injurai

That is super naive on a few levels.

^ me on most days ^ me today ^ me right now

The controls, the movement, but especially the shooting, just looks so janky...

Microsoft (both in terms of Windows, and Xbox) is the clear king of backwards compatibility. No contest.

Well, they do have that new project in the works with Private Division, it's possible Microsoft wants to buy Take-Two out of that venture for themselves. This is the big project using Unreal. Some of the older talent may really want to get their "one time shot" at a dream project, and Microsoft might be willing to see what sticks. Leaving a company before you see how things shake out is unlikely, given that would be a radical life change for anyone. I think the later point is very apt. Even if Microsoft made an rpg of my dreams, I'm not buying into Xbox for one game. Especially when there are other exclusives that I really want to play as well. It's a cost-benefit analysis, and it's likely I'd rather play a different set of titles where the price makes more sense. Then if I miss out on the title, and sequels start rolling out I might be fine missing out what I'm not aware of. Which is why Microsoft needs to learn how to sustain it's studios for decades, just like Sony and Nintendo. Hell, even some of the third parties have better track records with their "golden studios" in terms of developer support and goodwill.

Guess I need to check this out. A lot of Ensemble's closing seems motivated by Microsoft fearing it's PC Games division would somehow undercut the Xbox brand. If Microsoft can somehow unify Xbox with Windows and make the two brands sing in unison then I think Obsidian has a better chance. Especially if they games are cross-platform but ultimately exclusively Microsoft either way. The only reason to cheer for exclusivity is because first-parties that do bolster the overall buy-in into the brand are generally well patronized and supported. Hopefully Microsoft knows what they are doing because Obsidian is one of the last gems of the old publishing model.

Acquisitions happen when the former owners want an exit strategy where they can immediate make liquid the value that their company has been built up to. So they seek someone to buy them out. This usually happens when the owners are nearing retirement and having a guaranteed lump sum is more desired over unpredictable future dividends. The buyer is essentially taking a gamble, but it's worth it because the investment in building up a company has already been done. Plus they can acquire all the intellectual property of the studio. Even if they run it into the ground eventually, the one time fee to own the studio outright allows them more freedom to aggressively squeeze the company to make back the returns. This is part of the reason most acquired companies either die or lose their identity. If Microsoft instead of seeking returns, sees Obsidian as a long term investment where their value is not in their return value. But in the ability to move hardware sales. Then I think Obsidian has a surviving chance. This has essentially been Sony's model. EA doesn't have hardware to reclaim their acquisition loses, but there is no reason why Microsoft should be operating the same way. Sadly most of their first parties have been used to sell business gimmicks like Kinectimals in the past. Or in the case of their strongest first-party titles (Epic' Gears, and Bungie's Halo) Microsoft didn't actually own the talent behind the IPs. Where those IPs degraded with every year.

Rare is alive in name only. also RIP Ensemble.

Chalotra is mixed, but I guess the one drop rule still applies? Freya is a Scandinavian name. Anya seems to exist independently in a number of societies.

3) Let Obisidian's unique brand of rpg-design deepen and soar to establish a unique cornerstone in what will be Microsoft's exclusive portfolio. Use strong targeted marketing to open the mind's of a new generation to these deeper games. Play on fandom and the desire to live in whatever world Obsidian crafts to create an undeniably rich IP and Universe. Allow the preferences of the hardcore to drive the ultimate game design and depth, with an emphasis on creating new systems that don't just derive from past rpg systems. (I.e. Let Josh Sawyer roast sacred cows.) Use the large budget to polish the experience and create proper introductory content so more casual players can digest the game systems.

Cavill looking like Chalotra's father...

I think that's inevitable in any buy out. At some point the heart and soul of old Obsidian would be usurped by Microsoft corporate and a new guard of employees. I guarantee if they are bought, some 10 years later you'll see the "studio conspicuously still named Obsidian" using it's lineage to bolster it's reputation while at the same time disparaging the design philosophies of old (many of which are timeless) and the fans who had supported the studio through it's history who dare remind people of the branding facade. Let's hope Microsoft is smart enough to maintain a small traditional or crpg-focused design division within Obsidian even if it has small profit margins. I couldn't care less if they had some more safe AAA experiences as long as they don't axe the more heartfelt creative environment that draws from ttrpgs and strong diversity of thought writing.

We migrate to an unofficial forum? Strict forums seem to result from large populations where cheeky conflict devolves into groups bludgeoning out other groups or individual voices.

Don't you worry. Obsidian will be Xbox exclusive soon enough.

I love when the word funny is a replacement for tragic.

untwist

I feel they will do a GTA Online analog.

Imo, AMD's pricing encourages more frequent upgrades. Which means it would be easier for AMD to move their top-end stock. Intel's recent models are more about brokering SKU's for dividend reasons. If they were cheaper I'd be inclined to humor them more. Right now Intel's release cycle is in a sticky situation with their Process-Architecture-Optimization. New fabs are great and all but what you really want is the new arch. New archs can be flawed so you really want the improvement. But it's the new fabs where you see some huge jumps in transistor count. So where is the best time to purchase? All have their own risks. The major thing is whenever you do upgrade, it makes sense to have gone through a whole cycle, so if you bought on arch last time, upgrade on arch again. But this is an awful way to have to shop as a consumer. The price forces you to wait at least two/thirds of a cycle and it's not worth it until the 3rd or beyond. Then even when you do upgrade pricing is a racket because the market is flooded with sub-par chips.

Ben Daglish, the Legendary C64 composer has died at 52. https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/ben-daglish-dead-dies-game-composer-1202969064/

Uniternity...? Please spare my ears.

Spock grew the beard.