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[GymWolf]

The solution was to try something different. Risk taking is better than certain death. In this case, the risk flopped. Shouldn't be surprising to anyone.

So no, the solution wasn't making redfall, i knew we were saying the same thing with different words buddy

Jokes aside, you don't force an immersive sims studio to make a coop loot shooter, if they have to die, at least let em die making things they like.

But tbh, deathloop was already an hint that a lot of talent left the studio already, the game was a 7 at best.

 

[ThatPolishGuy]

He's a legend for Prey and Dishonored.

He's also a legend for being able to walk away from something he created.

My wait for the next great immersive sim seems like it's going to take a long time.

Rocksteady, Bioware, Bungie. The list gets longer and longer. Studios aren't forever, they only exist as long as tbe founders are there and they're engaged with their work. There's exceptions for sure, Id for example, but it sure seems to be the case for the vast majority.

Yeah, but he is making immersive sim game with WolfEye Studios, he even got Dishonored sketch artist on board. So not all hope is lost, maybe in 3 to 4 years we get our Dishonored kind of fix. This dude is moving on fast! Can't wait for his next game.

Huge Dishonored and Thief (original trilogy) fan here. So I am really curious in what the hell he is cooking right now. I'm gonna definitely keep my eye on this. And support it, if its a creative and fun game.

 

[Esparadrapo]

Hopefully Indiana Jones will be able to replicate some of Dishonoured.

Chances are Indiana Jones was forced upon MachineGames in the same fashion as Redfall was upon Arkane Austin.

 

[Larxia]

Dishonored 3 died because Dishonored 2 floundered.

But Dishonored 2 was absolutely fantastic. Best stealth game ever, improved on the first game on absolutely every points, incredible game, and some of the best level design ever.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

So no, the solution wasn't making redfall, i knew we were saying the same thing with different words buddy

Jokes aside, you don't force an immersive sims studio to make a coop loot shooter, if they have to die, at least let em die making things they like.

But tbh, deathloop was already an hint that a lot of talent left the studio already, the game was a 7 at best.

Yeah, you don't let studios die. That's silly.

You take a risk and try something new to achieve success.

 

[FoxMcChief]

My dumbass read this 3 times, thinking he'd left in 1999.

We’ve all been there. I mean, I kept seeing your avatar for something it wasn’t, lol.

 

[Northeastmonk]

Dishonored and Prey were both great games. We can only hope the financial mistakes these asshats are making at Bethesda will teach them a lesson before all their talent leaves.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

. is dead now

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

Shame Dishonored 2 and 1 were my favorite stealth like games of all times. Would really liked a part 3.

 

[Alebrije]

He actually does!

News - Wolfeye Studios (Arkane Founder New RPG) shares first look at in-development retro sci-fi first-person action RPG

via Eurogamer As teased earlier this week, Arkane founder Raphael Colantonio has today unveiled the first details of his next game at WolfEye Studios. While the game's name is still under wraps, this new project is a first-person action RPG that's set in an alternate America in the 1900s...

www.neogaf.com

Regarding the OP, this is just another case of veteran developers leaving and starting up their own studios. There's a shitload of them. The guy behind Deux Ex Humankind Revolution and Mankind Divided is working on Hell is Us, there's the creative director of Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 with a bunch of ex CDPR people working on a new dark fantasy RPG called Dawnwalker at Revel Wolves (will probably be announced at TGS this year, just my own speculation), the main guy behind Just Cause and even the creator of Assassin's Creed and it goes on and on.

Unfortunately with most of them they still haven't released anything, some even got shutdown without releasing anything. Others just released not so well-received games (like the guys behind Dead Space releasing Callisto Protocol) but it's absolutely a trend. I'm very interested in this development and I hope they succeed, western gaming needs more of these studios and less of these big ones that have been doing nothing but disappoint over the last years, most recently Ubisoft and Bethesda.

Looks interesting his new project , hope it ends well...and has the Prey touch.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

But Dishonored 2 was absolutely fantastic. Best stealth game ever, improved on the first game on absolutely every points, incredible game, and some of the best level design ever.

It didn't appeal to enough people. This is a business, not a charity. People have to understand that creatives can tank a company just as easily as "suits".

 

[Kvally]

Sucks that Bethesda chose to chase trends rather than foster creativity.

Prey 2017 is one of my favorite games of all time.

Agreed. That said, I played Redfall after they announced the closure and final update. Beginning to end. I enjoyed it. Not my GOTY or anything, but I had fun with it.

