300°

Why KOTOR 2 Dev's Xbox One Launch Game Was Canceled

IGN:

Obsidian Entertainment was developing a role-playing game called Stormlands for the launch of Xbox One that was ultimately canceled, and studio CEO Fergus Urquhart has come forward to reveal why Microsoft scrapped the project.

Herbalistic3057d ago (Edited 3057d ago )

I'm not even surprised being as the suits within Microsoft expect everything to have Halo levels of success. Obsidian could have created an rpg gem for Xbox but Microsoft listened to the bean counters like always.

3056d ago Replies(3)
XanderZane3056d ago (Edited 3056d ago )

Well I can understand why. Look who was in charge? https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

He obviously wasn't an advocate for the game and didn't hire anyone to be. Once the game started getting expensive to develop, they just pulled the plug. It's still to do that when the game is almost complete.

@Shin-Zantetsuken
Shooters and racers seem to sell better then RPG's, but it realy depends on the game. SW:KotoR sold very well on XBox. Lost Odyssey also sold well in Japan & U.S. RPG's seem more risky to Microsoft it seems.

Trez12343056d ago

Yeah it's a bit of a myth to say xbox is a shooter only brand because I didn't buy a 360 for halo or gears. Hell, gears wasnt even out when I got my 360. games like the first fable and ninja garden from xbox classics, kameo, blue dragon, lost odyssey, blue dragon, both ubisoft's naruto games etc..

They have changed from those times maybe their focus went on those big franchises but I certainly don't remember the 360, especially the first 3-4 years as being a shooter aND racer only console.

Unspoken3056d ago

A JRPG would have been a risk on XB1. The latest Fable wasn't Fable anymore, so I can understand why both if those games had to be shelved.

Bigpappy3056d ago

Not really. They supported Fable for a good run and that didn't sell Halo numbers, neither did Forza.

Obsidian is overrated. All the recent games they did well with, were all co-productions. They are yet the make a block buster of their own. I will like to see them succeed, but don't make them out to be some superstar studio when they clearly are not.

YAO-BLING3056d ago

it was canned for trying new things, wasn't a bro shooter

AngelicIceDiamond3056d ago

Considering MS launch line up didn't include a single shooter.

Yohshida3056d ago Show
G20WLY3056d ago

^I don't know, VideoGameLab, you have to keep the faith, I'm sure he will one day...eventually. Maybe.

XXanderXX3056d ago

So it was cancelled due to not having someone at MS cheering it on and pushing on your behalf . Could it be that no one took such action cause they were not impressed with what they saw .

aconnellan3056d ago

Nah, just remember - every single cancelled game was cancelled for no reason, and would have become an immediate gem upon release

/s

BlackTar1873056d ago

well we have no way of knowing if it would have become a gem or not cause they get cancelled.

Of course some or all could have sucked but you can't say one way or the other as a consumer.

Automatic793056d ago (Edited 3056d ago )

The project was canned because obsidian didn't have a champion to push the game.

Would have been great to see Xbox One have an action RPG along the lines of Mass Effect at launch.

BlackTar1873056d ago

i like obsidian but the games are a mess sometimes(Most of the time)

They still made the best Fallout imo

SuicidalTendencies3056d ago

No they didn't. Go play Fallout 2.

kevnb3056d ago

That's a weird way to title the article, kotor 2 isn't really a recent game of obsidian or their defining moment.

SuicidalTendencies3056d ago

You're being nice. It was a stupid way to title the article. Could have just put Obsidian.

Show all comments (24)
70°

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 devs praise games like Space Marine 2 for "lowering the barrier"

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 developers discuss the huge success of Space Marine 2 and its effect on the series as a whole.

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videogamer.com
Jingsing4d ago

How about an official level editor for Boltgun?

jznrpg2d ago

I’ll get Space Marine 2 when it’s cheaper. I don’t pay more than half price for short games.

