350°

Industry turmoil worst since '80s crash, says Bleszinski

Ex-Epic designer ponders a downloadable-only future with Nintendo out of the hardware race

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gamesindustry.biz
InMyOpinion4070d ago

Not on N4G. Too much involvement with the "enemy" to be trusted here lol.

medziarz4070d ago

:D With the Enemy Crab People

otherZinc4070d ago

Yes, Ciff is a genius! I hope he gets back in gaming soon.

However, this isn't the time to do download only as a very large percentage of the console base isn't online.

Gamer-Z4070d ago

I think out of all 3 or 4 if you count steam box, Sony's PS4 will be the most accepting of such an open model. As what i have experienced with MS systems (360/windows8) the next Xbox will be going for more of a closed ecosystem so that MS has more control over its consumers & developers.

Godmars2904071d ago (Edited 4071d ago )

And you likely contributed to it. Talking up UE3 as the go-to graphics engine even when the damn thing didn't work.

Knight_Crawler4070d ago

What are you talking about, worked fine on my 360 games.

NukaCola4070d ago

Yeah, the engine is old but look at what Rocksteady and Bioware did...

PS3 running a phenomenal version of UE3 in an open world settings like that. It just takes a good developer.

And Mass Effect runs great on PS3 and looks really good too.

givemeshelter4070d ago

UE3 might have had early issues on the PS3 platform but it was far from not working in general on all the others. It had its caveats but it was still one of the most flexible game engine this generation.
If it did not work as you claim, then why was it the most used game engine this generation?

Perjoss4070d ago

If it didn't work I wonder why so many dev studios decided to go with it.

Godmars2904070d ago

Because it was cheaper than making their own.

And still there were games like Too Human, who's devs blamed difficulty of working with it for why the games turned out as they did.

Nevermind that flaws with it, like clipping, falling through the landscape, have become generally accepted.

givemeshelter4070d ago

@Goldmars290

The developers behind Too Human had more issues going on then just the UE3 engine. They had a laundry list of issues that had nothing to do with the UE3 engine.
They went through numerous engine changes, programming issues and in no way was it the fault of the UE3 engine.
Many game engines have issues such as clipping and falling through floors, however it's up to those developers to correct those issues before launch.
How many game custom engines had these issues also? Numerous...
Running games like Mass Effect, Batman and countless others, I have not experienced this type of issue...When these issues happen you can put the blame squarely on the developer for not vetting the engine before said product goes gold.
You're reasoning simply does not fit the vast majority of the industry regarding the UE3 game engine. When used properly it's solid, flexible and impressive. If not? It's like all other game engines licensed out. Buggy if programmed and not vetted...

Godmars2904070d ago

"Running games like Mass Effect, Batman and countless others, I have not experienced this type of issue."

I have. My first, and likely only, Platinum trophy was because of a glitch in Arkham Asylum. And I've fallen through the floor in Arkham City. Also had some major clipping issues, a system crash, in ME2.

And aren't Skyrim, COD and Fallout as buggy as they are popular? Use UE3?

Mainsqueeze4070d ago

No Skyrim Fallout and COD all use their own engines.

SolDojo4070d ago

None of Skyrim, COD, or Fallout was made in UE3.

COD uses similar code, but as far as Fallout and Skyrim, they are made using Gamebryo, as was Oblivion and New Vegas.

Bethesda doesn't even have a license to use UE 3 or 4 at all, in my understanding.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4070d ago
givemeshelter4070d ago (Edited 4070d ago )

He is right. If you lived through the two console/video game crashes during the 1980's you will witness very similar events transpiring just with different twists.
The shift from "traditional" gaming is happening as we speak and mobile and digital Distribution and Cloud gaming will soon take over. Just look at the data showing this. It's only a matter of time.
It's coming regardless if we like it or not.

