550°

Rare wants to make Killer Instinct 3, but Microsoft says "no"

Ex-Rare employee, Donnchadh Murphy, who worked on games like Killer instinct Gold, Conker's Bad Fur Day and many others gave an interview for the website Not Enough Shaders.

Here is a portion of the interview:
NES: -"Are there any Rare games you would like to see as HD remakes on Xbox Live Arcade?"

Donnchadh Murphy: -"Probably the same game every Rare fan wants to see and that’s KI3 (Killer Instinct 3). We all wanted to make KI3, but Microsoft were more interested on broadening their demographic, than making another fighting game. So it never got made, I doubt it ever will."

In this interview, Murphy also talked about Conker and some other aspects of the company.

Read Full Story >>
notenoughshaders.com
Silver-Hawk4257d ago

I wish Sony owned rare. Even if Nintendo owned rare I feel like killer instinct 3 would be gimped or not made

user54670074257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

I feel like that aswell but for me it's more about Conkers Bad Fur Day...I have no doubt they would respect the Banjo franchise and we would get a true Banjo threeie BUT the way Nintendo are now with this whole casual friendly approach I do not see them puting full support behind Conkers Bad Fur Day 2....if they did it would be toned down a lot and I would hate that.

Sony has shown us they let developers have their freedom on games so maybe then they would let Rare do what they want.

To me this shows me that Microsoft don't have gamers in mind...it's like they don't care.

We want Killer Instict 3 Microsoft...and why did you have to cancel Conkers Other Bad Fur Day for Kinect crap <sigh>

"There was numerous projects that were put forward that I believe would have been huge hits, but MS rejected them one after the other. I remember seeing a couple of prototypes that Chris Seavor had designed and was working on, that looked amazing, but alas they got shelved. It seemed that MS didn’t want to take the risk in Rare doing anything outside the younger demographic, they quickly forgot the companies heritage. We started to lose a lot of great talent then, people were losing job satisfaction, so they just left."

So it's pretty much settled Microsoft killed Rare instead of improving them.

hkgamer4257d ago

Agreed with microsoft killing rare,

Actually what happened with rare anyway? Microsoft started of the generation with the intention of making great games and having developers on their side. Which was partly why Microsoft bought Rare to have PDzero released on it. Did they lose trust with them? or do they want their first party studios to make more kid friendly games?

What has rare done betweeen the time from the release of PDzero and the release of Kinect? actually serious to know the answer? Why would Microsoft abandon what Rare is famous for and obviously the reason why they bought them the first time round.

OhMyGandhi4257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

I think Rare killed Rare.
you can't tell me that "Nuts and Bolts" was Microsoft's fault.

DasBunker4257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

Sad but true.. SNES/64 Rare era will live only in our memories.
RIP Never forget.

@Above

By the time they were developing Nuts & Bolts, it was just probably the carcass of Rare left by MS.. just a shadow of it's former self.

srcBFMVBMTH4257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

Agreed. Also seeing how Fable turned into a Kinect game, and that the next Gears of War (After Gears of War 3 but before Judgement) was going to be a Kinect game. Something Microsoft pushed for but was ultimately cancelled by Epic. It's kinda sad that that's all they focus on now -_- Killer Instinct 3 could have been awesome. But it's clear they don't have the core gamer in mind much anymore. Wouldn't be surprised if Halo 5 on 720 turned out to be a Kinect game. Lol

http://www.digitaltrends.co...

SilentNegotiator4257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

"I think Rare killed Rare.
you can't tell me that "Nuts and Bolts" was Microsoft's fault"

You mean the platform gone XBL-friendly racer?
Nooooooo, Microsoft couldn't be at fault for that.
/s

Sorry, but Kameo and Viva Pinata were great games. They didn't "die before Microsoft bought them" like fanboys want to believe. They died when Microsoft decided that their primary development field should change to generic Kinect sports games.

palaeomerus4257d ago

"Sorry, but Kameo and Viva Pinata were great games."

Yeah. And Nuts and Bolts was a pretty great game too. Not what Banjo Kazooie fans wanted but still a lot of fun and beuatiful. I even liked 'Grabbed by the Ghoulies' and the 'Conker's BFD' remake.

PD:Z was okay though I was never much of a PD fan,got over Goldeneye quickly, and never much liked the Timesplitters games. I just don't much care for that style/type of console FPS.

