420°

Microsoft Won't Steer Any of the Acquired Studios into Portfolio Objectives or Change Their Culture

Head of Microsoft Game Studios Matt Booty said that there are no plans to steer any of the acquired studios into certain portfolio objectives or change their work culture.

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wccftech.com
2064d ago Replies(9)
KaiPow2064d ago ShowReplies(7)
Garethvk2064d ago

Until they do not make enough money and it will be hands on.

Lennoxb632064d ago

That's every company. Sony and Nintendo do the same. When a company of theirs starts losing them money they have to be more hands on.

Garethvk2064d ago

Did I say it was not? It is business 101. The issue is MS is making a claim they will have a very hard time keeping and when they do become more hands on; they will open themselves to speculation.

Gh05t2064d ago

Yeah if a studio is failing it would be time for leadership to step in. Who wouldn't want that? If you had an employee doing jack all and not getting their work done to an acceptable standard you would just let them continue to do whatever? On the other hand if they get their work done why mess with them. Same applies for almost everything. Its a management style but no management style I have studied say let something that is failing continue to fail because, reasons.

Sitdown2063d ago

Your wisdom is not wanted here, allow the people to blindly throw feces in order to see what sticks!

2064d ago
PhoenixUp2064d ago

I still don’t have faith in Compulsion or Undead Labs producing exceptional games.

Razzer2064d ago

Seriously. Those two are dire need of a change of culture. Ninja Theory and Playground, on the other hand, know what they are doing. I think the Initiative will be fine with the incredible talent they are hiring.

CloudStrife9002063d ago

Why you got downvoted for speaking the truth is beyond me...

NT and Play, as you say, know what they're doing. I think what makes Compulsion interesting is their Tim Burton-like We Happy Few. It's an eerie game that has a distinct theme - despite the gameplay and performance being below standard. UL on the other hand, I think everyone enjoys their SoD games, but it would be nice to see something a bit more high quality next time around.

Initiative and NT have most of my interest. Unpopular opinion but DmC was fantastic. Initiative's talent will speak volumes. We'll just have to see what happens, but if MS are actively looking for studios that put out quality games on a three-year basis, it's safe to assume we'll be seeing most of their work at the dawn of the new gen.

Razzer2063d ago

Meh.....I don't concern myself with downvotes. I just think first party games should be held to a higher standard whether they are AAA or AA.

King_Noctis2064d ago

The only bad thing that I hear about State of Decay and We Happy Few are their bugs and lack of optimizations. With more manpower, more resources, and more dev time all those things can be solved. This is where MS comes in.

conanlifts2064d ago

The irony is that most of the bugs in state of decay have now been fixed. I have about 80 hours of gametime and the changes are evident. Of course a few bugs still exist, but they are far fewer than many other games. The problem with the internet is people form opinions without trying things for themselves.

CBaoth2063d ago (Edited 2063d ago )

@ sd11 no way have the bugs been fixed. I'm playing it right now on a 1X. There's input lag. Driving fast causes the framerate to dip into the low 20s. Mission NPCs get stuck in walls or under buildings preventing dialogue/advancement of said mission. I shouldn't have to fire up another side quest, do it quickly, and toggle original side hoping NPC is unstuck so I can deliver materials. I've even had infestations unable to clear due to a screamer/zombie in a wall.

That being said the SoD series is still one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I really dig the walking dead vibe with the community recruiting & crafting system so I'm hoping the acquisition enables UL to deliver a far bigger, better experience.

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390°

Former Blizzard President Suggests Players Should Have Option to Tip Developers

Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra recently suggested an interesting concept that has sparked a debate among gamers - the idea of being able to tip developers after completing a game.

LG_Fox_Brazil3d ago

If I had a 100% way to be sure that this money would go to a fund or a reserve dedicated only to the guys who develop the games, be them designers, artists, programmers and so on, I could think about it.

But we all know that this 'tip' would only end up in a publisher's CEO pocket to buy a new yacht, so, no, I ain't tipping anyone anytime soon on this industry

neutralgamer19922d ago

Exactly these companies were raising money for good causes and gamers were donation and come to find out they are keeping a good chunk of be pie

PapaBop2d ago

Yeah tip your developer, 5% proceeds go to developer, 95% to the publisher or whoever. Isn't tipping for staff not making minimum wage? How about they just pay their developers properly and like you know, give them fair bonuses? Too much to ask from Blizzard these days, Kotick saw to that and is now laughing all the way to the bank.

