Obsidian and inXile acquired by Microsoft

[fantadomat]

santino27 ,you want citation....well just look the pic above.

It takes more than a shitty repurposed meme to convince me, sorry.

MS has been putting in the time, effort, and money to buy decent studios in the past year, and it's too early to judge the returns at this point. (Also, if you believe that salary and not spending every week worrying whether your company is going to go out of business due to your boss' crappy financial decisions aren't important factors in keeping talent, I don't know what to tell you. In my experience, salary, security, tech stack, and job satisfaction are all significant factors.)

Again, I'm not saying MS buying obsidian will == better games. But I don't see it as a sign of doom either. A lot depends on what the corporate structure is like when the acquisition is complete. By all reports, MS has been pretty hands-off with some of their recently acquired companies. Here, I think they'd be best served by getting rid of Obsidian's management. Regardless, who knows what they'll actually do.

I do agree with you mate. For the pay,i wasn't "gee guys,i am so happy for that bag of bread crumbs,as long as i work on RPGs!",i meant that it is not a major concern if you take a few hundred shekels less but get to work on your passion genre. I am not that insane to say that money doesn't matter at all mate.
The factors you counted are important,no argument there. But there is not work that satisfy them all at the max level. People always have something that they don't really like about their job.

For the studio's future,well i am not entirely hopeless. Yet it will be making games for the nu xbone. It is not like they are buying all those studios for shit and giggles,they do intend to make money out of them. Also have you forgot all the xbone release scams? They were extremely anti consumer back then.

 

[Rev]

I don't know what all the butthurt is about. Obsidian can only benefit from some financial stability, technical expertise and not having to bother with handling publishing duties, all of which Microsoft can bring to the table. And Phil Spencer seems like a good goy who's actually interested in supporting risky projects. Say what you want but Cuphead was pure incline and it would never happened if Spencer didn't throw millions at the studio.

Microsoft's leadership changes every five years or so, you may even be right about Spencer and his gaming sensibilities but his successor may not give a single fuck about it and put them on making mobile games, battle royals or MOBAs, or whatever will be the new trend.

 

[fantadomat]

I don't know what all the butthurt is about. Obsidian can only benefit from some financial stability, technical expertise and not having to bother with handling publishing duties, all of which Microsoft can bring to the table. And Phil Spencer seems like a good goy who's actually interested in supporting risky projects. Say what you want but Cuphead was pure incline and it would never happened if Spencer didn't throw millions at the studio.

you really shouldn't have had your developer tag removed

It is not like he had a choice mate,he was deownered!

 

[2house2fly]

I wonder what Chris Avellone thinks about all of this, and would he go back to work in there at least on some capacity or freelancer if the management would be replaced.

He probably thinks that being squeezed out of his ownership share of Obsidian means he will miss out on millions of dollars.

During the May Of Rage he bragged that he's set for life even if he never works another day, so I think he's fine

 

[karoliner]

Will we finally get a Shadowrun game that doesn't run in a shit engine?

 

[fantadomat]

Will we finally get a Shadowrun game that doesn't run in a shit engine?

What is your problem with SR games? They run well and are fun!

 

[SpaceWizardz]

Is MS even still allowed to make Shadowrun games?

 

[Infinitron]

We know Microsoft gave the Shadowrun license to another developer besides Harebrained Schemes (those poor bastards who made the Shadowrun Chronicles online game) so presumably they can also use it in-house.

 

[111111111]

With all the weird sketchy shit I read about obsidian I just want the entire management wiped and Sawyer to be given more artistic freedom.
Honestly most of these creative game dev types like Sawyer only really need some hardass guy to push deadlines.

 

[karoliner]

What is your problem with SR games? They run well and are fun!

They didn't run well at all. Shit performace courtesy of Unity 3D. They are my favorite games because of the writing and the characters not their technical aspects.

 

[Roguey]

hi Kyl Von Kill! I don't work at Obsidian but should I disclose that I run a really popular Pillars of Eternity/Brockhampton theme tumblr? Sorry don't know if i have to list that in my bio on this forum or not?

Post link please.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

I don't know what all the butthurt is about. Obsidian can only benefit from some financial stability, technical expertise and not having to bother with handling publishing duties

Im sure many people said the same thing when acquired by EA.

it's not an analogous situation. Bioware was an extremely successful studio.

hi Kyl Von Kill! I don't work at Obsidian but should I disclose that I run a really popular Pillars of Eternity/Brockhampton theme tumblr? Sorry don't know if i have to list that in my bio on this forum or not?