Tainted Gene4257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

I generally have no ill will towards Microsoft but this is crazy. With all the fighting games that have been releasing in the past 5 years, this is the time to make killer instinct 3. But for any corporation profits are the main motivator and nothing else.

Plus, in the back of my mind I knew Rare would never really be back to form as it was in the 90's (look at Nuts and BOlts.... great game but not a Banjo/Kazooie game. In fact a Rare employee said that it was another with a Banjo coating to please fans).

Reason being that when Microsoft bought Rare a majority of the original Rare team left before the move to Microsoft Studios. So in truth RARE has been dead since literally when being bought by Microsoft.

EDIT:

Pretty much wat Devilish Six said below....:)

Gazondaily4257d ago

Pretty disgraceful of Microsoft really. Stifling creativity and vision by having a really short sighted plan. From reading the article, RARE really thrived in an environment where there were no shackles in terms of freedom (see how Conker was rescued).

It's sad to read even though Nuts and Bolts and Viva Pinata were good games.

So much potential going to waste on Kinect.

TheRealSpy4257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

it's sad how little you people understand business. Rare wouldn't have gone with MS unless they needed to be acquired. and MS wouldn't turn down KI3 if they thought there would be a large enough market for it.

there isn't some sinister plot to deprive ppl of franchises they enjoy. it's business. and despite the irrational mentality of most people here, Sony would do the exact same thing. ...or maybe they wouldn't and that would explain why Sony's market value has plummeted over the last couple years.

Perjoss4257d ago

"SNES/64 Rare era will live only in our memories"

Actually you can still plug a SNES or N64 in and play those games right now. That's the beauty of the non digital distribution age, those games are yours to play forever.

Legion4257d ago

They used Rare as a team/tool to Launch their Kinect. With it as their primary focus.

And you know what... it turned out to be a perfect cash boom for MS.

I don't own Kinect myself but it sure has helped MS grow their system into more of a family friendly console regardless of what so called hardcore gamers might think.

So be it... and KI was never really a good game... come on... we have to admit it was little more then another fighting game... and the shock value of long ago doesn't cut it in today's market.

Knight_Crawler4257d ago

Well said Real Spy and Legion - The honest truth is that KI was never on the same level popularity wise with Street Fight and Mortal Kombat and the reason is because KI was born on a console while SF and MK were born on arcades which were way more popular at the time.

Most the people here asking for a new KI is asking for it based on Nostalgia and some times people just have to leave things as that - imagine if MS Rare did make a new KI, with out the original Rare team this game would not be the same and fans would still be complaining how MS killed KI and Rare.

We consumers only see one side of a business transaction and dont realise that games cost alot of money to make and if your games does not sell as well or is not well received then you will a lost on your financials.

No one can deny that Sony pumps out allot exclusives games but there is a reason why Sony is in the red financially because its hard to maintain AAA exclusives when your not making a profit on them or barley breaking even.

Yes we dont have shares in Sony so why should we care - if Sony keeps recording losses then Sony's market value drops, if Sony market values drop then investors will want to pull out, if investors pull out then the funding stops, if the funding stops then the games stop.

EVILDEAD3604257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

I always LOVE when the RARE topic comes up..it’s fun to watch internet fantasy vs. reality

It’s always hilarious to see how people pretend MS held RARE sooo far back that the never released ONE game.

But, let's keep 100% real for once…let’s put in context what the ex-Rare artist is trying to say.

He’s saying that MS didn’t approve certain proposals that ‘HE’ believed could have been hits, but can ANYONE blame Microsoft?

They bought RARE for close to 400 MILLION DOLLARS on the strength of the Nintendo hits Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Donkey Kong Country etc.

Of course they hoped RARE would emulate the Nintendo success and expand the 360 beyond the ‘too core’ mantra it had.

But, the funny part is people NOW cry that Rare should release this and that..but when they DID release them it was a different story..

Kameo get’s supposed love Now and people scream sequel, but that game didn’t get mass love from the critics. I remember Peter Moore reflecting how critics were overly harsh on it. G4Tv had the review pull back then gave it a 80..Eurogamer gave it a 50..it didn’t sell..it got bundled

Perfect Dark Zero..G4TV at the time gave it a 60..most gave it 80s..did ok at launch but wasn’t close to a hit of Rare’s stature.

Banjoo: nuts got straight panned by some critics..which was opposite of what many fans felt about the game..Gametrailers gave it a 67..IGN gave it a 65…it didn’t do well at retail and ended up being bundles with another game.

