Skyrim is a phenomenon - and Hines wants Dishonored to be too

MCV asks Bethesda’s PR and marketing VP asks if the smash hit RPG has changed the publisher’s ambitions. Bethesda's PR and marketing VP Peter Hines is also cautions that the jump to new consoles will come at a cost, and that existing technology has plenty of life left in it.

[dirigiblebill]

"Bethesda exec unconvinced by PS3"

Fixed.

[Marked]

"Bethesda exec unconvinced by all competition"

Now its fixed!

These turds hardly make a stable PC version...let alone live up to the standards set by their competition.

[Hatsune-Miku]

They are stuck in the past. Their games on the pc are comparable to the console ports with barely any improvements. They are rubbish

[Blastoise]

True dat. Glad to see someone acknowledging that it's not just the PS3 version that's not up to standards.

[Winter47th]

Lrnhow2program.

[SirBradders]

@winter47th i would but work 50+ hours a week you have any quick guides follow.

[tehpees3]

This is the point I've made. People think support for 360 and PS3 will just carry over from companies without question but it won't.

A lot of companies will hold games back until they see sales for the systems grow. In which case they will make multiplats for PS3, 360 and Wii U still.

Or to put it in other terms: they won't leave "current gen" systems until they are sure "true next gen" systems have a big enough install base to justify the risk of development.

Until then expect 720 and PS4 to share multiplats with the others.

[AsheXII]

If by standards you mean linear experiences with restrictive gameplay an cinematic action then yes Bethesda doesn't live up to standards.

[Elwenil]

Nah, it's not this gen of consoles that is holding Bethesda back, it's Bethesda that's holding Bethesda back.

[srcBFMVBMTH]

@AsheXII

Rockstar > Bethesda

In every possible way.

[MaxXAttaxX]

@AsheXII
That's a design choice that's been around for years, you ass.

Skyrim could have benefited from cinematic action or at least a few cutscenes to try and make it seem like some events and other things I do in the game matter.

It doesn't even live up to standards when it comes to character animations and simplistic clunky combat, glitches, game breaking bugs, or even including you in the story instead of being a glorified errand boy, etc.

[Irishguy95]

It is better than other games for exploring. Other than that every single thing, if you break them down into what the are, they are very meh. Combat, presentation(including animation, graphics/draw distance)...and well..that's it isn't it? Combat is dreadful. I also LOVE the way they took out any sort of unique traits of each race. Woo. Streamlining Ftw

[ALLWRONG]

Bethesda games all work for me

[inveni0]

I do appreciate the difficulty of creating a game with the depth and weaving narrative attributed to Bethesda's craft. BUT most of the bugs their games face are not related to this depth. It's related to poor programming expertise. Yes, my primary character on Skyrim was ruined because of a quest glitch. But just as frustrating is the horrible engine design that, while beautiful, is broken in nearly every sense.

The current-gen consoles aren't holding us back...devs like Bethesda are.

[MysticStrummer]

@AsheXII - Given their quality control problems, perhaps Bethesda should try making a more linear experience with restrictive gameplay and cinematic action. They might have better luck with that, and they don't come close to Rockstar for an open world experience anyway.

[Elwenil]

Ok, so what the hell happened to the title of this thread? This is a complete 180° from what it was when posted. The description of the article is also completely different.

[snipes101]

Lol at all the imbeciles that don't realize that Bethesda is only PUBLISHING Dishonored. Arkane studios is developing it.

All this discussion about Bethesda's development practices has nothing to do with Dishonored. Good lord, people. Sorry for throwing around insults but sometimes people can just be so quick to to bash something.

[Campy da Camper]

What pisses me off is I want to love Bethesda. I give them more chances than I did my alcoholic ex-wife. After the greatness of Oblivion, I jumped all over Fallout 3. Crash, crash, crash.

Then New Vegas: I was 5 minutes into the game and the old man's head was spinning like the Wheel of Fortune. Get outside...crash, crash, crash.

Went to midnight release of Skyrim. Crash, crash, crash. Broken quests. Horrible combat. Redundant caves bosses. Game breaking bugs...

It just pisses me off. I love open world WRPG but their shit is so damn glitchy that it just ruins it. I am seriously debating NOT getting Fallout 4.

With game like Infamous 1 & 2 and Demon's/Dark Souls I am about to just write them off.

[Awesome_Gamer]

F*CK YOU BUGTHESDA!!

[fermcr]

With all the trouble they are having with Skyrim's DLC on the PS3, they don't think these consoles are holding them back ? .... hummm

[kneon]

Because they know it's their poor programming skills that are holding them back. Bethesda games are routinely among the buggiest games released every year.

[Blankman85]

Even SONY is struggling with Skyrim's dlc though. Just puttin' it out there.

[Hellsvacancy]

^^^^^
Exactly, its Skyrims fault (Bethseda)

[koston3647]

but who made Skyrim, and the DLC that is out for it.......

