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Microsoft is finally clarifying the situation regarding future Bethesda games

Alright

Banned
A contract for multiplatform games?

Interesting to see your analogy for manufacturing industry

Is this the next goal post?

Why would there be any contract for TES 6 or even Starfield? Why would Bethesda sign a contract for games with platform holders if they are not exclusive?

Sony has a contract for a game that was previously multiplatform, to stay multiplatform? For a game thats years away from being completed and not even in a playable state? I doubt they even have 25% of this game completed.

I very much doubt it mate. Still in the denial stage.

Thirsting for XGS games. Times really have changed huh.

Excuse Me What GIF by Curb Your Enthusiasm

Biff, how do you imagine that Xbox games will be playable on 'PS5 Gamepass'? All MS games would have to be ported specifically to run on the PS5, pretty sure Halo won't run on PS5 natively.

What your fevered mind is imagining is just Xcloud, not Gamepass at all. Game streaming and Gamepass are very different beasts.

That said, none of those games are coming to PS5, whether they be on Gamepass, Xcloud or the, no doubt incredible, Biffimagine.

I'm surprised that the contract angle has surprised people. Sorry in advance for doing this in baby steps, but it helps me to explain.

Skyrim ships. The devs start discussing TES 6
A road map and strategy is formed of what resources are needed to make the game.
Some of, if not all of, these projections will be based on Skyrim sales and the direction of the industry
TES 6 is in production and probably has been for a while. To know the scale of the game, you need to know the budget.
The budget is based on sales, which gives you the realistic scope of the game. Will it be 10 hours or 10000 hours?
Of course, you don't spend £100 million on a 4 hour indy game, to be sold to a possible player base of 100,000 people.
Likewise, you wouldnt spend £10 on a 100000 game aimed at millions of customers.

Where does all that get us? Well, TES 6 projections will have been made, created and budgeted for, before Zenimax went up for sale. So, Sony, Microsoft, Valve et al, will (going from experience in the manufacturing industry) will have been approached to enter in to a contract to have TES 6 on Playstation, Xbox, Steam, Egs etc etc.

Nobody in their right mind would now re-enter contract negotiations for a game that has already started production, with a projected timeline, budget, scale etc. It would cost the host company (Microsoft) way too much hassle and headache and ultimately may reduce the quality of the game (if stuff has to be chopped to meet the new budget projection, based on selling to LESS customers).

TL;DR TES 6 started production too long ago for it to be exclusive and there is no benefit to Microsoft for taking that huge risk. Doubly so after the slip-up of Halo.

And before the old "Sony Pony" accusations come flying out; 1) I'm a bigger Xbox fan than anyone on this board, which isn't bad to say i don't get paid for being a fan. 2) Maybe the fan boys not being able to accept the outcome of the Zenimax deal, aren't Sony Ponys, but are bitter Xbox fans, desperately trying to get one over on fans of their competitors plastic box.

Biff, how do you imagine that Xbox games will be playable on 'PS5 Gamepass'? All MS games would have to be ported specifically to run on the PS5, pretty sure Halo won't run on PS5 natively.

What your fevered mind is imagining is just Xcloud, not Gamepass at all. Game streaming and Gamepass are very different beasts.

That said, none of those games are coming to PS5, whether they be on Gamepass, Xcloud or the, no doubt incredible, Biffimagine.

That's the whole point of Xcloud Microsoft can't have Gamepass as the netflix if gaming, if it's tied to equipment that needs to be expensive/powerful in order to run it. That's what killed the CD-I format.

As for the name, it doesn't matter. When you "google" something, you don't have to use Google search engine. Gamepass is going to be an all-in-one entertainment centre. Games, Music, Movies, TV. We've seen the start of it with Disney+ and LOTR making their way to 'Gamepass'.

This also plays in to the larger corporate strategy of Microsoft; Get people using Azure servers, have as many subscriptions as possible, be they in the home or in the office, or, how about in the Home/Office?