Viva got the critical love from many..and even some crossover cartoon love..but the game as a whole didn’t get numbers until it was a greatest hits title..

By the time the viva sequel arrived it sold horribly at retail.

People can bash MS all day but they literally used RAREs talents to boost them to where they are now with some smart decisions.

RARE was a big part of the LIVE overhaul that brought the Avatars and it turned out to be a huge success.

Look at how completely silly the hate that MS gets for having Rare develop ONE launch game for Kinect.

The results are hands down the biggest hit Rare has had this whole gen and the biggest (and bestIMO) game for Kinect.

I'll take a Killer Instinct Next Gen..not now. If Rare rushed even an above average product, it would get crucified.

People claim the would support titles like Conker's but in the reality words are simply words. Take the PS3's Twisted Metal this year. The game was on EVERY exclusives list known to man, but it didnt do great numbers. In fact, if KI got the same support the headlines wiuld be like Alan Wakes. Same with Perfect Dark HD..it came and went. So who knows if and when KI HD is in the cards.

I hope Rare continues the success it's had into next gen..where their services will truly be needed.

Just my humble take

Evil

edit..great post from Knight Crawler above..

mcstorm4257d ago

@TheRealSpy & Legion I agree with what you have said and I was about to put the same thing. Rare still make good games and fun games at that.

Viva Piñata and banjo kazooie were fun games for the 360 but at the time they came out it was just the core gamers who wanted FPS games had the 360 and they did not sell very well.

This is why Rare started on Kinect Sports and I have to say both of them are one of the best Kinect games for the 360 they are fun and imo are better than Wii Sports and sports champions as they are a game that everyone can get into very easy.

MS are still building a name for the Xbox people keep forgetting this and it is only there 2nd console and the Original Xbox did not sell that well and had a very short life.

If you look at what MS have done in the 10 years of Xbox you have to give it to them for the size of the market they have got and the games Rare have brought to the Xbox brand have been some of the best in the xbox short history.

A lot of people on here are saying MS don't give us enough games but if you look at the way this gen has gone for the core the best selling games on the 360 have been Halo, Forza, Gears and Fable as the 1st party games so they are giving us games that people want to by where Sony on the other hand are giving us lot of games but people are not buying them for example Resistance and Motor Storm. (Im not saying they are bad games but they are not selling well) Just like Alan Wake on the 360.

MS know they are coming to the end of the gen and are giving people what they want in terms of games and I think Rare will be a big part of the core next gen with Big Park taking over games for the none core.

I don't think rare are a dead company they are being used as part of the plan by Microsoft to get the xbox name as being the market leader by doing a lot o back ground work on the 360 software and giving us games like I have put above.

I would love to see Killer instinct on the 360 but then again there are a lot of games on older consoles ide love to see there be a new version of and if they come out grate if not I still have the original game to play as it is still as fun and good to play as the day it came out.

oricon4257d ago

"BUT the way Nintendo are now with this whole casual friendly approach I do not see them puting full support behind Conkers Bad Fur Day 2....if they did it would be toned down a lot and I would hate that."

This gen for first Nintendo has actually been publishing mature rated title unlike, n64/nes/snes era where they didnt, saying their all casual friendly approach.

Also saying that their all casual friendly now is also stupid, Nintendo since the NES days have always been about creating titles that everyone can play, everyone acts like with the Wii they started to go with this approach in gaming.

WombBat4257d ago

This interview was good, but it hurt my soul as a rare fan.

MoveTheGlow4257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

Banjo: Nuts and Bolts had a solid introduction against the demographic-broadening that Microsoft had been pushing on them since they arrived. That talking TV thing with the computer sound effects? Come on.

First he talks about how no one likes platformers anymore, then he forces a sluggish Banjo to run a linear, bloated parody of a Banjo platformer (a corporate bigwig's berating of what a platformer is), all the while Banjo and Kazooie are older and fatter to drive the point home that MS (and most likely other potential investors before them) thought platformers were old, bloated, and washed up. You think that's about Nintendo? No way.

It's the game equivalent of what's most likely a nightmarish board meeting Rare had, and probably more than once. It's a meta-commentary in a decent vehicle game. It's a thinly-veiled apology and explanation for their fans. One of the coolest things ever. How has this not been mentioned yet??

nukeitall4256d ago

@TheRealSpy:

You said it so well, I'm just going to repeat it!