[koston3647]

@Ndivhu but who made Skyrim, and the DLC that is out for it.......

[jmac53]

@koston3647
Well who made the ass backwards PS3 architecture that has caused developers problems from the start.

[torchic]

@jmac

that excuse doesn't fly 6 YEARS after release date.

no no no

[humbleopinion]

I think they know the consoles are not holding them back because they unlike other companies they didn't compromise their vision just so that it will work 100% identical on consoles and PC. Skyrim maxed out on the PC with their new texture pack makes the consoles version look and feel almost like a Wii game - the difference is huge. The consoles also didn't stop them from releasing their editing tools and building a modding community on Steam.

The DLC issue on the PS3 also didn't hold them back from releasing it on the PC and X360: if they were dumping all the other version just because they stretched out the memory or whatever on the PS3 version - then we would have been able to say that consoles are holding them back.

@torchic:
Why doesn't this excuse still hold? Did Sony at any point dump the old design and fix the PS3 architecture, or is it virtually the same architecture as it always was?

[TheHater]

odd
They can't get their games working correctly on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The PC community had to release a "mod/patch" just to get the game running correctly on the PC.

[topekomsi]

Too bad consoles can't get the same.

[Pushagree]

I really don't see how he can say that. I figured an ambitious developer like bethesda would want more technical umph to make they type of games that they want to make. The games they make now of of such a large scope that they are diffiucult to run on consoles as it is. They way I see it, the current gen is holding them back.

[Ducky]

The person making the comment does PR and Marketing, not actual game development.

As far as they're concerned, they're content with the current-gen dragging on for the reasons stated in the article.

[ZoyosJD]

Winner: Me

Just finished Dark Souls (again).

[chukamachine]

Currently playing Dark Souls on PC.

After install, the game looks awful. Even if you switch to 1080p rez, it's the internal rez. 1024x720p.

But after searching is finding the rez fix, it also fixes the framerate for me as well.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum...

The difference is amazing while playing.

[Blastoise]

Dark Souls ftw. SL & Console?

[cgoodno]

Talk about the most ignorant comment you can make when they can't get their game to work on a current gen console.

[CarlosX360]

How can you be unconvinced by PS3? PS3 has a lot of horsepower left. It's Xbox 360 that is holding a lot of developers back. Ever wonder why content is being cut out from the final version of the game?

[hennessey86]

no it isn't
multiple discs are not a problem

[Godmars290]

More to do with the current Elder Scrolls issues on the system.

[andibandit]

I agree the ps3 is a supercomputer and still give modern pc`s a run for their money. Programmers just need to learn how to program

[Brosy]

@carlos
The 360 outperforms the PS3 in the vast majority of multiplats. The 360 isnt holding the PS3 back. Thats a dumb assumption. PS3 is 6 year old tech, games arent going to magically start performing better for the PS3. The PS3 as well as the 360 are tapped out of more power. Thats why we need a new gen of consoles.

[geddesmond]

They can't get 1 game to work properly on the PS3 and he says existing technology has plenty of life left SMH. Just be honest. He doesn't want the next gen because of costs only.

[tommygunzII]

Why does it always smell like cheese in here?

[KentBlake]

...says the company that can't even make a DLC work properly on a current-gen console.

[Sarcasm]

Not just DLC, pretty much all their past titles on PS3 either run like crap or don't run at all.

[topekomsi]

They could fvck up a wet dream.

[GrahamGolden]

not true
oblivion best console version was for the ps3

u can watch the reviews on gaming video sites
the xbox version had poor frame rate and was buggu as hell.

so its clear thats it bugthesda fault...they cant launch a proper game...u always have to wait for like a year so they release a "complete edition" with everything fixed.

and they making an mmo ?
hahaha lol good luck and good patience to all those who gonna play this bug paradise game

[Dark_king]

@GrahamGolden
Yea but even that version had issues with bugs.Getting stuck as a vampire for the rest of the game was a pain.

[Persistantthug]

@GrahamGolden, Actually, Bethesda didn't make OBLIVION for the PS3....
4J Studios did the port of the PS3's version.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

[Baka-akaB]

Funny , i could swear you were blaming the issues of your last game on current hardware

[NYC_Gamer]

Bethesda shouldn't speak on hardware until they could build an engine that actually works

[ame22]

Bugthesda, your games say otherwise.

[majiebeast]

Lol they couldnt even get Skyrim out without game breaking bugs so the only 1 to blame is bugthesda and their crappy Q and A team.

[barb_wire]

They have a Q&A team?

Huh, who knew..

[xyxzor]

Don't be so quick to blame QA in this situation. As a QA Tester I think it's funny and sometimes understandable that QA is the scapegoat in this situation. Bethesda could have an excellent QA team, however it's only up to QA to report issues, not fix them. Producers are usually the one to blame in these situations, as they tend to cover up all the huge issues, even with QA screaming at the top of their lungs to fix these issues. They are far more concerned with making deadlines than actually pushing out quality products. Especially for a company that has more centralized QA.

