120°

Microsoft Won’t Take Blame for Lack of Fez Fix

Kotaku writes: Microsoft has denied responsibility for a game-breaking glitch that the developers of puzzle game Fez said they couldn't afford to fix.

PirateThom4728d ago

Why should they? The developer knew the deal, Microsoft didn't make the game...

nukeitall4728d ago

I'm frankly surprised about this decision by Polytron (the maker of Fez). It's not like they didn't know about the cost of patches up front and they clearly profited a great deal from the game, but they are unwilling to pay up to fix a bug that is rather nasty for their own customers!

I can't help, but feel like Polytron is the one to blame and not MS!!!

I didn't buy Fez and I won't be buying it either on any platform!

TheGamingArt4728d ago

It's one guy who was making a game for 5 years and had a partner bail on him... seriously people.

Patriots_Pride4728d ago

@gaming art - Continuing the recent trend of strong Xbox Live Arcade sales, developer Polytron announced that they've sold 100,000 copies of their critically acclaimed 8-bit-style puzzler, Fez. We've reached out to Microsoft for official publisher confirmation and comment and will update accordingly with any response.

No divide that by one guy....yeah he can afford to patch the game.

ThatsGaming4728d ago

@TheGamingArt...

Maybe he should Indie then. If you want to play in the XBLA club then you should make sure you have what it takes to be there.

Although I feel for them, the person made their own bed that they ended up sleeping in. I paid my hard earned money for the game, now I get ripped off because the devt didn't test the game fully and is screwed for patching.

nukeitall4728d ago (Edited 4728d ago )

@TheGamingArt:

How did the partner (MS) bail on the developer?

It was more the developer partnering with MS, MS set the terms, developer agreed and a while later all of a sudden disagree! Then bad mouthing the partner!

You can see how I don't have any sympathy for the guy. It's pretty simple, do NOT agree (or buy for that matter) if you do not like the terms!

I'm sick of people making bonehead decisions and whining about it later on!!!

The kicker is, Fez sold more than a 100,000 copies. The patch cost $10k. That's right, it means the patch cost each customer less than $0.10 out of the $10 or so the developer collected! But hey, the developer ain't giving it back, so blame the publisher! /s

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4728d ago
Jazz41084728d ago (Edited 4728d ago )

I agree piratethom. I think Fish knowing what the costs were ahead of time should have tested this patch and tested this patch in the time he had to make sure all issues were fixed. How he can try and turn this on MS makes me not want to purchase any future games as they(Fish) can't afford to make them whole.

Enigma_20994728d ago

But remember... Japanese games suck. Phil Fish said so.

Hicken4728d ago

Nor should they. This is in the hands of the developer.

Outside_ofthe_Box4728d ago (Edited 4728d ago )

Get out of here biggest fanboy on N4G! Always hating on Microsoft! /s

Blastoise4728d ago

Funny how the reviewers didnt mention this when they were giving it 9.5's and 10's -_-'

SockeyBoy4728d ago

Is everyone affected by this though? (I'm being serious too). I'm still playing the game fine.

HarvesterOSarow4728d ago

I played the entire game, and collected everything there was to collect. I spent hours and hours in the game and thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. It is well worth the price, as the XBLA has NOTHING like it on the store and it's hard to find a game that compares. I never encountered a single glitch with over 15 to 20 hours of playtime.

I loved Fez, but I can't help but dislike Fish. Seems like everything he says is a douchebag remark, and honestly, he didn't do anything special. Any indie dev could have made a game like this in the right mindset, and some of them could have actually finished it by themselves without needing a triple A studio bailout,and not taken so long to do it. I'm on Microsofts side on this one, but I do find it sad that people won't be purchasing this wonderful game because nobody will fess up and cough up some cash for a little patch.

Acquiesc34728d ago

I thought so too. What's even worse is the stuttering which as far as I know is prevalent on every copy pre-patch. It's to the point where you actually die some times due to the stuttering if it happens mid-jump.