"it's sad how little you people understand business. Rare wouldn't have gone with MS unless they needed to be acquired. and MS wouldn't turn down KI3 if they thought there would be a large enough market for it.

there isn't some sinister plot to deprive ppl of franchises they enjoy. it's business. and despite the irrational mentality of most people here, Sony would do the exact same thing. ...or maybe they wouldn't and that would explain why Sony's market value has plummeted over the last couple years."

n4f4256d ago

im pretty sure m$ wanted to port ki3 on kinect

jump and punch on your cat to do a combo breaker and kick and dance so you can do a ultra

+ Show (17) more repliesLast reply 4256d ago
prototypeknuckles4257d ago

I agree nintendo and rare already have good history, and Sony does let its developers experiment with new and forgotten ips

dedicatedtogamers4257d ago

"Please Microsoft. We're dying inside. Let us make GAMES like we used to"

"No, RARE. Your highest-selling software is Kinect minigame collections. Make more Kinect!"

"But the fans have wanted a new Killer Instinct for YEARS"

"HAHAHAH! You should know better by now, Rare, that making exclusive games for our fans is SOOOO 2009."

Mottsy4257d ago

Fans? Who the hell is cold? Now shut up and make More KINECT!!!

NastyLeftHook04257d ago

if sony owned rare you KNOW you would get a killer instinct game.

Brosy4257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

What defunct franchises has sony made sequels to? I can't think of any. Troll harder.

Imalwaysright4257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

Sony takes risks! To say otherwise is idiotic at best. Games like Heavy rain, LBP, TM, SoTC, Motorstorm... were risks that very few Publishers would take. MS certainly wouldnt make those games and I dont give 2 shits if those games sell 100 copies as long as i get to play them.

Many fanboys here seem to care more about MS making money then having games to play. "Oh no if MS makes a new KI theyre gonna lose money. I bought a 360 to give MS money!!!" Are you people GAMERS or MS shareholders? Sony takes risks and because of it I get to play unique games that no other publisher would make and as long as Sony thinks outside the box i wont have any problems supporting them.

blackbeld4257d ago

For sure Killer Instinct will be released if Sony owned Rare.

Hope M$ will ever turned around.

They only care about competing Apple, Google, Sony and other grazy stuff. But gamers ohh no...

attilayavuzer4257d ago

@Imalwaysright
"Sony takes risks!"

Sony also lost 6 billion this year and laid off 10,000 people. But I'm sure playing a few HD classics makes up for the population of a small town being unemployed.

Statix4256d ago

@attilayavuzer:

Layoffs are part of how the world works, especially in today's down economy. If a company wants to survive, it needs to cut corners when the occasion calls for it. Are you really trying to act like Microsoft hasn't laid off people en mass, by the thousands, before? I guarantee you that Microsoft and most other companies out there are planning even more layoffs this year.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4256d ago
fermcr4257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

pufff.... another fighting game? No thanks. Kudos to Microsoft for not allowing it.

Let Rare make another game (just not another Kinect game). A new IP would be great, to see if they still got it.

Jazz41084257d ago

God has nothing to do with that greedy arrorgant company that has lost its way.

nerdkiller4257d ago

i agree nintendo is to into casual now sell the rights to sony and nintendo should sell the metroid franchise to sony to. f msoft to

ConstipatedGorilla4257d ago

I like my Xbox, but Microsoft as done absolutely nothing useful with Rare. Rare would be much better in the hands of Sony or Nintendo.

mrbojingles4257d ago

Nintendo just bought the Fatal Frame series (rumored) and they still own the rights to Eternal Darkness. Just because they don't make too many games like Killer Instinct doesn't mean they wouldn't if they thought there were enough fans for it.

I'm sure if RARE was owned by Nintendo it would have been made by now. I mean, Nintendo did put out all those old RARE games in the first place.

nerdkiller4257d ago

exactly nintendo feel there's more casual fans so they make only wii sports and mario games they stopped making core games except a few but do you remember when they took chances like guist or bad fur day now they discontinue games like project hammer lets face it sony is the only one now who takes chances nintendo and msoft went casual

ConstipatedGorilla4256d ago

Eternal Darkness was excellent. One of my favorite GC games. I really wanted a sequel to that one.

