170°

What are Microsoft's First-Party Studios Up To?

IGN - Something next-gen is afoot. We snoop around and try to figure out what each of Microsoft's own internal development studios are making.

Mikefizzled4225d ago (Edited 4225d ago )

Black Tusk could be key for Microsoft winning some credibility back next gen. Hopefully the 2nd team at 343 are making Halo Wars 2 since the first was a solid console RTS.

FarCryLover1824225d ago

I heard that they might be making a Halo MMO or something along that sort.

user39158004225d ago

Well Killer INSTINCT 3, illumiroom its good enough for us core gamers and the 4 new ips releasing with console as stated by MS. kinnect exercising games lol... for the ladies and casuals.

Pre ordering pizza for the reveal.

4225d ago
MikeMyers4225d ago

"What are Microsoft's First-Party Studios Up To?"

Hopefully new ip's and not making different soles for the bottom of the shoes for our Avatars. A new Halo Wars would be cool, I like the last one but I want to see a lot of focus on new ip's that are hardcore games.

Mikefizzled4225d ago

Well there is reports that there is a number of new ips whether or not they are true is remaining to be seen but I have higher hopes then I did earlier this gen.

EverydayGuy4225d ago

Well I heard they are making an app for Kinect, the camera can scan your body, and you can try on clothes for free before buying it. JK

I hope they go back the the original XBOX days and release a bunch of real exclusives that you can't play anywhere else.

Aceman184225d ago

well hopefully they show me games other than Halo, Gears, Forza, and Fable.

they need to show me that they can get the variety i look for in my exclusives. it they do this, and not shove kinect casual crap down my throat then they might get my hard earned money.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4225d ago
maniacmayhem4225d ago (Edited 4225d ago )

I would rather MS hit us with a surprise launch of a superior Crackdown 3 or a bad a$% Perfect Dark. Save those other established titles for later in the consoles life.

And I agree with Mike above, a Halo Wars 2 would be great to see. Take a chance on making RTS's popular on consoles. Maybe change it up a bit to play like DOTA or LoL.

the_hitman30004225d ago

I know where you're coming from with wanting those other titles but lets face it a early Halo game will sell the system. I may not be an Xbox gamer but I'm curios to see if there first party line up will be better then the 360's

josephayal4225d ago

I trust in 343 and can't wait to see what a next gen Halo will look like

shutUpAndTakeMyMoney4225d ago (Edited 4225d ago )

Epic is first party??

I think it sucks that MS opened a new studio to make a FPS. As if there are not enough of them.

But I understand xbox games tend to like shooter more than any other console platform. Also I like the name black tusk.

Poor list though. It really shows were MS's focus has been. I think they open some new studios few months back.

whoyouwit044225d ago

"I think it sucks that MS opened a new studio to make a FPS. As if there are not enough of them." Really.

xbox gamers love FPS the most, That's funny coming from a sony fan because the one ps4 game you all hyped up the most is kill zone 4. What that be? Me thinks it's a FPS boss, can you say double standard.and how can it be a poor list when it's a assumption.

Kalowest4225d ago

343 Industries isn't working on Halo 5 at the moment, but it is a game set in the Halo universe.

Turn 10 are busy making Forza Motorsport 5, but PG5 is most likely going to be shown at E3.

Rare, Alot of ppl hate them now and thats not going to change for awhile. IMO Rare has been MS bread and butter.

Black Tusk are actually working on 4 new IPs

Microsoft Studios LA needs to make "Xbox TV" similar to TechTV and hire Adam Sessler.

Lift London seems like a good company and hopefully they'll use Xbox Smartglass to its fullest.

Microsoft KALE are working on "Kinect TV". Is it wrong to be 21 and want to play a Sesame Street Kinect game.

MS most likely has other new IPs, that haven't been announced yet.

SJPFTW4225d ago

They are working on Halo 5. 4 was a start of a trilogy. The job posting was for a game set in the "Halo Universe"... no where in the wording hints that it is NOT Halo 5.

whoyouwit044225d ago

you are wrong they had a job post a few months back and it exact words were they were making a game set in the halo universe that is not a sequel or part of the main line, besides it's a two team studio do you really think 2 teams are working on one game. If that's the case then naughty dog a 2 team studio are using both teams to work on the Last Of Us, But we know that's not true just we know both teams at 343 aren't working on Halo 5, This second team was working on halo anniversary why the main team worked on halo 4.

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220°

Microsoft Reportedly Spends $1 Billion Annually To Get Third-Party Games On Game Pass

Uncover the spending behind Xbox's Game Pass subscription. Discover how Microsoft invests a billion dollars annually in securing third-party games for the service.

Read Full Story >>
gamersocialclub.ca
Obscure_Observer6h ago

Good.

Now that you´re releasing games and making big money from every gaming platform, you should double that amount and give us even more day one third party games!