 

[RCX]

Yeah, but he is making immersive sim game with WolfEye Studios, he even got Dishonored sketch artist on board. So not all hope is lost, maybe in 3 to 4 years we get our Dishonored kind of fix.

This seems to be the natural order.

1) start studio with close knit, talented group
2) succeed with a game or two you're passionate and focused on
3) make money
4) suits start getting involved
5) lose control of studios direction
6) realize you can't work under the oversight of talentless nobodies
7) leave and start again at step 1. But this time you've got a lot of your own money and you've learned some hard lessons along the way.

I'm really coming around to the concept of a super studio like a super band. A few very talented veterans get together for one or two specific projects and then disband immediately after.

 

[adamsapple]

Agreed. That said, I played Redfall after they announced the closure and final update. Beginning to end. I enjoyed it. Not my GOTY or anything, but I had fun with it.

It's a serviceable enough game played solo after the patches. Far from their best output, but it's far from a train-wreck as well.

 

[Ozriel]

There isn’t a single forward thinking, creative thinking person in charge at MS/Bethesda. They will continue to chase trends and make generic trash until the talent leaves one by one

What trends are Microsoft supposed to be chasing with Indiana Jones, the new Fable, the new Perfect Dark, Flight Sim, Doom, Avowed, Clockwork Revolution and South of Midnight?

Pentiment? Grounded?

 

[ThatPolishGuy]

This seems to be the natural order.

1) start studio with close knit, talented group
2) succeed with a game or two you're passionate and focused on
3) make money
4) suits start getting involved
5) lose control of studios direction
6) realize you can't work under the oversight of talentless nobodies
7) leave and start again at step 1. But this time you've got a lot of your own money and you've learned some hard lessons along the way.

I'm really coming around to the concept of a super studio like a super band. A few very talented veterans get together for one or two specific projects and then disband immediately after.

Yeah, you might be right.

The director of Deus Ex Human Revolution and Mankind Divided did the same with Hell is Us. I'm gonna keep my eye on this one too.

They even aim for mixing oldschool no handholding painted ledges design with a modern take, NPC are hinting where to go. Seems like a group of veterans, rather than some intern level team.

 

[Ozriel]

“Management made me do a game I didn’t want to make” is a perfectly valid and viable excuse for a game that’s uninteresting or boring or just not fun to play. A game that falls short critically, but is still mechanically sound.

When it’s a crazy amount of bugs, brain-dead AI and missing animations even after a yearlong delay, developers have to take responsibility.

When your newly launched game lacks animations for stealth kills, even after you’ve got experience with making stealth games…I’m not sure where the excuse can come from.

 

[AtomicStarving]

Is this "Microsoft forcing GAAS" plan? wtf

 

[Sethbacca]

Dishonored and Prey were both great games. We can only hope the financial mistakes these asshats are making at Bethesda will teach them a lesson before all their talent leaves.

I mean.... you've seen the state of Xbox right? Don't hold your breath.....

 

[Ozriel]

3) make money
4) suits start getting involved
5) lose control of studios direction

They kinda flopped at the Stage 3 part, though. And that’s rather inconvenient when it’s someone else’s money involved.

 

[ThatPolishGuy]

Dishonored and Prey were both great games. We can only hope the financial mistakes these asshats are making at Bethesda will teach them a lesson before all their talent leaves.

They might already left with Colantonio.

Like some Looking Glass Studios staff jumped to Ion Storm and then to Arkane. If I'm not mistaken Harvey Smith was in Ion Storm. But those studios closed so the situation might be a bit different.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

It didn't appeal to enough people. This is a business, not a charity. People have to understand that creatives can tank a company just as easily as "suits".

It's a creative business and you can't force a group of creatives to make something they don't want to make. Or maybe you can, but you'll get shit results.

 

[Kvally]

Is this "Microsoft forcing GAAS" plan? wtf

“The acquisition gave some staff at Arkane hope that Microsoft might cancel Redfall or, better yet, let them reboot it as a single-player game, according to sources familiar with the production. Instead, Microsoft maintained a hands-off approach. Aside from canceling a version of Redfall that had been planned for rival Sony Corp.’s PlayStation, Microsoft allowed ZeniMax to continue operating as it had before, with great autonomy.”

Report: Arkane Hoped Microsoft Would Cancel Or Reboot ‘Redfall’

Redfall is the worst-reviewed major release of 2023, and a black eye on Microsoft’s first party ambitions, a truly terrible game from a studio previously a producer of...

www.forbes.com

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

It's a creative business and you can't force a group of creatives to make something they don't want to make. Or maybe you can, but you'll get shit results.