Stansolo4257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

Sony get RAREWARE on you side because your the only company that will let the do the magic they did when with nintendo.
Microsoft, I hate you for not letting Killer Instinct grace the xbox 360.
Microsoft only wanted RARE so they could kill them off, RARE was a threat if someone else had them on there side. That's how I see it.

attilayavuzer4257d ago

I'm pretty sure the ~150 or so people complaining about not getting KI3 are about the only people who want it in the first place.

Gamer19824257d ago

Rare dont exist anymore so the titles crap anyway. Its an ex rare employee who wants to make it.

ALLWRONG4256d ago

If Sony owned RARE they would just shut it down like they been doing recently. At least with MS they still have jobs.

lodossrage4251d ago

They'd buy them and let them go about their business or make new studios out of them altogether. Which they've ALSO been doing recently

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 4251d ago
coolbeans4257d ago

"Are there any Rare games you would like to see as HD remakes on Xbox Live Arcade?"

Why would he answer with Killer Instinct 3? I'd like to see Jet Force Gemini makes its way over to XBLA.

Lord_Sloth4257d ago

Jet Force Gemini was awesome! I spent so many hours on that game with my bro. Same with Perfect Dark. Rare was my lover on the 64.

DivineAssault 4257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

another reason i hate microsoft.. wtf wouldnt they let em do it??? its a great series & needs to be revived..

i guess its all about money for them instead of making fans happy.. I dont blame rare for making $hitty games as of late.. Microsoft isnt letting them do what theyre passionate about doing

Mottsy4257d ago

They are in the money business not video game business =/

elitesupreme4257d ago

They're in the videogame business to make money off of hardware and software sales. How they go about getting that money is their business. Same thing applies to Nintendo and Sony.

slaton244257d ago

as long as microsoft makes money off of halo and gears of war they will never care to much for any other games thats not all about crapbox...yeah i like sony more because they care for the gamers young and old...nintendo is only fun with mario and zelda, and i own a 360 but never at all truly play it

NellyNel_7_1_34257d ago

That is a load of BS!!! Mann, MS are bunch of pricks for this! I want another KI 3 game like right now... MS just let Rare go already you are not doing anything with them at all.

KMCROC544257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

Buy them if u want them but i seriously doubt they will be sold anytime soon. But good luck with our wants

NYC_Gamer4257d ago

I guess MS would rather Rare pump out kinect garbage

shutUpAndTakeMyMoney4257d ago (Edited 4257d ago )

I always thought all the 360 units being sold was to the casuals. Now we know that the hardcore games is not the #1 money maker for M$.

Kinect after Kinect game -- check

Their #1 shooter only has some of the original devs + no beta + perks = the story of MW3

I am glad I converted to the dark side.

JamieL4257d ago

I don't see why anyone would have to be on one side or the other only. I am on games side. I like all systems with good games and right now that’s MS, Sony, and Nintendo. I'm so glad I don't let some misguided since of brand loyalty dictate what I play. I just can’t see myself missing Halo 4, or UC3, or Skyward Sword, or any really cool game because I dislike a company that cares NOTHING AT ALL for me. It’s really childish to miss out on games for such a STUPID reason, and your only hurting yourself. Power to the multi-console owners out there.

Show all comments (176)
280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple1014d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref4d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde4d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander19724d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville4d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff21833d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos3d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3d ago
isarai4d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref4d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan4d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis0073d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander19724d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

4d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19724d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

4d ago
4d ago
Zeref4d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde4d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander19724d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander19724d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier3d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto4d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff21833d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto3d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3d ago
Hofstaderman4d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts4d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts3d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic3d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

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370°

Could Xbox Soon Become The Next Dreamcast?

Microsoft's future in the video game space is murky right now, so let's break it all down.

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thegamer.com
ApocalypseShadow16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

Not anytime soon. But they're on that path.

One thing not mentioned in the article is Microsoft's money bags. If Sega had Microsoft's money, they would have still been around as a hardware manufacturer. Xbox as a platform only survives because of the money bags. They can continue making consoles for the core and port to PC.

The multiplatform strategy is only the result of arrogance and misguided leadership that blew up in their face. They thought gamers would jump on Xbox in droves if they knew that many of their favorite games would be only on Xbox. But that's not happening at all. Sales didn't increase. They decreased. Why? Because the dumb asses thought giving away these expensively made games in a cheap service would also turn the tide.

