140°

Inside Starfield: how Bethesda's “NASA punk” epic became the biggest Xbox game in a decade

After buying publisher Bethesda Softworks for nearly $7.5 billion, Microsoft secured Starfield as an Xbox exclusive. But the team behind it didn’t just build a world, they built a galaxy – one that could turn the tide for a console generation.

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gq-magazine.co.uk
Cockney336d ago

Good grief, gq the magazine at the forefront of gaming

4Sh0w336d ago (Edited 336d ago )

How? Simple its Bethesda's biggest most ambitious game ever, first new IP in 25yrs, so alot was already riding on this one and Microsoft bought them. I'm a gamer so I'm just gonna play the games I want to play wherever they are.

__SteakDeck__336d ago

MS paid for it, that’s how it happened.

Obscure_Observer336d ago

"MS paid for it, that’s how it happened."

The creator (Todd Howard) could say no. Instead, he wanted his game and his team at Bethesda to be part of Xbox, specially due their past relationship, according to Howard himself.

You may not like it, but it is what it is.

Goosejuice336d ago

Todd Howard isn't the ceo of zenimax...it wasn't up to him. Zenimax sold the whole company off not just Bethesda.

Obscure_Observer336d ago

@Goosejuice

"Todd Howard isn't the ceo of zenimax...it wasn't up to him. Zenimax sold the whole company off not just Bethesda."

Todd Howard was onboard, and he´s the most important developer/producer at Bethesda so he most definitely had an opinion regarding the acquisition.

Besides, Howard didn´t accept Sony´s offer to make Starfield time exclusive on PS5 like Ghostwire Tokio and Deathloop, and Zenimax couldn´t do nothing about it.

Goosejuice336d ago (Edited 336d ago )

That's because starfield is a nuch bigger game than those 2. And ur right zenimax let's them operate independently. But Microsoft didn't purchase Bethesda. They bought zenimax which owns them. It's not the same. It's not like Bethesda ran to zenimax and said let MS buy us. Zenimax can sell with or without his approval. Howard also thought starfield was going to remain multiplatform when bought.

Obscure_Observer336d ago

@Goosejuice

"Howard also thought starfield was going to remain multiplatform when bought."

No, he did not. Starfield was never officially announced for the PS5 and according to Howard himself, unlike Redfall, Starfield never went into actual development for Playstation.

"Howard praised the PS5 and wanted to make it very clear Bethesda did well on PlayStation, but had a stronger relationship with Xbox as the Microsoft-owned company had been there for Bethesda when it began making console games like Morrowind. Howard noted that the acquisition made it easier to focus on one console and PC rather than multiple consoles, but also noted that it allows for more resources. The prolific game director also revealed that Xbox itself has helped out on Starfield with the platform holder's top engineers working to make the game look the best that it can on Xbox Series X|S."

https://comicbook.com/gamin...

Extermin8or3_335d ago

You literally have no idea what you are talking about. By all accounts from reliable leaders at the time Bethesda offered SONY the opportunity to have timed exclusivity and they declined after viewing and playing the title. Microsoft not long after decided to buy zenimax as a whole. At that time they publicly were planning fir games in development to still be multiplatform. They told zebimax this and you can tell from the remarks of Pete hines and Todd Howard in interviews.when the acquisition was complete Phil Spencer held a strategy meeting and basically went in and told everyone thst henceforth athey could consider all Bethesda and zenimax gsnes xbox exclusives and to can the ps5 versions in development. We now know this from court cases. Todd Howard was clearly never on board with this approach hence his interview remarks that it woukd be "inconceivable to keep their IP to just one console platform and pc, that it would go out as widely as it could, just like previous games like skyrim"

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 335d ago
shinoff2183336d ago

I say ever. Their biggest game ever. Aside from the og Xbox due to oddworld I've never bought an Xbox this early in its life.

shinoff2183336d ago

Downvote all you want but someone who isn't into halo or racing games doesn't have much motivation to buy an Xbox. Now someone who likes sci fi, bethesada games, and rpgs. Now is a good time

GamingManiac336d ago

Nah, I'll be using GeForce now to play it or even just pirate it out of spite lol Still not worth buying an xbox for.

anast336d ago

Like I said, the reviews have already been written and the 10s are in the chamber ready to go on release date.

4Sh0w336d ago (Edited 336d ago )

Damm you thought it looked that good too?.....ahhh nah, so you are just personally hedging your bets, if it's 6's you say I knew it sucked haha and if reviewers actually love it you'll say "paid by Microsoft", classic fanboy stuff, lmfao you ain't fooling nobody, your history tells me you already have your 1/10 review ready & sadly that part ain't a joke= too bad for you we'll be enjoying the game & laughing at all the Jelly on your lips.

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40°

TennoCon 2024: Ben Starr On His Bridgerton Moment In Warframe 1999

Right before the full reveal of Warframe 1999 at TennoCon, we chatted with Ben Starr about the responsibility of stepping into such a huge franchise.

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cgmagonline.com
290°

10 "Bad" Games I Actually Enjoyed

TNS: "We're shining a light on a bunch of "bad" games that may've been left wanting when it comes to their critical or audience reception."

