Sven_

Agree, but that was the last project prior to Bethesda/ZeniMax losing the trust. Basically, Dishonored did outperform expectations, Dishonored 2 underperformed them (and was multiple times more expensive to make) and Prey "sealed" the deal. If they were that insecure at that point, they should have sat them on a popular IP (Fallout) instead of encouraging a switch in game type outright (so stupid and short-sighted, considering how highly specialized these studios are). But then that was also during the Live Service / Multiplayer hype -- and Avowed was initially meant to have some elements itself (even encouraged by Feargus when still shopping for publishers/money). At least that's probably a lesson learned by the industry the hard way: With dev cycles like these, chasing the latest fad is a suicide mission / gamble. And personally, I'd argue in such a highly fragmented market with options a plenty , studios with a distinct signature are an asset to build upon, rather than something to axe in an investor meeting. Obsidian meanwhile even started out as a studio making sequels to other peoples' IPs (NWN, Kotor, Dungeon Siege, Fallout...). So they don't do a complete switcheroo in a sense now. By reporting to Bethesda and doing Fallout again, it could be argued that they're back to the start...

That's got to be expected some. Prior, they could work on own IP. Now that's increasingly unlikely. However, things could actually transition pretty smoothly overall in this case. Obsidian after all were specifically brought under the Bethesda umbrella to handle Fallout product etc. -- and that's the type they were build for. Compare that what happened to Arkane under Bethesda/ZeniMax, where the entire genre was questioned.... and staff including leadership fled en masse because they were forced to make product that they had never signed up for at all. Nor did they have the skills. That's kinda like Hollywood asking Sofia Coppola+production company to do the next Marvel movie, becuz more money. Only gaming can be that kind of stupid. (Doofus should have sat Arkane on a Fallout ImmSim/RPG-Like THEN, which WolfEye are kinda now making themselves -- interestingly, even Tim Cain was briefly involved before re-joining Obsidian). WolfEye Studios - Next: First Person Action RPG on X: "About our next game: "We wanted to create a game like Fallout meets Dishonored, or a game in keeping with Arkane Games to be more accurate. So what we want is to land in the Action RPG space with all those values, dialogue and so on, and that’s still our inspiration." Link below https://t.co/X3h9O6cEa1" / X

Bit selfish, but the "best" thing since Beth lost trust in Arkane is that there's two new studios working on two ImmSim-Likes now. Colantonio+Roby formed WolfEye after all. And Smith+Horne+Bare formed Black Pony Immersive. And the way the industry generally has been going for most of the past decade at the top, it's to the benefit of the games. These people aren't corporate drones after all. They're more the auteur kind -- the type of people that unlike in big budget movies are barely allowed to exist in gaming.

Wasn't this always a probable outcome, considering the popularity of Bethsoft IPs? Obsidian had tried to pitch TES spinoffs to Bethesda back then themselves post ca. New Vegas... In particular considering that Bethesda is unable to provide two, now three IPs alone. The last "proper" Fallout mainline game is over a decade old, TES a decade and a half -- and even Starfield has turned three this year already. But that's the way things are generally headed, years of franchise service. Even Rockstar hasn't done anything FRESH in decades! Not even Hollywood is this limited, as it's still maintaining slot for new IP. But considering where the industry is going... Will be interesting to see what's gonna happen to inXile.

Another replay (in preparation for RetroSpace): FIFA 2072: In space no one can hear you VAR. 😋 Feels good to be back aboard Citadel Station (the crew turned into mutants and cyborgs may disagree, but who the hell are they). Whilst Nightdive could have well introduced a quest log to keep track of the tasks without killing the vibe -- it's overall so much better storytelling if you actually need to engage with a world and characters rather than checking the checklists. Even Pixar know this, and they make product for all ages: Don't give the 4. Give the 2+2. Yeah audiologs are kinds old hat to convey that -- but they all started here. Right on Citadel. Enjoy your stay... and don't mind the crazy AI that wants to turn your hacker ass into a cyborg too.

On-topic: Replaying a game definitely made by someone for someone. And taking its ideas (sandbox slapstick) and inspirations (Dark Messiah) and RUNNING with them. And KICKING with them. And BANANA SLIPPING with them. Unlike those bloated open worlds full of side activity to farm that people insist on 100% completing anyway: This one can be finished in 7-8ish hours or so. Sorry in case you're allergic to bananas tho. You've got to pick your lane somehow. 😁 Sir Kicksalot is the Perfect Dark Messiah Parody

More like: After dealing with boring quest checklists to be completed at work... ... dealing with boring quest checklists to be completed at home... All question marks on the map unlocked, all side quests and fetch activity cleared, completion rate at 100% -- boss says you're all done now, god job! 😁 By the way: My above take wasn't an argument for time mechanics in every game. GODDAMN PLEASE NO! :) (The path of the spreadsheet design is beset on all sides by the lack of imagination of the CEOs -- and the tyranny of the shareholder value. See Ubisoft et all, and Witcher 3 REALLY wasn't that far off in its world design). It thus all depends on the game. The mood and emotions it targets. And the stories it tries to tell. As such I'm still waiting for the mod that: ..adds more combat to Disco Elysium? (I’m narcoleptic and always fall asleep when there’s that much text) ...swaps the Brütal Legend soundtrack for country music? (I hate metal and need something I actually like) ...gives Death Stranding infinite carrying capacity? (I work in logistics and want to be able to switch off when I’m home) ...adds a pacifist mode with tranquilizer darts to Doom: The Dark Ages? (I'm a hippie at heart and full of BFG remorse) ...caps the speed in Autobahnraser at 130 km/h? (I’m a Green Party supporter and want to see that implemented—at least in the game) ...unlocks a rocket launcher in Thief 2? (I’m a speedrunner and learned to like the rocket-jump) ...removes the puzzles from Portal 2? (I hate it when a plan doesn’t come together) ...gets rid of the choices in The Walking Dead? (You should see me frozen in the super market, eternally facing those 100 different frozen pizzas to pick from...) Wait, why MODS? Unlike movies, books and music, games will hit so much more if they're truly made for everyone, straight outta the box. 100% convenience. 100% retention and completion rates unlocked! Just like a lawnmower! Come on triple-A studios, CEOs and shareholders! You can make it if only you truly try! ^^