Gamers on other platforms are willing to buy quality. They don't need to be handed nearly free games in a service that aren't even finished and sometimes average in their development. Gamers buy Nintendo games. They buy Sony games. Microsoft groomed their base to not buy games. Even the quality ones. It has always been their plan to go digital. But most gamers still like single player gaming. Still like physical releases.

Microsoft's problem has always been that they don't produce high quality games at the same output as Nintendo and Sony. Actually, they should be producing quite a lot more because they're worth over 2 TRILLION. How they don't have more is ridiculous and no excuse. Buying publishers to take away from competition only backfired. Because it still takes millions of dollars to continue to make those games from the publishers they snatched. Their only choice was to crawl back to their competitors to help sustain those developers because Nintendo and Sony platforms were the ones buying games.

Am I sorry for Microsoft? Hell no! They deserved last place for putting in the least effort. They deserved the fallout for buying up the industry and didn't make a single blip on the radar against their competitors where they now need those same gamers they took away games from to support them. Part of it may have been to cash in on their competition. But the result is the slow death of their platform. They may go 3rd party. They may keep making hardware. I don't give a shit about them to worry about it. I only give a shit about the destructive nature of their industry moves that only negatively affect gamers. They could sell and drop out of the industry and I wouldn't blink. Probably laugh. But not blink. They deserve whatever comes to them. At least Sega put in the effort when it came to games. They just had poor leadership. Microsoft has poor leadership and barely makes memorable games. That's a killer combination. And not in a good way.

Cacabunga16d ago

That would be an insult to Dreamcast.. it had a crazy line up of legendary critically acclaimed games.

Crows9016d ago

I was thinking the same. Dreamcast had incredible games in such a short amount of time. It was truly exceptional.

darthv7215d ago

...and yet all those great games were not enough to sway people from the looming release of the PS2 at the time. Sony just has that kind of brand loyalty.

Cacabunga15d ago

Darth

I do not agree.. Sony had even better games thanks to an unprecedented 3rd party support..
DC had amazing lineup but 90% were arcade games..

88315d ago

@darth:
And Sony showed off "The Emotion Engine" and their real time demos that made everyone think they would miss out on REAL next gen 128bit magic if they jumped in before PS2s polygon pushing monster (and early lack of anti-aliasing with a healthy heap of shimmer + DVD playback) stepped up. PS2 was a fantastic system though with amazing games.

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blacktiger16d ago

That's not true. Just because Microsoft has the money doesn't mean Microsoft can allow xbox to bleed entire Microsoft money. It doesn't work like they. Also SEC will be watching and investor won't allow it. Lot of reasons why Microsoft can not continue even if they wanted to. SEC regulations is expensive.

fr0sty16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

Exactly this... Microsoft is a publicly traded company, mostly owned by their shareholders (Approximately 59.24% of the company's stock is owned by Institutional Investors, 7.73% is owned by Insiders and 33.03% is owned by Public Companies and Individual Investors.). Their shareholders call the shots on the business decisions, and their shareholders want one thing and one thing only, for their stock price to go up. Losses do not make stock prices go up... so if the division continually posts losses on hardware, but shows profits on software and services (which has been the case with Xbox its entire lifespan, for over 20 years now), the shareholders are going to grow impatient and demand they stop making hardware and focus on the only thing that has ever made them money, software and services.

When Microsoft bought Blizzard and Activision for almost 100 billion, I knew that was the nail in the coffin for Xbox as a console... as the shareholders were going to expect a quick return on that investment, and when it didn't materialize, they were going to be out for blood... out to force Xbox to sell those games on as many consoles as possible, "and while you're at it, sell those first party exclusives that aren't selling well on other consoles as well... hell, just stop making consoles and sell games."

If there is another Xbox console generation, it will definitely be the last, but I doubt there even will be one at this point. I think the Xbox division planning on it just in case, but I don't think the project has been greenlit from Microsoft itself. The rumors that they have not yet even secured the chips needed from the chip fabrication facilities ties into this.

shinoff218316d ago

While I usually agree with you . Alot of what was said can just also be asked before any of that.