Jin_Sakai5h ago(Edited 5h ago)

You’re delusional beyond belief. Businesses wise it doesn’t make sense and sooner or later they’ll be raising prices again to cover that billion they’re blowing every year.

purple1015h ago(Edited 5h ago)

As someone else said earlier today, they are past the growth stage, it’s been stagnent for last 3 years, they are now in the money making stage, prepare to be goosed for as many dollars as possible for the least amount of content. It may not be bad now, (actually it is) but it will be soon (even worse) this year you got hellblade and starfirld and a load of other games that could be bought in bargain bins for about $5-30 and for that you pay them monthly

To add I honestly don’t know how you put up with the barrage of Xbox negativity (which is deserved). I put it down to:

A) you are being paid
B) you may have a problem thinking clearly
C) prefer rooting for the underdog, that’s a legit thing too. English people do it by default

Profchaos38m ago(Edited 38m ago)

Yeah Aussies also love an underdog as long as that underdog isn't Xbox as they were too of the game with the 360 then lost their minds

Chevalier18m ago

3 straight years of missing Gamepass targets. Some people are just blinded by their own idiocy. Will be interesting to see if COD does anything this fall

CosmicTurtle1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

He is a troll. Designed to stoke people up on here. We know this.

It’s quite funny.

Sonic18811h ago(Edited 1h ago)

Are you insane? You want them to double the amount when the Xbox is already struggling and losing money 🤔

Hofstaderman40m ago

Correction....XBOX is already dead.

fr0sty1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

They'll do that, after creating 4 more higher-priced tiers and making the one that currently includes everything only contain games that have been on the market for 4 years.

"Gamepass Ultra to the MAX: Now only $299 per year!"

Profchaos39m ago(Edited 39m ago)

They are trying to get a return on abk and Bethesda they won't double day one we're lucky we are still getting them now that day one has been removed from base tiers

They want to make money not give it away

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 18m ago
MrDead6h ago(Edited 6h ago)

I like how they twist cannibalising game sales into "invests".

No lifetime sales with MS, they'll F-up gaming the same as streaming services have done to the movie industry and it's workforce.

Fishy Fingers3h ago(Edited 3h ago)

Out of interest do you think those 3rd parties signing the deal are unhappy with the severence and have a gun to their head?

Bro probably has a PS+ sub and has library full of Epic launcher free games.

shadowT4h agoShowReplies(2)
CrimsonGuardVII2h ago

@badz148 its not, it just straight lied.

gold_drake1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

we know this, we have known this since last year.

this is not new or news.

Show all comments (24)
440°

Report: Microsoft Cutting 650 More Jobs From Gaming Division Per Phil Spencer's Letter to Employees

Phil Spencer has sent a letter out to employees informing them that 650 jobs would be cut from Microsoft's gaming division.

VenomUK8d ago (Edited 8d ago )

‘Good guy Phil’?

The truth likely is that the decision was not his to make and is possibly a direct consequence of cutting costs following the ABK deal.

DodoDojo8d ago

Would be nice if he'd mail one of those letters to himself.

RhinoGamer888d ago

Cut costs -> no bonus, stock options, raises for Phil and his leadership team.

Lightning778d ago

"Good guy Phil" is comical. You have to bleed green to see that. I'm only a matter of time until MS, that's right MS even in ages themselves from the industry.

Sad, people and even sadder and pathetic company.

fr0sty8d ago

If they keep this up, they won't even be able to go third party anymore after they stop making Xbox hardware.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 8d ago
bionicstar8d ago

game devs aren't being let go.

“As part of aligning our post-acquisition team structure and managing our business, we have made the decision to eliminate approximately 650 roles across Microsoft Gaming—mostly corporate and supporting functions—to organize our business for long term success.”

darthv728d ago

getting rid of some suits... now this news isnt so bad. Too many suits makes all the wrong decisions, esp the top dogs.

Michiel19898d ago

@darth they arent suits, they are people that work in administration, customer support and that kinda stuff

ZacultronTheFirst8d ago

Probably people from much needed Marketing department.

Nacho_Z8d ago

It doesn't make it any better if they aren't devs being fired.

8d ago
+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 8d ago
Petebloodyonion8d ago

The original story is from IGN as they are the ones who got the memo.
https://www.ign.com/article...

Still sucks!

badboyz098d ago

The day we hear that Xbox is no more is vastly approaching.

8d ago Replies(2)
Obscure_Observer8d ago

"The day we hear that Xbox is no more is vastly approaching."

Not sure Sony is doing any better with all that money lost on GaaS and all that worldwide backlash regarding the Pro.

1Victor8d ago

@obscured: “ Not sure Sony is doing any better with all that money lost on GaaS and all that worldwide backlash regarding the Pro.”
.
Welcome back we missed you said no one 🤣

.
I don’t remember Sony cutting over 1900 employees then Less than 7 months later get a leak for another 600 to be on the chopping board but hey let’s equate that to a few people not been happy about a mid gen system refresh price 🤦🏿.

8d ago
1Victor8d ago

@obscured: “
They also casually forget that Sony have been laying off thousands of people too”
Yeeesh I got a better help discount code for you

BehindTheRows8d ago

Uh, thr Pro "backlash" is hardly something that's going to tank their business. Unless you've been living under a rock, there's no question that Xbox is in the gutter.