Post link please.

DON'T DO IT!

 

[Sailor Woedica]

sorry roguey, i'm pretty sure your a legit obsidian stalker so i don't think I should give out any more info

 

[hpstg]

Microsoft will most likely get rid of management, try to fund and help the Cain/Boyarski project (which im certain they have seen, and it's probably the reason for the aquisition), and use Sawyer as a project manager if everything gets out of time or budget.

They will most likely use their connections with Epic to make sure that the game is ok technically, and will also most likely hire the necessary people for polishing it during the last year of development.

Then they'll use it as an exclusive launch title for the next Xbox, coming 2020.

With a total cost of under 50m, they will have an experienced team, and an at minimum interesting title for their next endeavor.

 

[fantadomat]

What is your problem with SR games? They run well and are fun!

They didn't run well at all. Shit performace courtesy of Unity 3D. They are my favorite games because of the writing and the characters not their technical aspects.

Strange i never had any problem running them. They did run very well on my rig,it must have been drivers or some other shit. And yeah,they do have wiz writing and rad atmosphere!

 

[fantadomat]

sorry roguey, i'm pretty sure your a legit obsidian stalker so i don't think I should give out any more info

Hahahaha you broke two codexian hearts in a day,what a little minx.

 

[Deleted Member 22431]

I don't understand what they would be purchasing. It's just shitty employees and horrible project managers with no interesting IPs (even if pillars could be considered as such, it belongs to black rock company or whatever). If Microsoft wants their own RPG making studio, they can just hire people and that'd be it. No sense in paying Obshitian a dime.

Don't ruin Feargus' deal, please. Also, Inb4 Avellone send them a series of detailed emails explaining why the company is poorly managed.

 

[FreeKaner]

sorry roguey, i'm pretty sure your a legit obsidian stalker so i don't think I should give out any more info

So whose alt are you? I like this themed account.

 

[SpaceWizardz]

This has been already said, but I'm really curious what's going to happen to The Outer Worlds. Has there been any other cases like this? Where a developer gets acquired when they already have an ongoing contract with other publishers?

Gearbox still published We Happy Few even after Compulsion's acquisition, right?

 

[RepHope]

MS bought Compulsion and We Happy Few still released even though Gearbox was the publisher. I’m not worried about Outer Worlds, an AAA RPG is exactly the kind of thing MS would want out of Obsidian. They could throw it on Game Pass which is the reason they’re buying so many studios in the first place. Since they’re make keyboard and mouse work for Xbox they might even let Obsidian make PoE3, that would be a perfect fit for Game Pass, and Codex’s favorite franchise wouldn’t die.

Now if Sawyer, Cain, and Boyarsky leave then I’ll start worrying. But if they stay and Feargus/owners cash out and fuck off, this could be a turning point for Obsidian.

 

[Fry]

I seem to recall Sawyer saying he wasn't interested in directing another AAA game.

Which doesn't mean he wouldn't stay on as studio "creative director", but I doubt that position will continue to exist in its current form after the massive management turnover and cash injection sure to follow a Microsoft acquisition.

 

[Sentinel]

This has been already said, but I'm really curious what's going to happen to The Outer Worlds. Has there been any other cases like this? Where a developer gets acquired when they already have an ongoing contract with other publishers?

no reason for anything to happen to it.

 

[santino27]

santino27 ,you want citation....well just look the pic above.

It takes more than a shitty repurposed meme to convince me, sorry.

MS has been putting in the time, effort, and money to buy decent studios in the past year, and it's too early to judge the returns at this point. (Also, if you believe that salary and not spending every week worrying whether your company is going to go out of business due to your boss' crappy financial decisions aren't important factors in keeping talent, I don't know what to tell you. In my experience, salary, security, tech stack, and job satisfaction are all significant factors.)

Again, I'm not saying MS buying obsidian will == better games. But I don't see it as a sign of doom either. A lot depends on what the corporate structure is like when the acquisition is complete. By all reports, MS has been pretty hands-off with some of their recently acquired companies. Here, I think they'd be best served by getting rid of Obsidian's management. Regardless, who knows what they'll actually do.