I got mine on release.. played for a bit. Missed the patch since apparently they pulled it shortly after putting it up. And lol at them taking down their post on their website too "We're not gonna patch the patch."

The concept is good and fresh, yes, but a few awesome/perfect reviews tends to spark a whole bandwagon of them that ignore the other big faults: Bugs and stuttering, confusing mess of a map, most puzzles are simple "rotate until you see the solution" puzzles which is disappointing. So called few "hard" puzzles are ridiculous codes that no one that isn't some WW2 codebreaker could figure out (unless they use a guide).

dedicatedtogamers4728d ago

Skyrim, GTA4, Call of Duty, Fable III...there are plenty of examples why we shouldn't be trusting all those 9.5 and 10 scores.

NYC_Gamer4728d ago

This only hurts customers who are affected by the bug

Hicken4728d ago

So does that mean that if not everybody experiences the defect, it should be treated as if it doesn't exist?

NYC_Gamer4728d ago

I'm talking about them refusing to work on some kind of deal to fix the problems is bad for the customer in general

Show all comments (23)
240°

‘I think Xbox hardware is dead’, says Microsoft gaming veteran

One of the founding members of the Xbox team has questioned Microsoft’s multiplatform gaming strategy, and said they believe the Xbox hardware business is effectively “dead"

Read Full Story >>
videogameschronicle.com
1d 11h ago Replies(3)
Goodguy011d 10h ago

Think that rumor that they'll still make a new console but at a profit at $1000 will be true though. The series consoles will remain their cheap alternative throughout next gen I would say. Keep in mind that game pass and pretty much going 3rd party is their main focus. They want to bring xbox everywhere.

1d 10h ago
GamerRN13h ago

If they don't maintain some kind of console presence, I think they will lose gamepass subscribers and just become a 3rd party publisher who eventually sells everything off

Cacabunga12h ago

Xbox games are releasing on all platforms. Who needs this hardware? PS or PC is all you need

Flewid63811h ago

I've never owned an Xbox in my life and I have GamePass.

thorstein10h ago

The only Xbox I owned was the 360. I have gamepass for my PC.

GamerRN5h ago

Majority of Gamepass users are currently on console...

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 5h ago
crazyCoconuts11h ago

Even if they could get it down to $800 for a box that can run with comparable performance to a PS6 (at, say $200 cheaper) the population of people willing to buy such a thing would be so limited.
It would be the worst of both worlds.

1d 8h ago
Futureshark22h ago

A slow, painful and public death too.

Show all comments (62)
300°

Looming Xbox layoffs threaten Microsoft's reputation

Even as the company sets out to overhaul the very definition of Xbox, cuts at its studios risk creating a negative image reminiscent of EA's worst era

Read Full Story >>
gamesindustry.biz
Jingsing3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

I appreciate the article but this guy must be living in a delayed universe, The reputation was ruined 10+ years ago and hasn't recovered since. As such people have voted with their wallets and stopped buying Xbox products in large amounts.

YourMommySpoils2d ago

Their reputation was lost way before that. From the moment Microsoft said they entering the console business, we all knew it would be a downgrade.

Bathyj1d 18h ago (Edited 1d 18h ago )

That's not true at all the OG Xbox had drive and they had hunger and they wanted to accomplish something. It was a great console.

they didn't quite reach their goals and they gave up prematurely because they couldn't win. It was halfway through the Xbox 360 when kinect released and that was when they lost their way and we're a rudderless ship ever since

Agent751d 16h ago

In all fairness, Xbox had some great games with online play, Xbox 360 even better. Xbox consoles started to die with the Xbox One. Ditch consoles for the PC and PS.

YourMommySpoils1d 8h ago

@Bathyj hard to compute ay. Xbox was never better than a PC and that's all they ever were. A demo box. Doesn't get more true than that.