Re: Blood Of Dawnwalker (and that supposedly "timer"..) I sympathize with people disliking elements of a game (be glad if you're not as allergic to markers for everything as I am btw ^^). But this still highlights why I'm barely playing triple-A blockbusters anymore. Numerous mainstream outlets have already highlighted how they've had all the time to explore almost everything (GameStar ran articles and a video, PC Gamer argued they were near invincible after 20 days of 30... calling it a bit tame.) But more importantly: The moment there's even a tiny bit of friction teased, people panic (or mod it out). Let this sink in: It isn't a game over, as the game carries on. Or a real-time clock ticking. It's just trying to represent the consequences of your (in-)actions. In a way that only a game could do. A book may describe a tragedy. A movie may show a hurry. But only a game could make you find a pile of corpses and realize: "Oh my GOD, if I hadn't wasted the prior 1000 hours on brainlessly farming every question mark on the map, that Ciri girl, er, my family may still be alive!" Hollywood is laughing, with gaming throwing its core advantage away, one formulaic triple-A blockbuster at a time. :D And yeah, rather hesistant to pay premium for ideas that sound grand on paper ("Narrative Sandboxes!") -- but then get nerfed in playtesting to barely matter anyway. The good thing is that studios that go with the friction can be winning (Warhorse being the most recent example). Whilst those that are desperate to please everyone in the room and heavily compromise, they may suffer (Bioware). After all, these aren't the mid 2000s anymore, where the entire market was gatekept closely by major publishers (and even retail). Similar to music, this is now a heavily fragmented digital one. Where playing it bland now can run the risk of being ignored (in particular if your product isn't a part of an established franchise or studio still riding high). Prior, lawnmower product makers worldwide only had to upload a glitzy trailer -- and hit the launch button. No more.

Started playing Parkside: Decayed Soul Manipulation. TL;DR: It's Deus Ex, had Deus Ex been a launch smash on PSX. When I first tried the demo a couple weeks or so ago, the game didn't win my heart immediately over. As basically a solo take on huge ideas, there's naturally bit of jank. But then I appreciated the openness of the levels. The varied mission goals. Some non-violent solutions (which also involve dialogue choice or environmental interactions). And lately the game "shocked" me also with making a decision of mine permanent, influencing my gameplay experience from now on... (There's no auto or quick saves, and now I understand why). What needs tuning a little is the aggro of the AI (you're weirdly frequently attacked by security/police force when you didn't even open the aggro, e.g. a bunch of druggies starts coming after you). And it seems a little inconsistent what "theft" NPCs react to. Otherwise, it's fun. And just my type. When there's no more ImmSim in triple-A hell, the indies will make your day. Oh, and you can drive cars and put rats on peoples' plates too. Rats on the table -- probably the last ever feature in the milky way that Ubisoft has yet to paste+copy for its checklists.

OH **** OH ****, this was my personal GTA 6 moment (due to reasons... -> Fallen Aces Preview - Gabagood Immersive Sim ) And it's heeeeeeeeeere! (Biggest steal on Steam right now, btw).

Triple-Indie is the way. No shareholders or kings. Only games. ❤️

Have you played Pentiment? IIRC you weren't particularly fond of lots of combat, so just your kind of game. Granted, it was always set up to be a more niche experience (art style, narrative, historical focus). I still think it deserved to go a little bigger. Btw, what's being done do id Software highlights how crazy this industry is. They didn't only make games, after all. They had one of the most experienced engine tech teams in the industry. In other words, major long-term assets. Which is something that Obsidian for instance don't have, didn't have even in the Black Isle days (without Bioware's Infinity Engine, most of their games as we know them now would have never been). Throwing all (or most) of that under the bus just figures. And that by MS -- for which gaming isn't the main business anyway. In other words, they could "afford" to keep those assets. Rather than axing them straight away.

Wasn't Game Pass supposed to be about "minimizing risk" too? Speaking of which: New Vegas 2 -- the GaaS/ Live Service Unlimited Adventure. 😍 Joking, surely they learned that lesson on that one. Commercially, a new Fallout has the chance of being Obsidian's greatest hit now. When Vincke was shopping for IPs to capitalize on, he considered Fallout too... Larian CEO Swen Vincke says there were only two other RPG series he was interested in working on if he couldn't get Baldur's Gate: Fallout and Ultima | PC Gamer

Ya, to be honest, I'm not even that hyped about Fallout anymore. At least Obsidian's take may be spicy again, rather than another postapoc Bethesda theme park. There's certainly still themes and conflicts to explore in this world. Hoping for another more adventurous smaller project too (see Pentiment et all).

Obsidian doing Fallout was always a likely outcome. Not only because they want to work on that themselves (they even pitched TES spinoffs to Bethesda way back, so who knows...) But because it's just a BIG NAME. One of those that hasn't been "served" by a main line game in well over a decade too now. And it's obvious that Bethesda can't handle it all themselves at these crazy dev cycles (7 years plus for Starfield). Franchises such as Call Of Duty still release regularly because it's studios taking turns. Else, not a chance. Question is, what is going to happen with inXile after Clockwork Revolution.