I do agree with you mate. For the pay,i wasn't "gee guys,i am so happy for that bag of bread crumbs,as long as i work on RPGs!",i meant that it is not a major concern if you take a few hundred shekels less but get to work on your passion genre. I am not that insane to say that money doesn't matter at all mate.
The factors you counted are important,no argument there. But there is not work that satisfy them all at the max level. People always have something that they don't really like about their job.

For sure. My point was more that 'we make old school games' is probably not the determining factor for why at least a portion of the devs are at Obsidian. And frankly, if any of the stories MCA has told are true, I'd expect most employees to look at the acquisition with equal parts fear (because being bought out always raises the concern of layoffs) and hope (because Obsidian would appear to be on a downward track after the success of POE1, and an infusion of cash and new leadership might change that).

For the studio's future,well i am not entirely hopeless. Yet it will be making games for the nu xbone. It is not like they are buying all those studios for shit and giggles,they do intend to make money out of them. Also have you forgot all the xbone release scams? They were extremely anti consumer back then.

POE1/2 have both been ported to consoles (albeit not by Obsidian). Outer Worlds has been described as a PC/console game from the outset. I'm not sure this changes anything except that they'll have MS to market them at E3, rather than being relegated to the shitty pc gaming show that gets streamed and ignored.

(Also, while I am not a console gamer (I'm rubbish with controllers), I thought the ideas behind the Xbone were ahead of their time, tbh. People freaked out, MS abandoned the position, and x years later, they find themselves unprepared for a streaming/subscriber-based world their initial xb1 design had been targeted for. If anything, I blame people for being dumb and reacting in fear to new things, and MS for caving to the pressure.)

 

[fantadomat]

santino27 ,you want citation....well just look the pic above.

It takes more than a shitty repurposed meme to convince me, sorry.

MS has been putting in the time, effort, and money to buy decent studios in the past year, and it's too early to judge the returns at this point. (Also, if you believe that salary and not spending every week worrying whether your company is going to go out of business due to your boss' crappy financial decisions aren't important factors in keeping talent, I don't know what to tell you. In my experience, salary, security, tech stack, and job satisfaction are all significant factors.)

Again, I'm not saying MS buying obsidian will == better games. But I don't see it as a sign of doom either. A lot depends on what the corporate structure is like when the acquisition is complete. By all reports, MS has been pretty hands-off with some of their recently acquired companies. Here, I think they'd be best served by getting rid of Obsidian's management. Regardless, who knows what they'll actually do.

I do agree with you mate. For the pay,i wasn't "gee guys,i am so happy for that bag of bread crumbs,as long as i work on RPGs!",i meant that it is not a major concern if you take a few hundred shekels less but get to work on your passion genre. I am not that insane to say that money doesn't matter at all mate.
The factors you counted are important,no argument there. But there is not work that satisfy them all at the max level. People always have something that they don't really like about their job.

For sure. My point was more that 'we make old school games' is probably not the determining factor for why at least a portion of the devs are at Obsidian. And frankly, if any of the stories MCA has told are true, I'd expect most employees to look at the acquisition with equal parts fear (because being bought out always raises the concern of layoffs) and hope (because Obsidian would appear to be on a downward track after the success of POE1, and an infusion of cash and new leadership might change that).

For the studio's future,well i am not entirely hopeless. Yet it will be making games for the nu xbone. It is not like they are buying all those studios for shit and giggles,they do intend to make money out of them. Also have you forgot all the xbone release scams? They were extremely anti consumer back then.

POE1/2 have both been ported to consoles (albeit not by Obsidian). Outer Worlds has been described as a PC/console game from the outset. I'm not sure this changes anything except that they'll have MS to market them at E3, rather than being relegated to the shitty pc gaming show that gets streamed and ignored.

(Also, while I am not a console gamer (I'm rubbish with controllers), I thought the ideas behind the Xbone were ahead of their time, tbh. People freaked out, MS abandoned the position, and x years later, they find themselves unprepared for a streaming/subscriber-based world their initial xb1 design had been targeted for. If anything, I blame people for being dumb and reacting in fear to new things, and MS for caving to the pressure.)

I was talking about the capable devs,don't care if the tumblr retards get fired and die in some ditch. If you have the passion to work for a few hundred bucks less on your hobby,then you are good dev in my eyes.