[fourthpersonview]

Well they're right. Everything they made works on the Xbox so I dont see a problem.

[MRMagoo123]

im guessing you havent played any of their games then

[EliteDave93]

PS3 still has years left.

[DragonKnight]

So then where's Dawnguard on PS3?

[ApolloTheBoss]

I've lost all faith in Bethesda. They're a shadow of their former selves.

[DigitalRaptor]

I REALLY hope people realise that Bethesda aren't making Dishonored. They're only the publisher.

ARKANE STUDIOS are responsible for Dishonored, so even if there are bugs, don't expect the kinda crap that Behesda puts out.

[ApolloTheBoss]

I already knew that but yes I agree with you.

[Canthar]

Well since they can't figure out PS3 of course it has plenty left. They have no idea how to use it.

[sandman224]

Then why can't they make a good version of any game for the ps3. Are the devs admitting that they suck as a game developer?

[Adropacrich2]

It's not like their games are an advanced form already of what is already possible ie AI development and interaction is still massively unexplored. I like to think all that extra power afforded would help too but in truth it will just make for more visual gloss

[Baka-akaB]

at the very least it would expose their fraud , if hiding behind the lack of horsepower to do better .

But i'm not holding my breath ... they'll do under great acclaims , something as buggy and unreliable , but people will repeat the "it's their first next gen game , chill" mantra ... the magically for the following ones , the hardware will be yet again too limited

[Adropacrich2]

Yeah sounds about right that

[Sugreev2001]

@ Baka-akaB

I think what you just said accurately describes their work philosophy.

[FarCryLover182]

Says the people who started hiring for next gen like a year ago.

[Getowned]

LOL!!!! like Bethesda should even talk, shame on you Bethesda. You are low.

[black911]

PS3 still has alot of Power left.

P.S Go RAIDERSSSSSSSS

[-Gespenst-]

They just don't want to have to learn how to develop on new consoles. They're only just managing to get rid of the bugs in their current gen-games.

[The_KELRaTH]

Doesn't really matter how much power it may or may not have as the image quality is immediately let down just because it's having to be upsampled from 720p (ish) to 1080p.

Also a simple hint to the lack of power is that it can't use proper x4 anti aliasing with 90% of games. Warhawk has been one of the few and it really shows what a difference it makes.

[Hicken]

What about the rest of the issues, such as their coding problems? Visuals be damned; they can't even get DLC running correctly.

[The_KELRaTH]

Selling unfinished, little tested games is the norm these days. I enjoy Battlefield 3 but 3 months to fix the headset audio then another 3 to (nearly) fix controller lag is just ridiculous.

It's quite sad but it seems this will only get worse unless we have a specific law that entitled the software purchaser a full refund anytime within 6 months should the software still not function as intended - and it should be directly against the publisher rather than the poor dealer.

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

ps3 gamers unconvinced my Bethesda.

[Saryk]

You have good games and you have bad games. Graphics do play a part in the game, but only to a certain extent. If I were you guys. I wouldn’t worry about the next gen that much. It is going to come and it will come with a whimper.

[Braid]

Oh the irony :)

It's like a man trying to fly, but falling flat on the ground and saying "I don't think not having wings hold me back" as if he's actually flying around the globe like Superman.

[Kobe357]

Lol this guy just subliminally admitted it's not the consoles fault that they can't make a bug less game LMAO!! PS3 bottlenecks my a**!!

[Angainor7]

ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!

[Dead_by_Dawn]

Current gen consoles have been pushed pretty far, ps3 not as much cause some third party devs dont want to actually sit down and learn how to properly work with ps3s hardware. Bethesda on the hand, haven't really done anything but release buggy/glitchy games this entire gen. Good games, don't get me wrong. But flawed games and some worse than others. Plus their crappy gamebryo/creation engine that has held them back the entire time this gen. Then this troll pete hines decides to say that this gen is not holding them back, after all of their lame f**k ups. They are seriously in denial

[madeinLeeds]

Microsoft, proud sponsors of Bethesda since 2005!!

[Roper316]

they hold themselves back imho, just look at the buggy games they release. While I enjoy their games they do have their issues which some have worse than others.

[nihonlight]

They can't even code properly THIS gen.
Next gen, omg can't wait to have 10,000 bugs instead of 800.

Bethesda, your coding/programming and engine still suck.
And your PR REALLY sucks. FIRE PETE HINES

[seanpitt23]

How can he say that when the ps3 version of skyrim was a shit bomb of mega magnitude screen tearing for fun loading issues and the graphis looked plain uguly. The last time i played it and everytime i went into water BOOM it crashed tried it again BOOM did it again that was the last straw i have never played it since. i do take on board that big games will have the occasional bug but come on!!

[ab5olut10n]

this is kind of sickening. way to go hines.