170°

Retro City Rampage dev's Microsoft horror story

Developer says Microsoft cancelled his game and then released it at wrong price

After a shaky relationship that put his career and game on the line, Retro City Rampage developer Brian Provinciano joins Jonathan Blow and Team Meat in talking mess about Microsoft.

After developing RCR for over four years, Microsoft cancelled the Xbox Live Arcade release due to Provinciano publicly stating his issues with the process, Provinciano told Wired. Perhaps this was written in some contract and Microsoft wasn't out of line, but that is much harder to hold on to after what came next.

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destructoid.com
Hellsvacancy4050d ago (Edited 4050d ago )

He says working with Sony is a "coffee shop chat," while dealing with Microsoft feels like an "intimidating corporate vibe".

Makes me want to break something

Snookies12, I wonder how many other games out there that COULD of been made, but due to companies being greedy, they havnt, these companies are not happy with making a little profit, they wanna squeeze ya dry, and if they cant do that, well, its game over for you

Godmars2904050d ago

"these companies are not happy with making a little profit"

That seems to be exactingly true of Square Enix. They invest in projects solely based on brand value, set expectations too high and then limit creative effort.

RuleofOne343 4050d ago ShowReplies(6)
IK IR Y IP T4050d ago

I could really care less the games suck anyway

xursz4050d ago (Edited 4050d ago )

This implies you do care, just saying. I know what you mean though. I also know you're just saying that because you love Microsoft but Braid was a fantastic game, and there's a reason that and Super Meat Boy reached critical acclaim and such success. Those games do not suck. You know you're an idotic gamer when you let fanboy loyalty get between you and great games, not only that but by spreading hate as well. It's the same thing WiiU owners do when a game or specific technology is not supporting their system. "ZombiU? That game is amazing! Unreal Engine? Pfft, bunch of crap games and lazy developers, I tell ya." It's completely childish.

TemplarDante4050d ago

Jonathan Blow was of the same accord. The 3rd console curse is starting to be a reality for Microsoft and their Xbox720.
Sony were so arrogant at the start of this gen. Primarily down to their astronomical sales with the PS2.
PS4, they ate humble pie and oh, how proud I am in the route their taking. They're not not that arrogant sleeping giant anymore, their going out of their way for devs and indie devs in particular.
Microsoft, however, has been collecting false pride and arrogance this entire gen, Im afraid its going to catch up with them next gen.
PS4, the return of the king!

Zhipp4050d ago

3rd console curse... N64, PS3...Xbox720? Funny how I never noticed it before.

a_bro4050d ago (Edited 4050d ago )

Sega Saturn as well. heck, it marked the beginning of the end for Sega as a hardware company.

supraking9514050d ago

Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast

a_bro4050d ago

Sega Masters=>Sega Genesis=>Sega Saturn=> Sega Dreamcast

Jazz41084050d ago

Not to knock sony but i dont think there investers would let them do it any other way.

hellvaguy4050d ago

"Microsoft, however, has been collecting false pride and arrogance this entire gen, Im afraid its going to catch up with them next gen."

Projecting media hype and personal fanboyism into a corporation is always good humor and does have a certain entertainment value.

BrianC62344050d ago

Since Microsoft doesn't have many of their own developers you'd think they'd try to make things easier for third party developers. Even the little guys. They sure aren't doing a good job trying to build up a library of games for their next console.

Why o why4050d ago (Edited 4050d ago )

And how many many of those are dormant or underperforming? No point keeping all them horses in the stables. Feed them and let them run free

Ripsta7th4050d ago

Actually most of dem sell pretty well, Halo sells, Gears sells, and Forza Sells , and quite alot. We dont know much about the other studios as they have supposedly been working Next gen titles.

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80°

Microsoft Opening Xbox Mobile Game Store in July

The Xbox brand is expanding, as an Xbox mobile game store is opening this coming July where Microsoft will brings its "first-party portfolio."

Jin_Sakai1d 10h ago (Edited 1d 10h ago )

“Bond adds that they will start on the web”

This will go nowhere.

Nice knowing you Xbox. This is what happens when the house never gets cleaned.

MrDead1d 10h ago

The only this MS is expanding is the amount of feculence it sprays on everyone who just want to enjoy gaming and make games.

The best thing MS can do for the gaming industry is leave and never return.

XiNatsuDragnel1d 8h ago

Good luck with this even it might not succeed.

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210°

Microsoft once tried to nab LittleBigPlanet from Sony after a few drinks

It turns out that many moons ago, Microsoft once had its eye on the Sony published LittleBigPlanet series.

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eurogamer.net
XiNatsuDragnel2d ago

Microsoft had a good idea but fumbled it again.