It's always a balance. The good creatives know the value of merging their interests with what the market wants. When you're leading a team of more than one person compromises are the name of the game.

 

[GymWolf]

Yeah, you don't let studios die. That's silly.

You take a risk and try something new to achieve success.

Yeah and look how that worked for arkane or the studio behind the arkham games...

Sometimes you just keep a studio for their projects that have a small circle of fanboys even if they don't make much money, you think sony kept up the studio behind ico because their titles sold a lot?

Microsoft could have payed for dishonored 3 (not a huge budget really, their games are more akin to "high" budget AA than AAA) and get at least some good credit from the players instead of forcing a shlooter on fucking arkane.

 

[Dick Jones]

Sucks that Bethesda chose to chase trends rather than foster creativity.

Prey 2017 is one of my favorite games of all time.

You mean sucks that Microsoft chose to chase trends. If you are claiming Call of Duty as a full first party game developed by Xbox, you also have to claim this abortion.

 

[adamsapple]

You mean sucks that Microsoft chose to chase trends. If you are claiming Call of Duty as a full first party game developed by Xbox, you also have to claim this abortion.

He left Bethesda in 2017, years before the acquisition, probably would have stayed on if MS had acquired Bethesda earlier.

 

[Bernardougf]

Sucks that Bethesda chose to chase trends rather than foster creativity.

Prey 2017 is one of my favorite games of all time.

Always heard good thigns about prey.. but the ps version is locked to 30 fps.. so is a no go for me

 

[adamsapple]

Always heard good thigns about prey.. but the ps version is locked to 30 fps.. so is a no go for me

It's the Bioshock / Deus Ex game we never got. Fantastic atmosphere and game play. If you get a chance to play on PC or Xbox, do give it a shot. Shame the PS version is locked at 30 and I think despite patches, the controller response is also still pretty laggy.

 

[mayham2199]

Yeah, you don't let studios die. That's silly.

You take a risk and try something new to achieve success.

I agree but I still don't think you force a studio into making something they don't want to do. That's just creating more problems and as we can see puts your top talent in a position where they just want to leave.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

Looking back, MS should have just killed Redfall off. Maybe they were too worried about alienating Bethesda people if their first act was to cancel it.

Kind of makes you wonder how bad Scalebound must have been if they killed that but thought Redfall was ok.

 

[Kvally]

Kind of makes you wonder how bad Scalebound must have been if they killed that but thought Redfall was ok.

Scalebound developers (PG) took a big ol' shit.

 

[zaga]

RIP Bethesda 1986 - 2017.

We are quickly approaching 10 years since Bethesda died... so sad.

 

[skyfinch]

Redfall is my game of the generation. Ok, enough talk, time to go a few rounds of Concord.

 

[SJRB]

Based Raphael.

Imagine having a studio that made Dishonored and Prey, both critically acclaimed, well beloved and considered a pinnacle of the immersive sim genre, and tell them to make a co-op shooter, lmao. Fucking morons.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

I agree but I still don't think you force a studio into making something they don't want to do. That's just creating more problems and as we can see puts your top talent in a position where they just want to leave.

I'm extremely skeptical that Arkane were "forced" to make Redfall. That story never added up.

 

[GigaBowser]

used to be armazing now they are crud

 

[Lunarorbit]

Dishonored is my favorite game of all time.

I think he mentioned it multiple times, he left because he didn't want to work in a studio that's 300+ large but can't produce any innovative ideas.

Weird West was very enjoyable for me, it carries some essence of dishonored games despite being completely different genre.

I was loving weird west and then it forced me to play as another character. I didn't realize how the was structured cause I was really disappointed i couldn't play as the gunslinger anymore.

Prey is one of my favorites all time. Totally boneheaded move by Bethesda to change the studio. No pulse on what gamers were liking

 

[Calico345]

Yep, i support him, Bethesda hasn't been making the games their main fans have wanted for a long time, they want their online cash cow money. looking forward to Raphael's new game, i love his Dishonored games and Prey.

What do they have in the works? Sorry, I haven't really followed them or played their games.

 

[nowhat]

Sucks that Bethesda chose to chase trends rather than foster creativity.

Right?

Now, when are we willing to crucify Todd Howard? Hermen Hulst, and previously Jim Ryan, have certainly had some nails hammered through their wrists.

 

[EDMIX]

Sucks that Bethesda chose to chase trends rather than foster creativity.