MrDead2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

It's the t**ts at the top looking at ways to cut devs wages and get the players to tip them like waiting staff, and I'll guarantee a percentage is skimmed and kept by Activision Blizzard. This is 100% for shareholder and CEO playouts.

Popsicle2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I have to agree with this. On the surface tipping devs sounds like a great idea, but in the end it leads to pay cuts and subsidization of pay. Tips then become an expectation or the devs “can’t make a living.” Lastly, especially in the US, tip culture has gotten out of control, and it serves as an excuse not to properly pay employees. Sounds good but doesn’t end well.

drizzom2d ago

@ Popsicle

I think your right on the nose with how much tipping has become rampant. Instead of it being a relationship directly between the customer and the developer or employee, it now has a middle man ingrained in the system. DoorDash is one example. It ends up becoming a metric where the company can measure 'just how much more money you are willing to part with' before raising the price on the main product.

1Victor2d ago

Uh so they’re trying triple dip or more we buy the game that they’re already withholding/cutting content for dlc we was told that season pass would help the developers thrive we felt for it.
Now on top of all that plus their sales bonus they want tips enough is enough whatever happens to you create/built a good game get a bonus for sales milestones you care about your game and community we reward you with more sales not for doing 3/4 of a game then save the other 1/4 for dlc and passes after

raWfodog2d ago

The 'tip' is me buying your game in the first place.

S2Killinit2d ago

Very well said. If it was possible to send the money to either the developer or some organization for the betterment of gaming, sure. But we all know that will not be the case.

Rynxie2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

No, it would go to those on the top. They will still fire developers, have a bunch of microtransactions, raise prices of games and so on.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 2d ago
H93d ago

So they eventually don't pay their workers and depend on our tips to pay them like the case with waiters!

Deeeeznuuuts2d ago

That kind of practice is only normal in the states, as far as I know anyway, what a backwards system

H92d ago

No it's as well in a every country that wants to amercanize

bloop2d ago

Ireland is literally the first stop across the pond and we don't have a tipping culture. The only establishments here that would expect a tip are the tourist haunts that Americans visit. Other than that, you might tip in a restaurant as a sign of gratitude for great service and waiting staff would be paid a full wage anyway.

Rebel_Scum2d ago

Tipping is not customary iin most countries dude. Get a passport lol.

Jin_Sakai3d ago

Is this a joke? How about the big wigs giving up some of their pay for their hard working developers.

MrBaskerville3d ago

Maybe the CEO could earn his money based on tips.

mastershredder3d ago

good god. The devs are not baristas dude. Total 1% ideals. Fing Chadosaurus.

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90°

The Reason Sega Lost The 32-Bit War? The 32X, Says Yosuke Okunari

"The company was unable to focus enough on its main hope"

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timeextension.com
ApocalypseShadow7d ago

Nope. Going back to the 32X as the reason Sega lost that generation doesn't go back far enough before the Saturn.

Sega executives need to blame themselves as to why Sega lost that generation. Not Saturn. Not 32X. Not Sega CD. Nope. Executives were the reason why. It wasn't the hardware. Those devices were either dropped early or released to soon resulting in a developer backlash the hurt the game catalog. They really shouldn't have been made at all because they should have planned their next move more carefully. It has nothing to do with the devices. Poor leadership decisions and lack of unity within the company are what happened.

Love how blame is always shifted away from what is the truth. Writing a book placing the blame on the 32X isn't the truth.

solideagle7d ago

I am pretty sure there are documentaries (Youtube) around it which highlights these points. I had Sega Mega drive and NES growing up but that's about it. I didn't even know there was a war going on between these companies but I do remember thinking why I can't play Sonic cartridge on Nintendo or Mario on Sega :D

FinalFantasyFanatic6d ago

I had the Genesis and the Saturn, also had the SNES and 64, I never got a Dreamcast for some reason, but I never saw one in the stores either.

60°

Talking Killer Klowns From Outer Space With The Chiodo Brothers

Chris D. Spoke with the Chiodo Brothers at PAX East about Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game and their Career.