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thenerdstash.com
Profchaos2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Good list I've had similar reactions to some games even ones on the list like the order and Callisto

Also I recently grabbed forspoken for, 5 dollars at a eb games Clarence sale and I am actually enjoying it more than I thought I would

Sometimes you just need to give critically panned games a chance

FTLmaster2d ago

Oh gosh, good shout on Forspoken! Genuinely forgot about that one, and haven't got around to playing it. It's on my to-buy-in-a-sale list!

Cacabunga1d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

Knack was great ! Had a blast with the first one. Haven’t tried the second one though due to backlog

The Fight: Lights Out was also a game i enjoyed very much and highly detailed with great motion control when you understand how they work, which is what pushed people away from this game..

LoveSpuds1d 14h ago

Both The Order and Calisto were harshly treated in my view. I am not saying they are perfect, but the were both really solid games. I personally really liked them despite acknowledging their flaws and coincidentally, got the platinum trophy for both games.

Evil West is another really fun game that's worth checking out for sure.

andy851d 14h ago

Forspoken was great. Never really understood all the criticism. 2nd best traversal in a game after Spiderman

Profchaos1d 7h ago

Yeah gameplay wise I get huge infamous vibes with its combat starting out as low level eventually becoming a unstoppable power spewing killing machine with a wide variety of powers infamous is one of my favourite franchises obviously it's not the same but I love the combat of it so far.

ChasterMies2d ago

I feel like we’re finally starting to see a sea change in how we treat our favorite games. Sure, we all acknowledge that a game can suck and we can still enjoy it. Hopefully this results in meaningful review scores. Personally, I find a lot of bad games are better if you blast through them on the easiest difficulty. Callisto protocol on the image is a good example of this.

LoveSpuds1d 14h ago (Edited 1d 14h ago )

I really liked Calisto, harshly treated for sure and I don't necessarily think it needs to be played on easy to enjoy it. It's not perfect, but it's not the car crash the media portrayed it as either.

I have said it before, but part of the issue is that there is a mind share going on in games coverage, with all the main outfits being personal friends and talking too each other. As such, there is a risk that everyone ends up sharing in the same opinion rather than thinking from themselves. I reckon that's why some games get a universal bashing when consumers actually like the game and equally, games get great reviews across the board and the game doesnt land with consumers.

RaidenBlack2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Actually, I started liking FO76 after the wastelanders DLC ... it has been my guilty pleasure
other games I can think of Order 1886, Driveclub, Resident Evil 6 (only the Leon part), Alpha Protocol (pretty unique, needs a remake), XIII Remake (after patches), Medal of Honor 2010, Medal of Honor Warfighter, Homefront The Revolution, Enemy Front, Legendary The Box, Faces of War, Conflict: Vietnam, Conflict: Global Storm & Codename: Panzers – Cold War

CosmicTurtle2d ago

Driveclub was genuinely a good game with a poor launch. Alpha Protocol is superb, just a few archaic design choices for the time.

RaidenBlack1d 15h ago

I want past games with interesting setups/mechanics but having some flaws (due to crunch or budget) to be remade so that the gaming community can appreciate and enjoy them as was envisioned and intended by the developers. In contrast to a successful game being remade again just with prettier coat of paint.
Alpha Protocol tops that and I'll include FO:NV as well as an exception (it is popular but features were cut due to limited dev time). And also Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines I, Singularity, KOTOR II and maybe Daikatana.
There might be others which I can't recall atm.

SonyStyled2d ago

I loved Enemy Front. I pre ordered it months prior and remember calling the store to check if it came out that day. The guy never heard of it but confirmed my copy was ready to pick up. Game was simple and basic in a good way. Didn’t have any tacked on extras. A simple mission and objectives in each level. Kind of reminded me of the first Crysis in a way

gold_drake2d ago

The Order was really good. abit short

RiseNShine2d ago

I loved The Order, ridiculous graphics for it's time and a very interesting setting, it was linear but not as bad as people say. Similar thing with Callisto Protocol, i admit that i played it a long time after release so maybe issues were fixed by then, but it was a fantastic Dead Space-like horror game with some of the best graphics i've seen in my life.

LoveSpuds1d 14h ago

Yup, I am afraid to say I waited on Calisto and picked it up for around 30 quid. Once I played it on felt really badly for the devs because the game was really decent.

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OtterX2d ago

For me, these Mario + Rabbids games were the best thing Ubisoft has developed in recent years. I'd hate to see Ubisoft drive the series into the ground like their other properties, so I think 2 games are enough. Maybe 1 more.

Inverno2d ago

They can't ruin it because Ninty will send their ninjas to destroy all traces of it. If not for that you can bet that spinoff series would've been milked dry by now.

XiNatsuDragnel2d ago

Good luck in your future endeavors

Hotpot2d ago

Thank you for Mario + Rabbids series, I quite enjoyed it

Einhander19722d ago

Great games, I have wanted Sony to copy these games with their own mascots for years.

Michiel19891d 16h ago

not cinematic or 3rd person enough for Sony

DefaultComment2d ago

I think Nintendo has to hire this guy, I mean the fact that miuamoto himself said to him that he is impressed with this work, speaks volumes. Th possibility on having Mario on Soliani's hand could be incredible and quite possibly a new era for Mario games.

OtterX2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Yea, these games didn't even feel Ubisoft at all. This felt very authentic Nintendo. This guy's direction is obviously stellar, and Ubisoft somehow managed to not kill it with microtransactions and repetitive, boring tasks.