, like a chess supercomputer? If the answer is just graphics and load times, then besides the time to implement two versions (one with better assets/more particles) then making a version of the game for Xbox One doesn’t seem that much of a burden or holding anything back. If, however, making a One version is limiting the size of games or the intelligence of the AI, then we should scrap the Xbox One versions today.

They have actual CPU’s and a baseline for a very fast SSD. Those two factors alone allow for a level of computational power and loading speed that can greatly change how you build a game yes. In the end it always comes down to talent/time/budget but the ceiling for how much those things can do is far higher on the new generation.

[Doncabesa (Jesse Norris)]

@LiamS

Just from a marketing perspective its not the best idea to have two passingly similar games coming out at the same time. I know they arent the same thing obviously, but if you had two billboards showing space stuff and you glanced at it for half a second you would be forgiven for mixing them up. Plus if they released them both at the sameish time it would likely make it harder to determine how much each title affected gamepass subs individually, which I’m sure is something they want to figure out. Maybe big titles don’t add that many more subs than two smaller ones for instance, having them release within a month of each other would make it messy to determine whats happening IMO

Starfield and Halo are not the same genre any more than Ghost of Tsushima and TLOU2 (1 month apart) were. Those were both 3rd person action rpg types a month apart and no one cared. Halo and Starfield are in no way similar. Hell Halo isn’t eve “space stuff” if it’s entirely on a Halo ring.

[javycane (Javier Ruiz)]

@LiamS

Just from a marketing perspective its not the best idea to have two passingly similar games coming out at the same time. I know they arent the same thing obviously, but if you had two billboards showing space stuff and you glanced at it for half a second you would be forgiven for mixing them up. Plus if they released them both at the sameish time it would likely make it harder to determine how much each title affected gamepass subs individually, which I’m sure is something they want to figure out. Maybe big titles don’t add that many more subs than two smaller ones for instance, having them release within a month of each other would make it messy to determine whats happening IMO

Those games arent similar at all. This isnt a Titanfall 2-BF situation.

[uouit_iyyur]

Yeah, Starfield is a third person RPG in space and Halo is a first person shooter

This is not the same public

[Mostlyharmless]

@Ruthwik_Rao

I just simply think Starfield is not coming in 2021 because I genuinely believe it is not close to being ready enough for 2021.

But the facts are it’s been in active development for 5 plus years already meaning it’s had a longer dev time than the last couple scrolls game and fallout 3, 4. There’s been no word of troubled development either.

Anyway Between halo and Starfield there is room for both in fall if that’s when they are ready. Release one late September and the other mid November.

[uouit_iyyur]

@Mostlyharmless

But the facts are it’s been in active development for 5 plus years already meaning it’s had a longer dev time than the last couple scrolls game and fallout 3, 4. There’s been no word of troubled development either.

Anyway Between halo and Starfield there is room for both in fall if that’s when they are ready. Release one late September and the other mid November.

The leaker said the game aimed for fall 2021 release, I hope it’s still true

[pg2g]

@Burnaldo

… go at explaining how the new machines could be used to make a better game than the old machines? Is in terms of scope, for instance could the Series X power a legitimate city sized sandbox with a million NPCs all going about their daily life? Or Battlefield with 200 per side instead of 40? Is it in terms of AI, where enemies will be able to learn your tactics and ways to defeat you, like a chess supercomputer? If the answer is just graphics and load times, then besides the time to implement two versions (one with better assets/more particles) then making a version of the game for Xbox One doesn’t seem that much of a burden or holding anything back. If, however, making a One version is limiting the size of games or the intelligence of the AI, then we should scrap the Xbox One versions today.

I don’t know every thing that a more powerful CPU enables, but i believe things like more interactivity, destruction, physics all fit the mold.

[thiagosilva (thiagoツ)]

Andy Robinson (AndyPlaytonic)

[Marduk]

@Doncabesa

They have actual CPU’s and a baseline for a very fast SSD. Those two factors alone allow for a level of computational power and loading speed that can greatly change how you build a game yes. In the end it always comes down to talent/time/budget but the ceiling for how much those things can do is far higher on the new generation.

Also it’s good for the developers to get rid of 2 consoles.