As a quick hypothetical. Imagine is Microsoft launched a 'Hub' that allowed you to use all of the Office suite software; Skype, Powerpoint, Word, Excel, but also allowed you to stream gamepass games to it, either from local hardware (The XSX downstairs) or from servers. Now imagine that item cost £99/$99. Who wouldn't buy one? and of those owners, who wouldn't subscribe to Gamepass + ultimate Professional 365 edition for £19.99/$19.99 a month?

Microsoft is the hammer and the Xbox division is the nail.
 

Alright

Banned
I wouldn't say it's inevitable at all. If all MS wanted to do was make money from the subscription, they could do that very easily. That would be shortsighted, but they could.

How much is 100m times £10.99? How much is a billion times £10.99? That's revenue per month.

And obviously that's just big numbers for big numbers sake. The point being, with enough subscribers, Gamepass is successful even if every single member fails to pay a penny extra. What's the tipping point? I haven't done the maths recently, but at about 40m subscribers Microsoft is potentially making the equivalent of some of Sony's most successful games every single month.

But it doesn't seem likely they'll completely ignore DLC and MTX. People like additional content, bonus characters and, yes, stupid costumes. Not me, but they sell for a reason. Some games will have them, some won't, but there's no need to force them anywhere they won't fit.

Give game for free* on gamepass, offer DLC at reduced prices via gamepass. Win/Win. Especially if the game comes to gamepass for free*, before the sequel launches later that year.

It's the same strategy Sony is using by porting games to PC.

OG game on PS, sometime later port GOTY to PC to raise hype for a sequel, Sequel on PS, sometime later port sequel on PC. Rinse and repeat
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Wow some true business experts here.
Sometimes, you just need to be the first. I really wanna believe that platforms like Netflix, Spotify or Steam are advancements which took us into new technological spheres and might even look magic to certain people. But maybe it just took someone with a hands-on mentality to shake the industry.

Given my experience in the business I'm vastly more qualified to speak on these subjects than the average person.

I know what I'm talking about, like it or not. Which isn't to say that I'm always right, just that if I express an opinion its an informed one.
 

reksveks

Member
Where does all that get us? Well, TES 6 projections will have been made, created and budgeted for, before Zenimax went up for sale. So, Sony, Microsoft, Valve et al, will (going from experience in the manufacturing industry) will have been approached to enter in to a contract to have TES 6 on Playstation, Xbox, Steam, Egs etc etc.
But what's the contract for? A contract for bethesda to release on those platforms in exchange for what? Access to the sony/valve platform for that specific game?

That's what I don't get.

Also what would be the penalty for a game not being completed? What cost has Sony incurred?
 
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But what's the contract for? A contract for bethesda to release on those platforms in exchange for what? Access to the sony/valve platform for that specific game?

That's what I don't get.

Also what would be the penalty for a game not being completed? What cost has Sony incurred?
Yeah, theres no such thing as contracts for multiplatform games, no one in their right mind would lock themselves into a contract for a game that is 5-6 years out. Devs push builds to certification and thats it. If there are contracts, they are for marketing or for exclusivity. Both of which we know they didn't make any besides Deathloop and Ghostwire.
 

GhostOfTsu

Banned
2) Maybe the fan boys not being able to accept the outcome of the Zenimax deal, aren't Sony Ponys, but are bitter Xbox fans, desperately trying to get one over on fans of their competitors plastic box.
AMEN! I've been saying this since the beginning. This thread (and all Bethesda threads) is filled with the most toxic fanboys I have ever seen and they don't come from the supposed "Sony fans".

They brand everyone as a "Sony fan" just so they can attack and laugh at them and accuse them of port begging.

The games were so far in development I wouldn't be surprised if there was some kind of contract with the dev kits.
 

Alright

Banned
But what's the contract for? A contract for bethesda to release on those platforms in exchange for what? Access to the sony/valve platform for that specific game?

That's what I don't get.