3d ago Replies(1)
isarai3d ago

What reputation is this threatening exactly? 😂

Lightning773d ago

Rumors of Turn 10 being either shut down or hit with massive lay offs is on the horizon.

The issue is MS will do something right only to do something very, very wrong. And they do this what seems calculative at this point. Doesn't matter what they do the Investors and leadership want more and more money an endless bottomless pit of purr insatiable greed. A company that acts like it's broke or hurting is what really, really infuriates me. They've surpassed apple again well over 3 trillion who acts like they're a million dollar company is fk stupid. Pivots and changes for no reason and can't do things for more than a year with out a pivot or changing their metrics.

Christopher2d ago

That would be really bad since Phil just hyped up next year as a big Forza year at Summer Game Fest.

1Victor2d ago

@christopher: “ That would be really bad since Phil just hyped up next year as a big Forza year at Summer Game Fest”
The key word big can be ether good or bad 🤷🏿only time can tell

DarXyde2d ago

First Forza being generated entirely via AI?

If any company would do it, it'd be them.

Nacho_Z2d ago

Isn't the point that it's irrelevant how profitable MS is, the suits have decided it's time that the Xbox division started making them money. Hence the layoffs, the pivots.

hennessey861d 19h ago

That wouldn't surprise me, as motorsport has been heading down hill since the great number 4. Where as playground have consistently put out better games. I think the two studios will be merged under playground games banner.

2d ago Replies(2)
Show all comments (63)
660°

Microsoft planning “major” Xbox layoffs next week

The cuts are expected to be announced next week.

Microsoft is also planning thousands of job cuts that will impact other parts of it businesses

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
6d ago Replies(1)
6d ago Replies(1)
Obscure_Observer6d ago

MFs has been beating their chests over great quarterly results and big profits to shareholders while firing people by the thousands just like Sony.

I wonder if at the top of those rumored layoffs they´ll also cancel upcoming or unannounced games while shutting down more studios as well.

6d ago
pwnmaster30006d ago

Always got to throw shade at Sony smh.
Yes we get it,
MS good Sony bad
MS bad Sony is also bad lmao

6d ago
Obscure_Observer6d ago

F* them both!

Just for the record, I don´t care about your victim complex crap either. Find someone else who cares.

blacktiger6d ago

He was talking about both. Why you getting offended when he's using both names

pwnmaster30006d ago (Edited 6d ago )

@Blacktiger

Im not offended , that’s just his formula lol
He can’t help help himself, he needs to bring Sony down when the topic involves MS.
Whether is good news for MS or bad, it some how leads to Sony doing bad lmao.
It’s actually hilarious.

InUrFoxHole6d ago

He's not wrong but im tracking what youre saying. In this case is should just be MS bad. Thats a lot of people fired

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 6d ago
Tacoboto6d ago

"just like Sony"

Gosh you're insufferable, not everything needs to be both-sides'd. Sony's had layoffs, but nothing like what Microsoft has been doing and is continuing to do.

CrimsonWing696d ago (Edited 6d ago )

I mean, no offense, but this is why you’re not some corporate business person running a major corporation. Big profits don’t mean jobs are safe. Do you understand why things like this happen:

Cutting jobs to maintain or increase profitability, especially in underperforming divisions like parts of Xbox like other gaming divisions.

Corporate restructuring and relocating resources for strategic stability in ever changing markets and consumer behaviors.

Investor expectations and optimizing operations to maintain investor confidence. Whatever boosts stock prices and improves future margins.

And there’s many other factors at play. It’s never as simple as business doing well, everyone’s safe. That’s just you not understanding at all how corporations work and have been working since the beginning. This isn’t something that’s specific to Xbox, you can bet your ass Sony and Nintendo do this and if it’s not clear by now, game development is not a stable job nor has it ever been for many. A lot of developers are contractors and guess what happens when a project is done?