@nirwanda

This has nothing really to do with that. This is about consumer spending habits and where they are putting their money and will put their money in the near future in regards to video games whether it's mobile, PC or console gaming.
These trends almost MIMIC what happened in the 1980's. Gaming will always be with us, however it's not going to look the same as it is now in the coming years.
Just look at all the data and trends that is backing this.
Change is in the air and Microsoft and Sony know this and make no mistake, they are planning accordingly for this change.

nirwanda4070d ago

I read this as a transitional piece rather than an ecconomical one, I'm 35 and ive own alot of consoles and computers from a colovision to a xbox 360 and everything inbetween.
And everytime a gen change happens you see the people that push tech advancing and the people who don't evolve get left behind.
A good example is square, once pushed tech and once the ps3/360 came they were caught out still making ps2 stuff.
And i read so many devs making their 2nd game on the (insert console here) saying we learn so much making our first game.

nirwanda4070d ago

He's only partly right, the people who invest alot early on in new gen reaper the benefits later on by learning the console inners properly.
Hanging back and waiting to see what happens means you have to start from scratch so you end up being behind.

kevnb4070d ago

thats not so much the way it works. Its much more than just hardware involved.

nirwanda4070d ago

Yes your right there is much more than that but with something new like the cell or what ms is doing with its GPU compression and move engines hands on experience with it count for alot, games take 1-2 years to make and a console gen lasts 5-7 before the next comes along.
Most devs learn stuff in there first game they could put in because of time constaints

wishingW3L4071d ago

3DS is selling like hotcakes so I highly doubt that Nintendo could ever go down with franchises as huge as Mario and Pokemon around the world. And then we have Monster Hunter and Dragon Quest exclusive to Nintendo platforms in Japan.

SamPao4071d ago

He never said anything about nintendo going out of business.
just going Software only.

Th3 Chr0nic4070d ago

so nintendo will turn into sega

Hicken4070d ago

But with the franchises wishingW3L mentioned, it'd be pretty hard for their hardware to not maintain some type of demand.

sephy4071d ago

To each there own..... I guess

Show all comments (53)
80°

Nintendo's Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

Hanzala from eXputer: "The cruel hammer of Nintendo has fallen. Farewell, 3DS and Wii U, you surely brightened my life and many others; you won't be forgotten."

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?"

purple1015d 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.

shinoff21834d 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.

Profchaos4d 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 4d ago
isarai5d 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.

mkis0074d ago (Edited 4d ago )

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

Einhander19725d 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.

5d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19725d ago

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

5d ago
5d 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.

Chevalier4d 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.

shinoff21834d ago

Yay steam

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

Tacoboto4d 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 4d ago
Hofstaderman5d 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.

Xeofate4d ago (Edited 4d 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

FinalFantasyFanatic4d 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.

Show all comments (43)
90°

Nintendo's War Against Player-Made Content Will Hurt The Company In The End

Danish from eXputer: "Nintendo has historically gone against player-made content and emulation of its games. This has done much to harm the company's image."

XiNatsuDragnel11d ago

I agree nintendo hire some these folks to help in your games it'll help imo.

banger8811d ago

They need to stop announcing these mods and fan remakes until they're finished. Finish it, upload it, and then if Nintendo dmca's it tough shit. Once it's online, people can share it around, even if the original download gets taken down.

Jingsing10d ago

True, but most modders need constant admiration during the process to motivate them.

PRIMORDUS10d ago

Yup, once it's a torrent nothing can be done Nintendo is helpless at that point. But it would be wise if they just had a site on the dark web, it's also easy to use with Tor and no one will bother you.

mastershredder10d ago

This is all coming from the mouth of short-sighted fandom and grifting madness.
No.... it wont. There is a clear defined reason why they don't. This is nothing new. Make your own shi7 from your own original ideas especially if you are trying to capitalize of it it. Duh.

Yeah, hire people that have zero respect or understanding for an established process. Wow. Yep. Totally makes sense.

shinoff218310d ago

Those guys that made that sonic game got a gig from sega or something along those lines and that game was dope as hell. One of the best sonics as of late.