Prey 2017 is one of my favorite games of all time.

I mean it's hard to say this is a big studio and this is just the opinion of the founder, for all we know he might be bitter that someone choose something different Then what he wanted to do as a game or something like this that doesn't entirely mean the entire studio actually agreed with his original pitch for something

Because his studio after all still owned by Bethesda

So whenever somebody leaves a studio like this under these conditions it's hard to take what they're saying seriously. For all we know they were open to all sorts of ideas and simply just chose one that he disagreed with that somebody else may have brought up. I'm not saying this is 100% it, but we need some perspective on this one

Cause when he states "did not want to do the kind of games that WE wanted" that is a loaded one and I need some fucking receipts lol

 

[Laptop1991]

What do they have in the works? Sorry, I haven't really followed them or played their games.

Do you mean Bethesda or Raphael

 

[Calico345]

Do you mean Bethesda or Raphael

My apologies, I should've been clearer. Raphael and his studio.

 

[Laptop1991]

My apologies, I should've been clearer. Raphael and his studio.

He is working on a new game that fans of his Dishonored's games will enjoy of which I'm one of them, Dishonored 1 and 2 are great games imo, so I'm looking forward to it

 

[The Stig]

Prey is one of my favorite games EVER.

So sad that we never got a sequel. Fucking Bethesda

 

[ThatPolishGuy]

But Dishonored 2 was absolutely fantastic. Best stealth game ever, improved on the first game on absolutely every points, incredible game, and some of the best level design ever.

Yup, I liked like Clockwork Mansion paied homage to Constantine Mansion from Thief 1 and like they contacted Stephen Russell to voice Corvo, he was Garretts voice actors in Thief 1, 2 ans 3. They even added "It's a long waay down" classic Garrett line, as an Easter Egg.

Timepiece mission absolutely blew my mind as well as framerate on my PS4.

That's what I double dipped on GOG an will replay whole Dishonored series on my PC. With solid 60fps and no input lag, as I did back in the day with Dishonored 1.

The only beef I had with D2 is that they changed The Outsider voice actor, since he was present in original CGI reveal od D2, it was a bummer. Billy Lush had an entirely different vibe to Outsider.

I wish that someone would do an AI mod, like they did with Ada in Resident Evil 4 Remake just to see the difference in VA performance.

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

I love how people downplay Xbox involvment into Arkane's downfall.

They could've easily cancel Redfall and retool the team to something more fitting. But alas, now Arkane is just one team that is making a game based on a failed (considering recent news) Disney IP. A ghoul of it's former creativity and talent to create new evoking and 100% original worlds.

A fate worse than death. I prey (sorry) that Wolfeye Studios' new game will somehow resurrect the spirit of old Arkane.

This !!

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

They kinda flopped at the Stage 3 part, though. And that’s rather inconvenient when it’s someone else’s money involved.

Did Dishonored 2 really not have good sales? That's hard for me to believe.

 

[ThatPolishGuy]

Did Dishonored 2 really not have good sales? That's hard for me to believe.

I did my part, bought it Day 1 on a launch day.

And would buy Dishonored 3 the same also.

If it's really dead its a bummer. I saw some Harvey Smith interviews back in the day as he talked about Pandyssia, that they are people there and are far more primal, more conected to the void.

And from the in-game texts we learned that in the map of Dishonored world Pandyssia is purposely drawn smaller than it actually is, so the Isles people wouldn't feel so insignificant, so Pandyssia is actually more massive than in-game maps.

I was wondering if they introduce new deity through Pandyssia.

Or if they finally show Tyvia, as Dishonored 2 leaks back in the day mentioned Darkness of Tyvia.

Dishonored 3 could go either way. But if its really dead. Its time to support Colantonio's new game, I guess.

Hopefully it will have as detailed world as Thief and Dishonored to geek about for me. I absolutely love if the world has maps, books and huge lore. Its so immersive, but for me it only works if the world is as detailed, dense as Thief x Dishonored, semi-open world.

 

[hyperbertha]

I love how people downplay Xbox involvment into Arkane's downfall.

They could've easily cancel Redfall and retool the team to something more fitting. But alas, now Arkane is just one team that is making a game based on a failed (considering recent news) Disney IP. A ghoul of it's former creativity and talent to create new evoking and 100% original worlds.

A fate worse than death. I prey (sorry) that Wolfeye Studios' new game will somehow resurrect the spirit of old Arkane.

Arkane was as much Microsoft's prey as bethesda's.