Ganif6d ago

Nintendo said they have no plans for layoffs, and you can't seriously claim that the scale of Sony's layoffs most of which involved Bungie which is self managed as even close to the same scale as what Microsoft has done since they purchased Zenimax. And that significantly less layoffs would have happened if those publishers had stayed independent. Keep in mind that much of these layoffs have been due to redundancies specifically related to these buyouts.

CrimsonWing696d ago (Edited 6d ago )

@Ganif

Nintendo:

https://gamerant.com/ninten...

Sony:

https://gamerant.com/playst...

https://techxplore.com/news...

I don’t think it’s realistic to treat Sony’s layoffs as somehow outside the norm for the industry right now. Even if Bungie is self-managed, Sony’s cuts went far beyond that like Naughty Dog, Insomniac, London Studio being shut down completely, and multiple teams across the globe took hits. These weren’t just minor adjustments.

Nintendo, I had to look up and you’re right. They seem to be an outlier, but rest assured at some point it happens. And even then there’s been layoffs, albeit a smaller amount and contractors.

Would fewer layoffs have happened if studios from acquisitions stayed independent? Maybe. But even independents have been hit hard and look at what’s happened with Embracer’s fallout, or smaller devs like Digic, Roll7, or Volition. This isn’t just a “Microsoft problem” or strictly tied to acquisitions; it’s a broader correction happening across the whole industry, and unfortunately, layoffs are a big part of that process right now.

Ganif6d ago

From your article:

"According to reports, Nintendo of America restructured its testing operations, leading to layoffs of about 120 contractors, part of a strategy for global integration.

Nintendo of America, publisher of iconic franchises like Mario and Zelda, is shifting some contractors to full-time roles for better development integration."

Contractors are not employees, and even if you want to count them as that, it's 120 people vs around 7500 since Microsoft purchased Zenimax.

In an era of game industry layoffs, Nintendo is hiring more people
https://automaton-media.com...

Nintendo Announces 10 Percent Pay Raise For Devs Despite Lower Profits
https://kotaku.com/nintendo...

Nintendo CEO’s refusal to layoff staff goes viral following industry-wide cuts
"Satoru Iwata took pay cuts to ensure staff didn’t have to be let go"
https://www.nme.com/news/ga...

And as for Sony you're comparing less than 1000 total jobs to an estimated7500

Has the industry faced layoffs, yes, but that still doesn't account for the mass layoffs due to redundancies that was easily predictable, or that fact that at least 1/3 of Microsoft's layoffs and studio closures happened before the industry downturn.

thorstein6d ago (Edited 6d ago )

Take the L, Crimson.

People hate Nintendo, but Ganif proved why they deserve support.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 6d ago
-Foxtrot6d ago

It's like banging your head off a wall, he just can't help himself.

Microsoft can do no wrong, Sony sucks at everything and Nintendo is bigged up because it's less hassle than trying to defend Microsoft all the time

What's going to happen when Microsoft finally turn completely third party, then what?

anast6d ago

I enjoy Obscure. Obscure does good work.

crazyCoconuts6d ago

Did you know that the first n4g was designed to be a perfect human world? Where none suffered, where everyone would be happy. It was a disaster. No one would accept the program.

Tacoboto6d ago

I wouldn't be surprised at this point if anast and osbcure were both alts for the Admin.

We know how Obscure especially drums up additional comments and clicks with his spam-worthy remarks that somehow never get moderated

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 6d ago
Profchaos6d ago

Thats business present a strong front to your shareholders while your company burns around you.

Keep shareholders happy at all costs andnif not happy keep them numb to the reality of you organisation

Angyobangyo6d ago

" Just for the record, I don´t care about your victim complex crap either. Find someone else who cares. "

Just for the record, you clearly you do if you have to vent this hard.

TheExecutioner5d ago

Basically you think like kids when it come to choose between candy or chocolate.

Sonic18815d ago (Edited 5d ago )

Are you and Anast the same person?

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 5d ago
6d ago
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