How long will the shareholders wait? It doesn't appear long at all

Babadook715d ago

I think I get your point. Like just because MS has money does not mean they are content to throw it away on a dying ecosystem. Xbox has to be profitable or “what’s the point?”

ifinitygamer16d ago

Money bags, yes, but are we ignoring that Xbox actually makes a profit on games and GamePass? Hardware is often a loss leader, and they're probably making profit 4 years into the life cycle, but games and services revenue have been very profitable while other parts of Microsoft's business is struggling. Say what you will about the quality of those games, of course, but this is kind of a reverse Dreamcast situation, where the console was dragging down the company and put it at risk of shuttering entirely. Killing that console saved the business and allowed it to continue to make games on multiple platforms. In this case, the service is very profitable, as are the games, and they're also double-dipping into Multiplatform to extend this further, while their hardware is just sort of what they believe to be the best for gamers and their own titles (whether that is the case or not...)

fr0sty16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

The issue is, they aren't selling enough hardware to make their exclusives profitable, and now that they've bought half the gaming publisher/dev industry, they have no choice but to go third party to make a profit... and that is making their shareholders take a real close look at their hardware division under the microscope... why keep making the hardware if the software is all that is making them money, and they continually, generation after generation come in dead last with hardware sales?

Look at a game like Spiderman 2... if it had been an Xbox exclusive, with the amount it cost to develop, it would have been a huge failure... simply not enough consoles out there to sell it on. They would have been lucky to break even.

ifinitygamer15d ago

@fr0sty agreed completely, which is why they're hedging by releasing other games to multiplatform, plus they have PC to make up for the difference in a lot of ways, which is why their games are not complete money pits. It brings up the question of whether or not those exclusives would drive sales of consoles, though. Let's say Spiderman 2 was an Xbox exclusive, it would certainly have pushed console sales, though who's to say how much is anyone's guess.

fr0sty15d ago

That's why you can't rely on just one exclusive, Sony has always delivered on a wide range of solid exclusives, even this generation (even if they haven't been strong on the first party exclusives, they've made up for it with third party). They don't rely on just one "system seller", they have a portfolio of them.

15d ago
JBlaze22615d ago

ApocalypseShadow To be honest Sony has more of a chance to go 3rd party because like you said Microsoft has money, Sony does not. Sony does not have games, Only games they have come from 3rd party. Sony has been losing money for years and you. Saying Microsoft has been putting the least effort just proves you have no idea what's been going on. All Sony has done is repeat and recycle, never innovating or doing something new. All Sony has is brand loyalty nothing else and it shows.

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LG_Fox_Brazil16d ago

Not sure about that. It's been two decades and I still think about Power Stone, Shenmue, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Seaman and others, but I'm not sure I'll remember Xbox Series X/S games in a few years from now... Maybe I'll remember about the franchises that the Xbox brand spawned, but I don't believe that the Xbox Series lives up to the late Dreamcast or even to the Xbox name itself. I do have great memories about the 360 with Blue Dragon, Gears 2 and Lost Odyssey though

isarai16d ago

Nah, sega actually makes good games

Becuzisaid16d ago

No, Dreamcast was ahead of it's time and most still have very fond memories of it that had one. It also had some good games on it even in it's short lifespan. Xbox has none of these qualities.

Profchaos16d ago

I remember it coming out at the time in a really bad place they hit the market before the PS2 but it was during this transitional time when Sony was promoting the power of the PS2 and so many of the Dreamcast games were awesome but often third parties simply ported the PS1 version increased resolution and performance but rarely fully utilise the capabilities of the console.

I think in the end bad marketing done it in and like the GameCube so many people are fond of it now but at the time it was looked at in the lense of the day and it didn't stack up.

Personally I miss Sega in hardware they took risks that many companies won't

Becuzisaid16d ago

I never owned it, and got the PS2 right when it launched. But there were certain games it had that I was always jealous of that I didn't have access to - Sonic adventure, crazy taxi, power Stone, code Veronica, shenmue, skies of Arcadia. I always thought it was a really cool machine though. I've never heard a bad thing about it though from those that had it.

FinalFantasyFanatic16d ago

I only ever saw one Dreamcast, and that was one my friend owned, pity I never got to play it, I wonder what games he had for it?

It would be nice if some of those games got ported to modern systems.

Profchaos16d ago

Oh man sonic adventure on the Dreamcast made me so jealous as a huge sonic fan on the mega drive who also moved to PlayStation 2 I never got the chance to play it back in the day either. The Dreamcast in Australia where I am was always relegated to the smallest corner of EB Games it was kind of a strong first indicator that things were not going well at the time.

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80°

Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox and weekly streaks to be killed off soon

Microsoft has announced the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox will be discontinued in April and has confirmed that weekly streaks will also be coming to an end.

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trueachievements.com