Quit pivoting to Sony because you don't like the subject matter. Their game division isn't in the toilet.

DodoDojo8d ago

Well Sony isn't selling more copies of their games on a rival system yet so they must be doing alright.

8d ago
Mr_cheese7d ago

@obscure

Saves some straws for the rest of us will you

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 7d ago
343_Guilty_Spark7d ago

Vastly approaching is a weird phrase… vastly is typically used to convey the degree of some size or length or time.

Vastly approaching makes no sense.

You mean rapidly approaching.

MrDead8d ago

A combined $80 billion spent on consolidating a massive part of the industry, thousands fired all to line the pockets of the already wealthy and turn the gaming industry into a rental service.

FU MS.

crazyCoconuts8d ago

MS is a publicly traded company. If you have a 401K you yourself might own MS stocks.
I'm definitely not a MS fan, but CEOs need to keep returns high to keep their jobs if nothing else. They don't get to transfer the salaries to their accounts.
I blame MS for failed strategies, poor execution, lack of vision, etc.
These layoffs are just the result of those things.

MrDead8d ago

That's the weakest excuse for a giant monopoly I've ever seen... also companies like MS are more likely to damage people's 401k through monopolistic practices.

Obscure_Observer8d ago

"FU MS."

I love how you act all enraged and bully when it´s MS firing people.

"It´s all about the workers" at least they´re Sony´s employees, right? If they´re Sony they can go f* themselves right? It´s all justified and the blame lies elsewhere on some widespread industry problem, right? Right?

We been seeing some of Sony recent bs moves and you know what´s coming, right?

I´m expecting you to disappear the same way you do every time Sony layoff hundreds of people or get a whole studio shut down.

You´ll do anything to avoid and hold them accountable. But that's OK. You´are not biased, right?

1Victor8d ago

@obscured: “ "It´s all about the workers" at least they´re Sony´s employees, right? If they´re Sony they can go f* themselves right? It´s all justified and the blame lies elsewhere on some widespread industry problem, right? Right?”

.
Well Sony didn’t overreached and spend over 80 BILLION$ to acquire mayor 3rd party game developers and one MAYOR publisher the owner of the BIGGEST FPS just hoping to keeping it exclusive to their system and now having to fire thousands of employees to valance their books one more quarter.
Now Microsoft is beginning and going to kiss Sony dark ring and publish their “first party games “ on PlayStation. Regardless of who it is it’s wrong to do an acquisition and then fire people.
I applaud Microsoft for at least giving them a severance package and assistance getting a new job 👍👍.

MrDead8d ago

Chill out kid... also why bring up Sony, have they just spent 80 billion to consolidate a massive part of the industry to the detriment of thousands of workers?

MS lines their pockets whilst firing thousands, such a shame you support this.

Chevalier8d ago

Gee someone here said Xbox would NEVER release 1st party games on Playstation or competing platforms again?! Never tired to see you eat crow again.

8d ago
OlderGamer177d ago

But but Sony bad...thats the normal damagecontroll from O_O. Dude its time to sing another song, this one is sounding like a broken record......

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 7d ago
LG_Fox_Brazil8d ago

Not sure about the rest of the world, but here in Brazil we have a say that goes like this:

'May the last one to leave please turn off the lights'

What the heck is MS even doing right now?

Show all comments (74)
210°

Something Feels Off About Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Shaz from GL: “Amidst recent concerns surrounding Xbox, Phil and Co. need a win. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be it.”

Read Full Story >>
gameluster.com
TwoPicklesGood13d ago

Looks good to me and I’m glad it’s coming to ps5

VenomUK11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

When it comes to video game previews I’m of the opinion that journalists should maintain a position of CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM. Yes, note and share concerns about the game with readers but maintain a restrained optimistic stance until actually having reviewed it so that any negativity is based on the game’s quality and not the author’s prejudices.

Here the author writes “ I’m going to continue to keep my cynicisms intact, less so because of my trust in MachineGames and more so due to the dumpster fire that continues to be modern-day Xbox.” This example illustrates the need to follow this guidance.

DefenderOfDoom212d ago

Not worried about facial animations , but I do hope the gameplay is fun . Most definitely I will purchase this on PS5, if the gameplay is fun .

BaughJaughs12d ago

nice hit piece. I notice the writer didn't mention any of the journalists / creators who had good things to say. From what i hear, it has riddick: escape from butcher bay in its DNA. To me that sounds like something to be Optimistic about rather than pessimistic.

ChasterMies12d ago

It’s odd to have a first person perspective for an adventure game with stealth and brawling. But’s not without precedent. Wolfenstein: New Order and Wolfenstein: New Colossus had a lot of adventure game elements. They were in the league of the greatest games ever, but they were both fun games. Indy looks fun too.

YourMommySpoils12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

Yes, Indy looks like Todd Howard. Something feels way too off.

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