Also what would be the penalty for a game not being completed? What cost has Sony incurred?
I'm just going off of knowledge from other industries. Maybe it's different in the entertainment world? I'm looking at this from the perspective of a bean-counter/finance person. You know, some stuffy old snooty grey-haired guy with glasses whos only knowledge of video games is "ahh, that shooty game my grandson plays." Hopefully that helps to try and understand where my POV is.

I imagine at some point before a game is created, the devs have to understand the scope of the project, to get a budget from Zenimax, with some form of Return of Investment and a timescale for that.

Now, once Sony have said "Yep, we will have TES 6 as a product and we will sell it on our platform". Zenimax then look at the sales of Skyrim on PS3 and PS4, and the ratio to console sold. For example; 100 million consoles = 10 million sales. That gives them a rough idea of 100 million PS5's = 10 million TES 6 sales. That 10 million sales allows for a budget of X.

Now, if that budget, for talk sake, is £100 million quid, 50% of that budget, for talks sake, is due to the projected sales on Playstation, then it would stand to reason that Zenimax (now Microsoft) wouldn't undercut the budget, quality, timescale etc of TES 6, just to pwn sony ponys.

I could be well off mark here. I'm only going from what i've seen before and selling 100,000 spades to HomeDepot is a little different from selling a digital license (the game) but i would like to think that the mechanism of transactions is still the same.

Industry insiders, help us out!
 

Alright

Banned
A contract that forces the developer to release a game? There will definitely be a NDA and contract to protect Sony’s IP.
Not forced to release it.

The game would still be released, but you've cut the legs off of the profitability.

I don't know any of this for sure in the game industry. I'm going off of the fact that a game is a product.

If you're telling me that a game is made, then sold off after it's completion, then...that's mucking fental
 

Mmnow

Member
I'm just going off of knowledge from other industries. Maybe it's different in the entertainment world? I'm looking at this from the perspective of a bean-counter/finance person. You know, some stuffy old snooty grey-haired guy with glasses whos only knowledge of video games is "ahh, that shooty game my grandson plays." Hopefully that helps to try and understand where my POV is.

I imagine at some point before a game is created, the devs have to understand the scope of the project, to get a budget from Zenimax, with some form of Return of Investment and a timescale for that.

Now, once Sony have said "Yep, we will have TES 6 as a product and we will sell it on our platform". Zenimax then look at the sales of Skyrim on PS3 and PS4, and the ratio to console sold. For example; 100 million consoles = 10 million sales. That gives them a rough idea of 100 million PS5's = 10 million TES 6 sales. That 10 million sales allows for a budget of X.

Now, if that budget, for talk sake, is £100 million quid, 50% of that budget, for talks sake, is due to the projected sales on Playstation, then it would stand to reason that Zenimax (now Microsoft) wouldn't undercut the budget, quality, timescale etc of TES 6, just to pwn sony ponys.

I could be well off mark here. I'm only going from what i've seen before and selling 100,000 spades to HomeDepot is a little different from selling a digital license (the game) but i would like to think that the mechanism of transactions is still the same.

Industry insiders, help us out!
I think the point people are making is that for there to be a contract there needs to be a formal agreement, which there probably wasn't (unless there's some form of exclusivity or a funding arrangement).

You dont usually sign a contract on intent to do something. That's more likely to come along at the end, just as you're sorting out the platform holder's share, etc.

There's no "sale" to Sony in the way you're thinking, because Sony just want every game possible in their ecosystem. The barrier for entry is "will it blow up the system or cause us embarrassment, and will we get our cut."
 
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Alright

Banned
I think the point people are making is that for there to be a contract there needs to be a formal agreement, which there probably wasn't (unless there's some form of exclusivity or a funding arrangement).

You dont usually sign a contract on intent to do something. That's more likely to come along at the end, just as you're sorting out the platform holder's share, etc.
Thanks for the info.

How does the game industry budget for such large-scale projects like TES?