On a console you can't have old school rpg! A controller is like wooden block compared to mouse+keyboard! Also most of the consoletards are dumb and the games get dumbed down for them. You are not winning me with give PoE as example. There is enough popamole shit out there,i don't want any more! I do like old games,their design,their writing and their worlds,and that is why i am on this forum! I didn't came here to talk about cool the new negro asscreed is or how you can see the reflection of blowing shit in the eyes of nazi niggers in battleturd 5! They could whatever they want,don't really care,i will simply not support such dumb shitty games! There are plenty of European studios that mage good RPG games! I am surprised that an oldfag like you will bend the knee to a popamoltards!

 

[santino27]

santino27 ,you want citation....well just look the pic above.

It takes more than a shitty repurposed meme to convince me, sorry.

MS has been putting in the time, effort, and money to buy decent studios in the past year, and it's too early to judge the returns at this point. (Also, if you believe that salary and not spending every week worrying whether your company is going to go out of business due to your boss' crappy financial decisions aren't important factors in keeping talent, I don't know what to tell you. In my experience, salary, security, tech stack, and job satisfaction are all significant factors.)

Again, I'm not saying MS buying obsidian will == better games. But I don't see it as a sign of doom either. A lot depends on what the corporate structure is like when the acquisition is complete. By all reports, MS has been pretty hands-off with some of their recently acquired companies. Here, I think they'd be best served by getting rid of Obsidian's management. Regardless, who knows what they'll actually do.

I do agree with you mate. For the pay,i wasn't "gee guys,i am so happy for that bag of bread crumbs,as long as i work on RPGs!",i meant that it is not a major concern if you take a few hundred shekels less but get to work on your passion genre. I am not that insane to say that money doesn't matter at all mate.
The factors you counted are important,no argument there. But there is not work that satisfy them all at the max level. People always have something that they don't really like about their job.

For sure. My point was more that 'we make old school games' is probably not the determining factor for why at least a portion of the devs are at Obsidian. And frankly, if any of the stories MCA has told are true, I'd expect most employees to look at the acquisition with equal parts fear (because being bought out always raises the concern of layoffs) and hope (because Obsidian would appear to be on a downward track after the success of POE1, and an infusion of cash and new leadership might change that).

For the studio's future,well i am not entirely hopeless. Yet it will be making games for the nu xbone. It is not like they are buying all those studios for shit and giggles,they do intend to make money out of them. Also have you forgot all the xbone release scams? They were extremely anti consumer back then.

POE1/2 have both been ported to consoles (albeit not by Obsidian). Outer Worlds has been described as a PC/console game from the outset. I'm not sure this changes anything except that they'll have MS to market them at E3, rather than being relegated to the shitty pc gaming show that gets streamed and ignored.

(Also, while I am not a console gamer (I'm rubbish with controllers), I thought the ideas behind the Xbone were ahead of their time, tbh. People freaked out, MS abandoned the position, and x years later, they find themselves unprepared for a streaming/subscriber-based world their initial xb1 design had been targeted for. If anything, I blame people for being dumb and reacting in fear to new things, and MS for caving to the pressure.)

I was talking about the capable devs,don't care if the tumblr retards get fired and die in some ditch. If you have the passion to work for a few hundred bucks less on your hobby,then you are good dev in my eyes.

On a console you can't have old school rpg! A controller is like wooden block compared to mouse+keyboard! Also most of the consoletards are dumb and the games get dumbed down for them. You are not winning me with give PoE as example. There is enough popamole shit out there,i don't want any more! I do like old games,their design,their writing and their worlds,and that is why i am on this forum! I didn't came here to talk about cool the new negro asscreed is or how you can see the reflection of blowing shit in the eyes of nazi niggers in battleturd 5! They could whatever they want,don't really care,i will simply not support such dumb shitty games! There are plenty of European studios that mage good RPG games! I am surprised that an oldfag like you will bend the knee to a popamoltards!

I'm not trying to "win you"... I'm just saying that Obsidian is already having the majority of its games ported to console (or outright developing them as multi-platform, in the case of Outer Worlds), so I don't think the MS acquisition will change much.

Also, as an oldfag, my knees don't bend anymore. I wish they did. :D

(Lastly, I think Bugfinder is better than anything Obsidian has done in years, despite its many, many issues, so I agree that there are at least some (non-American) companies who can be relied upon to keep making good rpgs.)