60°

Glen Schofield: Dead Space Wouldn’t Be Greenlit Today—Publishers Are Afraid to Take Risks

Sector sat down with Glen Schofield—creator of Dead Space and The Callisto Protocol—during the Game Developers Session (GDS) in Prague to discuss the evolution of the game industry, the current challenges of AAA development, and why it's become so hard to get original ideas off the ground in today’s risk-averse environment.

1nsomniac5d ago

It’s easy enough to say that, but why? It feels weird to me when developers say this but common sense would tell you everything about the idea itself should work.

The idea of the concept seems like a winner at whichever angle you look at it so why would publishers not greenlight it?

… it’s almost as if the majority of publishers are massively incompetent at their jobs. But there’s no surprise to anyone there.

150°

WILD HEARTS S Q&A - 'Switch 2 Is Closer to the Series S Than PS4'

Wccftech interviewed Koei Tecmo about their upcoming game WILD HEARTS S, gathering their first thoughts on the Nintendo Switch 2 console.

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wccftech.com
Christopher7d ago

This new tech, in 2025, is more comparable to 2020 tech than 2013 tech.

*tip toes over that bar*

Also, why are all the comparisons to PS4 and not Xbox One?

Neonridr7d ago

PS4 is more powerful than the XB1, S2 is more powerful than both, so why not use the higher of the two?

Christopher7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

Probably because people who owned an XBO and not a PS4 don't really know what it means. The assumption is that everyone is as knowledgeable as journalists or gaming news junkies. Gaming is mainstream, that means that mass majority of people don't know these specifics, only online talking points.

And the PS4 and XBO are the closest in power systems we've ever had, so this 'more powerful' is so small, it really isn't the big talking point people think it is.

RaidenBlack5d ago

I'd rather add, Xbox One X can be used as a good metric to gauge if a said system is more powerful than last gen.

VariantAEC5d ago

It's pretty clear that Switch 2 isn't more powerful than PS4 Pro. Is the base model PS4 being beaten? Well, Switch 2 is hardly ever actually being compared to the base model PS4, but seeing as how it's yet to outperform PS4 Pro in basically any other way than loading data into RAM in video comparisons. I have to assume the individual developer being interviewed has very little experience with PS4 and Xbox One.

OtterX6d ago (Edited 6d ago )

Which is great for a handheld/hybrid! Some people still stick to Digital Foundry's PS4 comparison comment as gospel, back when they were just watching trailers and hadn't even had their hands on it yet.

With that said, this interview doesn't go into very much depth on this. I'd like to see more analysis, but so far I'm really impressed with the performance since I got mine on Friday. Truth be told, having a PS4 Pro level handheld is enough for me. Anything beyond is icing. I'm not looking to replace my PS5 or PC.

VariantAEC5d ago

In this case Digital Foundry is right. They didn't adequately explain or sound remotely confident when showing Switch 2's "visual" benefits in that HogLeg comparison was related to loading. Yes, sometimes two massive world segments can be connected by a smaller individual loading zone like how Jak 2 handled open world zones on PS2. There is a small room that in itself is it's own discrete loading zone that you wait inside as the next massive portion of the map loads in. Very common when going from Haven City to any part outside of the city owlr when descending into the sewers or entering the city from the outside or leaving the sewers. Anyway, the HogLeg skybridge loading zone is more detailed because Switch 2 could load in more varied textures. Models load pretty fast. It's probable that the decimated models that appear in the Switch 2 version were supposed to be visible on Xbox One and PS4 in that scene, which might be why they exist on Switch 2. Unfortunately, the same video showcased above shows PS4 Pro is basically ahead of Switch 2 in all other ways imaginable. Higher rendering resolutions with a sharper cleaner image, better effects quality, and a better distance all favor PS4 Pro. Both the Pro and Switch 2 seem to have a pretty solid 30FPS performance level.

MDTunkown6d ago

For how thin switch 2 is it’s impressive especially when it’s stronger than steam deck and cost less

Christopher6d ago

Steam Deck is cheaper at $399. Switch 2 also uses cheaper materials. See joycon drift still being an issue. You'll also save a ton more money on software alone with the Steam Deck.