If TES was exclusive to Xbox/PS/Steam then i can get my head around that, but i can't get my head around how anyone would want such a popular franchise to go exclusive, after the scope was initially multiplat. Wouldn't the devs be taking a huge financial hit by cutting back on their player base?
 

reksveks

Member
Now, if that budget, for talk sake, is £100 million quid, 50% of that budget, for talks sake, is due to the projected sales on Playstation, then it would stand to reason that Zenimax (now Microsoft) wouldn't undercut the budget, quality, timescale etc of TES 6, just to pwn sony ponys.

I could be well off mark here. I'm only going from what i've seen before and selling 100,000 spades to HomeDepot is a little different from selling a digital license (the game) but i would like to think that the mechanism of transactions is still the same.

Industry insiders, help us out!
I am not arguing or questioning the fact scopes and budgets and what not would have been decided with the plan to release on ps5 in mind. Also the metrics for success have now kinda of changes from something less defined than sales.

In terms of budget, quality or scope. We don't know what the merger has done to the budget and whether reducing to one/two platforms has reduced the work needed.

Also yeah, the difference between digital entertainment products and physical ones it would be lead to different relationships between retailers and producers.
 
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Where does all that get us? Well, TES 6 projections will have been made, created and budgeted for, before Zenimax went up for sale. So, Sony, Microsoft, Valve et al, will (going from experience in the manufacturing industry) will have been approached to enter in to a contract to have TES 6 on Playstation, Xbox, Steam, Egs etc etc.
As somebody who previously was in the gaming industry, both in retail and then on the corporate side, these contracts don't exist for multiplatform until the game has been announced.

To be clear, it is basically non-existent that a contract is made for a game launching PS or Xbox or Nintendo if the game is multiplatform.
 

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Banned
I am not arguing or questioning the fact scopes and budgets and what not would have been decided with the plan to release on ps5 in mind. Also the metrics for success have now kinda of changes from something less defined than sales.

In terms of budget, quality or scope. We don't know what the merger has done to the budget and whether reducing to one/two platforms has reduced the work needed.

Also yeah, the difference between digital entertainment products and physical ones I would be lead to different relationships between retailers and producers.
I see everything in plain, boring, bureaucratic terms. It helps sort the fanboy noise from info and ideas.

Would Microsoft risk reducing the quality, scope and budget of a game, just to get it exclusive? Like, if the game as a multiplat is 10/10 but as an exclusive has to cut back in areas and becomes a 7/10. is it worth it?

Either way. Fallout being re-united with Obsidian is the best anyone could have hoped for. Come on Isometric remaster of Fallout1, 2 and Tactics (come at me)
 

Alright

Banned
As somebody who previously was in the gaming industry, both in retail and then on the corporate side, these contracts don't exist for multiplatform until the game has been announced.

To be clear, it is basically non-existent that a contract is made for a game launching PS or Xbox or Nintendo if the game is multiplatform.
Cheers for the insight.

Not to be picky, but does basically non-existant mean that the contract is more of a gentlemans agreement? (I am a boring cunt who likes the business side of the gaming industry, so this kind of discussion tops all fanboy nonsense for me)

Bernkastel Bernkastel

Come on buddy, join in, leave the laughy smiley at the door. :)
 
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Thanks for the info.

How does the game industry budget for such large-scale projects like TES?

If TES was exclusive to Xbox/PS/Steam then i can get my head around that, but i can't get my head around how anyone would want such a popular franchise to go exclusive, after the scope was initially multiplat. Wouldn't the devs be taking a huge financial hit by cutting back on their player base?
By the publsiher providing funds based on the project's scope. That's what a publisher does. Provides funds.

Bethesda SELF publishes and thus pays for the development of their own games. Honestly, knowing people in the industry, it is usually done through low interest loans from banking organizations. Those banks also are given projections on game scope, game sales, etc, and based on publisher history, ip history, loans are written. Hence why you see announcements like "such and such game has made all their productions costs in so many weeks." They paid off the credit card. That's what those announcements are saying. Either to a bank or to a publisher. At that point, the game developer really starts to rake in money and the publisher is then receving a cut of the revenue AFTER expenses.

