Today Paradox Interactive announced that it's parting ways with its subsidiary studio Harebrained Schemes effective January 1, 2024.
A year packed with major releases for Xbox consoles, PC and Game Pass.
ninja Gaiden being released 8 days apart is insane MS hasn't learned anything with shoulder to shoulder releases. October 29 for Outer Worlds and October 21 for Ninja Gaiden. These games now range from 60 to 80$. Yalls audience might GP it but other platforms have to buy it and your average person won't shell out that kinda money a week apart.
Well, you dont have to buy it. Noone is making gamers buy it a week apart. I don't see anything wrong with it.
You want another Doom The Dark Ages scenario? I'm surprised Oblivion and Expedition 33 did well with a simultaneous release. Clearly that fatigue was definitely felt with Doom.
They need at least 2 weeks apart.
You're talking about a first-person RPG and a third-person action game though. So, it's a bit different than EA putting Titanfall 2 and Battlefield 1 back-to-back.
I count 7 original multiplatform IPs, which were ultimately bought and are now published by Microsoft.
Sigh.
Yeah.
I must have skipped those years being frozen in Area 51 in which 75 billion dollar acquisitions of around 25 original multiplatform IPs were already normal.
Xbox, PlayStation, Take2, Ubisoft, EA are mostly made up of purchased studios and games.
Nintendo are the only ones not doing tons of acquisitions.
The latest game in BioWare’s fantasy role-playing series went through ten years of development turmoil
In early November, on the eve of the crucial holiday shopping season, staffers at the video-game studio BioWare were feeling optimistic. After an excruciating development cycle, they had finally released their latest game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and the early reception was largely positive. The role-playing game was topping sales charts on Steam, and solid, if not spectacular, reviews were rolling in.
Its easy they called the die hard fans people in their nerd caves who will buy anything and then went woke to reach modern audiences....insulting the nerds in their caves along the way showing utter contempt for their fan base. very hapy it failed and any company who insults their fan base and treat their customers with contempt and insults, in future, i also hope fail.
It’s disappointing but not surprising to see what's happening with Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the broader situation at BioWare. The layoffs are tragic — no one wants to see talented developers lose their jobs. But when studios repeatedly create games that alienate their own fanbase, outcomes like this become unfortunately predictable.
There’s a pattern we’re seeing far too often: beloved franchises are revived, only to be reshaped into something almost unrecognizable. Changes are made that no one asked for, often at the expense of what originally made these games special. Then, when long-time fans express concern or lose interest, they’re told, “This game might not be for you.” But when those same fans heed that advice and don’t buy the game, suddenly they're labeled as toxic, sexist, bigoted, or worse.
Let’s be clear: the overwhelming majority of gamers have no issue with diversity, LGBTQ+ representation, or strong female leads. In fact, some of the most iconic characters in gaming — like Aloy, Ellie, or FemShep — are proof that inclusivity and excellent storytelling can and do go hand in hand. The issue arises when diversity feels performative, forced, or disconnected from the narrative — when characters or themes are inserted not to serve the story, but to satisfy a corporate DEI checklist. Audiences can tell the difference.
When studios chase approval from a vocal minority that often doesn’t even buy games — while simultaneously dismissing loyal fans who actually do — they risk not just the success of individual titles, but the health of their entire studio. Telling your core customers “don’t buy it if you don’t like it” is not a viable business strategy. Because guess what? Many of us won’t. And when the game fails commercially, blaming those very fans for not supporting it is both unfair and self-defeating.
Gamers aren’t asking for less diversity or less progress. We’re asking for better writing, thoughtful character development, and a respect for the franchises we’ve supported for decades. When you give people great games that speak to them — whether they’re old fans or new players — they will show up. But if you keep making games for people who don’t play them, don’t be surprised when those who do stop showing up
I thought the writing and character development were fine. Sometimes things just dont resonate with people.
Recent evidence we discovered indicates that the next game in the Just Cause series may have been canceled, potentially two years ago.
I mean it wasn't that intelligent to begin with, release it exclusive to the system that doesn't buy games. Plus it was on gamepass if I'm not mistaken. It's been a minute since I had mine on cause I just wrapped up chrono cross on ps5 but remember looking forward to checking this out on the Xbox. Try it on xbox if I liked it I would've bought on ps