Honestly, if the Steam Deck was released today, it likely would at least match the Switch 2 in areas where it outperforms the Steam Deck but still have more advantages. Main thing holding back the Deck is the cores and resolution, because it still has the better CPU and GPU otherwise.

Neonridr5d ago

@Christopher - I own one, no stick drift. My OG joycons never had drift either.

Steam Deck relies on FSR which is still inferior to DLSS. Not to mention that the S2 can push double the GPU performance in docked mode. Deck has more memory, which is nice.

I have both, but my S2 will be getting the lion-share of playtime in the near future. That being said, I can still appreciate being able to play my steam games on the go.

FinalFantasyFanatic5d ago

For me, the game sales/prices and flexibility of the Steam deck outweigh the cost of the system itself, but I'll probably get a Switch 2 anyway.

OMNlPOTENT6d ago

And the ps5 was comparable to a PC that could be built over 5 years before it came out lol, how do you think consoles stay affordable?

Christopher6d ago

You're actually proving my point even more.

badz1495d ago

@omnipotent

PS5 comparable to a PC built OVER 5 years before it came out? let's see...

the best mainstream PC combo back in 2015/2016 would be the i7 6700K ($350) + GTX 1080 ($600). Sorry, but that setup is never going to outperform the base PS5 in games, especially modern ones.

you done lying yet or still want to continue lying so your precious Switch 2 doesn't get hurt by facts anymore?

CosmicTurtle5d ago

It’s a tech article speaking about specs people who care about this will know. I did not own an XB1 but know it’s at a similar tech level as PS4. PS4 has a far greater sales footprint, it makes sense to use it.

ABizzel15d ago (Edited 5d ago )

Technologically it’s closer to the Series S….. Raster-wise it’s closer to a base PS4 which has been the point.

Why Switch 2 is better:
The much better CPU allows for higher FPS than the last gen Jaguar CPUs could ever produce.
The 12GB of RAM prevents the system from being bottlenecked in most modern games (even SS fails here)
The storage while not NVMe Gen4 speeds, is significantly faster than the HDD in last gen
It’s a RTX 3000 hybrid, and DLSS is a better upscaling solutions than all other consoles even PSSR currently, and significantly better than checkerboard rending.

This is where the PS4 & PS4 Pro comparisons come into play. Natively it can’t compete with the PS4 Pro, and really closer to the base PS4, but due to the better CPU, more RAM, faster storage, and DLSS it can upscale resolution, image quality, and performance to get close, match, or certain cases exceed the PS4 Pro, and rivals the Series S.

DLSS is really the saving force behind Switch 2 getting current gen ports to acceptable resolution quality, and NVIDIA and Nintendo did it at 10w, so kudos to them, because many of the AAA 3rd party games are and will continue to be native 540p - 720p upscaled through DLSS.

Also this game would benefit from DLSS.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 5d ago
Sonyslave36d ago

I notice it always ps4 or ps4 pro but never xbox one x which is more powetful then the ps4 pro.

MDTunkown6d ago

And it’s also in someways stronger than series S. Xbox one x is a special console that was never fully utilised and has 1,5 times more teraflops than series s.

badz1495d ago (Edited 5d ago )

but the Bulldozer CPU is much weaker and inefficient compared to Zen2 used in the Series S

Neonridr5d ago

the CPU's were those crappy Jaguar based chipsets though.

jznrpg5d ago

Because most people don’t care about Xbox

repsahj6d ago

This is an ugly port, they should improve it more instead of releasing it early.

gold_drake5d ago

sooo ...

what this is telling us, is that it comes down to the game and the devs optimization.

VariantAEC5d ago

There are already several games on Switch 2 coming up short in side-by-side comparisons. Cyberpunk 2077, Fortnite, and HogLeg are just the first examples with the first game in this list only having better image quality due to DLSS and slightly more stable performance due to that lower resolution than last gen systems enabled by DLSS, but having simplified models at mid distances and fewer NPCs roaming around than on PS4 or Xbox One.