Edit: to really drive home the point, look at Focus Interactive. After they get their initial investment paid off, they just sit back happy and collect the royalties from the game they published. Why? Because they provided the INITIAL capital the developer could not afford to pay. They funded the entire creative process and thus get royalties on the revenue after expenses for the life of the product.
 
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Alright

Banned
By the publsiher providing funds based on the project's scope. That's what a publisher does. Provides funds.

Bethesda SELF publishes and thus pays for the development of their own games. Honestly, knowing people in the industry, it is usually done through low interest loans from banking organizations. Those banks also are given projections on game scope, game sales, etc, and based on publisher history, ip history, loans are written. Hence why you see announcements like "such and such game has made all their productions costs in so many weeks." They paid off the credit card. That's what those announcements are saying. Either to a bank or to a publisher. At that point, the game developer really starts to rake in money and the publisher is then receving a cut of the revenue AFTER expenses.
Again, thanks for the insight.

How would those loans change if the original scope was based on a multiplat game, going exclusive? Or, would it be easier to say "leave it as is"? If it's the latter, is that what the Xbox Division are hinting towards when they say 'honoured contracts'?
 

reksveks

Member
Not forced to release it.

The game would still be released, but you've cut the legs off of the profitability.

I don't know any of this for sure in the game industry. I'm going off of the fact that a game is a product.

If you're telling me that a game is made, then sold off after it's completion, then...that's mucking fental
Was mainly referring to the contract a publisher/developer would get for a dev kit.

I think the best analogy is something like books, you could self-publish your books on amazon, you probably have to go through some moderation team or sign up and never publish a book.

I see everything in plain, boring, bureaucratic terms. It helps sort the fanboy noise from info and ideas.

Would Microsoft risk reducing the quality, scope and budget of a game, just to get it exclusive? Like, if the game as a multiplat is 10/10 but as an exclusive has to cut back in areas and becomes a 7/10. is it worth it?

Either way. Fallout being re-united with Obsidian is the best anyone could have hoped for. Come on Isometric remaster of Fallout1, 2 and Tactics (come at me)
Again I don't see the relationship between scopes being cut due to it being an exclusive.

You could easily argue just as well that cause the success metrics have changed, not worrying about the profits would have lead to increased budgets which could lead to be a better game. Microsoft probably needs a tent pole game on Gamepass to drive subscriptions like Wandavision or any of the break out Netflix shows.
 

Alright

Banned
Was mainly referring to the contract a publisher/developer would get for a dev kit.

I think the best analogy is something like books, you could self-publish your books on amazon, you probably have to go through some moderation team or sign up and never publish a book.


Again I don't see the relationship between scopes being cut due to it being an exclusive.

You could easily argue just as well that cause the success metrics have changed, not worrying about the profits would have lead to increased budgets which could lead to be a better game. Microsoft probably needs a tent pole game on Gamepass to drive subscriptions like Wandavision or any of the break out Netflix shows.
That's a good point. Microsoft could take the budget of TES 6 on the chin, write it off as a loss or additional cost of doing the deal and it wouldn't change much. Interesting to think about.

I'm still in the camp that thinks TES 6 and maybe Fallout 5 will be multiplat, with future games being exclusive
 

Bernkastel

Ask me about my fanboy energy!
Would Microsoft risk reducing the quality, scope and budget of a game, just to get it exclusive? Like, if the game as a multiplat is 10/10 but as an exclusive has to cut back in areas and becomes a 7/10. is it worth it?
The question you should be asking is why would they lower the budget? Its not like 343i and Playground Games are cutting corners, I specifically mentioned these two studios because they are the size of Bethesda and Zenimax Online Studios. The rest of the Zenimax studios are no different then Obsidian, Ninja Theory, Initiative and Coalition(InXile and Compulsion Games are growing to be like that.
 