Cacabunga22h ago(Edited 22h ago)

Project Spark idea was decent but they quickly gave up ..
LBP was wonderful

ApocalypseShadow1d 16h ago

Microsoft in a nutshell. Always tried to poach Sony employees, games, 3rd party games and devices like the depth camera that was turned into Kinect but was running on PS2 before Xbox 360. Wouldn't be surprised they wanted LBP. Just like they worked behind the scenes pushing the MLB to bring Sony's baseball game to Xbox instead of making their own.
https://www.playstationlife...

They didn't spend years trying to develop their own baseball game. They wanted Sony's game.

They're scum.

Zachmo18220h ago

Microsoft didn't force MLB on Xbox. MLB gave Sony 2 options either go multiplat or risk losing the license.

Rynxie11h ago

And why do you think MLB said that? I believe Ms approached MLB.

ApocalypseShadow10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

Totally ridiculous comment.

The only exclusivity Sony had was to their own creation of The Show. Microsoft could have paid the MLB for the license just like Sony did and made their own baseball game.

Microsoft instead, groomed MLB for years in trying to poach Sony's game and bring it to Xbox. They're worth 3 TRILLION dollars. You think that's not enough money to make their own baseball game? Don't be delusional.

Microsoft spun it like they always do and told the media that they had to trust Sony with their hardware. After they put Sony in that position of not having a choice. Either go multiplatform or stop making one of their successful games. That's a no win scenario.

And what did Microsoft do? They didn't try to sell the game to the Xbox community. They put it on game pass to hurt Sony. Pushing the idea of why buy games that are $70 when you can play them in their cheap service for $10. It was a dirty tactic.

You fell for the Kool aid drink Microsoft served you instead of spitting it out. Hope it tasted good because you were fooled by Phil and the gang.

5h ago
Hereandthere2h ago

Xbox executive Sara Bond has told Axios that Microsoft spent a number of years trying to get MLB The Show onto Xbox consoles. And when it finally succeeded in breaking off PlayStation’s long-held exclusivity, the company had to “trust” Sony with pre-release Xbox Series X/S consoles.

Bond revealed that MLB The Show “always came up” in conversations between Microsoft and the Major League Baseball organization. “We always said, ‘We love this game. It would be a huge opportunity to bring it to Xbox.'” she recalled. However, when Microsoft’s efforts materialized, it put the company in an awkward situation where it had to send in pre-release consoles to a rival company.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2h ago
Notellin7h ago

"Microsoft instead, groomed MLB for years in trying to poach Sony's game and bring it to Xbox."

Take a nap, conspiracies are rotting your brain.

5h ago
Hereandthere2h ago

Xbox executive Sara Bond has told Axios that Microsoft spent a number of years trying to get MLB The Show onto Xbox consoles. And when it finally succeeded in breaking off PlayStation’s long-held exclusivity, the company had to “trust” Sony with pre-release Xbox Series X/S consoles.

Hereandthere2h ago

They were too cheap/inept/lazy to develop their own mlb game, so they port begged for years and bribed the mlb to make the show multiplatform. Like i said many times, xbox brought nothing to the table their 24 years, ZERO.

OtterX23h ago

"However, Healey said Media Molecule wouldn't have felt right doing that, adding it would have been "morally corrupt"."

Major kudos to Media Molecule for being an upright studio with principles.

RNTody23h ago(Edited 23h ago)

Great, more stories like this please. Show the last of the zombies holding the line what we've been saying for years: Microsoft is anti competition, anti industry and has no interest in making games at all.

But hey, at least there's an Xbox Games Showcase to look forward to, right?

Inverno22h ago

Well considering SONY just killed the series, LBP would've been dead by now either way. Though MM probably wouldn't exist by now either, so I'm glad they stayed with SONY, hopefully they don't get shut down any time soon or ever honestly.

Inverno20h ago

They shut down the servers, that's millions of user created levels gone. That and dead are pretty much the same, it's also been years since 3 and they cancelled HUB soooo.

5h ago
fsfsxii7h ago

They shutdown the servers because no one was playing, no one in the community cared about the user created levels so why keep them up? Wtf you guys would never succeed in running a business.

Inverno6h ago

Yea dood no one was playing so they shut off the servers. Cause people with enough common sense can't just Google why they were actually shut of, right?

Show all comments (26)
60°

Game Studio Closures, Entertainment News, Disney, And More Skewedcast

The full Skewedcast crew back for this episode and Gareth, Justin, Michael, and JoeyZ at Skewed and Reviewed break down the latest entertainment news qith a focus at 40:00 on the Microsoft Studio Closures and how it impacts the game community and what can be done to help offset this negative trend.