Again, thanks for the insight.

How would those loans change if the original scope was based on a multiplat game, going exclusive? Or, would it be easier to say "leave it as is"? If it's the latter, is that what the Xbox Division are hinting towards when they say 'honoured contracts'?
Microsoft purchased Bethesda and all their IP outright. I'm guessing paying off any debt or loans was part of the agreement for the buyout.
 

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Banned
The question you should be asking is why would they lower the budget? Its not like 343i and Playground Games are cutting corners, I specifically mentioned these two studios because they are the size of Bethesda and Zenimax Online Studios. The rest of the Zenimax studios are no different then Obsidian, Ninja Theory, Initiative and Coalition(InXile and Compulsion Games are growing to be like that.
I was thinking that exclusivity would reduce potential sales, which would reduce the profit and affect the budget.

Afterall, IMO Microsoft bought zenimax for Microsoft reasons. Bethesda and xbox is a happy cherry on the top.
 
Again, thanks for the insight.

How would those loans change if the original scope was based on a multiplat game, going exclusive? Or, would it be easier to say "leave it as is"? If it's the latter, is that what the Xbox Division are hinting towards when they say 'honoured contracts'?
For the most part, the loans would probably get cheaper. The larger a company is, the more assets they have, the cheaper access to loans they have. If anything, MS and the SIZE of the company could actually make negotiating the loan cheaper for Bethesda with no change in scope. The change in consumer access to the product would have no bearing at this point on the loan process. So for example, ES6 going from mutliplatform to exclusive to PC/Xbox would mean little with a giant company like MS behind the loan agreements. What's going to happen? The game doesn't make enough income and a trillion dollar company owes a bank 150-200m at most? It's honestly not even a thought or concern I'd imagine from the bank's perspective.

Also, if you think of the multiplatform process, the development is all done on PCs. The final stages, maybe the last 4-6 months involve console specific attributes and/or features. Especially during the QA process. See Skyrim on PS3 for example. So taking that into consideration and since we're talking about going from multiplatform to exclusive, there is some thought that completely eliminating the PS4 or PS5 version of QA and console-specific dev time could make it cheaper. You're talking not hiring QA specialists with PS backgrounds. You're basically not hiring an entire group that you previously needed to hire.
 

Alright

Banned
Microsoft purchased Bethesda and all their IP outright. I'm guessing paying off any debt or loans was part of the agreement for the buyout.
Maybe I'm reading too much in to the statements from the Xbox division in regards the exclusivity.

They make it sound like all games that existed before the buyout will remain as is, and it's the future games that we will see change to exclusivity.
 

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Banned
For the most part, the loans would probably get cheaper. The larger a company is, the more assets they have, the cheaper access to loans they have. If anything, MS and the SIZE of the company could actually make negotiating the loan cheaper for Bethesda with no change in scope. The change in consumer access to the product would have no bearing at this point on the loan process. So for example, ES6 going from mutliplatform to exclusive to PC/Xbox would mean little with a giant company like MS behind the loan agreements. What's going to happen? The game doesn't make enough income and a trillion dollar company owes a bank 150-200m at most? It's honestly not even a thought or concern I'd imagine from the bank's perspective.

Also, if you think of the multiplatform process, the development is all done on PCs. The final stages, maybe the last 4-6 months involve console specific attributes and/or features. Especially during the QA process. See Skyrim on PS3 for example. So taking that into consideration and since we're talking about going from multiplatform to exclusive, there is some thought that completely eliminating the PS4 or PS5 version of QA and console-specific dev time could make it cheaper. You're talking not hiring QA specialists with PS backgrounds. You're basically not hiring an entire group that you previously needed to hire.
See, this is what Gaf is missing. Info from people in the bizz, not 50 pages of Sony pony xbot and spidermannoyou. jpg


Yeah that second point I didn't consider. massive reduction in cost, complication and timescale if you're making the game for less consoles.

it'll be interesting to see what happens over the coming months.

Thanks for sharing the info.
 
Maybe I'm reading too much in to the statements from the Xbox division in regards the exclusivity.

They make it sound like all games that existed before the buyout will remain as is, and it's the future games that we will see change to exclusivity.
From what I understand, when Phil Spencer said "legacy games", it meant Bethesda games that already exist on multiple platforms and are expected to receive DLC and updates. Games like Elder Scrolls Online that get new content every few months or Doom Eternal which just released a new DLC today.
 
Maybe I'm reading too much in to the statements from the Xbox division in regards the exclusivity.

They make it sound like all games that existed before the buyout will remain as is, and it's the future games that we will see change to exclusivity.
Again, it comes down to terms and industry jargon.

LEGACY is usually a term used to refer to CURRENT products existing on platforms. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is legacy. Skyrim is legacy. If they launch a next gen version of Skyrim, it's legacy, I'm sure it'd see a PS5 release after this. ESO and other MMOs are living legacy titles. Living because they are constantly receiving development time. Unlike Skyrim which except for a patch or dlc or new version is not receiving development time.

Going by the terms LEGACY, I see ESO and Fallout 76 and their future dlcs being on PS5 and Sony consoles going forwards. That is legacy. ES6 does not exist on any platform. It is in current development. In the industry, legacy ips don't exist. It's not a common term used to describe IPs. It is very specific and has a specific meaning. And the future Phil is referring to again probably follows this thought process. Future ESO expansions will be under the Xbox Game Studios label but the game is legacy and is on PS (it has a community just like Phil said) and thus would get supported and receive the next expansion(s).
 
See, this is what Gaf is missing. Info from people in the bizz, not 50 pages of Sony pony xbot and spidermannoyou. jpg
I am no longer in the industry and have no interest in sticking my neck out on anything.

Things don't end well for people when you don't share the rabid fandom.
 
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Bernkastel

Ask me about my fanboy energy!
I was thinking that exclusivity would reduce potential sales, which would reduce the profit and affect the budget.

Afterall, IMO Microsoft bought zenimax for Microsoft reasons. Bethesda and xbox is a happy cherry on the top.
It was the Phil Spencer and the Xbox division who decided to buy Zenimax. Github was also decided by Team Foundation, does not mean Team Foundation have to pay for Github on their own(and no, Team Foundation is different from Azure even though they recently got rebranded).
From the perspective of Xbox division Zenimax just comes with more studios similar to one they have been acquiring or already have. They still have less than half the total number of employees as Actvision Blizzard even though they earn way more than them.
Zenimax Media itself only made 500 million a year, thats very small compared to Xbox division.
 
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Mmnow

Member
See, this is what Gaf is missing. Info from people in the bizz, not 50 pages of Sony pony xbot and spidermannoyou. jpg


Yeah that second point I didn't consider. massive reduction in cost, complication and timescale if you're making the game for less consoles.

it'll be interesting to see what happens over the coming months.

Thanks for sharing the info.
Sorry, stepped away for a bit and Bladed Thesis awesomely answered your questions.

If I was the producer on Starfield and I was told we were being bought out by Microsoft, I'd do everything I could to get back those funds I'd allocated for porting and go back to the canceled content list. It's likely work never even started on the PS5 version, and I don't think it'll be any cheaper because if it was legally possible all that money will go into making the game closer to the original vision than it would have been otherwise.

It's a big balancing act, which is why Fallout 76 even exists to begin with - as a regular stream of reliable income.

Luckily, that's not going to be a problem for Bethesda anymore. But you're right, it'll be interesting to see what happens next.
 
Do you think it's that close to release, or do you think the porting process to PS5 is that involved?

It's not my area, so I'm genuinely interested.
I think the porting process is probably close to starting if not started already.

I think the internal target was 2021 and that hasn't changed. If anything, going to MS where we've seen studios jump in to help ship products, might make 2021 even more a reality.
 
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